Rayla after callum gets his gym transformation be like
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@theredhairedmonkey
Rayla after callum gets his gym transformation be like
Hi there! Not sure if youâve seen all the Dragon King updates lately but I was curious about your thoughts and any theories you might have? Especially now knowing that Callum would have connected to more arcana by then and be closer to becoming an archmage, as well being a father?
Of course if you have any other theories about the plot or other characters, I would to see them as well! đ
Hey! Yes, I've been following the updates and honestly, I'm SO excited about where they're taking Callum's character!
The showrunners' explicit comparisons to Avatar Aang and Luke Skywalker - including that power jump between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi - really validates what Callum's arc has been building toward all along. He's not just dabbling in multiple arcana; he's on track to become something truly extraordinary. An archmage who's mastered multiple primal sources is such a compelling endgame for someone who started as the first human in generations to connect to primal magic at all.
What really gets me is HOW he's achieving this power. The contrast with Claudia and Aaravos couldn't be more stark - they've chosen shortcuts, dark magic, and manipulation, with Claudia sacrificing her humanity (literally and figuratively) in the process. Meanwhile, Callum is growing stronger by staying true to his principles, by learning and connecting authentically to the primal sources, and by choosing the harder but right path. That's what makes him a true hero in the Avatar/Luke mold - the power matters, but it's the choices he makes with that power that define him.
I also appreciate what the showrunners DON'T do - they don't pathologize Callum's intensity, his tendency to obsess over understanding magic, or his willingness to love openly and deeply. Those traits are portrayed as strengths, not flaws to be fixed. His ability to become completely absorbed in understanding something is precisely what allows him to grasp the arcana in ways no other human has. His emotional openness and devotion aren't weaknesses - they're what make him brave and extraordinary. The show understands that passionate character doesn't need to "learn moderation"; he needs to direct that passion wisely, which is exactly what he's doing.
And this isn't a small point by any stretch, because the above recognizes something that's often forgotten about him: Callum's "greatest strength" isn't some innate magical talent (he's not even naturally connected to primal magic like elves are). It's his humanity in every sense of the word - his capacity to love deeply, to be afraid and do it anyway, to make mistakes and keep trying, to obsess over understanding rather than controlling, to choose the hard right path over the easy wrong one.When he had that dark magic-induced coma and woke up having to choose whether to continue down that path, he chose the harder road of truly understanding primal magic. When he's terrified of Aaravos using him, he doesn't hide from that fear - he confronts it. When he loves Rayla, he doesn't guard his heart - he's all in, even when it hurts. That vulnerability, that willingness to feel everything fully and keep moving forward anyway - that's what allows him to genuinely connect to the primal sources in a way dark mages never can.
The fact that he and Rayla have a daughter named Sarai II just adds another beautiful layer to his character. He was raised by two fathers and a mother- Damian, Sarai, and Harrow - literally a poet, soldier, king trio - who showed him what leadership with integrity looks like. And Callum synthesizes all three into who he's becoming - the creative mind of the poet that lets him understand magic in new ways, the moral leadership of the king that guides his choices, and the soldier's courage to act and protect. He draws like Damian, leads like Harrow, and fights with Sarai's heart.
Now Callum gets to be that for the next generation, showing Sarai (and his world) that humans don't need to choose between power and principles. He's literally proving that humanity CAN access primal magic through genuine understanding and connection - rewriting what's possible for his entire species while raising a daughter in that new reality.
I'm genuinely thrilled they're committing to this trajectory for him.
As for the other characters, I've given some thought to the others:
Aaravos
For Aaravos, I always come back to his final confrontation with Callum in Arc 2. Aaravos saw Callum's willingness to "compromise" and "embrace dark magic to save those he loves" as proof they think alike. But Callum's plan wasn't a compromise with his principles - it was a sacrifice of himself FOR his principles. There's a massive difference between "I'll use dark magic because it's easier/more powerful" (Claudia's path) and "I'll use dark magic once, knowing it will cost me my life, to stop ultimate evil" (Callum's choice). He did exactly what Aaravos thought he would and Aaravos was *still* blindsided. For a millenia-old archmage who's been exploiting mages like pawns, this must have been beyond humiliating.
I think Aaravos is going to be obsessed with Callum in a way he wasn't before. He was blindsided, and immortal beings don't forget that. A few possibilities:
The "corrupted" angle won't work anymore - Aaravos has seen that Callum will choose death over corruption. But that doesn't mean Aaravos won't try other approaches. He might target Rayla or Sarai II instead, knowing Callum's love is both his greatest strength and his potential vulnerability.
Aaravos might actually respect Callum now - in a twisted way. The rage at being outsmarted might evolve into genuine interest in this human who defied him. That could be more dangerous than contempt.
The "affinity" claim could become self-fulfilling in unexpected ways - Not through corruption, but because Callum IS becoming immensely powerful through primal magic. An archmage Callum might be the first being in centuries who could actually challenge Aaravos on a power level. Aaravos might have been right that they have "affinity" - just not in the way he thought. They're both pursuing mastery of all primal sources, but from completely opposite philosophical foundations.
Aaravos's real goal - We still don't fully know what Aaravos wants beyond freedom and revenge. But given seven years have passed and there's a "forsaken Dragon Prince" emerging, I suspect Aaravos's plans are much bigger than just escaping. Callum might represent something Aaravos needs - not as a vessel, but as a rival, a successor, or perhaps even as proof of concept for something larger.
The father angle makes this even more interesting. Callum now has a daughter to protect, which gives Aaravos new leverage - but it also gives Callum even more reason to ensure the world Sarai II grows up in is free from Aaravos's influence.
Claudia
Claudia is going to be fascinating in Arc 3, especially in relation to Callum!
By the end of Season 7, Claudia has sacrificed everything for dark magic and her father - her appearance, her relationships, her humanity. She's chosen power through consumption and shortcuts. Meanwhile, Callum has achieved incredible power through authentic connection, has a loving relationship with Rayla, and now has a daughter.
Seven years later, that contrast is going to be even starker. Callum will have progressed toward becoming an archmage, built a family, and proven that humans CAN access primal magic. Claudia will have continued down her path, potentially even more isolated and consumed by dark magic. She's the living counter-example to everything Callum represents.
What makes this tragic is that they were friends once. Claudia taught Callum his first magic spell. In another world, they could have learned primal magic together. But Claudia couldn't let go of dark magic, couldn't let go of "saving" her father, couldn't accept that sometimes the people we love make their own choices.
Some potential Arc 3 dynamics:
The Aaravos-Claudia relationship has shifted - The showrunners said Claudia has "taken ownership" of her path. She's not just Aaravos's pawn anymore. That could make her MORE dangerous, or it could be the beginning of her questioning things. Especially if Aaravos becomes obsessed with Callum as a potential rival/successor instead of her.
Seeing what Callum has become - Imagine Claudia encountering Callum seven years later. He's mastered multiple primal sources, he has a family, he's respected and powerful - and he did it without dark magic. Without sacrificing his humanity. That has to hurt. It proves her father was wrong. It proves the "necessity" of dark magic was always a lie. How does she respond to that? Denial? Rage? Or does something crack?
The father angle - Callum is now a father to Sarai II. Claudia has spent years sacrificing everything for HER father. That parallel could be really pointed. Callum's showing healthy parental love - letting Sarai II be her own person, modeling good choices. Viren's love for Claudia has been possessive and destructive, pulling her deeper into darkness to "save" him.
Redemption or tragedy? - The question is whether Claudia is too far gone. She's taken ownership of her path, but ownership could mean commitment OR it could mean she's finally in a position to truly CHOOSE differently. Seeing Callum with a daughter might trigger something - maybe she'll see what she's lost, what she could have had. Or maybe it'll make her double down.
Rayla
Rayla's gonna be so layered and complex...
Rayla started as someone literally sent to kill Callum's family. Now she's his partner and the mother of his child. That journey from "I'm here to complete my mission" to "I choose love and connection over duty to death" mirrors Callum's journey in a lot of ways. They've both had to unlearn the destructive patterns of their cultures.
After that time jump, Rayla will have spent seven years building a life with Callum, raising Sarai II, presumably continuing to grow as a person. But her core struggles - her tendency toward self-sacrifice, her guilt - those don't just disappear.
Some Arc 3 tensions:
Motherhood and her self-sacrificing nature - Rayla's instinct has always been to throw herself into danger to protect others. But now she has Sarai II. Does motherhood temper that instinct, or does it intensify it? "I have to protect my daughter" could go either way - toward being more careful, or toward being even more willing to sacrifice herself "for her daughter's future."
Callum's growing power - As Callum approaches archmage status, there might be an interesting dynamic shift. Rayla has always been the fighter, the protector, the physically powerful one. But an archmage with multiple primal sources? He'd be the more powerful of the two in combat. How does that shift their dynamic? Does Rayla struggle with that, or does she embrace it?
Aaravos and threats to Callum - If Aaravos becomes obsessed with Callum, Rayla is going to be fiercely protective. But what happens if that means she has to make impossible choices? What if Aaravos or Claudia threatens Sarai II to get to Callum? Rayla's protective instincts plus her self-sacrificing nature could lead to dangerous situations.
The Moonshadow elf culture - Rayla rejected a lot of her culture's death-focused traditions. But has that culture changed at all in seven years? Or is she an outsider among her own people? And what does she teach Sarai II about her Moonshadow heritage vs. her human heritage?
Ezran
Ezran became king as a child - he had to grow up way too fast. Now, seven years later, he's a young adult who's been ruling through incredibly difficult times. He's seen his kingdom destroyed, dealt with Aaravos's return, and had to make impossible decisions. That kind of pressure either breaks you or forges you into something remarkable.
What struck me about Season 7 was seeing Ezran's grief and rage, especially toward Callum helping Runaan escape. That was the first time we really saw Ezran crack - lashing out, unable to forgive, consumed by anger. For someone whose whole character has been defined by kindness, empathy, and his ability to connect with animals (and people), that was devastating to watch.
Seven years later - has he healed from that? Has he forgiven Callum? Has he found a way to reconcile his love for his brother with his grief over his father? Or is there still a fracture in their relationship?
Discovering that Harrow is alive (having switched places with his bird Pip) was MASSIVE for Ezran specifically. His entire kingship has been built on the foundation of his father's death. His grief, his anger at Runaan, his whole identity as the orphaned boy king - all of it is based on believing Harrow was murdered.
If/when Ezran discovers Harrow, what does that do to him? Relief? Anger that he was lied to? Confusion about his own legitimacy as king? And does Harrow's survival change how he feels about Runaan, who thought he'd killed the king but actually... didn't?
And this is where the brother dynamic gets really interesting:
Callum has spent seven years growing in power, building a family, proving humanity can access primal magic, becoming an archmage
Ezran has spent seven years bearing the weight of kingship, dealing with political realities, rebuilding after destruction, making compromises
Callum gets to pursue understanding and connection. Ezran has to manage kingdoms and politics. Callum's path has led to wonder and growth. Ezran's path has involved trauma and impossible choices.
There could be some real tension there - not resentment exactly, but a recognition that their paths have diverged significantly. Callum is becoming something extraordinary and magical. Ezran is becoming something more grounded and political, perhaps losing some of that innocent idealism that defined him.
Then there's the Aaravos factor. Aaravos tried to manipulate Ezran by claiming Callum would embrace dark magic. Ezran now knows Callum was willing to sacrifice himself instead. But does Ezran understand WHY Callum made that choice, or does he just see another example of his brother keeping secrets and making unilateral decisions (like helping Runaan escape)?
Potential Arc 3 Storylines:
The Harrow reunion - This HAS to happen, right? How does adult Ezran react to finding his father alive? Does Harrow reclaim the throne, or has Ezran proven himself as the rightful king?
Political isolation - Callum has Rayla and their daughter. Who does Ezran have? Has he been able to form close relationships, or has kingship made him lonely? Is there a romantic relationship, or has he been too consumed by duty?
The "forsaken Dragon Prince"Â - This new antagonist challenging Zym's legitimacy might parallel Ezran's own questions about legitimacy, especially if Harrow is alive. What makes someone the "rightful" ruler - birth, merit, sacrifice, choice?
Another conflict with Callum - What if seven years of kingship have hardened Ezran in ways that conflict with Callum's idealism? What if Ezran, dealing with practical realities of ruling, has had to make compromises that Callum (pursuing archmage status) hasn't? Callum can afford to be idealistic about primal magic and authentic connection because he's not responsible for feeding a kingdom or managing political alliances. Ezran doesn't have that luxury. That could create real philosophical conflict between them - not because either is wrong, but because they're operating in different contexts.
Alternatively, maybe Ezran has become an incredibly wise, compassionate ruler who's managed to maintain his core kindness despite everything. Maybe he's the moral center that keeps everyone grounded - Callum provides the magical power, Rayla provides the warrior skill, but Ezran provides the wisdom and ethical guidance.
His ability to understand all creatures could make him the bridge-builder in a way no one else can be. He literally understands perspectives others can't access.
What's your read on where Ezran's character is headed? I'm particularly curious whether you think the rift with Callum will have healed or if it's going to be a major source of tension in Arc 3.
someone brought this old post back into my notes and aside from it being a lovely example of "wow I immediately hate this idea that I hadn't even considered, but after thinking about it in depth there are ways it could be a relevant expression of the core story and character themes" and then they went and did it almost exactly as I wrote (other than me being hilariously wrong about Aanya, which still brings me great joy... and tbf she is instrumental in that part of Ezran's arc, just not in the ways/directions I anticipated) this made me laugh:
I'm kind of ignoring the potential for Callum's emotional development here because tbh I only find Callum interesting when he's fucked up. It makes every kind of sense for him to choose a passing whim of Rayla's ("I want my dads back together") over Ezran's emotional struggle, because he's also going to choose Rayla later, when the stakes are much higher. The problem is cycling him back from that after the fact. Is there anything that would make him see that was a pretty shitty thing to do? I'm genuinely uncertain whether he's capable of more than "sorry I hurt you, but I was right," given that he really does rival Claudia for emotional immaturity in some ways.
because "sorry I hurt you, but I was right" was pretty much how that went, except he didn't even say sorry... like Rayla at least says "I'm sorry" directly to Ezran, in a context relevant to Runaan and the whole core issue, a scene where Callum isn't even present
Callum, meanwhile, in the context of everyone coming together to mourn the archdragons and Ezran resolving that it's now his and Zym's responsibility to build a better (undivided) world, says essentially "I love and miss you and I want to be brothers again, so... Mom says you should forgive me"
He literally wrote a letter to Ezran where he apologized...
You're right, I completely forgot about his apology in the letter. I don't rewatch that chunk very often so it's stuck in my mind as "here's the plan" and Ezran's "would know this if he hadn't left" callback to "might know that if you'd been here the past two years" in s4.
He does still phrase it as "I was going to tell you how sorry I am, but I'm confident that we can repair things and also something more important has come up"... so it's kind of a wash, IMO. I'll grant that he's delivering the truly important part of an apology: "I'm sorry I hurt you." The part that's interesting to me is that he at no point addresses how he hurt Ezran, and the implication kind of winds up being that he thinks everything he did was justified and the rift between them is mostly or entirely Ezran's fault. (Which... no one is blameless, but I don't think it's accurate to put the majority of it on Ezran.)
If anything, I think all of this makes Rayla's apology even more interesting. She's at Ezran's Council table before Evrkynd is even built, which means either Callum's reconciliation with Ezran extends to her or there's a missing scene where they work things out at least a little. Runaan doesn't come back to face Ezran until like... six months to a year(?) later, at which point Rayla also apologizes personally to Ezran. It's possible that got written in since we otherwise would not see Rayla ever apologize to him, but I maintain that it's a very different apology from Callum's. Callum is sorry for hurting Ezran, but would not do a single thing differently. Rayla is sorry for hurting Ezran and for her part in things going the way they did. Maybe she still wouldn't do anything differently, or maybe a year's remove from the high emotions of the time (her having less than a week of being fully reconciled with Callum after two years of mutual pain, and only a day or two since saying goodbye to both birth parents so they wouldn't have to be apart from each other) has given her some perspective that another day or two wouldn't actually have made a difference. Either way, her apology is placed alongside Runaan's "I thought I was doing the right thing, but I was wrong, and I'm sorry I hurt you" rather than Callum's "I'm sorry I hurt you, and I need you because we're brothers (i.e. stronger together)" and I think that's not insignificant.
Anyway, I stand by my assessment of Callum. Phenomenal love and loyalty, itty-bitty emotional maturity. So... like Claudia.
Anyway, I stand by my assessment of Callum. Phenomenal love and loyalty, itty-bitty emotional maturity.
Fair enough, and I donât deny that. Heâs a teenager. None of the main five (Callum, Claudia, Soren, Rayla, and Ezran) are paragons of emotional intelligence; Ezran was probably the best of the bunch, but then s7 happened and⊠yeah.
But hereâs what bothers me: Callum is the only one of the five held to this impossible moral standard, where heâs subjected to forensic analysis - parsing exact wording, questioning sincerity, analyzing implications - while other characters get a pass for far less.
The apology is actually a perfect example of this. Hereâs the beginning of Callumâs letter to Ezran:
Dear Ezran, a few days ago I started writing you this letter. About how sorry I am that I hurt you. About how sad I am that thereâs a rift between us. And about how certain I am that somehow weâll find away to repair things. But this is not that letter. Because yesterday I found out that my worst fear had come true - Aaravos is backâŠ
So Callum directly apologizes, explains exactly what heâs apologizing for, AND reveals heâs been working on a longer, more detailed apology for days. The only reason heâs not delivering that fuller version is because a world-ending threat has taken priority.
Yet somehow this gets dismissed as âkind of a washâ because⊠itâs not the complete letter he originally planned? Because he doesnât completely cede ground to Ezran? Because of a headcanon that he doesnât really mean it, that âhe would not do a single thing differentlyâ - despite the letter containing no such statement? This feels like goalpost-moving: âCallum didnât apologize!â becomes âWell, it wasnât a sufficient apology because of X, Y, and Z.â
Meanwhile, Raylaâs apology to Ezran is literally âIâm so sorryâ - three words - and thatâs apparently more emotionally mature? Sure, Runaan gives a pretty good apology, but if weâre evaluating each characterâs individual emotional maturity and accountability, then we have to look at what they personally said and did, not give them credit by association. If we applied the same forensic analysis to Raylaâs brief response that gets applied to Callumâs detailed letter, weâd have to conclude she demonstrates no understanding of specific wrongdoing, offers no commitment to change, and shows minimal investment in repair. I donât personally believe thatâs a fair reading of her character, but itâs exactly what the exacting standard applied to Callum would demand.
I just donât understand why Callum alone gets held to these impossible, ever-shifting standards while everyone else gets the benefit of the doubt.ââââââââââââââââ Or maybe I do, and thatâs exactly what troubles me.
Anyway, I love s7 (not without its flaws, I can name just as many problems as anyone else), if for any other reason that it made Callumâs nobility and heroism so apparent and obvious that the critically endangered Snake Bois have to resort to pretending absolutely nothing happened after 7x02 and the last ten or so minutes of 7x09.
someone brought this old post back into my notes and aside from it being a lovely example of "wow I immediately hate this idea that I hadn't even considered, but after thinking about it in depth there are ways it could be a relevant expression of the core story and character themes" and then they went and did it almost exactly as I wrote (other than me being hilariously wrong about Aanya, which still brings me great joy... and tbf she is instrumental in that part of Ezran's arc, just not in the ways/directions I anticipated) this made me laugh:
I'm kind of ignoring the potential for Callum's emotional development here because tbh I only find Callum interesting when he's fucked up. It makes every kind of sense for him to choose a passing whim of Rayla's ("I want my dads back together") over Ezran's emotional struggle, because he's also going to choose Rayla later, when the stakes are much higher. The problem is cycling him back from that after the fact. Is there anything that would make him see that was a pretty shitty thing to do? I'm genuinely uncertain whether he's capable of more than "sorry I hurt you, but I was right," given that he really does rival Claudia for emotional immaturity in some ways.
because "sorry I hurt you, but I was right" was pretty much how that went, except he didn't even say sorry... like Rayla at least says "I'm sorry" directly to Ezran, in a context relevant to Runaan and the whole core issue, a scene where Callum isn't even present
Callum, meanwhile, in the context of everyone coming together to mourn the archdragons and Ezran resolving that it's now his and Zym's responsibility to build a better (undivided) world, says essentially "I love and miss you and I want to be brothers again, so... Mom says you should forgive me"
He literally wrote a letter to Ezran where he apologized...
The fact that this got under a few peopleâs skin will always be hilarious.
Sry maybe you want to remain inactive for the time being (cool ignore this then) but since I've blocked the main supporters of this theory (not cuz they support this theory but they all just happened to be in the same camp of ppl) I was wondering if u could explain the CHET theory and why you might disagree with it.
No worries, happy to answer this one!
Basically, at its core, CHET (Cube Hostage Exchange Theory) initially was describing something very specific - Callum would surrender the Key of Aaravos in exchange for Rayla's safety, directly enabling Aaravos' release from his prison. This was a clear prediction with aspecific outcome in mind.
However, this core prediction proved incorrect. The cube exchange never occurred, and later seasons revealed that Aaravos' manipulations of both Callum and Claudia are far more complex than just a narrow-minded means to an end for either one.
And instead of acknowledging this and devising a new theory, the main supporters (or supporter) of the theory just "adapted" it to become more abstract, more vague, to the point it's unrecognizable. Almost like a sleight of hand - the theory then meant "Callum will doom the world for Rayla," "Callum will use dark magic for Rayla," or simply "Callum will do something morally ambiguous for Rayla."
Essentially the theory now means Callum choosing to do anything for Rayla over the "greater good."
Which very quickly stopped being a thing that is true or false - instead the theory's main backer just started pointing to every discrete thing Callum does as "actually about Rayla" (even the finale of s7, which was more logically about Callum choosing to save the world even if it hurts Rayla personally). The theory is now so elastic that it can accommodate any possible outcome. A catch-all explanation for literally everything. At that point, you can basically explain any possible outcome as actually "part of the theory," and at that point what you have isn't a theory. It's a worldview.
So that's essentially what I make of CHET - it died as a theory when its core prediction failed, and then was adapted into an interpretive lens so broad as to be meaningless.
Honestly the more I think about this theory, the less sense it's makes. Because this theory just want to prove that Callum loves Rayla but we alrealdy know that he loves her. He proves it multiples times !
Especially in light of the fact that it was Rayla who left Callum in TTM. I donât necessarily think Rayla had to âproveâ anything to Callum but the fact that some peopleâs takeaway was that Callum had something to prove here is justâŠweird.
I think OPâs right, and this is generally what I think of CHET too. However, I also think thereâs a lot of motivated reasoning going on with CHET that goes beyond âthis theory makes sense to me.â Itâs also centered on thisâŠgoal to make undermine anything about Callum that could be considered special and unique, or even just simply heroic.
Which is why the Cube has to be something ominous and connected to Aaravosâ release. It has to serve a darker purpose, because the alternative is something positive for Callum, something that establishes his unique importance and shares that significance with him as its wielder.
Or why the emphasis is always on Callum choosing to save Rayla over the greater good. Callum cannot simply save Raylaâhe must doom the world in the process by freeing Aaravos. His love and loyalty must carry catastrophic consequences, because acknowledging that his actions could be straightforwardly heroic would undermine the theoryâs fundamental premise.
All of this, incidentally, points entirely one way - His talents, his relationships, his moral choicesâall must be reframed to emphasize limitation, complicity, or unintended harm rather than genuine heroism or unique capability. It betrays a deeper psychological discomfort with Callumâs potential status as a hero.
Functionally, the theory is there to ensure that Callumâs significance remains diminishedâthat he cannot be special, cannot be purely heroic, and cannot act from love without causing catastrophic harm.
That it failed to predict anything is almost a side effect.
Itâs quite something how, underneath any Viren stan going âit all makes sense from his perspective, not justifying the murders or anything, just here is how he sees itââ, the second you start picking away at that they go full Light Yagami admitting he was Kira.
âThatâs right, I did what was necessary. And what can you do? Call me a monster? Hear this: Iâm not just the High Mage, but Iâm the only one who sees this world clearly. I have become the guardian of humanityâs 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, Iâve prevented countless human deaths and protected our borders from elves and dragons, but itâs 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 itâno, 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 couldâve done what I did and come this far?! WOULD THEY HAVE KEPT GOING?! ⊠The only one⊠who can save the human kingdoms⊠is meâŠ!â
-Viren
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.
Well, glad to see youâre back in any case!
Thatâs a generous of you. Honestly with how much bad faith theyâve thrown my way over the years, and with all the aggressive messages and asks, I canât 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 didnât 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 setbackâŠ
âŠbut then thatâs when things started to spiral. When s4 came out and it was clear CHET wasnât the direction the show was going, rather than going âah oh wellâ and moving on with their lives, they doubled down and insisted this MUST be the way the story is going. And everyone who didnât see that was just an idiot and/or misogynistic, usually both. Every time a season didnât 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 peopleâs patience finally ran out.
AnywayâŠ..I would like to loudly proclaim that I dislike the âsnake boy Callumâ take on Callumâs 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 Iâm cool with that. Itâs why I have that tag blocked so I donât have to see it. đ€·đŒââïž Still Iâm also allowed to loudly proclaim my dislike for it on my blog and thatâs what Iâm doing. I donât think anyone should feel forced to like that interpretation just because itâs popular.
Just some thoughts in light of some recent TDP fandom drama Iâve seen on my dash.
I didnât join this fandom until around season 4, so I canât say what it was like beforeâŠWhat I can say is that at least on tumblr since thatâs my main experience with the fandom, it felt like if you didnât agree with a certain interpretation of the media youâd 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 youâre not attacking people it should be okay.
something thatâs been at the root of a lot of conflict Iâve witnessed over the past year:
People are allowed to have different opinions. Itâs 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 thatâs a beautiful thing that I want more of in my life.
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
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. đ€
It goes even further for Callum, where itâs 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.
It seems like the snake boi callum stuff has basically reached conspiracy theory levels, where callum had fooled practically everyone into thinking heâs all about the greater good but these snake bois know that he only cares about rayla. why are they still so insistent, itâs basically undeniable at this point that callum cares about the worldâs safety more than anything.
Looool but actually!
Itâs 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 âCallum is doing this for the greater goodââŠ.i mean, how do you argue against that? Can anyone seriously say âno they are all wrong, because deep down in Callumâs innermost heart heâs actually as rotten as they come.â
Even if you want to argue that (in which case, youâre a lost cause and you have my pity) like, whatâs 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 heâs 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 âfollowing throughâ on his supposed darker tendencies. So at least thereâs 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 weâll all have an opportunity to make new theories.
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 groupâs 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.
Would you describe Rayllum as being codependent at any point in their relationship?
Nah, I wouldnât. While theyâve shown some moments of intense emotional attachment, especially during moments of crisis, I think the most accurate way of looking at them is âinterdependentâ rather than âcodependent.â
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 Callumâs part, he keeps Rayla at a distance when heâs recovering from her return, also pushes for stopping Aaravos (often to an extreme extent), saves Rayla when sheâs actually in danger but also goes against what she wants to âsave everyoneâ 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.
A lot of fans are upset with the way s7 ended, and it really seems like itâs mostly the last 15 or so minutes of it thatâs upsetting. How might the ending have been rewritten to satisfy long-time fans while still maintaining narrative integrity?
Iâm gonna say this premise just isnât possible for two reasons.
First, the issue wasnât 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 itâs telling (true ensemble or heroâs 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 didnât. You canât avoid having a conclusion thatâs a meandering mess when so much of the story before it was a meandering mess.
Second, at some point, "satisfy long-time fans" and âmaintain 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 â 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 â which is a terrible idea â then âCallum sacrifices the world to save Rayla and somehow everything turns out fineâ necessarily comes at the expense of narrative integrity because that isnât the point of this story. It turns out people can be both âlong-time fansâ and âclueless about what the story is really trying to tell them.â
Changing the ending isnât going to fix anything, because ⊠thereâs nothing ending-related to fix, at least not in big-picture terms. And as soon as you pick and choose which âlong-term fansâ youâll prioritize satisfying, ânarrative integrityâ goes out the window, because itâs obviously no longer about that. And if you do want to maintain narrative integrity, there will necessarily be people youâll turn off. Thatâs the price of telling a challenging story and expecting people to figure things out for themselves when a lot of them canât and maybe donât want to.
Even if I did enjoy s7, the fact that talking and exploring more about the threat of Aaravos and the Cosmic Order would be too much. Especially for a season finale who only had 9 episodes. Nine episodes is not enough for me, to explore completely the story of tdp, especially when this story is complicated, nuanced and complex. I think they should not have marketing this as "the season finale". But since the act 3 didn't have a greenlight. I guess, s7 being the finale season was necessary. But it's mostly for the season finale of act 2 not the story of tdp in it's enterity. Wonderstorm took a risk and I'm hoping that this risk will be worth it in the end.
For sure, but thatâs my point. The show canât 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 itâs the same gamble every story takes. OT Star Wars briefly mentions the Clone Wars, as well as the Rebelâs âfirst victoryâ without going into detail. Lord of the Rings says âthe Ring came to Bilboâ 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.
Thatâs the point, The Dragon Prince needed to be laser focused on what story it wants to tell. It doesnât have to introduce, let alone flesh out, the Cosmic Order. It doesnât have to tell us everything thatâs 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.