#tdp rant

People really misunderstood Callum in episode two, s7 (that's okay, the writers didn't do a great job of conveying what I'm about to say, no hate to them though) Callum did not betray Ezran

I see a lot of people criticizing Callum for prioritizing Rayla instead of Ez and saying Rayllum is toxic because it got in the way of familial relationships. But that's not what Callum's actions were really about, they weren't about "oh rayla is upset so I'm going to burn down all bridges for her" like a lot of people seem to think. His actions had a lot to do with Rayla but they also had a lot to do with the fact that Callum genuinely believed what Ezran was doing wasn't right.

(btw I'm writing this with Callum's opinions in mind, I'm not just projecting mine on Callum. I believe Runaan did something wrong and deserved punishment for it, and I believe both Rayla and Ez were both right and wrong. I am on everyone's side)

Claudia is an unintentionally selfish person. It's very rare that she goes out of her way to do something for someone else if it wouldn't benefit her. And that makes complete sense for her because her biggest role models in life were Viren and Aaravos, the two people that are infamously known for being manipulative and charming in ways that will guarantee they get what they want in the end. I love how it's shown in her character without being explicitly pointed out and without her even realizing. Take s2 ep 03 for example. When she goes to talk to Callum as they were getting ready to leave she gives him Harrow's letter that he left in Katolis. Her original intentions before that moment might've actually been to just return the letter (she obviously couldn't have known how things would play out when she initially grabbed the letter but of course, she is nothing if not resourceful!) but she jumps at the opportunity to use this to her advantage and incorporates it into her mission to capture Callum and Ezran. It may have started out selfless but she immediately turned it around to benefit her. And in arc 2, specifically s4 ep 02, she strives to revive Viren permanently even though he says he doesn't want that. Now in her mind, she's doing him a favor, a second chance at life is what anyone would want, but she isn't actually considering what he wants. Claudia's reviving Viren because she wants her dad back. I'm sure there are other examples but those two stood out to me. Selfishness in second nature to Claudia almost as much as dark magic is.

It's so obvious that Claudia is dependent on dark magic because it's been like the only permanent thing in her life, as well as the fact that her main role models are dark mages. But I also wanna think about a more wholesome aspect to it that isn't tied to her trauma, like Claudia having fond memories of using it. Maybe it was with Viren, using a spell to distract Barious while they snuck some jelly tarts. Or with Kpp'ar, him teaching Claudia how to navigate his Puzzle House, or that time when she saved Soren from falling off said house with the cushion spell. And more recently with Aaravos, him teaching her spells and being there for her in the 2 year time skip. Even in s1 she would've rather used dark magic to free herself from the chains, explicitly calling it "fun". Dark magic isn't just a tool to Claudia, it's a gigantic part of her childhood and fun for her . She enjoys it outside of necessity. I think that's part of the reason it'll be so hard to rip away from her.

In s7, Claudia's reactions to things like Terry leaving her and Aaravos dying are kinda numbed. Take s6 into consideration. When Viren left her, she was crying and screaming for him to stay. And she actually said-

"You can't! I saved you, you owe me your life!" -S6 EP01

-Those are the pleas of a very desperate person. And again when Viren died for a third time (wow…) Claudia screamed and sobbed for him. Even in Viren's flashback we could see that she's always had very visceral reactions to change and people leaving her. And it's not just that. Nearly all of her reactions were rather odd in s7. Like when she found out about Kpp'ar and the "self-eating" thing. Her only response was "I don't want to think of him that way." However, in s2, when confronted with evidence that made her question her father's morals and ethics, her immediate response is to deny and rationalize it for herself. But in s7 she was more dismissive. Claudia's been through so much that at this point she's just expecting disappointment and tries her best to just deflect it. Like in her breakup with Terry, she said herself that she already knew what was going to happen and was resigned to it.

Edit: Looking back at this is making me wanna analyze Claudia's reaction to Viren leaving her. Specifically the whole "you owe me your life part" cuz she's never responded that way before.

I wish Claudia showed more discomfort with her new leg. It would be nice to see that her physical injuries having just as much an effect on her as her mental and emotional trauma has. And I wished Claudia could've had some sort of reaction from almost drowning in the Sea of the Castout. Rayla almost drowned in a river and it gave her lifelong trauma.

I wish we could see Claudia in a new type of dynamic with someone else. We've seen her in a daughter/mentee dynamic and in a friend/girlfriend dynamic but I wanna explore how she would behave in a different type of relationship. Specifically, I want her to get the "Jinx treatment" and see what she'd do if put in a position where she needed to care after some small child. I wanna explore how she would go about doing that and how her views about life and herself might change as she looked through the perspective of a person who relied on and looked up to her. (I am writing a fic about this very thing tho 🌚)

Edit: it is taking a long time tho…

I'm really interested in Claudia's hair journey. I don't think we ever seen a dark mage with white streaks grow out their hair. Of course Ziard has long hair with white streaks but I don't think we have anything to confirm if those streaks could grow with the rest of his hair, which leads me to believe that dark magic stunts hair growth. The angsty potential of Claudia missing her long hair but realizing she can't grow it out anymore is so goood. It would force her to actually face the fact that she isn't the same nice person she use to be.

Edit: The release of her arc 3 design only further reinforces my theory.

I want to hear other characters opinions about Claudia. So far we've only really gotten views about her from her family, Terry, and Aaravos. A little bit of Callum too I guess. I really just want perspectives from characters like Ezran, or Amaya. Other people in her life that she used to be close with. To go with this I also want Claudia's opinion of these other characters. She grew up around these people, she's gotta have some feelings about it.

I want them to bring back the whole "Claudia might abandon dark magic" idea that they teased at in s6. She's never really made big decisions for herself like this, especially when it come to her morality. They've always been made for her.

Arc 2 raylum were what- 14 yrs old? S7 raylum r 16/17 ? Ur telling me that you think that two teenagers who are going to experience more trauma than most adults have to face, break up for 2ish years, go through another serving of trauma and get back together are gonna act the exact same way? Are going to interact the exact same way with each other and their loved ones? Are going to have the exact same values and insecurities?

S1 rayla hated her parents for abandoning the dragon queen, had a strained relationship with runaan where her self worth was constantly reliant on his approval, had never left xadia before and was convinced she was meant to be an assasin

S7 rayla has mourned 2 of her parents twice, one of them once. Has had to choose which to keep living. Has been banished from her home for 2 years. Banished herself from society for 1 ish year. Has killed a person. Has met humans. Has fought in wars.

S1 callum had like 3 friend, was constantly belittled, had 0 self esteem and lived an extremely sheltered life, feeling like an imposter the entire time as the orphan step prince.

S7 callum has found magic and rayla and wouldnt sacrifice them for anything - his relationship with both things sometimes manifests in unhealthy ways and he ends up selfishly prioritising the wrong thing some times but he’s a 17 yr old boy so that’s to be expected. He had an actual support system and whilst he still struggles with his self esteem, he’s overcome a lot of his imposter syndrome.

(Also may i just say why is everyone so anti callum wanting kids? Dude says a hypothetical about how interracial babies turn out differently and all of a sudden his character’s been ruined? So what if he actually wanted 10 kids? Doesnt mean he and rayla cant still both be the best mage and warrior the continent has ever seen before or whilst they have kids? )

And you mean to tell me you expect s7 rayla to have the exact same fears and insecurities as s1 rayla? To interact with her loved ones in the same way? To prioritise them the same? She has changed- for better or for worse. It’s ok to disagree with the way they wrote her but it gets on my nerves when people say “oh she wouldnt do that in s3”.

You mean to tell me that as a teen you never prioritised friends over family? You were perfectly emotionally adjusted and never made selfish decisions that meant you let a sibling down? That callum’s all of a sudden irredeemably evil because he decided to support rayla when he really should’ve stayed and helped ezran work through his emotions?

You mean to tell me that 17 year old you adamantly stands by all of your actions at 14 and has the exact same relationships with all your most important people? Cus if you do you were either a very emotionally mature 14 yr old or you were an incredibly immature 17 year old.

Abusers exist in many forms, his looks don't changed the fact that he hurt his wife and his children.

I can't believe i have to say this, but there are people who just don't understand. Lissa had every right to leave, he hurt her. Also Claudia choose to stay with Viren, neither Soren or Claudia hate their mother. They just don't know why she left, that's the whole point.

It was the most youtuber apology thing I've ever seen in my life. He didn't even apologize, ever, he never said "sorry". He just went and brought up this story about how Ezran broke his train once and how mad that made Callum but then brought up the speech about his mother said "you should forgive him because he's your brother."

So let me get this straight, instead of, making the process of forgiving you easier by saying sorry or expressing regret, you basically just flat out say "You have to forgive me because we're brothers." He basically tries to say that if Ezran doesn't immediately forgive him, then he'll be the bad guy here! Bro literally flat out tries to use an example of a broken toy from years ago to equate it with him leaving Ezran in his most dire time of need. That's just... wow... that feels so disgusting to me I don't even have the words.

I'm not even gonna be ashamed to say it, shame on Callum for that one honestly. What a pathetic display.

Not surprising however coming from this show, because they keep on trying to push this "Forgiveness is Mandatory" narrative that I just can't stand and I think it's a symptom of them taking lessons that work in some situations and trying to apply it to ALL situations which is what Wonderstorm does a lot.

Yeah, sometimes you can forgive, sometimes you can do it without an apology, but not ALWAYS and for wrongs this severe, I think it would be more detrimental to try and force yourself to forgive when your not ready to rather than letting it come naturally once you feel that person has EARNED your forgiveness.

A little thing about when I make my AMVs, I'll always show my parents first before they upload, no matter where we are, either calling them or in person, and it's become a nice lil tradition, since they're into TDP with me

Though, one downside is they don't reside in the rabbit hole like I do, with all the headcanons and metas etc

So my dad in particular gets a little annoyed when I slip Rayllum in for a few lines in a broader AMV, and that's fine

Like, on one hand, I love Rayllum, yeah, but I love other characters too

But, on the other hand...

Sir, you don't understand the death grip those two have on me, how they live rent free in my head 24/7... And you expect restraint?!