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#GiveUsTheSaga

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Hey everyone, I just found this petition via pinterest. I'm not sure how much it can actually achieve, but it won't hurt anyone to sign it!

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Reblog if you'll be keeping the TDP fandom alive with me after s7 release, even if we don't get Arc 3

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•They pretty tipsy🍷😵‍💫•

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AARON: I mean, like you kill a Magma Titan and take its heart. You saved, you know, thousands and thousands of starving people. Like, maybe that's worth it. Maybe you make that trade, or maybe, maybe it's wrong. No matter, there's no way to put a you know—it's trolley problems, right? It's like, you know...

KUNO: Yeah, it's a trolley problem.

AARON:  But yeah, I think you're—you're right in characterizing it as it's certainly a more complex, you know, justification that is required to pursue dark magic. And there are some people who would not accept that justification. But what's interesting about it is, you know, the questions, there are questions, you can you can come out on either side of it. You know, there are cases, you know, would Rayla have died if Callum hadn’t used dark magic? Yeah. I think she would have.  So did he have to? Are we thankful that he did? Thank goodness—well yes, we love Rayla! Well of course we needed him to do that. You know what I mean? Then there’s some kind of morality that sometimes is based on your attachment. Now if you said, should Callum use dark magic to save one person, knowing that he'll—he may be corrupted for the long term and his potential to be, you know, a hero in the future may be altered and his potential to be manipulated or you know, go down the wrong path, all that risk to save one person? Well, now you might say, “Oh no he shouldn’t—for one person?” But then if I go, “But it was Rayla!” then you go “Oh no, [laughs] yeah, he needs to do it!” [KUNO laughs] So I don’t know. But it’s also even that, right? It comes down to “well, in that moment, what did he do?” Well in that moment, he took like a—I-I think the ingredient is a piece of a snake rattle—

KUNO: Or something. Yeah, something like that.

AARON: “He didn’t even kill it, it was already dead, it was already dead man, what did he do?” Well, I don’t know. He supported the system, so it is complex. It’s worth arguing about, a bit. There’s not a clear right or wrong. There are risks. There are long term consequences. Those are baked into it. But I don't know. When—when it’s your Mom in trouble, what do you do? You do the dark magic! You save Mom, right? I do.

—Hot Brown Morning Potion Podcast interview with Aaron Ehasz and Villads Spansberg

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"Destiny is a book you write yourself!"

~ Callum

reblog with your favourite dragon prince quote

I’ll start

“The heart do what it do, and don’t what it don’t”

~Soren

(I have two more in mind but I’ll let someone else do them)

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"...I know."

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Book 6 Prediction Worry-Rant

...Oh boy. If someone told me the teaser would've caused me THIS MUCH anxiety, I would've just waited until the full trailer (or even worse, the full-on premiere)! I've been freaking out so hard since Thursday's reveal and only now have I gotten myself relatively under control. It also gave me some time to look at others' speculations and theories, so that always makes me feel better too. But now, I've got some questions about what will happen with this next book, and what it will really mean to be "emotionally wrecked".

Slight disclaimer: I heavily reference the info from the post made here by xadian-daydreams. I'm basing my ideas off of this, but all credit on retrieving this info goes solely to him (assuming him, sorry if I got it wrong!). I'll also have some references about Dark Magic from the Dragon Prince Wiki.

First off, I need to understand more about the real toll of Dark Magic. What we already knew was that using Dark Magic requires some form of sacrifice of a magical being, it leaves some form of corruption on the user (with physical changes depending on the severity), and that corruption can be used by Aaravos as a means of linking them together. The first use is a sort of 'jolt' to the body and results in nightmarish fever dreams but is remediable. Apparently, it amplifies the values/feelings of the user when casting it (according to latest Q&A). It has been constantly been referred to as a shortcut, or 'too easy to use', but isn't technically addicting; if you want to stop, there's no strong resistance to make you keep doing it. However, each time you use Dark Magic, it's harder to come back from it. Personally, I imagine this to your teacher's cheat-sheet for a test: at first you only use it to answer a really hard question, but then you keep using it because it's so much easier than relying on your own knowledge.

I need someone to explain to me: what exactly is the "corruption" of Dark Magic? Does it darken the soul to make it more evil, make you prone to the emotions you felt at the time of casting, or a very subtle way of "changing you from the inside out" without you realizing it?

The reason I'd like to know this first is because now we're looking at our 3 main protagonists: Callum, Rayla, and Ezran. First up is Callum, my personal favorite (yeah, that's right, I'm not ashamed to admit my bias). Going into the next book, the main questions that came up for me were:

How will Callum handle Dark Magic from now on, especially now that Aaravos is closer to him (magically and literally)?

Will it be easier for him to give into Dark Magic's temptation now that he's given into it a second time now?

How does Dark Magic affect the trust/friendship he's created over time?

Up until Book 5, I always assumed that Callum would never use Dark Magic again once he got Primal Magic; his one-time use was out of sheer desperation. Now that he's done it again (and after learning a bit more about his true character and motives), my main concern is that continued usage will continue to change him more and more until he's a very different person, someone Rayla no longer recognizes, let alone loves.

Moving onto Rayla, there was no real "progress" in the latest Q&A concerning her and the coins (writers refused to answer the REALLY juicy stuff), but there's still some things I still want to know:

If she's given a choice between her new and old family, who would she choose?

She has always been the one to be willing to sacrifice everything of herself for the good of others; how far will she go, or is there a line she will no longer cross?

How does she view sacrifice in relation to others, i.e. Callum? Is killing him when possessed his sacrifice or hers? Would she be willing to kill those she loves (not exclusive to Callum on this last part)?

Who does she ultimately choose above the other: Callum and Ezran or the world?

I realize that most of these questions center around Rayllum, but this is just what concerns me the most right now. I definitely want her to grow as an individual too, but this relationship between the two is something very special to me, mostly because of how much stronger they are when they're together! I really miss their chemistry!!

...Ahem, finally, we have Ezran. While he is still a great part of the main team, he is also now king. But we haven't really seen him act as one in the show as of yet; he's only really been ruling on-screen for about 2 episodes, gave into the bargain with Viren to try and prevent mass bloodshed, have a brief meeting with his council after the timeskip, and have some strong speeches concerning Xadia and addressing the dragons/archdragons. ...Okay, so that seems like a lot, but keep in mind, that 1) while there are powerful moments, they are still brief, and 2) all of this takes place over the course of 3 seasons so far, when he has begun his rule. I would personally like to see him act/struggle more as a king, mostly because I still see some naivety in his approach. He still acts a bit childish in his views, kind of like: "this is the right choice, so we'll do it" from a logical side. This view oversimplifies the world, and while he does address this in his powerful speech in Book 4, we haven't seen him really struggle with this notion. Your words aren't as strong if you haven't been hurt as bad, and I know that Ezran has a lot of hurt that he's been hiding. I want to see how he handles it. (No questions regarding Ezran, just speculation this time.)

The final cherry on top: can someone please tell me what "emotionally wrecked" could possibly mean for this upcoming book?!! Every time the writers bring it up, I get nothing but depression with a side of gloom and misery sprinkled on top! The only saving grace we do have from all this... negativity... is that it's coming in the second-to-last book, not the last. This also likely means that whatever horrible tragedies we'll face this book have the chance to be resolved/redeemed in the next one. Additionally, any character arcs/growth we go through will likely either continue over to the final book or will be resolved in time for another one. That being said, PLEASE TELL ME, WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH BY DOING THIS TO US?!! THIS SUSPENCE IS EATING ME FROM THE INSIDE OUT, AND I'VE HAVEN'T EVEN DONE DARK MAGIC YET!!!

...Whew, got that all out of my system. Please reply if you've got any answers or comments, especially with the last part (better to rip the band-aid off now). I love a good dialogue! Just please keep it friendly and civilized. Thanks for listening to my rant, and here's hoping for Dragon Prince's continued success!!!

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Sure, just rip out my heart, why don't you?!

I didn't caught this before but Callum has lot three parents. Rayla has three coined parents. He knows how much it hurts and he doesn't want her to lose them as well, he couldn't save his two dads and mom but he can save her two dads and mom. oh my god

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My best guesses would be either "Xadia" or "Deep Magic". Leaning more towards the first one.

season seven title

i don't know if all of the season titles have been dropped, and if they have, ignore this. but as we all know, the seasons are titled after each primal element (moon, earth, air, sun, ocean & star). there are seven seasons. if the titles haven't been released (and if this isn't already a common theory), i'm willing to bet a bodily organ on the final season being "dark" or "human" magic

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I just need to comment on this. First, disclaimer: in no way, shape, or form will this forbid anyone from handling this post any differently! Phew... feels like I need to put this on every possibly-controversial post...

Now that that's out of the way, I don't think this new "situation" pushed Callum and Rayla to be much more... "intimate" (I said I don't like tiptoeing, I never said I've outgrown it yet). The main reason is that the whole episode is about mending the wound they have with each other, getting back to being comfortable and dependable with one another again. The way Callum reacted with Rayla putting her head on his shoulder the next night also supports my theory on how awkward yet fun the inn really was.

One of my big strengths I have for this ship is that they're so in love with each other without the need for physical attraction. IT IS THERE, don't get me wrong! It's just that they love each other for much deeper reasons. And they are both very serious when it comes to their relationship. Neither of them would risk jeopardizing what they have with each other just for a single "night of indulgence." Do I want them to become more intimate? Absolutely! Just not with the way things are now. They still have a little more to go before I believe they're ready for that big step. And besides that, they're the strongest proof I've ever seen in animation of a couple that love each other so deeply that it changes them so drastically for the better!

And my third reason: the animal companion-children are still there. They'd definitely be self-conscious of that!

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Very well said! What I'm hoping in the final books is Callum opening himself up to others, mainly Rayla, about his inner fears and battles. She opened up to him this book about the coins and her turmoil and accepted his help in shouldering the burden. Now I want him to do the same to her.

In your opinion was Callum right or wrong for using dark magic this season?

I think what he did was justifiable. Whether it was perfectly, morally right or wrong depends on your flavor of ethics, but suffice to say that in a show that has repeatedly taken a nuanced view on right vs. wrong, where dark magic is generally considered to be bad but there are definitely edge cases where it's definitely justifiable (Zaird using DM to save Elarion, Viren using DM to prevent famine across two kingdoms).

This is definitely such an extreme case: no good alternatives are possible, and Callum used dark magic to the minimum extent necessary to free himself and then switching back to primal magic for then on (in a way, proving Finnegrin wrong that Callum "loses himself" where Rayla is concerned). I wouldn't personally consider this "morally dubious," as it's a far cry from what people were predicting he was going to do.

But I don't think that means it shouldn't matter to Callum. First, he does have principles that prevent him from doing dark magic, and he does break those principles. Even if it's justifiable or even not wrong, that doesn't matter--to Callum, it was wrong.

Second, and more importantly: this isn't about Callum being all "woe is me" for doing chain-to-snake spell. Or at least not just. It's about what comes next. The inevitability of it all. That no matter what he does, no matter how hard he tries to avoid that "path of darkness," the ones he loves will always be the ones who pay the price.

This was essentially his "Dagobah Cave" moment from Empire Strikes Back where, like Luke, he fails the test and comes to realize his potential to become an agent of evil. So something has to change for Callum to avoid losing himself.

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One thing I feel like a lot of people miss is that Callum ALREADY KNEW why Rayla left! There's no doubt he read her letter to him repeatedly, even just to realize she actually left. He knows she left to protect him (and the world) from the threat Viren had made himself into. And he wasn't hurt by the fact that she lied to him (he did the same, see TTM) or that she left on his birthday (a sad coincidence, but she had her revelation the night before and needed to leave immediately). He was heartbroken because she left him, taking his choice away from him and being "forced" to lose her, as opposed to him coming along with her and POTENTIALLY losing each other! Callum is terrified of not being able to make his own choice, whether it be too powerless or to be forced into making one. Not only did Rayla take his choice away, but he immediately paid the consequence: he lost another loved one, the one who was his everything.

J'ai bien aimé qu'il y ait eu cette discussion entre Rayla et Amaya, car même si elle se rendait compte que son départ a fait souffrir Callum. Je pense pas qu'elle se rendait compte à quel point son abandon l'avait blessé même si elle croyait que son départ était avant tout pour le protéger. Ça reste un abandon qui les a fait souffrir tout les deux. Je suis contente qu'elle se rend compte qu'elle a pas besoin d'être forte toute seule, qu'elle peut devenir encore plus forte aux côtés de Callum et peut dépendre de lui.

I liked that there was this discussion between Rayla and Amaya, because even though she realized that her leaving hurt Callum. I don't think she realized how much her abandonment had hurt him even though she thought her leaving was primarily to protect him. It's still an abandonment that made them both suffer. I'm glad she realizes that she doesn't have to be strong alone, that she can become even stronger alongside Callum and can depend on him.

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If she was going in for one, he probably thought that he didn't deserve it. I really want to see how he handles this side of himself in the future.

try to convince me that they were not going to kiss in this scene

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What she says: “He took their wind away.”

What she thinks: “He took my breath away...”

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Poetic, as always. First off, did anyone predict Callum’s 2nd Arcanum would be Rayla’s least favorite? And second, I love the fact that Ocean’s Arcanum is to accept (and possibly even embrace) the lack of control, and Rayla is one of the most uncontrollable people in the whole show, only second now to Callum! (maybe)

what do you think callum meant in the great bookery when he said "rayla, i was wrong."????? like i get the "i waited too long" but the first part is driving me crazy

Given that the group is realizing that they're not going to make it out alive, I think that Callum is regretting the anger that held her at an arm's distance when she first came back, and that they didn't have more time to well - be themselves. (To be clear, he didn't actually waste that much time, and was only really mad at her for like, 3.5 days).

Like he's saying "I was wrong to hold back, I wanted too long to say I love you" given the parallels between his "I want you to know" in 3x09 and "I hope you know" in 5x04

Which also tracks the emphasis of the ocean arcanum being an understanding of well, knowing what you Know (that he loves her) and knowing what you don't or cannot know (where they'll go from here with absolute certainty because well - life and her can be chaotic and unpredictable and people contain multitudes) certainly tracks, I think.

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I honestly thought we'd get the trailer on Friday! I STILL have hope it'll drop Saturday!!

SO THE JULY RELEASE DATE THE ONGOING SHORT STORIES THE S5 SCREENSHOTS THE KEY ART AND PUZZLE HOUSE PREVIEW PAGES HOW WE DOING