#tdp 4x07

[lunanightriderofthecove]

The thing is, while Claudia recognises that Lissa left for herself, she doesn't recognise that Soren did exactly the same.

[self-spaghettification]

once again thinking about the scene where claudia and soren talk cause like. if there’s any time his motives are revealed it’s through someone who has been listening to him for the past 2 years echoing the same sentiments to her brother

Claudia: Aaravos. It’s Aaravos! it’s not that hard.

Soren. That's what I said!

Claudia: No, you didn't. And you don't know anything about him.

Soren: I know that he wants us all to fight and-and hate each other! He wants the world to burn.

Claudia: You're wrong! The dragons and the elves already hate us.

Soren: That's not true. I'm friends with dragons and elves now.

Claudia: Oh, are you sure? Are they real friends? Or are they just taking advantage of you?

( melancholy music playing ) You'll always be a human to them. You'll always be less! Thousands of years ago, humans had nothing. We were starving, and wretched, and helpless. There was famine, and disease, and... Uh, there was war and fighting over the few resources that we could get our grubby little hands on. Life was pain and struggle, and the dragons and elves, they did nothing! They judged us. They pitied us.

Soren: How do you know this?

Claudia: The same way you do. You can feel it's true, can't you? Humans understand suffering deep in our bones because so many generations went through it.

Soren: Claudia, I... I don't think we have the same bone feelings.

Claudia: Aaravos believed in humans when all the other elves and dragons thought we were worthless, stupid, dirty animals! Aaravos believed we could be better. So he gave us magic!

Soren: You say that like it's such a good thing. But if you ask me, it's caused nothing but trouble. Maybe the world would be better off without magic.

Claudia: Without magic, you would be dead. Without dad's magic.

[raayllum]

Going into the season I wondered how overt they’d be about Terry being trans (beyond the amazing trans coloured flowers he made, even in the end credit art as well!) but I loved how it was handled and how naturally it was woven in later in the season, giving us a chance to really get to know him before hand. Also that Viren fits into my favourite type of more villainous characters of “Yeah I’m the bad guy, but I’m not gonna be transphobic” 

[tdpgifs]

"i need you.. to kill me"

"beneath the surface" rayllum gifset

+ bonus gif

[imminent-danger-came]

"TDP s4 was really good" truthers let us come together and join hands

[its-leethee]

Weird amulets in tdp that I'm gonna worry about even more now

[thethiefandtheairbender]

as a lifelong ATLA fan who narrowly had ATLA dethroned as my top show by The Dragon Prince steadily over the past 5 years, the similarities between the two have very little to do with the surface level parallels that get regularly drawn between them.

Like ATLA, TDP has Books for seasons and chapters for episodes, but unlike ATLA, which only touched on storytelling sparingly as a theme, TDP is obsessed with interrogating storytelling and history and the presence of unreliable, biased narrators throughout many of its episodes (most notably 2x05, 2x06, 3x06, 4x04, and 4x07 among them). Half of what you learn in the 1x01 intro ends up being a lie once you reach S3, with more being steadily deciphered.

Yes, TDP has different magics with people living under those umbrella terms... for the elves. Humans are coming culturally at things from a completely different angle, and the elves' connection to their primal sources are discussed philosophically in detail, informing their practices and their culture first hand, including the way they chafe against humans, who are arcanum-less. Many animals in the world are also connected to magic, which influences both their design and which ones get hunted for humans' more 'clever' solution in dark magic, including each other.

The core issue of the Puppetmaster, down to being a coercive magic formed by someone deeply resentful of their imprisonment? Said puppetmaster is the main endgame antagonist of the entire show with all of S4 onwards being exploring the ethics of controlling people against their will in various methods, and the entire show itself being a thematic battleground of fate (imprisonment) vs free will for virtually every single character.

Where ATLA mostly concerns itself timeline wise with ending the war, very little thought is shown by any of the characters as to what they'll do after the war. This isn't a problem (as it reflects the sheer domineering scope of the conflict) but even Zuko being firelord is only ever really addressed with 2.5 episodes left till the finale. TDP, meanwhile, ends its 'war' in s3 and s4 opens up with dealing with the old wounds festering between people with centuries of history, the struggles that come when people aren't able to let go and believe they're safe or mourn in a healthy manner, and the religious/cultural clashes that may occur when trying to integrate different groups of people.

TDP also has an evil father with a devoted daughter and a brother who eventually defects, but it explores the reality of an abusive parent who loves/will sacrifice for you and your right to leave regardless, even if that means leaving the sibling you truly deeply love and who loves you in turn. Which means that when you and your sibling are on opposite sides of a deep ideological conflict, it actually really fucking hurts bc we've seen first hand just how much they love each other and also how and why everything fell apart not in spite of that love necessarily, but also because of it.

Is this to say that TDP is a 1:1 with ATLA or that it's better? No, not at all, and the latter is subjective. I prefer TDP, but I think they're about on equal ground when you look at each show currently as a whole (although TDP has two seasons left to go).

But TDP takes a lot of what ATLA was doing thematically with some of its most interesting beats and then builds or expands upon them further. It talks further and more consistently about the cycles of violence; in many ways, Jack De Sena's character, Callum, begins the series largely where Sokka had ended (and he's not the most like Sokka anyway; very much his own thing); we get Faustian bargains and centuries' long grief and fucked up people who are trying both succeeding and failing at not doing fucked up things. There are antagonists, but it is very hard to actually label anyone at this point a straight up villain. Moral greyness is where the show starts, and it just continues from there.

That's not to say the show is nothing but dark and depressing - like ATLA, there's a steady thread of hope and humour even as the show gets steadily closer and closer to its 11th hour point - but the show is usually emotionally heavier. There's more blood and potentially disturbing imagery with body horror and on screen death. There's so much foreshadowing you basically can't go more than 5 minutes into any episode without having something that's going to come back around or be referenced again like 3-5 seasons later.

Just to be clear - TDP is like ATLA, but it's like ATLA in interesting ways beyond the more shallow surface level that usually gets attributed to it, while still very much being its own show and its own thing. And that is why I tend to recommend it to people who like ATLA.

Thank you and goodnight

(Also, the fandom doesn't have any ship wars, and the show is queer as fuck)

[lunanightriderofthecove]

While underneath Umber Tor Callum only uses magic with the staff in hand. It's a nice continuation detail from s1, where Rayla said that at least a breeze is needed for Sky Magic.

[lunanightriderofthecove]

I think that word might have traveled through Xadia about a human mage after the battle of the storm spire. Neither N'than nor Akiyu are surprised by Callum's abilities.

[lunanightriderofthecove]

The whole "you have to kill me" scene will definitely come back and however it will go, I will hurt and I won't be ready for it 😭

[lunanightriderofthecove]

Soren already reacting when Claudia asks for Viren. And then his reaction to actually seeing him. I feel for him so much 😭

[lunanightriderofthecove]

Soren cares so much about his position as crownguard, I don't think he would let his sword stay that dirty for longer than necessary.

[lunanightriderofthecove]

Who else thought Callum was getting ready to jump when he says "I have to do this."?

[lunanightriderofthecove]

"Without magic, you would be dead. Without dad's magic."

Probably. But it would've spared him from a whole lot of trouble.

[lunanightriderofthecove]

"Are they real friends? Or are they just taking advantage of you?"

One of the moments that made me think that Claudia might not care anywhere near as much for Terry as he does for her.

[lunanightriderofthecove]

I love the gag of Zym mourning with them before Ezran realises it's him 🤣