theredhairedmonkey
theredhairedmonkey
The Red-Haired Monkey
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theredhairedmonkey · 26 days ago
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It’s quite something how, underneath any Viren stan going “it all makes sense from his perspective, not justifying the murders or anything, just here is how he sees it—“, the second you start picking away at that they go full Light Yagami admitting he was Kira.
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“That’s right, I did what was necessary. And what can you do? Call me a monster? Hear this: I’m not just the High Mage, but I’m the only one who sees this world clearly. I have become the guardian of humanity’s future. I am the one maintaining the balance in our world. Kill me? Is that really the right thing to do? Since I began my work years ago, I’ve prevented countless human deaths and protected our borders from elves and dragons, but it’s not enough! This world is still broken… with too many naive rulers… Somebody has to make the hard choices! And when I first used dark magic all those years ago, I knew I had to use it—no, I was the only one who could! I understood that my methods were disturbing. THERE WAS NO OTHER WAY! HUMANITY HAD TO BE PROTECTED! A burden given to me! Only I could bear it! Who else could’ve done what I did and come this far?! WOULD THEY HAVE KEPT GOING?! … The only one… who can save the human kingdoms… is me…!”
-Viren
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theredhairedmonkey · 1 month ago
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Well, glad to see you’re back in any case!
That’s a generous of you. Honestly with how much bad faith they’ve thrown my way over the years, and with all the aggressive messages and asks, I can’t help but feel like this is just the bill coming due. But I do see your point, there used to be a time when they were actually making very good and well rounded analysis, so they were clearly talented at making meta that resonated with a lot of fans and made great insights that other people didn’t notice. Even CHET was somewhat pretty clever as a theory for s4, since it neatly tied together the various plot threads (Rayla going after Viren, Aaravos being freed, the rune cube) in a way that felt natural as a mid-series setback…
…but then that’s when things started to spiral. When s4 came out and it was clear CHET wasn’t the direction the show was going, rather than going “ah oh well” and moving on with their lives, they doubled down and insisted this MUST be the way the story is going. And everyone who didn’t see that was just an idiot and/or misogynistic, usually both. Every time a season didn’t deliver, that just meant CHET was going to be an even bigger deal than they initially imagined it, there was no version of this where they just accepted they were wrong and moved on. And that pent up frustration at being denied vindication was dished out to fans, again and again until eventually people threw up their hands.
Maybe what happened with raayllum was tragic. But they chose feeling right over being decent, so it was also inevitable, building for years until people’s patience finally ran out.
Seeing all the upheaval in the fandom over the last few weeks involving a certain "BNF" - and since everyone knows who "BNF" is, I'll just call them raayllum for simplicity (and for those who didn't know that, uh, spoilers?) - I wanted to weigh in.
In reading Jelly's post here, I recognized firsthand all the patterns that were in this post, the DMs and the subsequent ragepost here. The vagublogging, the accusations, the smearing, the denouncements, and so on. I faced the brunt of this behavior pretty much the entire time I've been in the fandom. One of the reasons I only post infrequently (usually to answer asks) is because this hostility has weighed on me. But as things are now dying down, I'm left thinking:
Raayllum essentially imploded and destroyed their own reputation, seemingly at the drop of a hat, despite being given every opportunity not to.
And that last part really stuck with me - this whole thing was tragically unecessary. Raayllum was shown maximum grace and refused o budge even slightly on their behavior, instead choosing to vagueblog for months. When Jelly made their initial post they took great care to keep raayllum anonymous (hence "BNF"), raayllum blew up and thus exposed the whole situation was about them. AndEven after that, it was clear that everyone was willing to forgive and forget if raayllum just made an honest effort to meet the basic minimum threshold of treating others respectfully...and rather than making even minimal changes and call it a day, raayllum drew a line in the sand and demanded everyone follow it or be blocked. Naturally, nobody followed that so raayllum just launched a new sideblog and migrated over there, effectively unraveling what had been one of the most popular blogs in the fandom seemingly overnight.
But instead offeeling vindicated, I look at this and can't help but feel "this is a waste." At every stage, raayllum had multiple off-ramps. The escalation was entirely avoidable. The community show remarkable patience and willingness to move past documented problematic behavior. All that was required was basic accountability and a commitment to treating fellow fans with respect. And raayllum threw all of that away for their pride, their ego, and their excessive need to control how the situation played out.
If this whole thing wasn't so sad and wasteful, it would have made for a great morality play, on par with a classic Greek tragedy where the main character gets undone by their hubris. Instead, well...we got what we got.
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theredhairedmonkey · 2 months ago
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Anyway…..I would like to loudly proclaim that I dislike the “snake boy Callum” take on Callum’s character. I think it completely mischaracterizes him, and twists him into some edgy fanfic version of him. People are obviously allowed to love this, and I’m cool with that. It’s why I have that tag blocked so I don’t have to see it. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Still I’m also allowed to loudly proclaim my dislike for it on my blog and that’s what I’m doing. I don’t think anyone should feel forced to like that interpretation just because it’s popular.
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theredhairedmonkey · 2 months ago
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Just some thoughts in light of some recent TDP fandom drama I’ve seen on my dash.
I didn’t join this fandom until around season 4, so I can’t say what it was like before…What I can say is that at least on tumblr since that’s my main experience with the fandom, it felt like if you didn’t agree with a certain interpretation of the media you’d get attacked. I mean the few fans who did loudly disagree and posted alternate takes received hateful anons or were labeled as trolls by certain fans. I luckily am a small account, so I never personally got hate but I know people who did. Fandom should be a space to freely express your interpretations, and you can always block or block tags if you disagree. So long as you’re not attacking people it should be okay.
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theredhairedmonkey · 2 months ago
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something that’s been at the root of a lot of conflict I’ve witnessed over the past year:
People are allowed to have different opinions. It’s not inherently negativity to voice criticism of something you otherwise love.
The negativity I care about and would rather limit in my spaces? Negativity towards people.
When I say I want fandom to be a positive space, I mean I want positivity towards people, not indiscriminate positivity towards the media itself. That indiscriminate positivity comes at the cost of letting people express themselves, and people are more important than ideas. Period.
People have different experiences. People bring different things to the table. People are diverse and messy and unknowably complicated, and that’s a beautiful thing that I want more of in my life.
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theredhairedmonkey · 2 months ago
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It goes even further for Callum, where it’s not just about protecting those he loves but also extends to the rest of the world. This chronic hero syndrome is what made Aaravos simultaneously right that Callum would use dark magic yet completely wrong in terms of how.
I really love Callum's dark arc in the dragon prince. Because it's not like regular character dark arcs. If Callum and his love ones where left alone he would live a simple life without magic. He doesn't want power. He needs power. He meeds it to keep his loved ones safe. As the dangers get worse and worse Callum gets closer and closer to the edge of going full dark mage corrupted
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His loved ones keep him from fully going over that edge, but it's also what got him there in the first place. It's just so interesting how complex it is.
Yeah. 🤌
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theredhairedmonkey · 2 months ago
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It seems like the snake boi callum stuff has basically reached conspiracy theory levels, where callum had fooled practically everyone into thinking he’s all about the greater good but these snake bois know that he only cares about rayla. why are they still so insistent, it’s basically undeniable at this point that callum cares about the world’s safety more than anything.
Looool but actually!
It’s one thing when one character sees the good in Callum, but when the finale of s7 includes one character after another of every different alignment come up to basically say “Callum is doing this for the greater good”….i mean, how do you argue against that? Can anyone seriously say “no they are all wrong, because deep down in Callum’s innermost heart he’s actually as rotten as they come.”
Even if you want to argue that (in which case, you’re a lost cause and you have my pity) like, what’s the predictive value anymore? If Callum acts and talks and walks and thinks exactly like a heroic figure who just wants to do the right thing and protect the world, and everyone sees him as that kind of person, then how is that any different from him actually being that kind of person?
Thankfully, my understanding is that - apart from a single fan who has doubled down, refuses to admit they were mistaken, and regularly goes on rants and tirades about how awful Callum is (whether he’s a bad mage, or selfish, or just a trash person overall) - most people have either (1) given up on this theory completely, or (2) feel betrayed and blame the show for not “following through” on his supposed darker tendencies. So at least there’s a consensus of opinion on what we all saw (apart from that one aforementioned fan who is clearly Going Through It). Which is positive at least! Hopefully it means that, if we get an Arc 3 we’ll all have an opportunity to make new theories.
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theredhairedmonkey · 2 months ago
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First of all, I loved your post about the irony in how Callum's reluctance to use dark magic was derived from his selfishness and him doing it ultimately end up being a combo of his loyalty to Rayla and his desire to save the world from Aaravos.
Anyway, how do you feel about TDP's mishandling of certain plot points in more recent seasons? The biggest example I can think of is how the show keeps hinting at Callum and Aaravo's relationship and foiling but pulling away before any permanent shifts or changes happen there. In season 7, Aaravos says there's a "great affinity" between them but it doesn't go anywhere because they spend the rest of the season dealing with contrived conflicts (like what Zubeia does in episode 8) and trying to bait Netflix into greenlighting Arc 3. This approach is affecting a lot of the other characters too and it led to rushed solutions like Ezran almost being expected to move on at the end of his subplot with Runaan.
Thank you! Appreciate your thoughts :)
The show's tendency to introduce these potentially rich narrative threads but then pivot to more immediate conflicts (like the situation with Zubeia you mentioned), I think, is due to the fact the story jostled between being a true ensemble and being a hero-journey that revolved around Callum's struggles, but never committed to either one.
On one hand, the show constantly positions Callum as the central hero - his magic journey, his connection to Aaravos, his romantic relationship with Rayla, and his ultimate sacrifice attempt in Season 7 all suggest a traditional hero's journey.
On the other hand, the show invests significant time developing an ensemble cast - Ezran's leadership journey, Rayla's quests, Claudia's moral descent, Soren's redemption, and various political conflicts between kingdoms and species.
Which is fine! Either one of these would have been a great story. If WS wanted Callum to be the group’s mage, whose role was balanced out by the rest of the cast, that could be a great story. If they wanted him to be the Luke Skywalker of the series (as the showrunners alluded to), that would also have been great.
But together, things get fumbled. When the show focuses on Callum, the ensemble elements can feel rushed (like Ezran's subplot with Runaan). When it shifts to ensemble storytelling, Callum's "special chosen one" elements (like his "great affinity" with Aaravos) don't get the development they deserve.
This ambivalence is what ultimately prevented TDP from reaching its full potential, despite the compelling character arcs.
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theredhairedmonkey · 2 months ago
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Would you describe Rayllum as being codependent at any point in their relationship?
Nah, I wouldn’t. While they’ve shown some moments of intense emotional attachment, especially during moments of crisis, I think the most accurate way of looking at them is ��interdependent” rather than “codependent.”
Basically codependency is where one person excessively relies on another for approval, identity, and emotional well-being, often at the expense of their own needs and personal development. And Rayla and Callum never show this.
Post-s3, Rayla leaves, comes back, tries to explain herself by gives Callum space, contributes to the team effort of stopping Aaravos while also trying to free her family (even in moments where it brushes up against Callum like in 5x01).
For Callum’s part, he keeps Rayla at a distance when he’s recovering from her return, also pushes for stopping Aaravos (often to an extreme extent), saves Rayla when she’s actually in danger but also goes against what she wants to “save everyone” even though he would die and do dark magic.
The climax of s7 - with Rayla prepared to shoot Callum and Callum prepared to give his life to stop Aaravos - to me is the exact opposite of codependency. What people are seeing is what devoted, principled people look like in a loving relationship.
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theredhairedmonkey · 2 months ago
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For sure, but that’s my point. The show can’t possibly cover EVERYTHING that happens in its franchise. It has to pick and choose which storylines are worth exploring and leave the rest for spinoffs or even just fan interpretations.
Which is indeed a gamble but it’s the same gamble every story takes. OT Star Wars briefly mentions the Clone Wars, as well as the Rebel’s “first victory” without going into detail. Lord of the Rings says “the Ring came to Bilbo” without explaining how. Game of Thrones never explains the Lord of Light, or the Night King, or the God of Death, even though they all have a massive impact on the story.
That’s the point, The Dragon Prince needed to be laser focused on what story it wants to tell. It doesn’t have to introduce, let alone flesh out, the Cosmic Order. It doesn’t have to tell us everything that’s going on in every square foot of Xadia at a time. All it had to do is focus on the trio, and let the story grow organically from there.
A lot of fans are upset with the way s7 ended, and it really seems like it’s mostly the last 15 or so minutes of it that’s upsetting. How might the ending have been rewritten to satisfy long-time fans while still maintaining narrative integrity?
I’m gonna say this premise just isn’t possible for two reasons.
First, the issue wasn’t just the ending. It was the rush job, the plot-blocking, the irrelevant storylines that were shoehorned in, and just the general inability of the show to decide what kind of story it’s telling (true ensemble or hero’s journey). There are things they could have done with Aaravos, Ezran, Callum, and Rayla, even with the episode count they had, that would have made their endings work better, maybe to the extent that an Arc 3 is unnecessary. They could have buckled down, picked a lane, and focused on telling the one version of the story they wanted, and they didn’t. You can’t avoid having a conclusion that’s a meandering mess when so much of the story before it was a meandering mess.
Second, at some point, "satisfy long-time fans" and “maintain narrative integrity" are going to clash. First, because in a story this complex, there's no such thing as pleasing everyone. Someone was going to finish the story and be unhappy with it — and then it becomes a matter of, who deserves to get the ending they want, and who gets told to grow up and get over it? Even if you make it a popularity contest — which is a terrible idea — then “Callum sacrifices the world to save Rayla and somehow everything turns out fine” necessarily comes at the expense of narrative integrity because that isn’t the point of this story. It turns out people can be both “long-time fans” and “clueless about what the story is really trying to tell them.”
Changing the ending isn’t going to fix anything, because … there’s nothing ending-related to fix, at least not in big-picture terms. And as soon as you pick and choose which “long-term fans” you’ll prioritize satisfying, “narrative integrity” goes out the window, because it’s obviously no longer about that. And if you do want to maintain narrative integrity, there will necessarily be people you’ll turn off. That’s the price of telling a challenging story and expecting people to figure things out for themselves when a lot of them can’t and maybe don’t want to.
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theredhairedmonkey · 2 months ago
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A lot of fans are upset with the way s7 ended, and it really seems like it’s mostly the last 15 or so minutes of it that’s upsetting. How might the ending have been rewritten to satisfy long-time fans while still maintaining narrative integrity?
I’m gonna say this premise just isn’t possible for two reasons.
First, the issue wasn’t just the ending. It was the rush job, the plot-blocking, the irrelevant storylines that were shoehorned in, and just the general inability of the show to decide what kind of story it’s telling (true ensemble or hero’s journey). There are things they could have done with Aaravos, Ezran, Callum, and Rayla, even with the episode count they had, that would have made their endings work better, maybe to the extent that an Arc 3 is unnecessary. They could have buckled down, picked a lane, and focused on telling the one version of the story they wanted, and they didn’t. You can’t avoid having a conclusion that’s a meandering mess when so much of the story before it was a meandering mess.
Second, at some point, "satisfy long-time fans" and “maintain narrative integrity" are going to clash. First, because in a story this complex, there's no such thing as pleasing everyone. Someone was going to finish the story and be unhappy with it — and then it becomes a matter of, who deserves to get the ending they want, and who gets told to grow up and get over it? Even if you make it a popularity contest — which is a terrible idea — then “Callum sacrifices the world to save Rayla and somehow everything turns out fine” necessarily comes at the expense of narrative integrity because that isn’t the point of this story. It turns out people can be both “long-time fans” and “clueless about what the story is really trying to tell them.”
Changing the ending isn’t going to fix anything, because … there’s nothing ending-related to fix, at least not in big-picture terms. And as soon as you pick and choose which “long-term fans” you’ll prioritize satisfying, “narrative integrity” goes out the window, because it’s obviously no longer about that. And if you do want to maintain narrative integrity, there will necessarily be people you’ll turn off. That’s the price of telling a challenging story and expecting people to figure things out for themselves when a lot of them can’t and maybe don’t want to.
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theredhairedmonkey · 3 months ago
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As the only other person who loves Matrix Reloaded (to the point of even reading a paper on moral philosophy that gets to exactly this quote above), I love this line from the Oracle, particularly because it actually means the exact opposite of what most people think it does.
When the Oracle says “you’ve already made your choice, you’re here to understand why you’ve made it,” she’s not suggesting that true, authentic choice is impossible, but that true, authentic choice can only come from self-knowledge (“we can never see past the choice we don’t understand”). By understanding that true freedom isn’t about having unlimited options, but by acting in accordance with the principles he’s freely chosen and align with his true self, Neo understands that the choice the Architect presents to him (save Trinity OR save humanity) is no real choice at all - the door that represents continuing the cycle of control is actually a surrender that perpetrates humanity’s enslavement for all time. By choosing to return to the Matrix (whether motivated by love for Trinity or a deeper understanding of freedom for humanity), Neo is exercising authentic moral freedom.
And this is exactly what happens with Callum too. This is what Callum meant by “this is the destiny I choose” - he realizes that the choice between choosing Rayla/doing dark magic and choosing the greater good/avoiding dark magic isn’t a choice at all. By understanding the deeper principles behind his choices and accepting their consequences, he attains true freedom, the only kind possible - making a choice with full awareness of their meaning and cost.
Essentially, he checkmates Aaravos in the same way Neo subverts the Architect, turning a binary choice on its head. Not rejecting the choice but reframing it according to his principles, demonstrating that both Neo and Callum DO in fact have free will.
I might turn this into a meta. You’ve really inspired me here!
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Choice. The problem... is choice.
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theredhairedmonkey · 3 months ago
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I believe this proves the opposite point, that Callum’s loyalty isn’t absolute. Even when he had a crush on Claudia, his moral values never bent or changed, which eventually led to them being on opposite ends of every single encounter between them.
He loves Rayla because she embodies what he already values, not the other way around.
Snake boy Callum thoughts:
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Constantly think about the fact that Callum use to have a crush on Claudia(remember the same Callum that does all that he does and more for Rayla!) And it gives me chills to think about the implications and how worse things would be for everyone if Claudia had Callum's loyalty. Callum and Rayla's first meeting, trusting each other, and falling in love literally saves the dragon prince universe. Because imagine if Claudia had Callums loyalty and love. If she eventually got him to see her ways about Dark magic. It's just everyone would be so screwed! Aaravos would have been freed a lot sooner. Rayla literally saved everything just by being herself. Heck everyone is saved because Callum and Rayla met and fell in love!
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theredhairedmonkey · 3 months ago
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Saving Everyone
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Insane. Absolutely insane that they would do this.
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theredhairedmonkey · 3 months ago
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I keep reading takes from so many fans that Callum is just a "Rayla simp" that he's moping over Rayla or that he is just obsessed with her. I obviously don't think that's true, but I'm a little confused - I remember during Arc 1 the fandom LOVED that Callum wasn't as capable as Rayla for long stretches of time, there were tons of fanfiction centered on Rayla doing everything and Callum just sitting and drawing. So why did all of a sudden NOW people don't like him relying on her and call him a "simp" for doing that?
I think it boils down to he seems to challenge some viewers' expectations of what a male protagonist "should" be.
Basically it boils down to expectations rooted in toxic masculinity that create an artificial binary for male characters:
An awkward "beta" who lacks power, strength, or any ability to effect the plot in any meaningful way, but is endearing because of it, and who needs a strong female character for basic life functions.
A completely independent "alpha" who uses his powers for himself and makes the narrative bend to his will. He stands alone, he has no need for other people, who are there to just aid his purpose or oppose it.
Callum obviously never fell into either category (because TDP is still written far too well to fall into patriarchal BS), but that didn't stop many fans during Arc 1 from seeing Callum as "completely dependent" or "beta" coded - awkward, limited to two spells, relying on Rayla for protection and guidance through Xadia. This perception was flimsy but sturdy enough for viewers with traditional expectations.
But following the timeskip, Callum had become a person who defies these categories: powerful and confident yet compassionate and supportive. He demonstrates strength without domination, agency without selfishness, and love without abandoning his principles. And some fans HATED that.
On the one hand, like what you're describing, some fans are angry that a powerful Callum uses his abilities to support Rayla rather than just whatever he wants. Rayla "wronged" him, you see. Compassion and forgiveness? That's for lesser beings, he should force Rayla to "supplicate herself" or else be labeled a "simp." It's just impossible that Callum would love her regardless and support her.
But of course, on the other hand, there's the Snake Bois - the people who want Callum to be completely defined by his devotion to Rayla, to have his sense of right and wrong completely subjugated to their relationship, where he would no longer represent any independent perspective or values that might conflict with Rayla's.
Basically, this is the other end of the spectrum - whereas the first group see Callum as a failed alpha, this other group sees him as a failed beta. He HAS to be entirely devoted to her, and the best way to prove that is by having him sacrifice the entire world, and his own morality, for her. And people got Big Mad about that too (here and here, for example) for much of the same reason - if Callum is his own person but still compassionate and loving, then Rayllum is a relationship between two strong, independent characters who both maintain their own agency and moral frameworks.
Both groups worry about the same thing: a relationship between two strong, independent characters who maintain their own agency and moral frameworks while still deeply caring for each other.  Snake Bois worry about this because it might put him at odds with Rayla in certain situations, but the group you're talking about might be upset because it means power isn't just a means to dominate others. It's not just a tool for advancing yourself.
Instead, it's a means of recognizing your own humanity.
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theredhairedmonkey · 4 months ago
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Tbf he probably doesn’t remember her. I think he read Callum’s mind in s4 and that was his one and only impression of Rayla.
it would be really fucking funny if Aaravos dismisses Rayla as a lethal threat to Viren in s3e9 because he has already decided that her immutable, predestined nature is "an assassin who cannot kill" and then does the exact same thing again in s7e9 in spite of how disastrously it turns out
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theredhairedmonkey · 4 months ago
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Exactly! The moral weight is in what was sacrificed, not whether someone else had to die!
The idea that Callum’s attempted heroic sacrifice doesn’t “count” because it doesn’t involve the specific scenario of trading Rayla’s life for many just creates an impossible standard. By that logic, none of the main protagonists are heroes because none of them ever prioritize some lives over others. In fact, the only characters who do that are the VILLAINS.
And I think people know this is the problem because only Callum is expected to meet this artificially narrow standard.
Yes, Callum Did Choose the Greater Good Over Rayla
Since the end of 7x09, there’s been a lot of contention that, despite being built up for four seasons, Callum is never forced to choose between his loves ones and the greater good, and that this is a question that’s been punted to a hypothetical Arc 3.
However, I don't think that's quite right - in fact, the evidence strongly indicates that Callum did make this difficult choice. In heroic journeys, the ultimate test isn't "would you kill your loved one?" but rather "would you sacrifice what you want most?" And in this sense, Callum was willing to sacrifice his future with Rayla - the thing he explicitly stated he wanted most, representing the culmination of his character arc from an insecure step-prince to a true hero willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.
The Sacrifice Was Real
Callum's plan to sacrifice himself to trap Aaravos was unequivocally a choice that prioritized the greater good over his relationship with Rayla. Consider these key moments:
1. When Rayla begs him not to go through with his plan (which required his death), he responds directly:
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2. Aaravos himself acknowledges the nature of this choice when he says:
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3. Runaan describes Callum as having a "good heart" who:
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The narrative frames this as Callum choosing the collective wellbeing of the world over his personal desires and relationship with Rayla. This isn't diminished by the fact that his plan would also save Rayla alongside everyone else.
The Cost to Rayla Is Significant
Some argue that because Rayla's life wasn't directly at stake, Callum didn't truly choose between her and the greater good. This misunderstands the nature of his sacrifice. By choosing to die, Callum imposed significant costs on Rayla:
He deprived her of a future with him
He caused her immense emotional pain and grief
He made this decision unilaterally, without giving her a chance to help find an alternative solution
He disregarded her explicit wishes when she begged him not to go through with it
The emotional harm Callum knowingly caused Rayla by choosing to die represents a genuine sacrifice of their relationship for the greater good.
The Confrontation with Dark Callum
The internal struggle between Callum and his dark self highlights this moral choice:
Dark!Callum: Even if you have to sacrifice your sense of right and wrong.
Callum: I can’t. Don’t you get it? Rayla loves me. She believes in me. This version of myself
But, Callum rejects this, deciding against the idea of compromising his values, believing there must be another way:
"There is a way out of this, with good people, doing courageous things."
But when circumstances change dramatically-with the Ocean archmage's death eliminating his original plan -Callum faces a more desperate reality. It is only then, when no other options remain, that he makes the difficult decision to use dark magic and sacrifice himself. This evolution isn't a contradiction of his earlier stance but a tragic acceptance that sometimes protection of the many requires personal sacrifice. Even in this darkest moment, Callum ensures his use of dark magic comes with the ultimate price: his own death, preventing Aaravos from exploiting his corruption.
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And the fact that Callum arrives at this moment in this way is significant: for the entire series, Callum believed that dark magic was wrong primarily on moral grounds. But at the end of Arc 2, Callum has now realized that the price of dark magic isn't just moral, it's existential. He understands that the stakes extend far beyond his personal principles to the survival of everyone and everything.
This deeper comprehension of the true nature of dark magic transforms his sacrifice from a mere moral choice into an essential act of protection for the world. His willingness to give up his future with Rayla stems from this profound awareness that the threat is far greater than he initially believed, making his choice to prioritize the greater good both necessary and meaningful in a way it couldn't have been earlier in his journey.
Character Growth, Not a Contradiction
Some point to earlier moments where Callum used dark magic to save Rayla as evidence that he prioritizes her over everything else. However, this ignores:
1. Character development - Callum has grown significantly over seven seasons
2. Context differences - Earlier scenarios didn't present a direct "Rayla/relationship vs. world" choice
3. Scale of sacrifice - His final choice required giving up his life and future with Rayla
The Nature of Heroic Sacrifice
The hero's journey often culminates in a moment where the protagonist must sacrifice what they want most for the greater good. For Callum, what he wanted most was a life with Rayla:
Callum: I think I could do this. All of it. [...] Be with you. Yup, I could do this. Pretty nice life.
By being willing to die to save the world, Callum sacrificed this future. Whether Rayla's physical safety was directly at stake is irrelevant to the moral weight of this choice.
Conclusion
Season 7 completes Callum's heroic journey by having him choose to make the ultimate sacrifice: choosing the greater good even at the cost of his future with Rayla and her emotional wellbeing. This doesn't diminish his love for her; rather, it elevates it to a higher form of love that encompasses care for all life and the world itself.
The narrative framing, dialogue, and character reactions all support this interpretation. Callum didn't just decide to sacrifice aspects of his relationship with Rayla - he sacrificed the relationship itself by choosing to die despite her pleas. This is the very definition of choosing the greater good over personal desire, and it represents the pinnacle of Callum's character development.
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