#reflection motif

[raayllum]

Deleted / extended scene from 7x06

+ Bonus: seeing Callum's wings fade away on screen (probably cut for animation budget) and Sneezles blushing a bit over the Rayllum hug

[its-leethee]

"Our future is in ashes....

...I never asked for this."

--6x02 // 7x02

[sagegreenfrogs]

I slithered here from Eden just to sit outside your door - Hozier, From Eden

The true heart is a gift of childhood. For a few wonder-filled years, we each have innocent eyes to experience the world's beauty in a simple way. - The Dragon Prince: The Mystery of Aaravos, Season 7 Episode 4: Unfinished Business

[parroset]

"elf sad" Clip Analysis!!!

(I don't know what else to call it, that is literally the caption for the video T_T)

TDP finally posted the clip from s6e1 where Aaravos sobs into the water, so let's analyze it!!

The first thing I want to point out is the reflection symbolism and ripples symbolism. In Ripples (the short story), we get the following line:

In other words, ripples ruin the reflection of the stars. (Tangentially related, but we have also seen many occasions of Aaravos himself ruining reflections, which I've written about here). However, in this scene, we first have view of the water, and the tears hitting the water. Aaravos then appears on the screen, first as a reflection that is blurred by the ripples created by his tears. The camera only pans up to the reflection's caster later in the scene.

AKA, the ripples are CREATING the reflection of a star.

I also love the way that he looks at his reflection, and then looks away towards the stars when he finds that he's not glowing. It appears to me to be a mix of guilt and anguish. The fact that he can't bear to look at his own reflection and looks to the stars instead is... interesting.

Another thing that I think is worth pointing out in this clip is the Rayllum parallels with Aaravos and the Merciful One. This scene is so similar to the scene in The Midnight Desert when Rayla was self deprecating and looking at the water, and Callum was telling her to shut up.

Rayla and Aaravos are both crying into their reflections, and Callum and The Merciful One are trying to pull them out of it. We don't have much info on what is going on in the new scene, but to me it seems to be around the time of the formation of the Sea of Castout/when Aaravos lost his powers. So, in this case, Rayla and Aaravos are both learning that they are "ghosted" or "cast out"--pretty much, exiled from their community. Callum and The Merciful One are both shocking them out of the tears. (I do think Callum was more effective than The Merciful One's weird cryptic words, though ;)).

I'm so excited for this season! The imagery and visual motifs are already excellent, can't wait to see what else season 6 brings!!

[imminent-danger-came]

old menu screen dialogue replicating save files:

reflections, imitations, copies, illusions

deltarune ch 1 - ch 4

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Up High!

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[its-malarkey]

A couple of weeks ago I bothered to spend the time to write out Wukong and Macaque’s leitmotifs because I noticed that they were very similar, differing primarily in that they weren’t identical, but up to a certain point were almost major vs minor versions of each other’s themes (pictured below)

Again, you can tell they’re not identical on paper, but to the ear they sound very similar, and it’s obviously not a coincidence that they start off with the same rhythm. You apparently can’t add more than one video to a post, so I’ll put the Macaque bit that I clipped and just say that I got Wukong’s from the end credits.

The similarities are notable, again, featuring Wukong in a major key and Macaque in minor key. (The version I wrote out is not in the same key as the clip; it was easier to compare them on paper when I wrote them in the sameish key.)

I’m no music analyst, I just took a year of the required colleges courses for music and switched away from it and still have everything ingrained in my head, so there’s not anything in particular I’m trying to say here, I just go bananas for it every time I hear either theme :))

Edit: I drew this out on FireAlpaca and forgot to mention that earlier. It’s not particularly relevant but I do think it’s funny

[cringeyvanillamilk]

Revisited my alt design for Hancock! 🐍👑

Some design notes:

More snake motif through accessories.

Greek inspired fashion given origin.

Appearance is more royal.

Has wavy hair to match sisters, but more tamed in comparison.

Wears makeup and nail polish for extra beauty.

Fur of slayed beast to showcase strength and pride.

More gold and purple accents for regal vibe.

Has a muscular built, but hard to tell with clothing. Def has a six pack.

[halyasgirl]

Is anyone else going a little feral about little Isha's miner uniform paralleling Silco or are you normal about this?

[dragonbloodedelf]

chronic costume design disease has me fabric shopping for strahd von zarovich

omen - jacquard by silkbaron

An omen is a sign or event that is believed to foretell the future, often indicating good or bad luck. Based on our perennially popular “Black Cherry” dupioni silk, and made with constituent yarns of Scarlet red and Onyx black, some might think this stunning jacquard has an almost sinister quality, with the two constituent colors interwoven in a way that evokes a sense of foreboding. That makes sense, as the Scarlet is almost a blood-red, creating a sense of danger, while the Onyx lends an air of mystery and darkness. The fabric even shimmers and shifts, as if it is alive and plotting some dark purpose…

“Omen” is the perfect choice for any occasion that calls for drama and elegance. It demands your attention, and bespeaks power and confidence. Whether worn for a glamorous evening out or a romantic rendezvous, it is impossible not to feel alluring and captivating in its presence…

[raayllum]

The wisest of the humans looked upon the water. His own reflection smiled back at him.

and he dared to imagine what such power would feel like in his own hands, should he be allowed to hold it.

Imagine, he thought, if I were more than what I am. With a trembling hand he touched the surface of the water. Ripples spread from his fingertips.

I hope the stars were watching.

I hope they saw it: the moment their perfect reflections turned warped and ruined,

churned to chaos

by the touch of a single human hand.

—TDP Reflections: Ripples / Books Sky, Star, and Dark

[dukeofdelirium]

honestly why do ppl even keep trying to be like “uhmmm 🤓 actuallyyyyy lawlighters ☝🏻☝🏻 the foot scene ISNT gay 🚫🏳️‍🌈💏 it’s about JESUS ✝️⛪️” like … lmao most of us have been in this fandom for well over a decade. we are all very aware that Death Note uses Christian motif as aesthetic. we literally don’t need anyone to tell us this, we’re not stupid

[parroset]

Reflections, reflections, reflections -- and Startouch elves

One of the more prevalent motifs in The Dragon Prince is the reflection motif. You can see many, many examples of it in the show, including Aaravos's mirror, multiple characters looking at standing water, and the short story series, which is literally called "Reflections."

Reflections are great because they force characters to confront themselves, both in appearance and in emotion (they can "reflect" on their own actions and thoughts). TDP tends to put these two ideas together, and many of the appearances of the reflection motif have characters reflecting on their emotions or decisions.

Now, how does this connect to startouch elves? Aside from the mirror itself, which obviously connects to Aaravos, the dragon scale necklace that Aaron Ehasz confirmed to be related to Laurelion has a super reflective surface.

The way that Claudia's reflection appears in this picture also reminds me a little of this scene:

I think she has a similar confused face and is puzzling out the source of the reflective object, but there may be more to it than that.

Another thing about the reflection motif is that many of these reflections are shattered/ruined by Aaravos. Aaravos shatters his mirror in season 4:

This connects back to a line from Patience:

The fact that the exact word "shattered" is used here is probably not a coincidence; he is trying to do to the other startouch elves what he did to the mirror. It's a violent way to break things, leaving jagged edges that can hurt others. Shattering something is usually sudden, and implies that the thing being shattered is delicate. There is a connection there between the mirror and "everything [the startouch elves] have built."

Aaravos has a pattern of ruining reflections. From his first appearance in the show, he "ruined" Viren's reflection by appearing in the mirror, and as discussed above, he later broke the mirror. He also has the following line in Ripples:

He is specifically talking about ruining the "perfect reflections" of the startouch elves, and at the end of the story, he is the one who touches the surface of the water and watches the ripples spread, and thereby continues to ruin the startouch reflections.

I'm curious to see what the connection is between Aaravos, Laurelion, and the necklace, and if any of the reflection imagery ends up being important in this.

[minabombs]

"Zaun’s been destroyed… my mind is in ruins"

[st4rguy]

i have normal things to say about thisss :T

[sam-reid]

black candles burn, all minds aligned 🤝 the altar is lit with black candles