#theme: duality

[raayllum]

Literally every line exchange between these two ate but this one took the cake for me tbh

[radiomogai]

[PT: Sun and Moon Lesbian

Sun Lesbian:

Moon Lesbian:. end PT]

Sun and Moon Lesbian

Sun and Moon Lesbian are aesthetic descriptors lesbians can choose for themselves. There’s no concrete definition of them, it’s more like what reminds you most of yourself or describes you best, or you find most aesthetically pleasing.

I’ve also heard they’re inspired by the space alignments for nb, but with a focus on lesbians and not necessarily limited to just nb lesbians. Example, sun lesbian is either a butch lesbian or a solarian nb lesbian. Moon lesbian could be either a femme lesbian or a lunarian nb lesbian. It’s meant to allow for aligned for lesbian without feeling like needing to strictly conform to the ideas of butch or femme.

Sun Lesbian:

[Image: Flag with 7 stripes: Pinkish-red, redorange, orange, off-white, yellow-orange, light-ish brick red, brick red].

Full size [Here]

Note: The sun lesbian flag looks a lot like the fall lesbian flag [Link], nonbinary girl [Link], and to a lesser extent, Jupitergender [Link]. I know the Jupitergender and Nonbinary girl flags have existed longer so if someone could work on a more distinct alternate of this that’d be great! 

Moon Lesbian:

[Image: Flag with 7 stripes: Dark purple, purple, medium lavender, off-white, light pinkish-purple, muted pastel pink, dark pink].

Full size [Here]

Designed by: @moonbian 

Color meanings: Based on the original 7-striped lesbian flag with the colors changed to match the aesthetics of the sun and moon.

Full pride gallery HERE! FAQ and “dictionary” of genders, orientations, and other related terms HERE. Send any questions to Ask-Pride-Color-Schemes!

[seaglassdinosaur]

The doubling of tribute numbers. The miscarried Abernathy twins. The Donner sisters who Haymitch carries a fascination for as consequence. Louella being replaced by Lou Lou, a name that only mimics the first half of her name, and a girl who matches her in appearance only. Tam Amber’s set of pins, one dropped down a well, the other discarded. The two versions of the games: the one that Haymitch remembers and the edited, falsified version of them without the real content. The two bags of gumdrops. The fraternal affection he feels for Louella and Lou Lou, the artificial twins, and Maysilee’s offer to be his sister—the second one she gives in the book. A bond with a real twin, both pairs healing the sisters he never did know. The split between what is natural and what is manufactured or forged, bonds that that grow on their own, or are forced into existance. And if the distinction makes any difference to the person it impacts.

[raayllum]

Something about Callum having the gentle steadiness of the sea and healing qualities we associate with water

and then utter rage of the ocean as well

I'm so glad that kid got the Ocean arcanum is what I'm saying

[radiomogai]

[PT: Body-Doubling/Body Double. end PT]

Body-Doubling/Body Double

Body Doubling: A known productivity hack for those with ADHD to help stay on task. Having someone in close proximity makes it easier for people with ADHD (because the person has a calming influence, is a reminder of your intentions when you get distracted, etc) to complete tasks like homework or household chores, which are typically difficult to focus on when alone.

[furiosophie]

i think it's good to remember sometimes that at their core they're all fucking idiots

[raayllum]

What is Zym's Purpose?

Zym is one of both the most and least interesting characters in The Dragon Prince.

While he is the titular character, in the first three seasons he is mostly a frightened, occasionally helpful plot device, if not outright macguffin for the heroes to escort and protect. In arc 2, he's more along for the ride and his relationship with his mother gets more development, with him playing more of a role in season 4 and season 7, but beyond that Zym doesn't impact the plot too much more, and usually serves as a support / way to develop Ezran further.

This is understandable for a few reasons. In arc 1, Zym was barely a few weeks old, and in arc 2, he's often times facing problems that require different skills than the ones he has on hand. The fact that he couldn't communicate directly with anyone outside of Ezran and Zubeia also hampered his ability to develop. The fact he can now talk (and is voiced by Dante Basco) as of the end of S7, in addition to being the Last Archdragon and new King of the Dragons, have all greatly subsequently elevated his role and importance. It seems likely that arc 3 will be "The Dragon King: The Return of Aaravos" after all.

But... what exactly is Zym's role in TDP, from both an in-universe perspective (i.e. what Aaravos and/or others) expects of him, and from an overarching narrative lens?

Well... let's get into it.

Weird Narrative Setup Shenanigans

To begin, I'm going to start with what Aaravos thinks, or seems to think, of Zym, because there's weird narrative setup in arc 1 compared to arc 2 that I think retroactively make sense. What do I mean by weird? Well...

As Aaravos lays out in 3x07, Zym is of the utmost importance to 'their' plans:

VIREN: So what is the plan? AARAVOS: To fulfil your wishes, of course. [...] And this bright future will require us to conquer Xadia? VIREN: Yes. Yes, perhaps. AARAVOS: The key to achieving your noble aims for humanity is simple.

AARAVOS: Yes. You must take down the Dragon Queen, and capture the baby dragon. Then you will have the attention of all the world, and the power to do what you want.

It's... a little vague, but we know the draconic royal family at this point is Important, and that Zym is accordingly the hope of healing the rift between humans and Xadia, as Rayla says "it could change the world" in 1x06. So Aaravos and Viren assigning similar importance — whatever happens, or is done to Zym, having an impact on The World — isn't out of line.

(It does, however, represent how Aaravos has framed things to validation seeking Viren — "Then we will have to get [the Pentarchy's] 'attention'" in 2x09 with the smoke assassination scheme — but also Aaravos in 7x08 to the stars: "Are you watching?" Do I have your attention?)

Aaravos gets a little more specific in 3x09:

AARAVOS: When you capture the dragonling, I will show you how to take his power, how to imbue yourself with all his magic and potential, so that you will transcend the limits of your human form. Then none will dare stand against you.

Viren asks disturbingly few questions about this, and given that we don't get to see the spell come to fruition, we don't exactly know what he means. However, there are some things we can pull from:

In 3x07 (and again in 6x08) Aaravos is able to possess, control, and tether his energy to Pharos' body, speaking freely through and entirely controlling him. (He does the same with Sir Sparklepuff in 5x09 and with a smaller version of himself in S7, stating "this body is a Vessel".) While these possessions seem temporary, he implies that he can control Callum indefinitely post re-corruption in 7x09.

The spell he uses to consume Zym is channelled through the Staff of Ziard (which was also required to free Sir Sparklepuff, and has a quasar diamond in it) and has some interesting incantations, to say the least: "I swallow your heart, I swallow your mind, I swallow your power" (sometimes with one of these, such as in TOX, being switched out for "I swallow your soul").

We also see a similar idea of imbuing take place in 3x07 with the 'gift' hearts of cinder spell: Viren says he will inoculate his armies with great power, so that the dragons cannot strike them down with fire. So we have one spell already on hand, that Viren purposefully passed on, in making himself (temporarily) immune to enemy dragon fire. So whatever the endgame plan for Zym was, it'd make Viren even more powerful than that.

Moreover, given that Aaravos' first goal in the series was to get out of the prison, it is possible that the intention was to use Zym to combine with Viren, and make himself a new body. However, this runs into two potential problems:

If Aaravos' spirit could be distilled in that manner, Sir Sparklepuff + the quasar diamond could've been used from the start to give him a new body. The prison and locating his specific soul was therefore a necessary step still not covered in S3.

Regardless of the manner the quasar diamond is used for, and how much that person may want it to work (Claudia in 6x08), love is still a necessary ingredient for the spell with the diamond to function (as are the other physical properties).

Now, it is possible that Zym being an archdragon could override certain things (their bite can destroy a Startouch elf's mortal vessel after all, which is undeniably OP) and that Zym in particular is a Weird Archdragon (more on that later). "Transcending the limits of your human form" could very well mean becoming a suitable permanent body host for Aaravos in ways that possession just wouldn't suffice for.

But "then none will stand against you" makes me think otherwise, precisely because who is included in those 'none'? Aaravos has already heard the story of how Viren took down Avizandum, "the most powerful creature in the world" (even if Aaravos is definitely stroking Viren's ego with some of that one). Zubeia is in a coma and the other Archdragons are MIA; the Sunfire stronghold just fell; who is left to seriously stand against? Well...

But how does Zym + Viren (or Staff) = power to stand against the Cosmic Council? Well, it comes down to what I think Aaravos' endgame is with Zym, in some ways, which is:

A Weapon of Vengeance (In Theory)

Zym being a weapon is one of the first things we see the series refer to him as, and his duality—partially shared with dragons as a whole—between a weapon vs a child/baby, or a god vs a person, is present throughout.

AARAVOS: Avizandum was no person. Avizandum was the great King of all the dragons. (3x06)

HARROW: Thunder is the most powerful beast the world has ever seen. How can we hope to kill such a godly creature? (3x06)

This is brought home, of course, in 3x06. Viren and Harrow make a weapon of vengeance to kill an archdragon... and then create one anyway (in their heads) in orphaning his child. Viren then decides to go clean things up, of course, by destroying it... But this just leads to Xadia's revenge on Katolis, nor does Viren actually go through with it either.

But this dichotomy of weapon vs child continues. Claudia and Rayla remind us of it in 2x02, stating:

RAYLA: Whoa, what happened to 'it's not an egg, it's a powerful weapon?' CLAUDIA: Still true. One day it could bring death and destruction raining down on all of us. But for now, he's so widdle!

Now, this makes a lot of sense. Most TDP characters are informed by their respective dualities, and a good chunk of those dualities have to do with whether they will be dehumanized (Ezran as a child vs a king; Rayla as a person vs a monstrous elf) or dehumanize (Soren as a crownguard vs Viren's tool; dark magic use, etc) themselves or others. Zym's slots neatly into the first one, which is why I — admittedly — hadn't thought too much of it before. Zym might be the titular character, but he's hardly one of the more developed main characters and holds less plot importance in arc 2 than he did in arc 1, as Aaravos' prison replaces him as the prime macguffin.

But to be fair, this is TDP, where everything is on purpose, and oft more literally than we first expect. And, as of arc 3, we are going to see Zym be decidedly grown up, given how much bigger he'd gotten in just two years. How big is he going to be after another seven?

With the previous two sections in mind, I want to posit that Zym's primary narrative question in arc 3—and indeed, quietly building throughout the series—is whether or not he'll be a Weapon (of Vengeance).

Specifically, of Aaravos' vengeance.

This would explain the focus on Zym's duality, S7 continuing to highlight it further, re-contextualize Aaravos' plans for his pawns + what he was going to do to Zym, and why he believes the Dragon Prince was the Key to Something, if not something still.

So, what's up with that?

Soft Rewind: The Snags in the Plan

In season 6 and a little bit in season 7, we get an idea of how being timeblind works. It's still not exactly precise, and it seems that Kosmo's prophecy fills in the other blank. When in proximity, Aaravos can see how certain choices may turn out (i.e. "If you tell [Claudia] the truth, you will lose her"). When far away, much like the prophecy, he can 'see' certain fixed points: they will need Claudia soon; Callum will turn to dark magic again; and Ezran getting the Nova Blade is ultimately a win, even if it's not entirely clear why yet (more on that here).

We also know that these fixed points are not quite so fixed as Aaravos or others believe. Aaravos seemed very confident that Rayla would never bring herself to kill, but she very much proved otherwise; he wasn't prepared for Callum asking Runaan — another Moonshadow assassin — to kill him; Callum assumed the prophecy in S7 was about himself, but it was actually about Avizandum, a betrayal that Aaravos never saw coming either.

With all these things in mind, this is the following argument:

1) Aaravos knew ahead of time that he needed a Dragon Prince — heir to the Draconic Monarchy — to bring down the Cosmic Council and dismantle the Cosmic Order. Could be prophecy, could be timeblindness, but it was something he was waiting for (and we know storm dragons — possibly all Archdragons — only lay an egg every thousand years).

This will either end with A) Zym helping to bring down the unjust Cosmic Council, but not in the way Aaravos expected; B) Zym subverting his supposed destiny (also see point A); or C) referred to Sol Regem, whose actions incited Aaravos' anger and led him to "deliver their fear" of chaos and destruction.

2) Aaravos assumes, therefore, that Zym was that Dragon Prince when he was born, since he knows things he shouldn't even from trapped within his mirror (Rayla sparing Marcos; the Orphan Queen taking the Nova Blade to her grave post-imprisonment).

3) Aaravos believes accordingly that Zym is meant to be / will be forged into a Weapon of Vengeance. Whether this was grafting his essence/power onto Viren's body and/or staff of Ziard to make one to literally wield (just the tooth of an archdragon can kill a Startouch elf's mortal vessel, after all). We've seen the Staff of Ziard be directly compared to a weapon (sword) elsewhere, for example, with the staff taking the place of Harrow's sword in Viren's nightmares.

But of course, Aaravos planning to "torch Zym and Viren and/or Staff of Ziard to make a weapon" doesn't make complete sense (he'd still need the quasar diamond to get out) and might be unnecessary, given that a full grown Archdragon Zym on his own would function perfectly fine as a weapon.

Alternatively, Aaraovs might've seen in the future that Avizandum would die, leaving his son ripe to perpetuate the cycle ("you have set the wheels of history in motion and one day, my child will avenge me"), both are tangible.

And in many ways, that is what could've happened in 3x06. If Harrow and Viren had left the egg, Zym would've grown up mourning his father even more deeply than he already does. It is unlikely that Zubiea would've fallen into a deep slumber (Zym is enough to drag her out of it, literally and emotionally) and it is unknown whether she still would've sent assassins. Her child's murder, it seems, was the insult to injury she could not bear; however, given that Harrow and Viren sought out Avizandum just over Sarai, it's still possible. Regardless, Zym would've had every tangible reason to hate humans with very little reason to think otherwise (this is true of the princes, too, with Xadia, yet they don't... but bear with me).

So far, then, it seems our hypothesized "Aaravos' plans for Zym" are going off without a hitch. Even from the pearl and without his direct influence, Aaravos' Staff of Ziard dark magic wielding human favourite(s) are doing exactly what he'd want them to do. Or are they?

VIREN: His destiny will be the destruction of humanity. [...] Now, you may witness history as I end a dynasty by destroying that dragon's egg.

Let's call this Potential Snag #1, then, wherein Viren decides to go one step further than perhaps seen ahead of time, and wants to destroy/kill Zym outright before he can even hatch. It's very quasi-Cosmic Council of him — the belief in absolute destiny, the assumption of inclination towards others' being violent without question, wanting to / being willing to kill a child, period — and, through our current lens, would completely halt Aaravos' plans in its tracks.

But Viren, of course, doesn't.

In comes Potential Snag #2 with a steel chair, emphasis on potential, as well as whether it counts as Viren or Tiadrin or Viren-and-Tiadrin's snag.

After all, if Aaravos' plans need Zym to live, this checks off that requirement. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if it's eventually indicated Aaravos saw this moment ahead of his first meeting with Viren, and therefore knew how to entice him — not all mages (Claudia, Callum) can be drawn in by a thirst for outright political power the way that Viren — "too curious, hungry for knowledge and power" — was hook line and sinker. The fact it doubles as "You won't hesitate to use an innocent creature/child to further your own ends and desire for agency/power" neatly bookends Aaravos' expectations and surprise when Viren rejects the blood of child ritual.

Either way, Viren decidedly doesn't kill Zym, puts the elves in coins for unknown personal reasons (perhaps to maintain as a threat, or soul fragments can be useful for future spells), and spirits him secretly back to Katolis. This, still, persists in not being an entirely a snag. Viren blatantly hoped to use the egg, hatched or otherwise, to be a weapon.

Then we get near-definitive Snag #3:

While it's plausible that the kids finding Zym was something Aaravos wanted — or canonically is something he's willing to work with — there's no doubt it would've been simpler if the egg had stayed in Katolis, ready for his mage-turned-warlord king Viren to utilize now that Harrow had been disposed of. If Aaravos' plans depend on the perpetuation of the cycle ("[the Mage Wars were] a violent, terrible cycle"), given how he uses dark magic and weaponizes grief to sometimes literal degrees as well as his various pawns, returning Zym does more harm than good to his plans and ideals. Viren (2x04), Rayla (3x09), and Callum (7x08) are thus far the only people to fundamentally surprise him: who's to the say the trio didn't do so from the start?

There's also one more major snag in mind but before we can talk about that, we have to talk about:

More of Zym's Weirdness (power-ups)

Zym is a weird little guy. Some of this, of course, is because Ezran is also a weird little guy (and more on Ezran and Zym in the next section), specifically when it comes to their telepathic link with one another. They can mutually see through each other's eyes, taste things (4x06), and communicate feelings/words. This is less weird, of course, because Ezran can do the latter with animals of all sorts, not just Zym. But the elevation of their bond is definitely weird, and deus ex machina's (not in a bad way) Zym's flight problem in 2x09.

Of Zym's abilities, we see a few that are typically normal. He can fly, the way thus far any dragon with wings can. He can generate lightning like his parents, with accordingly zappy kisses. But there are some things that have been odd about Zym from the beginning, such as:

The aforementioned psychic bond with Ezran since it's not just Ezran's weirdness.

His rainbow electricity, which neither of his parents seemingly have and we have not see any other dragon have anything similar towards.

This one is extra weird to me because often times the electricity he generates or channels will start off (or sometimes remain) blue, but then it switches to the rainbow lightning.

And last but not least, whatever the ever loving fuck THIS was??

Like, sure, sky magic could have something to do with sound and being able to travel fast as fuck... But like, even when we see Avizandum's comparative 'power up' in 2x06 when he was in his prime as the Dragon King, the closest we get is the eye glow, and even then it's pretty radically different.

I can't fathom personally why Zym would have powers his parents don't have, but it seems like beyond being the Dragon Prince turned Dragon King, and now the last Archdragon period, Zym is an outlier. Maybe it's because he was hatched with a primal stone or out of love or something, maybe it's some kind of prophecy or other special circumstances, but there is something Weird about Zym from both a Narrative standpoint (weirdness #1) and an Abilities standpoint (weirdness #2) that we probably only going to fully understand by the time we get to arc 3.

Maybe weirdness #2 is the reason for weirdness #1 if, as in the proposed theory, Aaravos had to wait around for Zym, and for Zym o be a weird little guy specifically, in order to be a proper Weapon.

Now let's talk about why Zym in arc 3 ultimately won't be.

The Last Snag: Ezran

Outside of season 3, the majority of Zym's screentime is devoted to his bond with Ezran. Callum and Rayla have their moments with him in S3 and a couple in S4, as does Soren in S6 (and Zym by proxy through Zubeia in S4/S5) but, while Zubeia might've been Zym's most important relationship emotionally, his relationship with Ezran is the most important for him in the show overall.

It is interesting, therefore, that S7 sets up a thread of conflict for them, specifically in Ezran growing to understand dragons as 1) weapons, if only in the vein of something he needs to defend against and 2) worth building weapons to combat.

AANYA: With these, we can build weapons to protect the human kingdoms, even from dragons. EZRAN: Thank you, Queen Aanya. This may be exactly what we need.

He's convinced, of course, that they won't have to use them... until they do indeed use them against Aaravos a few episodes later. Whether Ezran will ever use them personally against dragons remains to be seen (especially after the Archdragon sacrifice), but it seems inevitable that someone will in the future, whether it's a character we already know or a new antagonist of some kind. Ezran's actions will come back to hurt him and Zym and barring that, Zym's people — the other dragons of Xadia, many of whom are not nearly as powerful as the Archdragon(s) that torched Katolis in the first place.

The creation of the ruby fire weapons also cuts to the core of dragons within TDP: if they can inherently destroy, should they be treated inherently as weapons? Does their unique capacity for destruction mean other regulations or precautions be put in place? Or should we sit and hope on the grace of goodness that — thus far Sol Regem being the primary 'unprovoked' exception — dragons won't attack just because they can?

There's not yet a straight forward answer in general, but when it comes to Zym specifically, I think TDP has already given it to us:

Zym is not a weapon, or even primarily a king, because he is first and foremost Ezran's brother.

CALLUM: But I couldn't let the bad feelings stick, cause we were going to need each other. Because we're brothers. I still need you, Ezran.

DOMINA PROFUNDIS: Hold onto each other.

Ezran is the one who found Zym in the dungeons, and believed he should fetch his brother and decide what to do together; he's the one who dived after him in the water and taught him how to fly; Ez is instrumental in teaching Zym to become the dragon and person he was meant to be; and will continue to be.

Ezran is Zym's biggest remaining link to his family and his true self. While the two will likely have conflict, and even temporarily at odds, their connection is too strong to be entirely broken. They are twin souls, and Zym's bond with Ezran is, I think, ultimately what will mean not playing into Aaravos' hands, and choosing his own destiny... the same way that Ezran's other brother, Callum, will ultimately not be a weapon of Aaravos and forge his own path.

Zym may be a kind of chosen one, but he still has a choice so long as he has Ezran.

King of Kings / Closing Thoughts

Zym's full name — Azymondias — has always been of interest to me. It's a reference, after all, to one of my favourite poems in general and quite a well-known / famous one I got to study in undergrad: Percy Bysshe Shelley's Ozymandias:

I met a traveller from an antique land Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desart. Near them, on the sand, Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed: And on the pedestal these words appear: "My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" No thing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away.

It's a beautiful poem, inspired/written about Ramses II, about how nothing lasts forever and that the pursuit of immortal power is ultimately futile. Time chips away at everything till nothing more remains, and memory likewise does not last forever.

It was always something I was curious about in relation to TDP in terms of... why, and why use it for Zym in particular, and not another character? It could, like Finnegrin's Wake, be a reference to literary work in little more than name (and I do not miss reading James Joyce).

But the A-Ozymandias connection always felt more purposeful to me. Even in S1 or arc 1, it was so close to being involved in TDP's theming, since the show had multiple monarchs running around.

Arc 2, I think, then steadily paved the way forward towards creating a place for the poem to be more relevant. We see a greater emphasis on lost history; we see characters play out that chasing royal power / glory is futile (Viren, Karim) or that immortality (Viren, Kpp'Ar) is not worth the price; that the burden of near immortality is not necessarily one you should want; and I expect we'll see even more of those things in arc 3, particularly that pursuing power/knowledge > love is wrong.

But I don't believe Zym is Ozymandias, at least directly. I think it's the Cosmic Council and their unending time and unbending rigour. Presumably, their Cosmic Order was meant to last forever and did the opposite, collapsing in on itself within a few thousand years.

Because — as foretold or forged striving against the stars — Zym will be instrumental in upending the Cosmic Council. He is set to take a bigger role in arc 3 as the Dragon King, particularly now he can talk and make his own arguments, and in having conflict with his brother Ezran. Zym is set up to be a weapon — like a corrupted Callum; like an increasingly dangerous Claudia, who's become more of a dragon like him than ever — and instead to choose to be a symbol and bringer of hope and peace for all of Xadia, the stars included. Perhaps the Cosmic Council feared him, and they will again, but not for the reasons they expect. He'll be part of their downfall, but not in violence — in justice. Because he's not a weapon.

Instead, he will always be Azymondias, king of kings.

[Image of Zym in the intro's starry clouds, with his head in the bottom right curve of the circle.]

[raayllum]

Having Callum buy into a pre-ordained prophecy (i.e. destiny) because of his desire to help Rayla while simultaneously being willing to break away from it likewise because of her (and her empathy / hunch towards Esmeray) is sick and twisted, lemme tell you

[radiomogai]

[PT: softabnormality + abnormalsoftic

softabnormality..!

abnormalsoftic..! End PT]

softabnormality + abnormalsoftic

haha any second now i'm gonna finally label my gender well enough..

softabnormality ..! (soft-abnormality) 

a xenogender in which one's gender is soft and sweet, and yet something is wrong, almost like something more sinister is lurking underneath. opposite of abnormalsoftic. ₊˚⊹

abnormalsoftic ..! (abnormal-soft-ick) 

a xenogender in which one's gender is malicious and threatening, and yet below the eerie exterior, something soft and shy is lurking underneath. opposite of softabnormality. ₊˚⊹

[rowanthestrange]

I’m actually gonna go out on a limb and predict the villain for the next series finale. Was bringing back two enemies so classic even a massive chunk of fandom didn’t exactly know the characters in sequential finales probably stupid. Yes. But why only two series in a row if you could have three?

I predict the Black and White Guardians.

[ladyofchroyane]

‘the black bastard of the wall’ moniker is the exact opposite of the ‘white wolf’ moniker and this perfectly highlights the irreconcilable differences between book Jon and show Jon

[the-why-of-wonderworld]

A rough draft of something that I want to begin fleshing out this upcoming month! Thinking about Balan and Lance and their revealed forms, and what that might mean for their past and possible future forms. I want to draw a "hatted" form of Lance, based on the design patterns I've noted between him and Balan as far as contrast is concerned, and a potential future "nega" form of Balan, which may derive from his "hidden" self, based on what we've seen with Lance. It's all so interesting to think about :D

[radiomogai]

[PT: Finitusalic. End PT]

Finitusalic

Finitusalic is a xenogender related to the juxtaposition of dark and light elements. It feels like an arbitrary, superstitious boundary that when crossed, has might have devastating effects, or might just be so ingrained in superstition that it’s all a myth. It feels magical and otherworldly.

Pronouns can include:

dark/dark/darks/darks/darkself

light/light/lights/lights/lightself

other/other/others/other/otherself

Day 8 of @candlelit-mogai​ coining event. Prompt: light/darkness

[ ID: A digital watercolor wash of pale purples and peaches that loosely resemble jellyfish. Words are in dark indigo: “DNI IF: fit basic DNI criteria, gatekeeper/REG/exclus, anti-mogai, anti-lesboy/turigirl, trumpie, anti-aspec, anti-mspec gay/lesbian, anti-endo, proship/anti-anti, JK Rowling apologist, prolife/anti-abortion, anti-decolonization, TERF/radfem, anti-kin/anti-alterhuman, anti PNC & GNC.” End ID. ]

[jon-sedai]

There are people out there who genuinely think that the Starks aren’t thematically linked to ice in a way that is meaningful and central to the story? What?? I mean, never mind that they’re characterized as exclusively living in a frozen land, it is said that a Stark who goes south of the Neck melts. It’s not like their ancestral sword is called Ice. It’s not like they rule a castle called Winterfell. It’s not like their house words are “Winter is coming”. It’s not like their banner is a direwolf (a creature that is now synonymous with the snowy north) running on what is described as either snow or an ice-white background. It’s not like they are consistently characterized with having icy or cold demeanors to the point of it being a house trait (e.g., Benjen, Ned, Jon). It’s not like they ruled thousands of years as Kings of Winter. It’s not like the Starks, the wolves, are said to be uniquely suited to surviving winter. It’s not like a big part of their house legacy and how they even came to be is the construction of a giant ice Wall. It’s not like a key historical event in the last couple centuries is the Pact of Ice (Stark) and Fire (Targaryen). Apparently none of that matters 🙄 It’s so disingenuous to claim that any house with First Men blood would take on the role of ice. No, that’s a special characteristic given to the STARKS, and their connection with ice and winter and snow has thematic relevance.

[raayllum]

Moon Arcanum Callum + Sun Arcanum Claudia in S7?

Callum getting the Moon arcanum has been a fandom... not theory, but shall we say, prospect, since even before S4. Some of this was because of the seeming set up in previous seasons, such as:

Callum having a hunch that the cube wasn't glowing due to the Moon, and being our first hint at illusions on the Cursed Caldera (1x09)

Lujanne explaining the secret of the arcanum (as she understands it) to him in 2x02

Callum doing moon arcanum spells (3x08, Through the Moon) much the way he did Sky spells before unlocking that arcanum

Callum employing aspects of the Moon arcanum in his plans (3x01 with tricking Sol Regem, creating the illusion pearl in 6x01)

His growing relationship and understanding with Rayla, and potential involvement with her family/village

But especially:

This is of course already reflected in spades in his arc as a mage. Everyone, Lujanne included, believes that humans can't do magic. She treats this as absolute fact and destiny, but Callum perceives it as subjective truth; why can't he just make his own connection and do magic anyway? And in doing so, he changes the world. He creates a radically new, better reality.

With season seven's synopsis on sacrifice and life and death, both things we see tied heavily to Moonshadow culture and the Moon itself, I could see Callum connecting to the Moon arcanum next season for a few reasons (and potentially Claudia with the Sun arcanum, which I'll get to after). So let's get into it.

Precursor

Previously, if Callum was going to connect to the Moon arcanum, I'd speculated it'd mostly be around ideas of the consistency of Love (light or dark, the moon is always the moon) and his love for Rayla being his light in the darkness / the one constant truth of his life. I don't think this anymore, obviously, because we got all those things through the Star truth light ritual beat for beat and we're not going to be repeating, but I did think it'd be worthwhile then to revisit what a Moon arcanum could mean for Callum under new context / emotional epiphanies. I've also always thought either Earth or Sun would suit Claudia, but leaned more towards the latter, so we're gonna talk about that, too.

Truth and Lies and Aaravos

As Lujanne explains in 2x02, the Moon arcanum is understanding the true nature of the relationship between appearances and reality, and we can only understand the appearance itself. This feels like a very fitting idea to come back to with Aaravos, who ostensibly never lies but routinely withholds or presents not entirely correct information. "How may I serve you?" when you're just going to be a pawn. Not telling a mourning Claudia that he was indeed the one who killed Viren so that she'll continue to do his bidding, with Claudia asserting that Aaravos "didn't lie" about the ritual in 6x01, and he didn't. We also see him wield the truth as a weapon with people like Khessa ("would you like to know the truth of her fate before you meet yours?") and Sol Regem (more on that here.)

Everything that he says is truth to him, and then he lifts it up as being objectively true (i.e. you're destined to play into my hands) even when it isn't necessarily true. We can also see Callum veering into mindsets that Claudia and Viren have had, where he believes he's past the point of saving ("I'm ruined, it's too late for me" "Promise me you'll kill me") or removing his own agency by admission ("Finnegrin was going to kill you, I didn't have a choice" / "Every step forward is a choice").

Callum understanding Aaravos' or others' actual truths versus their lies and the ones he's believing could be very fitting in S6, especially if he might be learning more about the existence of the Cosmic Council and who made their world the way it is. I think his existence may help lead to that "slow spiral of chaos" but that it won't be just or even Bad at all the way they'd feared, etc.

Claudia is also linked to lies and truth. She lies to others, but Aaravos notes that "If you tell the truth you will lose her," and she goes looking for her own deep truth in S6, but doesn't seem to fully find it. Terry asks her "What do you need to find your one deep truth?" and Claudia says that she needs her dad, but she and her mother have also made it clear that she "needed to stay with Soren" and her family (vs Viren telling her to pick the egg over Soren). With Viren gone and Aaravos manipulating her, Soren could easily be one of her guiding lights next season or in future seasons.

The Pearl

The moon is analogous, framing/appearance wise, to the prison. This is alluded to in 5x09 through framing, and then made even more direct in 6x09: Aaravos escapes his prison thanks to Claudia and (unbeknownst to her) she has become the prisoner, much like how Callum may physically free himself from chains in 5x08 but magically/emotionally chains himself further to Aaravos, or Viren shouting while in chains that he's finally free of the dark puppetmaster.

Basically, when Callum says in 6x01 that he's inside the pearl, I don't think (as of S6 / probably first half of S7 at least) that he's ever gotten out of it. Aaravos uses him even after his nightmare, and we know thanks to the pawn intro that Aaravos' final machinations for Callum also haven't yet come to play. I've been wondering if the Aaravos intro is going to change in S7, since he's out of his prison — and it still may — but if we look at it from the angle of Callum and Claudia both being stuck within the moon/pearl rather than just Aaravos himself, maybe it could stay.

And if Callum is stuck inside the moon-pearl, shattering it by understanding the arcanum ("the whole world is like a giant primal stone, and we're inside of it, and it's also in us") and/or with Claudia moving to the opposite of the moon could be useful, especially since Karim is a corrupted sun in his own way. Speaking of which let's talk about

Light and Dark

We know thanks to Claudia that black and white, or light and dark, are not always clear cut. Her hair thanks to her dark magic use changes like phases of the moon, with the light being bad and the dark being good. Conversely, her path is a dark one with the path of truth and light being withheld from her. In a similar manner, we see Callum's light (Rayla) being what led him into dark magic use and what led him out of it, and will likely see this pattern play out again. Aaravos is a representation of a path of darkness, but we also see the cube flashing a bright light in the pawn intro, tying light and darkness together for him as well.

Callum's understanding of himself that he gained through the Ocean arcanum can not simply become untrue or disappear, so I think recognizing that darkness isn't all he is ("I'm ruined" / "your heart's not full of darkness" "Neither is yours") even if there are dark parts of him and of his life would be fitting. It also seems that could be helpful with Claudia as well, and even characters like Ezran, who will have to wrestle with darker parts of his emotions/personality next season as well with Runaan. They've all got light and dark inside them, and learning how to walk in that balance and still break away from the Cycle / Aaravos is useful. As Ezran said in 4x03:

I just want to yell stop. But that’s not enough. It won’t work. I think about a positive vision, a faith we can all share, that we might build a future together in hope. A future where we can be safe with each other.  But… It’s not that easy or simple. Because people are still hurting and they are still angry. We can’t ignore that, or pretend it will go away. Somehow, we have to hold it all in our hearts at the same time. We have to acknowledge the weight of the pain and loss, but open up our eyes and allow ourselves to hope and maybe forgive and love again. We have to give today’s children a chance to inherit a future filled with peace. To give them that, we have to hold pain and love in our hearts at the same time.

Claudia's love for her family led her to ruin, but it can also save her through Soren. Callum's love for Rayla led him to ruin, but it has also saved him (and again, we'll likely repeat this pattern). Ezran's love for his father will lead him to anger but also pull him out of it, just as Viren's love for his son caused him to begin his journey of terrible things, but also guided him to do one final, truly right thing by the end.

Love is light and dark. Claudia, who's been walking in shadow, needs the full light - the sun, in the form of her brother. She needs to accept and see the truth of what's happening and step fully into the light. Callum, who has been routinely worried of the dark within him, needs to the reminder that he's not all he is, that he has light of his own inside. In doing so, he can break Aaravos' control over him and give hope to any other dark mages / humans in general that no level of corruption is too late to come back from, and that there is always light amid the darkness.

Life and Death

The stakes have never been higher as Aaravos and Claudia are on the warpath, determined to destroy the Cosmic Order and invert life and death. With the world’s fate on the line, our heroes must be ready to sacrifice everything to save it.

In Bloodmoon Huntress, we get a very different peek into how the secret of the Moon arcanum can be thought of through Runaan, who is peak Moonshadow-sacrifice elf man:

Moonshadow form is only achieved when we understand the balance of life against death. Balance is weight against weight, and to understand the weight of death you must feel the weight and value of another's life. Think of those you love, of who you hold most dear. Now think of the souls who have touched your life. Understand that each time your weapon meets its target, each time we fulfil our duty, the potential for that soul to change a life—to love another—is gone. We may remove hate, but we remove the potential for love as well. Moonshadow form is only achieved when we reconcile this balance between life and death.

While Claudia with her hair and dark mage-assassin parallels could unlock the Moon arcanum—especially if her perspectives continue to change—I think Callum as the Protagonist is better placed at this time to be the one to understand the balance between life and death in a season where the antagonists are trying to invert/destroy it. Him therefore understanding appearances and changes, how to control his own and see through others', understanding that balance between life and death, feels very fitting.

Callum's fear of Aaravos and dark magic comes from the fear that he's changing—"I hope you're careful, cause [magic] can change people" / "the corruption takes innocent creatures and changed them"—and that death would be better for him than life if he goes too far. Learning these things aren't the case and that he can get back to the middle (and indeed, "real trust is about accepting even the dark parts we will never know" could be about Rayla accepting he may not entirely swear off dark magic again, the same way Viren kept that door open to do Good) would be useful.

It would also mean the two mage characters most drawn into Aaravos' darkness get the Moon and Sun—the arcanums most associated with light—to banish said darkness as well. Claudia finally being an uncorrupted light and chasing life, not death, and Callum, learning how to be balanced and that he can maintain his identity / use Aaravos' book and key without fearing that he'll lose control.

The fact that Claudia's eclipse imagery only started the same episode she lost her brother, and that her Laurelion dragon-scale necklace is very Sunfire-y looking...

Conclusion

TDP for Callum and Claudia has always felt like a parallel coming-of-age mage story between the two of them, leading to the amount of similarities and diverging plot beats the two have, down to doing the same spell at the same time but in different locations in S6. The Sun arcanum is associated with truth, light, and healing, whereas the Moon arcanum is associated with change, life + death, and secrets/love. All of these things could be nicely brought to a head with Callum and Claudia each unlocking an arcanum of Moon and Sun respectively, showcasing their differences, their continued room to grow, and light amid the darkness.

While I could see alternatives like Sun for Callum and Moon for Claudia, Stars for Callum or no arcanum for either of them, I think these are the ones that fit best at this time / Stars will likely get saved for arc 3 given that arc 3 will probably focus more on rewriting destinies and the Cosmic Order as antagonists.

As always hope you enjoy and Dragons out!

[picked-off-by-barzal]

Matt kicking Dex into the confessional booth that Matthew is sitting in the first time he confesses to the darkness inside of him just after Father Lantom dies and while Dex is destroying the Daredevil persona in Matt’s home and place of warship is so poetic, Netflix!Daredevil, no one does it like you.. every time I think I’m done having thoughts about this, another one comes to me