thatgirlonstage:

Maybe this is super obvious and I’m just slow on the uptake here, but uh, for your consideration:

[ID: a screenshot from S1E3 of The Dragon Prince. Callum is restrained by guards. The green mist from Viren’s “steal the voice” spell is retreating from his mouth carrying a glowing light. /end ID]

Viren’s Ursula imitation made me raise my eyebrows immediately because that’s potentially a really powerful spell to spend so quickly at the beginning of the show – especially since, with the running theory that by this point in time Viren may already have body-switched or killed Harrow, they could have had Callum call out and had no one answer, and easily been able to justify it later. Equally, the elves could have simply arrived a moment earlier and interrupted the conversation – all that really happens after this is Viren calling Callum a mongrel.

So it’s always made more sense to me that this particular use of magic serves as either a way to introduce the spell so it can be used again later, and/or specific foreshadowing about something happening to Callum’s voice.

And here’s the connection I somehow failed to draw until now:

[ID: A screenshot from S1E5. Callum has the primal sphere in one hand and the other is surrounded by lightning from the lightning spell. Rayla stands across from him, gesturing as she speaks. The subtitles read: “When you release a spell, there’s usually a word” /end ID]

Until and unless we find out about an option for wordless/silent magic, as far as we know mages who can’t speak, can’t cast spells.

And even if such a magic exists, Callum (or anyone else) would still have to learn how to use it.

All of which means, it was hardly just plot convenience that Viren would have a “steal the voice” spell. If you need to be able to speak to do magic, then what better way to incapacitate an enemy mage than by preventing them from speaking? Especially since their voice isn’t just being silenced/gagged/etc – something which could presumably be countered or might wear off eventually – based on what we saw happen to Callum, their voice is quite literally being stolen. Which means they would have to attack the person who stole it to get their voice back, but they would no longer be able to cast spells to do it. Honestly, it’s a diabolically perfect strategy.

It’s too early to say for sure whether this is all going to converge on Callum, specifically, or this is simply setting up potential mage battles in the future – and the connection between “steal the voice” and the verbal element of magic is what I really wanted to point out. Still, it might be worth noting two other things about Callum that make me think he might end up losing his voice longer-term in the future. Not for nothing, but this:

[ID: screenshot from S1E3. Ezran stands with bait and the egg in the corner of the foreground. Rayla has a finger pressed against Callum’s lips, who is leaning back. The subtitles read, “[shushing] Nobody likes a loud mage.” /end ID]

This tastes a lot like foreshadowing, to me. It may just be Rayla being sarcastic and annoyed at Callum, but it’s delivered a little too seriously to sound properly quippy (admittedly, their humor is still hit and miss so this could just be a joke that didn’t land properly, but still).

And one last thing–

[ID: a screenshot from S1E4. Callum signs to Amaya while Rayla watches, frowning. /end ID]

Callum knows sign language.