#that Aaravos is forcing Callum to come and kill him

[firerose]

Ezran waking up from a thunderstorm and yelling Callums name is a really different scene if you think about the Callum possesion arc...........

[sorinethemastermind]

"And I would say the third arc involves some new characters, some of the characters from the first seven, you know, the ones who survived season seven, but it's an evolution it's a next part of the story." - Aaron Ehasz on TDP Arc Three

Even before this quote I knew S7 would be heartbreaking. He already said that theme is "sacrifice" but I thought we would probably lose someone not someones. So let's break this down. Who is in the most danger?

Callum and Rayla

I think these two are in the most danger, honestly. It pains me to say it, but I think it's true. Not only did Season Six feature heavily around Callum asking Rayla to kill him and, on the other hand, Rayla asking him to sacrifice her if it came to it; we also now know that if Callum uses dark magic again he'll lose himself completely.

All of this leads me to think that either A. Rayla and Callum will be forced to keep their promises or B. they will be forced to break them. Either way, tragedy befalls our beloved Rayllum.

Soren

I have mixed feelings about how much danger Soren is in. On the one hand, he's the kind of person to use himself as a human shield, he's in charge of Ezran's protection, and I don't doubt that he would die for any of our characters or a stranger on the street. He's a true Crownguard. This makes me EXTREMELY worried.

On the other hand, we already had a moment in S6 where he had a chance to sacrifice himself, and they even made us think that he had for a moment. Which makes me think that maybe, because Viren died for his son and his kingdom, Soren will be allowed to live.

Amaya and Janai

I am so worried about our queens, because I think that if we lose one, we're going to lose both. I feel like there's a chance that the pair of them die for the future of Elves and Humanity. Alternatively, they could barely feature in the final season, offering shelter in the background of the story to the people of Katolis so that the Dragang can go off on their adventure without worry for their people back home. But I think that if it's a season where they feature heavily, we stand a good chance of losing them.

Claudia and Terry

Oh there are so many options for these two! I think there are two main possibilities, each with varying chances of survivability.

Option A. is Terry helping Claudia redeem herself. In this version of events, I think that Terry survives, but that there's an equal chance of Claudia sacrificing herself in her redemption and of her surviving.

Option B. is that while Aaravos is defeated in this final season, Claudia is not, and ends up being the final villain in Arc 3. In this universe, I think Terry dies in S7.

Either way, I think that both of them, but especially Claudia, is in grave danger in the coming season.

Ezran

The only character that I truly feel is safe is Ezran. I don't think he will escape this season unscathed, I don't think anyone will. But I think that Ezran represents a bright future and breaking the cycle, and I think for that reason he has to survive to champion that future.

[beautifulterriblequeen]

TDP S6 poster!!!

let's see what we've got in this one! omgomgomg

this won't make a lot of sense, I'm just gushing

First impressions: there is a LOT of magic going on in this poster, and most of it seems to be Moon magic, which Aaravos is casting from his cool book.

There are moon moths everywhere!

Ethari's lotuses are everywhere too!

Some of them are breaking. Some of them have vivid colors coming from them. They could be from the differently colored crystals they all have.

There are also a large number of spirits in the picture!

There's also a red colored spirit, uh oh:

Is this one looking at the white one, do they see each other?

Aaravos has a full moon behind him, and his cube has a blazing moon rune on it. I'm not sure how many other moon themes this poster can hold, are we missing any?

Of interest, there's a thematic similarity to the key art we got of Rayla jumping into the Moon Nexus, where the lower left was dark and creepy with lost spirit arms and the upper right was lighter with the arms of her family reaching for her. In this art, those corners are again the darkest and lightest:

And then there's the man himself. His eyes are glowing bright with magic, he's got his bling on. And it's hard to be certain since we can't see his chest well but it's likely that his star is lit, as it gets when he casts magic.

Okay let's take a quick peek at what is actually happening in this poster. Aaravos is casting magic from the book. It's pouring out of the cool crescent-moon portal thingy there and swirling around.

eta: it's actually connecting the rune cube to the book, but I'm not sure which way the connection is flowing. But he seems to have plugged the cube in, and it is called the Key of Aaravos. Is this book the thing of great power that gets unlocked in Xadia?

And behind him, across the top of the art, you can see something else: a weaving of thick white strands.

What is he actually doing? Is he weaving them, or unweaving them? Is he just releasing three elves from their coins? This looks way more powerful - and destructive - than that. Is he releasing all the spirits ever? Why are there so many spirits in this picture?? Where are they from? Are they also trapped? Were they crossed over? Is he breaking the whole duality of life and death?

Aaravos wouldn't bother casting a measly little spell just to free three elves from coins just because Callum asks him to, not when he could flex stylishly and get something he also wants out of the deal.

Remember when he helped Viren get past Lux Aurea? He didn't have to kill Khessa and poison the Sunforge to help Viren reach Zym. But his method got the caterpillar a burst of primal magic so it could start growing, it stopped the Sunfire forces from retaliating, it gave him some form of payback on Aditi's bloodline, and it stopped the Sunfire elves from being able to use the Sunforge on anyone else corrupted with dark magic. Plus it netted him Pharos and made Viren trust him even more. It was indeed elegant and efficient.

So he's probably doing something on that level again here. Sure, Callum may have given him an opening to help Rayla's family out. But Aaravos will stop when Aaravos decides to stop, and not before. If Callum makes a deal to free three souls that he can't get out of their coins on his own, then Aaravos can definitely work with that.

But he thinks bigger. If Callum wants three souls freed, that's easy enough. But why stop at three? It's so inefficient. Maybe he attacks the Moon Nexus next, and makes it volcano out all the souls it's ever held and looses them on the world in some kind of spirit plague. Job still done, deal met, requirements satisfied. And while the mortals scramble to deal with his mess, he just does whatever he has planned next. All the better that he did something so big that no one can step away from cleaning it up to try to stop him!

Anyway. Art gives me thoughts. Very excited about this poster and its moontastic implications for S6!

[epsilontauri]

so, i just binge watched all seasons of the dragon prince and i have a an idea how the story could develop and it’s all based on the last two episodes:

callum has one empty cursed coin, and one free-running aaravos. and callum absolutely knows how to cast the coin spell, so the main conflict could be about whether or not he should try to trap aaravos in the coin, especially after he finally got his soul healed from dark magic. he would probably hesitate because he promised rayla. he‘ll put it off as last possible resort, even coming up with the solution that when the dark magic overwhelms and, probably, kills him, he could be resurrected with the last of the quasar diamonds. deep down he wants to put his life on the line as a way to deal with his guilt, and blames himself for getting manipulated into switching the pearls.

eventually they venture out to get the staff of ziard back which is needed for the spell, only to realise that the staff needs a new quasar diamond to work (and also that that’s where the third diamond has ended up and who put a fake one into the crown). i hope this won’t happen because the symbolism would be really bleak for me— finally overcoming your past mistakes that caused trouble and pain, just to be forced to repeat them one finale time with your own life on the line (hello beloved parallels with viren).

there is a possibility that aaravos would try to get the last diamond himself to resurrect his daughter, but i think that’s rather unlikely given the fact that he managed to plan ahead enough to hide one diamond in case he‘d needed to get resurrected— if his plan would be to resurrect leola, he would have hidden two of the diamonds.

another possibility would be that claudia breaks free of aaravos after understanding why her father made the choices he had, and follow his example one last time— except that she survives and gets to make amends with everyone. no she can’t be killed, that would break terry‘s heart and if they decide to hurt terry through the narrative i will set netflix on fire.

anyways, i can‘t wait for the next season.

[madou-dilou]

I really hope we get to see Callum go unhinged and war crimes and murder WITHOUT Aaravos's influence because he talks big about darkness but...

"Messed up inside and I mess up everything I touch". Callum, you have done literally nothing wrong ever, you don't deserve the emo Byronic hero lexical field. But do you know who's EARNED the right to say that?

saves his dying son. But has to kill his mentor for it. His beloved wife is horrified, she leaves him, breaking their family.

ends up shifting the blame on the very baby boy he sacrificed everything to save. He became a monster to save Soren and monsters don't make good parents even when they try.

But had he not saved Soren, he would have hated Lissa for preventing him to do so, and the family would have been broken regardless

inadvertently has Claudia taking charge of his and Soren's emotional well-being since he's too much of a workaholic to do so himself

wants to save two realms from starvation. He does. But not only he fails to rescue the two queens of Duren, his friend dies in his arms rescuing him.

His only friend ends up blaming him for everything that ever went wrong before committing suicide. Viren tries to die for him instead but is rejected

He orders his son to kill the princes, Harrow's sons

He orders Claudia to choose to save the dragon egg over Soren if she is forced to choose. Which is understandable, after all Soren chose to be a soldier, and Viren has proven he was ready to do the same

He destroys Lux Aurea simply by walking in

Soren leaves him

He dies a horrifying death. Claudia, his sweet, treasured daughter, goes through unfathomable sufferings to bring him back, to the point that he realises the only good he can do for Claudia, for Soren, for the world, is to leave it. The world is better off without him and he finally knows it

He tries to apologise to Soren but realises it will only harm Soren even further

He commits suicide.

Meanwhile, what has Callum ever done wrong ?

Crushing already dead slugs.

Come on.

[raayllum]

anyway to rattle off the general to specific predictions all in one place

While I could see it going back ways, I think it's likelier for Rayla to be the one seriously injured/stabbed during the possession fight IF Callum's followed the Nova Blade route of increased paranoia in particular

Viren's alive

Corvus and Soren bond and talk about Soren's dynamic with his family

Ezran will be forced to act like a general king, and maybe missing his dad / family

He'll have to deal with Viren coming back in Katolis; so will Soren

Ezran will get more info / do research on the Orphan Queen (and maybe her connection to the cube)

Callum will abide by Aaravos' will both possessed and non-possessed (due to coercion / desperation and love over wanting to protect, save, or help Rayla)

Terry will either follow / find and team up with Viren, or Claudia will come 'crawling' back to use him under Aaravos' guidance

Claudia's gone back to the Katolis to retrieve something from the Orphan Queen's grave (but maybe, if it's the cube, it's not there)

Aanya dies or comes very close to it

During Callum's blind fold free fall, he sees glimpses of his past (hi bio dad!) and potential future (a safe happy life with Ez & Rayla and/or Rayla + a family)

The Sunfire armies on both sides are corrupted by proxy through Pharos (and maybe Sol Regem)

There will at the very least be an attempt to get the Moon fam out (with potentially disastrous consequences) even if it doesn't necessarily work for whatever reason

If the Moon fam gets out, Runaan will encourage Rayla to kill Callum under possession and/or attempt to do herself, leading to Rayla having to fight Runaan and a possessed Callum at the same time

We'll learn some of why there's a 1000+ year time span between Aaravos being banished by the Startouch elves vs him being able to take revenge on them again

After the Frozen Ship burns down, the panic and desperation cause Callum and Rayla to finally fully talk things out and express how much they don't want to lose each other; this will hurt more later

A star dragon ate Aaravos and/or Leola at some point as punishment and then spat them out, creating the Sea of the Castout

Possession plot line also has to a lot to do with identity and Rayla reaffirming his and through it, his name and own autonomy / agency of choice

More Callum-Claudia-Viren, Claudia-Rayla, Runaan-Moon fam-Viren, Ezran-Janai, Ezran-Aanya parallels this season

Soren possibly demanding answers from Viren about what exactly happened and why Lissa really left

If Kpp'Ar gets out (and he's w/ Rayla & Callum), he'll caution Callum away from magic and dark magic in general, and maybe draw some Callum-Viren parallels

If the Moon Fam doesn't get out, the celestial elves may step in to serve as a more antagonist force amid everything

The Nova Blade doesn't work as intended. Either Aaravos was already stabbed with it (because his first name was Laurelion) or he wants to use it for himself to wreck havoc on the other Startouch elves

Due to her connection to the Star arcanum, Stella is able to work around some restraint or obstacle the Celestial elves may create

The leader of the celestial elves might be Aaravos aligned, but Kosmo and Astrid will likely be more helpful / friendly

Leola is Aaravos' sibling (in a cosmic sense at least) or a close loved one. She transformed into or was remembered as a unicorn out of grief/guilt for what she and Aaravos had brought into the world

Viren used star and blood magic (+ dark magic) in order to save Soren

Muhko the mushroom mage managed to heal Zubeia, but it's not that simple - maybe Sol Regem is making a challenge for the archdragon monarchy, and Zubeia has to go deal with it

Rayla's arc is primarily about addressing her tendencies towards sacrifice and when/why to stop, either for her own good (she refuses to sacrifice another thing, i.e. Callum, again) or for his (because it doesn't matter what happens to her, right?)

The unsuitable heir's moonstone collar makes someone who looks into it possibly see their worst fears (Callum's nightmare with Aaravos and Rayla's with Runaan) if not another trial one or both has to undergo (as Callum's nightmare could just be on the way to the Starscraper / not trial related)

Viren fought Kpp'Ar partially over the relic staff and took it as his own after he coined his old mentor

Callum unlocks another arcanum (either Star or Moon) if not the secret of deep magic itself (cube?)

Soren and Claudia fighting each other?? For me??

For one of the episodes in the 6x06-6x08 batch, one will be flashback heavy. My money is on 6x07 The Red Wedding in particular; if it is present day, it has a lot of the Sunfire civil war fallout going as bad as it possibly can

The cube is Aaravos' missing chest piece and/or played a role in channeling deep or primal magic to humans and helped them develop dark magic

Karim becomes king of Lux Aurea and frees Kim'Dael, who peaces out

Seeds of broyals conflict sown on Ezran's side because he's Going Through It and Callum isn't here :(

Multiple Claudia breakdowns

Callum and/or Claudia (or perhaps both of them working together) result in Aaravos' release; my money is personally primarily on Callum. For the latter, I could also see Claudia helping him open up / get access to the Startouch elves again

Callum and Rayla reunite with Ezran and what's left of everyone else at the end of the season, or realize by other means just how much shit has hit the fan if Claudia was the one to release Aaravos

Other characters on the potential chopping block: Opeli, Pharos, Gren, Miyana, Barius, Karim, Kazi

Aaravos will be at his full powers or very very close to it by the end of 6x09, possibly resulting in his chest sigil going right side up again

[colonelpancakes]

Watching The Dragon Prince Season Six Part Six! Moment of Truth. Under the cut as per the usual! This episode will reveal my habit of using more pet names for characters the more distressed I become!

I’d just like to say that every time the intro plays, I experience a few seconds of intense fear as I wait to see if it’s Callum again. They've done it twice now I am fully expecting them to do it again.

Oh dang, that is a beautiful opening shot of the sunrise. Absolutely stunning.

Ohh, Callum honey. I know the feeling, it sucks.

Aww, Raylaaaa. I love her trying to cheer Callum up with the crown, it's so sweet…

Ohh... poor Callum... Yeah, that would be a blow to anyone’s self esteem. Especially when we know from The Frozen Ship that Callum's been struggling with the idea that he had already permanently ruined himself by using dark magic.

(Also again, the voice acting is amazing.)

Oh, you know, that’s a good idea! Since they don’t really need to kill Aaravos they just need to stop him from being freed and the main threats to his status as imprisoned are Claudia finding the pearl or Callum getting possessed. If it’s in the Starscraper being guarded by Celestial Elves, then that’s both problems solved! Claudia doesn’t know where it is and it’d be pretty difficult for a possessed Callum to go get it, especially not before anyone could stop him. Good thinking Rayla!

OH GOD.

...On the one hand that’s really bad and a serious problem but on the other hand that is so fucking funny. The magic prison you've been carrying wrapped in an anti-magic blanket through the freezing cold is a giant M&M. Sorry. There is no good way to deliver the news, huh.

Oh, Callum… The way his voice shakes and he sounds so out of breath like he’s having a panic attack. Poor baby.... 🥺

Oh, Honey…

And of course it makes him feel worse because to him, if it really was Aaravos influencing Callum without him knowing, then it’s confirming that, not only is there the possibility that he could one day become a threat to his friends safety, he actively is a threat to them. And if it was simply an accident, at the very least, there’s something he can do to prevent another accident. If it's an accident, then it's something that he did and something that he can make an effort to not let it happen again in the future. Whereas if it’s Aaravos, there’s nothing he can do. The thing he could have done to prevent Aaravos possessing him is not use dark magic but that ship has sailed. He’d be entirely helpless and it’d be his own fault.

Also, it goes without saying but I’m going to say it anyways: Give Callum’s VA an award, the voice-acting is so good, the franticness, the hyperventilation. It’s so good.

Ooh, I love this style of flashback. I love the way that it’s the same artstyle as the credits and how it makes perfect sense since in-universe, Viren’s writing all this down on a piece of parchment. Also, I think that this is first time we’ve heard Lissa’s name in the actual show! I love how you can already see that Claudia got her hair-texture from Lissa while Soren got his from Viren.

Soren with his little dragon plushy!!!! I'm going to start crying...

Hmm. I know it’s probably just coincidence, but the fact that Soren seemingly had a terminal respiratory disease makes me wonder if maybe he had the same condition as Callum’s father, since Callum said that Damian had “some sort of terrible breathing sickness.”

THE QUOTE FROM HARROW!!!! OUGH! “Claudia and I are still searching for a creative solution." "Call it what it is. Dark magic." vs "I found a creative solution. I suppose I should call it what it is, dark magic." The growth.

Oh?? I’ve always been curious what it is about the staff that enhances dark magic since it doesn’t come from a specific primal source. Usually, it comes from taking the life force of living things, but how does a staff help with that? Hmm…

Okay, I’ve questioned this before but. What is up with Kpp’Ar’s arm? It’s clearly injured… Is he using his own blood for spells? It feels like such a random detail to add without explanation. I wonder if we’ll find out...

Ah, so Harrow isn’t king yet. Interesting… I guess that makes sense since Kpp’Ar doesn’t appear in any of the Magma Titan flashbacks.

I think I remember Kpp’Ar having given up dark magic from The Puzzle House (please forgive me if I'm wrong my memory is shit), but I wonder what could have happened to make him veer away from dark magic and the staff to the point where he won’t consider using them to save a child… The royal family doesn’t have Aaravos’s mirror yet so I don’t think it could be that. I am so curious about this man...

KPP’AR MAN, COME ON! I get that you’ve seen some things but you could at the bare minimum be a LITTLE more tactful than that! If there’s some reason that the staff can’t be used, you could, I don’t know, EXPLAIN IT to Viren? Instead of just leaving him sobbing in the room with no explanation as to why you are letting his son die? ...I see where Viren gets it from.

Sksfjalkjslkf  I forgot about the monochrome so when the scene switched back to the Starscraper I was like wait what the hell is happening?

Kosmo, man, I’m not sure this is helping, but also, Callum petting Sneezles for emotional support… I love themm…

Callum, honey… Ough... I am going to cry I love Callum so much. Sweetie…

Ssakljfsalkfj Rayla trying gently elbow Kosmo away from Callum.

Callum, honey, sweetie, darling, sweetheart, love… The fact that he’s just utterly given up on himself and on his ability to continue. That he thinks he’s just too far gone, that there’s nothing left so there’s no point in even trying… Ough. And the implications of refusing to get rid of Aaravos’s control considering the fact that he made Rayla promise to kill him if he ever got controlled again and she did. Oh, honey… Callum’s arc this season is repeatedly punching me directly in the stomach.

Plus the voice acting, again. The way he sounds so dead and empty and almost apathetic, like it’s already over, like there’s just no point to anything anymore. AHG.

Once a dumb sibling always a dumb sibling.

“Truth is everything. But before you give it to another, ask yourself, are you giving them clarity, light, and purpose? Or are you shifting a burden to someone who needs all their strength?” I really like Astrid and I like how they're not going the "lying is always bad, telling the truth is always good in every situation no matter the context" route and instead acknowledging that it requires more nuance! Also, I love how Astrid is animated here, her body language is very expressive and fun.

OH? Oh that explains why it was monotone I had been thinking that it was just like, a sudden style change to portray the emotions or something skjfaslkj. That make a lot more sense.

Also, I like the clarification of how the future-sight works! It seems kind of like Clearsight’s ability in Wings of Fire where she can see all of the possible futures that diverge from her decision. Kosmo can see the possibilities that arise from his decision of whether to tell the truth or not and then pick the best option once he’s seen the diverging paths. It’s probably my favorite form of “prophetic” ability and I especially appreciate it being used here since it lets Timeblind elves like Kosmo exist while still holding true to the themes in the show about the nonexistence of destiny and how the choices you make impact the future.

Okay, I still feel like being Timeblind would suck. I can only imagine Kosmo feeling super awkward repeating what he said in the vision and like. I don’t know but I feel like it’d be creepy to have the people around you constantly parrot what you’ve already heard them say like they’re reading from scripts and you know what they’re about to say and the exact tone they’ll say it in a second before the words come out of their mouths. That would entirely creep me out.

Self confidence restored!!

Continued in reblogs, curse the tumblr image limit

[veronica--blog]

There's going to be a huge post here about my complaints about magic in TDP and why I find it horribly inconsistent....

1. Arcania, as I've realized for myself, is the concise essence of magic. Its foundation. Whereas in the case of the ocean it is something metaphorical, in the case of the sky it is something physical. Why?

Well, let's accept the fact that the arcana of sky = contain air. Why then do the arcana of water ≠ we also have "water" flowing through us? Too hard to relate something to other elements? Then create metaphors all over the place.

2. How did Aaravos create something that doesn't work according to general laws? Ok, you have sources of magic, you need to conceptualize them in order to use them. Why isn't there such a thing with dark magic?

There's nothing stopping you from leaving out the "drug" connotation, just make it work according to the laws you've created. If the source of DM is the life force, then Arcania is the meaning of life.

Why then is DM harmful, you ask? Because not everyone is able to realize that the meaning of life is an illusion we create with our desires. Or take a step: arcania DM=life has no value. Or let it be something like "life has no meaning at all, it's just an illusion", and then it will become clear why mages are so crazy about it.

3. Why were the elves so panicked about DM? Is she scary? Well, humans are scared of her too, but they're more scared of you. Is she dangerous? Well, without her, you're dangerous to humans. What is the point of this hysteria anyway?

If a person can get magic by realizing its essence, well, give them the opportunity to achieve it themselves. You're born with it, and people aren't all prodigies. You're still on the plus side! Ah, yes, xenophobia. And after that, Viren has a sensitive ego? Ridiculous

(I note in advance that I am willing to admit the inappropriateness of this statement in the context of elves as a species, for humans manage to hate members of their own species as well. Let's refer this to the Star Council).

4. How the hell did Viren fail to comprehend ANY of the arcanum? If it's all about understanding the higher meaning, then couldn't the experience of previous generations and his own research help him with that?

According to the available canon, he may well have been a user of a lunar or celestial source. Oh, and Claudia isn't stupid if you don't like a character that advances the plot that much. And since elves are so set on monopolizing.... Are you saying they actually kill everyone who has mastered magic? Is that why there is so little information? That's why Callum is the only one - was he just lucky enough to fall under the patronage of the archdragons around the time he mastered magic? Or is the problem with the DM?

Then perhaps you could show that? Why, if the DM interferes with arcane knowledge, does Callum have no problem with sorcery? Is he just that special? Sarai had an elf in his lineage and that asshole passed enough on to him?

Speaking of Sarai's lineage.

5. How many seasons have to come out before we get an answer to the question about Ezran's ability to understand animals?

6. Okay, what if there's something beyond our elements? Some unfathomable higher magic, the very essence of it, and that's what helped Ezran, that's what helps Callum, then.... doesn't it all make sense? Why these arcanums then, why this division? Why can't an elf of one species understand the arcanum of another at least on a basic level?

Perhaps in the future I will continue this story, supplementing it with questions and reasoning. For now... for now, I just want to express my opinion.

[dragon-prince-6-3]

Dragon prince season 6 question

Spoiler !!!!

Is viren death ?

Because if so why did aaravos plan his resurrection. Claudia had the cristal ( could have gotten it ) years ago. Everything else was easy to optain. So why go to all this trouble to just end back where he started. With viren death and claudia listening to him. I mean aaravos tecnically killed viren himself. He was controlling the dragon so why spent years resurrecting a guy you dont need and just kill again.

I mean he even created a child for this purpose of bringing viren back and now it was all for nothing ? ( creating sir sparklepuff and Killing him has no other function besides for viren plot. And now episode 1 is irrelevant by episode 8 )

Even if viren redeemed himself he still never spoke to ezran or callum. Nor did soren truelly forgive or talked things out with him. This was a good first step. But the relationship can grow more. He didnt even have a long Talk with claudia. He just left her.

So could have the Ritual done something else to viren. Was the glowing hearth rune part of the fire protection spell or was it an indication that the Ritual protected viren from the spell.

Because if viren is just death again. We start back where we were at the end of season 3. Which makes in universe no sense that aaravos didnt plan better than this, nor outside universe because than two season of grows for viren where filler.

Viren spent season 4 with fart jokes and walking. Season 5 in a coma and now season 6 in a prison with a one sided Conversation with soren. The most impactful thing he did was his death. When rayla comes back they can go "oh yeah we had viren in our dungeon but now he is death again so the years you spent looking for him where poinless and you never have to talk to the guy who imprisoned all your parents and you killed."

There even was an indication that viren and aaravos are connected. And that the spider cames back for him. Aaravos did attack the humans and while there is a possibility that he did it because he hates katalis or he just wanted the dragon dead. He never shown hate towards humans except our Main Crew who were all not there. The dragon could have died on the battlefield if he really did this just for its death. So i thought he did this to get viren or make him use dark magic again.

Even more the fact that viren did dark magic again after he felt finally free should not just end quickly. Let him traid sorens recuest for his actuall freedom. His last words were even i am a servant. Maybe he comes back and is now bound to aaravos as his servant because of this Action.

Lastly callum is out as a vessel for now. Claudia is on a redemption arc and reminds aaravos to much of his own daughter to hurt her or let her do something which could kill her. Terry wouldnt let her do Something to evil and with virens showings this season he is defently more powerful than an injuried claudia. viren is the only Option he has if he still want to control a dark mage without Feeling guilt. There are even alike which is why aaravos could have liked viren so much. So maybe he wants his friend back. The one who gone throw the same as he did. Who let revenge guide him and he can share his victury with. A second chance where he sees himself in viren and his daughter in claudia and this time nothing is seperating them as they get their revenge.

There is still no explanation why aaravos did the bug thing with viren. What the new Ritual actually does. What aaravos did during the season 3 finale to viren and what his plan was for him.

My theorie

Viren is not really dead. Just his body. Like aaravos. He will just come back again and again with the reviel beeing that aaravos turned him into something close to himself. The dragon attack was to force viren into dark magic because he refused to do this even after the Ritual and this act somehow activates what aaravos actually wanted to acomplish with viren. I mean he only stopped the attack once viren used dark magic and was hit with fire. He even smiled about it. He can performe magic and sees that everyone is fire proof ( not claw proof ) so he should know viren would not die by fire. Aaravos even helped with the same spell before. That viren used his own hearth instead of someone elses is not something he could know. So i conclude he know viren was there and this would get him to do dark magic again. The second part the power should have come from the dragon. So eather viren figures it out and this helps the gang find a conclusion of how to kill aaravos by experimenting on viren. Or viren empahtys with aaravos and he can watch over aaravos for eternity. Viren redemption is for him to be locked up with aaravos and teach him the same lesson he did learn. Otherwise i dont now how to deafed aaravos if killing is unheard of and just locking him up without a way to get him to forgive, is not a solution.

Also i really liked aaravos and viren interactions and with what we learned this two should talk again. Especially about their death child. Which by the way wtf aaravos. You cant have a backstory of how you loved your child only to turn around and raise the other for slaughter. Eather sir sparklepuff was never his child and only his power. Or he truelly lost it now and the backstory was only to get Claudia trust and will not efect the story further other with reason for revenge. Meaning we get a sympathic villain in his reason for revenge but no good Plans for the future only destruction and no redemption. This could work as well i am just curious if aaravos could plan something partly good, like bringing back his daughter or is he so far gone in his vengance that there is nothing left.

Please anwer. What you guys think.

Is viren dead. Makes it sense for a Comeback. Is aaravos only out for revenge or has he another motiv. What were his plans for viren.

[jedi-lothwolf]

Whumptober Day 6: Mind Control/Forced to Hurt Someone Else

Fandom: The Dragon Prince

Warning: Violents

Summary: Callum gets possessed by Aarovose on the worst day, his aunt's wedding.

  Callum knew there was a reason he told Rayla to kill him if Aaravos took control of him again. He knew that if it were to happen, someone would get hurt. So it should be him.

    He thought he would be safe at his aunt's wedding. It was a beautiful outdoor venue and the weather was perfect. Callum was so happy for Amaya and he was so excited to see her happy. The day was supposed to be one of the happiest days of her life.

    Ezren and Zym spread flowers down the aisle. Rayla sat next to Callum. "I'm sorry I'm late" she whispered.

    "It's okay" he responded. He pulled a tiny hand held mirror out of his pocket so that she should finish her hair.

    "You're the best." She tied two braids together and put them in a bun. She gave his a thumbs up when she was done.

    Katolis's wedding march started to play. Soren had learned to play piano while Corvus played the Violin. They sounded good together.

    Amaya appeared in the doorway and everyone stood. Gren walked with her. He was so excited when she asked him to walk her down the aisle. Her dress was white with blue accents. It was long but not overly flowy. She had a crimson orchard in her hair.

    Ezren was sitting with Callum and Rayla now. Zym was by the king and so was Bait. Amaya got to the altar and smiled. She looked so excited.

    As a Janai appeared a Xadian wedding march was played, orchestrated by a few of her friends. Her dress was in traditional sunfire elf tradition, consisting of mostly reds and oranges. It was floor length and had a black flower lace.

    She arrived at the altar, smiling. Gren already looked like he was going to cry. The ceremony started. Rayla awkwardly handed the hand held mirror back to Callum as the vows finished.

    He took the mirror, face up and looked down at it so he could put it in his pocket. He didn't trust himself not to drop it while trying to put it away.

    A familiar face appeared in the mirror and Callum tried to shove it away. The Startouch elf just had to make his presence known.

    "Does anyone object to this marriage?" The priest asked.

    "I do." Callum could think straight anymore. He watched his body stand and watched the horror on his aunt Amaya's face as she watched him be the only person to object.

    It wasn't Callum's voice that spoke, just his mouth. But how could she know that? Rayla stood quickly, as did Ezren. Soren jumped out of his seat. Corvus, confused, stood with him.

    "Aaravos" Rayla grimaced.

    Amaya looked at her wife then at Gren. 'What's going on?' She signed. 

    "I don't think that's Callum." Gren looked back at the scene in front of them.

    Callum's body moved from where it stood and into the aisle. He smiled as he raised a hand up to fight. "Fulminis." Aaravos detected the attack at the altar.

    As lightning shot from his fingers, Amaya grabbed Janai and got them both out of the way. Gren moved off to the side and went to make sure that both brides were alright.

    Callum couldn't stop himself from being used as a tool for the awful man. He tried as hard as he could. It felt so surreal. He was conscious of everything that he was doing but couldn't stop it. He could do nothing but watch as his body and his magic tore apart the people he loved.

    All he could do was try to fight and hope Rayla remembered what they talked about. The mage knew he would rather die right here, right now, then be a danger to the people he loved.

    "Callum!" Ezren yelled, "come on, fight it! You can beat him!"

    Aaravos pulled the puppet strings. He brought Callum's body closer to his brother and grabbed him by the neck. He pulled him up and threw him to the ground. The little boy staggered standing up.

    'No' Callum thought. 'This can't be  happening.'

    Soren grabbed his sword from his side and drew it. He hated the thought that he may have to hurt Callum but he knew that if it came down to it, he'd rather it be that way.

    Everyone was confused. "What's happening to him?" Gren translated for Amaya.

    "He's possessed!" Rayla answered.

    "By?!" Janai asked as she went to grab her and Amaya's swords. Two had been made; a sunforge blade for Amaya and a blade carefully crafted by the king's most trusted swordsmiths. Gren started to help people get away from the venue. It was the best thing he could do since he carried no weapon.

    "Aaravos! He's a Startouch elf!" Janai's blood ran cold. She already knew what it was like to lose people to him, she didn't want Amaya to as well.

    "Callum!" Callum could hear Soren call out for him but he couldn't answer. He tried but all it seemed he could do was try. Was it ever going to be enough? Trying?

    Soren handed Corvus his sword quickly. He tried to run up to Callum but Rayla stopped him. "Whatever you're going to do, don't."

    He pulled away from her anyway and went up to Aaravos. Curious, the Startouch elf let it slide. Soren grabbed the shoulders of the boy and looked into his eyes. "You're one of the strongest people I've ever met, if anyone can stop him it's you, Callum. I believe in yo-" Aaravos had heard enough.

    He grabbed Soren's neck harshly. "It's sweet, what you're trying to do" he chuckled. "It's too bad really, you won't survive long enough to see if it works."

    From behind Amaya grabbed Callum and tried to pull him off of the knight. At the same time Rayla pulled Soren away. Scratches were left on the man's neck.

    No one wanted to hurt Callum. It felt wrong, not going to fight the threat but the threat was, well in Callum's body. At the moment all they wanted was to get him free of Aaravos's control. They knew he was hurting.

    The elf struggled against Amaya. He kicked at her and scratched her. His heal cought part of her dress and the end ripped some. Swinging his leg around the general's he tripped her. It took them both down but from there he got away from her.

    Angry at her for stopping him from killing the useless golden boy, he stomped on her knee. "Let's see if that slows you down." Janai came over to her. She raised her sword towards Aaravos, wishing that hurting him didn't mean hurting Callum.

    She struck quickly. Aaravos moved back, only taking a slash to the arm. He chuckled, "Fulminis." The lightning course through her body and she fell to the ground. Amaya checked on Janai and as he went to kill the two Corvus stepped in.

    Aaravos walked to Corvus. The tracker held Soren's sword tight, frightened by the thought of what he may have to do.

    "I'll take that." The elf went to kick Corvus but he moved. He attempted to fight him, to grab the sword so he could do some real damage; but the man was able to keep it away from him.

    So when Rayla came up behind him, he decided that her weapon was good enough. She didn't expect him to grab it out of her hands.

    Callum always had a pretty smile. Today, it was creepy, almost crazy. He took the knife and faced Corvus again. He stabbed him in the side.

    Corvus cried out in pain. As the knife was pulled from his body he fell to the ground. Soren, who had been informing Gren of what was going on, rushed to his side. "It's alright, it's okay" he whispered.

    The tears falling from Callum's eyes became more frequent. He had to stop him. Corvus was important to him, he couldn't just let Aaravos kill him. He had to do something.

    Soren's words hurt. He knew the two were close but it only hit him now just how close they were. The knight had pulled him into his lap. He ran his hands over his head and tried to keep him calm. His other hand put pressure on the wound.

    Rayla grabbed Callum. She pulled him away from the two and got ready to fight. Aaravos didn't mind having to wait. He attacked Rayla, paying no attention to the danger that his vessel might be in. He pushed her away and slammed him foot into her stomach. She cried out and slipped on a flower.

    Bait tried to reach Callum. He approached him and shown a bright yellow. Aaravos kicked him off to the side.

    Ezren ran up to Bait. He was joined by Zym. He made sure he was okay. As Aaravos walked towards Rayla, he stepeed in. He looked fearless as he stood in front of his brother's body.  "Callum! I know you're there!"

    He held Rayla 's knife and stepped closer to Ezren. As his arm rose to take the boy's life, Callum collapsed. His brother caught him and placed him on the ground.

    He had finally broken free of Aaravos's control. After what felt like an eternity he sat up and looked around. Corvus had been stabbed, Janai shocked, Amaya had a broken leg, Ezren looked like he was in pain, Bait was still laying on the ground, Soren's neck looked awful, and Rayla was just now getting up. What had he done?

    The king opened his arms, inviting Callum to hug him. The mage leaned into his brother and started crying harder then before. He apologized over and over and Ezren kept trying to tell him it wasn't his fault

    Gren returned with a doctor. He looked at the sight in front of him. "Oh boy" he whispered. At least no one was dead.

    This would be a wedding to remember.

[kilfeur]

Avant je pensais que le sort d'Infantis Sanguine était de la magie noire mais apparemment ça fait partie de la magie profonde. Et je me dis que le sort de possession pour Callum est peut être de la magie profonde bien que je pense que ça peut provenir de la magie des étoiles. Vu que le seul sort qu'on apprend de cette magie, c'est qu'elle peut réunir l'esprit et un corps séparé. Donc je vois une similitude entre ces deux sorts. Ce que je remarque c'est que la magie profonde et la magie noire peuvent être semblables sur certains points. Déjà la première chose qu'on remarque avec Infantis Sanguine c'est qu'il requiert des ingrédients tout comme la magie noire. Pour Infantis Sanguine, l'ingrédient est Monsieur Bavetout et l'exécution du sort passait par l'acte de le tuer ! Mais comme je l'avais dit dans un précédent post, ce n'était qu'une étape du sort pour pouvoir le réaliser.

Du coup ça me fait penser qu'Aaravos a donné la magie noire en guise de "cadeau" pour l'humanité. Bien qu'on se rend compte que ceux qui l'utilisent sont vulnérable à sa possession ! Mais il a dû créer cette magie noire non ? Elle doit venir de quelque part ? Est ce que la magie noire puise ses origines à travers la magie profonde ? Est ce qu'Aaravos comptait utiliser l'humanité comme une expérience grâce à la magie noire ? En pensant que peut être les mages noires pourront toucher cette fameuse magie profonde à force de l'utiliser ? Puisqu'il voulait que Viren exécute le sort d'Infantis Sanguine avant que celui ne refuse. Et vu que Viren a échoué c'est pas grave ! Après tout il y a un autre cobaye dont il peut se servir pour atteindre cette magie profonde !

Callum t'es tellement dans la merde, si c'est vrai !

I used to think that the Infantis Sanguine spell was part of dark magic but apparently it's part of deep magic. And I'm thinking that the possession spell for Callum might be deep magic, although I think it might come from star magic. Given that the only spell we learn from this magic is that it can unite the mind and a separate body. So I see a similarity between these two spells. What I notice is that deep magic and dark magic are similar on certain points. The first thing you notice with Infantis Sanguine is that it requires ingredients, just like dark magic. For Infantis Sanguine, the ingredient is Sir Sparklepuff, and the spell's execution requires the act of killing him! But as I said in a previous post, this was only one step in the spell's execution.

It makes me think that Aaravos gave dark magic as a "gift" to mankind. Although we realize that those who use it are vulnerable to its possession! But he had to create this dark magic, didn't he? It must have come from somewhere? Does dark magic have its origins in deep magic? Did Aaravos intend to use humanity as an experiment in dark magic? Thinking that maybe the dark mages would be able to touch this famous deep magic by using it so much? Since he wanted Viren to perform the Infantis Sanguine spell before he refused. And since Viren failed, it doesn't matter! After all, there's another guinea pig he can use to reach that deep magic!

Callum, you're in so much trouble, if it's true!

[httyddragonfox]

The horror of Callum's Possession

Sorry this is so late, but I just started this account earlier this year. Anyways, I was imagining what it would be to be in the shoes of fictional characters. Specifically characters who go through hell, (is it me being a masochist or empathetic [shrug]). Thinking about what Callum must've gone through in his possession scene...

Callum only just learned who Aaravos really is, only briefly hearing about him before in his step-father's letter to him. Soren warned him that the mirror can change people, like his father. If I was Callum I would not be too worried, I mean 'I connected to the sky primal even though people said I couldn't.' He probably thought he'd be fine, worried about the evil coming, but fine otherwise.

The group decides to check on Aaravos and see if he's still trapped, or if he's planning anything. Callum is nervous in the scene, as this is a great evil they're looking in on, but otherwise thinks they'll probably be fine. 'Aaravos is in there, we're out here.'

With a single gesture, Callum starts choking in pain. If I were Callum, I'd be scared for my life here. 'So Aaravos is actually dangerous, and he's attacking me!' Suddenly, Callum loses consciousness, then becomes blank as Aaravos lifts him up like a puppet. He then takes over his consciousness. According to Callum, he was aware of everything happening.

I imagine if someone else was to override you like that, your body would feel numb, like it was asleep. I've been briefly hacked before, the mouse moving on it's own. It was so scary I shut the computer down. Imagine your body moving against your own commands. Your own body is the only place you can feel safe, because you know your thoughts and your actions are your own. Callum is all about his own agency, he connected to the sky primal! Getting his agency removed like that would be terrifying!

He'd forced to be a mouthpiece for Aaravos, in other terms...Has anyone read or seen Lord of the Rings? The Mouth of Sauron anyone?! Him acting as a mouthpiece is already an act of claiming him as his agent.

As his mouth, he's forced to insult the Dragon Queen, his brother, his old flame, and his new friend Soren. They'd argue of course it wasn't him, but he probably wouldn't see it that way. Not to mention, this great evil took him over easily despite the vast difference of space. Callum would probably be scared out of his mind that when he walked toward his friends he'd be forced to hurt them, physically. If I were him, I'd be screaming in my head, 'Get away from them! Don't hurt them!' I'd be doing this repetitively.

Then there's Aaravos' final claim, that he actually likes Callum, and because he's tainted by darkness Callum will one day 'Play into his hands,' which means 'Do what I wish of him' which basically means 'He'll be mine.' He's then forced to bow. These lines, and this act, Ultra Terrifying. They're right now planning to go against him, Ibis is dead because of him, many have suffered because of him, he's proven he's no friend of Callum's friends, and basically said "You'll be joining my side one day, Callum." Also, the tainted by darkness thing, he'd be kicking himself for that act of dark magic three years ago enabling Aaravos like this.

In that moment, you feel like any agency you have is gone. I'd be constantly wondering if I'm playing into his hands with everything I'm doing, even if I'm going against him. I'd try to keep it together, but left alone with my own thoughts I'd be falling apart inside. No wonder he asked Rayla to kill him if things went bad. I haven't seen Season 5 yet but I hope things improve for the better. Callum needs a break.

At the same time I'm a bit of a sadist being a writer, so if they do make him suffer, I'm wondering how they'll do it.

[theredhairedmonkey]

Any thoughts on the theory that Karim might unleash Aaravos? Some people have pointed out that his and Janai's conversation about freeing Kim seems to foreshadow him freeing Aaravos.

Maybe? Possibly?

I could see Karim learning about the prison through Pharos-possessing Aaravos, which would be a great way of tying in not just the Sunfire plot to the rest of the story, but explain why the guy that Karim runs into--which sets him on the path to wage war against his sister--is the same Sunfire elf that Aaravos took over in s3. And on top of that, Karim would be willing to free Aaravos (he was willing to free Kim, for instance).

I don't have a good rationale for why this couldn't happen, but I still do think that the scenario laid out in s4 (Callum being taken over and forced to do awful things and Rayla being unwilling to kill him if that happens) is the most likely means for Aaravos to be freed. Either that or Claudia, who is not one to give up, will come in and free him herself. It just seems like it has to be one of these two scenarios since these are the most foreshadowed ones (no, not Callum willingly dooming the world for his friends since nothing seems to suggest he'd be willing to do that).

[convenient-plot-device]

My unorganized thoughts after finishing The Dragon Prince season 5

Finished binging the season!!! I loved it. It dragged in places and that stupid fucking lemur thing is still the bane of my existence but I loved the character development and plot beats! I also loved seeing more of Terry. He has something deeply wrong with him <3. Also liked Viren completing his redemption arc, though I would have preferred the resurrection spell actually require Claudia to sacrifice herself or at least like sacrifice a limb or something to truly complete Viren's arc. He has no attachment to that fuckin homunculus thing, and his reasoning for not killing it being that "Dark magic led Claudia down a dangerous path, I'm not doing any more dark magic" is a little weak. I do appreciate that the way they did it gave us a whole scene of Aaravos talking about "our child" with Viren, peak evil gay, but it did a disservice to Viren's redemption arc. I get that it was kinda the only way, since Aaravos knows Viren would never hurt one of his actual kids at this point in his arc, but still. I also am really interested in how Zubeia being corrupted goes, how Claudia losing her leg goes, and what's up with that magic pearl. Is that really Aaravos's prison? Or is that the key to his prison? Loved Callum struggling with what he's willing to do under pressure to save those he loves, and how that's contrasted with Claudia, who's kind of a dark mirror for who he could become if he can't learn to let go of those he loves. Loved the reveal that he used dark magic to save Rayla in the Sea Legs episode. Also just really liked Finnegrin, he's a great character and I love his design. Love a ruthless evil pirate who wants revenge on the Archdragon of the Ocean for killing his beloved hermit crab, who keeps pet hermit crabs all over his office, and who has a neckline low enough to kill god. I also love Elmer! What the fuck is his deal though. Are there just plant trolls in Xadia now? Not opposed, just wanna know.

I also really loved Soren this season! I like how his kindness and unwavering faith in others is his greatest strength. Very sweet. That man is the One True Himbo. Dumb, strong, and most importantly, kind. Fucking LOVED seeing Tidebound elves this season. I've wanted to see ocean elves since season one! Fuck yeah! Janai and Amaya are so cute together. Same with Terry and Claudia, love a good fucked up couple. He's just like "I can fix her" and she's just like "No you can't but you CAN join me in my insanity." Callum and Rayla go back and forth for me; sometimes they're really sweet, but sometimes they seem almost forced and I'm just like... can't they be BFFs? Or in a QPR? I feel like it would fit better than a romance TBH. I also love how Villads was 1000% willing to get his hand chopped off for a few kids he met once three years ago. My kind of dude. Fuck that General lady, also. Like, how is Karim worth betraying your entire people and possibly ruining the future of your whole society?? Does he kiss you on the forehead sometimes? Please get better judgment you are literally a judge on the High Court. Also what is up with the Sunfire high priest? He's clearly hiding what's most likely a corrupted wound but why? And why side with Karim? I loved Kim'dael. Love an emo vampire lady with sapphic energy who could kill a man with her fingernails (literally). I like how she isn't strictly evil and has a clear goal that she acts toward with logic. She wants to be freed from her mercy debt so she can drink the blood of anyone she wants, and she acts with logic toward that goal. I still CANNOT wait for them to finally free Runaan from the coin. Honestly Rayla's parents come second for me because we just don't know them as people. But like. I wanna see the cut to Ethari standing over the pool and seeing Runaan's life lily rise to the surface again. I will cry and that is a promise.

Also, that bit where Janai has a nightmare where Aaravos tells her that her great-grandmother's fate was that Aaravos "swallowed her"??? Why are half the lines out of Aaravos's mouth innuendos. Is it the VA's voice? Does it just compel people to write his characters like that? Or is Aaravos just Like That as a person.

I mean like. Aarvos also flirts needlessly with Viren every chance he gets. Not even for manipulation because Viren is not into him, he's just incapable of not acting like that. Viren is definitely gay though. Like definitely. Even my cishet brother could tell in that scene where Viren is having a dark magic-induced fever dream about Harrow. Like oh you *liked him* liked him. Sure had a funny way of showing it, Mr. Kill The Princes. Anyway. Yeah that's my thoughts on The Dragon Prince season 5! Cannot wait for seasons six and seven, I'm sure they will be so cool.

[mnemonicpneumaticknife]

I've had some thoughts about The Dragon Prince, specifically about dark magic and its origins.

Originally I planned on going through it again (again) to look more closely at each use of dark magic, but that didn't happen. I'll probably watch S1-4 again when S5 comes out.

So first, we don't really get told what dark magic is, just what it does (magic, corrupts people that use it) and where the power comes from (living things).

I have a theory that it wasn't always a corrupting, life sucking force. And also that Aaravos was imprisoned with dark magic.

We're told Aaravos had mastered all the primal magics. We see humans (mostly Callum) use primal magic from other sources, such as primal stones or certain gemstones. So even among mages with access to one primal source, they've had ways to access other forms of magic for a long time. You'd think there would be a way to combine them... but there isn't. Not one anyone but dark mages use.

We haven't seen the dark magic nexus, if such a thing exists. I think it does, and, like the sun nexus, it's been corrupted by Aaravos. That he was able to corrupt the sun nexus so easily suggests he's already familiar with corrupting a nexus.

So my thoughts are, that dark magic wasn't always about sucking the life out of things. That it was once used to combine different forms of magic (and still is). Consuming another living being isn't necessarily bad. Some of the magical things we see are plants. Some of the dark magic reagents we see don't necessarily have to come from a creature that's been killed (or killed just for magic). Taking more than the land can sustain is a choice. However, the level of corruption a dark mage experiences doesn't seem to correlate to where the magic came from.

The corruption seems most evident when a dark mage is doing something they're not familiar with or when deeply emotionally invested in what they're doing. Callum doesn't know what he's doing and is attempting to do the right thing when he does one dark magic, and it puts him in a coma while leaving lasting corruption. The visible progression of Claudia's corruption happens when she's trying to heal/resurrect her family members. We see Viren's corruption become visible when he exerts himself. I'm only familiar with the show, but the wiki says the reason (from the novelization) Lissa and Viren split up is she resented and feared Viren after he used dark magic to heal Soren. Seems like something pretty bad would have to happen to make her feel that way if it saved her son's life.

Then, when Aaravos uses Callum like a puppet, he knows all of Callum's deepest insecurities and how to manipulate him. If Aaravos is the source of the corruption, it would make sense that the more invested someone is in what they're using dark magic for, they'd give Aaravos more insight into their mind (and thus more corruption).

That brings me to the sun nexus, and why Aaravos corrupted it. While it did advance Viren's goals, I think that was secondary. Aaravos was very pleased with himself, and he knew the sun nexus was how corruption was purged from mages.

Now, eliminating a way (or the only way) to purge corruption would be very helpful to Aaravos but I think it goes beyond that. I think the sun nexus was an important part of how he was imprisoned in the first place. Specifically, it was the thing that kept him from getting out.

The level of secrecy taken about Aaravos's prison seems unnecessary. Especially when they had the key and could have disposed of it. Unless the people imprisoning him had good reason to hide the prison from themselves. For example, if they had to combine magics, and the only way to do that was dark magic.

If everyone (or just some/one person) involved in imprisoning Aaravos had to be corrupted, either as part of the ritual or to lure Aaravos into a false sense of security, then it makes sense they would take every precaution to avoid him learning how to escape before they could go to the sun nexus and be purged of corruption.

That would explain why not only does no one know where Aaravos's prison is, the key was also just sitting around in a box and not, say, destroyed or, if that's not possible, buried under a magma flow. Nobody knew, because if anyone knew, Aaravos would know. Centuries later, there's just a bunch of rumours. Even the key itself seems like an unimportant trinket (to Rayla). (King Harrow might have known more than he said in his letter to Callum. It's not like he'd have spelled it out if there was a chance of Viren getting ahold of the letter)

This also means if/when he escapes, he can't be imprisoned again the same way, not until a new uncorrupted sun nexus matures. Even if every precaution is taken (again) he'll know enough and have enough corrupted people to get out long before corruption can be removed.

[raayllum]

Something I’ve been noticing a lot in my current rewatch is how Rayla and Soren are foils…Soren being the failed crownguard (“failed” in large part bc of his father’s choices) who ends up on a quest to kill his little king… Rayla trying to make up for her parents’ failures as dragonguards and going every extra mile to protect Zym but taking Ezran under her protection as well (sometimes FROM Soren)…, Soren runs Viren through for trying to kill Ez but he’s just an illusion, the real Viren is trying to kill Zym, and Rayla is prepared to die to stop that…then Rayla goes but Soren stays, and when she comes back he’s taken up her role as the moral center of the show, arguing points that she used to make

I tried to see if you’d written anything about these two being foils specifically but tumblr search is… you know lol. I would love it if you could point me to a relevant meta if there is one! If there isn’t, I hope my thoughts were interesting lol they make me emotional

Y'know funnily enough I don't think there ever was a dedicated Soren&Rayla from almost anyone (of course I could've missed it, but at least not from me) precisely cause from what I remember of early post-s3 arc 1 days, their foil relationship was just... a general fandom consensus of everyone going "Oh yeah that checks out" and kinda left at that.

After all, Soren is the princes' sworn protector who tries to kill them, makes his way back onto the right side, and then 'kills' Viren (his father) in order to protect them... whereas Rayla is their sworn killer who defects from her father in order to protect those same princes, and then she actually kills Viren (if Aaravos and Claudia hadn't intervened) in the same episode. More than that, they both leave behind their previous "hey kill these kids" roles in favour of being a Protector of their respective princes (Soren with Ezran, Rayla with Zym) respectively likewise in 3x09.

You're absolutely right that Soren and Rayla both rely a lot on their physical fighting skills, and this parallel in regards to failure always stands out to me in S3:

Soren: As crownguard, it was my job to make sure that nothing happened to him. No matter what. So when the Moonshadow elves came I did everything I could to protect him. But it wasn't enough. I just... don't want to fail you, too. Rayla: It's me, and it's all my fault. I failed them. I let them all down. They're right to reject me. I'm not good enough, and I never will be.

as does this one for Runaan-Viren, because Runaan may have brought his teenage daughter on an assassination mission, but she's never seemingly scared of him the way Soren is of Viren

even if both fathers take issues with 'fear born' weakness at least in theory

And of course there's some other parallels scattered throughout, which makes sense: 1x01-1x03 is basically Rayla speedrunning Soren's S1-S3 arc of perpetuating the cycle of violence to actively trying to stop it by joining forces with your previous 'enemy'.

I think in a lot of ways Soren was exactly the sort of human Rayla had prepared her whole life to kill -- he's proud, he lies, he's not a 'good' person (at first) -- but of course, now they're good friends and it's very sweet to see. Arc 2 has less direct foils, but it's still there, y'know? Just more quietly in the background.

For example, enough has changed since 2x07 that now in 4x05 their roles have virtually switched, since Soren is the one campaigning to save the dragon while Rayla, although not the aggressor, is saying to walk away. I expect S6 Rayla to take some of Soren's 'protector' quality on further in regards to "doing everything you can" when Callum gets possessed. Possible 5x08 parallels also stand out to me with the concepts of identities (names), ownership vs agency, and compassion against the enemy currently wailing on you through future possessed!Callum and Elmer parallels.

The two are also in for a real pickle since they're the most "these people are the bad guys, we're the good guys" in the show... and it's like sir your sister is evil and ma'am your boyfriend is going through a corruption arc, you're in for some rude awakenings. That said they do have their unbreakable bonds of love with Claudia and Callum respectively, so who knows. It'll all work out. (Eventually.)

On that note we can also see some parallels between 2x02 and 3x03 perhaps... Rayla accuses Soren of trying to kill Ezran but explains it poorly, so Callum gives her as much as he can but doesn't side with her in the moment (which to be fair it is Quite a leap so like Callum you're so valid) VS Soren poorly explaining Viren asking him to kill the princes and Claudia not siding with him. The difference is that in the face of more evidence in favour of Claudia + Soren, Callum still sides with Rayla, and in the face of more evidence against Viren ("You'll understand when you see the first to change" -> "Claudia, you're changing too"), Claudia still sides with Viren, but I digress.

I'd also argue that Ezran is the moral centre of the show (at least to me) simply because he's the only one in the main cast who hasn't entered the 1) you did terrible things in the name of love/protective relay and 2) he's pretty measured and compassionate 99% of the time (but I do love the 1% when he's not let me tell you).

I talked about it in this meta (which is 2+ years old jc) about how like a good moral line event horizon measuring stick is "how does this character treat Ezran" and if they're treating him poorly they're not doing the right thing, and if they're treating him well then they Are, but it doesn't go into S4 or S5 so like. Mileage may vary

Last but not least: I do have a Sorayla tag for headcanons edits brotp content in general so if you want more of them, that's what I'd recommend, with fics such as "flower crowns" (oneshot) and "if heaven and hell decide" (completed multichap, 60k) for their dynamic