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fujosh1dreamer · 9 months

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I feel so bad for callum and his reaction to using dark magic again. You can see how disappointed he is in himself, but more importantly you can tell he's worried about what rayla would think.

All he can probably think about is how when he used dark magic the first time Rayla got really upset with him. But he was unconscious and doesn't know she confessed her feelings then.

Rayla wouldn't put him down and leave him for using dark magic she would more than likely be upset at herself for putting him in a situation where he had to.

My heart really goes out to Callum because he already sees himself as a monster, and potential villain after Aaravos possessed him. He's so silly sometimes it's easy to forget he has a lot of deep and serious turmoil happening inside.

For example there are constant narrative comparisons happening between him and Viren and even Aaravos.

He's so scared of becoming evil despite being so good and kind. I just love Callum and Rayla so much. They're perfect for each other. He just needs to talk to her.

#tdp #tdp spoilers #tdp s5 #tdp ocean #tdp rayla #tdp callum #tdp rayllum #rayla x callum #rayllum #the dragon prince rayla #the dragon prince netflix #netflix the dragon prince #the dragon prince #tdp analysis

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sunstone-nerding · 3 months

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If we assume Moonshadow elves see painting each other's markings as a bonding activity, something done with family or other people important to them...

...especially if spouses paint each other...

... Then in S5 E9, when Callum is drawing mage gills on everyone, I can see Rayla trying not to blush and thinking over and over It's not the same to him it's not the same to him.

Edited to add: Bonus if Callum knows it's kinda personal and is also awkward about it.

#the dragon prince #tdp #rayla #rayllum #callum #tdp rewatch #tdp speculation #tdp analysis

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its-leethee · 7 months

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I am so accustomed to seeing the adults in children's media portrayed as antagonistic obstacles for the child protagonists to outwit and overcome. So, I really appreciate how in The Dragon Prince, Callum, Ezran, and Rayla are able to approach and rely upon the adults, strangers even, that they meet during their journey. The specific examples I want to talk about are both from 1x07: the doctor and the mercenary.

When Ezran and Callum meet the doctor, he is genuinely concerned for the boys, even though he can tell that they're not being completely upfront with him. He gives them his hospitality and listens without judgement or reproach while they tell him about the accident with the egg. When he realizes his expertise is inadequate, he keeps his promise not to tell on them, and points them towards hope.

Rayla's meeting with the mercenary is more tense; he is understandably skeptical of her intentions after she chases and corners him in an alley. But when he realizes her sincerity, he heeds her plea for help. His words ("but it'll burn you") and his body language (his hesitation, his worried facial expression) belie his empathy - at least, until he sees that she's an elf, and his prejudice overcomes him.

I also want to give a mention to Villads and Lujanne, who stepped up as mentors/guides for the trio, and offered their assistance, advice, and kindness without expectations of recompense.

In reality, most people are good and want to do right by others(1). The vast majority of the strangers and people you meet are not scheming, nefarious opportunists-in-waiting. If you approach with vulnerability and ask someone for help, they will honestly try to assist you.

I just find it such a refreshing, appropriately wholesome take. Grownups aren't out to get you, kids. As someone who was raised in the "stranger danger" era, I am glad to have tdp's more nuanced and honest version of reality to show and discuss with my own children.

#the dragon prince #1x07 #affectionate #tdp rant #i guess that's what this is #(1) source: me and my correct belief in human goodness #i just keep thinking abt. the writers made that choice. to have the kids get help from strangers #first time i watched i was waiting for a trick or condescension or ulterior motives. and it just. didn't happen that way. SO nice #mine #tdp analysis

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sunfire-shield · 9 months

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“At least Karim would lead the people with some sense of certainty . . .” I think it’s really interesting that Janai focused so much on Karim’s certainty in this quote back in season four, while she was agonising over whether or not to fully embrace being queen, because yes, Karim is much more certain and decisive than his sister, but we see that is actually its own weakness. While Janai often hesitates and deliberates (I loved her not being able to choose out of just two flower options, and Amaya’s exasperation; that was funny and cute) that also means that she looks deeper, thinks longer, and more often comes to better conclusions than Karim, who often just confidently charges into the wrong decisions. It feeds into this thing with the sun seed, where Janai has the patience to wait for it to grow (a metaphor for guiding her people into a new era, a different world, a more accepting world) even if it will take multiple lifetimes, and Karim does not. He takes short cuts. He cuts corners. He makes sketchy deals with forces he doesn’t understand or fully control. He might have led the people with certainty, but to no good end. Janai’s thoughtfulness is ultimately a greater strength than Karim’s certainty

#really interested to see how this little civil war between the sunfire elves plays out #the dragon prince #tdp spoilers #the dragon prince spoilers #janai #tdp janai #Karim #tdp karim #tdp meta #tdp analysis

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madou-dilou · 1 month

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This painting is so Viren-coded

#viren #tdp viren #the dragon prince #tdp lord viren #tdp analysis #tdp aaravos maybe #or just death in general

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self-spaghettification · 1 month

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i think the only thing more fucked up than sir sparklepuff being a child created just for sacrifice is how happy and ready for it he is. he nods and smiles and seems disappointed when viren decides not to and stalks off.

and he doesn’t have a single fear of death or inkling of self preservation like every other living thing does because that’s just how he was made, twistedly. when everyone else has shunned him— he knows its the only purpose he was created for, the only purpose he serves, to be something special, something important, and he’s drawn toward it where anything else would run

i mean, these reactions aren’t nothing. he seems to understand what’s going on, he understands what Aaravos is saying and smiles at it, he seems dismayed hearing Viren will die and refuses to kill him, he seems pitying when Viren says he’s followed a dark path, he seems to reach up to Aaravos to ask him to do something about it

unrelated ish but + the reaching motif -> reaching up like Viren does whereas most other characters we see reaching are reaching down, inwards, or to the side

from @raayllum ‘s post s

he really does take more after viren lol

:)

#while it could be interpreted that he was shocked by the knife n shocked that viren chose to ‘save’ him +#looking to Aaravos for help and sad when his dads left #i find this interpretation more interesting and fitting #the dragon prince #self spaghettification #sir sparklepuff #mine #tdp analysis #tdp meta

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inamindfarfaraway · 18 days

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It's so cool that the Viren-Claudia-Callum foil triangle each have a different approach to the "I would do anything for you" sentiment that they all define themselves by.

Pre-coma Viren doesn't fully mean it even when he believes he does. He says that his loyalty is to the best interests of his family and humanity, but as K'ppar points out in his dream, he keeps putting his own ambition and self-importance before anything else. He doesn't consider sacrificing his life for Harrow until Harrow brings it up. Even after that, he never once thinks of giving up the dragon prince's egg; the belief that the prince was killed is part of the reason the assassins are here and returning him to them might appease them, might at least make them spare Harrow's son, which the man Viren loves as a brother would obviously want. He orders Soren to kill the princes to guarantee Viren the throne. He orders Claudia to save the egg instead of Soren if she had to choose. Harrow, Ezran, Callum and his own child are not worth losing the power of Zym to his enemies for. He isn't willing to sacrifice his power or vision, his selfish interests, but is instead willing to sacrifice the people he loves, which is why he's evil. The promise is conditional. But what lets him redeem himself is that the love at the base of it really is unconditional. He still loves Harrow and genuinely expresses this in his dream, overwhelmed with relief when he appears to be alive. He still loves his children, even after all the horrible things he does to them and the lack of remorse he shows for those actions until his death. The coma reminds him of that enduring love, and makes him reevaluate how he dismissed it.

Claudia is the opposite. When she says she'll do anything for someone, she means it with everything she has. Herself, her moral integrity, other people's lives, the fate of the world - nothing is more important to her than her perceived responsibility to her loved ones. Including what her loved ones themselves want. But she can also change her mind about who she loves, at least enough to see them as against her rather than with her. Callum is her friend, until he isn't. Soren is her family, until he isn't and only Viren is worth protecting. Like her father’s did before her, her value of Soren’s wellbeing has been slipping from “That’s all that matters” to “That doesn’t matter!” People can be disqualified by opposing her desires and ideology. The promise is unconditional, but the love isn't.

And then you have Callum, who seems to have the best approach of the three. He means his promise when he says it and will never rescind it later on. His devotion is both absolute and everlasting. He will do anything for Ezran and Rayla, putting them before his own interests; and he would never consider them expendable. That's great! After all, having conditions of worth in relationships they don't belong in is bad. It leads to Viren and Claudia hurting, manipulating and betraying their family and friends, and such behaviour feels viscerally wrong. They're traitors. They're abusers. Those are serious crimes. Those labels are grievous insults meaning ‘Bad Person’. But unlike both Viren and Claudia, Callum doesn't have the arrogant belief that he always know best to warp his love into something self-serving. His genuine selflessness prevents him from ever becoming that kind of person. He does cut ties with Claudia, but only after she proves to be untrustworthy and have enduring harmful intent toward him, his brother and Rayla, so it's a perfectly reasonable boundary to set. His version of "I would do anything for you" just makes him caring and heroic. Right?

Until you realize that technically, if he had to kill everyone else on the continent in order to save Ezran and Rayla, all evidence from canon suggests that he would.

#the dragon prince #tdp #tdp analysis #tdp meta #tdp callum #tdp viren #prince callum

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imminent-danger-came · 7 months

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hi. mentally ill about soren and claudia. the siblings in tdp all make me insane but soren and claudia are so. viren's daughter claudia and her brother soren (he doesn't like soren). the fact that at first claudia seems like the nice one but soren questions when he's doing the wrong thing and claudia digs herself deeper every chance she gets. that one scene where to protect ezran (?) (it's been a while since i watched this bit) he threatens claudia and she just looks so heartbroken and determined. they both do. because they still do care so so much about each other, it's just that they've taken such different paths and neither of them is willing to bend, not even for the other. <- not normal

OMG A TDP ASK FOR ME??????????????

Who doesn't love Soren and Claudia.

Like, Soren was willing to kill his father in the name of what was right, and Claudia was willing to bring her father back from the dead ignoring what was right ("I did things...I never imagined I would be able to do"). Claudia in s2 wants to "use [her] words not [her] muscles" but when it comes down to it, she's always going to use the strength dark magic gives her to get what she wants, and Soren has since learned that forgiveness and friendship are powerful things. Claudia has only distanced herself from the personhood of the creatures/people around her further and further (which is part of the danger of dark magic), while Soren has only become more and more aware of it.

Soren would jump headfirst into the sea in heavy armor to save an innocent baitling, whereas Claudia would try and squeeze her former friends to death for the sake of her goal. They both have a completely different understanding of the value of life, at all different levels, with Viren learning that value later:

And I think Soren learning to value life more and more over the course of his arc 1 er, arc, only adds to the fact that he's willing to kill his father at the end of s3.

Had Soren been down in the ocean with the rest of the gang in 5x09, I think he wouldn't have hesitated in killing Claudia either, despite how much he cares about her.

While Claudia's followed the dark path of her father ("Daddy look! I'm following in your footsteps!") Soren's been trying to walk a different path. To follow Ezran and his efforts for a brighter future.

I just think they're neat!

(For context, these scenes take place right after one another. Soren staying on the surface to look after their creature friends VS Claudia who sinks bellow to the ocean floor using the corpse of a pentapus)

Bonus "My eyes for truth" and seeing personhood comp:

#thinking about how 'No matter where you are on the path- no matter what you've done before...every step forward is a choice! I am free'#also applies to walking on the path of light #Like for Soren reaching after Clauida. And Callum doing dark magic again in 5x08 #You know what I'm saying #tdp #tdp analysis #tdp parallels #the dragon prince #tdp Soren #tdp Claudia #asks #gumy-shark #also tdp is insane with it's water/darkness symbolism #Like in 5x07 Soren is all like ''If you see Claudia again tell her I said hi'' and then he gives up and prepares to SINK and DROWN #Going back to the abyss are we Soren #Be amazed by how much I can overthink everything

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booksandpaperss · 9 months

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Callum and Viren are fundamentally different despite their similarities

We’ve certainly all noticed the numerous, numerous Callum Viren parallels, but I wanted to shine a light on how they’re still at heart, very different people (which makes their parallels and similarities even more interesting in my opinion).

The biggest difference between them, at least in terms of their approach to “however dangerous, however vile”, is that regardless of how much Viren himself believed his own lies, there was always a part of him (a huge part of him) that wanted and enjoyed the danger and the vile. He’s an interesting character bc he was able to truly believe his own bullshit justifications for his actions, to the point where he even felt remorse in seasons 4 and 5, but that doesn’t change the fact that they were still bullshit justifications.

Callum on the other hand? He does not have any desire nor take any joy in doing dark magic and acts that go against what he thinks is the right thing, he genuinely and fully does it solely to protect his loved ones, and feels guilty afterwards (but not regretful. In that sense callum and Viran are perfect mirrors of each other: Viran ended up feeling regretful but not guilty, and callum always feels guilty but never regrets as long as he can save his loved ones).

Callum will do Acts however dangerous and however vile to protect those he loves, and he’ll do it without hesitation too, but Callum does not take any joy in it, he does not get anything out of it except relief that his loved ones are safe and guilt over what he’s done. Viren does get something out of it, he wanted to corrupt Katolis and sieze power, he wanted to use and abuse dark magic because it made him more powerful.

so yes, the Viren-Callum parallels are very worrying, but it’s important to remember that Viren’s fate will not happen to Callum, and aaravos won’t be able to use him in the same way, hard as he might try, all because of how different Callum is from Viren where it matters. They’re perfect foils.

#the dragon prince #the dragon prince s5 #tdp season 5 #tdp callum #tdp analysis #I Will mit be providing any screenshots I am too sleepy #source: trust me bro #I just got tdp on the mind due to my rewatch lol

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random-fandom-ramble · 10 months

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So this just dropped-

And I am excited

This one image shows us that Rayla doesn’t just carry the bowblade around with her, but she’s also USING IT.

It also shows us that she knows archery, though I (former Archer) would say she’s not as good as Runaan or Ethari.

Though in her defence, she does look like she’s moving.

If you look at the leaves in the background, they have a slight motion blur, like you’d get if someone were travelling by them with speed.

And Raylas bangs, that usually hang over and slightly in front of her cheeks, are out of her face and facing outwards and back, as though they were getting blown back by the wind.

So she’s obviously moving while aiming an arrow with Runaans bowblade. And she’s clearly putting a lot of effort into aiming, cause she’s got one eye closed and is putting her focus wholly on her target.

But you know what else her bangs show us?

Based on the direction from which they are getting blown out of her face…

Rayla is chasing someone.

She’s not just aiming at a target, she’s actively chasing, no, hunting somebody.

Now the question is just who? Or what?

Who are you chasing, Rayla?

And why?

~~~~~~

@beautifulterriblequeen @legend-of-the-fandoms @ladyandherbooks @hoothalcyon @zuppizup @moonshadow-memes @raayllum @kaia001 @sunstone-nerding @jellyjay and any other fellow headcanon- andtheory maker; what say you?

#tdp #the dragon prince #tdp theory #tdp headcanons #tdp rayla #tdp spoilers #tdp s5 spoilers #tdp speculations #tdp s5 #tdp season 5 #tdp s5 trailer #tdp theorist #tdp meta #tdp analysis #tdp angst ✨

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bisexualenbyblueberry · 8 months

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Happy five years TDP! To celebrate, I'll be writing out my thoughts on the new screenshots you released for me because they have plagued me for the past two days, I literally can't think about anything else, this is the insane feral creature you have created, anyway haha let's get into the analysis

Okay okay yeah Rayllum alone again woo-hoo I'm mega excited and all that (But seriously tho. They're alone again. THEY'RE ALONE AGAIN DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME WE LET THEM JOURNEY INTO XADIA ALONE TOGETHER I'M NORMAL I'M SO NORMAL-). But what is that tower made of. What is it. Is it solid? Gas? Liquid? An optical illusion? What would happen if I walked into it? If it's solid, how do you get in? A door? A portal? How do you get all the way up? Elevator? Do you turn into pure wind Nico and Jason in Croatia style and just float your way up? Do the celestial elves have to come and pick you up and fly you back up? Are you expected to fly up on your own or bring your own flying mount? Do they even allow visitors?

NEXT ORDER OF BUSINESS.

Why are they the only two going? (I know that it's probably because Ez has kingly duties to attend to, and Soren has to stay by him, but I'm writing this analysis anyway, because I can :D) Are Callum and Ezran fighting? Are we gonna see them fight? Didn't one of the creators say that they were going to fight this season, or am I being horribly mislead by the internet? If they do fight, I welcome the angst!

That's pretty much it, I thought I had more stuff to talk about but I guess that's all. Happy 5 years tdp thank you for quietly feeding me while I go feral over every morsel you give

#the dragon prince #tdp #dragon prince #tdp callum #tdp rayla #tdp rayllum #tdp season 6 #tdp analysis #tdp ezran #tdp starscraper

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sunstone-nerding · 1 month

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It would be interesting if the first person Runaan sees out of the coin is Rayla, by herself. She is crying and relieved...but he shoves her -- probably clumsily, because I'm not sure he can stand -- and yells or growls something like: "Get out!" Everyone is shocked and hurt until Runaan realizes where he is.

A reaction like this would support the interpretation that his primary motivation while fighting Rayla was to drive her away, not actually kill her. Also, it would be heartbreaking.

#the dragon prince #tdp #tdp speculation #tdp analysis

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its-leethee · 6 months

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I've been reminiscing about my first watch through of The Dragon Prince. And, well, I love everything in the bakery scene in 1x01. For such a brief scene, it reveals a lot about Ezran and the culture in Katolis.

The scene opens with Ezran sneaking into the bakery through a grate in the floor, so now we know that the castle has passages in the walls (an important and plot-relevant secret we'll appreciate later) and that Ezran is free and adventurous enough to explore and exploit them.

The triangular-shaped jelly tarts that Ezran covets are recognizable as hamantashen, a traditional Jewish pastry. There are other examples of Jewish cultural practices revealed in the show later, but this is the first, and I admit I was pretty excited to see them.

We've already met King Harrow at this point, so we know that the royal family is Black and wears red clothing. Our suspicions about Ezran are confirmed when Barius greets him: "Prince Ezran," at which Ez immediately flinches. Barius' tone is not deferential in the least. Barius goes on to admonish Ezran for his attempted jelly tart heist, and with this exchange we're shown that while Ezran might enjoy a great measure of privilege and freedom, he's not spoiled. The baker's demeanor signals that the other castle inhabitants don't feel obligated to grovel to Ezran, or even humor his mischief.

Extra:

...as I was re-watching the scene to capture my favorite little exchange (the suffering parent in me laughed out loud here):

I remembered that we got an instance of the eye motif:

"...they're not for you! Or your little monster, Bait."

Personhood, and who deserves to be recognized as a person, is one of the principal themes explored in this show and here it is, presented in this scene as comic relief.

All of this packed into less than three minutes. I just love how this entire show scene's construction and execution are so clever and succinct.

#1x01 #mine #tdp analysis #ezran #barius #worldbuilding #characterization #eye motif #theme: personhood #when i watched tdp the first time i knew practically nothing about it beyond the title. went in w no expectations. and well. damn #never been another show that has captured my obsession so thoroughly since. but y'all know #the dragon prince

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dannydevitosthiccdog · 1 year

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I've not seen anyone draw parallels between the Viren and Harrow talking about Sarai's death and Viren talking to Claudia.

When Viren and Harrow are in Viren's study and he's shown the unicorns horn and Sarai's dying breath. Harrow is trying to just move on, he lost his wife, he can't change that, but he can be in their children's lives, to live in peace. But then Viren comes along sparking hated just so he can use rare evil spell for shits and gigs 'To sAve HUmaNiTy'.

Then when Viren talks with Claudia on the storm spire, having just learned he was going to die in 30 days, he went the EXACT same route as Harrow did. He just wants to spend time with his daughter, dark magic and pursuit of power had taken everything from him and he wants a normal life for the remaining few days he has left.

Then Claudia comes along, I get she doesn't want to loose her family again but he clearly told her what he wanted and she refused to listen.

Callum and Ezran grew up without a mother and then lost their father to assassins prompted by actions and manipulations that Viren did.

Avazandum wouldn't be dead if Viren had listened to Harrow's wishes, and Viren wouldn't be try to save himself if Claudia had listened to Viren's wishes either.

#the dragon prince #viren #harrow #callum #ezran #rayla #avazandum #zym #azymondias #parallels #Claudia #tdp viren #tdp season 4 #tdp spoilers #tdp #tdp analysis

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madou-dilou · 7 months

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Me (lying to myself): "Of course this isn't just a pointless Twin Peaks reference for the sake of reference, this element has to have an in-universe meaning. This part of the dream is about Viren's wildest desires for control, things Viren himself knows are delusional and foolish. The curtains and the lights are red, symbolising violence or desire. So either Viren fantasies about Opeli stroking his wood or they did have an affair and she had an abortion regardless of Viren's wishes, and he helped her in it, performing the spell himself, because this way would be painless for her and he knew it was best for everyone, but it's still a memory that stays with them both. The writers have obviously thought this through."