#''Reject history as a narrative of strength and instead have faith that it can be a narrative of love'' OKAY TDP FINE

[imminent-danger-came]

Unhinged Anon, back again! And so incapable of not bugging you with lmk thoughts that I apparently have my own tag now? Thank you but also I’m so sorry??? The monkie show has made me insufferable, and I’m afraid you’ve become the primary target of my insanity. 

Anyways, your tdp soundtrack post got me thinking. Since they haven’t released an official lmk soundtrack (for some reason. LEGO/Flying Bark/whoever makes that decision, we will give you our money just PLEASE GIVE US THE MONKIE MUSIC), I was wondering what your… lets call it 10 (or however many you want to do) favorite tracks from the show are, and more importantly: What would you name each of them?

For example, I love the track that plays in Benched where Tang gives his speech to Macaque and then Pigsy starts singing, and I’d probably name it “There Will Always Be Hope” because goooood I love that speech. Plus, that quote feels pretty relevant to the moment where the leitmotif (I think that’s the right term? I know very little about music and composing) pops up again in Destiny Fulfilled. Anyways, hope you’re having a lovely day! *waves from the precipice of madness*

You always leave me such quality thoughts I thought I'd just give myself a good way to find them faster! BUT YES THIS IS A REALLY FUN ASK. I'll do 6 I think, in no particular order:

1.) The song that plays while scroll Subodhi is talking to MK in front of the stone in 4x06, it drives me insane. I shall dub it "It Was Used to Form Another" or even "Time Will Tell".

2.) The track that plays at the beginning of 4x01 while our mysterious hooded figure picks up the scroll piece. I love all the music associated with the scroll/curse in general. Let's call it the "The Brink of Chaos"

3.) The music during Mei's "We trusted you" speech in 3x10 is AMAZING. I'll call it "Mei's Lament" since her theme plays in minor during those scenes.

4.) The main theme that plays during MK's big "patience and focus" scene during the climax of 1x09. I feel like honestly that's just the main theme of the show, so "Main Theme" or "The Monkie Kid".

5.) The music that plays behind Azure and the Jade Emperor's fight in 4x10, or honestly even their whole convo in general. Let's call it "Was there a Point Where You Questioned It".

6.) The music that plays at the end of 2x10 while Lady Bone Demon crystalizes MK and then the rest of the city, the haunting choir there is SO GOOD. "Destiny Found You".

*waves back from the precipice of madness*

[letsplaythermalnuclearwar]

hey so am I the only one losing it over Ezran telling Karim that history doesn't have to be a narrative of strength if they don't want it to be, that it can be a narrative of love? in the same way King Harrow told them that the narrative of strength found in history is a great lie and that true strength is vulnerability and forgiveness and love? and then asked them to reject history as a narrative of strength and instead have faith that it can be a narrative of love?

[kradogsrats]

This might be spoilers for what happens later in your Lissa centric fic but do you ever see Sarai as a better leader than Harrow was in Canon?

Interesting question! I feel like when a lot of the fandom looks at Sarai, they see her anti-dark magic stance and challenge of Harrow's characterization of the magma titan as a "monster" as her most prominent character moments and interpret that as her primary character trait being compassion for all people and creatures, like a fully-matured version of "incapable of killing" Rayla.

Which like... fair! The series goes out of its way to associate them, two characters who will never meet, to the point of Rayla repeating Sarai's lines. Also "Does it think? Does it feel? Does it have a family? Is it the last of its kind?" is a real banger, hitting right at the one of the deepest core themes of the story, so it's not surprising that it's what stays in everyone's head. But the really important line for understanding her as queen in relation to Harrow as king is later in the scene: "You said you want to build a better world, to really change things, but that's going to take decades of hard work. There's no monster you can slay and solve all your problems." The novel has an additional sentence in there to reinforce the point: "There's a special kind of courage that you need for consistency and perseverance."

Both Harrow and Sarai are interested in systemic change. The novel describes them as having had "long, late-night discussions" during which they planned how they were going to solve the problems they identified. (All of this kind of says something about King Atticus, too.) However, she self-describes in narration as an "optimistic realist" to Harrow's "idealist." She believes that as king and queen, they can change the world—but it may take a lifetime, and will involve a lot of hard decisions.

Really, I think the key difference between them is life experience. Sarai married Damian and chose to have a child with him, fully knowing that he almost definitely wouldn't live to see that child grow up. Harrow, when they meet, has probably never had a serious relationship. Sarai comes from a military background (IMO), so she has both given and taken orders she might not fully agree with—something we see from her accompanying Harrow on the mission. She made her case to him, he made his decision, and she follows through on that decision without a single complaint, even though we know it's one she dislikes. Harrow, as he knows, was born a prince—for all his training, it's unlikely anyone gave him orders, and they probably took his opinion as having more weight. He's somewhat aware of his privilege compared to most of his subjects, and kind of overcompensates with his ideas of compassion and servitude.

Not to go all American politics on everyone, but it's kind of the same misunderstanding a lot of liberals have about the presidency—if we can just get the right person into that seat, they'll be able to tell everyone that [insert social policy] and it'll happen. The reality, as Sarai knows, is that big changes takes years of lobbying, boots-on-the-ground activism, and lots of little changes that still require fighting tooth and nail to get them done. She's absolutely right that it takes a special kind of courage to do that work and keep doing it without falling into despair and resentment. You also have to know how to pick your battles, something that Harrow is definitely not used to doing.

Ultimately I do think Sarai would probably be more successful than Harrow was as sole ruler, if that was a situation that somehow occurred, BUT it's important that she never denigrates Harrow's idealism or thinks of him as naive. I think she values it, and loves him for it—for things like "reject history as a narrative of strength, and instead have faith that it can be a narrative of love," which is 100% pure Harrow. Like Harrow believes she makes him better, I think she believes that he makes her better. Sarai's more effective but Harrow's more inspirational. So, idk... make of that what you will.

[raayllum]

So Harrow has two main theses in his letter to Callum, which are as follows:

1) I now believe true strength is found in vulnerability, in forgiveness, in love. There is a beautiful upside down truth, which is that these moments of purest strength appear as weakness to those who don’t know better. For a long time, I didn’t know better. I ask you and your brother to reject history as a narrative of strength, and instead have faith it can be a Narrative of Love.

2) I’ve tried to be selfless as a king but as a father, I have a selfish wish. And that is for you and Ezran to be... free. Reject the chains of history. Do not let the past define your future, as I did. Free yourself from the past. Learn from it, understand it, then let it go. Create a brighter future from your own hearts and imaginations. 

so Love is synonymous with Freedom, which makes sense. Breaking the Cycle requires the ability to be Free (emotionally, physically, etc) in order to choose the Narrative of Love in the first place. And again, why Callum is the ultimate main character of the show, because he’s concerned first and foremost with freedom from a thematic (and sometimes personality) standpoint. 

But again, we see how S4 starts to complicate this thematically with Ezran’s speech, where we have to choose to acknowledge both the Pain and the Love, as well as the mage fam. They’re seeking Freedom for Aaravos and Claudia, at least, is primarily motivated by Love. We also know that Love and Freedom will likely be entangled in Callum’s possession plot line, in which Aaravos and Rayla are dual anchors. But I do find it interesting that the letter, besides these two “we’re spelling out the theme” only really has two other ‘sections’ if you will. The first is resolving / tying up Harrow&Callum’s relationship in regards to affirmation.

The other is the Key of Aaravos. In a letter all about Freedom and Love. Do I even need to say it

[meganwasbored]

The Dragon Prince Thoughts Season 2 Episodes 5 and 6

(I thought I posted this a week ago but apparently I accidentally saved it in my drafts instead but better late than never)

I finally have the time to watch more I swear this was the most stressful week of my life

Episode 5

-“Breaking The Seal” L E T T E R ?

-I think I’ve been patient enough just open the dang letter before I lose my mind

-“I’ve done terrible things” shoot I forgot he said that is he talking about killing the dragon king or something related to that

-slightly confused about how these kingdoms work, are there multiple kingdoms within Katolis, or are these kings and queens from outside of Katolis

-“it seems I am a crown without an adult, and you are an adult without a crown” !!!!!!!!!

-BOOM GET HUMBLED

-ofc Viren had to make this all dramatic, literally just showing off at this point

-a NEW threat?? Haven’t y’all been at war for idek how many years?? How is any of this new??

-“there are reports of shadows in the clouds, dragons” MORE DRAGONS

-I take it back this room is boring, bring back the special effects

-I can’t tell if the others are scared of the elves or scared of whatever Viren just did

-I was confused why Ezran seems so chill about his father dying but then I remembered that he doesn’t even know, man this is gonna hurt

-“I won’t send my armies to face unknown danger over a two minute speech. I may be a child but apparently I’m the least impulsive of us all. Besides, I hardly call ‘we’ll do what everyone else says’ a decision.” GIRL

-I may as well quote absolutely everything Queen Aanya says because she’s my new hero

-“Sweet words can be more dangerous than hidden daggers”

-don’t mind me just crying over this flashback scene oh my gosh

-“I know you will stand by me through anything” Whoops actually he just stood there as you were murdered and is now trying to kill both your sons

-bruh even baby Ezran is a menace when it comes to jelly tarts

-“why do I deserve this? What did I do except being born with everything?” Harrow buddy you deserve the world

-Viren is a master manipulator and while it makes me wanna hurt him you gotta admit he knows how to get what he wants

-NO POOR BAIT JUST WANTS TO BE LOVED

-dude it looks like Viren actually cared about Harrow a lot what the heck happened to him

-Sarai is literally so awesome why do all the best characters die, this better not become a trend

-Obviously the titan isn’t actually dead idc how dead they think he looks they just went “oh he’s not moving so I’m gonna hammer a stake through him, what can go wrong?”

-Callum and Bait being besties is something I didn’t know I needed

-THE SEAL IS BROKEN I REPEAT THE SEAL IS BROKEN

-fire titan dude is pretty ugly like uglier than I thought he would be

-Venus fly trap looking head

Episode 6

-LETTER TIMEEEEEE

-why did they put this at the beginning I shouldn’t be crying this early in the episode

-they took the dragon egg MONTHS ago??? Did they say this before cause I thought it was like years ago, I’m so confused with this timeline

-IT JUST CUTS OFF???

-YALL BETTER NOT BE MAKING ME WAIT AGAIN TO HEAR TO REST OF THAT LETTER I SWEAR

-oh my gosh I’m freaking stupid this story is how his mom dies isn’t it

-“the injured must be left behind” right when past-Viren earns my respect again he says stupid stuff like that

-“you wouldn’t do this if it wasn’t your wife’s sister” well I don’t see a ring on your finger so how would you know

-“I ask you and your brother to reject history as a narrative of strength, and instead have faith that it can be a narrative of love”

-all these flashback scenes are so cute I just know I’m gonna rewatch the heck outta this episode

-“Rayla, that’s a funny name” it’s literally the most normal name out of every character we’ve met

-The boat guy (I forgot his name so I’m just gonna call him Boat Guy) encouraging Rayla to literally kill people is hilarious

-“I’ve never actually killed anyone”

“Maybe someday! Never give up on your

dreams!”

-“with the heavy heart of the titan, and the additional burden of carrying the wounded” I actually wanna punch him through the screen just the way he said that makes me so mad, like he’s bitter about Harrow not wanting to leave most of their soldiers there to die

-Zym steals my heart all over again every second he’s on screen

-“you can’t control where the river goes, there’s one thing you can know and control, yourself”

-“I want to talk to you about life and growing up and how sometimes there are changes you don’t expect” WAIT IS THAT THE THING CALUM SAID TO EZRAN I THINK THATS THE THING CALLIM SAID TO EZRAN

-“free yourself from the past, learn from it, understand it, then let it go” y’all don’t understand how much I needed to hear this rn

-I KNOW YOURE NOT TELLING THIS POOR GRIL WHAT HER MOTHERS WOULD HAVE WANTED TO GET HER VOTE YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT WHAT HER MOTHERS WOULD HAVE WANTED

-Viren throwing a baby tantrum the second someone tells him no is hilarious, the child in the room is more mature than he will ever be

-that fact that Harrow gave Callum the cube of all things makes it seem like he knew that Callum was gonna be a mage

-“extra-super-secret-bonus-secret” I love him so much we lost him way too soon

-DRAGON DRAGON DRAGON

[colonelpancakes]

Continued!

Fuck you Karim.

I love Aanya and I love Ezran responding to Karim with “yes, she is awesome actually.”

The way that Ezran shrinks a bit when Karim calls him a child but then straightens up when Corvus reasserts that he’s a king and should be respected as one

I love Ez so much, he has been taking notes from Aanya on dealing with patronizing adults.

!!! Bait sitting in Aanya’s chair!!

“If anyone objects to this marriage, well, what are they going to do, show up with an army?”

SKjfaslkfjklasfj. It's okay, Gren. I laughed. Also, Amaya’s little look towards him is great.

“I knew the borders of my world and how to protect them. But you broke down those borders and showed me beauty and love that I had never seen before.”

I’m actually starting to tear up. I love this show so goddamn much. Janai’s wedding vows were so soft and beautiful.

“When I asked Gren for help writing this, he just said, ‘Tell Janai what you love about her.’ But that’s hard to do because it changes all the time. Every single day I discover something new, and my love for you keeps growing. So, Janai, my vow to you is that our love will grow as we grow together. It will change, but it will endure and it will bring more love into the world as it does.”

Nope, I’m full on crying now. I love their wedding speeches so much, I genuinely am not sure that I can express it in words. I love how the wedding speeches are about change and growth and openness I love them so much oh my god. And it makes me genuinely so happy that this show exists. It makes me so happy that there is an episode dedicated to the marriage of not just two women, but two women where one of them is disabled and one is asian and the other is black. This would have meant so much to me as a mixed race, disabled, gay kid and it means so much to me now. And not only that, but the wedding is so goddamn beautiful and sweet and loving. I can’t say enough how much I love this show.

Also, the animation here is so good. The smiles on their faces and the way Janai tries to blink away her tears is so precious.

Aklfjklasf I love Kazi shoving Gren out of the way so that they can tell Janai and Amaya they can kiss.

I LOVE THEMMMMMM

Queen Amaya!!

Oh right this fucker is still here.

And even here, Karim is being patronizing towards Ezran. Speaking in a soft, gentle tone and explaining things to him like he’s just too young to understand the harsh realities and that’s the only reason why he’s objecting. Because that way, if he just dismisses Ezran out of hand, he doesn’t have to actually consider any of Ezran’s points.

Uhhh the guards seem to be closing in, I don’t like that.

EZRANNN!!!!! The quote from his dad’s letter, oh my gosh. “I ask you and your brother to reject history as a narrative of strength, and instead have faith that it can be a narrative of love.” and then “No. History doesn’t have to be a narrative of strength. Not if we don’t want it to be. It can be a narrative of love.” He’s fulfilling his dad’s wish. Harrow would be so proud of him 🥺🥺.

“I think about the people I love and how they are counting on me to do the right thing. Not the strong thing, not the harsh thing. The right thing.” I cannot state enough how much I love Ezran.

“Do you love your sister, Prince Karim?” Oh, that got through to him

Have you ever considered that the great Archdragon of the Sun is kind of an asshole? But I do love how Karim is nothing if not consistent. It must be done this way because that’s how it was done in the past.

Ough the moment of realization from Ez and Corvus…

Ough, the panic and horror in Ezran’s voice… Give Ezran’s voice actor an award.

FUCK YOU KARIM!

Oh my fucking god, I am so fucking anxious right now. And again. Karim. You had to do this. ON THEIR WEDDING DAY?! They literally had to run and get changed out of their wedding outfits and into armor so that they could go fight you and your tiny army and then you intend to literally burn all of them to a crisp. On their fucking wedding day.

...Actually, speaking of burning all of them to a crisp. Um. Who does Karim think he’s going to be leading?? He’s about to kill 85% of the Sunfire military and then exile a decent amount of the population like. My guy? What the fuck is your plan for the aftermath of this, there are GOING to be riots. Even elves who want the humans gone are not going to be happy about you murdering THEIR ENTIRE FUCKING MILITARY. And even if the exile of all the humans doesn’t spark some kind of conflict with the human kingdoms, I’m pretty sure the death of a member of the Katolan royal family as well as the imprisonment of both the king of Katolis and the queen of Duran will. And then what. What army are you going to defend your kingdom with?? The 15% of the military that’s left?? Karim, you are literally so bad at planning.

Aanya to the rescue?

ZYM!! They DID bring him!!

Also, that’s another thing. Zym is going to be pissed off if you kill Amaya and hurt Ezran and I’m fairly certain that an angry Zym is going to mean an angry Zubeia. You may have the Archdragon of the Sun but I’m fairly certain that the Dragon QUEEN is going to have some words with you.

Aanya to the rescue!!

Ooh, I love that her arrow is in the same shape as the flower necklace that holds her mothers’ ring.

AGAIN. THE MURDER OF THE KING OF KATOLIS. IS GOING TO CAUSE SOME CONFLICT. KARIM. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO HAVE THE MILITARY POWER TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM SAID CONFLICT.

Continued once more in the reblogs

Watching The Dragon Prince Season Six Part Seven: The Red Wedding. The title of this episode makes me so nervous nothing bad better happen to Amaya and Janai at their wedding.

Okay, first of all, that is NOT Rayla narrating I don’t know what the subtitles are on about, I’m 99.9% sure that’s Ezran.

Skjfklsa I love Rayla, she has absolutely no intentions of getting up, she is way too comfy.

Aww Sneezles.

Also “There’ll be more kisses later” I love how the second they officially get together, Callum and Rayla resume their status as world’s sappiest, most clingy couple.

UHHH. Wait a second. Is Kosmo just. not telling them about the Pearl before they leave?

...That seems like a really bad idea. They’re going to find out eventually and it's a huge potential risk to, you know, have Aaravos’s magic prison in the castle basement and not know it?? Kosmo, telling Callum before the star-truth ritual was a bad idea but you gotta tell him EVENTUALLY. KOSMO!!

I love themmmm 🥹.

Also, yeah, Kosmo just did not tell them. Um. That may become a bit of a problem later.

Hello bitch. Nice to see you again.

Do some of them not know the plan? They seem very surprised to see Sol Regem. Did no one tell them??

Wait, shit, who the fuck is Pharos? I do not remember, I really should have rewatched season five before starting season six. Oh well, hopefully I’ll figure it out...?

Karim, man, that seems like the type of thing you should NOT be staring directly into. That cannot be good for your eyes.

Oh Dang. That was way more powerful than I thought it was going to be

ON HER WEDDING DAY???? YOU HAVE TO DO THIS ON YOUR SISTER’S WEDDING DAY? You cant have a single modicum of politeness and at the bare minimum choose a day that your sister’s NOT getting married on? KARIM.

I also love the continuity of Corvus playing the cello from Breathtaking

Aanya!! I’ve missed her!!

God, I wanna try Sunfire wedding cake too. I want to know what fire tastes like. Also, I think Aanya’s voice has gotten deeper since her last appearance and I really love it. It’s just really melodic and nice to listen too.

Amaya!!! Janai!! They look so good!!

Sjalskfjl I love them.

“Two very special people helped us bridge our differences and understand one another before we learned to do it on our own.” I love them giving Gren and Kazi parts in the wedding so much and how they’re doing both a traditional human wedding ceremony and a traditional Sunfire wedding ceremony.

Also, I know Kazi was confirmed to be nonbinary by the creators but I think this is the first time their pronouns are actually used in the show! Yay!

BAIT! NOOOOO! The wedding food!! I really hope that didn’t include the Sunfire wedding cake

“So, how are affairs in Katolis?” “Oh. Affairs are well, fair.”

This is the royalty equivalent of when someone asks you how it’s going and your life is on fire but you can’t say that so you just reply with “it’s going.” This is an SOS call, someone get Ezran a hug and like. Some cold apple juice. And maybe a therapist. Definitely a therapist.

Aww, Aanya and Ezran’s friendship is so precious. I’m glad that they each have someone who understands what it’s like being a child ruler. They’re so cute.

I love seeing the Sunfire wedding custom and I love Kazi so much.

Zym stomping his little feet so that he can clap!!!

Aww Grennnn. He’s so sweet I love him.

COME ON! Really Karim?? In the middle of their WEDDING?? Let my girls have a nice wedding ceremony! Let them get married and not have to worry about the safety of their nation! Please!

Poor Janai and Amaya but especially poor Janai. Imagine finally deciding to get married after putting off scheduling your wedding because Something is always happening in your kingdom, only to have your fuckass brother decide to take a sixth of your army and invade your fucking kingdom ON YOUR WEDDING DAY right as you’re about to start the vows. I deeply admire the composure of these women, I would have lit something on fire by now.

Karim, shut the fuck up. You are one of the least righteous people out there. You have done nothing but be wrong for this entire arc.

Okay, so I guess that guy is Pharos. I remember absolutely nothing about him I forgot he was a recurring character until right now skjfalskj

OH WAIT, FUCK, What happened there???? I cannot remember for the life of me who this guy is gosh dangit. Curse my stupid gosh dang memory

(It should be noted that, although I haven’t mentioned it thus far, I am watching this season with my family. My brother says that he thinks maybe the guy got bitten by the dark-magic zombies at the great bookery in season five? That sounds like it could be right so I’m gonna go with that for now. I’ll check when I’m done with the episode.)

Ough… My heart. I love the character growth Amaya has gone through so much.

Okay, go, but maybe take Aanya and Zym with you. Just for safety. Also, nooo, this means Ezran doesn’t get to see his aunt get married. Give my boy a break! Please, just let him have a good time where nothing goes horribly wrong 😭

Oh, Corvus and Aanya works too! I love Ezran so much. He’s hopeful and kindhearted but he’s not naive. He goes to negotiate with Karim using words rather than violence, but he takes Corvus and Aanya for backup in case things escalate.

Continued in reblogs!

[thethiefandtheairbender]

How To Train Your Dragon (2010) / The Dragon Prince (2018—?) / The Sea Beast (2022)

+

[hermitmoss]

Fate is a lie! /  History demands nothing!  /  I ask you and your brother to reject history as a narrative of strength, and instead, have faith that it can be a narrative of love.  /  I make history, history does not make me.

[rayllurn]

“Advisers and scholars will tell you that history is a narrative of strength. They will recount stories of the rise and fall of nations and empires. They will be stories of armies, battles, and decisive victories. But this isn’t true strength. It’s merely power. I now believe that true strength is found in vulnerability, in forgiveness, in love. There is a beautiful upside-down truth, which is that these moments of purest strength appear as weakness to those who don’t know better. For a long time, I didn’t know better. I ask you and your brother to reject history as a narrative of strength and instead have faith that it can be a narrative of love.” 

-King Harrow, The Dragon Prince Book 2 (2019)

[mysteryofaaravos]

“Advisors and scholars will tell you that history is a narrative of strength. They will recount stories of the rise and fall of nations and empires. There will be stories of armies, battles, and decisive victories. But this isn’t true strength — it’s merely power. I now believe true strength is found in vulnerability. In forgiveness. In love. There is a beautiful, upside-down truth, which is that these moments of purest strength appear as weakness to those who don’t know better. For a long time, I didn’t know better. I ask you and your brother to reject history as a narrative of strength, and instead, have faith that it can be a narrative of love.” -King Harrow

These kids were destined to write a narrative of love together. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

[theredhairedmonkey]

”I ask you and your brother to reject history as a narrative of strength and instead have faith that it can be a narrative of love.”

[raider5]

King Harrow's letter to Callum:

Dear Callum,

Over the years, there have been moments when I let there be a distance between us.

Because I'm your stepfather, I was trying to give you the space I thought you needed to love your real father, even though he passed away.

Now, I wonder if I should have held you closer. I wonder if showing you how much I loved you would have been okay, and would not have disrespected your relationship with him.

Callum, I know I'm not your birth father. But in my eyes and in my heart, you are my son. I see myself in you. I'm proud of you. And I love you unconditionally.

As I write this, the sun is setting while Moonshadow assassins prepare to end my life. A few months ago, I took my revenge on Xadia. Tonight, it is their turn.

I may not have long. So I'm forced to ask myself...what can I pass on to my sons in the short time I have left? In this letter, I will share with you a lie, a wish and a secret.

When I'm gone, your brother Ezran will become king, and you will be his partner, his defender and his closest adviser. Soon you will both face a lie. The great lie of history. Advisors and scholars will tell you that history is a narrative of strength. They will recount stories of the rise and fall of nations and empires. They will be stories of armies, battles and decisive victories. But this isn't true strength. It's merely power.

I now believe true strength is found in vulnerability...in forgiveness, in love. There is a beautiful upside down truth, which is that these moments of purest strength appear as weakness to those who don't know better. For a long time, I didn't know better. I ask you and your brother to reject history as a narrative of strength and instead have faith that it can be a narrative of love.

The last time I saw your mother, she said "I will see you on the other side." I don't know what lies on the other side. But I do know that I will be watching over you and your brother always.

I've tried to be selfless as a king, but as a father, I have a selfish wish. And that is for you and Ezran to be...free. Reject the chains of history. Do not let the past define your future, as I did. Free yourself from the past. Learn from it, understand it, then let it go. Create a brighter future from your own hearts and imagination.

And finally, you must be wondering about the secret I promised to share. Well, good news. The secret is hidden in the Banther lodge, right where you are right now. How's that for planning? Right now, go upstairs to the game room. There, I have hidden an unusual cube with the rune symbols on each side.

This cube is an ancient relic that has been passed down through the ages. It belonged to an elven wizard in Xadia, the Archmage Aaravos, a master of all six primal sources. It is hidden in a box of keys because it is known as the"Key of Aaravos" and legends say it unlocks something of great power in Xadia. Perhaps it will be you, Callum, who discovers the key's secrets.

And one last extra-super-secret bonus secret. Did you know that Bait, our most sour friend, secretly loves belly rubs?

[arcadialedger]

“I ask you and your brother to reject history as a narrative of strength and instead have faith that it can be a narrative of love.”-- King Harrow

Oh, Callum heard those words. And he had faith.  

[raayllum]

What's your opinion on Zym removing Rayla's binding?

It’s one of the early examples of the show’s main theme. Although it’s implied through action > dialogue, the show still sets it up for Rayla’s attitude towards her binding to be a bit of a warning sign in the second episode. There is first the way her mission itself is something she has to make up for, once Runaan removes her from it and she decides to go to the castle on her own to “fix this” and make it right.

But more than that, it’s set up in parallel to King Harrow’s conversation with Callum.

H: I’ve done horrible things. I thought they were necessary. Now I don’t know. But I do know I will pay the price for my mistakes. C: There has to be a way to make it right.

Is show speak for “this is an unnecessary and brutal consequence,” alongside “this isn’t fair” (Callum in 1x02 about Ezran being the second target, and Callum in 3x03 about Rayla being Ghosted, because after all - “Why would you hurt someone who’s done nothing wrong?”). 

And it turns out that there is a way to make things right: the Dragon Prince. Which is enough for Rayla to stand on the rooftop with Runaan and not just argue for Ezran’s life - which the egg should secure, since that’s what he was specifically going to be killed over - but also for Harrow’s. Even though his blood price victim (Avizandum) isn’t miraculously alive. (Pit a pin in this for later.)

But it doesn’t work, and Harrow pays that price anyway, to deep pain felt by the boys and by Rayla. 

And then, on the ice, Rayla reveals what her binding is. Even the way her initial confession is framed shows that the binding is unnecessary: “You don’t have to do this now Rayla,” but she believes “Yes I do.” She believes it’s necessary, even though it’s not.

R: It will just get tighter and tighter until I lose my hand. But I’m ready to pay that price.

Because, like Harrow, she signed up to do horrible things she thought were necessary and then struggled with them and realized they weren’t. But this is her price. So why doesn’t she have to pay it?

Well for one, it makes perfect sense that the being you bound yourself to avenge could take the binding off. Magic is all about exchange in this show anyway, even if this is a positive example. Dragons are also uniquely magical creatures in the show (particularly arch dragons). Then there’s the fact the boys spend the rest of the season each looking for ways to help their friend (Callum thinks of the sunforge blade in 1x07 and Ezran is hopeful about the miracle healer throughout most of 1x08). 

Because thus far the boys have been the primary agents of change in recognizing the cycle (Callum: “Then it’s a cycle,” “Well that’s kinda circular”) and in changing it (Ezran wanting to tell Amaya, always trusting Rayla, “You’re right, it wants its mother”). 

And one of the key beliefs is not that consequences don’t matter, but that it doesn’t really matter if the ‘punishments’ for things are deserved. That vengeance is weakness.

Ezran: I’m sorry about what happened to your father and what happened to mine. But we don’t have to avenge them. We can choose peace. (3x02)

And more than that, that the young generation can not only make up for the mistakes of the old, but grow beyond them, and be better. 

H: I ask you and your brother to reject history as a narrative of strength, and instead have faith that it can be a narrative of love. (2x06)

H: Fate is a lie. Nothing is written in stone. You are free. (2x08)

Rayla’s chain is her metaphorical and literal chain, a punishment she carries with her throughout season one with the full knowledge of what will happen to her if she saves the princes. And she does so anyway, even catching Zym with her injured arm after dropping him because of it in the ice. She’s more than paid her dues and the pain itself was always unnecessary, because Ezran’s life was rightly spared and Zym was never dead in the first place.

So Zym takes Rayla’s binding off - and peace and mercy, not punishment - is what she deserves.

[battlekidx2]

Rayla - Breaking the Cycle

I believe Rayla is a well written character and this season really hit that home for me. Rayla is a character that is burdened by the past. We get to see just how deeply she is affected by her parents “betrayal” and the sacrifices she has, however inadvertently, caused on her quest to right her parents wrongs and do what she believes is right. This causes Rayla great personal suffering. It gets to the point where she believes she deserves all the bad things that have happened to her because she wasn’t/isn’t good enough. All of the pressure and self esteem issues put Rayla’s self sacrificial nature in a different light. It isn’t just because of the moonshadow elf culture and their dedication to duty. She believes she has to redeem herself and her parents no matter what.

When they make it to the lair of the dragon queen and it’s stay and fight a losing battle or run with Zym she decided to stay, while the others run, and face what will be her death. We see the utter desperation to not make the same mistake her parents did. She had already become a “ghost” to her people. Banished from her village because they believed she ran from her responsibilities when in reality she took on a task possibly even more perilous. They wouldn’t know of her sacrifice and the only ones who could wouldn’t be able to tell them, so this was clearly a personal choice to Rayla. A chance to possibly redeem herself and her parents in her own eyes, even if just for a few seconds. The show’s core theme is about the next generation stepping up and breaking the cycles the last generation create, but with Rayla it is shown how that can also become negative and self destructive when taken to the extreme. She is 100% willing to sacrifice her own life and possible happiness to redeem her parents and her own mistakes. She feels she can’t continue to go on if she doesn’t give everything she has to this endeavor. It almost becomes its own tragic cycle of service and sacrifice.

When Callum reveals what happened the day Viren came from the dragon prince it was the push she needed to accept that she couldn’t face this alone and that she should make a decision with everyone else. She wouldn’t have to carry the burden alone, at least not fully. Their decision to stay and fight solidified to Rayla that this was what she was meant to do. Being named the “last dragonguard” was an important step because, while now knowing her parents didn’t run away, the wounds that were created over all those years of believing and being told they did haven’t just disappeared. She still needed to be the “last dragonguard” to heal them. Rayla’s final confrontation with Viren mirrors that of her parents down to being frozen while Viren goes after the dragon prince. Rayla manages to free herself, with the help of Bait, and stop Viren from killing Zym in a final blow that takes both of them over the edge. This perfectly symbolizes the cyclical nature of history. Viren did this with Rayla’s parents and now Rayla herself, both times it is Viren’s lust for strength that blinds him to what Rayla and her parents are doing/coercing him into doing, both Rayla and her parents save Zym, but in moves that cost (or potentially cost) them their futures with the people they care about. The thing that breaks the cycle is Callum. He has been what has tempered Rayla this whole time, supported her when she did something reckless, and convincing her that she has worth. He doesn’t prevent her from tackling Viren, but prevents her from falling to her death afterwards. This is the difference that saved the cycle from continuing. While the others abandoned Rayla’s parents and they were left to protect the egg themselves, Rayla’s support system stayed no matter what.

Rayla had both helped break the cycle and been stuck in her own cycle throughout the show. In an ironic twist of fate that is contrary to moonshadow elf culture it was through opening up and showing “weakness” to others that the cycle she was stuck in was broken. “To break that cycle, someone has to take a stand when no one else will.” Taking a stand isn’t based in fighting or resistance, but love and compassion. It was Rayla’s compassion that lead to the entire journey of the show and the possibility of breaking the cycle of war and revenge. It was Ezran and Callum’s acceptance and support that helped Rayla break her own cycle. It was like King Harrow said “I now believe true strength is found in vulnerability. In forgiveness. In love. There is a beautiful, upside-down truth, which is that these moments of purest strength appear as weakness to those who don’t know better. For a long time, I didn’t know better. I ask you and your brother to reject history as a narrative of strength, and instead, have faith that it can be a narrative of love.”

[ispeaktheyburn]

17

Dragon Prince Asks

17. what is your favourite line from the show?

Probably this monologue by Harrow:

Advisors and scholars will tell you that history is a narrative of strength. They will recount stories of the rise and fall of nations and empires. There will be stories of armies, battles, and decisive victories. But this isn’t true strength — it’s merely power. I now believe true strength is found in vulnerability. In forgiveness. In love. There is a beautiful, upside-down truth, which is that these moments of purest strength appear as weakness to those who don’t know better. For a long time, I didn’t know better. I ask you and your brother to reject history as a narrative of strength, and instead, have faith that it can be a narrative of love. 

Alternatively, literally anything that comes out of Soren or Claudia’s mouths