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I think about page 115 of Bloodmoon Huntress.

About deep trust.

About faith in the other person's abilities.

About calmness and resolve, about the courage to entrust your fate to your beloved in the face of danger.

I think about how they truly look like a powerful couple.

I’m really curious about how the conversation between Runaan and Ethari went when they discussed the assassin’s return before King Ezran of Katolis.

When did they talk about it? What words did Runaan use? How did he justify a meeting that could take away their life together forever—one they had only just regained? How did Ethari react? Did they argue about it? Did Ethari have any resentment toward Runaan? Did Runaan feel that his decision was causing Ethari pain? Did they consider together what they would do if Ezran decided to permanently imprison or execute Runaan? Would Runaan have wanted Ethari to move on—to find love again—if that happened? Did Ethari try to dissuade Runaan from meeting with Ezran? Or did he agree with him, even though it hurt? What were they thinking and feeling on the way to the meeting? How would they have acted if Ezran had chosen not to forgive Runaan? What happened between them after that conversation?

I see their relationship as full of love and mutual respect, but also deeply challenging because of Runaan’s profession. Even though Bloodmoon Huntress shows that Ethari is, in his mind, prepared for the possibility of losing Runaan, the show makes it clear that this doesn’t lessen his suffering in the slightest. That’s why I keep wondering—what went on inside Ethari when Runaan said he had to face the consequences of his actions?

Did he accept it with the same respect and understanding as he had for the calling that summoned Runaan away? Or deep down, did he wish Runaan were just a little less honorable—that he would put their family’s safety first? Even if he knew, logically, that would be an illusion—because this unresolved matter would likely never let Runaan rest. When they both understood how much Runaan had to lose after two years of imprisonment in the coin, did they truly say, out loud, how much Ethari had to lose as well?

And I'm very curious — did Ethari ever have a moment when he thought that loving Runaan was too painful—that it demanded too much of him?

Could this have been that moment—the decision to meet with Ezran?

Because no matter how much we love someone, no matter how much we understand that a necessary part of loving them is also accepting that they will make difficult decisions, no matter how much we have come to terms with the inherent risks of the relationship—sometimes, the situation can simply overwhelm us and make us question everything.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions. And if anyone ever writes a fanfic (or if one already exists) about this Ruthari conversation or pre-canon when they handle the issue of Runaan's job, let me know—I’d love to read it!

I’ve been thinking about the scene in Akiyu's cave (ep. 7x07) in the context of what we learn about Runaan as an assassin in Bloodmoon Huntress.

The part that interests me goes like this:

Runaan regains consciousness after being hit by rocks, while Claudia casts a breath-stealing spell on Callum. Runaan takes aim at her—he could easily shoot, especially since she doesn’t see him (too focused on Callum) until he draws attention to himself. He could try to stop her from harming Callum in a more fierce way. Instead, he orders Claudia to drop her staff, aiming at her. When she asks, “What now?”, he replies that they wait until Callum can breathe again. And then—it’s Callum who will decide whether Claudia lives or dies.

Runaan only shoots when he realizes Claudia is up to something (she looks at her medallion with a meaningful smile). But by then, it’s too late—the arrow disintegrates under the spell’s effect. His attack fails. He isn’t able to stop her at all.

This got me thinking: could Runaan’s behavior after regaining consciousness stem from his profession and, more specifically, his understanding of his duties?

In Bloodmoon Huntress, Runaan tells Rayla that he kills people—he doesn’t judge them.

Maybe that’s why he doesn’t shoot Claudia—because no verdict has been passed on her yet, and it’s not his role to make that decision?

Since Claudia is using magic on Callum, maybe from Runaan’s perspective, it’s clear that this is now a matter between two mages—that the victim must pass judgment on the attacker? That Callum is the one who should decide what justice for Claudia looks like?

In other words, maybe Runaan doesn’t feel authorized to make a decisive move against Claudia because it would go against the principles of his profession?

He is meant to execute a potential sentence—but not to pass it.

(Which, in turn, raises interesting questions about how Moonshadow assassins operate—could they question the legitimacy of their assignments? Could they refuse a mission? Did they carry out justice without question, just because their client claimed it was justice?)

The one thing that comes to my mind regarding Leola's wish is a possible explanation for why it was worded the way it was. (That's just my theory on the matter.)

Before Leola is fully taken by the darkness and erased, Aaravos holds her, assures her that he loves her, that she will go to a place filled with love, that she will always be able to feel his love for her. Leola (a child) was sad, afraid and about to be alone in the darkness. The last thing she experienced was her father's love. And based on that experience, she shapes her wish:

I wish that even in the dark

Sad Afraid Alone

that every child should know…

Reading a few Reddit threads reminded me of my thoughts on the writing of characters, events, and worldbuilding in TDP.

My main question: were some elements of the story intentionally designed to be flawed in order to tell us something about reality, or were they simply mistakes by the creators that we, the fans, read into something deeper?

A few examples, I hope I can explain well what I mean:

Ghosting in Moonshadow Elves's culture

As the author of this thread notes:

ghosting has significant logical flaws that can result in a threat to the community (if the ghosted person can return to the village, as Rayla did, then they can, for example, cause damage there, even under the influence of strong emotions related to exclusion or even revenge).

And now - is the functioning of this spell supposed to show us that in real life in various cultures there are permanently functioning customs/mechanisms that the community should really question instead of maintain? Or at least modify?

Or was the ghosting ritual invented for the purposes of the plot, without really delving into its operation any further than was necessary for the episode?

Janai and Karim

Was the prolonged decision-making about Karim meant to show us how difficult it is to pass judgment on a family member, even when it's clear he shows no signs of reforming and poses a real threat?

Or did the screenwriters simply fail to notice that the attitude they proposed for Janai might be perceived as somewhat inconsistent with her established characterization or even illogical, considering the circumstances?

Rayla tricks Callum

This is just one of the things the author of this thread mentions:

Is the fact that Rayla, instead of talking to Callum and finding some other solution, breaks into his office and steals the keys, and he doesn't immediately see it as a problem, a way to show that in relationships, we can sometimes, for various reasons, not notice the behavior of the other person that should make us wonder?

Or is it simply a questionable solution by the writers regarding this scene and it doesn't have a deeper message, because the characters somehow don't attach much importance to these events later?

Lujanne

Is the fact that Lujanne doesn't seem to have a problem at all (doesn't react to it in any way) with Claudia and Soren's appearance on the Cursed Caldera supposed to show that even people in positions of responsibility can fail to do their duty, let their guard down, or ignore a potential problem?

Or is it simply a ploy along the lines of "Since Lujanne took in the kids, she had no problem with their friends either, even if she's supposed to protect this place from people - let alone black magicians - so there's really no reason for her to even address the appearance of more people. Because they won't do anything bad, since they're friends of the kids."

Runaan

Does Runaan's accusation in In-Between of trying to kill Rayla show how much we can convince ourselves, under the influence of regret, guilt, and trauma, that we really wanted something?

Or is it simply an inaccuracy in the context of the creators' declaration that he would ultimately hesitate and not do it (i.e. despite such a declaration, he does not really want to take Rayla's life)?

These are just a few examples, but I hope they are enough to illustrate what I mean.

I really wonder about the issue of interpretation in the context of storytelling. Maybe this is what the most determines the fact that when it comes to solutions like the ones above some viewers praise TDP very much, while others complain about the writers' decisions?

(Of course, you can do both, but you know what I mean ;)

I decided to start this thread because I haven't come across anything similar yet and the issue is bugging me. I would appreciate your thoughts and opinions because I'm very curious if anyone else has had a similar impression or has any other ideas about where it might come from.

My feelings after watching The Secret of Aaravos were like, "Runaan is out of character. He's not himself anymore, not completely. Man, he's become less believable to me as a character." I started to wonder why. Here's what I've come up with so far.

1. Runaan started looking out of character for his age.

In The Secret of Aaravos, Runaan looks younger to me than in The Dragon Prince. And much younger. What's the logical point of that? Even if we assume that while trapped in the coin the aging process stopped for him (which is not confirmed in any way, as far as I know), still - Runaan should look at least the same age as in Season 1. Not younger. Sure, maybe the team just decided they preferred a slightly changed/"new" character design, but still - it makes me as a viewer confused. Because I look at Runaan and just think "why did he suddenly get a decade younger?".

And I know Ethari also seems to look a bit younger with her new hair compared to Season 3, but not enough to be confusing. It's entirely possible that a new haircut or different clothing can make you look younger (I believe that's what Ethari is going for). But Runaan hasn't changed a bit in his appearance, and he still - looks much younger.

Credits - I know, the artstyle depends on artist, but still - chrologically younger Runaan looks more like in season 1 than 7

Bloodmoon Huntress

artbook

season 1

season 7

I noticed that Runaan already looks a bit younger in season 1, when he's not serious, irritated, angry, etc., but still, not as young as in season 7. There are limits.

2. Runaan behaves inconsistently with his character.

I don't mean like all the time, but in very situations. In my opinion, it comes down to a few things:

A) in season 7, Runaan's facial expressions are often inadequate to the original character creation.

I really understand the plot situation (2 years in the coin, regaining freedom, Rayla, a chance to return to Ethari) and the fact that Runaan could have changed - become more gentle. And it's no wonder that he's often sensitive this season, after all, he's in the company of Rayla or Ethari.

But I have the impression that the creators wanted to show how much is going on emotionally in Runaan so much that they overdid it. And there's nothing left of the ''COLD AND SHARP as steel'' assassin. His face is so expressive, he constantly seems lost and sad (but like a puppy, not an elf who after 2 years of absence might not keep up with the world).

I love the scene of returning to Ethari and the subtle smiles when she looks at him after picking mushrooms or during dinner, and the fact that he's also shown when he's grumpy [ ''Runaan's expression sheet is the only one to not feature a smile. This elf exclusively broods'' (The Art of the Dragon Prince), ‘’ our favorite broody assassin’’ (https://thedragonprince.com/runaan-birthday/)] . Very interesting, after seeing him only on duty or in prison in Season 1. But most of what is in Season 7 seems to me to be out of place for a serious, composed assassin.

In my opinion, the flashback from Season 3 did a very good job of balancing Runaan's standard seriousness of his expressionless face (or just neutral) with a situation where tenderness towards someone close to him creeps in. It looked natural and very believable.

B) some gestures do not fit Runaan's previous portrayal

Runaan's body language this season is strange to me. Even if he is lost after two years, hurt, tired - ok, I understand. But while in Season 1 his movements were decisive, confident, and - I really don't want to refer to stereotypes, but I can't find a better comparison, for which I apologize - "masculine", in The Secret of Aaravos Runaan sometimes moves strangely "softly". Maybe it's the animation, maybe the choice of shots, their fluidity, I don't know. But for me, even during the mission with Callum, Runaan no longer has the confidence in his movements that he had in season 1.

Unfortunately, I will refer to stereotypes again, sorry, but these are simply the only comparisons that came to my mind.

Two gestures in particular do not fit Runaan's creation so far. The first, when he looks at Silvergrove, putting his hands to his chest, and the second, when he tells Ezran "And yet with grace and strength, you have managed to lead with kindness". I know what the creators wanted to show, but I think the way they did it does not fit how Runaan was presented to us. In both situations, he looks more like the archetypal delicate and sensitive princess, not like a composed assassin who deals with many emotions and changes in mindset. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Runaan (or a man in general) can't be sensitive or delicate. I just think that it would be more consistent with Runaan's personality to show all of this in a more subtle way. For example, in the first situation Runaan might simply fall silent at the sight of Silvergrove, his gaze becoming softer and more thoughtful, camera focusing on his face (like when he saw a dragon egg or coins with Lain and Tiadrin in 1 season).

Apologetic but still self-aware worrior talks to king like that? It's hard to believe for me.

3. Runaan seems more like Rayla's brother than father

Because of his younger appearance, some indecisiveness in body language and a strange impression of "girliness" (again, sorry), as well as some plot situations, I stopped seeing Runaan as Rayla's father. At most an older brother, but it was really hard for me to convince myself that he was the same elf as in Season 1 or Bloodmoon Huntress.

And sure, I understand that maybe they wanted to show that now Rayla is taking care of him, that they are more equal, that Runaan allows her to take responsibility and prove herself. Still, the probably intentionally comical scene of Runaan resting and setting off to Ethari came across to me as if Rayla was scolding her siblings, not the adult elf who raised her. I understand that Runaan is impatient here and could have acted unwisely, but in my opinion it was a bit over the top.

In my language version, Runaan's voice actor changed - from someone with a ''typically male" voice to someone who sounds very "young". I know that this definitely affected my perception of Runaan, but then I watched all the scenes in English for comparison. It was better - now Runaan JUST LOOKED younger. But it still wasn't the Runaan from Season 1 or 3.

Summary

The more I think about it, the more I feel that Runaan's character in Season 7 is not consistent with what the creators presented in Season 1, 3 or the books (art book, Callum's Spellbook, Bloodmood Huntress).

I am deeply disappointed, because I followed this series mainly because of the Runaan, Viren and Aaravos storylines. And in each of them I see certain clashes and puzzling decisions of the writers. But nothing persecutes as much as the "new" Runaan - younger, more delicate (at times "girlish"), who says that he is Rayla's father, but somehow does not give that impression (cause he seems to be too young for that).

I do not understand these methods of the creators. I know what they wanted to show (maybe the confusion, the more delicate side of Runaan, his uncertainty, the change of previous beliefs about himself and his profession), but the way it was done does not convince me.

And although there are moments that I absolutely love and consider credible in the context of Runaan's personality (and the only problem is his younger appearance) - for me his character is no longer consistent with what we have seen and could read about him so far. In season 7 he's so often just looks like a lost, uncertain, delicate pretty princess to me.

I do not see in him that mature, determined warrior with the aura of a protector.

I feel more like I've met his twin brother - very similar in appearance, but very different overall.

season 1