#my heart for xadia

[raayllum]

I honestly can't imagine Rayla not dooming the world for Callum if the situation required it. She literally called going to dark places an "act of love."

I mean, there's a few things:

The opinions of anyone working on the show (cast, crew, etc.) are not gospel and not the default, nor do they need to be treated as the be all end all. You can disagree and that's more than gouda

People will give misleading answers and/or answers that are true in the moment (i.e. would S5 Rayla doom the world for him? Maybe not. Would S6 Rayla after some development? If the answer's yes, that's gotta stay under wraps) to avoid potential spoilers

I was actually honestly pretty surprised 1) someone asked such a direct question and 2) even more surprised that it got directly answered, since it feels like it could skirt into spoilery territory potentially for next season given the possession plot line. (I was personally gunning for a "what do you think Rayla and Claudia would think of Callum's S5 dark magic use, if they knew?")

I will admit Paula's response was, admittedly, what I've leaned to for Rayla as a whole in terms of that World vs Loved One binary. One of the things that makes Ezran and Rayla interesting to me was the uncertainty of "would they risk [insert thing here] for their immediate circle of loved ones" routinely being a "I don't know." Not that they necessarily 100% wouldn't, but just that I was genuinely 50-50 split on whether they would, or leaned towards No or Yes but could see the other way being plausible too. That uncertainty paired with the certainty I had that Callum would, and that contrast, has always been one of my favourite things about the Trio as a unit and Rayllum as a duo. It's one of the reasons that Heart vs Duty conflict for Rayla as a character has always been so compelling to me and why 4x07's introduction of the "You have to kill me" conflict was so (and is) exciting!!

But I digress.

I don't think that Rayla's letter is the best example of what I think you're trying to illustrate (I'll raise something I think that is perhaps more indicative in a moment) purely because the whole reason Rayla ultimately left was to protect the world. I've talked about this before in my "Priorities in Through the Moon" meta from ages ago, but Rayla does not go into the portal because she's primarily concerned about finding her parents. Callum researches the portal and helps recreate it and his whole side of things because he wants to help her with her parents, even being the one who brings them up when they resolve to go ahead. Rayla's concerned primarily with Viren, stating her reason for going into the portal even after finding out it requires facing water:

"Listen, Callum. Soren was worried about Viren too. Worried that we never found his body. We need to know what happened to Viren. He's a threat to the whole world! This might be the only way to be sure he's actually gone."

This is in line with how Rayla operates and references her parents in her letter to Callum, given her goodbye exchange for her parents:

Rayla: Surprised you even noticed, considering you've got more important things to do. Lain: Nothing is more important than our favourite child. Rayla: I'm your only child, and you're still leaving me behind for the Dragonguard. Tiadrin: We have to leave, Rayla. For you and for all the other Moonshadow children as well [...] This is our duty that we're doing for Xadia. For you. Someday, I hope you see that.

Just as trust and love are not necessarily synonyms to her, duty and love are not necessarily exclusives. Her parents left out of love for her and for the world, even if that meant prioritizing the world over her in the immediacy of their choice. Rayla leaves to go kill Viren out of a similar mutual desire to protect Callum, yes, but that's mostly there in the fact she left alone and didn't want him to stop her. Not necessarily that she went to hunt down Viren in and of itself, but that she went by herself ("I was trying to protect him. I knew I had to be strong alone"). Protecting the world - and a Viren-less world being one Callum would be safer in by proxy - was worth blowing up her relationships to her.

Going to dark places wasn't what she was doing just to protect Callum - that played a part, too, but her primary goal was to hunt down Viren (going to said dark place) alone and by leaving Callum behind, hence the "Stay safe, and stay in the light. Don't look for me, and don't follow me" - a sacrifice she was making on her own so that Callum wouldn't have to, but still for a collective cause that she deemed meaningful: "I have to make sure Viren never hurts anyone ever again." (Which is also why she goes after Viren again in 4x09, tbh)

That doesn't mean leaving in TTM wasn't also an errorful, self-destructive choice to leave (see like every other TTM meta I've written) but that the goals she could conceptualize was to protect the world, full stop. Anything else along the way (getting closure with her parents, protecting Callum) were extra stops and bonuses to help her have the courage to go through with it, maybe.

This is also in line with how we see Rayla treat other scenarios where it's a choice between individuals / individual relationships vs the potential to help or harm the greater good

Prioritizing the world / new mission of stopping the assassination mission > her relationship with Runaan ("This is a miracle, a chance for peace!") in 1x03

Being willing to and convincing Callum to let Ezran search for the egg under the ice in 1x06

"Then it's time to go. War's coming like the world's never seen, unless we get the wee dragon home to his mom" (2x01)

"Callum, I know you trust them, but by the time we know the truth, it'll be too late. Do you understand? We'll lose everything" (2x03)

"So please, allow him to pass into Xadia and help bring the Dragon Prince home. Because I don't think I can do it without him" (3x01)

Do I even need to specify 3x09? Or TTM?

"I hate it too, but we have to keep moving [...] We can't save everyone, Soren. There's too much at stake. I'm leaving, and you better be right behind me" (4x05)

"If I threw the coins in the lava, would it release their spirits? Or would they just be trapped in some of eternal burning agony? Let's trade. You let him go, and I'll give you the coins." "I'm not making a deal with you!" (4x09)

"I love you, and I haven't forgotten about you. But I can't help you yet. Because right now, the world needs me. Callum and Ezran need. There's a great evil trying to return to Xadia, and we have to stop it, at any cost" (5x01)

"It hurts me to know they're trapped like this. It's agonizing. But I know our mission comes first. The world is in danger, and you can trust me to stay focused" (5x04)

This is, arguably, the strongest core trait she has in common with Viren, just for the record, especially in arc 1. He's very greater good centric as well, just with the push of his own ego and thirst for power + he only considers humanity's concerns, whereas Rayla has minimal pride and arguably not enough ego, and she wants to improve situations for everybody on a collective scale post-1x02 onwards.

The exceptions to this consistent behaviour is largely 2x07 and 3x08, which I've talked about more in my Dragon Quartet meta (from Dec 2019 good god??). These are arguably two of the times, in addition to TTM in some ways, where Rayla is operating the most out of her emotional core ("My allegiance is to my heart" —Tales of Xadia) and what feels 'right' on that level. For better or for worse.

"That dragon was defenceless, and I just left there." / "So I have to stay, and defend the Dragon Queen."

I say Rayla is at her most emotional largely because in each scenario she's abandoning the mission of keeping Zym safe (and thereby her own identified "world's best hope" for peace) in favour of protecting a different individual dragon. This seems to go completely against the "mission first" if indeed, like in 1x03, Rayla can abandon one mission she's devoted herself to in favour of another one just like that [snaps fingers]. If she cares about the world first, why prioritize these individuals, neither of whom she particularly knows or personally cares about? BH also spells this out for us, since it's likewise a mirror to her offering to go up into the tower with Callum to defend Harrow even though the egg should technically be her first priority:

But to Runaan and those like your parents, love is rooted in all families, all creatures. Souls like that feel called to protect everyone as fiercely as those they hold close.

In 2x07, Rayla is at her best, if least logical, whereas in 3x08 she is at worst (until arguably S4) and likewise her least logical ("I know you feel guilty, but you're not thinking straight"). In each scenario the boys stand a Much better chance of survival and of accomplishing their mission with her from just an objective point of view (they don't know Xadia's terrain at that point and circa 2x07, neither could really be combatants in a fight since Callum didn't have a weapon or primal magic). We could slap an easy "you're being a dumbass and dooming the world" label on it and be done with it. But not only does Rayla think the boys are fully capable of completing their mission without her ("I believe in you") but 'the world' as a stake never enters her mind.

Instead, Rayla looks at each as an individual last stand where the only neck on the chopping block is ('rightfully') hers. Whether she's right or not to do so regardless of how she frames it is debatable (I personally view it as understandable, admirable, but more than a little short sighted or guilt ridden considering The Stakes), but that very much seems to be the thought process.

She's not risking the world, in her mind. All she's risking is herself.

And that's perfectly acceptable to her as a trade off. It always has been. It's one of the perfect kind of microcosms of the cognitive dissonance she lives under, where why should she care about herself when there's bigger fish to fry ("Don't worry about my hand; the egg is all that matters now") ignoring the fact that 1) she can & arguably should let herself care about two things at once and 2) she's going to be much less effective as a team member / dual wielder if she's recovering from a messy at best recent amputation.

This path of "Rayla works to save Callum because she doesn't care about what happens to herself" is admittedly probably the option I leaned towards most when it comes to Rayla in S6, even if I do wonder how it might be streamlined time / arc wise cause it does elongate her arc further. Either way, this is the route that lets her not kill Callum, working free him instead while also being able to justify trying to free him to herself, because she's not conceptualizing the Big Picture. She's narrowing it down to him and her and deciding if one of them has to get hurt in order for him to be freed, it's gonna be her.

It's not the Character Development route as I call it, but it sure is consistent.

TLDR; While I still lean towards Rayla having an ultimately positive impact (i.e. breaking Callum free from potential brainwashing) in s6, it would not surprise me at all if from her perspective it is framed as a self-sacrificial move on her end > a big picture risk to the world, even if that's how Callum may see it.

More thoughts on Rayla + the possession plotline in S6 here, here, and here.

#thanks for asking #anonymous #tdp rayla #i need you to kill me #my heart for xadia #analysis series #analysis #christ this got long #it's like. rayla's act of love is also filtered through callum's request to murder him as well #whereas viren lost sight of his love for the individual or the collective #and callum prioritizes the collective until it's his two ppl on the line #none of them are perfect avenues (altho viren's is defs the worst) but c&r are all coming from Valid Places

[lettersfromxadia]

Let’s just say Rayla having her arm protectively in front of Callum is a great sign that the Rayllum arc is going to go/ be paced out precisely how I want it to be.

Season 5– rebuilding the friendship

Season 6– rebuilding the romance

Season 7– full season of them as a couple again

#the dragon prince #rayllum #dragon prince #tdp #they have my entire heart #netflix #netflix series #rayla #callum #rayla x callum #callum x rayla #letters from xadia

[ask-runaan-anything]

if Ethari met Viren (I think that’s how you spell his name) do you think Viren would make it out alive or will Ethari put Viren into coin and then trade it bc Ethari is amazing

Ethari is a highly skilled engraver and jewelcrafter, but I'm certain he doesn't know any enchantments for binding people into tiny objects! He wouldn't want to make anyone uncomfortable. What if they were afraid of very tight spaces?

My husband is more compassionate than that, I'm certain. After all, he's put up with me and all my messes and he's never once stuck me in any kind of tiny object.

#ask runaan #runaan answers #ethari #has a heart the size of xadia #surely an elf who hums while he cooks would never harm anyone #yes this is in fact my rubric

[tales-and-creatures-of-xadia]

Gluggis the Great and Powerful!

#the dragon prince #tdp #tales of xadia #game handbook #creatures of xadia #Gluggis #Gluggis the great and powerful #I love Gluggis #with my whole heart #🥰 #🦑🦑🦑🦑🦑🦑🦑🦑🦑🦑🦑🦑🦑🦑🦑 #giant squid #world domination #tremble before him

[kaia001art]

🏳️‍🌈Happy Pride🏳️‍🌈

I've added new designs on my redbubble shop, eg.: Wangxian (Mdzs) , Bingqui (SVSSS) , Ruthari (TDP) , Eljaal (TOX) and more!

I would be very happy, if you take a look at it, and reblog it! I recently lost my job, so any support would be nice❤️

Here is the link:

Some Visuals:

Thank you so much, every reblog means a lot to me!

#self advertising is stressing me out #but I rly want to do something with my art #so every little purchase and every reblog makes my heart race with joy! #thank you for your support #redbubble #art #wangxian #mo dao zu shi #bingqui #svsss #scum villian self saving system #scumbag system #tox #eljaal #tales of xadia #the dragon prince #tdp #tdp art #ruthari #runaan #shen qingqui #luo binghe #wei wuxian #lan wangji #ethari #kaia001 #kaia001art

[themistdragon]

Ethari: One of the things I always nagged my late husband about was how quiet he was. He walked around silently and would always scare me. I would give anything to be scared by him again :(

Decoined Runaan right behind him, about to give Ethari the worst heart attack in the history of Xadia:

#tdp #tdp memes #ruthari #ruthari reunion #ethari #runaan #the dragon prince #the things i would do for this to happen #also hi #im back from the dead

[kradogsrats]

Aaravos, Leola, and the Entire History of Human Magic

ALL RIGHT, BUCKLE THE FUCK UP:

So after my "Leola and Laurelion might be the same person" crazy, I was looking shit up to write a post about alternately Laurelion possibly being Aaravos, as in Laurelion was the immortal Aaravos, and Aaravos is the fallen Laurelion, because of this:

White as the star's heart it pierced, as in "Novablade is white, and the star's heart was also white."

Who... had the white heart of a star...

... and now... doesn't?

hmmmmMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

However, the problem with this is that Aaravos at least appears to go from powered/heart-ed version:

To de-powered, heart...less? version:

...when he's imprisoned. At least, according to the way Zubeia tells it.

Meanwhile, in Ripples, we see what is presumably Aaravos's actual "fall," as the "Fallen Star"—a literal descent from the heavens. This occurs long, long before the events of Aaravos's imprisonment, before dark magic, before Elarion.

I'll note that part of what I'm taking into account here is a note from the artbook on Aaravos's designs:

As a "fallen" Startouch elf, Aaravos can only access a fraction of his former power.

So it seems like the assumption to make would be that Aaravos lost his powers and status when he was cast from the heavens, which is also where I would assume Laurelion dies and Aaravos is "born" if the Laurelion/Aaravos as the same being dichotomy was in play. Then why is his heart not blackened until he's imprisoned?

One possibility is that his empowered appearance is an illusion he's maintaining—another manipulation, that's dropped when he's imprisoned.

Another possibility is this is all bullshit, and everything is as generally assumed before: when Aaravos was imprisoned, the majority of his power was somehow stripped.

Leaving that aside for a moment, let's take a look at the order of operations here, historically.

Humanity looks to the stars to save them, but the stars do not respond:

— Patience

At some point, humanity is granted some kind of blessing from the heavens, long before humans built cities and became powerful:

— Patience

ALSO at some point, humanity is granted the power of primal magic. By tradition this was from the unicorns, in particular Leola:

— Tales of Xadia

However, this magic is forbidden them:

— Ripples

Aaravos is cast from the heavens in a calamity that creates the Sea of the Castout—again, long before dark magic:

— Ripples

Further, in the retelling of this story, Aaravos notes that the stars apparently were satisfied with the results of casting him out. It scarred the land, and frightened the humans—and their claim on primal magic—into submission:

— Ripples

I'll add another note from the artbook here on Aaravos's design:

Some designs had a strong, authoritative vibe that suited other Startouch elves, but not our "fallen star."

Finally, let's look at this again:

Aaravos, obviously, on his knees and in despair. A feminine-appearing elf who is almost certainly another Startouch elf, by the horn shape and the design of the crown on her brow.

I've seen at least one person cast this as a rendition of Aaravos's punishment, in that she represents the other stars and gestures as if to say "behold how far our brother has fallen."

But y'all. Y'ALL. Please.

We have seen this gesture FAR too many times for it to be something else, at this point. This is mercy, and love, and the passing of a torch.

So, let me clean this up into what I think happened:

The stars are largely absent gods, indifferent to the fate of humans and interested in only their design/prophecy of the world.

Leola, another Startouch elf (or else we're gonna stretch the definition of "unicorn" pretty far), takes pity on humanity and grants them the secret of primal magic.

Leola is somehow punished for this transgression. If Laurelion is Leola, she is killed. (The Celestial elves, in this case, are the guardians of the stars' order and power in Xadia. They are the last line of defense against this sort of thing.)

Aaravos, who loved Leola, either speaks on her behalf or otherwise rebels against the order of the stars. Aaravos is cast out. If Laurelion is Aaravos, he is robbed of his heart and his power.

"Leola's Last Wish" is to continue to be a guide to humanity, through the darkness.

Aaravos, meanwhile, fucking loses his mind and decides to burn down everything. He will destroy everything the stars put in place in all of Xadia, and he will leverage humans to do it.

Aaravos begins to spin up dark magic, and when the time is right, gifts it to humanity as the inciting action of his plan to tear all of Xadia apart. More on that here.

ADDENDUM: Chatting with @raayllum immediately after writing this and they raised the possibility of Leola being Aaravos’s mother, given the parallel to Sarai in the statue, and YES that makes so much sense. Particularly regarding the star-child constellation, him adopting her crown, and why he might be punished along with her. I like this explanation better than them being lovers, even if it means TDP gains yet another goddamn martyr mother.

Anyway, that's it! Mystery of Aaravos solved.

#the dragon prince #leola #aaravos #primal magic #dark magic #tdp spoilers #the dragon prince spoilers #s5 spoilers #leolavos #laurelion

[self-spaghettification]

Looks like we’re getting a lot of crazy things in 6x05

which,

1. Considering the potential title “Moonless Night”, 6x05 will possibly be including Rayla being hurt or moon being otherwise metaphorically swallowed, (paralleling s3 swallowing/corruption of the sun’s power),

2. Considering episode 5 follows an episode titled “The Starscraper,” in 6x05 Aaravos is potentially freed at the end of 4 or during 5 and potentially possesses Callum which will lead to all sorts of trouble

3. Considering the connection of a scene between soren and viren with “until 6x05” and all the hints that the most impactful scenes between soren and viren were yet to come…. it seems likely that in 6x05 Soren and Viren will have a very emotionally charged moment together, also possibly with Claudia. Maybe with a confrontation of some kind, also involving the moon?

Let’s delve into this more though—As this potential title has ignited a spark to finally set ablaze and reveal the idea that has been percolating in my mind for months.

Moonless Night (and Why I Believe the Moon is Metaphorically Going to Be Swallowed) A S6 Speculative Meta

with arc1-arc2 parallels, norse mythology examination, reflections analysis and more

As far as I can see, the clue most directly points to Moonless Night. (Edit: which ended up being right!) And there are other reasons I’m on board.

I already went insane over this so let’s get started

A. S3-S6 Parallels

So, I’m a big fan of across arc season parallels as they’ve existed very overtly S1-S4 from the first moment, as well as some other things which in many ways are setup and reestablishment of dynamics (Rayla hesitating and breaking from her duty twice to help/see Callum instead, Harrow and Ezran respectively attempt to break free from the past but they have to acknowledge it, etc) as well as persistently in S2-S5:

and, it seems, *possibly* S3 to S6–

1. If we get another plot against Ezran that’s not a joke (as it is in s4 and many throwaway lines and jokes in tdp come back to bite us)—+“This coming season will test Ezran's pacifist instincts”

2. If Viren returns, something like this—

in contrast to the “I’m sorry it had to happen this way”/“No you’re not.”/“No, I’m not.” because Viren cannot doubt Ezran would be genuinely sorry

Viren would say I know because he gets it now, the new hesitant, less certain version who also feels bad for all he has done, but he wouldn’t have before.

SO… 3. If the Moon were to get metaphorically/literally swallowed on some level in S6, it would parallel 3x07, Hearts of Cinder.

Corruption via Aaravos’s…child.

which, coincidently, brings me to my next point!

B. Norse Mythology

I’ve briefly discussed this before here, but let’s review:

Aaravos’s similarities to Loki

Source: Twitter

But while we’re on Loki’s similarities to Aaravos, let’s consider what his other children are up to during Ragnarok, the end of the world in Norse Mythology, which seems fitting considering all the foreshadowing of what chaos Aaravos has wreaked in the past (Xadia) and present (Lux Aurea) and even future (ominous wording in the reflections) when given the chance.

Loki’s children during Ragnarok:

World Serpent — rises up from the depths, encircles the world and causes great waves and destruction (“The seas churned” 👀)

Hel — From the underworld, “leading an army of the dead, she marches against the gods, uniting with her brothers and other forces of chaos. This culminating battle signifies the cyclical nature of Norse myths; an end that's also a beginning.” [1] Speaking of which, sounds familiar, right? In Ripples:

“While one may say it ends with a sunrise, [beginning] another will insist it ends at nightfall. [end]”

“With its impact came a long and terrible night: The earth bled! The seas churned! The sun and moon hid for weeks behind the sky’s screaming storm!”

“And when the long, dark night had finally passed—for the sun must always rise, mustn’t it?—they gazed out upon an unfamiliar landscape.”

Fenrir— He was gagged with a sword and was destined to lie bound to a rock until the Ragnarök (Doomsday), when he will break his bonds and fall upon the gods. According to one version of the myth, Fenrir will devour the sun, and in the Ragnarök he will fight against the chief god Odin and swallow him. [2]

It’s interesting how Fenrir has even more parallels than Loki to Aaravos here. Trapped by a blade, chained against rocks like Prometheus (one of Aaravos’s primary inspirations) was when his liver (modern heart) was eaten every day, and when he’s freed all hell breaks loose, including swallowing people (see Zym and Aditi) and the sun. But was it him with the sun? Or…..

There’s something there about killing a god and being killed in return and making the stars fall and all the damage Claudia has suffered thus far, but anyway.

That’s right, Fenrir has two children, one who swallows the sun, and one who swallows the moon. During Ragnarok, while, also, the sea shakes. Ahem, back to this:

“With its impact came a long and terrible night: The earth bled! The seas churned! The sun and moon hid for weeks behind the sky’s screaming storm!”

So… earth blood?

Check… churning seas?

World Serpent — rises up from the depths, encircles the world and causes great waves and destruction

Check… sun and moon gone?

Check.

So, what do we do with this information?

C. Interpretation

So Aaravos with two children, one who swallows the sun, one the moon.

Swallowing the Moon

-Involving a Child

1. Most literally: Aaravos has that… homonculus child, which takes and poisons the power of the sun. Maybe we’re getting another of those? I’m honestly scared for what that actually means like is he having another kid for that because 😭

2. What I favor- a metaphor— If you can consider Claudia Aaravos’s child, well, child in law isn’t that far off for the sake of this theory I think it’s possible they team up and somehow metaphorically swallow the moon like Viren and Aaravos did in S3. ….Just taking the moon, corrupting it and using its power— like they did with the Sunfire power— to make troops invisible in their effort to conquer xadia part two (2!) (although this is probably like the nth time that Aaravos has attempted his plan.)

-not involving a child

3. it could also just be disrupting the moon nexus in some way. Aaravos tends to break reflections in one way or another, from mirrors to ripples.

in Ripples he talks about how he dislikes how the stars look down on their perfect reflection (the sea of cast out)

@parroset has written an excellent meta elaborating further on it here, but essentially, he breaks reflections. A reflection is key to the moon nexus, that lake is the moon nexus because it so perfectly reflects the moon. So… there’s something to that. And it would have to come in handy manipulating the veil between life and death.

4. Taking Luna Tenebris’s power in a flashback.

I’ve talked about why I think we’re finally getting Luna Tenebris content before here, but essentially we already got all the dragons in the 4 corners of the map via flashback or interaction, and now only she is left. A flashback on what really went down that day would be perfectly in line with us learning more about Aaravos’s past, perhaps interaction with Kim'dael as well as, hopefully, blood magic—and dark, star, and deep magic. It also fits in with swallowing the moon’s power, as she was a Moon Archdragon. Moonless night. This also ties back to the blood moon cult because they harvest the power of the moon to begin with.

Last but not least and most obvious and exciting to many,

5. Rayla= “Moon girlfriend.” Callum is already being targeted, and likely some terrible thing is going to happen to him up with the rating being up, creators crying over this episode and calling it “heartbreaking” and all of that, so swallowing the moon could be symbolism for her dying or something equally terrible (so he’s forced to exploit dark magic/Aaravos to save her.)

This also ties back to this being the episode following the star scraper and the theory that Callum is a Trojan horse and, once he’s there, all the shit is going down. Maybe Rayla gets in the way and tries to sacrifice herself. I wouldn’t be surprised. or maybe it’s an intentional harm so that Callum has to bring her back… who knows?

It is for you to think about as you see fit.

@beautifulterriblequeen also wrote about other possibilities for the Moonless night here!

D. Symbolism & Misc.

Now let’s talk about the other symbolic evidence pointing to the swallowing of the moon.

The first thing that got me hooked on this theory was actually this page, which we see Viren flipping through, and then in Callum’s sketchbook.

I already analyzed the markings surrounding Aaravos’s signature symbol, but I also found the eclipse and crescent moon especially interesting considering how important the eclipse motif has been in the series and uniquely tied to Aaravos.

Thus far I figured the moon also had to be significant right it also almost seemed to me as if both the sun and moon had a bite taken out of them.

Then, we have the Reflections.

After Darkness

“The writhing, tainted darkness of Lux Aurea’s night sky spread infinitely above him, the stars all swallowed up inside it.”

Ripples

“While one may say it ends with a sunrise, another will insist it ends at nightfall. ” (swallowed sun) (falling stars)

“With its impact came a long and terrible night/And in that endless dark the humans despaired. The humans huddled together, scarcely daring to breathe, awaiting the rise of the sun.”

which, side note- sol regem saying the sun will never rise again for me, karim saying the sun is setting on their kingdom, and aaravos telling viren that the sun will rise and he will not like augh.

Then there’s the more literal interpretations of swallowing the moon and or sun along with the stars - Consider

1, Aaravos is giant

2, Star eating sword

3, Star devourer dragons

And, let’s go back to the crescent.

Waxing Crescents are associated with growing power, which would also be fitting for Aaravos gaining power, possibly a literal powerup.

Let’s also consider what new moons mean- considering the possible name, moonless night, and all the swallowing of the moon, and starting a new cycle, new moons are certainly significant, right? Moonless night- A fresh start. Could be something!

In summary, I believe the moon will be metaphorically swallowed in S6 in one way or another.

I hope you enjoyed, and thank you for reading my thoughts! Please feel free to share any insights or reactions of your own!

#tdp meta #self spaghettification #the dragon prince #tdp s6 #50

[spicyviren]

Oh let me meditate on the beast of devouring that feeds on the stars, that star devourer dragon Let me repel this Star dragon and banish it from the light of my Sun

- Ancient Sunfire chant, Tales of Xadia

I'm thinking about the sun and the stars and how Laurelion is, probably, both.

(Reposted because I’m a damn fool!!)

The Big Bang, in real life

The majority of atoms which make up us, our earth, and even our very own sun, were formed in the hearts of the very first stars in the universe.

These stars were made of lighter elements, mostly Hydrogen, Helium, and Lithium. But under the immense pressure at the core of those first stars, heavier atoms like Carbon, Oxygen and Nitrogen were formed. The stars eventually died - exploded - and released those heavier elements into the universe to be crafted into other forms.

As Carl Sagan famously put it, "We are made of star stuff."

And so Aaravos's quote in the teaser for season six - We are, all of us, stardust - is a blatant nod to the Sagan quote as well as, I am assuming, that aspect of the universe in some shape or form. Allegorically, it speaks to the idea of the universality of existence in the basest sense. But also, it acknowledges that the stars, like everything else, operate generationally.

So in this way, if we are to assume the TDP cosmos operates at least somewhat similar to our own, Xadia's sun is a younger (but still old as balls) star, from a different generation than the stars which are far more distant and ancient.

(As a side note, the very first stars in the universe did not last very long. Though certain stars in existence right now have "lifetimes" which are projected to last longer than the universe has currently been in existence.)

So if Xadia's sun is technically a star, even by Xadia's own admission (see Sunfire chant), then by this metric I have to ask...

What makes the Sun arcanum different from the Star arcanum?

While those first, most ancient of stars produced the materials which would become life, only a sun can sustain life and is therefore inextricably linked with the earth and all the life on it. It's this connection which I imagine is responsible for the change in the nature of the magic.

In Callum's Spellbook, Callum makes some word-association lists for the different types of magic. He associates "truth" with both Sun and Star (perhaps a trait of their shared stardom). No other words match up completely, but it feels like they are referencing similar things within different contexts.

The Sun teaches while the Stars are simply intelligent; the Sun is a "guiding light" while the Stars are associated with "destiny." Further, many of the other words Callum associates with the sun are about being in positive community with others (optimism, warmth, charisma, leadership). The nature of the sun is more giving, nurturing, and dare I say loving than that of your average star. Sun is revealing and honesty, Star is mysterious and reality-altering. Further, there is a dynamism in the words for Sun Magic that is absent from Star Magic - sharing knowledge vs simply having knowledge, guiding vs prescribing a set path.

(Another side note: Callum also mentions that Star mages are born, which, Callum's limited understanding aside, is perhaps a hint about what it will take to connect to the Star Arcanum. I have thoughts, but.... I'll just leave that there, winky face)

Obviously, these word associations can only go so far. Some of the most hostile and arrogant (eh eh!!) figures we've met have been Sun-aligned. But it does make me wonder about the beginning of Sun magic and what that introduction may have looked like.

Ever wonder what those sparkly dots are up there?*

Okay, so big question for me. Is Aaravos a star, like, literally a personification of a ball of gas burning billions of miles away, or is he just like, a very special elf? The same goes for all Startouch elves.

Zubeia refers to Aaravos as both a star and as an elf, and it's one of those things which I can't decide is real or simply a more poetic way of speaking of him. Is "Startouch elf" simply another type of star? Official art also sometimes depicts him and others as constellations. Are they the formed consciousness of a collection stars?

But it also makes me think of how often Sunfire elves personify the sun/the sun orb.

JANAI: You are a student of history, yes? Do you know where the Great Orb of the Sunforge came from? KARIM: Legends say it was a gift from the Sun herself. The gift of a millenium. - "The Drakewood," S4E6

In "The Queen's Mercy," we have...

Aditi nodded. “[...]and so, as the Sun’s daughter, I will lead you into her embrace.”

...and earlier, there is this:

Queen Aditi the Merciful, they called her. Queen Aditi the Kind. The Light of the Sun Incarnate. Kim’dael had thought it all an insufferable exaggeration. Sunfire elves gilded everything they could touch, of course they would do the same to their beloved leader.

Karim personifies the corrupted sun orb in "After Darkness":

He could still see it: the top of the Sunforge Tower, upside-down from where he lay, shrouded in inky corruption. It looked ill, its sickness weeping red and crowning the spire in a haze of blood. [...] We will come back, he promised his beloved, tainted city, his lost home. We will not abandon you. The orb pulsed mutely, a cry for help he could not answer.

TDP uses personification a lot, so it is kind of hard to parse out when it's being literal and when it's being lyrical. Perhaps in the examples cited it's simply the ostentatious way of the Sunfire elves like Kim'dael thinks. But if Aaravos, a known person, can be a star, then I can easily reason vice versa.

In the Book 1 novelization, Aaravos refers to himself as "of the First Elves." And if that is true, it follows that there must have been "Second Elves."

So who is Laurelion?

The significance of the laurel in the Western canon goes back to the myth of Daphne and Apollo.

There are various versions of the story, but essentially, Apollo (popularly associated with the sun), falls helplessly in love with Daphne. Though her reasons vary in different iterations, Daphne turns away from Apollo's affections. She runs and Apollo pursues. Just as Apollo is about to catch her, she begs for help - sometimes from her father, a river god, and sometimes from her mother, a nymph or Gaia - and she is saved by being turned into the laurel tree. In Ovid's Metamorphosis, when Apollo reaches Daphne post-transfiguration, he can still feel her heart beating below the bark. From that point on, the laurel wreath was associated with Apollo, achievement, and victory.

Gold, the element, takes the symbol Au from its Latin word, Aurum, which has etymological ties to 'aurora' (dawn). Names likes Aurelio or Aurelius similarly mean "golden" or "guilded."

So, taken together, I of course think immediately of this:

THAT BEING SAID, this looks more like a weeping willow or a wisteria than it does a laurel, which has bushy foliage rather than hanging. The closest I can maybe get is a mountain laurel, which does have blooms that hang kinda sorta like a wisteria, though not nearly in such a dramatic fashion. But anyway!

The golden laurel...⋆｡°✩Laurelion✩°｡⋆

Interestingly, in Ovid's retelling of Apollo and Daphne, Apollo's love is the result of being struck by Cupid's golden arrow, while Daphne's disgust of Apollo's advances are the result of being struck by a lead-tipped arrow. And so, there is an association there with gold and love. And within the context of the myth - Cupid is getting petty revenge on Apollo after Apollo is boastful and arrogant about his own prowess with a bow and arrow - it's also an instance of weaponizing love.

Which brings us to that which is known everforth as...

The Nova Blade

It is actually quite common for stars to have companions and to exist in what is called a binary star system. In this system, two stars are gravitationally locked in orbit and can appear as a single object when observed by the naked eye. Sometimes, the proximity between these two stars results in what is called a nova - a sudden brightness which appears to be a new star. Novas are not associated with stellar "death" (you'd be thinking of supernova, in that case).

Now in our universe, novas are not actually stars. They are events, momentary bursts of brightness under specific circumstances between two stars. But the name "nova" originally came from the term "stella nova" which means new star.

…and though undying, took last breath, immortal Laurelion was no more. - "The Death of the Immortal"

Did Laurelion just...die? You know, it was really unclear...

I do not think the Nova Blade killed Laurelion in the moment described in the poem. Kazi is so doubtful and Callum is so sure - Callum you fool! - surely that would be too easy (quote quote easy)?

I will grant that "Supernova Blade" would sound kind of hokey, and even originally I had thought, "Oh cool, 'nova,' like 'SUPERnova!'" And then I thought to look up just 'nova' and it turns out it was actually its own thing. But even without all that, the 'though-undying' of it all haunts me.

And so I hold to the idea that the Nova Blade makes an immortal mortal. It does bring death's bite, but in a way in which Laurelion becomes something else, reborn with death's promise like all other mortal beings are.

I have two point five ideas.

The Light of the Sun Incarnate

My first hypothesis is, of course, that Laurelion became the tree with the Sunseed with a name that's a nod to Daphne and Apollo. Of course, I'm assuming here that the tree in which the Sunseed is kept is responsible for producing/sustaining the Sunseed, which may not be true.

Now the drawback of this idea is the legend that the Sunseed was a gift from the Sun herself. So here, it would have to be within the context of the Sun sacrificing Laurelion in some way for this purpose. There's obvious Jesus parallels here which, full disclosure, is not really my bag, baby, but there are plenty of elements in TDP that very easily slot in with Christian canon. But also, in the laurel myth Daphne begs a parent to save her, which puts the sacrifice of it all in a different light. It makes me wonder if the event with the Nova Blade is self-inflicted and, mayhaps, an act of love. So in this sense, the Sun "gifted" the world (or just the Sunfire elves, I dunno) her child by simply letting her child go.

My second hypothesis is that Laurelion became the first Sunfire elf, of the second elves. We are, all of us, stardust. It would not come as a shock to me if all elves were ultimately descended from the Startouch elves of old.

AND THEN we've got Aaron Ehasz talking about how the red dragon scale amulet (...and look, this show does color coding, that's SUN) is somehow related to Laurelion?

Sunfire elf, I say! SUNFIRE ELF!

Combining both of these scenarios, I could see Laurelion being the child of the Sun (again IF we are to assume each star is a living entity). Or maybe Startouch elves are born OF stars while not, technically, being the same thing, like an egg hatching the next evolution of its mother.

And so, perhaps Laurelion chose to become mortal, to become the first Sunfire Elf. And all of Laurelion's children, and their children's children, and their children's children's children, they were all of them children of the sun, the light of the sun incarnate, bringing the hope and optimism of something new to the world; destined to return in death to the embrace of their very first mother. And as a symbol of her love, the Sun gifted Laurelion the Sunseed, golden and cradled within a tree.

*oddly relevant Lion King reference

#the dragon prince #laurelion #speculation #you all i am a fuck up and deleted the original post #in case the “keep reading” doesn't work for you #here it is

[black-dhalias]

Hi!! I absolutely love your writing✨✨

I was wondering if you’d write a Ethari x Reader (pronouns are she/her) x Runaan where it takes place in the time of the assassination of King Harrow.

Ethari and reader witnesses the assassins flowers sink one by one leading down to Rayla and Runaan.

Days later, it depends on how many days Runaan was in the dungeon before he got trapped in a coin. They witness Runaan’s flower sink and are of course struck by grief.

If it’s not a bother could you write days later after Runaan’s "death" the time where Callum and Rayla goes to their house.

Reader is reading a book while Ethari is crafting weapons and he witnesses Rayla from the reflection and you know what happens next.

If you don’t want to write this it’s completely fine! Once again, I love your writing!!✨🤍🌙

Floating Flowers

Poly!Runaan X Reader X Poly!Ethari

Warnings: angst, kinda sad ngl, mentions of death and some descriptions of violence

One does not love without sacrifice, and one does not truly want to take the risk unless they know it's worth it. With all that at stake, it does not make sense to ever really let someone in. To love, is to let your heart beat in time with another—with many, and in so few words, all of it can disappear.

In a blink.

In an instant.

Within a single breath.

All love causes is pain. You thought you knew the worst of it, felt the bitter edge of loss, but you were so wrong. You had it all figured out only a year ago. You had Runaan... A voice of reason and rock. You had Raela... In all her stubbornness and sweet personality. You have Ethari... As your warmth, and your light. You loved all three extensively, dove head first into the chasm of love—hopeful and invested. They gave you purpose and warmth, and that's all you ever wanted.

You thought the price of love was worth all the pain, but now as you fold your arms over your knotted up stomach. You could barely tear your eyes away from Runaan and Rayla prepare for the mission. The one to avenge all of Xadia, but it was not worth it to you. Nothing in all of the realms was worth the price of watching them walk out of this village.

Soon it would be just you and Ethari—you begged for a minute longer as Runaan's palm embraces your cheek, "Goodbye my love." The words taste acidic, another minute of him would never be enough. You'd plead for hour after hour, for every second was worth a thousand pleas.

While Runaan notes your rigid form, the distant look in your eyes—he knows that he cannot stay. "It is not good bye..." He whispers quietly, "I will always return to you both." Your lips press into that all too familiar line, shaking your head as you part from him completely.

Hating the distance, but knowing you must let him go.

"Do not make us promises you cannot keep." Your words are dark, striking cold fear into Ethari—the sensation of pain mirrors into him.

Hesitantly, Ethari embraces Runaan and Rayla throws herself into your arms. You told Runaan she was not ready, that you were not ready to let her go into a battle she may not return from.

She's the closest you ever came to a child, you are certain that she'll be the only child you ever have. All her life was spent under your careful gaze, and embraced tightly in your arms. Your cheek rests atop her hair, and even when your eyes mist over—you do not let yourself cry.

"I love you Rayla... All the way to the moon." You insisted she was more like you, more like Ethari, but Runaan was certain. And when he was certain, there was no reason to try to talk sense into him.

When you finally gather enough strength to look up at Runaan, Rayla at his side and Ethari's palm on the small of your back. Runaan gives a tight smile, one he only gives when he is not sure.

"I love you..." You don't know if you'd forgive yourself if he didn't hear it at least once more, you see the softness of his eyes. "Both of you, and we expect you home before 30 nights have passed."

Soon enough, they disappear and leave only floating flowers in their wake. No one moved from the fountain, too many souls rest upon the surface—hardly a ripple as the air catches deep in your throat.

When the day came to pass, the crowd was thick with anxiety without a word of comfort to be shared. No one could say anything at all. Ethari held you close, unable to stop the tightening of his grip as each flower sunk to rest on the bottom. The ripples were jarring, the water stirred with grief.

The cries were haunting, even when no one knew who would come next... The tears remained locked up. And with each sunken flower, you felt a wave of guilt and relief because you wished it to be anyone else. Until it was only them.

All you had was the hope that they had succeeded, and were already halfway home right now. It is all that you have left.

"Come to bed starlight." Ethari's sweet nickname sounded so soft, you could hardly enjoy the comfort, but it was there nonetheless. "I miss your warmth..." You tear your eyes rom the water, and stare into his. You wonder if he knows how much you adore him, how safe and welcoming his arms had become since they found you. "I miss sharing a bed..." You hardly slept since they left, leaving Ethari to an empty home most days. Ethari and Runaan had saved you all those years ago, brought you back from the edge of the universe—a startouch elf who could hardly bring themselves to love. To care.

"Just tonight..." You take his outstretched hand, his hope brought you optimism. Gave you hope. That meant something to you.

"I miss you too."

In the quiet and dark, you lay entangled in your husband—embraced tightly in the linens and his arms. The shadows crest through the window, a moonlit night, but you struggle to see through the light. Almost certain that there is—not evil, but nothing good coming your way.

Ethari's arms tighten around and bring you closer than before, chin nuzzled into your neck. His hair is soft against your arm, there is so much on your mind and sleep seems distant.

The way his eyes are shut so lightly, lashes brushing his cheeks and while not a smile—his face is not contorted with nightmares. To be honest, this is the first time since Runaan left that you've seen Ethari sleep so peacefully. While you could not bring yourself to sleep, you were never too far away as to not soothe away the nightmares when they came to him. He truly is the last testament of your sanity. As light as you can manage, you brush your thumb along the highest point of his cheek.

"If you wanted me awake, you should have just asked." Sleep clouds his visit, but he sees you so clearly against the sharp contrast of night. A vision of pure, unscathed—starlight.

He tilts his head up so that he is looking at you, a look of pure admiration. "Have I told you how beautiful you are, starlight?" You find it in yourself to smile.

"More often with every passing day." He returns your smile, Ethari always was the one who stood in awe of you even when you doubted yourself. Your good nature seemed to move in step with his own, but something about the stars that danced in your eyes—you often seemed otherworldly to him.

"Good, I will never allow you to forget." And you know that he's telling the truth, you believe every word. "They'll come home to us. I know they will." Yet you are not as sure, humans are too unforgivable. Too dangerous and unpredictable. You hate them, and fear what else they are capable of taking away from you.

Neither of you say another word, finding comfort in each other. Letting the comfort exist in this singular moment, tomorrow you will face more fear and anxiety. Tonight, you find peace in Ethari's arms.

"Hope for the both of us, my love. I can only hope it's enough."

Only when you watched Runaan's flower sink so suddenly, when the ripples began to shatter the surface of the water. Your entire world seemed to shatter with your reflection. It felt like the world was on fire, and completely still; all at once, you had little left. Stones burn your knees in scrapes as you cry out for him, even the slam of the door is not enough to rouse you from your torture.

The way Ethari saw you and then saw the flower in the bottom of the pool. The heave as he sees the sunken hope. It was always a fool's mission, but the sensation of your crying form within his own arms is enough to send him into tears. The way your hands grip him without remorse—screaming at the universe that they can't have them.

Runaan is gone.

It hits Ethari like the whole of Xadia was put directly on his shoulders, their husband is dead.

He's gone, and he isn't coming back.

Ethari attempted to focus on the task at hand, the tools and weapons atop his desk never seemed so far from him. It felt as though he was staring at a puzzle he was no longer capable of understanding, but he did his best to keep himself occupied when the silence of the house threatened to consume.

Is this grief? Or is this the new normal?

Where you used to find comfort in Ethari, he could only ever reach you when the books were far from your grasp. A cycle of three titles, meticulously memorizing each page because it reminded you of Runaan. The nights when you would stay up with Runaan when the nightmares were too much, and you would read to him until he lulled off to sleep.

Neither really said a word, silent and long days until the time came to crawl into bed. Only then, arms around each other and duvets tightly enveloping both forms—did the tears freely flow. Did the pain finally mount and the length of the universe seemed to weigh heavy on you both.

However, by the time morning breaks, the silence returns and the image of a sunken flower haunts your vision. Ethari closes his eyes, adjusting himself and returns his gaze to his work. Only something catches his eye, a glimpse—nothing short of a miracle, one that causes his expression to falter.

Rayla...

Unable to turn for a moment, he pauses before walking out the door. Knowing that she would follow, unable to break your heart anymore than it has been already.

"Rayla. Before you left, I told Runaan that you were to goodhearted for the work of an assassin. Y/N told him too." He pauses, glancing into the reflection once more. "So I know you did not betray them out of malice. But that doesn't matter. They're gone. He's gone. Because you abandoned them." His words are harsh, not loud, but there is a sharpness as he recalls your cries from the night before.

Even when she disappeared from the reflection, Ethari was already back inside of the home. You had not moved from your position, and for a moment, Ethari wishes you could have seen her. Known she was alright, even if she cannot come home.

He exhales deeply, gathering what he needs before leaving once more to find her. "This will only break the spell for a moment, but I couldn't bear to let you leave without seeing you one last time." Ethari had to know, to hear her out, and find some comfort in her words. "But I don't understand, Rayla. How could you abandon them?"

She looked the same, different and more worn in others, but he saw her as she was. "I failed them. it was my fault we were discovered, btu I didn't run away." She pauses. "Ethari, we found something. Callum, show him."

"Oh uh..." Ethari turns his attention to the human, smiling a little. "I'm Rayla's earthblood elf friend. Trees to meet you."

"Trees to meet you, too."

"Don't humor him. We found the dragon prince."

"The egg wasn't destroyed."

"And I knew that if we could get him home to his mother, there could be peace."

"It's a miracle. I can't believe it." Ethari's eyes darken, recalling the letter he received from Ibis not too long ago. "But, Rayla, you need to know. The Dragon Queen is dying. Since the death of her mate, she's fallen very ill."

"We have to get to her. It's the only way." Ethari pauses, as he watches Rayla's eyes trail to the home. "Where is Y/N? Can I see them?" Looking through the window to spot you, to catch your gaze.

Rayla is struck by confusion at your still form—you were never that still. Never so quiet. Her eyes wander the way you seem awake, locked in on the book and every so often she’d catch Ethari glance over with concern.

Ethari watches Rayla, as she looks at you—“When we met Y/N, they were deeply wounded by abandonment. Alone and on the cusp of giving up.” His eyes are sad, she notes how he casts you loving glances in between the concern. “Runaan is dead. You exiled. Something in them finally snapped.”

“Will they ever be the same?”

“No Rayla. I don’t think that they will, they might recover, but Y/N has faced great losses…More than most, it’s why they loved you so dear. Because you’ve lost a lot too.”

Ethari whistles: "You can ride faster than you can walk. I'll see a message to the Dragon Queen. If she knows her little one still lives, perhaps she'll hold on."

"Ethari, can I ever come home again?"

"I don't know." His eyes are sad, he knows the devastation you felt when the rumors spread. When the word shifted to call Rayla a betrayer and to ghost her. You fought against it, but soon even you could not fight the thought. Consider the possibility that there might have been some truth to the village's words. "It's a real moon opal..." He holds it out to her. "When I gave its match to Runaan, I told him, "My love will be with you even when the moon is not."

Rayla looks through the window once more and then back at Ethari: "Good bye, Rayla."

Ethari came into the home with a purpose as he gathered another arrow, preparing it to be fired and for the first time since, you looked up at him. Eyes wandering to the message, to the way he seemed certain.

Something in the way he moved, it reminded you of who he once was. "What are you doing?" He meets your eyes, seeing the whole universe fall together in a dance as you rise to your feet.

"I have found us hope." Still, even now, he is holding onto the hope that he can somehow fix this. Change the way things are and you trust him.

"Runaan, the last time I made you one of these, it carried a message of death. but this arrow will carry a message of life. Regina Draconis!" While you do not understand completely, you understand enough to know that Ethari is still fighting for you. Still fighting for your future, the one you will share together. And you trust him.

Long before you loved Ethari and Runaan, before the turn of the century—eons before written history began. There was you and your brother, Aarravos. It was all you knew, and it was all you thought you needed. Masters of the primal energies—the epitome of Star Touch Elf perfection. There was no beauty like yours, and no power that tasted as sweet as the power you possessed.

However, it was never enough for Aarravos and soon enough, you had lost him completely. Your entire existence seemed to erase itself with his loss, the universe seemed so much smaller. It seemed so much more void. No longer did stars shine for you, and soon enough, you saw only the darkness. A never ending abyss of despair, and confusion. You no longer knew what your purpose was beyond the world you were building with your brother. It meant nothing without someone to share the success with.

You lean into the darkness, you found comfort in the silence—perhaps comfort is the wrong word. You found silence in the darkness, your bottomless pit of despair was less violent and loud. Your wandering felt less aimless when you accepted the loneliness. You were not at peace, but the numbness felt bitterly better than the pain of loss.

The greatest of your sins was never looking for him, for you assumed he had simply left you to your misery. Had finally had enough, and so you left him to his adventures—you imagined he must have left you willingly, no one could against the power you wielded.

Seven centuries, long and painful blistering years, in that time you only heard whispers of your brothers antics. Until you heard nothing at all.

Soon enough the sadness no longer touched you, or perhaps you wore it proudly—you rarely missed the brother that had left you alone. If he cared, he would have taken you with him.

A crest of moonlight breaks over the treetops and reflects off the waterfalls, the crisp blue hue brings a soft smile to your lip. Knelt before the basin, you submerge your palms into the clear water and bring it to your lips. The water is not bitter or heavy with minerals, you finish what is in your palm and remove the canteen from your hip. Using one hand, you pinch the lid and the other you submerge the object and wait for the bubbles to stop.

Crack!, you stiffen—eyes flickering to the left side, someone or something is near. The forest has gone quiet, and it leaves you to think that it is a someone. You hum, shifting your leg out from under you and leaning onto it—knife on your hip, another on your chest and ankle. You cap the canteen and tie it off to your belt, swallowing as you place the final knot. Only to hear the rustling once more.

Trying your best not to move, to hush your body and heighten your senses—your fingers curl tightly around the blade, clutching onto it just as the pair of elves break the clearing. You turn quickly, drawing your weapon and posing it high—“If you’re here to start something, it’s probably best you leave.” Before, with Aarravos, you were the voice of reason—diplomatic and poise, but now it is different. It is just you. Their eyes widen significantly, as startled by you as you are by them.

One is smaller physically, but his hair is much longer—he seems more muscular, less lean. While the other seems to be just as imposing, but not physically—there is knowledge behind those eyes. He is the first one to speak, “You’re a Startouch elf.” You nod, posing your weapon higher. “Fascinating.”

However, when your weapon does not drop it is the other who steps protectively in front of the scholar—his expression less than kind. “Startouch or not, please drop your knife. We never meant you any harm.

.

.

.

“We never looked back. It was just the three of us against all of Xadia.”

#imagines #imagine #requests are open #fandom request #imagine requests #x reader #requests #love #the dragon prince x reader #runaan x reader #ethari #Ethari x reader #poly!ethari and runaan #poly imagine #polyamory #poly!runaan

[sthormiiii]

What do you like and don’t like about Aaravos ?

omgomg ty for the question i love talking about my man!!!

(this came out wayy longer than i imagined whoops)

okok so.

the things i love about aaravos are many. starting from the obvious, his design!! he is so so pretty i love startouch elves designs in general (all the concept art in the art of the dragon prince made me lose my mind!!) and also the fact you can get a lot about him from his design, like how he changed after he fell and the way he lost many of his accessories which probably represented his status in startouch society- AND THE BLACK HOLE IN HIS CHEST PROBABLY REPRESENTING HIS HEART???? like, he LITERALLY LOST HIS HEART?????

thennn, we go on his personality! that man suffered for CENTURIES, he had to witness so Much Stuff. he got through so much trauma and lost everyone who he ever cared about. but does that bother him? i mean, yes ofc it does...but despise all of it, he still keeps up his silly personality! and manages to still be himself :33

the thing is, my interpretation of aaravos's character is probably very personal, and most of the things i think about him are from my own headcanons, but!!!! we know he is inspired from prometheus, giving humans magic despise the gods (other elves and dragons) didnt want them to have it. but he still did it. he helped them out when they were struggling, and because of it he got punished.

thats the thing!! he loved humans SO MUCH he couldn't help but help them, even if he knew it would get him in trouble.his love for humans, for magic, for xadia, its what keeps him going, he wants to be free and be able to see xadia again, to see the sky, and feel the grass under his feet! him pre-fall was just,, so so filled with love for everything around him

now.

clearly, he also did some really fucked up stuff (like swallowing killing adidi and probably also luna tenebris) he isn't completely good or completely bad. he's in between and everything he does he does it for a reason which he believes is the right one-

rn hes a psycho, he spent 300 years in isolation and he is full of anger and just wants to see the world burn😞😞 he lost everything and everyone and yes hes the villain rn,, but he still has all that love inside of him. his love for humans...for magic...his need to feel someone, anyone by his side, to know hes not alone- him trying to help viren in s5 (in his own fucked up way) shows that he still cares☹️☹️

so yeah, i just- love complex characters!

now, the things I don't like- this is a hard choice bc i honestly love all his flaws too?? but i would say i dont like how the show handles him lmao.

i could talk about this for hours, but to make it simple i think they are totally wasting his character here. like. we're never going to fully see aaravos in all his shades bc

1) we dont have time for all that

2) even if they somehow manage to give us a glimpse of all the pain and suffering he carries on his back,, i think its a bit too late to make the viewers completely emphasise with him

the whole mystery of aaravos arc should have taken a different direction imo. but desides that, i still love the show sm and i cant wait to see more!!

god i love talking about him.

#ask #aaravos tdp #tdp #the dragon prince #mystery of aaravos #aaravos

[raayllum]

for day 1 of rayllum’s bad vibes rodeo, flowers

He finds the flowers near the rim of the Sea of the Cast Out, growing almost like weeds - stubborn but bright like Moon arcanum flowers, out of whatever outskirts of ruins they’ve stumbled across. He was meant to be gathering firewood, but the flowers catch his eye, and well... They’re pretty, just like Rayla, and he’s been bad at expressing himself since coming back, but he knows she’s homesick and worried about her parents, and maybe something Moon arcanum-y will lift her spirits? Maybe the flowers can do the talking for him?

Callum gathers a small bouquet, the scent soothing, and then tucks them carefully into the seam of his tunic where he keeps her letter over his heart. Maybe, if he gets up the nerve to give her the flowers, they can finally talk about all of it. Why it hurt when she left, what he still doesn’t understand, and what he wants.

That he wants her.

He comes back to the campfire, Ezran playing with Stella, Rayla watching with a sweet smile while Bait grumbles in the corner. Callum adds the firewood to their pile and plops down, decidedly more beside her in a way that would’ve been normal, before, but feels tentative and heart-racing to rebuild now.

“You were gone for a while,” she notes, still smiling, but he can see the faint worry in her eyes. “Almost sent Bait out to look for you.”

Callum scoots a bit closer as a silent apology, his knee bumping into hers. “Ah, excellent tracker, is he?” He’s less surprised this time when Rayla hum and rests her head on his shoulder, her smile growing and worry fading.

“Oh, the best.”

Callum snorts, and they stay like that until the fire dies down and Ez and Stella grow quiet, Stella bounding over to curl up on Rayla’s other shoulder, and Zym coils his tail around a sleeping Ezran.

It takes even longer for Callum to find his voice, the arm that’s not wrapped around her waist half reaching for the flowers in his pocket. They’re beautiful, just like her, and she deserves to know... what? That he loves her? That he loves her.

“Rayla?” he begins, but there’s not even a sleepy hum in response, and he looks over to find her dozing, her cheek softly smushed against his shoulder.

Everything in him eases and twists with disappointment all at once. Okay, so not tonight. He leans forward and gives her forehead a little kiss, mindful of her horns. But tomorrow, for sure.

He wakes up alone, her sleeping bag cold when he reaches for her. His fingers don’t brush any of her weapons either, not her father’s bow or her familiar butterfly blades, and it hits him like a gut punch, the idea of being at Umber Tor and not having anything of her left, because she leaves, just like she always does, and—

Callum sits up, a bitter twinge in his heart. “Where’s—”

“She went out scouting,” Ez answers, petting Zym’s head by the newly lit fire.

“And you didn’t think to wake me?” he grouses irritably. They could’ve gone together. She would’ve let him come this time, wouldn’t she? She’d wanted him to come in the Drakewood, and he’d been too angry and proud to—

“We figured a prince needs his beauty sleep,” she drawls, strolling back into camp with berries and a bright smile. Ezran accepts the present eagerly, Rayla frowning when Callum doesn’t lighten. “Hey. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he says, composing himself. He isn’t going to be mad anymore. He doesn’t want to be mad. He just wants—He reaches for the flowers, his fingers finding only strange ash. What the—?

Can emotion kill the good things too, as some kind of cruel magic?

“Just... still a bit tired,” he lies, and she softens.

“Eat,” she coaxes. “You’ll feel better.”

He gets his answer later though, when their path takes them by the same bend of ruins he’d traipsed through the previous night. The field had been full of beautiful blooms, but now they’re nothing more than crumbled piles of ash. Zym sniffs at one with a displeased snort.

“What are these about, Rayla?” Ezran asks.

“Flowers of Elarion,” she says. “They’re beautiful, but only at night. They regrow in the evening but don’t make it past sunrise.”

“Like a phoenix cycle?”

She reaches down and ruffles Ezran’s hair. “A bit, yeah.”

“That’s sort of sad,” he reflects.

“Sort of,” she agrees. “But they’re flowers. They can’t change their nature.”

Callum presses his lips together. They’re beautiful and soothing, just like her, and nothing good nor bad ever lasts forever, but fuck, his heart hurts now. There’s a strange quality in his voice, as he says, “So they’re always gone by morning?”

Rayla catches his eye, and there must be something in his gaze, too, because she ducks her head, unable to entirely hold it—just like he can’t entirely hold her, no matter how badly he wants to. “Yes,” she answers. She swallows. “They are.”

#rayllum #tales of xadia #flowers of elarion bc i know who i am as a person #pining!callum #caylangst #arc 2 #s5 speculation #kind of #ficlet #my fic #fic #nature motif #tdp #the dragon prince #rayllum week 2023 #rayllum's bad vibes rodeo #personal fave #i hurt my own heart with this i will say

[jelzorz]

claudiez pov of your choice <3 for the ficlet prompts

165.

It's a dumb thing to be mad about. Ezran doesn't even really know why Callum cares so much: he's seventeen now, more than capable of making his own decisions, to the point now where Opeli won't act in his place anymore, even if he's got other places to be. Ez likes to think he's a pretty good judge of character these days, and Callum's been doing stupider things than this since he was fifteen, so the gall, the audacity his brother has to pull him up on this is—

"He's just worried about you," says Claudia. She's older now too, and so much quieter than the girl he and Callum used to trail after; than the girl who was led into the wilds of Xadia by an elf bent on causing chaos and destruction for the sake of it. Her hair is cropped short and dyed black to hide the most obvious traces of Dark magic left in her body, but the toll it took is still obvious in the lines of her face. She is thinner than she should be, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes are not there because of a youth full of laughter.

Ezran bristles. They are in the medicinal gardens in the south wing of the castle. Claudia's fingernails are dark with soil and she studies the patch of recently dug earth as she counts the plants in her head. She's only been back a couple of years. The others she'd spent wandering from town to town, finding small jobs at clinics and apothecaries to keep herself busy. She's learned a lot from those jobs, and the castle could use some better herbs. "He's a hypocrite," he grumbles, watching the way she tends to the foxgloves.

"With your best interests at heart."

Ez scowls. "Don't defend him," he snaps. "He's just being petty. It's my decision at the end of the day, and he can be mad about it all he wants, but it won't change anything."

Claudia purses her lips patiently and dusts the dirt off her hands. "He's a good big brother," she says after a moment. "You can't blame him. Not after everything I—"

"Everything you've done is irrelevant now, remember?"

Claudia falls silent and looks away at that. That's what all of this is about, after all. Her pardon. The fact that she's allowed in this garden at all without a chain around her ankle. Callum had wanted something less forgiving: imprisonment, exile, maybe even a noose. "You let me off easy, Ez."

"We gave you a trial, and we sentenced you to service here as a medic."

"Which is easy compared to what I should have got." Claudia bows her head, a picture of humility: a servant with dirt on her apron and a far cry from the high born child she used to be. "I tried to kill you," she whispers. "You and Rayla both, and the fact that you would let me off—"

"It's not letting you off," says Ez. "It's choosing forgiveness. It's choosing to end a cycle of violence. And if Callum wants to be just as bad as Aaravos, and Sol Regem, and your dad, that's his choice, but I'm not going to be that kind of king."

Claudia twitches her lips. It's hard to see from the way her head is bowed, but Ez almost thinks there's pride there, and that almost soothes his temper on its own.

"You were always too good for the rest of us," says Claudia quietly.

"The rest of you can choose to be better. You did."

There's a pause. The foxglovea sway in the breeze. Claudia turns away and goes back to tending to them. "You ever think you might have put your faith in the wrong place?"

Ezran scoffs, but he watches her, his eyes stubborn, even if she refuses to face him. "Do you?" he challenges.

Claudia says nothing. The silence feels heavy in the air.

#in anticipation #claudiez #have a little faith guys this ship is legit

[thrandilf]

Been thinking about Aaravos as usual and sensing his story may very well be a tragedy just because. From his point of view,

Dragon Prince is about breaking cycles and starting anew, but Aaravos has no chance of that. He’s witnessed every horrible thing in history from the destruction of Elarion to the present, and judging by his ability to predict the ways of the Sunfire Elves, nothing has really changed. Like, yes in S4 things are changing, and there are people who want to put themselves out there and mend things, but Aaravos doesn’t see that. Even if he did it may be too little too late

All he knows is centuries of injustices and it’s been compounded over 300 years of solitary confinement. Remembering. Rethinking. Over and over with no new information. He’s had no closure for anything he’s ever seen (although he does appreciate Avizandum being taken out, though it doesn’t change anything for him) and I think that the prospect of vengeance is all thats kept him from completely losing it

I think his original plan was to pit the dragons against each other. To him, they had all proven to be unreasonable, arrogant, and cruel. They could have killed each other over the struggle for power. Given the tempers of some of them, it wouldn’t have been that hard to just let the conflict spiral. Aaravos would appear innocent, still beloved, a natural choice for the next leader of Xadia in light of the tragic end of the dragons. Aaravos wants to be worshipped, Aaravos thinks he knows best, and this would be a way to do it without ever getting his hands dirty. To him, this would benefit everyone if he ran the world based off his ideals

Queen Aditi ruined this plan by stepping in and finding a peaceful solution the dragons would accept, so Aaravos took her out.

I should make it clear that yes, I do think that this makes him a villain/at best an anti-hero (and he’s my favorite character so I’m not here to bash) but now we’re faced with the Now What once he’s set free and like.

I don’t think he has a choice but to continue his conquest. If he can’t take the world by sitting innocently in the shadows, brute force it is. Even if he could heal, could forgive, could want to move on, could surrender and just ask “what can I do as long as it’s anything other than sitting in solitary” no one would let him. He’s keeping the cycle spinning because he’s so deep in it that he’s dragging anyone else he possibly can in with him, and if they listen to him as Claudia does, his accounts of history aren’t wrong.

Aaravos was imprisoned with the intention of letting him eventually die in there, sealed away forever. It’s the world’s most drawn out execution, and this is the way it was done because no one had the ability to directly confront him. He did terrible things which broke people’s trust in him forever. He’s been punished for them, but is there any end to it? How many years should have been enough? Is killing him the only answer? But he can’t be expected to just lay down his life after what he already feels was an unjust punishment.

Once he’s free, there’s nothing he could say or do to convince the elves and dragons that he just wants to live in peace, if he wished. There’s no way to be trustworthy or to redeem himself. He’s not allowed a change of heart even if he wanted it. He’s been branded an evil person and condemned until he dies. What else is he supposed to do but live it, or go into hiding? Why would he shut himself away when he thinks he’s right and thinks it’s up to him to fix the world?

It’s like when Claudia brought Viren back and Viren wanted to spend the rest of his days in peace, and she wouldn’t let him. She won’t let go.

Both Viren and Aaravos are so deeply intwined in this that even if they wanted to, they couldn’t get out (although Viren has more hope to than Aaravos does) It would be up to them to accept imprisonments/execution/ect if society agrees that what they’ve done is unforgivable, and so Viren is seeking Aaravos out of survival, and Aaravos will do whatever it is he’s been planning for years because it’s all he has left, and so despite the protagonist’s efforts to make peace, it’s not gonna happen

The change in the way Queen Janai handles justice makes me wonder if there is future hope/atonement for either of them. Perhaps they could be given a chance to help with building a better world. Perhaps they would be given a chance to break the cycle of violence. Perhaps they could do something productive with their gifts and fix things. It’s an interesting thought

#tdp #Aaravos #lord Viren #meta #the dragon prince #just Thonking this morning

[xadian-daydreams]

Key of Aaravos

This has definitely been discussed before, but most of what I see relates the Key to the prison or helping Callum/humans learn arcanum, so here's my 2 cents.

In short, it's how and why Aaravos is an archmage of all six Primals - when he shouldn't be an archmage at all. Full explanation below the cut.

Arcanum Theory

This is my understanding of how this works.

Xadians are gifted at birth with arcanum, which connects them to facet(s) of a Primal Source. Arcanums vary between species, with elves being the only ones where arcanum varies between individual members. They can choose to explore and fulfill their potential with it, but they can't ever exceed it. You can only become an archmage if you were born with an arcanum with archmage potential. If you weren't, no amount of effort, learning, philosophising etc can make you become an archmage - you simply weren't born with that destiny. Another example, if you were born a Moonshadow elf with an arcanum related to appearance and perception, then you can study to become an illusionist, but you couldn't become life/death moon druid.

Humans have no born connection to any Primal Source, but they also have no limits placed on their potential if they manage a connection, beyond time dedicated to exploring the Primal concepts and their capacity to understand. If a human connects to Moon and wants to learn illusions, and druid magic, and shadow magic and... you get the gist, well, they totally can with enough effort.

The way around arcanum limits (or having no Primal connection) is using magic gems and Primal Stones - which artificially gives you temporary access to archmage grade arcanum and a bunch of primal energy to channel into rune spells.

(Alternatively, there's also the Bloodmoon cult, who used dark magic to alter their inborn arcanum to liberate themselves from the restriction of the moon cycle.)

The Exception to the Rule

Then there's Aaravos, who's so unique and special the rules didn't apply, and he managed become an archmage in all six Primals. (Did you know the six stars on his face are astral tattoos? Man wanted to make a point).

But what if Aaravos isn't exceptional and has the same limits every other Xadian has - one arcanum related to a single Primal, probably not even archmage potential, that he is confined and limited by - he just figured out how to cheat better than Primal Stones.

If Aaravos held a Primal Stone for each Primal, he could fake his abilities. But Primal Stones have to be in contact and can break. There's no evidence Stars Primal Stones are even possible. Plus, he clearly isn't doing that. But... some way to make a bridge to channel the artificial arcanums without needing to even be near the source. An artefact that can hold something of himself to act as the link. There's a theory of Raayllum's that the Key of Aaravos contains his chest piece (white heart/star core), which helped inspired this theory. Aaravos' chest piece glows when he's accessing the artificial arcanums to cast magic, as he's reconnecting to the missing piece held in the Key.

Why does the Key glow in proximity to magical creatures/active primal magic- maybe a password system. You need archmage/archdragon grade arcanum for each Primal touching the cube simultaneously to open it - which would mean currently only Aaravos could open his Key to retrieve his core.

A Source of Great Power

But there's the hang up of where Aaravos got the full arcanum for Stars to make this Key theory work.

Harrow's letter says the Key unlocks a great power in Xadia, with the Key itself being slightly pulled towards this Source. Conversely, this means the Key is also part of what locked away this great power in the first place.

Running with the theory, this Source would need to contain the full arcanum of all six Primals - the only thing I can think of that would do that is Deep magic - the ancient mashup precursor to Primal magic. So, Aaravos placed some sort of syphon on the Deep Source/Nexus itself, and connected it to himself via the Key.

The bigger question is - does this tie into Aaravos' gift of dark magic to humanity as a whole? Dark magic is intrinsically linked to Aaravos, using it forms a connection to him personally. Is there Deep Nexus being augmented to artificially allow the casting of dark magic. Which would mean this Key could be used to access a means to the source of dark magic - which could be disabled.

Also, it's probably not a coincidence the dark magic symbol has the diamond shape of Aaravos' Star chest piece in it.

And a final question - if the Key is giving Aaravos arcanum, could it be used to remove his arcanum, giving him the same unlimited potential as a human. Presumably, his long experience with using the Primals would translate into reconnecting, human style, fairly easily. (And I have another theory which would mean Aaravos would have access to a backup arch potential Stars connection he could use to reconnect, if that's the one Primal you can't force). Just saying this because of the alternate Callum opening which indicates Callum's going to do something with the Key that Aaravos wants to happen - and Callum thinking he's defeating Aaravos when he's actually making his power independent... Seems like something Aaravos would find hilarious. (Edit: I also just noticed Callum is staring at the Stars symbol on the Key in the opening, which is more evidence that the person who will be holding it has Stars Primal. And after discussing, Callum could just be after putting the chest piece back in so he can stab it with the Novablade, but I'm still convinced there's more of an angle then that, 'cause where does Aaravos benefit?)

Sorry if something like this has come up before, not trying to tread on toes, but there's quite a few theories about the Key out there...

Thanks for reading.

#aaravos #tdp theory #the dragon prince #tdp #key of aaravos

[m4rs-ex3]

harrow is an incredible character. no not because he's perfect. it's because he's not!!!!

the way that he managed to be an amazing father and have a deeply flawed character in such unison should be a gold standard for writing. he's not "too pure to be a ruler" or whatever; no goofy joke he makes will make up for the fact that he killed avizandum. that he took down the monarch of xadia, a mate and a father, when he hadn't posed as an active threat for years--or ever, really. plus he fully committed to killing zym.

"he had a good reason" did he really? like bro there are a lot of fucking dragons in xadia in the long run killing one won't do shit. he may have made the decision with an angsty smolder but it was still a stupid, impulsive one. and as for the former act, yes, thunder thighs killed sarai (and everyone's favorite lesbians :(), he orphaned three precious innocent babies without a care in the world. avizandum was a ruthless, ignorant motherfucker, on that much i agree (which leads to the discussion of how the humans are humans but xadians are just as prejudiced and pretentious but that's a worship post for another day.) and no, i won't sit here and say that in harrow's position i would be perfectly fucking civil (ronan lynch ref go brr), i'm just stating the facts. ok my interpretation of the facts. tldr he did a shitty thing, but were his intentions good? no. was his heart in the right place? nada. was his hateful homicidal mindset fueled by a reasonable inciting incident? yes yes it was!

(also worthy to mention how much his rule benefited from dark magic. he ultimately made the noble decision to deny it but yk. still)

now believe you me, i recognize that a character who is seemingly perfect turning out to have a dark past isn't exactly revolutionary. but the artistry is in the execution + closure.

from a trope perspective, it really isn't a dark "past." this barbarity occurred literal months before the start of the series, where we see father of the year himself. i just feel that in other shows, the grotesque details of his crimes would use the characters, or at least the framing of the story, to imply that it's so shocking that he would do such a thing and o woe i'll never look at him the same, but it doesn't. which is really what makes his death so impactful.

he's not just a wholesome dad type who is this innocent pure-hearted king. the narrative isn't that his death is such a colossal tragedy cause he was just such a good guy. he's emotional, profound, and righteous, and all of it ends up being a double edged sword!!! because that's how human traits work!!! the narrative doesn't do anything to frame him in any way, it just presents him in full truth. and lo and behold, i don't think there's a single viewer who thinks he is terrible person.

the beauty in his story is that he warranted his own death, and he was willing to acknowledge and accept it more than anyone. he subjected himself to the consequences of his own actions, and the people he influenced most are the ones who see that.

ezran says it all himself: his father, ultimately, was a great king, and an incredible person. but he is strong enough to point out harrow's weaknesses and commit to learning from them.

harrow isn't this shining example of everything a king should be. his death isn't just this unfortunate, harrowing (haa.ha.ahaha) circumstance used to dump a truckload of character-building trauma onto our mcs. it's the first step in the entire journey of the mf show. change. it's the moment where ezran, through all his grief, sees exactly where his path needs to lead to.

harrow fucked up, he knows this, and that's all she wrote. he meant just as much in death as in life, and if that isn't friggin beautiful then i don't know what is.

aagagghh. WRITING ⬆️⬆️⬆️!!!!!!

#the two sides of my adhd are brawling rn #the side that can't read long posts #and the side that can't write concise posts #um anyways so #king harrow #tdp #the dragon prince