#THEY CAN DO TDP

[raylasrightbraid]

is it just me or do i see the BIGGG potential of a dragon prince x fortnite collab 🧍🏻‍♀️

[argonblue]

Historia Viventem

[stuck-in-jelly]

And only one of them got a happy ending 😭😭

[m4rs-ex3]

this fucking broke me

[tategaminu]

[raayllum]

I get that in general a lot of kids shows do utilize the protagonists ('good guys') in ways where they're supposed to be role models, particularly because some do have a "lesson of the week" where the character does bad things, then clearly learns and explains what they should've done instead by the end of the episode.

That has just... never been how TDP has operated, and I don't get how and why people think we're supposed to take what anyone does in the show as being unilaterally good or evil. Particularly in arc 2; any moral simplicity that was hanging on by a thread in arc 1 has been taken out back and shot numerous times by now.

TDP very rarely calls anything Evil or Good, and when it does, it's always filtered through the characters' biases, and rarely does more then 2-3 characters ever have the same opinion on something for the same reasons. Soren and Rayla, who have inverted character arcs, are some of the only characters to ever use the term villain / good guys or bad guys, and are two of the most staunchly black-and-white thinking characters, heavily to their detriment, I might add, in terms of coping with the increasing complexity of their lives. They have cognitive biases. They're not always right, and are frequently wrong. This is true for everyone in the show.

The show refuses to condemn murder, indirectly and directly condemns the expulsion of humans from Xadia routinely (Evrkynd being a city for everyone, Ezran arguing with Karim, who is the most wrong about the most things), and shows a variety of viewpoints on all things.

The show understands that the choices people make—whether the same character trait is a flaw or a strength—as well as 'moral' choices are all circumstantial.

Are you wrong to burn people alive? Mostly yes (2x07, 6x08) but also no (3x09). Are you wrong to kill people? Sometimes yes, sometimes no, sometimes whether it's 'wrong' or 'right' doesn't even factor in. Are you wrong to use dark magic, or use the dangerous Staff of Ziard, or coin someone and condemn them to a 'fate worse than death'? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Is lying or hiding the truth to protect someone wrong? Sometimes yes (1x06, 2x03, 3x03, 5x01, 7x04, 7x06) sometimes no (1x02, 2x03, 6x06, 5x08, 7x08).

Are you doing the right thing?

Do you have no choice? Is that true, or is that just what you think, or how you rationalize it yourself?

When is it right or cowardly to leave (Viren, Lissa, Rayla, Callum, Ezran, the Cosmic Council, the offer made to Karim's troops)? When should you stay? When do you decide to share resources (2x05) to your potential detriment or withhold them in the name of protecting yourself and your own people (Xadia and magic)? At what point(s) do you prioritize your own pain and grief, or someone else's (i.e. the Keeper vs Callum vs Ezran)? At what point is someone too dangerous or 'too far gone' to keep alive (Runaan about Harrow, Ezran about Aaravos)? At what point do you decide someone cannot change? When do you refuse to change (Karim, Terry) who you are no matter what happens, and when do you decide that you must (Ezran, Soren)? When is it wrong to use illusions to trick someone (3x09 and 7x06) and when is it more reasonable (2x03)? When should you be willing to sacrifice others (Rayla with her family, Runaan and Rayla with Callum, Soren with Viren) and when should you refuse? When should you sacrifice yourself, and when it is wrong to? Did you betray them, or did they betray you, or both (usually both)? When should you betray or stay loyal to your family? What is the right thing to do?

The show, tbh, doesn't know, at least 90% of the time. It's not interested in knowing. It's interested in exploring. That's the whole point. At most, it says you should work towards harm reduction, but what constitutes harm, and what peace looks like, is also something that greatly differs for all the characters.

Rayla is willing to sacrifice the love of her life, Ezran is willing to create weapons of mass destruction and wield one, and Callum used a torture spell on someone when he absolutely did not have to. The idea that any of the protagonists are meant to be paragons of unblemished virtue who are always 100% right, or that any of the antagonists do not canonically have a good point of contention with anything that's happened and are always 100% wrong, is reductive to everything the show is and explores, because it is Quite Literally not what the show does, ever tbh.

They literally spelled it out this past season as a core theme; I don't think they needed to have a character directly point it out every time a main character did something that was Kinda Fucked Up or Complicated But Understandable to know that the show knows it was Canonically Fucked Up or Complicated But Understandable.

There is not a single character or action in TDP that is always right, and there is not a singular character or action in TDP that is always wrong. Hell, even narrowing it down to "this is 'right' or 'wrong'" feels counterintuitive because it's so subjective within the narrative.

Every choice the characters make is often well reasoned, aligns with their values and world views, and fits into how they work through problems. Every choice has benefits and consequences, for them or for others. That doesn't mean it's Right for everyone involved. That doesn't mean it's Wrong for everyone involved. That's what makes the show interesting. Everything has nuance. Everything has Complexity. I'm not interested in a simplified version of TDP. I'm interested in the show as is.

I hope you are, too.

[hazieash]

Red Carpet Runaan

[criminalflower]

This is the face of a man who's mentally going through all of his exes to figure out which one he got pregnant.

[no-cinnamon-for-synonym]

Why put him back in his pearl or kill him when you can permanently get rid of the problem: get this guy a therapist and another daughter

[sinvulkt]

I’ve recently been confronted with how differently everyone approach stories. This made me curious. So guys, I’m counting on you for data, we need to reblog.

(Calling upon the strenght of my (i hope) fandom friends so we get proper statistics)

@cinderfeather @yatsukisakura @bluntblade @tramp-fiction @purpleopossum @starmahgalaxies @purple-iris @tonhalszendvics @retciwrites @vandervoiz @insertmeaningfulusername @pebblish @pat-the-togorian @linzerj @kgjhk @fanfictasia @kefalion @doctorgeekery @asteral-feileacan @dreaminghour @beewaggle @dirtkid123 @ravenite-void @kuraiarcoiris @angst-buritto-wips-writing @mamashenanigans @fancyfrey @hylianengineer @silvercaptain24 @silvereddaye @omaano @piroporopi @mina-jamsin-derulo @doctorgeekery @ash--00 @trickstress333 @kittonafoxgirl @salparadiselost @charlottevader @ravenstakeflight @starr234 @sarcasticfirefighter @numerousbees1106 @akizumy @25centsoda @udekai @unlikecharlie @beguilewritesstuff @lusseia @azzzryel

I apologize in advance if I bothered anyone! (Warn me in dm and i won’t tag you for this kind of stuff again). Hopefully you’re curious as well and want the answer as much as I do. 🎶

[evecallum]

Kind of starting to wonder if another faction is being introduced to oppose the stars, like theres no time for it for sure BUT…

This quote, in conjunction with the teaser where Astrid seems to be having some kind of life changing event because she is exposing herself to the sun for the first time makes me think this cosmic war that was teased is between not just Aaravos and the Cosmic council (which like how is he gonna pull off defeating multiple immortal beings while not having access to all of his powers due to his “fallen” status) but also the sun herself.

Presumably Astrid’s removal of her blindfold will give her the sun equivalent of “timeblindness” whatever that would mean sun primal wise. (This also sets up conflict between Astrid and her brother). The Celestial Elves follow the stars exclusively, and the stars (as we know from short stories) and the brief moments we’ve seen in the show, care only about order and maintaining the status quo. Astrid defies this preordained order in two ways. 1) By removing her blindfold Astrid allows something besides the stars to touch her eyes and 2) she wants to make a difference and affect the world directly. The stars do not appreciate change or “ripples” (*cough* yes I’m referencing Aaravos’ short story), which is why the Celestial Elves serve only to observe and watch over the world.

Something of note that @raayllum has mentioned is the framing of Janai with the sun behind her and Karim without. Its almost as if the sun supports the integration of humans and elves and thus opposes the order of the Cosmic council.

In conclusion:

[ac0531]

There’s now a cleaner image for the updated plans with TDP!!

Here’s to hoping we can make arc 3 happen!!

[stuck-in-jelly]

You know thinking about it, Runaan did try to warn Viren that he did find something worse than death

[m4rs-ex3]

why is he cool that shouldn't be allowed

[tategaminu]

rayla likes to whisper absolutely FILTHY jokes into callum's ear in public/professional settings to make him flustered. that little shit <3

I fee like Callum would go thru the worst most embarrassing moment of his life but also get really turned on, Rayla lil shite of the year

[raayllum]

me fucking crying from seeing how Little ezran's hands used to be in arc 1 compared to arc 2?? like wtf he was so small