#callum halfway

[wevero]

#ballum #ben mitchell #callum halfway #eastenders #ben and callum

[rafascosmic]

the softest kiss 🥹🫶🏻

ballum smooch drawing 🫶🏻

#ballum #fan art #eastenders #ben mitchell #callum halfway #callum highway #max bowden #tony clay #my art #lgbtq+ #drawing #artist #art #i miss them #my endgame

[artemixxs]

Someone needs to write the coda to tonight's episode where Callum sees that guy leaving hearing him muttering under his breath about Ben being weird, and looking like he was going to cry and then hearing Ben breaking down inside the Arches. Being Callum he finds Ben on the floor and comforts and calms him down. While Ben tries to initially push him away and say he's happy he's moving on, eventually he breaks down and Callum comforts him and starts to tell Callum the truth.

#ben mitchell #ben and callum #ballum #callum highway #ben x callum #eastenders #callum halfway #fanfiction

[ballumforever2006]

Ben: I don’t fear you 

Callum: think you should *as he has Ben pinned to a wall* 

Ben: I can’t hear you 

Callum: that part may be true *smiles* 

Ben: *hits Callum on the chest*

#incorrect ballum #ben mitchell #ballum #ben x callum #callum halfway

[thesupremeoverlordismysister]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: EastEnders (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell Characters: Ben Mitchell, Callum "Halfway" Highway, Kathy Beale, Stuart Highway, Lola Pearce, Jay Brown Additional Tags: Rape Aftermath, Aftermath of Violence, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Past Rape/Non-con, Rape Recovery, Recovery, Trauma, Psychological Trauma, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt, Protective Callum "Halfway" Highway, Hurt Ben Mitchell, Ben Mitchell needs a hug Summary:

Ben breaks down after so long of trying to keep it together and Callum is there to witness it all.

#eastenders #eastendersbbc #ben mitchell #callum highway #callum halfway #ben x callum #ballum #ao3fic #ao3 fanfic

[raayllum]

by the end of s5, what do you think separates claudia and callum (if anything) from being a villain vs a hero?

Oh, there's plenty that differentiates them! This may not be as articulate as I want it to be as I've spent most of the past 3+ years pointing out / trying to convince people of Callum's similarities to Claudia and Viren (which S5 finally cinched for me, beautifully) than having to describe their differences, but I'll do my best!

Callum very much has both the best and worst of Viren and Claudia when it comes to dark magic, where he kind of borrows from each of them in distinct ways to be the most.... reasonable 'dark mage' in a lot of ways, due to 1) his views on dark magic and 2) his motivations for using it. So let's dig into it.

1) Views on dark magic

Unlike Claudia, to Callum dark magic isn't something frivolous (hi dark magic pancakes) or something to aspire after. He's far more like Viren (and even then I don't think Callum would ever consider dark magic "brilliant and clever" even if it is very much practical) in terms of seeing dark magic solely as a last resort since, as I've laid out before, Callum knows it's wrong. That it's a dangerous, slippery slope, for him in particular. Callum is also just willing to do something he Knows is wrong and see it to fruition anyway.

(Now, this also plays into the series' theme of how it's always Easier to play into / perpetuate the Cycle than it is to take the harder path of breaking it, but post for another day.)

Claudia has come closer to this viewpoint in some ways in S4 (crying as she explains what she had to do to bring Viren back) but ultimately, she doesn't think/see/know Aaravos is 'evil'. She doesn't think she's doing anything Wrong But Justified because she doesn't see anything wrong with what she's doing in the first place ("Humans were born with nothing, but we still found a way to do amazing things. That's what dark magic is really all about" / "The elves and the dragons did nothing. They judged us. They pitied us" / "All through history dragons have had the power while humans lived in fear. Well times are changing"). Callum is not that, at all, hence the guilt (even if I think more of it stems now in S4/S5 from what he knows dark magic allows - Aaravos' possession that then in turn also puts his immediate loved ones in danger).

Therefore, Callum's views on dark magic are far more akin to Viren's - powerful, dangerous, a necessity that chips away at you and you alone if you do it right, if you can successfully spare other people. Viren's comfort with dark magic goes further than that, and Callum's comfort with it is lesser than that, but they are more similar I think in their views of dark magic than either of their views are to Claudia's.

Like, regardless, Callum fundamentally disagrees with dark magic - he doesn't like or want to hurt innocent people/creatures if he can help it (again, big difference between him and other two mages, even if there are definitely areas where who Callum views as 'innocent' could be improved). It's a Last Resort, but it's a Resort. His aversion, those reservations, those lines, those morals? They exist (which is a distinction) but ultimately do not matter when Ezran or Rayla are threatened.

Which is, I suppose, as good a time as any to talk about

2) Motivations

Viren's hierarchy is the 1) the world (which his family is a part of), 2) himself, usually (because he believes he is uniquely positioned to be able to help the world & make the right choices) and 3) his family. We see this hierarchy play out pretty succinctly in 1x02-1x03 with Harrow, almost beat for beat. As Viren says there (and in S5) Harrow is his family and means everything to him... but Viren is not willing to reveal or relinquish the dragon egg in hopes of stopping the assassination, because he would rather have himself or Harrow die rather than put a weapon into Xadia's hands. This is also why he's willing to warp Soren into a cinder beast in 3x07. Not only is he personally pretty far gone at that point, but he is willing to sacrifice his family (gaslighting Soren to keep Claudia tethered in 3x03, for example + "I would've asked you to choose the egg over my own life, if it came to it"). In some ways, S5 is showing that he lost that part of himself and is now reclaiming it, making it true in ways it hasn't always been. Love is what made him Lose Himself but also how he ultimately Found Himself again (which bodes very well for Callum's S6 arc, but anyway...)

Alternatively... Callum says "I value those close to me more than Anyone or Anything" (Tales of Xadia bio) and he unequivocally means it.

Callum loves Harrow dearly, but he still knows the safest place for Ezran in 1x03 is to get the fuck away from the castle, so he goes. He breaks the primal stone after watching Rayla and Ezran mutually cry and console each other as Rayla blames herself for Zym's imminent death. As discussed, he'll do dark magic in 2x07 even though he knows it's wrong because it's Rayla's life on the line. He'll jump off the mountain for her. He'll threaten and demand answers from Soren before and after learning that Ez could be in danger, and run right into a trap. He'll do literally everything he did in 5x08 for Rayla, as we know.

In this way, he is very similar to Claudia, who would likewise Do Anything for her family and always mean it, particularly her father (after all, Soren 'walked out' on her, not the other way around; she was still trying to keep them all together). It is worth noting now, though, that Viren has now circled back, so arguably all three of them are sharing in this Motivation, and prime for Aaravos' manipulation if Viren still has a further role to play (although his curtain may have closed lmao). After all:

But yeah, Callum and Claudia are two characters who have always had a steady flow of parallels and a particularly brutal slant toward each other (because their selective loyalty is not and never has been to each other) and the easiest way to have an audience still remain sympathetic to an antagonist is to draw parallels between them and a protagonist, so...

Obviously in TDP there are 'good' guys and 'bad' guys but I don't think the series is that interested in a pure black-white good vs evil dichotomy. Almost every antagonist character is still sympathetic, developed, interesting, and we can understand where they're coming from. The protagonists make plenty of mistakes and have plenty of their own biases and contradictions; it's what makes them interesting too! People aren't necessarily Villains or Heroes so much as they are people stuck in cycles of grief and violence, and the series being an exploration of how and where and why they do or don't (or can't) break those cycles. At least, that's what I find is most useful from a meta perspective.

I think ultimately what differentiates Callum and Claudia in my head is, as mentioned, the different ways they view dark magic even if they have exceedingly similar motivations for using it, as well as Callum striking me more as the type to fight so hard to save his loved ones while they're still alive, but not quite as inclined to go as far as Claudia did and follow through on a resurrection spell the way she did. He's better at emotionally processing (although it's a low bar to clear for her) and better at letting things go, and more respectful of his loved ones' wants (most of the time). If Ez and Rayla both died in tragic/traumatic ways, I think that could (understandably) really warp him to something close to Claudia, but so long as one lived, I think they could keep him from going off the rails.

Claudia left the train station a Long time ago.

More metas that may be of interest (written before S4 and S5):

How Viren and Callum stack up flaws wise (S1-S4, screencap S5 update)

How Callum's initial view of Zym differs from Ez and Rayla (S1-S3)

Callum's morality (S1-S4)

TDP's Perpetual Trolley Problem, or How the Show Frames / Deals with Sacrifice and Exchange (S1-S4)

The Interlocking of the Cycle's Wheel with Viren, Claudia, Callum, and Rayla (S1-S4)

#victoriahuske #pawns #callum x claudia #it was just red #tdp callum #snake boi callum #dark magic #tdp #the dragon prince #thanks for asking #requests #analysis series #analysis #parallels #something something Knowledge as a Burden but that's a post for another day #tdp meta #i spent too long on this / got distracted for an hour like halfway through

[manawari]

Boys who have dark and messy hair, ingenious minds, and constantly wonder if they are ever good enough:

#im watching the dragon prince rn #and halfway through all the seasons #everybody be saying that callum reminds them of hiccup but WHAT ABOUT HIRO #i literally see those two in callum #how to train your dragon #big hero six #big hero 6 #the dragon prince #httyd #bh6 #tdp #hiro hamada #hiccup horrendous haddock lll #hiccup haddock #callum #tdp callum #.reigne

[jackbatchelor3]

Ain't heard 'Halfway' in years.

#EastEnders #EE LB #Halfway #Callum Highway

[thedaycareattendant45]

number after number after cry after cry

I'm a little dizzy but it's all gonna end

why, all the ones that I love have hung up the telephone

time after time, after time, after time after time....

#tried to make a ghost and pals bg but gave up halfway through #rotary dial #ghost and pals #rotary dial ghost #vocaloid #dialtown #callum crown #daycare's art #dialtown phone dating sim #dialtown fanart #I did not get the colors right #wtf is lighting #my art #digital art #fanart

[rafascosmic]

together forever.

#eastenders #ben mitchell #callum halfway #callum highway #ballum #max bowden #tony clay #fan art #art work #drawings #drawing

[creelby]

eastenders alignment chart but it’s only my favs and jay

#i’ve done another one i’ll post it later - edit: i’ve added it to this post #eastenders #ee #ee lb #allignment chart #ballum #frobby #jayla #<- idk if that’s their name #lola pearce #jean slater #callum highway #callum halfway highway #lexi pearce #lexi brown #lexi mitchell #whatever the fuck her actual surname is #i refer to her as lexi pearce but anyway i’m going off on a tangent here #back to the tags #bobby beale #jay brown #ben mitchell #freddie slater #stacey slater

[rhiannons-bird]

Callum is in his chaotic era and I love it

#I’m over halfway through and he’s getting more and more random and chaotic by the minute #HE TOOK A SELFIE WITH THE HOSTAGE #also he was DISSAPOINTED when the champagne glass didn’t dramatically shatter on the floor like he’d intended #‘have you ever been in love?’ #seriously Callum what is up #also the unhinged Matthew vibes 👌🏼 #callum nova #the atlas paradox

[ashpkat]

i could not finish my fic in time for the anniversary, so here! have a pitiful excerpt of the continuation of your name, forever the name on my lips

cant breathe whenever you’re gone (i’m haunted):

“…

Silence. They looked at eachother. Aaron opened his mouth to say something else when Call cut him off, “Are you mad at me? You seem mad at me.”

“Am I mad— Call you disappeared to God knows where for a year! I’m not mad, I’m— I’m upset! I’m sad!” Aaron threw himself onto the bed and laid back. Dust flew into the air and into his lungs, he coughed and rolled over, “I’m confused.” He mumbled.

The boards creaked underneath Call’s feet as he shifted his weight and sighed, “I know. I’m confused too. What I did to you was.. wrong. I feel horrible for what I did to you, and now I’m here with you again, I feel more confused.” He sat down next to Aaron’s chest and hugged one of his knees to his chest.

“I was so worried,” Aaron murmured, “I wondered every day where you were and if you were safe. And now, I have you back, and the first thing I see you do is command some chaos-ridden and watch Joseph suck up to you,” he rolled over once more onto his back to stare back at Call, “Why are you here and— wait why are you staring at me like that?”

Call blinked and looked away, “We’re definitely not talking about the same thing.”

“Huh?” Aaron sat up, “What thing are you— oh. Oh.” He felt his cheeks heat up, “Seriously? Is that the first thing you’re concerned with?”

“No!” Call exclaimed, “no. I just, I was just thinking about it and the way you looked at me I thought you were too.”

He scoffed and flopped back onto the mattress. It was stiff and uncomfortable. Call laid beside him, he was careful to not let their bodies brush together.

“I’m sorry,” Call said.

Aaron looked closer, “I know. That’s all you’ve been saying since we got here. You didn’t answer my question: Why are you here?”

“Later,” Call said and saw how Aaron frowned, “I know, I know. That’s the answer you’ve been getting since you got here; later. But trust me, it’s going to be much easier to explain when I don’t have to re-explain the story over and over again.”

“Fine.”

Silence once more. Aaron shifted uncomfortably on the bed. He could feel the warmth from Call’s body from his spot on the comforter, and he wanted nothing more to embrace it. He was sure Call would welcome it, but Aaron didn’t want to bumble up to that just yet. Calls hand curled in front of his face and Aaron laid his hand right next to it. Call’s lips made a small smile. They interlocked pinkies, as if he was saying: I’m not going anywhere.

…”

#yet another taylor swift song fic #first one was last kiss this one is haunted (which is my fav song btw) #y’all this bitch was supposed to be a one shot at it’s at 6k words. IM NOT EVEN HALFWAY THRU YET #magisterium #the magisterium #callum hunt #aaron stewart #calron

[raayllum]

i think one of the main reasons i can't shake the "possession is not how callum is going to be play into aaravos' hands" (or at least not solely, i.e. doing something vile or dangerous in the name of love that leads to a renewed possession) is because like...

listen, as much as it'd be kind of weird for a "Master Manipulator" like aaravos to reveal his final play two seasons in advance from a character standpoint, it absolutely make sense from a story standpoint. you couldn't just whip that out of nowhere in a plot relevant moment without having your audience feel cheated, so it had to be established earlier on. now instead of surprise, you get to cultivate a nice feeling of dread. (although i've said before that there were other ways to cultivate said feeling of dread / set up the possibility of possession, i.e. callum learning that its possible out of a book when he was canonically reading about dark magic, him having nightmares or premonitions that aaravos is tethered to him, etc. it didn't have to be so blatant so quickly.)

those are, however, neither of the points i want to get at today, because like - if it is JUST the possession, and there is no choice that leads to it directly before or after in regards to helping aaravos...

Then why the absolutely, continually ramped up Viren-Callum parallels?

Cause like, as of S5, absolutely none of this is Necessary. Callum doesn't necessarily have to exist as a contrast to Viren at this point, given that Viren himself has changed his mind and disavowed dark magic and Aaravos; Callum finally freeing himself from Aaravos (and dark magic?) will likely now have more parallels to Viren's arc, rather than the two being disparate. He'll be following in Viren's footsteps, but in a positive way.

None of this is required for the possession plot line, either. That got kick started all the way back in 2x07, like, seasons ago. If anything it'd be kinda more 'tragic' if Callum really had never touched or been tempted by dark magic again, but he couldn't (or wouldn't) take back his prior choices. A consequence of being controlled by forces well beyond your conceptualization and a price you had no choice but to pay, literally, if they're going the removal of agency arc (which has its own merits) / leaning into the eldritch horror aspect of it all.

Like if it's just possession... Callum does not have to be like or be compared to Viren, in either similarities or contrasts, like - at all. Viren and Callum are both characters who have a relationship with destiny (Viren tended to believe in pre-determined destiny, but Callum decidedly didn't as of S2; even if that still started to change in S4, that alone is not enough of a singular parallel to warrant all the rest) but they're not the only ones, nor is that exclusively related to Aaravos - even if their parallels between each other are constantly circling him, their families, and dark magic / justification(s).

Which makes me think there's two main avenues they could be taking this with:

1) S7 endgame is Callum walking Viren's path regarding the rise, but in a more literal, dramatic sense. Again, Callum proving that he's not like Viren doesn't really need to happen as much now that Viren is 1) no longer a villain and 2) will be a parallel for Callum's positive growth as well. So it's still about similarities, but positive ones: "No matter what you've done, no matter where you are on the path, every step forward is a choice" (cue Callum literally regaining agency) "I am free, and so are you." This is also the avenue where it being mostly just the possession > a choice that leads to Aaravos getting out (choice made before that leads to possession, or choice post-possession) would make more sense, but just the Rise doesn't account for the well, ominous foreboding of all this, lmao.

2) S6 and S7 are working together with S6 being Callum mirroring Viren's Fall (whatever you want that to constitute) / helping Aaravos regardless of the possession - taking an understood risk for love that leads to the possession, or post-possession due to another form of coercion/susceptibility - and S7 being the Rise. It gives the ominous foreboding of it all, particularly highlighted in S5 / 5x02-5x04 and 5x08 somewhere to go, while also providing Callum with a balanced negative and ultimately positive character arc. It ties in the possession then as a plot element / vehicle to explore their similarities and differences but keeps everything tied together with choices/agency (rather than solely removing it), which is what Viren and Callum have both reaffirmed ("No choice? You made the choice you always have" etc) in S5 in particular. It also explains why and how all these forces - the parallels, the patterns, both their individual arcs, and their connections to Aaravos, his plans, and the possession plot line could be brought to fruition, and why they've all been included.

#it was just red #arc 2 #tdp callum #in the name of love #wouldn't you want to tell it kinder if you could #tdp #the dragon prince #mini meta #analysis series #s6 speculation #s7 speculation #tag ramble #predictions #why did this get capitalization halfway through? your guess is as good as mine boyo #like imo (and i'm prepared to eat my words / whatever canon executes i think will be great/good) #but like. if it's not based on callum making Choices. if it's Just the possession plot line and nothing else he does that leads to #fucking disaster (power or freedom or both for aaravos) as a conscious choice or risk that didn't turn out #then there's no reason for viren's atonement arc or for callum to now be able to parallel him #both 'negatively' and 'positively' and the show's just. way too smart for that to be nothing tbh #like s7 will be rise regardless in some ways #but like. it just makes sense that s6 is the fall esp when you want characters to have a lowest point anyway

[jabberamongthetrees]

The Last Mick x Halfway scene…🥺…

#eastenders #mick x halfway #mick carter #callum highway #no no no say it ain’t so #danny dyer #tony clay

[leximitchells]

rip to “callum ‘halfway’ highway” always in our hearts 🕊️ 

#eastenders #callum highway #i never thought i'd see the day #i guess mick was the last one to call him halfway so now that he's gone there's no need for it anymore lmaoooo