#tdp thoughts season 3

[meganwasbored]

The Dragon Prince Thoughts Season 3 Episode 9

-THIS IS IT

-wait does he actually have to paint the symbols on his arms to get the spell to work or is he just trying stuff because if he does does that mean that ibis has them tattooed on his arms or something? that made no sense i should probably watch more than 5 seconds before i start making stuff up

-WAS HE ABOUT TO SAY I LOVE YOU

-soren’s character development from season 1 to now is incredible i went from being slightly annoyed by him to loving every second he’s on screen

-is it just me or is aaravos’s snake form thing longer than it was last episode

-OMG CALLUMS TRANSLATING I JUST REMEMBERED GREN ISNT HERE WHERE IS HE

-won’t they all die on the way up because of the air or does their demon form change that

-THE LAST DRAGON GUARD

-wait why is callum down here i thought the plan was for him to stay near the top to pick them off on their way up

-SERIOUSLY WHO IS THIS GUY

-claudia carrying the whole army rn

-NOOOOO NOT THE DRAGONS

-IDC IF HES THE KING HES STILL A CHILD GET EZRAN OUT OF THERE

-“it’s going to be okay, wee fella” not when the thousands of demon soldiers burst through that doorway

-ok so the rainbow lighting did nothing but at least it was pretty

-THERE ISNT A SINGLE PERSON WITH CALLUM???? THEY LITERALLY JUST DROPPED HIM OFF LIKE “YOURE ON YOUR OWN KID SEE YOU IF YOU SURVIVE”

-everyone could just swarm kasef and claudia for a second and it would solve 90% of our problems

-callum why do still you have your emotional support sketchbook on you in battle i feel like that’s just slowing you down buddy

-AANYA WHERE DID YOU COME FROM

-THE MOST ICONIC CHARACTER AND I MEAN THAT MY QUEENNNN

-IM SPEECHLESS OMG

-I CAME HERE FOR RAYLLUM BUT I STAYED FOR THE BROYALS

-CRYINGGGGGG GREN AND AMAYA BACK AGAIN I FORGOT HE PROBABLY THOUGHT SHE WAS DEAD SINCE THE VOLCANO

-SKBAIFBEODBDOSNDOSJWLWHAODH

-THE ELVES BOWING TO EZRAN

-EZRAN THE BATTLE LITERALLY JUST ENDED YOU CANT JUST RUN OFF ON YOUR OWN LIKE THAT

-WHAY WAS VIREN HIDING UNDER A BLANKET AND WHY WAS CLAUDIA WALKING AWAY FROM HIM WHAT IS GOING ON

-NO WORDS THIS IS TRULY SORENS EPISODE

-THE AMOUNT OF SOUL CRUSHING TRAUMA HE JUST WENT THROUGH IN THE PAST HOUR

-THIS ONLY TERRIFIES ME BECAUSE I ALREADY KNOW HES GONNA SURVIVE SO WHAT HORRIBLE THING IS CLAUDIA GONNA DO TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN

-ALSO SOMEONE LITERALLY JUST GOT STABBED RIGHT BEFORE EZRANS EYES POOR BABY

-SHUT UP HOW DID I NOT SEE THAT COMING

-HOW DID HE GET UP THERE

-RAYLA IS IN THE EXACT SAME POSITION HER PARENTS WERE IN THIS SPOT I DONT LIKE WHERE THIS IS GOING

-HARVEST????? CONSUME??????

-BAIT OMG

-IM SO DUMB HER PARENTS ARE COINS LIKE RUNAAN ARENT THEY

-I HATE THIS I HATE THIS I HATE THIS

-I WENT INTO THIS THINKING I ALREADY KNEW MOSTLY EVERYTHING THAT WAS GONNA HAPPEN AND I WAS SO SO WRONG

-BAITS FACE WHEN RAYLA CALLED HIM A HERO

-PUT ZYM DOWN RIGHT NOW OR SO HELP ME I WILL KILL YOU THROUGH THE SCREEN

-OKAY I KNOW SHES GONNA SURVIVE THIS AND YOU KNOW SHES GONNA SURVIVE THIS BUT SHE DOESNT KNOW SHES GONNA SURVIVE THIS WHICH MEANS SHE JUST SACRIFICED HER LIFE FOR THAT DRAGON

-THE FACT THAT HE DIDNT EVEN THINK TWICE ABOUT JUMPING AFTER HER

-pause can we talk about how strong rayla is to hold herself up like that i’d be dead

-this is the one time the “we beat the unbeatable villain through ✨the power of love✨” trope is acceptable

-this is awesome and all and i’m loving every second of it but why are we acting like everything is okay it’s not claudia is still out there with a super powerful staff that could destroy that whole cave with all of you in it if she gets up there

-also i can’t be that only one who doesn’t see the point of this baker like i feel like they just put him here because they can he serves literally no purpose

-wow very convenient of you to wake up right after the battle is over it’s not like you couldve been a huge life saving help anyway😐

-ZYM IS LITERALLY THE SIZE OF THE QUEENS EYEBALL I CANT

-i’m sorry i still can’t get over the fact that the dragons can talk i don’t know how to feel about it

-claudia’s hair is now half white i don’t like this

-if aaravos hatches out of that cocoon i’m gonna lose my freaking mind

-my word that was a lot

-you’re telling me y’all had to wait 3 YEARS after this cliffhanger for season 4???? i’m suddenly very glad i didn’t start watching until now i don’t think i could’ve handled that

[breadsandwiches]

Viren adopting children left and right instead of talking to his actual son

[olexriia]

its giving

🤨

[mell0bee]

ok i dont want to maintag but just finished s4 of tdp and is it just me or was it kind of wack??? (spoilers in tags)

[thefictionshelf]

FINALLY got around to watching tdp season 5. aaravos fuckers ate well this season good for y'all.

[cottonspotten]

ill be real i was Not expecting the callum/rayla dramatic love confessions in season 3 Like seasons 1-2 i was like haha these two are cute. probably setting up for romance here but they make sweet friends as well :) it’ll probably take a few seasons . and then suddenly theyre falling to their deaths proclaiming their love for one another . the slow burn did not burn slowly in the way i thought it would

[raayllum]

A few things:

1) Shout out to Rayla for once again being the only character in the entire series to full on cry / sob at least once every single season. 5/5 winning streak sweetie *through tears and gritted teeth* love that for you, not too hopeful that S6 is gonna break the tradition

2) Rayla's unwillingness to ask for help or share this burden means that besides Stella (who isn't even perched on her in this scene) Rayla goes through this experience entirely alone. No one to offer any comfort or a kind word, even though we know Callum would in a heartbeat, pulling her close and letting her cry into him. But Rayla doesn't think she should have that, so she doesn't. Poor girl

3) When we cut to the shot of the bird's eye view looking down on the castle I had a split second thought of "wait, is Rayla meant to be the storm / is it a reflection of her?" (as pathetic fallacy is most often used with storms to reflect emotions, and TDP has continually started out the castle plotline of the season with storms such as in 1x01, 3x01, and 4x01), just cause there's no real reason to break up the crying scene shots otherwise (and Rayla was literally introduced as a character in the middle of a storm / as an echo of thunder). But then I dismissed it as an over-read until we got to her tears dripping onto the bow and I went "nah, not an over read". Which is particularly loaded of Rayla being this storm (as opposed to Ezran's, which is decidedly separate) with the aforementioned transition shot of thunder between Viren and Callum researching Aaravos, but we all have to live with it I guess

[tategaminu]

I feel like I'm one of the few individuals that watched ATLA because TDP and not the other way around. I decided to check it out in the hiatus following season 3 because I needed something.

I didn't like it as much as I like dragon show but it's a great series. I was hearing Callum all the time so Sokka falling for the white haired moon girl was hilarious. Also legit thought the boomerang scene in S3 was important so imagine how stupid I felt when I watched ATLA and found out it was just a reference.

[thrandilf]

do you have a guide as to the extra materials for The Dragon Prince? i keep seeing stuff about comics or books but idk where to start

Not on hand but I can make one here! :D

There are two, soon to be three, canon graphic novels.

Through the Moon takes place between seasons 3 and 4, like a little season 3.5 It isn't Necessary to read it before watching S4 but the story is cool and the extra information is neat. It feels like we might get more info regarding what happened to Rayla while she was gone later in the show

Bloodmoon Huntress takes place when Rayla is a child around when her parents leave. Lots of Runaan and Ethari, also introduces Kim'dael who will be in S5. Again, not Required reading but a fun extra story.

Puzzle House is coming out August 1st and is about Claudia and Soren as children, and we also get a look at younger Viren and other people. Harrow's father, King Atticus is still king in this one so interesting Katolis lore, SUPER hyped for when we get to read all of this one. The Scholastic link has a 15 pages preview if you wanna take a peek.

There are novelizations for Dragon Prince Season 1 and Season 2, they add a bit of introspection and small extra details. Viren in particular gets more of his internal thought processes laid out and for me it just Confirmed a lot of things. Season 3's novelization is coming out April 2nd, 2024. I'm sure all 7 seasons will eventually have novelizations.

Tales of Xadia is the ttrpg book and it's gorgeous and is probably the most lore heavy supplemental material as far as world building goes. The system also looks fun! The website has a character builder too for OC making. As a writer, it's been a great help as far as seeing some aspects of the world laid out. The system looks fun and there are videos of some of the cortex(?) team playing ToX official tales/campaigns but I haven't watched them yet. The campaigns are also available to look at online too.

I think that ToX is getting an expansion at some point since the base game doesn't touch much on Ocean or Star magic, I imagine due to spoilers for the seasons we're coming up on.

There's also a tabletop game called Battlecharged which I haven't personally played and I don't think it Adds lore but I've heard it's fun.

Also, it will likely be a long time before we see it, but there's a video game in the works as well that's in alpha testing right now called Project Arcanum. Wonderstorm is pretty busy!

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE

The Free Stuff:

Reflections are official short stories hosted on TDP's website and all of them are excellent and provide little extra scenes. Some of them are quite impactful, and the ones in this second batch are promising an absolutely wild S5. The first batch was released pre S4 and the second batch is being released now pre S5 as we count down to the new season. They aren't Required reading since the most key information from them will be in the show (going by the S4 ones) but I highly HIGHLY rec reading them all. Banger after banger. As of posting this there may be one more coming.

There's also little 4 panel comics called Everyday Xadia that have been also released during countdown mode and they're just fun/cute. Volume One and Volume 2 (still coming out). Sometimes when people say comics they might mean these, or the graphic novels lol.

Thank you for the ask, I'm always happy to share the TDP love and I hope this was helpful to you and anyone else who'd like a ref!

[blackdragon-selfships]

With Season 5 of TDP now out…I want to share my findings (the last one was found by a friend) with proof that Aaravos is meant to be “complicated”, not “evil” Still a long-game villain, but not evil like Zubeia claims and that the heroes believe and like the show seems to be ignoring or forgetting isn’t the case…until the final episode maybe.

In order of which these interviews and tweets were found:

If this ends up not being the case in season 6 or even the final season…well, this is my evidence for why I hoped otherwise. Multiple times in interviews Aaravos was called complicated and/or something positive by one or both of the creators. So, it’s what I hope and expect to see in season 6 or something.

Bonus:

Someone very important to him is mentioned to be on the map of one of the novel versions of the seasons. This at least shows he actually might not be a boring “looks down his nose at others no matter how they treat him first” and apathetic kind of villain…

No matter what the show does to either scrap these decisions or redo them, I am going to continue to write him how they described here in my work. Except not as a villain because he isn’t in a situation that he would have that role on this blog.

How I write him: A complicated person with a very complicated history and motivation, and someone that is not truly evil or heartless as he’s been said to be by people in his world. That’s the angle of this blog and if you don’t like it, this is the warning and invitation to move on.

—

Sources:

Weirdly enough the interviews and QnA’s from the first three screenshots are missing. Probably taken down either by request of the show (no proof so I’m just speculating) or they took it down for other reasons maybe. But here is the link to the second Forbes article, which includes a video version of the full interview:

View it before it’s gone if you’re a fellow TDP fan that watched up to season 4 because you wanted to see what the co-creator meant by ‘complicated, not evil’ and ‘matter of perspective’

Maybe season 6 will finally give us the full story, being the season named “Star” after that arcanum…but I’m getting tired of being led on like this. I would guess a lot of you are too.

At least the one episode he was in (the last episode), he was his usual self. Still sassy and teasing, with an ominous undertone given the situation and everything.

EDIT: I found the other interview I was going to link, the one with the title “Aaravos is more ‘complicated’ in season 3 than you think”. It was by a different website than I thought, that being Inverse and not Forbes.

I reblogged this post with the link if anyone wants to read the full article.

[meganwasbored]

The Dragon Prince Thoughts Season 3 Episodes 5 and 6

i could’ve sworn i posted these immediately but turns out these have just been sitting in my notes app since february so here comes the rest of season 3 and 4 for anyone who cares

Episode 5

-i’m still very confused why ezran is in jail what did he do can someone please explain

-WHY are the chains necessary??? what do they think he’s gonna do, squeeze through the bars???

-bait taking advantage of the absolute chaos that is happening in the castle to steal jelly tarts for ezran is just the best

-“see? this isn’t so bad!” the child says while sitting in the jail cell he may or may not be in for the rest of his life

-“still as a mouse” mice are the least still creatures ever what are you talking about

-the snakes REGENERATE???? that took like 10 seconds there was no way they could’ve gotten to safety in time anyway

-seriously who the heck is this dude and how does he benefit from all this

-i feel so stupid right now but how does a king stepping down land him in jail???? he’s 9????

-Opeli is the only competent one here viren was literally just arrested for treason you’re telling me not one other person is concerned about this???

-claudia looks so unfazed

-callum literally risking his life to not touch rayla just so things aren’t awkward but in doing so makes things much more awkward

-“it’s subtle but if you look closely you can see the ambler’s tracks” girl anyone with eyes can see those tracks they’re bigger than you

-YES SOREN IM SORRY I KEEP DOUBTING YOU

-this is the first show in a long time that genuinely makes me laugh out loud

-the guards continue to be the funniest characters in this entire show

-they’re trying to make viren look somewhat redeemable by caring so much about claudia as if he didn’t just tell soren to his face that he doesn’t care if he dies like idc what happens i will never forgive this man

-not to sound ungrateful but what the heck is the baker doing here

-honestly i support nyx in all that she does, you snooze you loose

-“no need to paint a picture”

”i would only need one color for that picture”

*walks away annoyed*

“brown”

-“ezran in his last act as king insisted that whoever didn’t wish to fight could lay down their arms” can’t you just… change that?

-RESPECT

-zym couldn’t have done that the first time she tried to kidnap him?

-did phoe phoe just… come out of the moon???

-when your girlfriend is so impressive that you risk death just to watch her fight

-“you are so….” YOURE TRYING TO KILL ME

-the fact that she literally kissed him yesterday and kissed him back right now yet he still feels the need to apologize for kissing her like trust me dude i think she likes you back

-after rewatching that three times i just realized they’re kissing literally right in front of nyx and i’ve never seen anybody acknowledge this

Episode 6

-is the ambler just immune to snake bites like how has it not been bitten by now

-is “amble” a word because my phone keeps autocorrecting “ambler” to “amble”

-cuties

-i love that no one is even surprised about viren’s “little bug pal”

-still don’t get how aaravos’s… soul(?) can go outside of the mirror like he’s practically not even imprisoned

-ANOTHER KING HARROW FLASHBACK LETS GOOOOO

-y’all will never understand how much i love that man i still can’t believe he’s gone

-dude why are you explaining to this man in detail how his wife died

-genuinely don’t know how much of what past viren is saying is true, how much of this does he actually believe and how much of it is he just saying to manipulate harrow into doing the spell

-“i will leave you with your grief” who SAYS THAT???

-i’m sorry i know some of you like him for some reason but prince kasef is just a loser with a crown he’s just so unpleasant to be around like he’d be on the cover of spoiled-entitled-judgmental-princes magazine

-“is you father talking to himself?”

“no, of course he’s not talking to himself, that’d be crazy! he’s talking to his little bug pal!”

-still kinda blown away that the dragons can talk, like they practically have human brains at this point what is even considered an animal in this world? like in theory elves could be considered animals (not that i consider them animals because i don’t) i’m just saying where do we draw the line?

-“are you okay? are you hurt? let me look at you” MY HEARTTTTT

-IF THIS BIRD DIES I BURN THIS HOUSE DOWN

-CRYING

-this is so frustrating because callum has every right to hate thunder(i’m just not gonna remember his real name i’m sorry it’s 2:33 am) and runaan for killing his parents but rayla has a personal connection to both of them (one was (is?) practically her dad and the other was her king) so like we’re in a tough spot here and i respect rayla so much for being so understanding

-oh my gosh how did it not occur to me that they’re literally right there, like they’re so close to the cave

[numptypylon]

Timelines and Maps, TDP S1-5

I thought I’d post the timeline and map I made for seasons 4-5, as part of the planning process for my fanfic (Downtime’s Up). I did the same thing for S1-3, way back, they’re posted below so it’s all in one place for convenience.

The episode numbers on the timelines are made to follow Callum and Rayla, since it was made as fanfic planning and they’re the POV characters. It’s hard to make it make fit everyone at once, but it should roughly make sense for most characters. We know there’s 30 days between Viren’s rebirth in S4E1 and his re-death in S5E9, so I work with that, and used my best judgment to map out those 30 days, starting with where they’re obviously stopping for the night, and then inserting extra days where it feels like time passes (like in-between S4 and S5) or to account for travel time or sleep or recovery, when it feels like they’d need to.

Maps for S4-5 make it clear they’re different adventures. Every season the heroes embark on a ‘new’ adventure, rather than the one spanning the first 3 seasons, and also, travel as far in one episode as they did in the first 3 seasons combined, thanks to Zubeia Airlines.

[fyregrayfong]

overall thoughts on tdp??? Now that you’re done watching, which season/story-line/character (besides our iconic queen General and Aunt Amaya 👑) was your fave? Any moments throughout that you really felt or really spoke to you?

The dynamic of characters in this show is so interesting. The theme throughout the whole show is something that resonates with me because it's how I live my life. Despite what you hear about a certain group of people you should have an open mind. This is just some of my thoughts and opinions on some of the characters. There might be spoilers so read at your own risk.

I love Seasons 1-3 and if it wasn’t for the wedding preparations and scenes with Amaya. I wouldn’t have watched season 4. I felt like the whole season was complete filler. The series could’ve ended at the 3rd season and be solid. Season 4 didn’t really get my attention compared to the previous seasons. I hope the story picks up in season 5. I just need more Amaya 😭 lol

Callum starting as a kid who doesn't know where he belongs because he isn't a fighter or have anything useful to help the kingdom. He is the stepson of the king. Turns out he is a mage and he instantly knows that he wants to be a good light mage and nothing like what his former crush, Claudia is. Speaks on his character and reminds me a lot of his mom.

Ezran, such a baby doll, is quirky and awkward. Has a difficulty talking to people and has a special connection with animals. He has a kind heart and sees the good in people. He doesn't allow outside comments deter his judgement on a person. He reminds me so much of Antonio from Encanto. He is a fave for sure. He is a type of King that I would love to see in the real world.One that rules with kind and compassion instead with a drive for power or holier than thou.

Rayla being a moonshadow assassin. While Rayla claims to despise humans, on the inside she doesn't truly hate them. She doesn't see them as lesser beings than herself, unlike the rest of the elves. It causes this inner turmoil on her belief as a moon shadow assassin verses her morals. She constantly checking her morals and doing better. Willing to put her life on the line to do the right thing.

Claudia, her development was scary, I know there's some good but she continues down this dark path, that its sad. I was so hoping that she would run away with Soren. I really hope there is some way she can redeem herself in the upcoming season but I feel like she's so far down the rabbit hole that it's too deep a hole for her to come out of. The reason why I say Claudia's development is scary s because she knows she is becoming darker. Each season she is at a point where she pushes that morality further. She crosses that limit and instead of realizing ok that's enough. She knows it's bad and accepts it with no regret. Only to surpass it again the next time. There is nothing that will stop her to get what she wants.

Soren, at first I didn't care about him because he was this jerk who constantly picked on Callum, but Soren definitely grew. The first season I feel like the creators wanted us to see Soren as this idiot jock that heavily relies on his physical strength. It also didn't help that Viren and Claudia also treated him as such. As the series goes on he is so much more than that. His development throughout the series is one of the best, imo. He has this emotional intelligence that came to a surprise. He does have silly moments where he acts first but then he realizes his mistakes and changes. When Soren realized how he was manipulated by his dad. He went against his dad. This is so hard to do. He loves his dad and his sister so for him to renounce his loyalty from his family and follow the crown. Then on top of that having to go to war and the person you're fighting is your own father and sister. That hits the heart in more ways than one. His redemption arc is honestly chef's kiss. Soren is a good boi.

Amaya, my my my Amaya. She is wife. Once she appeared on the screen I had heart eyes immediately. Like I was already shopping for rings! I think I have a thing for strong stoic types who are really big softies. She's both an immovable object and an unstoppable force in battle. Amaya is thoughtful, honorable, compassionate and smart. Brutal, driven and capable. Pragmatic and adaptable. Her character design and fight choreography is stylish af. I could watch her fight it's like watching a dance. Her shield is honestly really cool and interesting design. Even though she's a tough person that flips switches so fast once she's with her nephews. She turns into this big softy that is so adorable and honestly is why I fell hard for her. She has a heart of gold and isn't afraid to jump into the line of fire to protect the people she loves. Her nephews, Gren, Janai, her soldiers, her kingdom. I could go on about Amaya.

Bait, Bait is the best. I can't get over him. He has a range of emotions and is the bestest boi. He deserves all the tarts.

Bonus:

I can't get over the fact that Amaya threw Bait in a perfect spiral throw. Bait is beauty. Bait is grace.

[jelzorz]

Some thoughts about s4

First I'm gonna preface this with the disclaimer that I enjoyed season 4 immensely. It was a lot of set up, a lot of fun, and I'm here for the long haul no matter what happens because I love and support this show. HOWEVER, I have. Many questions about some decisions that were made, in many cases because it directly contradicts with what seasons 1-3 and TTM set up, and I have some thoughts about it and they're not the nicest thoughts I've had about TDP. Other people have already voiced their opinions and their critiques but these specifically are my own that I hope S5 onwards will address.

Strap in kids. This is long.

1. Tone, Pacing, Structure

S1-3 were tight, and not in the slang way. Everything that appeared onscreen was relevant in some way, parallels could be made everywhere, everyone was a foil for everyone else.

S4 was. Not that. S4 was, comparatively, all over the hecking shop. I am of the opinion that if you need an entire season or movie just to set up future movies, you're not doing the movie right, and that's what S4 felt like instead. Instead of capitalising on the set up s1-3 did, it varied wildly from entire scenes of exposition, to entire scenes about fart jokes, to entire scenes that just didn't do anything for anyone other than present awkward clunky dialogue that wasn't even necessary.

One of the biggest offenders? The Guardians of the Great Gates. Literally what were they for? They didn't do anything. The were there to be Difficult and to be Unfunny, and they don't even have the excuse of being an obstacle that Zubeia couldn't get past so she couldn't accompany the kids because a fucking rockslide did that. That entire scene could have been snappier if they weren't fucking there, and instead the show chose to spend time on characters that weren't relevant to anything to deliver bad banter, which leads me to

Tone and the way the season couldn't decide if it was darker and edgier or if it was still for kids ages 8-12. This probably wouldn't have been so bad if they didn't spend SDCC and NYCC hyping up the fact that it was darker and that they wanted it to grow with their audience, except it hadn't and it was purely because they kept bailing on scenes that should have been awe-inspiring or emotional and replacing it with dumb jokes.

There were, of course, some exceptional scenes: Ez's speech? Corvus playing cello? Beautiful. Raw. Important narratively and delivered flawlessly. Aaravos possessing Callum? Terrifying. Loved every minute of it. Ibis' death? Chilling. But those scenes are far outnumbered by things that didn't feel necessary and went on for far too long: Soren's stand up comedy act, Callum's failed magic presentation, fart jokes, the unfunny guardians, etc. It's like everytime they came close to doing something emotional and heartfelt, they copped out, and that is especially clear in the relationships between characters (and not just rayllum! But we'll come to that later).

And that. Doesn't track??? TDP has never shied away from emotional depth before and now it's like they're pulling a Marvel and removing the gravity of every situation with bad humour. The pacing and structure suffer for it. The spend to long on the jokes resulting in weird pacing, and there are references and characters put in there to be funny that are completely unnecessary to the plot and interfere with the flow. There were times I literally went "GET TO THE POINT" because it waffled for too long on something stupid.

It's as if they couldn't settle on the tone they wanted to set and hoped the fart jokes would balance out the murder.

2. Agency, Characterisation, Big Feelings

For a show that emphasizes being able to write your own destiny, they took a lot of that ability away. So much information comes to our heroes in the form of exposition. So many answers appear in the form of a character willing to just give them what they need.

Why, for example, couldn't Callum discover Aaravos on his own? He's been obsessive about magic for two years, why didn't he make more progress in Rayla's absence? Why have Zubeia deliver that information to him when it would have made more sense to just have him obsessive over the mirror, where Aaravos might have tempted him with more knowledge, more secrets, and then his possession of him would have hit like 10 times harder?

Why did Opeli, of all people, have to suggest that Ez et al go on their adventure, instead of Ez deciding it for himself? He's never had problems leaving her in charge in the past. He's the king, it should be his decision!

What the fuck was N'than for other than an Uncharted reference? Why couldn't the kids have figured things out together the way they always have? Why not use the opportunity for Callum and Rayla to hash out their MANY issues a la S1?

And this, obviously, isn't the only issue with the way the characters were presented this season. Characterisation itself was iffy af, and our first red flag was should have been the fact that everyone thought Rayla was fake.

Rayla, in particular, bothered me. TTM and Dear Callum made it abundantly clear that she was deeply troubled and that she knew leaving would tear Callum's heart out, and she comes back unapologetic? Flirty? Otherwise fine?? What the fuck happened to her many obvious mental health problems? What's happening in her head? Why did she come back empty handed?

The only way I can understand her logic is to assume that she came back because she realised her friends and family were more important to her than Viren. Which is fine! Okay! I'd buy that! BUT THEN SHE GOES AFTER VIREN AGAIN THE SECOND SHE REALIZES HE'S ALIVE?

WHY COME BACK AT ALL THEN? WHAT WAS THE POINT? APPARENTLY JUST TO CAUSE ANGST INSTEAD OF EXPLORING HER MENTAL STATE AND CHARACTER.

And then there's CALLUM, whose reaction to her return isn't cold, isn't angry, it's just. Kind of confused? I can excuse Rayla appearing in his office and then him writing it off in the morning—maybe he thought it was a dream, bc he's had to have dreams like that before—but then she reappears, and she's real, and... That's it? He should be furious at her! He would be right to be! He's, at the very most, confused! And I know what you're gonna say: of course, he's confused! He's happy to see her but he's still mad at her for leaving!

Then SHOW ME. LET HIM BE MAD. LET HIM HAVE MOMENTS OF WEAKNESS WHEN THAT FACADE BREAKS. LET THEM AIR THEIR FUCKING ISSUES.

But they never get to! Every time they get close, they're interrupted by more pointless humour, and this the thing that bothers me right: fine. They don't talk. I can understand that. But those issues can and should present in other ways: emotionally charged magic, tension in every interaction, Callum getting snappy, not just at Rayla but at everyone. Some people have been calling the way he handled that conflict "mature" but maturity involves addressing the problem and managing the resulting emotions, NOT AVOIDING IT COMPLETELY.

And then Rayla sees Viren and tries to leave a second time, and he lets her? This boy? The one who turned against his own morals and used dark magic to help her save a dragon? The one who jumped off a mountain to save her or die trying? The one who was ready to leave at dawn to go on her crazy mission too? He doesn't even offer to go with her?????

That scene was, again, an opportunity to start talking about it and they don't! He just lets her go! And that is so violently against the character traits they established for Callum, who is fiercely loyal to his friends and family, who would has followed Rayla against all odds just to help her and it's just??????

And listen, the problem isn't just with rayllum. Soren comes face to face with his newly revived father and he doesn't get to talk to him? He doesn't get to talk about it at all? Callum is possessed by Aaravos and nobody finds that Concerning enough to talk about? Rayla can't remember Ibis' name one second and then is suddenly SUPER cut up about discovering his body? Claudia tries to convince Soren he's on the wrong side by saying elves will only ever see him as Just Human while she's dating an elf?

There are other things, too, that don't make sense. The conflict between the Sunfire Elves and humans worked really well actually, and was one of the best parts of the season, but Karim presents Miyana with the possibility of a blood duel but then has to tell Miyana what it means, and Miyana is supposed to be one of their best generals. If she doesn't know what a blood duel would mean, neither would anyone else, and if no one understands it's significance, then it's not significant.

It's all so inconsistent, so against everything already established, and I can't understand why they chose to write it like this.

3. Alternatives

It's not even that hard to fix. There were fan theories and metas that were tighter than whatever happened this season, that built on what was already established and extrapolated from it instead of... Whatever happened here. They could even keep some of the decisions they did make just by addressing some of it. If I had to rewrite it, then:

Callum discovers something weird about the mirror, on his own merit, using his own research and knowledge. He takes the information to Zubeia who confirms and provides more information about Aaravos, and the pieces together, along with Ibis' death, provides the impetus for our gang to head into Xadia. Rayla doesn't return.

The kids arrive at the Storm Spire to find Ibis has been murdered and rendezvous with Rayla who has been tracking Claudia, so she at least hasn't spent two years away for nothing. Tensions arise. Callum and Rayla Don't Talk and Callum is noticeably cold to her. Aaravos possesses Callum, spurring Zubeia to send them to Umber Tor to seek help from Rex Igneous. Rayla and Callum agree, grudgingly, to co-operate, their concern for each other obvious in spite of the tension.

The kids arrive at the Great Gates only to find that they have collapsed and there's no way through. They receive guidance from a guardian perhaps in riddle form, and not in shitty banter form, to find the alternative entrance in the Uncharted Forest.

Frustrated, and with tensions rising, the kids (read: rayllum) bicker their way through to forest until their position is given away and they run into the Riders of the Drakewood. Fighting ensues. Callum and Rayla fall back into their old patterns and find that working together isn't so hard after all. You Fight Good scene, resulting in the first tension break since their reunion, however is short lived as Soren is captured. They go after him into the Pit of Despair.

The only way out of the Pit of Despair is through it. Rayllum continue to fight and argue a la 1x07. Their fighting inadvertently shows them the way forward, and they spend the episode relearning how to work together.

They take a break. Callum and Rayla have the beginnings of a talk regarding Aaravos' posession. Rayla shows her concern for him and Callum, angry, brushes her off: if she was so concerned, she never should have left. More arguing. Ezran, frustrated, steps in. Their arguing brings the next set of challenges. They push forward.

They find Soren at the mercy of Rex Igneous, but the scene proceeds as per the show. Rayla, having dealt with Claudia's sleep spell before, has the foresight to find something to keep her awake. She wakes the others and Rex Igneous as per the show before they see Viren. Soren freezes up on the spot but chooses his duty to Ezran. He will deal with his Big Feelings later. Rayla tries to go after him again, only for Callum to stop her. She can't go again, not after all of this. BIG FEELINGS TIME. Rayla chooses, in the end, that her friends and family are more important. She escapes with them. A promise to talk is made.

Anyway. Fix it tdp. Give me back my show.

[viravos-simper]

Aaravos/the merciful one theory

TDP - Aaravos/The merciful one theory

Part 1

We’ve all been asking ourselves the same daunting question, who are they?

They’ve only been seen twice; in the statue with Aaravos, and a leaked image from s6 ep1. Known by the tital ‘the merciful one’, we know nothing about this seemingly important character, who may be a significant part of Aaravos’s backstory. I have some thoughts in which I am here to share.

At this point in time, I'm sure everybody has seen a glimpse of these leaked season 6 images floating around the internet; and everyone can't help but wonder what may be happening in this scene. While there are so many thrilling possibilities to what is amidst, I have crumpled together bits and pieces of engaging ideas and intriguing thoughts to form my theory on who this mysterious person might be. A daughter; specifically Aravos's daughter.

Let's start our story here, with this picture:

In this image, it looks as though Aaravos is pleading with someone. Asking, or perhaps begging them for/to do something. Seeing as though the other person is referred to as 'the merciful one' maybe he's asking them to spare the humans, saving an enter race doomed to be disposed of seems quite merciful.

My reasoning for saying Aaravos's daughter instead of a lover, friend, or possibly another leader, is because of this:

This post does say 'the' elven leader, and not 'an' meaning it could refer to someone such as Aditi. As well as the fact that this passage only refers to this person with the pronouns she/her, while the merciful one is confirmed non-binary and uses they/them. Still, we do not know who the writing was talking of before this part; meaning if they were speaking of Aaravos, the term 'the elven leader' still stands.

So even with new information that might prove this theory false, it still provides some interesting ideas.

------------------------------

Part 2

My friend (@6coco_nut9 on tiktok) originally thought of some of this, luv ya brah <3

If you look at the pictures at the top of the page, you can see that Aaravos is in fact NOT crying in front of the merciful one, as the silhouette in front of him has long hair and tmo has short hair.

If you look closely at the silhouette with Aaravos, you will notice some things:

Similar colors in different lighting

Same ear placement

And the gold accent on their clothing next to the hair (which Aaravos has in the same spot)

This leads me to believe that Aaravos is looking at a reflection of himself (this is where Coco's idea comes in); and that maybe Aaravos is having a flashback to this moment:

He's looking at his reflection in the water when tmo comes into play. This ties into the 'tmo is Aaravos's daughter theory' as maybe he is crying because he is asking for help.

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BONUS THEORY!

(For context, this is Aaravos’s voice actor)

Leola is Aaravos’s mother. Change my mind.

[self-spaghettification]

thinking about the tdp s4 intro constellations map!!!

(if anyone else has already made a post dissecting this, esp the constellations inside the star maps, pls direct me to it bc i am uber interested!!)

sharing my thoughts though, more specifically about the archdragons on the edge:

we have:

sun dragon sol regem, met in season 2 crossing into xadia:

sky/storm dragon avizandum, met in season 3 via flashback:

earth dragon rex igneous, met in season 4 at umber tor:

& ocean dragon domina profundis, to be met in season 5 at this landmark shell beacon thing:

therefore, by process of elimination, there must be another type of archdragon to be met likely in season 6 that’s tied to this location:

this dragon has to be either a moon or star arch dragon, by process of elimination.

if this dragon will be met in a flashback though, it is likely luna tenebris:

(see the resemblance in location?)

otherwise, if it’s to be met in real time with the plot progression by our main dra-gang, it’s still more likely to be a moon archdragon imo.

Why not a star dragon?

“There is currently no evidence of the existence of an Archdragon of the Stars in the world, and their kind is generally as mysterious as any other Star creature.”

- Tales of Xadia

Additionally

“Star Devourer Dragons are notorious for swallowing the magic stored within the core of Stars themselves…Sunfire Elves practice an ancient chant that repels these dragons from approaching Xadia and its sun.

Void Dragons are powerful dragons that inhabit the darkness between Stars. Not much else is known about these dragons.”

- the Dragon Prince Wiki

as these dragons are either far from Xadia or intentionally repelled from it, it is highly unlikely we will ever meet one of these dragons.

However when it comes to Moon dragons?

There’s plenty of possibilities and subclasses/subspecies.

There’s also Luna Tenebris’s “unsuitable heir”, Os Lumina.

Os Lumina is a very rare type of dragon, a Phase Moon dragon, also sometimes known as a “Moon dust” dragon. She is only corporeal and fully tangible when her phase of the moon is occurring. In particular, Os is solid only during the crescent waxing moon—the phase during which she was hatched from an egg—and even then she only has one night to walk, communicate with others, and use her weak wings to fly a short height off the ground.

-Tales of Xadia