#The Lovers arcanum

[hopefulpeacestudent]

#Persona 5 Strikers #persona users #phantom thieves #Haru Okumura #Ren Amamiya #Makoto Niijima #Futaba Sakura #Ryuji Sakamoto #Yusuke Kitagawa #Ann takamaki #Morgana #Magician arcanum #Chariot arcanum #Fool arcanum #the lovers arcanum #emperor arcanum #Empress arcanum #the priestess arcanum #hermit arcanum #current major tarot card holders #Erica Lindbeck #Aoi Yuki #Nana Mizuki #Erika Harlatcher-Stone #Erika Harlatcher

[luckynightkryptonite]

Ann in striker/scramble

#J-videogames and Animations #J-RPG games #Persona 5 Cutscenes #Ann Takamaki #Persona 5 strikers #the Lovers arcanum #persona users #3rd year Shujin high school student #inside Leblanc #Yongen-Jaya

[boomclowntown]

-cast a spell on my heart And bewitched me-

#apex legends #apex mirage #apex catalyst #miralyst #literally the sun and moon trope literally the lovers arcanum i mean come ON BRO #my art

[raayllum]

am i spending my morning listening to "one of us" from the lion king 2 and thinking about callum, aaravos, and rayla? you bet your ass i am

#devil and the lovers #'helpless to defy his fate / let him run let him live / but do not forget what we cannot forgive' #'someone once lied to us / now we're not so blind' #'he asked for trouble the moment he came' #like aaravos and rayla being literal exiles #but callum also not fitting in with normal humans or elves bc of his arcanum / humanness #and if he and ezran disagree. if he goes too far magic wise #MM YEAH #dragons rambles #music #GIVE HIM A WHITE STREAK

[annelidist]

im still not over one of the instances of the isle of the dead having a "lovers" tarot card physically painted into it. like Alright. Alrighgt. I Get It. Together In Death. We're Fucked

#signalis #bones.txt #very good that the lovers also co9ncidentally happens to be major arcanum 6

[cancersstellium]

Pick a Pile: A Message from the Universe

breathe in, breathe out and pick a picture that resonates with you. please take what resonates and leave what doesn’t. there is love in all of these messages. the tone here is gentle, like an older sibling, best friend, or parent scolding and motivating you at the same time. :)

pile 1 -> pile 2 -> pile 3

Did this resonate with you? If you’re reading this before Friday, October 13th: I’m doing a housewarming tarot game, to celebrate settling into my new blog space! I’ll be doing 3-cards spreads for five people! Want more details?

©️2023 cancersstellium. all rights reserved.

Pile 1

(crystals: black onyx and clear quartz | bottom of deck: six of cups. nostalgia isn’t just about longing or reminiscing about old times. it’s remembering too)

Maybe you feel like in your past there is a lack of a sense of justice. Maybe you didn’t get your due, that person didn’t get their punishment. But it’s coming. Karma cannot be dealt when your “peace” depends on it. The moment you stop worrying about their karma will be the moment that they receive it. Focus on your energy instead. There’s this beautiful, chaotic energy within you waiting, like a volcano waiting to erupt. There’s a reunion coming your way, later this month. Whether that’s with an another person, a part of your self, with the divine is left to be revealed. Whatever it may be: stay open to it, stay grateful, stay blessed. The major arcanum sun here is 6, The Lovers. There’s a duality here. One that requires love, faith, and sometimes a choice to leap blindly. It’s the roses with the thorns; it’s fire and water, a place for both exist; it’s want versus need versus true desire. Lean into this time. Breathe into this time. All of your relationships will be tested. All of your relationships will be challenged. All of your relationships will be upgraded. Trust the journey. Trust the process.

may resonate with: those born in december; cheetos, specifically the hot ones; animal lovers? something about cheetahs?

Pile 2

(crystal: pyrite | bottom of deck: temperance. peace and inner knowing)

Your’s reads more like a story and less like a message. There’s a wish here, a desire. And it seems like now is an auspicious time to get it. “So why haven’t I?” You ask. You planted the seed a while ago and you’re wondering why it hasn’t grown. You’re wondering if you just need to give it time, if you should pull it up and replant it, or just give up on it entirely. Perhaps you can’t see it, but there’s a sense of grief from the Universe in this, a “Why don’t you trust Me?” sense of exasperation. Rushing only results in poorer quality and things like this, can’t be rushed. Just know that all will be revealed in due time. But there’s a compassion here, for your struggle and an understanding that we use time as a measurement. I expect you’ll see some light shed on the situation very soon. The major arcanum sum here is 10, The Wheel of Fortune. There are higher forces at work here. Step aside. (Imagine a “road at work” sign here.) Be patient. Even. More. Patient.

may resonate with: leo suns + leo 1H placements, dolphin(s?) fans, hard workers, “just send me a sign”

Pile 3

(crystal: amethyst | bottom of deck: ace of wands reversed. you’re in your own way. lack of imagination. lack of creativity.)

“When the ‘why’ is strong, the ‘how’ is easy.” Meaning: when the reason behind something is clear, the how it comes about requires little effort on your part. Why are so obsessed with ‘how’ this will happen? Why are you so sure that because you cannot see a solution there must not be one? I ask this with love because I see all the major influences here. There’s a wholeness, there’s beauty, there’s great and beautiful change. The only obstacle in your path is you. And that’s okay! That’s something you can change. In order to get out of your own way, all you need to do is look inward. You already know what you want. Go back to what you knew just before it got complicated. Therein lies your answer. Maybe it felt scary but it’s not, just look one more time. Maybe it feels like the ground is shifting beneath your feet, but what is it that you’re standing on? Have you truly looked? Look again. You’ve come so far, you’ve changed so much. I see a reason to celebrate at the end of this. Feminine energy here. Being, creating, dancing, receiving. The major arcanum sum here is 4, The Emperor. Masculine energy. All it takes is a little organization, a little logic but not the “real world” kind.

may resonate with: “i just feel so alone”, aladdin, wedding tiktoks, jenga, uno (like the card game)

#🚪 the oracle next door #pick a pile #pick a picture #tarot reading #tarot #tarotblr #messages from the universe #spirituality #collective reading #message from the universe #🃏 divination #🃏 the oracle’s tarot— pick a pile readings

[utilitycaster]

Wizard Breakdown Tracker: Mighty Nein Reunited, Part 2

Gather ye wizards while ye may, though with the return to Campaign 3, we are finally headed to Yios, where there are wizards, once we finish with the Gloomed Jungles, where there are were-creatures, which are also very cool. The hierarchy is, as always: paladins; wizards; were-creatures; literally everyone else; dhampyrs, kalashtar, changelings, and "hey DM, can I play a tiefling bard with intelligence 7". But I digress.

Ludinus Da'leth: So at this point (ie, shortly post-this episode), Caleb, known bridge between the Cerberus Assembly and the Cobalt Soul, has taken a job at the Soltryce Academy, which means any efforts to make a new, slightly more palatable volstrucker program and quietly keep it from Archmage Becke are going to go straight out the window. The walls are closing in, and he doesn't even know that Jester can go to the Feywild. 7/10.

Astrid Becke: Caleb listened and took the job! That's one success in what's got to be a thankless new position in many ways. Also I still really want to know who the hell has become Archmage of Antiquity, or if the Assembly just writes that one off as "make a deal to bring back a powerful Age of Arcanum entity and raise it to godhood once, shame on you; make a deal to bring back an powerful Age of Arcanum entity and raise it to godhood twice, shame on us and also what the fuck are we going to do with two nickels in a society that uses gold, silver, and copper currency." 3/10; Astrid's doing better than she ever has in this tracker, and good for her.

Eadwulf Grieve: Caleb is still keeping him in mind, which is good, because he really is like...look, he's a wizard, so he's not dumb muscle, but compared to his two former lovers he's very clearly the 'And Peggy' of the bunch. On the other hand this means he's probably just organizing the Temple of the Raven Queen Yulisen Night Potlucks and inventing the Exandrian equivalent of Minnesota Hot Dish or something. 0/10.

Yussa Errenis: Is aware of the storm on the horizon. Is chilling in his tower. Is largely unbothered. Other people pointed out that while he has developed a reputation for fucking around and finding out, he has also technically never physically left his tower to do so, which is honestly impressive, but does explain why Beau did not have to bamf out a partially dissolved old wizard when she ended up in Uk'otoa's gullet. Anyway, glad he's keeping up with Caleb and making potions. 3/10, for being aware of the storm.

Allura Vysoren, whose name I keep misspelling: Yasha did give Kima back the sword, and Caleb doesn't seem to have her staff, and she helped make a new, cooler sword! 2/10 for League of Miracles reasons only.

Essek Thelyss: Still under a lot of political pressure, regardless of where he is...but he's also getting, as Figueroth Faeth would say, his kisses in, so better than I expected! 5/10.

Caleb Widogast: So here's the thing. It is, as the other post said, about the green beans. And it is, as my last iteration of this said, not time for deep Caleb meta in here. But I do have a lot of thoughts about the similarities between Caleb and Fjord, as I always do, and about how neither of them really had much of an understand of what happens in their life past That One Big Thing They Need To Do, having already woken up at some point and been like *Mitski voice* I used to think I'd be done by 20. I do feel that the Caleb Widogast of part 1 of this two-shot was truly a Caleb Widogast who could go either way re: the T-Dock usage, and the Caleb Widogast of part 2 of this two-shot is not; the event has not (in my understanding, at least) occurred but the decision has unconsciously been made. Also he's dating Essek and he gets to have Dragon Time, which sounds like Floor Time but better. He does get a 4/10 though, because he takes it upon himself to become the Mighty Nein's Social Event Coordinator. As someone who just had to cancel a carefully scheduled D&D session for tonight because I am sick but also the DM and if I have to talk for 2 hours while simultaneously using my brain I will cry, this is very stressful.

Veth Brenatto: Camp's going great! Only one kid died, and not permanently! 1/10.

Known Gem Wizard Hotsauce Lutefisk: Oh so the demigod leviathan CALAMITY SNAKE gets released from its prison beneath the sea, three seals in three temples broken in under 18 months, and yet, I, Halas Lutagran,

Bonus!

Warlock Breakdown Tracker

Fjord: For real? Who knows. I personally imagine that it does, as they say, briefly go to 11, because though Uk'otoa is dealt with and Zehir seems to have understandably gone "you are way too interested in love and the ocean for me to give a shit, I'm going back to bed", Fjord (not unlike Caleb) has to sit with the fact that he's done with that and he's happy OH GOD HE'S HAPPY WHAT THE FUCK DOES HE DO WITH THIS. Also he has to deal with the orphanage, which is going to be traumatic and unpleasant for sure, plus you know someone named "Grankton" is going to be holding a massive grudge against the world at large. But with time, it settles back down somewhere more reasonable, only to briefly spike and resolve again during Kingsley's little maneuver. So you know. Some numbers, probably.

#critical role #critical role spoilers #wizard breakdown tracker

[sky-scribbles]

An extremely dumb, non-serious, but fun scenario I’ve been kicking about in my head: Caleb and Essek learn that the ruins of an Age of Arcanum city can be found deep underneath the Shattered Teeth. They head there for a study date. They soon stumble upon a strange bubble of combined abjurative and fey magic that contains two mages locked in an embrace, frozen by whatever instinctive magic protected them in the moment the city fell.

And because they can’t leave anything alone, this leads to a secnario where there are two pairs of sun-moon dichotomy, star-crossed mage lovers running about the ruins of Avalir, with the post-Calamity wizards trying to teach the others about their new world, and the pre-Calamity wizards trying to teach the others about their old world.

Featuring such highlights as:

Caleb offhandedly mentions their archfey friend-of-a-friend, Artagan. Loquatius, immediately: ‘oh, that asshole.’

Essek practically cries with envy when he hears about Laerryn’s grant funding for blasphemous projects.

Laerryn and Essek, both elves, wake up four hours ahead of their partners. Cue excruciating attempts at small talk from them both in the Tower library as they struggle to pass four hours alone together, until they both realise that they’re both equally bad at it and just sit in relieved silence.

Except for the time they go on a four-hour rant about their issues with divinity. Caleb and Quay find them co-authoring the most blasphemous essay they’ve ever seen together.

On one occasion, Essek and Laerryn are working on some arcane conundrum while Caleb and Loquatius keep watch or gather research nearby. Caleb looks lovingly over his shoulder at Essek, in full flow, spilling out ideas, eyes alight. ‘It is a privelege to watch them, ja?’ And Quay closes his eyes and remembers all the times he seethed with resentment at Laerryn’s work, because it pulled her attention away from him, left him lonely and wanting. ‘Yes,’ he says softly, ‘it really is.’

Quay and Essek venting over the stress involved trying to keep their partners alive (’and if I hadn’t cast Silvery Barbs right then -’ ‘I have experience with this. On one occasion, Caleb dragged me to this obelisk in the wastes of Eiselcrosss...’) Meanwhile Caleb and Laerryn are in the next room over having the exact same conversation about them.

There are deep, intense discussions between the three wizards about regret and living with the weight of mistakes, to the point that Loquatius starts to wonder if he should murder someone so that he can fit in.

Caleb: ‘And then the Somnovem plane shifted their entire section of the city to the Astral Sea.’ Laerryn: ‘Plane shifted it? With threshold crests?’ Essek: ‘Yes.’ Laerryn, superbly disdainful: ‘Amateurs.’

Feel free to add more.

#this is not a serious idea and I will not write it #and i wouldn't want to cheapen the calamity ending by deus ex machina saving them anyway #but nonetheless i enjoy playing this nonsense out in my head #critical role #exandria unlimited: calamity #shadowgast #loquaerryn #c2

[bryceslahela]

romance club love interests <3

someone asked so here is my list! remember these are all my opinions! no hate meant at all :) also if any of you have some more book recs for rc or lis recs please let me know. i need a new hyperfixation.

the desert rose - all the lis are honestly so top-tier. i’m romancing jack but i definitely want to replay for the others. especially zain and adil. jaffar, mustafa and cindy are also super hot as well. i can’t choose. i went with jack because i LOVE childhood friends to strangers to friends to lovers.

chasing you 1 + 2 - everyone. because they’re all hot but specifically eve and alexander. even though cy2 alexander is a lot better in my opinion. he was a little unbearable as a li in cy1.

soulless - the demon one. i fw cocky lis. might romance walter idk just yet.

love, sin and evil - chad. even though he’s so corny. i think mr collins is way hotter but i think teacher x student trope is icky.

song of the crimson nile - haven’t decided just yet… i need to play more before deciding i think.

the one - idc. probably deshawn. he’s fine and nice!

sins of london - both. also doesn’t sherlock look like harry styles slightly or am i losing it. i definitely think i’m gonna date gray. he reminds me a lot of mal.

heart of trespia - everyone loves reinhold so i guess i’ll romance him when the time comes? but idk about this book because i don’t care for the mc.

vying for versailles - i don't vibe with any of the love interests to be honest... but the mc is so pretty and i love the personality paths.

rage of the titans - i think the main one was adrian but i took scenes with jason, murphy and pierce. i don’t mind this book but i wasn’t particularly attached to any of the lis?

arcanum - i romanced all of them but ended up on damon’s path? which i wasn’t mad at but sort of confused because i took most of bert’s scenes. i definitely want to replay for liam too. i fw him heavy.

#romance club #rc

[hopefulpeacestudent]

The Shujin Trio!

#persona users #atlus #Persona 5 #Official art #The Fool arcanum #Ann Takamaki #the lovers arcanum #The chariot arcanum #Ryuji Sakamoto #Ren Amamiya #Shujin academy #Max Mittleman #Xander Mobus #Erika Harlatcher-Stone #Jun Fukuyama #Nana Mizuki #V.A.s #official art

[most-datable-datable-bracket]

Hey, sorry if I’ve just missed it but is there a list somewhere of all the games that have characters in this bracket?

There is now! I've done it for the first bracket but not for this one, so here it is:

Fire Emblem: Three Houses (x12)

Baldur’s Gate 3 (x9)

Mystic Messenger (x8)

Arcade Spirits (x7)

Obey Me (x7)

Stardew Valley (x6)

Dragon Age: Inquisition (x5)

Monster Prom (x5)

Persona 5 (x5)

Coral Island (x5)

I Was a Teenage Exocolonist (x4)

Persona 3 (x4)

Boyfriend Dungeon (x4)

Romancelvania (x4)

Fire Emblem Fates (x4)

Blooming Panic (x4)

The Arcana (x4)

Potion Permit (x4)

Uta no Prince-sama (x3)

Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers (x3)

Mass Effect (x3)

Hooked On You: Dead by Daylight (x3)

Fallout 4 (x3)

Infinite Blue (x3)

Trouble Comes Twice (x3)

Fire Emblem Engage (x3)

TOUCHSTARVED (x3)

Tri City Monsters (x3)

Fire Emblem: Awakening (x2)

Code: Realize (x2)

Court of Darkness (x2)

XOXO Droplets (x2)

My Time at Sandrock (x2)

Cyberpunk 2077 (x2)

Our Life: Beginning and Always (x2)

My Time at Portia (x2)

Dragon Age 2 (x2)

Tears of Themis (x2)

Doki Doki Literature Club (x2)

Mass Effect: Andromeda (x2)

BUSTAFELLOWS (x2)

Titan Arum (x2)

Harvest Moon: A New Beginning (x2)

My Candy Love (x2)

The Witcher 3 (x2)

The Divine Speaker (x2)

Divinity: Original Sin 2 (x2)

Baldur's Gate 1&2 (x2)

Later Daters (x1)

Fallout: New Vegas (x1)

Monster Camp (x1)

Rune Factory 3 (x1)

Our Life: Now and Forever (x1)

It Lives in The Woods (x1)

Scarlet Hollow (x1)

Stray Gods (x1)

The Fernweh Saga (x1)

Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life (x1)

It Lives Beneath (x1)

The Soul Stone War series (x1)

Seduce Me The Otome (x1)

Fields of Asphodel (x1)

Blood Moon (x1)

The Royal Romance (x1)

The Golden Rose (x1)

Re: Alistair++ (x1)

Persona 2 (x1)

Long Live The Queen (x1)

Dragon Age: Origins (x1)

Magical Diary: Horse Hall (x1)

My Horse Prince (x1)

Gilded Shadows (x1)

Obscura (x1)

Café Enchanté (x1)

Inuyasha: The Secret of the Cursed Mask (x1)

DRAMAtical Murder (x1)

A Villain's Twisted Heart (x1)

The Sims (x1)

GreedFall (x1)

Cryptid Crush (x1)

Postknight 2 (x1)

Sun Haven (x1)

Loren the Amazon Princess (x1)

Hustle Cat (x1)

A Date With Death (x1)

The Ssum (x1)

1931: Scheherazade at the Library of Pergamum (x1)

Dandelion -Wishes Brought To You- (x1)

Persona 4 (x1)

Intertwine (x1)

How Not To Become a Queen (x1)

Thorn for the Villain (x1)

Villainess Idolized By Everyone (x1)

Assignment Due: Project Blue (x1)

Silhouette (x1)

Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns (x1)

Mr Love (x1)

Heart no Kuni no Alice (x1)

Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town (x1)

Harvest Moon DS Cute (x1)

Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town (x1)

Number Days Sim Date (x1)

Cupid Parasite (x1)

Amnesia (x1)

Lover Pretend (x1)

Untold Atlas (x1)

Witches x Warlocks (x1)

OZMAFIA!! (x1)

Pokemon Black and White 2 (x1)

Blades of Light and Shadow (x1)

Life is Strange: Before The Storm (x1)

Life is Strange (x1)

Cinderella Phenomenon (x1)

Endless Summer (x1)

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (x1)

Planescape: Torment (x1)

Changeling (x1)

The Good People (Na Daoine Maithe) (x1)

Heaven's Secret (x1)

Andromeda Six (x1)

Dracula: A Love Story (x1)

Path of the Valkyrie (x1)

Arcanum (x1)

Nameless ~The One Thing You Must Recall~ (x1)

Dialtown (x1)

Infamous (x1)

Crimson Spires (x1)

Birushana (x1)

The Wedding (x1)

When Life Gives You Lemons (x1)

Pillars of Eternity series (x1)

//TODO: today (x1)

Heart Fragment (x1)

#Damn it took me way longer than I thought #Y'all are crazy about Fire Emblem #not a poll #MDDC 2

[lawchan89]

Enemies to Friends to Best Friends and Lovers: Rayllum Rewatch Appreciation Week Day 1

Honestly I was trying to figure out the best way to approach this one because I could go on and on and on. But I think I managed to narrow it down to an aspect that I personally love the most about Callum and Rayla’s dynamic, and it’s how they fundamentally change and shape each other’s outlook based on how they see the other through their eyes.

Callum sees Rayla as a protector and a hero who saves others rather than an assassin.

Rayla sees Callum as a noble, true mage who is willing to make sacrifices for what he believes in rather than a prince who fails at every turn.

They are only enemies in the beginning because that’s what they were raised to believe, and believed the justification in the lies they were fed. But Callum recognizes almost immediately the hesitancy in Rayla’s actions and is able to challenge her entire worldview (“Then it’s a cycle”) until both of their worlds are rocked when the egg is discovered and their journey officially begins.

Which only makes it all the more satisfying from a narrative standpoint when Rayla throws his words back in his face in Fire and Fury. He’s had that much of an impact on her at this point that she’s willing to risk her life to break that cycle of violence, whether Callum’s happy about it or not. However, Callum isn’t without fault there either— he risks his life to reconnect to the sky arcanum because “You [Rayla] called me a mage, and that felt right.”

I think my absolute favorite thing about their budding relationship is that Callum knew he could fully trust Rayla when she was willing to lose her hand to keep Ezran alive. A lot of times I feel we forget that Ezran is so important to both of them, and the fact that Rayla went out of her way countless times to keep Callum’s beloved little brother safe is why he sees her as a protector.

Rayla, of course, is ready to throw hands with a blinded archdragon when hearing Sol Regem reduce Callum to just another “filthy human” who deserves to die for all of humanity’s crimes against Xadia. Because she’s heard this boy talk down about himself and knows that he’s more than just the spells he can cast. He’s her “best friend.”

What makes them grow organically from friends to lovers, I feel, is that they provide that piece for each other’s lives that was always missing. For Callum, it was someone to believe in him. And for Rayla, it was someone to love her unconditionally.

#rayllum #rayllum appreciation rewatch week #tdp callum #tdp rayla

[raayllum]

Cube Hostage Exchange Theory :: End of Days

Because I like nothing more than to organize things accordingly and my brain needs something to focus on for the final few days before the season drops and we get answers to a lot of questions (or at least, a lot of the questions this theory has attempted to answer over the past two years) I thought, “Hey Dragons, why not do your best to compile and breakdown literally every single piece of evidence there is for Cube Hostage Exchange Theory, just in case you’re right and want something to fondly look back on?” 

(And also because I know I won’t have the same motivation to make this post if I’m wrong, but making this post sounds like fun for one last hurrah for myself and the little CHET posse this theory has, somehow, fondly amassed). 

So here it is. 

My end of days, final presentation of Cube Hostage Exchange Theory (otherwise nicknamed as CHET), all that it encompasses, and all that it could inspire, what’s been added to it over time, and why I think it has a decent shot at being what happens in the S4 finale. As well as a little indulgent walk down history / memory lane for me because I started posting about it two years ago, and I do what I want.

What is CHET?

A theory that proposes the S4 finale / current climax with Claudia, Aaravos and co. will threaten Rayla’s life in order for Callum to hand over the Key of Aaravos, thus allowing him to fully break free of his prison and putting the world at risk as a result, specifically in holding her hostage.

I first posted about it on September 21st, 2020 (a couple weeks after Through The Moon graphic novel got released) as just an idea and then made a proper theory post about a month later on October 26th, 2020. 

It is my little bonbon and I think it is very neat. As you can see, it was an exceeding simple plot structure modelled to be a finale or final 3 episode prediction (4x07-4x09) for the end of the season, with very little speculation of what would happen in the build up to it besides 1) Callum having to learn about Aaravos in order to know what he was risking and 2) Callum and Rayla getting a chance to hash out some of their emotional baggage even if they hadn’t wholly resolved it. 

The original theory post itself touched on some concepts that will be repeated down below, such as the idea that the hostage exchange would ideally 1) not be Rayla and Callum’s first reunion, 2) the series’ intrinsic concept of Exchange, 3) why failure is necessary for Rayla but not a punishment, 4) how her lack of self worth manifests, and perhaps most importantly, 5) how Callum is always instrumental in breaking her cycles.

The theory has since grown to encompass many others as well as a plethora of evidence I stumbled upon, first accidentally and then with a more purposefully keen eye, in terms of foreshadowing, set up, and parallel / cyclical episode structures that TDP loves to utilize and has utilized before. Again, more on that at the bottom.

What made me first think of it?

Simply put, it just seemed the most straight forward route that would also yield the biggest dramatic consequences for character and for story. Post-TTM Rayla was racing right towards Aaravos without even knowing, Callum has something called a Key, Aaravos wants to escape his prison. Thus, it would give Callum a clear hand in how the plot would move forward and fit with some of the more dubious choices he’d made before. I also liked the way it could conceivably offer up a pathway for Rayla and Callum’s emotional arcs; for Rayla, it’d be an unexpected hammer to her own perception of her self and her self worth, for Callum to throw it all on the line even after she’d hurt him so terribly much; for Callum, it would give him space to be angry with Rayla but also room for a good old “Fuck everything else, I just want you to be okay” when it comes to like, offering us a strong reconciliation within the limited emotional time frame of a TV show.

Why Should Rayla Get Saved?

Rayla left in TTM because she thought Callum could handle losing her in ways she couldn’t handle losing him. This fundamentally comes down to Rayla’s self sacrificial tendencies veering into self-destructive behaviour (leaving at all) and her justifications for it being that she isn’t “good enough” to be worth fighting for / loving the way she loves others, as well as deeper issues of survivor’s guilt and possibly not feeling like she quite deserves to live and be loved.

Although I don’t subscribe to the “Rayla left out of pride” lens at all, even under it, Rayla needing to be saved seems like the most logical conclusion, otherwise how is she supposed to learn that she can’t do everything herself? 

Rayla can’t succeed in her quest to stop Viren or to fully protect Callum, lest she think what she did in TTM is “ultimately fine” just because it worked in protecting him successfully. She also can’t single handedly stop the villains only halfway through the show. Therefore, Rayla has to fail, and likely has to fail at protecting Callum by the finale specifically, as that was her worst fear. Since she went to all this effort to protect him, the biggest form of failure would be if he ends up in danger at one point because of her. However, that’s precisely why it has to happen - and why it would also hammer that point in further if he’s also saving her while he does it.

Why Can’t Rayla Just Save Callum? 

More recently there’s been an upswing in theories regarding Rayla being Callum’s guiding light out of his “path of darkness” (Callum’s promo quote) given the way the moon halos her head upon entry, her name meaning, her associations with Truth and the Moon arcanum over Aaravos’ starry deception. It is also more in line with what I thought S4 might be like pre-TTM’s release, with Callum getting in way over his head with something magical and Rayla having to help (alongside Ezran possibly) pull him back from the brink.

The light and dark motif now running more prominently throughout both their arcs is also, funnily enough, something I noticed and wrote a meta about close to five months ago back in June, which you can read the full thing here. It was something I had always appreciated about Callum and Rayla’s framing with one another throughout S1 and particularly S2 with Rayla representing the light. It was something I only started to think more on when I began to compile parallels between Aaravos and Rayla, including their names (“between light and dark” and “ray of light” respectively). 

Thus, I do think Rayla will save Callum emotionally/mentally from Aaravos in some manner at some point in the season, as that’s in line with how she keeps Callum out of his head in S1-S3. However, the other half of that pattern is Callum saving her physically, and that’s why I think the light and darkness motif feeds nicely into what I’ve also penned as the Mutual Salvation Theory originally in August 7th, 2022, before we even knew Rayla would be returning at all.

The question then becomes: well, what is he going to save her from? To a certain degree it’s herself, as laid out in this interview with Devon Giehl (TDP’s head writer) and Michal Schick (a staff writer) regarding Rayla’s letter:

She wants to stay because she’s in love with Callum, she wants to leave because she’s in love with Callum. And I think that’s just kinda like - Rayla’s version of love is, at this point in her life, always gonna hurt someone, including herself. Badly. 

The clearest way for this to manifest is for each of them to get a chance to reaffirm their love for one another and choose each other. Due to the symbolism baked into the trailer and the season promo, it seems pretty clear that at the very least, Rayla will be guiding Callum away from darkness at one point in the season. Thus, what’s left is for him to save her in an equally thematically and plot-driven way - thus proving her previous beliefs wrong, reaffirming his love for her, and pushing the plot along. 

This dual “I save you, you save me” plot line is an add-on to broader CHET, as that would provide Callum’s turn of things. Additionally, I think Rayla saving Callum in “guiding light” way may happen before the finale, with the finale then focusing on him saving her, for one main reason:

The Moon Arcanum

Given that the season will inevitably talk about Callum reconnecting with Rayla and the foreshadowing in previous seasons that the Moon arcanum will be the next one he connects to, it seems like S4 is the most natural place for it. This is only reaffirmed by Callum likely being tempted by Aaravos, a great deceiver, as well as the way he’s obsessed with secrets and denying parts of himself / his feelings already in 4x01, and Rayla representing the Truth, the way she always has been.

If we go along that route, then there’s the question of what would compel Callum to connect to the Moon arcanum, especially if he’s off chasing dark magic somewhat this season. Again, given the thematic and symbolic set up already in store, it will likely be him admitting out loud to himself that he loves Rayla, and always will, thus allowing him to fully see past Aaravos’ deceptions (as far as temptation goes).

However, I do not think, though, that such a triumphant note can be where the season ends. After all, we know this era of the Dragon Prince’s world is known as the Return of Aaravos, and that the Startouch elf must be broken free of his prison by the end of the season. Thus, our heroes have to fail, and I think it needs to go one step further than just failing to stop Aaravos from getting out, but of actively helping him - even if it’s against their will. 

So what would that look like, and why do I think it has to be the transfer of the Cube for Rayla?

The Cube

Paraphrasing posts I’ve made before but:

1) Without the cube being called the Key of Aaravos, it being the key to Aaravos’ prison would feel like it came out of nowhere. However, because of such a specific name, it is many people’s default assumptions and that feels purposeful. After all, if they wanted one or the other kind of associations, they could have said Hand or Eye of Aaravos, or Key of mystical sounding name here, but they specifically chose to put those associations together. The show loves to be cryptic and straightforward all at once, with warnings like “Draw your last breath” (3x07) being instructions to literally draw a breathing rune

2) One of the reasons I think the cube is related to Aaravos’ prison is precisely because it was entrusted to Callum by Harrow, the two characters most concerned thematically with the theme of Freedom through both their speeches, actions (Callum shattering the primal stone to free Zym, Callum ending Rayla’s cycles) and most notably his arcanum of the Sky. So you have Callum, who is tethered to the theme of Freedom, with a Key in his possession, Aaravos having some idea of how to get himself out of his prison if his machinations / guidance of Claudia and Viren are any clue, and Aaravos, who wants to be free of his mirror prison more than anything. 

Larger meta post here as well as some very cool similarities the Key could have to the Egyptian myth of Thoth, god of knowledge, presenting a Key of Life to Osiris, god of the underworld. 

3) The Key has been associated specifically with Rayla and her relationship to Callum above anyone else since the beginning of the series. Their first real bonding moment is her agreeing to go get it from the Banther Lodge, she risks her life to do so, and is routinely the other character (sometimes swapped in or sharing that role with Bait) that Callum discusses the cube with. Then there’s also the fact that ties into one of Callum’s consistent aspects of seeing worth in things Rayla doesn’t: appreciating Xadia’s magical nature with fresh eyes (1x05), seeing worth in the Cube (1x04, 1x05), and indeed, Rayla herself (1x05, 3x04). Rayla’s language surrounding the key is also very interesting, but we’ll talk about more of that in the next point, which is:

4) Back in early December 2021, I made a post documenting what I’d noticed of the consistent way the Cube was referred to as a game piece or Aaravos playing a game. (Just for frame of reference, this was almost precisely 6-7 months prior to Aaravos holding Viren like a game piece in the SDCC intro trailer). 

Also keep in mind that Viren asks Aaravos once, and only once, if he’s playing a game. The rest of this coding is done through Rayla alone as a character: “It’s a toy. It’s piece from a children’s game,” “It’s a glow toy” and then “Are you practicing magic or are you losing a game?” which now seems like very overt S4 foreshadowing. 

This also played into what I had noticed in terms of the likelihood of games and tests being intertwined, as they often are in mythic stories or folktales, and this statement from Aaravos felt like something that had to come back in some way (and already has for Claudia as a character, circa end of 3x09). 

Playing a game (particularly chess) against Death or the devil for your soul is common and fit neatly together. The marketing for S4 has only reaffirmed this with lines like “They’re not games. They’re tests” from Soren’s short story. 

Aaravos has offered a test of love to one pawn, in Claudia, first tasking her with reviving her father, and now stretching it further to see what she’s willing to do to keep Viren alive. Viren, who was already dead, just as Rayla comes from a culture in which she is already dead and seen as a Ghost. It doesn’t feel like a stretch to presume Aaravos will give Callum his own Test of Love to either pass or fail, and given that Claudia’s have all related to Aaravos’ main priority of getting out of his mirror, Callum’s likely will too. Especially since it seems like Claudia’s motivations for helping Aaravos may change drastically in S4... but more on that later.

What Does CHET Provide Narratively?

Arc 1 of TDP was largely concerned with “How can we fix our parents’ mistakes?” However, as the world grows more complicated and characters more complex as a result, it is likely Arc 2 will ask, “How can we fix our own mistakes?” This requires mistakes to be made, of course: for Rayla, the continual fallout of her leaving, and for Callum, inadvertently helping Aaravos successfully escape his mirror - and then more so by choice (or under coercion, depending on definition). 

This ties into the way Callum often breaks Rayla’s cycles that she’s trapped in whether through her choices, circumstances, or both. By shattering the primal stone, he frees Rayla from her literal and metaphorical chain of her binding. He inspires Rayla to break the cycle in 2x07 and then does his one dark magic spell to break the chains that Rayla’s swords cannot. He breaks the literally circular pendant from Rayla (and Ethari), weighed now with grief and remembrance, in order to see her free to make her own choices.

Which is to say that Rayla is repeating all four of her parents’ most damaging behaviours and cycles, has likely come back with the intention of protecting Callum (with little to no regard to her own well being) and still believing in the idea that she has a price to pay in order to be happy, and all these damaging beliefs need to be broken. If Rayla is going to save Callum from making the full mistakes of his predecessor, in some ways, isn’t it only right that he saves her right back and does the same?

After all, let’s talk about

Paying the Price

This line from 4x01 immediately stood out to me in a major way for a few reasons: 1) this is the first time Callum has ever directly referenced paying the price in such a manner; Ezran (1 time), Rayla (multiple times), Viren (1 time), Harrow (multiple times), and Claudia (1 time) are previously the only characters to do so and Claudia’s is the one comedic exception to how the phrase is usually delivered. 2) It is also the phrase used in the season synopsis, directly asking the question of, “But where did this enigmatic Startouch elf come from? What does he want? And what price will our heroes have to pay to stop him?”

We know, of course, that they won’t stop him. We know then, that ultimately, there is a price they are not willing to pay to stop him. We know, thanks to the series extreme dedication to emphasizing agency, that they rarely let characters off the hook when it comes to making hard choices, for ex: it would’ve been so comparatively easy for Harrow to not know what Viren planned to do ahead of time to the egg and for him to find out after the fact, but instead we see that Harrow knew and approved of Viren ultimately murdering a child. 

If Callum has the cube (or whatever Aaravos needs from him) just tricked/ conned out of him, it removes what would ultimately be the hardest choice he’d have to make. If it’s taken from him forcefully, he’s failed yes and made a bad choice, but again, removes the actual hand over from the equation. When has TDP ever not forced a character to make a hard decision, after all? To choose the harder path and be aware of it, or to pick a different path and convince themselves it’s the right one? Why would Callum and everyone else suddenly be let off the hook now?

And while it’s supplementary material, so we can take it with a grain of salt, but this also ties into how Callum’s Devotional and Liberty (highest) attributes are described in his Tales of Xadia bio:

“I value those close to me more than anyone or anything” and “I’m beholden to my inner circle, not some silly kingdom” respectively

This also ties back to the perpetual trolley problem, if you will, that TDP returns to time and time again, with situations only getting worse and escalating when the dignity of an innocent or one life is disrespected and tossed over for “the greater good,” particularly without their consent. 

Even after her growing bonds with Ezran and 2.5 seasons of character development, we see Rayla consider her choice to spare Marcos to be a mistake (circa 3x03 with Ethari):

R: I failed them. It was my fault we were discovered.

This is particularly true given that Rayla’s original failure was when she was on a mission to a kill a prince and king of Katolis, and she takes on a similar literal and metaphorical mission in TTM as well: killing / leaving one prince of Katolis (symbolically) by taking a piece of his heart (“My heart for Xadia”) just like the Magma Titan while setting out to actually kill a king of Katolis (Viren) that we know she will ultimately fail in.

Which is to say that the “You saved her life and risked us all” is an interesting concept the series has returned to, most particularly in Callum’s foil relationship with Viren. Their primary difference is contrasted starkly back-to-back in 1x02, when Viren offers up guards’ lives in exchange for Harrow’s but hesitates to offer up his own, whereas Callum offers up his own for Ezran’s without hesitation. Ergo, Viren offering up other people’s lives is decidedly shadier because he takes time to come around to offering up his own. But we already know Callum would die and bend his morals for Rayla.

Could he really bring himself to go through with his plan? What if he didn’t succeed? What if he compromised his beliefs and it all ended up being for nothing? […] But her blade bounced off with a clang, sparks flying. She reeled back and tried again. Nothing happened. She was in trouble. He inched towards Claudia’s [spellbook]. (S2 novelization of 2x07)

So him exchanging the cube would not be risking anything of anyone he’s not prepared to risk of himself, creating a messy but understandable justification, and it’d validate the hell out of Rayla’s own ‘original sin’ in sparing Marcos. Life and living is about more than just numbers and survival - and saving her, weighing her life against the world’s and picking her anyway, is not only a classic hero dilemma, but something that would carry a particular amount of weight in the series as is. 

This also ties back into the series’ intrinsic concept of exchange, including but not limited to:

Killing Harrow and wanting to kill Ezran in exchange for Avizandum and Zym’s believed murders

Viren’s plan to exchange one soul for another’s with Harrow in 1x02 that was originally Claudia’s idea

Callum trying to take Ezran’s place to save his little brother in 1x02

Dark magic as an entire principle, exchanging the life of magical creatures for power or agency

Soren killing one king to protect another (3x09)

The entire goal of taking Zym back to his mother in the first place, in hopes that they can deliver a baby dragon in exchange for peace

So why not have that thematically continue through Rayla’s life being exchanged for the cube and exchanged for war?

But this is all more abstract narrative and thematic stuff with some cyclical analysis and nods towards characterization and arcs. Now it’s time to get to the real meat of the theory, which is:

Parallel Episode Structures 

So TDP likes to do this thing, with Callum and Rayla’s arcs in particular, but also with the show as a whole, where they will repeat episode / character conflicts while steadily changing the circumstances and raising the stakes in order to reveal character and spur character / plot development. And they do this especially with plot structure.

Examples of what I mean: In 1x03, Callum chooses staying with Ezran over saving his father, and Rayla chooses the egg and princes and fights Runaan as a result. Both of them, unknowingly at the time, lose their adoptive fathers that night. Then, 2x03 and 3x03 each deal with the fallout of those respective choices they made, processing grief and regret over their losses. 

Or, to get even more specific, I’ll offer up what I call the “Rayla saves a dragon quartet” in which Rayla wants to do something brave but dangerous / self-sacrificing in order to protect a dragon, Callum has reservations, and their dynamic steadily evolves to the point that he goes from worrying but not being able to do anything to jumping right after her. AKA 1x03 on the rooftops, 2x07 in the rain, 3x08 with the Dragon Queen, and 3x09 with Zym. 

Or to get even more specific, I’ll offer up the “Rayla is trying to hide her own pain, Callum tries to get her to open up three times with her nastily rebuffing him each time, then she has a breakdown in the face of his unconditional love, and something bad happens to Zym as a result of them being distracted.” Am I talking about 1x06, or 3x04?

Which is to say, if CHET goes along with the “Callum goes too far and does something reckless / dangerous in relation to Aaravos, Rayla pays the consequence and gets taken hostage, Callum / the boys come to save her, he gets her out in a way she has understandable issues with, and ends with a note of ‘I hope it was worth it to you, putting everyone’s lives in danger,’” it will be a perfect inverse of 1x04. And we know 1x04 was written with an endgame in mind, given the mention of the cube being in the game room, as well as Callum saying things like, “You wait here, one minute, two minutes - however long it takes, I’ll go find a key.” 

After all, much like they could have had Callum resolve to do dark magic in 2x07 without harkening back to his crush on Claudia to foreshadow his growing feelings for Rayla, there were infinite ways to write 1x04 that did not have Rayla being the one to find and risk her life for the cube. They could have easily had Callum or even Ezran stumble upon it, grab it, and have Rayla get caught looking for it or just not moving stealthily enough around the room when Amaya catches her. They could’ve had the boys go into the Lodge together with Rayla hanging back (as they’re human and wouldn’t have raised any eyebrows), but she can’t exactly leave without them, but no. The show chose this very specific plot structure, and we’ve yet to see it entirely repeat in full. And with 4x01 paralleling 1x01 very closely (Soren letting slip the king is in trouble, Callum wanting to help, king and high mage discussing Moonshadow assassins on balconies), and with 4x02 possibly paralleling Rayla’s return with callbacks to 1x02, I think this future repetition of 1x04 is only getting more and more likely.

Then you also have the ways that, if Callum transfers the cube - something magical and powerful, something he’s fixated on - and ‘sacrifices’ it for Rayla, it’s another perfect inversion to how he shattered the primal stone to save Zym in 1x09, thus unleashing a storm onto the world but for good reasons, and for a peaceful purpose. Again, if we look at Zym as one piece of the exchange for peace, then unleashing Aaravos in another terrible sort of metaphorical ‘storm’ is the perfect inversion that an even greater era of war and conflict is on the way. 

The show has had smaller 1x09 parallels - Callum trusting Ezran rather than doubting him (3x07); Rayla almost going off the cliff to save Zym before she actually does so in 3x09; and in terms of Callum sacrificing the primal stone is a good example of how he’s let go of some of his 1x04 fuelled fixation for the time being. But they’ve also shown Callum repeat his old mistakes when he goes out into the storm in 2x04, in which he says, “I put us both in danger. I could’ve gotten Zym killed” yet “Worst of all, when we were right there in the centre of the storm - I thought I wanted this badly enough but in the end, I didn’t have the guts.” He still considers the worst part of the experience to be his lack of a magical connection.

Then there’s the way that post-TTM has lined up well with 2x07, episode wise. Again from a structural standpoint: Rayla feels compelled to do something, Callum wants to help her, she goes off alone, he hangs back with Ezran feeling helpless and frustrated before he ultimately goes after her, bending/breaking his morals and engaging with Dark Magic to do so. The big differences is that Rayla has gone from saying it’s okay if he can’t come with her to telling him not to, and that rather than resolve to find her on his own, Rayla has returned to him first. But up until her return, the structure was intact, so I’ll be curious to see if the second part of the episode comes true too. Possibly - in an alternative way - with Callum doing dark magic in general, or with him specifically handing over the cube. 

If you are interested more in how TTM parallels 2x07 itself specifically, setting up a reconciliation plot structure for Rayllum in S4 reminiscent of 2x08-2x09, check out this larger meta here.

Orpheus and Eurydice Motif

So we know that Rayla and Callum are going to get separated thanks to this screencap from the trailer with two main options: 

1) it’s a fakeout and they’re reunited shortly afterwards, finally reconciling, or 2) it’s not a fakeout, and part of the finale, 4x09, “Escape from Umber Tor” following the fallout of 4x08 “Rex Igneous” is about getting her back. Given that Aaravos has been compared to Lucifer and that “Umber Tor” means Shadow Tower, if Rayla was taken to a shadowy place high on a mountain or deep below the ground... It’s a pretty good Underworld allegory, and the show has given this to Rayllum before in which Rayla travels to their version of the Underworld, her Orpheus - a magically inclined artist per the mythos - goes after her, and unlike in the myth, he manages to successfully save her. Sort of. Since, as we know, the end of TTM still results in a tragic separation for our two lovers. 

This is also similar structure wise to Rayla facing certain death in 3x09 by tackling Viren off the Pinnacle, Callum jumping after her, and his love for her unlocking new magical power so he can save her. Again, this meta of Callum and Rayla as Orpheus and Eurydice goes into greater detail, but I think it’s interesting it’s a pretty specific pattern we’ve seen happen two times, and now the question is if we’ll see it happen as a third. Especially since as the musical Hadestown paints it so eloquently 

TTM has just been the mythic structure fulfilled both happily and tragically, with Rayla choosing — in many ways — both metaphorically and literally, in risk taking to go back to the Underworld. Callum is then reaching a double crossroads. Does he follow her down into hell, again? And in other ways, this is arguably the first time he’s being tested. For so much of s1-s3, and even in TTM, saving Rayla was a no brainer. Whatever chance he had, Callum had zero hesitation, zero misgivings. In his heart and in his mind, he had no reason not to.

Now, thanks to TTM, there is a seed of doubt. And just like with Orpheus cutting a deal with Hades out of love to get his wife back, Aaravos may cut a similar deal with Callum as his own Test of Love.

[ORPHEUS, spoken] Mr. Hermes? [HERMES, spoken] Yes? [ORPHEUS] It's not a trick? [HERMES, spoken] No, it's a test

Speaking of which, let’s finally talk about Aaravos’ hand in all this - as well as foil relationships and contrasts with Viren and Claudia.

Pawns and Kings 

Once S3 wrapped up, I figured that Rayla and Claudia’s foil relationship would be amped up further, now that they had nearly matching white hair, and I always thought that Rayla’s paranoid and restless behaviour would return in a significant way prior to TTM. Now they’ve both destroyed their lives for Viren - Claudia to save him, Rayla to kill him - in the two year timeskip and are dealing with the fallout of those decisions. 

While the Viren-Callum parallels going into S4 are massive, and are undeniably the biggest foil relationship this season, I think ultimately the conclusions on their arcs will be regarding their differences, given lines that Viren has said of, “We must be ready to sacrifice, even the things we love,” while if Callum picks Rayla over the world, he will be steadfastly and repeatedly rejecting that in his arc, while Viren may catch up too late that he has unintentionally sacrificed Claudia for his goals. 

I went into more detail on it here a few weeks ago, but now that we have confirmation from a few reviews of the first four episodes of season four, it seems I was right to think that Viren is getting an atonement arc, regretting what he’s done and specifically what Claudia has done for him as a result of it. This would perfectly parallel the sort of Rayla arc also needs to have, of realizing the full weight and why of her previous mistakes and realizing she was wrong. After all, she and Viren are both “already dead” - metaphorically and literally, respectively. 

Meanwhile, Callum and Claudia have been set up to have mirrored arcs as well, as they get pulled deeper and deeper into Aaravos’ machinations as his two latest pawns. We will presumably see him manipulate both of them this season in order for them to help get the pieces in place to release him from his mirror. Claudia and Callum have, in their relationships with Viren and Rayla, already had parallel Tests of Love in 3x09 - saving their loved one from the brink of death in a powerful display of magic - and are set up to have parallel Tests of Love regarding lies and forgiveness in S4.

However, where I think this season will end up seeing Claudia and Viren split from one another - her angry that he “doesn’t understand or appreciate” all she’s done for him thanks to his re-evaluation that maybe he should stay dead, his life not worth the toll it’s taken on the world and her (and that he’s right this time) - that leads the way for the finale’s Test of Love to be Callum and Rayla in so many ways, as Callum saves Rayla from being “already dead” - and he’s right to do so, even if it’s still a hard choice. 

This would allow Viren and Rayla to be strangely ideologically aligned, Viren in a positive way for his arc, Rayla in a negative way in her arc, in believing that when Callum shows up that

More meta on Rayla and Viren’s parallels here, as well as Rayla as Aaravos’ inverse to Callum’s Viren. 

Furthermore, this scenario gives all the characters place to work from in future seasons: Claudia can fall deeper into villainy now truly unhinged thanks to being “abandoned” by her father and as Aaravos’ next future pawn to discard (almost a la Ozai and Azula in ATLA, as Claudia has been compared to Azula by co-creator Aaron Ehasz in the past), Viren must work with the heroes who have no reason to trust him but to who he can provide infinitely valuable information, Aaravos keeps him alive in a “reap what you sow” esque punishment, Rayla can possibly start looking for her parents properly and will have a new kind of self worth, and Callum has a goal to reclaim the cube, help Rayla, develop his Moon arcanum magic, and defeat Aaravos once and for all. 

Since, after all, Callum is the King that Aaravos needs to get out; the final pawn in this stage of manipulations. 

Checkmate

More than a game of strategy, Chess is a game of sacrifice. I’ve played for most of my life and typically, games come down to making sure you sacrifice the right pieces (pawns) in order to protect your more important pieces, particularly your Queen and of course, your King. Aaravos’ relations to chess have been repeated over and over again, as well as Checkmate referring to him winning the game and getting out of his mirror by the end of the season which again, we know is happening this season. 

If you are interested in reading more about TDP’s chess symbolism, check out this meta in which I break it down for the main cast of characters. Terry is not included as we didn’t know he’d be in the season before I wrote it, and as we still know very little about him, I’m not sure where I’d place him (although maybe as a Rook or Bishop or something). 

Moreover, one of the most important rules in a chess game is that if a pawn reaches the other end of the board, you can swap it in for one of your more important taken pieces (which will almost always be your Queen if you’ve lost her). 

And again, the chess metaphor works particularly well because in a game of strategy and sacrifice, Aaravos has to find the thing the heroes aren’t willing to sacrifice; the price they’re not willing to pay. Per the chess metaphor and characteristics of the pieces, although I considered other options as I went along, Rayla fits the characteristics / placement of the Queen piece the best and Callum as the King piece.

It is for all these narrative reasons and more that I think it is very likely that, if not taken hostage directly, Rayla will at the very least be what’s used to coerce Callum into having an almost equal hand in freeing Aaravos as Claudia (also giving her some wiggle room to potentially come back from, if she does it out of spite or if she thinks if she ignores Viren’s wishes and ‘fixes’ the problem he’ll change his mind, like she thought she could with Soren in 2x08/9 in some ways). 

After all, if the emotional payoff of TTM isn’t going to be Callum looking for her, there still has to be a counter-balance / reason behind her absence. What better reason could there be than “I lost her once. I’m not going to lose her again” with his grief in the two year absence providing his emotional, plot driven justification as Callum does everything he possibly can to get her back?

Now, onto my favourite part: the foreshadowing. 

The section is what I call the “this feels like direct setup” with some repeats of what we’ve seen before as well. The next section will be about generational stuff including parents, character designs, cycles, etc. The third section is stuff I think is possibly less likely foreshadowing, but I like it, so I hope it is, called “Be foreshadowing, do it for me.” Hope you enjoy!

Misc. Foreshadowing #1: Heavily Likely

Who the hell is Aaravos saying his “My return to this world is inevitable” and why Rayla is a real candidate to be who it is being delivered to.

Callum rejecting the cube in 2x08 when Harrow reminds him that he’s free VS Callum handing over the cube in 4x09 because Rayla isn’t

They said that, sometimes, we make sacrifices so that the ones we love don’t have to. It’s part of protecting them—part of protecting you. Taking on hard choices and going to dark places is an act of love.

Generational Parallels 

If Callum is rageful against Viren, that cements the other half of the Viren-Avizandum intro parallel, as that is a moment in which Avizandum is not only separated from his child, but hunted due to taking away the love of King Harrow’s life, Queen Sarai. Just as Rayla is repeating Runaan’s cycles (down to her one silver shoulder pad design that is a smaller version of his), it would not surprise me if Callum began to repeat Harrow’s. If you want the in depth version of this theory, check out this tag here, but I think the screencaps speak decently well enough for themselves, don’t you?

Rayla and Runaan’s parallels are also particularly important as due to his stubbornness and duty, Runaan was taken captive by Claudia to be used by Viren specifically in regards to the mirror, and Sarai ultimately died saving Viren’s life.

There are also Callum’s parallels to Runaan to consider (down to the hostage situation in Bloodmoon Huntress) as well as Rayla’s parallels to Harrow.

Misc. Foreshadowing #2: Please be foreshadowing, do it for me

Rebuttals 

Don’t have a lot of interest in discussing negatives, however as the theory gained a lot of traction in the past 3 or so months, there were some issues people had with it, namely: doesn’t it reduce Rayla to a damsel in distress, isn’t it predictable, and why would Rayla forgive Callum for this in the end, all of which I’ve laid out ‘rebuttals’ to over time. If you have for some reason made it all the way down here in this post while still having reservations, one of these metas may remedy them for you - or maybe not! Either way, I think they’re an interesting read.

Rayla is not a damsel in distress

Predictable

Why would Rayla be okay with this in the end?

Other Misc Thoughts

Romeo and Juliet comparisons (thanks, Viren’s VA)

The Way Rayla Has Always Been Set Up as Both Callum’s Salvation and Destruction

Rayllum’s parallels to Aaravos’ “Patience” story (which relates to their overall dynamic I think)

Callum and Rayla always liking/loving each other “too much” than is good for them / Callum as an Icarus figure (boy with wings who flies too close to the literal or proverbial sun)

Why the cube can’t just be positive / Why Rayla’s absence can’t just be positive

TTM / S4′s ATLA Comparisons and Parallels

TDP and Tarot: Rayllum as the Lovers and Aaravos as the Devil

Adam and Eve Comparisons

Alternatives

So let’s just say I’m wrong and all of this foreshadowing, meta, etc. has been for nothing? Cool! I had a good time writing it, theorizing with other people, writing my own fics, and immensely enjoyed reading other people’s fics regarding the theory as well. I have donned my clown wig before with far less reason to and with far less fun as a result, so I’ll have no regrets if that ends up being the case here.

However, and this is what I’ve always come back to in terms of wracking my brain and narrative for this theory is that even with less than one day to release, I have never seen an alternative theory that actually answers all the questions this one has set out to, namely:

What is the Cube?

How do Callum and Rayla ultimately reconcile?

How does Aaravos get out of his mirror?

At least, not all at once, and not in a way that offers up tangible arcs for characters past-S4 either, or in arcs that feel feel a little bit less effective. Now, if Callum loses the Key just out of his own foolishness, that means the finale arc is just a mad dash to try to get it back, which the team will ultimately fail at, but that almost feels like too big of a punishment for something he was so heavily manipulated into (I think he’d have more guilt over that than if he’d made an actual Choice under coercion, y’know?). If the key isn’t crucial to getting out, then why highlight it so much this season? If Callum’s finale arc is just about resisting temptation, than how does that lead to Aaravos getting out — isn’t that too positive a note to end on, and a bit too repetitious of 2x08 if it’s that simple, arguably? And again, it feels like this season has to start addressing the dark side of Rayla’s self sacrificial tendencies and start edging towards fixing them (ergo her realizing she has worth) since it was all those issues compounded that made her leave in the first place?

So perhaps our closing note is to say that, although it’s not as though there are no real alternatives to CHET, there are none out there that currently find answers for what to do with all the pieces on the board and how to achieve the outcome we know S4 is spiralling out to, and that is why for all these reasons, I am very hopeful and excited that I may be right going into S4, for each and every reason provided above.

Happy last day of hiatus, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!

#rayllum #tdp #the dragon prince #devil and the lovers #tdp rayla #tdp callum #parallels #cube hostage exchange theory #mutual salvation theory #moon arcanum theory #s4 spoilers #tdp spoilers #predictions #masterpost #analysis series #analysis #warning: very very long and if it doesn't show in the tags i'll cry #s4 #arc 1 #arc 2 #orpheus and eurydice motif #light and darkness motif #s4 speculation

[self-spaghettification]

Heyy! im a fellow aaravos lover here, and i wanted to know what ur theories are on what exactly aaravos is gonna do once hes free from the prison??? cuz like, i feel as though if ur trapped in a prison, ur obvi gonna want to escape but like what exactly is his "evil plan" once he escapes??? he created dark magic to help humans and saw humans as "worthy" and gifted humans elarion, so i dont feel like he'll try to atk the humans??? does he want to rule and conquer xadia, or is there a bigger sneakier plan?? idk i just want to hear ur thoughts on the matter!

hmm. i think he doesn’t have much reason to rule the world himself, as if he wanted to, he would have already had the chance, being born as a sort of god in the natural order.

when it comes to his motives, based on his dialogue and reflections, i think he’s trying to have another go at what he originally went for: chaos over xadia, upsetting the other stars

-getting rid of the most powerful creatures in the world (archdragons) & leaders overall

-corrupting magic and upsetting the natural order (gave humans dark magic to create ‘ripples’) for 1. giving humanity the upper hand bc he admires their creativity and resourcefulness, & 2. as payback

he may eventually have enough power via corrupted magic or whatever to face the other startouch elves again and maybe even capture them and make them servants to humanity as payback- genies of a sort.

as for attacking humanity, with how things are going and how some humans are willing to sacrifice themselves for archdragons (which is far from the perfect storm he had prepared earlier—where dragon-hating humanity was separated from all the planned chaos of xadia) there probably will be a lot of human bloodshed.

i do think while he values humanity overall and he is benevolent in a sense, he does kind of try to meet people where they’re at (not making viren sacrifice his kids for immortality ig) he’s not at all against doing what’s necessary to change things.

alsoo he kinda has a god & savior complex?

as for how he gets out, the dragang has the pearl now, i think he’s probably gonna try to convert callum to his viewpoint too as well as taking advantage of the fact that callum is desperate to learn any tips from archmages about the secrets of arcanums(ie: akiyu, ibis, lujanne..) and if that doesn’t work, to get him freed, he can just tug on his bond with rayla, put her in danger and that boy will do anything lmao.

or yk there’s plenty of other things to play on so im sure when it comes to getting out its not really a problem now that he’s a card in play and all.

outside of that i mean he probably has a confrontation with an ex and needs some dark mages on his side to take down xadia and all and maybe ezran or someone will change his mind

not much of this is original—i love hearing other people’s theories and bouncing off of them haha. so what do you think about his motives or end game? 👀

#q&a #the dragon prince #aaravos #me linking my own posts a bunch for further reading is giving like #those articles where they just link to articles on the same website and you go down a rabbithole of nonsense #hope this was coherent and not too boring lmao #thanks for the ask #paintedr0se #:)) #pls ff to comment what you think

[reneedenoailles]

introduction. 🦇

liz, 19 years old, bi, she/they ! currently obsessed with romance club. also a classic art, literature & history lover ! i'm also a writer !

i'd love to find romance club mutuals ! this is my main ! previously known as noaillesmurderess.

if we're mutuals, you can ask for my discord. <3

nsfw posts are tagged with not safe tag !

please block me if you don't support palestine !

Below the cut is a list of RC stories I've played ! I'll regularly update my progression on them.

Theodora.

Status: Completed twice.

Path: Romantic's Path first, thenCynic's.

Season One LI: Lawrence first, then John.

Season Two LI: Antonio, then Julian.

Season Three LI: Jamie, then John.

Arcanum.

Status: Completed, good ending.

Path: Emperor's Path.

LI: Single.

Love, Sin & Evil.

Status: Ongoing. (Season 1, Episode 8.)

Path: Darkness.

LI: Tony, then Wolf Vampire.

W: Time Catcher.

Status: Ongoing. (Season 1, Episode 12.)

Path: Moon Heiress.

LI: Lucien.

Vying for Versailles.

Status: On my eighth playthrough.

Path:

Calculation + Dark Spycraft. (Louis, Marriage ending.)

Altruism + Dark Spycraft. (Maria, Happy ending.)

Hedonism + Bright Influence. (Philippe, Marriage ending.)

Altruism + Bright Influence. (Bonne, Happy ending.)

Calculation + Bright Influence. (Louis, Execution ending.)

Calculation + Dark Spycraft. (Alexandre, Marriage ending.)

Hedonism & Calculation + Bright Influence. (Single.)

Altruism & Calculation + Dark Spycraft. (Single.)

Song of the Crimson Nile.

Status: Ongoing. (Season 2, Episode 5.)

Path: Cunning + Necromancy.

LI: Amen.

Rage of the Titans.

Status: Completed.

Path: Divinity Path.

LI: Marshall/Hephaestus.

Gladiator Chronicles.

Status: Completed.

Path: Cruelty + Strength.

LI: Tori.

On Thin Ice.

Status: Completed.

Path: Light.

LI: Liz.

Psi.

Status: Ongoing. (Season 2, Episode 10.)

Path: Control + Vector.

LI: Kay.

Chasing You 2.

Status: Ongoing. (Season 1, Episode 10.)

Path: Logic.

LI: Rachel.

Heaven's Secret.

Status: Ongoing. (Season 2, Episode 5.)

Path: Demon.

LI: Lucifer.

Queen in 30 Days.

Status: Completed, Queen ending.

Path: Plot.

LI: Leonard.

Legend of the Willow.

Status: Just started. (Season 1, Episode 5.)

Path: Coldness + Amber Fox.

LI: Undecided.

Soulless.

Status: Ongoing. (Season 1, Episode 8.)

Path: Pride Path.

LI: Ava.

Kali: Call of Darkness.

Status: Completed, good ending.

Path: Independence + Kindness of Goddess.

LI: Ratan.

Kali: Flame of Samsara.

Status: Ongoing. (Season 1, Episode 9.)

Path: Pride + Legacy.

LI: Saraswati.

The One.

Status: Completed Volume 1.

Path: Follow Smarts.

LI: Adira.

#liz rants

[codexassassin]

One of 12 Romanian Brotherhoods

Radu Vardan—his name whispered in the wind—is not a prince nor a nobleman. He emerges from the Ebon Veil, a hidden fissure between dimensions. His origins trace back to the Nyxian Expanse, a twilight realm where shadows dance and reality bends. Here, the moon is a silver scythe, and the stars are the eyes of ancient gods.

Appearance:

His hair, like raven feathers, falls to his shoulders, framing a face both ethereal and cruel. His skin, pale as moonstone, bears the scars of battles fought across realms.

His eyes—green-gray like the storm-tossed sea—hold secrets older than the cosmos. They reflect the hunger of a thousand lifetimes.

Clad in robes spun from the threads of forgotten constellations, Radu moves silently through the mortal world. His attire bears no heraldry, no sigils of nobility. Instead, it whispers of cosmic alignments and forbidden knowledge.

Powers and Curses:

Radu does not drink blood; he devours memories. His kiss steals fragments of a person’s past—their loves, regrets, and darkest fears. These memories fuel his longevity, but they also burden him with echoes of lost souls.

He wields a blade forged from Stardust Steel, a substance that cuts through reality itself. With each strike, he severs the threads of fate, altering destinies.

His curse: He cannot step into direct sunlight. When dawn approaches, he retreats to the Abyssal Sanctum, a hidden chamber where starlight filters through obsidian crystals.

However, if he finds the Veilshard Blade, he can walk in sunlight.

Purpose and Vendetta:

Radu’s existence is bound to a cosmic debt. Long ago, he bargained with the Astral Arbiters, celestial beings who weigh souls on cosmic scales. In exchange for immortality, he pledged to hunt down rogue entities that threaten the balance.

His vendetta centers on the Luminar Ascendancy, a cabal of sorcerers who seek to unravel the fabric of existence. They manipulate ley lines, tear holes in reality, and harvest forbidden energies.

Radu’s blade sings when he faces the Luminars. Their leader, Aurelia Solstice, once his lover, now his nemesis. She wields a staff of fractured starlight and seeks dominion over all realms.

The Dance of Shadows:

Radu’s path intersects with a vampire witch—a historian named Elena Dumitra. She deciphers ancient texts, unaware of her role in the cosmic tapestry. Her eyes hold the same green-gray hue as Radu’s.

Together, they unravel cryptic prophecies, chase ley lines across continents, and confront eldritch horrors. Their bond transcends blood; it’s written in constellations.

The ancient order to which our Romanian vampire assassins belong is known as the Noctis Arcanum. Within the crumbling monasteries and hidden catacombs, they weave their clandestine web, guarding forbidden knowledge and wielding eldritch arts. Their robes bear symbols of forgotten gods, and their blades sing hymns of shadows and redemption.

And so, Radu Vardan—the Nyxian Blade—moves through realms, his steps echoing in forgotten temples and starlit groves. His tale, veiled in stardust and sorrow, weaves into the annals of forgotten lore.

Veilshard Blade

Origins:

Forged in the heart of an ancient star, the Veilshard Blade transcends mere steel. Its origin lies in the cosmic rifts—the Veil Between Worlds—where reality frays like old parchment. The Isu, architects of existence, channeled their forbidden knowledge into this ethereal weapon.

Appearance:

The blade is a shard of obsidian, its edges shimmering with fractured starlight. When unsheathed, it casts a halo of shadows.

The hilt, wrapped in midnight leather, bears glyphs that pulse like veins. Each rune whispers forgotten truths.

At its core lies a fragment of the Veil Crystal, a crystalline lattice bridging dimensions.

Powers:

Dimensional Cut: The Veilshard Blade slices through reality itself. With a single stroke, it opens rifts—portals to other realms. Step through, and you emerge elsewhere: a moonlit forest, a desolate wasteland, or the edge of eternity.

Soulbound Edge: The blade feeds on memories. When it pierces flesh, it absorbs fragments of a victim’s past. These memories fuel its power, granting glimpses of forgotten ages or unlocking hidden abilities.

Veilstrike: A whispered incantation, and the blade phases out of existence. It becomes intangible, passing through armor, shields, and even the thickest walls. Reappear behind your foe, and the blade solidifies—a fatal surprise.

Temporal Echo: Wound your enemy, and their past selves bleed. The Veilshard Blade echoes across their timeline, inflicting cumulative damage. A thousand cuts, a thousand lifetimes.

Veilward: The blade can seal rifts, mend fractures in reality. Temporal wounds, paradoxes, or breaches—Veilward stitches them shut. But beware: each mended tear leaves a scar on the wielder’s soul.

Curse:

The Veilshard Blade hungers for balance. Its wielder must maintain equilibrium between worlds. For every rift opened, a piece of their essence slips away.

The blade tempts with glimpses of lost loved ones, alternate paths, and forbidden knowledge. Succumb, and you become a living rift—a doorway for cosmic horrors.

Guardianship:

The Veilshard Keepers, a secret order, safeguard the blade. They dwell in hidden sanctums, meditating on the Veil’s mysteries.

To wield the Veilshard Blade, one must pass their trials: confront past selves, mend fractured timelines, and resist the blade’s seductive whispers.

Destiny:

The Veilshard Blade weaves through epochs, seeking its purpose. Is it a weapon, a key, or a harbinger of cosmic reckoning?

Radu Vardan, our Romanian vampire assassin, now bears the blade. His eyes reflect starlight, and his steps echo across dimensions. His fate intertwines with the Veilshard’s—a dance of shadows and eternity.

The VeilShard Blade

Known Seals

The Romanian Brotherhood dates back to Brasov in 1432. AD, while some sources say Isu weaponry, pieces of Eden and other artifacts were found in a partially sunken forge that may date back to 32M ETU. The forge is in an area that occupies a swamp dating back to when the area was partially submerged by the Caspian Sea. The area is nearby to Varna, Bulgaria, which the assassins are still fighting to claim, believing the Varna Necropolis to be a sunken isu forge or temple. Their enemies the Tulciu, believe it to be their sacred shrine.

It is interesting to note that the Romanian Assassins have adapted to a more Persian and even Ottoman like existence, which suggests perhaps some of the Levantine brotherhood traveled to this region.

#Romanian Brotherhoods #Brasov Brotherhood #Ottomen #secret societies #asks #requests #the assassin's way #codex assassin #fanbased #Tumblr canon #Bing Dall e3 canon