#Unified Xadia

[ladyandherbooks]

Why You Shouldn't Be Worried About Runaan, Lain and Tiadrin's Return

Over the last few weeks I have seen many people being excited and happy for the return of Runaan, Lain and Tiadrin in the next season or 2. However I have also seen some people being very worried, believing that they cannot truly return and that freeing the 3 of them will only result in them being allowed to pass on into the afterlife.

So if you are one of those people allow me to reassure and convince you that this is will not happen and that everything is pointing towards a happy and permanent reunion.

Reason 1: Runaan's bound arm

Back in season 1 we saw the assassins bind themselves with magical ribbons that will not unbind until a target has been killed. Runaan and Rayla were the only survivors of this squad and see them both dealing with the tightening of the 2nd still bound ribbon. And while Rayla managed to get hers removed by Zym, Runaan still has his attached and even goes into the coin with his arm still bound.

This is important as the writers and animators would not have kept him bound if this was not going to be an important story point later.

And yes we did see the other assassins still bound in the afterlife and that they lost their final bindings after they saw Rayla has lost hers and believed that Ezran was dead. However the situation with Runaan is going to be very different because he isn't dead and because it may tie to another important plot point for Runaan.

2) Runaan's Future

In the Bloodmoon Huntress we get some important insight into Runaan's feelings towards his choice to become an assassin.

He has doubts about his decision to take on this role and it's duties and these will definitely be brought back into the story when he does return. This will also tie back into my first point about Runaan's binding as he could potentially lose his arm as there may no longed be any loophole that can save him as Zym is possibly too big to take it off safely.

This loss of a limb will definitely make Runaan question his future and what he wants to do now he has been freed.

And even if he does manage to keep his arm his role as an assassin may no longer be needed for this peaceful and unified Xadia that many are trying to achieve. These doubts and guilt that he canonically feels were not brought up on a whim and will be a major part of his arc once he has been freed.

3) Why aren't they dead yet?

It would have been very easy to to kill these 3. Lain and Tiadrin were frozen in ice and Runaan was chained to a dungeon wall. All were at Viren's mercy and he could have killed them easily but he didn't. They are still here, alive with canon evidence to back this up

Did Runaan's flower sink? Yes but pay attention to what Rayla said. It's still floating and the crystal is still glowing which means he still alive.

Another thing to consider is this line from Claudia in the season 4 finale.

If Runaan, Lain and Tiadrin were indeed just spirits and therefore dead in these coins then the lava should not be able to hurt them in the way that Claudia describes. Her theorising about some kind of extreme pain that the 3 of them could potentially endure could only truly happen if they still were alive. Lava couldn't hurt them if they were just spirits, it just wouldn't.

4) Rayla's reaction

Rayla is relieved, hopeful and overjoyed to have a chance to save and reunite. They aren't going to take that opportunity away from her and Ethari by sending them on a quest that will ultimately only end up in them saying goodbye to their spirits as their family leaves for the afterlife.

This would not only devastate fans but would 100% break the both of them in a way that they may never be able to recover. This storyline would also go against all the messages of love and hope that the show shares and champions.

5) Callum and Ezran

Runaan killed Harrow or at the very least Pip in Harrow's body. Callum and Ezran are now orphans and have spent the last 2 years trying to create peace betwen the 2 halves of Xadia.

Runaan returning and the quest to free him and Rayla's parents will definitely bring up some very complicated feelings for the pair of them, especially Callum who's feelings towards Runaan have already been introduced.

Callum has understandably, very complicated thoughts and feelings towards Runaan they would not have been brought up twice in the last year or so if they weren't going to be directly addressed and resolved. And you cannot achieve this with Runaan being a spirit, you need him alive and physically present in order to address this. And they will address it, because the pain is still there and because if they don't it will just fester and will affect the relationships that Rayla has with both Runaan and Callum. There is no way that Callum and Ezran can heal and move on and there is no way that Rayla and Callum will truly be able to be together if it isn't.

6) The Bloodmoon Huntress

Towards the end of the Bloodmoon Huntress we get this line from her:

"Be warned. Cross my path again and you'll see the full extent of what I can do."

"This I vow on Xadia herself." (Bloodmoon Huntress page 116)

We also get these line a few pages later about her return in the future.

Runaan: She will enchant another altar, I'm sure. But it will take her time and effort. Yet another thing to slow her down from returning to full power. (Bloodmoon Huntress page 119)

At this point in the story they have weakened her by injuring her, denying her the blood she craves and by destroying the altar that she uses for her Bloodmoon rituals.

She is also a very powerful and dangerous elf with a personal connection and feud with 3 important characters in Xadia, one of which is 1 of the show's main characters. There is a good chance that she will show up again in the show so that her feud with the Moon family can be resolved and that she, perhaps the second most dangerous and powerful elf in Xadia can be stopped once and for all.

And there you have it, all the hints and clues that have been established that point towards a happy and permanent Moon family reunion. I hope that this has reassured and convinced anyone that is worried about their fates that there is nothing to be worried about. They're coming back just wait and see.

[cometchasr]

the dragon prince season 0.5: everyone is yazov

ep. 1: ziard unifies the west

ep. 2: THE GREAT TRIAL BEGINS

ep. 3: the Great Trial ends

ep. 4: putting out the massive dumpster fire you made by invading xadia

ep. 5: almost collapsing to everything because holy fuck what IS this economy it doesn't even exist

ep. 6: ziard dies. insant chaos

ep. 7: infinite war in xadia.

ep. 8: THE SECOND GREAT TRIAL BEGINS

ep. 9: nuclear apocalypse

[araavos]

No Flattery Necessary (Rp with V1ren)

( @v1ren said: “Don’t flatter yourself, you just happened to be closest.”)

It had been a conference like no other before it. While all the regular elements were in place to make the 3-day event worth coming to for the Startouched ( such as the open discussion of magic, the endless panels and the lively energy that only came from shoving passionate people into a confined space) there was something new infecting the air. A nervous energy, one might even have called it dark.

Humans had always been ‘welcome’ at the event. As audience members. As fortunate guests spread out over the floors and grounds mingling with the highest practitioners of elven magic that could find the time and energy to come. There had always been undoubtably skilled human mages, but they were often ignored, their practices deemed ‘unsavoury’ regardless of how they went about them. It was never ‘enough’ to put them on the same playing field as their elven counterparts with their high-reaching noses and notoriously selective hearing. This time, something had changed though.

For the first time since its conception, after years (in recent times, the real number was closer to centuries) of fighting to throw their voice into the mix, The Xadian Magic Conference has held host and witness to its first (and only for that year) Dark Magic Panel.

The reception had been ‘devicive’ to say the least. About a sixth of the guests had demanded a boycott on the spot and upon their exit the air found itself much clearer of the haze of pretentiousness that had been choking all up to that point. The remaining were a mixture of displeased, hostile, morbidly curious and genuinely excited, the chatter deafening as they had been released to begin the events of the day.

In spite of this, the terrible time slot it had been allocated to (directly around lunch time) and the other things going on at the time, Aaravos found himself quite pleased that there wasn’t a single seat empty up to twenty minutes before it had been scheduled to begin (he was one of the lucky few that had anticipated as much and had simply sat through the panel before it to maintain a good spot).

It was well worth it. The presenter, who seemed incredibly aware of his precarious position here, seemed to have decided that if he only ever got a chance to speak once on this subject, it would be a time that NO ONE would ever forget. He was right. The display had been passionate, spectacular and possessed a degree of ‘pizzazz’ that most other ‘secure’ panelists didn’t even bother with. They went over about an hour and a half past their time slot (luckily the room hadnt been scheduled for anything after) because the question portion had turned heated when the mage presenting had decided he would personally make anyone who’d dare scoff at him or his art feel like an idiot. It was the most lively discussion portion Aaravos had ever seen and he found himself simply transfixed the entire time. He didn’t even participate, he didn’t have to, he was living for this angry twig of a man and how the fire in his eyes was enough to light his entire form from within. The humans had chosen their representative well. This man bore their metaphorical ‘chip on the shoulder’ like Atlas, holding up a century’s worth of resentment for constantly being rejected and pushed to the edges of the magical community.

It. Was. Beautiful.

Aaravos had been genuinely sad when it had finally come to a close with the coming of security claiming that the room was going to be needed in the next hour and the threat of expulsion from the space was finally enough to get the human arch mage to close out his panel with the air of one that dared everyone within to say he didn’t deserve to come back next year. Aaravos had his doubts due to the fickle nature of the organizers but if anything the man had definitely achieved at least 3/4 of a room of support which, given the topic and its history was award-worthy unto itself.

Left with his memories of the demonstration and not having his own talk to give until the next day, Aaravos had taken to simply milling around the Center for the next few hours, drinking in the environment and loving the energy and devotion in the chatter. He was alone, as usual, but he barely felt it here as he winded around, lazily listening in to conversations and relaxing.

When a hand suddenly slipped into his own, halting him dead in his steps, it was like surfacing after a long, deep swim, disorientation hitting him like a truck as it squeezed and he turned, locating its owner and tuning confusedly in to whatever they were saying.

He missed it anew to find he actually recognized the owner, not because he knew him, but because he’d just watched him tear the rest of the magical community apart in order to make a place for his own a few hours prior. He only caught the barest tail-end of what was being said due to this distracting recognition but the situation itself didn’t require words to be understood.

Behind the man there stood another one, looking between Aaravos and the presenter with an annoyed, assessing look that spoke of indignance, stubbornness and the entitlement of one’s time. On the presenter’s (who he couldn’t remember the name of, had the man even given it amid everything else he’d been focused on?) he saw the universal look of someone who was ten levels of done and was searching for someone else to have an iota of sympathy for his obvious plight. It seemed he’d gotten tired of waiting for someone to step in of their own accord and had simply grabbed the closest person to him.

Luckily for him, Aaravos was the perfect candidate for the role, possessing enough boredom, lack of place to be, amusement for the situation and fascination of the man who’d latched himself on to him to arch a brow at the ‘pursuer’ over the presenter’s head and ask in as testy a voice as he could;

“Is this individual bothering you Dearest?”

Just watching the other man go pale made the interaction more than worth the inconvenience and as he scurried off the elf found his eyes gravitating back to the captivating man who seemed to have been having enough of a trying day to utter that phrase upon catching his eye.

“Don’t flatter yourself, you just happened to be closest.”

Catching that look of exasperation, the elf couldn’t even bother to be insulted, amusement flooding his chest instead as he watched the unwanted one cross the room before settling against a wall, watching them spitefully.

“Mm, lucky me, though it doesn’t appear that your hopeful has lost interest just yet. Join me for a walk, Darling?”

A joke in bad taste perhaps given the situation, but he could hardly stop himself with how entertaining this situation was becoming. Besides, at least he knew he was in ‘interesting’ company.

[raayllum]

☕️ Avaros

some of his fans / stans are gonna pull a hissyfit when he ends up being an evil big bad and it’s gonna be a lotor 2.0 but hopefully less annoying

me, internally, always:

[jelzorz]

Also why are the human kingdoms so spread out? Like I get it royal territory and they used the backroads but still someof them should've been closer like especially if they were all allies! Also if the dragon and elves were such close allies why be seperate Kingdoms and not a unified one?

I mean, I'm no expert and I didn't design the world but I imagine it's like the real world, where people need space, not just for themselves but for agriculture and farming, so they went and got it, and then towns formed where clusters of people collected, and then cities, and then kingdoms who defined their borders based on a number of factors including but not limited to their leader's ability to gain and retain land according to their people's loyalties as well as their standing armies, but despite their differences, humans still considered Xadia as an external threat so they signed treaties and stuff to say 'yeah we have our issues but we're bros if Xadia attacks' and I figure the elves and dragons did the same

[beautifulterriblequeen]

The Geopolitics of Xadia

Season 3 Spoilers Below!!

So Season 3 is out, and something I’d like to analyze are the geopolitics of Xadia. When Viren leads the army through the border of Xadia, he goes alone to Lux Aurea(a Sunfire “stronghold”, whether it’s a fort or a true city is up for debate since we see it as a pretty large place), asking them to allow Katolis to pass through to the Dragon Queen’s lair. Xadia is not a unified place, and the fact that it would even be a possibility for the Sunfire Elves to assist a force aiming to kill the Dragon Queen(what was previously thought to be the monarch of all of Xadia) means that there must be several rivaling polities that make up Xadia.

We see this again later, with how there are no troops of elves that come to aid the Dragon Queen in the final battle except for Janai’s army of Sunfire elves(which came to the battle because Viren attacked their queen and seized a part of Lux Aurea), and a few independent elves like Ibis and Rayla. If she was truly the ruler of all of Xadia, why wouldn’t there at least be Moonshadow elves to protect her, like the previous Dragonguard was made up of, and the Moonshadow assassin troops sent to avenge Avidanzum and kill Harrow at the start of the series?

It seems the Dragonguard(and the village that ascribed it great significance and honor) was a small faction of Moonshadow elves who chose their alliance with the Queen, and that all of Xadia doesn’t naturally bow down to her. The Sunfire elves do attack Katolis at The Breach in Season 2, but that could be chocked up to anti-human racism in their culture, and not a command by the Dragon Queen(who had also fallen gravely ill, and about 2 weeks prior to the final episode(which depending on the timeline, might have been at the time the Sunfire elves attacked)).

As for the Dragons, Avizandum was the “King of the Dragons”, which now seems to imply that the Dragons are their own polity in Xadia and not an aristocracy/upper class of normal Xadian nations, with some groups allying with them, and having historical close ties to the elves.

Overall, the land of Xadia(notice how it’s also referred to as “the land”, while the Human Kingdoms are referred to as kingdoms or “the Pentarchy”, implying a higher unification, ununified tribal territories were often referred to as “the land of the [name]s”) is decentralized and ununified, with apparently multiple different polities(some of which may not even be unified themselves, like the Dragonguard and Moonshadow assassins operating out of a small Moonshadow village), that share a vague culture of being magical, hating humans, and having some ties to dragons.

______________

@pokeblader3 this is brilliant. I love your take on why no one else came to defend the Dragon Queen. Time may also have been a factor, but it’s been said that each race of elves generally keeps to itself. Puts me in mind of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men in Tolkien’s writings. I bet we’ll see a stronger alliance between all the various elves and at least some humans as the story progresses. 

There was at least one Dragon Guard who was a Skywing, though. I kind of think maybe the rest of the Dragon Guard were all Skywings? Because they all fled when Thunder died, and there are two ways down from the Storm Spire. Only one is survivable without wings, and that’s the way Viren was coming up. I think Rayla’s parents were the only Moonshadows, the only non-Skywings, in the Dragon Guard. And the only ones who stayed.

Moonshadows are very stubborn. But sometimes that’s a good thing. Skywings value freedom highly. Even Ibis told Callum to flee. I think it’s what Skywings do: live to fight another day. Whereas Moonshadows don’t show fear, value honor, and have no fear of death. They really do have opposite arcana.

Hmm. I wonder if there was any punishment at all on the Skywing Dragon Guards for abandoning their post. I hope so.

And I think you’re onto something with this connection between the Storm Spire and the Silvergrove. Maybe these Moonshadows specifically, and only these Moonshadows, have forged a connection with the dragon rulers. I wonder what that story is! It could explain why Runaan agreed to work for Zubeia, or why she knew to ask him. It could have a big impact on the future of the plot now that Zym is reunited with his mom, too.

Thanks for your thoughts!

[youve-doomed-us-all-jerk]

Don't wake the elf

Here is a wholesome Rayllum mini-fic for your birthday (based on what I wanted to draw for you, but couldn’t properly put to image)

—

In their journey to Xadia, Rayla, Callum, and Ezran (along with the glow-toad, Bait, and Dragon Prince, Zym) had to stop and make camp in a small cave because it had started to rain rather hard come nightfall one night. The princes fell asleep a bit quickly because of the white-noise that the rain provided, while Rayla fought futilely against sleep to keep an eye out for any pursuers, especially the siblings Claudia and Soren, who had recently attempted to take them all prisoner. She turns to look at the princes in the claustrophobic setting, with Ezran on his side cuddling the dragon and the toad, and Callum on his back, his eyes twitching to suggest that he is dreaming.

—-

Within Callum’s dream, he is laying on his back in a peaceful, sun-lit, flower-filled field in Katolis. He takes a deep breath and sighs in contentment, for as much as wrong with the world, he at least has a happy place… until it is intruded upon. A tall shadow of a girl he knows looms over him, breaking his serenity.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” The ever too friendly, too familiar voice of Claudia greets him. “Go away, Claudia.” Callum calmly demands, keeping his eyes closed as to not look at her. “Aww, come on, Callum,” dream-Claudia kneels next to him, the sunlight behind her shrouding her face in shadow. “You used to love dreaming about me and my peanut butter breath.” “I’m still hurt that you attacked us,” Callum turns his head away from Claudia as she lays herself down next to him. “Well, we’re in your dreamworld right now, so you don’t have to worry about me hurting you here,” dream-Claudia attempts to persuade as she gently places her four-fingered hand on Callum’s chest, as if to hold him in a warming embra— Wait… four fingers?

Callum opens one eye to see that the Claudia he was dreaming up for some reason had her real-world build, but for some reason white hair, horns, and facial markings of a moonshadow elf.

“Is something wrong, Callum?” Moonshadow Claudia asks in the accent common among Moonshadow elves.

—

Callum gasps himself awake, not out of fear but out of surprise. To further his surprise, he still felt a four-fingered hand on his chest. He looks down at himself to see that Rayla has not only fallen asleep, but she had decided to curl up on him. One hand on his chest, the other buried under his back, her head on his shoulder, and legs curled up apparently for warmth.

Now fully awake, he can’t help but wonder what to make of this… predicament. On the one hand, it was nice to cuddle with a girl that… he had to admit was quite beautiful. On the other hand, if she was only cuddling him involuntarily, should he really be milking this? or should he just try and go back to sleep and pretend he didn’t notice. Also, if she was cuddling him willingly, why would she do it while he was asleep? is it normal for elves to do that? or is it just as odd for elves to do that as humans?

Before Callum could even contemplate his next action, Rayla moves her head off his shoulder so that she could hold his face to hers, as so that the two of them were embraced cheek-to-cheek as she mumbled something, presumably in an Elven language. Callum has no choice now but to simply wait it out… be it Rayla’s involuntary embrace, or for sleep to reclaim him. So far, the latter seems that the latter is the least likely.

—

In Rayla’s dream, she is standing up to her shoulders in waters darkened by a lack of sun in a cave far underground. She is bare as a newborn, and her only other company is Callum, who is equally bare. The two hold each other close enough to feel each other’s heart’s beat, and sway in place as if they are dancing to an unheard rhythm as they warm each other with their embrace.

“Thanks for teaching me to face me fears, Callum,” Rayla whispers, not wanting to let go or pull away, “And I don’t just mean my fear of water,” she only pulls back far enough so she can look him in the eyes, which have more of a smoulder to them than they do in real life. She inches closer to him, pursing her lips as he purses his, ready to unify their souls and hearts in a kiss to melt all the troubles of the world away… until… — “CALLUM! RAYLA! WAKE UP!! THE RAIN STOPPED WE CAN KEEP GOING!! Wait, are you two cuddling?” …

They never spoke of that night again. —————————————————– Happy Birthday.

THANK YOU!

[ask-runaan-anything]

Has it ever occured to you that elves and dragons are not indigenous to Xadia unlike Humans judging by your history? And therefore driving you out to join the ocean elves seems justified enough some day you will become the surprised underdogs

What are they teaching you over there, little shadow?

Did you accidentally take creative writing instead of history class?

Dragons. Then elves. Then humans. Some scholars also refer to the Unified Primal Absorption Theory, but that’s above my pay grade. Xadian history, however, is critical for understanding my individual purpose and function, so I did pay attention in that class.

[beyondflashpoint]

The Conqueror Wyrms: Chapter 2

“An angel throng, bewinged, bedight

In veils, and drowned in tears”

Sarai slipped into the kitchen and pulled an apron over her head.

“Lose another bet your grace?”

A pair of hands reached up and helped her with the strings.

“Yeah, baker’s dozen. I really thought Luna was going to win this time, Bau.”

She turned to return the pleasant, grandfatherly smile of Baucifus, the royal baker.

“Your little girlfriend always seems to know who to put her money on, your grace, were I in your shoes, I’d stop betting against her.”

“Ariella always bets on Davlamin because he’s her future Captain. Luna will get the best of him one day, then we’ll see who’s feeding who.”

Bau smiled and pulled out a fresh sheet of dough.

The pair went about the preparations in casual silence. Sarai had been coming here since she was a child, always with her father. Ezran had nothing but respect for the man, and had taught that same respect to her. Bau always played at being upset with father, but she knew better. She had asked him to teach her to back five years ago now, when she had watched him joyfully adding the delectable filling to his signature sweet. It had become something of an escape for her, when she found the duties of being princess too taxing. But she also did it for fun. The joy of creating something with her own hands that brought happiness to others was something she absolutely loved. And then there was Bau, who was like family to her.

When the two of them were working, nothing else seemed to exist beyond their kitchen.

Sarai wiped a bit of sweat from her brow, just as an arm reached over her shoulder to dip into one of the freshly finished tarts.

“Strawberry? My favorite.”

Sarai turned, brandishing the rolling pin like a club, only to lock eyes with her father.

“Dad! Those are for Ariella!” She lowered the weapon, hoping he hadn’t noticed.

King Ezran gasped, feigning disappointment.

“And here I thought you were going to surprise your old man with a snack! So, I take it Lunelle lost again?”

Sarai dusted off her hands, leaning against the table.

“To be fair, Davlamin has more actual combat experience. He’s been on the field. Not to mention he’s been training with General Marcos since he could walk. Lunelle only gets training when she’s in Xadia with auntie Rayla.”

Ezran nodded.

“Good assessment. And knowing all that you still support your cousin over the fighter with the obvious advantage?”

Sarai nodded.

“People underestimate Luna. One of these days that will work to her advantage.”

Ezran smiled.

“And because she’s family, and you love her.”

Sarai giggled.

“Obviously dad. But the crown cannot place loyalty to family over loyalty to the people and justice.”

It was Ezran’s turn to laugh.

“Listening to your mother. Very wise, Sarai. But remember this, we should think of the whole world as our family. When it comes down to it, we are all one people, regardless of the accident of our birth. Out there, in the real world, there are no boundaries, no borders. Those are just imaginary lines on parchment that make people believe that we’re separate, divided, different. But we’re not, not in any way that truly matters.”

Sarai quirked her eyebrow.

“What about humans and elves? They’re pretty different.”

Ezran smiled.

“Do you think so? They may look different, think different, but both elves and humans get hungry, get sleepy, they both get cold, or hot, or happy, or sad. They both fall in love. Think about your aunt and uncle. When I was a child no one would have ever thought that a human and an elf could fall in love, have a child. Now, humans and elves are getting married and having children all across the land. The world is always changing Sarai. Maybe one day people won’t need imaginary lines on parchment anymore.”

Sarai considered her father’s words seriously. It was an admirable dream, one that her parents fought for tooth and nail. Maybe when she was queen she could see it through.

“How has the meeting?” She asked after a moment.

Ezran sighed.

“A bunch of old people arguing about something that they already know needs doing, because pride won’t let them admit that they know it. One of these days, you’ll have to start sitting in one them with me, and you’ll see. Old people can be annoyingly slow.”

Sarai laughed along with her father. Ezran placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, looking deep into his daughter’s eyes.

“For now, focus on being young and free, darling. Responsibility will come in time.”

She nodded.

“Why do we bow when we accept the crown?”

“Because it’s the only time we are allowed to show the weight of that burden.” Sarai responded. It was an adage she’d been taught since she was a girl.

Lunelle stood alone on the north tower, looking out over the city at the afternoon sun. The door opened and closed behind her.

“Alright, elf, I hope you’re ready to lose.”

Lunelle turned, smirking at Davlamin.

“Mighty confident, aren’t we, human? But this isn’t a sword fight, luck decides in cards.”

Dav chuckled.

“It certainly does. And I’ve been incredibly lucky today.”

“Luck had nothing to do with it, and you know it. Deal, and we’ll see who loses to who now.”

The first two rounds went to Lunelle. The third to Davlamin. Before long they had to pause to light the lantern she’d brought up.

They passed hours, playing cards and chatting casually. Davlamin told stories about his adventures with the Peacekeepers.

“So, there we were, surrounded by Separatist, just me and General Janai. There were too many of them to count. I’d lost my steel sword. I was bleeding. Suddenly, there was a horn, and the roaring of battle cries. A storm of hoof beats. Commander Gren had received our distress call. We were saved.”

Lunelle exhaled, and realized that she’d been holding her breath since Dav had sent the messenger in the story.

“How exciting! You must have been terrified.”

Davlamin nodded, smiling in a way that did not quite touch his eyes.

“I was. I’d all but given up hope of getting out alive. But Janai didn’t. She told me there was no room for doubt in battle. No room for fear. She told me all that exists is myself and the enemy. All else is worthless.”

Lunelle sighed.

“I wish dad would give up already and let me join. I could do so much on the battlefield, next to you and Commander Gren and General Janai.”

She flicked her wrist and suddenly her short swords were in her hands.

“I could help you put down the Separatists once and for all, and see the Kingdoms unified.”

Davlamin sighed.

“It’s not what you think. It sounds glamorous, right? But it’s not. It’s scary, and painful, and all the other horrible things. If there were a way to end this without bloodshed, I’d pick that any day.”

Lunelle flicked the blades shut and stashed them on her belt.

“Yeah, I guess.”

Davlamin began picking up the cards.

“Anyways, it’s late, and General Amaya said we’re pulling out tomorrow. I’d better get some rest.”

Lunelle stretched, standing.

“Yeah, I suppose you should. It’s been good seeing you Dav, in case I miss you tomorrow.”

Davlamin smirked.

“You’ll miss me alright. Should I leave an address for you to send me your tearful love letters?”

Lunelle smirked and punched his shoulder hard.

“As if!”

They shared a warm laugh before the door swung opened and a guard stepped through.

“Captain Davlamin, Archmage Callum requests an audience.”

Davlamin and Lunelle exchanged a glance before Davlamin nodded and Started down the stairs.

(AN: I originally intended to do some sketches with each chapter. Then I started writing feverishly. So, chapters now, art later.)

[kradogsrats]

Well, I went to the wiki, which I really hate to do, and I gotta say that I am more confused than ever.

For some reason I had thought Luna Tenebris was Sol Regem’s mate, but it actually doesn’t say that anywhere, just that she was queen after him and ruled for the 700 years comprising the rise of the human kingdoms in the west. Which is a bummer, because I thought that was cute.

Ziard blinded Sol Regem, which saved Elarion at that time, but then Sol Regem apparently came back at some later time and destroyed it? (I’m almost skeptical now that this happened, because the only citation for it is as a possible interpretation of the Midnight Star poem, which is… far from concrete.) I had assumed that Sol Regem was considered unfit to rule after being blinded, because… idk maybe he can’t fly anymore? (Look, I’m grasping at straws here, okay? I don’t like it, either.) But that doesn’t make sense if he then personally went back to rain fire on Elarion. Alternately maybe he remained king, but the other archdragons forcibly deposed him after that because like… dude, not cool? Except we’re told that all-out genocide of humans was a reasonably popular plan as reaction to the rise of Dark magic, so “you can’t be king anymore because you killed a lot of humans” doesn’t really seem like a strong consensus argument. Did he only order Elarion’s destruction?

Anyway, Sol Regem is also both the first dragon monarch and only rules for 200 years. Note that Elarion was founded 2000 years back, meaning that 800 years later, Xadia apparently decided, “Hey, you know what would be cool? Being ruled by dragons.” For some reason.

The only way I can make any sense of this is to interpret everything as reactionary responses to humanity becoming stronger, more organized, and potentially a legitimate existential threat to elven civilization, instead of just pathetic savages. The elves called on the archdragons as rulers because, as the most powerful beings in the world, they could keep the rising humanity—experiencing a cultural boom in the era of Elarion—in check. Sol Regem is deposed by the other archdragons because an act like the destruction of Elarion risks provoking an all-out war response from humans, and they’re coming to realize that with Dark magic in play, it might not be a war they win. Expelling the humans from Xadia knocks the foundation out from under human civilization and forces them back into internal competition for survival, which keeps them busy for the next 500-odd years and prevents them from forming any kind of unified front against Xadia.

Still no fucking clue what happened to Luna, though. Maybe Aaravos got her.

I wonder what happened to Luna Tenebris

[cometchasr]

planning the ISOT is a headache just because i need the SI to come to power in one of the kingdoms... somehow, and then institute the "great wave of progress" as he goes on a rampage of technology, arts, and everything. better economics! a navy, made for trade and in case of war with xadia! the fortifications around the capital! new warfare tactics! the university of magic, the Unified Theory, hell even tiny things like music and iced tea.

HE'S GON' GIVE IT TO YA

oh and yes, he is in a relationship with zym. that was like the third thing i decided on when i developed the start of this idea over 30 minutes watching the first fucking minute of the first episode. fun.

[raayllum]

So I was thinking about how post-S2 most of us assumed that Callum wasn’t the first primal mage ever (just because the world seemed too old and magically varied for that) but just the first in a very, very long time, as well as thoughts about the show’s endgame likely being Xadia and the Pentarchy unified as one again, and...

While TDP is very much about redemption and breaking a cycle of violence, of doing things better a second or third or hundredth time around, of being about being about belief > “deserved” but I was also thinking specifically about Soren’s arc and the landscape of Xadia if they do re-unify because...

They honestly don’t quite have redemption arcs. Soren didn’t start out as a villain, just a kinda jerky guy with his heart and loyalties generally in the right place. Even when unified, the distribution of magic and solidarity between elves, humans, and dragons left much to be desired.

So what do Soren (and possibly his family) and Xadia have in common?

They’re going to have, or have already had, Restoration arcs — of going back to what they used to be, but Better than they were Before. 

Soren starts and ends Arc 1 as a crownguard, but by the end of S3, he’s a true crownguard; no longer a bully to Callum, no longer vying for his father’s approval, no longer with divided loyalties and writing Ezran off as a crown prince, but as the True King. 

In many ways, Viren and Claudia, if they both get ‘redemption arcs’ (and I think they will), will take similar paths. Viren will be a proper friend to the royal family after years of building resentment and dark magic, helping to protect boys he once tried to kill; Claudia will be a mage but a primal mage, possibly, and have a healthier dynamic with her father and her brother. Even Runaan, who has always seen himself as a protector, will get to actually be one rather than just continually perpetuating the cycle of violence once he is freed from the coins with a second chance.

Xadia will be reunified, but humans will have equal access to magic; it won’t go back to the way it was before, it will be More than it was before. Human primal mages used to be more common (although seemingly not very common) with dark magic presented as an easier path until it overtook them entirely. Now, they’ll be finding their way back, yet also paving a way forward, much like another mage did...

[raayllum]

theory time quickly based off the Ezran and Zym poster bc I gotta go to work soon but:

We’ve heard of Rex Igneous, a powerful slumbering Earth Dragon, in Callum’s Spellbook, who when he awakens will sometimes give a pass / information or help to those who feed him something he’s never tried before. We also know from the staff’s twitter that a rather regal character was going to be eating a jelly tart in future seasons, which made me think Rex Igneous would be given one by someone (now seemingly by Ez and Zym) in the first place.

The question is: but why?

So here’s where the theory comes in.

Karim doesn’t want a human queen / full on peace with humanity (speculation), and the Sunfire elves have always seen themselves as ‘leaders’ of Xadia (canon). Sol Regem is also deified in their culture and is heavily against humans. Karim and his forces may be unifying with Sol Regem’s standpoint and support in order to make a play for the throne, which would drastically upend Ezran’s attempts at peace.

Thus, he and Zym as king and crown prince, respectively (surely with Soren and Corvus and possibly Zubeia in tow) go to seek out other powerful dragons with sway to help combat Sol Regem’s power and political prowess. This leads to them and their gang all curtailing it to Lux Aurea / Sunfire home base to help curb some of the conflict (as we know from ‘out of context’ spoilers from NYCC 2021) that Corvus ends up in a scene with some Sunfire elves. 

And since he’s wise and knows deep knowledge (or is rumoured to), Rex Igneous could possibly explain Ezran’s gift with animals / connection with Zym, and reaffirm that Ezran is supposed to bridge humanity’s gap with dragonkind.

[raayllum]

I don’t know if I’ve asked you this before but what are the odds that you think that Claudia could end up becoming the final antagonist of the series? (If you’ve already answered this, just direct me to the post)

i don't think so, purely because i think aaravos will fill that spot (although i could see claudia being a villain longer into the series than say, viren does). i think it has to be aaravos bc he's the most powerful character in the show in terms of magic, as well as claudia's character consistently hitting in a more sympathetic light with a redemption arc easily on the horizon. i also feel like the endgame big bad of the series has to be an elf for xadia to fully take it seriously and have that unifying cause effect

[raayllum]

hey, uh, quick question, about more metas— do you think viren will get a redemption arc on tdp, as well as claudia?

Viren? Maybe / partially. Claudia? Very likely. And here’s why I think that. 

(Quick disclaimer: As always these are just my thoughts and speculations. If these things don’t happen, I don’t care about being wrong, and I’m sure whatever ending the show gives these characters — even if it’s not what I expected — will be dutifully and beautifully earned. Moving on.)

Viren: 50/50 chance of redemption arc

At the end of season three, Viren has hit rock bottom. He is now in an even worse state than he was at the end of season two, locked away in prison for treason and on the verge of being executed. His old goals and beliefs have, in some ways, been obliterated by reality. For example, Viren always thought he would be the best fit for king and that conquering Xadia was the obvious answer to his problems; Aaravos didn’t plant that idea in his head. (“If we are strong enough to make the right decisions, humans may finally return to Xadia, and take back the great magical lands that are rightfully ours.”—1x06) But following season three, Viren failed horribly as king and his invasion didn’t work. So what now? All he has is Aaravos, Claudia, a resurrected body and resources in Xadia, but he has no army. He has no crown or throne to claim now.

Viren always wanted to be someone special and important. Now in season four he’ll have to come to terms with Callum — the boy he derided as a mongrel — having unique primal magic, and possibly confronting that he is no longer Aarvos’ chosen favourite, as it was confirmed in the SDCC panel that Claudia may become sort of a protege to Aaravos. Viren, in some ways, has outlived his usefulness and literally died because of his pride, fear mongering, and ambition for power.

It’s been a rough series of weeks. But as they say of rock bottom, the only place to go is up. While every season each character has typically had the same goals and definitely the same personality as they did before, every season has also changed all the characters. Viren in the beginning of season one is very different than who he is at the end of season one, and so on and so forth. 

So where does Viren go in season four? Well, he’s lost, horribly. I’d be surprised if he didn’t revaluate some things at the very least. If Claudia becomes closer to Aaravos, that could put a strain on Viren’s end of his relationship with each of them. By the end of season five (Arc 2) Viren will no longer be the main antagonist; Aaravos is pretty clearly the endgame big bad, as he’s been using Viren as well. And if Viren realizes the differences between being used by a god, and when he served a just king? If he realizes Aaravos has been using him and Claudia (“She is not an asset, she is my daughter”) and that unlike he previously thought, he is not the one in control of the situation? I could see that turning him.

Because perhaps the clearest (pun intended) piece of evidence for this to me are Viren’s eyes. Viren has always been a character tied to eye (and arguably hand) symbolism. In s2 in order to see the mirror, he pours a painful potion into his eyes. Aaravos later worms his way in and literally distorts Viren’s vision. But by the end of season three...

Viren’s eyes are clear again, so his vision and worldview may follow. One major shift would be in how he could grow to care for the boys he once did, too, with Ezran and Callum. 

Ezran is king incarnate, so there’s a chance at redemption here. Callum is everything Viren is not (and resents) and will likely become Aaravos’ equal. Acceptance of both of those things would require massive but not inconceivable change, especially if Aaravos can be a unifying enemy for humans and elves as well. Viren and Callum have always had an interesting foils relationship so this could be an interesting way for it to come to a head.

I also wouldn’t be opposed to the culmination of Viren’s sort of questioning redemption arc / revaluation is a sacrificial death. It would be him finally taking on one of the things that makes Callum “special” — his selflessness — and clear the way for Aaravos to be the endgame Big Bad. It would also be the full circle parallel of Viren’s “original sin” in the series so to speak, which is that he hesitated to offer his life up for Harrow’s (a struggle Callum never had when it came to trying to take Ezran’s place — these two scenes happening within seconds of each other). I wouldn’t want it to be a purely “redemption through death” nor do I think Viren as I understand him would be willing to do that remotely without changing previously. 

I also don’t think there’s too much in terms of dynamic (although perhaps some great, awkward comedy) that a redeemed Viren could offer in joining the group dynamic in terms of like, plot / Aaravos related knowledge that Claudia couldn’t too, either. And if Claudia and her father were both redeemed (like I said, Viren is 50/50, but I would be even more shocked to not get a Claudia redemption arc and got only Viren’s, instead) it could also show much she’s changed by being able to accept her father’s death this time around, and for a cause rather than power, to but to safe the lives of the sons of his old best friend and the kids he once tried to kill.

That being said, none of this takes into account the consequences (or reveal) of what precisely Viren did to Harrow (and Pip) and there’s something about bringing a character back to life at the end of a season, only to kill him off again two seasons later, that doesn’t quite jive in my head. But yeah, these are just my thoughts. 

I could also see Viren growing more desperate to get into Aaravos’ good graces again, possibly at Claudia’s expense, and unable to see that he’s in too deep / that Aaravos is using him until it’s too late.

Claudia: Almost 100% chance of redemption arc

When I finished watching season three for the first time, I was surprised to come back to the fandom and finding people dropping Claudia as a fave character or that some people disliked her because of her actions in season three (which is different from a character not being your fave, but active dislike is distinct). Because, for me, following the events of season three, I had never felt more sympathetic to Claudia in my life. 

Season two with her added complexity and challenges is when she had shot up on my list of characters, and the tragedy of her in season three has basically made her secure the fourth spot on my favourite TDP characters list (although I love them all) — which, given how much the trio are my absolute children, is impressive. 

In some ways, I think Viren and Claudia are the antagonists because they are chained down by their own mindsets (and not just because Claudia ends up literally in chains at least once every season, so far). Claudia is a shockingly stagnant character in some ways — like mindset — to the degree that the sort of worldview she was spouting in 1x02 is exactly what she’s put into practice by the end of season three: “But I don’t understand, the switching spell will save his life. Why would he say no?” versus Viren’s “Your discomfort is understandable, you don’t feel right trading your life for another’s” to Harrow. 

Some lives are just worth more to her, with more thoughts about Claudia and her internal hierarchy here.

Claudia aligning herself more with Aaravos in S4 is also what I predicted, as a change of her character, too, from not liking him to liking him. We cannot have the full impact of her breaking away from him, after all, if she was never lured in the same way her father was. And I think the narrative has, as a whole, been sympathetic to Claudia even if it never shies away from where she’s gone wrong.

In my eyes, Claudia’s two biggest flaws is her apathy towards other people’s feelings when they get in the way of her goals (meta here) and her passivity. Both inform the cognitive dissonances she uses to justify going along with her father’s plans, even as they increasingly grow more and more terrible. 

Oh, Dad doesn’t actually want me to choose the egg over Soren, he’s just stressed, and if I’m good enough, I won’t have to make that choice! --> Killing Callum’s friend Rayla is okay because she’s an elf, she’s not really his friend --> Dad putting Ezran in jail isn’t that bad, it’s necessary and only temporary, it’s not like he’s going to kill the kid --> being too focused on what Soren could / did do to Viren to think about what she was going to let happen to Ezran.

Claudia is a character who is bad at making choices and makes bad choices, even if deep down she has a good heart. What she also has is a poisonous mind view that fundamentally values certain people’s lives over others. Hence why the switching spell doesn’t even occur to her as having a moral issue for someone to possibly grapple with. Or why she can see elves as parts ( “No, there are more practical uses for this one”—1x03) rather than people. Or why she will privilege whatever belief lets her keep her family intact over anything else, even the truth (ie. her believing Viren over Soren in the dungeons in 3x03). And all that culminates in her choice to murder an innocent person in order to bring her father back to life.

That is, however, more active than Claudia tends to be. Claudia tells Soren, “Don’t make me choose, not again!” The thing is, though, is that Claudia never chose the first time around. Soren chose to stay with Viren and her mother told her to stay with her brother. Yet Claudia would rather pretend that inaction is not still a choice in and of itself. So making an active choice to shed her cognitive dissonances and fully accept that what she’s been doing is wrong in more ways than one? That, possibly, everything she’s done and sacrificed has ultimately been for nothing? 

It will be incredibly hard and very painful, but absolutely necessary for her to move forward to a more positive place. That being said, I am confident she can get here, for three main reasons. 

One: less meta and more knowledge, but co-creator Aaron Ehasz had expressed in the past an imagined redemption arc for Azula, a character on a previous show of his, ATLA. Claudia was also compared to Azula in her delight of Dark Magic in an early interview. Claudia, despite being very different (especially personality wise) is a second opportunity at that sort of redemption arc, which ATLA did not have time for given the timespan it covered.

Two: the most active choice she’s made in the series thus far was actively disobeying Viren and running to her brother’s side in 2x07. She loves Soren more than anything and I am confident she can work her way back to him. Nor will Soren give on her that easy. The siblings are bound to each other and have always had a good, close relationship until very recently in-series. Eventual reconciliation seems like the natural conclusion for each of them.

Three: Claudia has a lot of parallels to Rayla in terms of character conflict. On the surface, both struggle with keeping Harrow’s death a secret from Callum. However, it goes deeper than that (meta here). Claudia, like Rayla, has been told to do terrible things by a father figure who convinces her it is necessary. But where Rayla changes her mind and leaves quickly, Claudia digs in her heels and shuts her eyes harder. But Rayla also knows what it’s like to atone—“Now, this is a journey for redemption”—for both her own mistakes and the choices of her parents.

So yeah, as said above, I’m 99% sure we’re getting a Claudia redemption arc and wouldn’t be surprised if we got a Viren redemption arc at least partially, either (even if there are other satisfying conclusions his character could be taken to, as well). And I hope I’ve successfully explained why!

[kradogsrats]

Yes and no, I think?

In the sense that the driving narrative conflict is over an object of potential (the egg, and then Zym offers either great power or possible peace) with the group currently in possession being hindered in their attempts to reach that potential by the others, there’s a good chance we will see that again with, and that Viren is essentially in the position of “egg” with the potential of Aaravos’s return (or whatever).

(Interesting that the heroes are now on the side of “destroy this before it hatches,” unless Aaravos has pulled a wonderful double-cross and his plans actually depend on Viren failing. What a shocking, stone-freezing, single-tear betrayal that would be.)

And I don’t think Aaravos is actually concerned with Zym’s potential reign at all? Except in the sense that it will obviously be over if whatever bigger fish he’s attempting to fry… get… fried. What I mean is, in Patience he doesn’t seem concerned with dragons, or even Xadia in its own right—he’s doing whatever he’s doing to Xadia in order to target something in the stars still unknown to us. (This is something that it is probably important for him to overlook, as it will likely take a unified effort from Xadia and humanity to counter his scheme.)

Because of that, I’m not sure there will actually be a reckoning for Viren—since no one actually knows Aaravos’s goal, it’s hard to tell if it’s something that aligns with Viren’s priority set or not. And while his priorities have probably changed (#1 now likely being some mixture of “get out of this alive” and “get Claudia out of this alive”), I doubt they’ve changed enough to be on board with Xadia unless he figures out that what Aaravos has planned for them is also an existential threat to humanity. OR if things have changed so drastically in (only) two years that he’s really forced to adjust his worldview.

Finally, Viren actually or metaphorically sharing Thunder’s fate is a fantastic image we’ve all been gnawing frantically on. It’s interesting to think of paralleling Thunder and Viren as characters—both headstrong participants in the cycle of violence between Xadia and humanity, both seeing themselves as protectors, etc. I actually hadn’t considered that before, to see them as the same kind of tragedy. But my interpretation overall is that the imagery is more about Viren’s responsibility for everything that was triggered by Thunder’s death catching up to him in some way, because it would take a truly massive mental reshuffling for Viren to recognize any kind of parallels between him and Thunder.

(Daily reminder as well that the spell used a unicorn horn, and unicorns are STAR PRIMAL creatures. COUGH COUGH.)

I guess my main contention is that Viren having to reconcile with what he has become means he has to a) have become something, and b) recognize that he has become something. And I just dont see that happening as far as parallels between him and Zym, or Thunder, or any dragon. I do think he’ll have to reckon with how far he has fallen (ba dum tssh), whether morally or just in terms of basic power hierarchy (if he doubles down on everything he did as being necessary, he’s still gone from a king with armies behind him to a middle-age man in a nightgown).

(This would also be an interesting time for a reckoning like “whoops, turns out because of the resurrection you’ve also lost the ability to do magic” to really strip him down to the core, but I don’t have any evidence for or against that. It would just be neat to have him taken all the way back to the level of humanity before Dark magic—magicless, nearly alone, at the absolute bottom of the pyramid in a hostile land. To have to rely on others, possibly see Claudia the way people must see him…)

i was on a bus lately so i had a lot of time to think and it’s finally time to talk about

Viren’s Narrative Role in S4

Yes, he’s quite obviously going to be a pawn for Aaravos, and is clearly going to feel some kind of way about being brought back from the death and his previously failed plans. However, what I have realized / found to be way more interesting is…

Viren is now paralleling Zym as the season’s macguffin / plot lynchpin. 

While Claudia has now overtaken Rayla’s role as the narrative catalyst (Rayla sparing Marcos leading to basically every snowball event in S1, with Claudia’s revival timeline clearly a driving force behind season four and all of Arc 2), Viren has taken our favourite little dragon prince’s. Think about it:

Something believed by everyone to be dead

Callum: Viren is dead, Rayla. There’s no possible way he could have— (Through the Moon).

encased in something ovular, waiting to hatch under the right circumstances and right ingredients 

and safe guarded by Claudia 

It makes me think of how Viren now has parallels to every member of the Draconic Royal Family so far. He sent assassins after human king(s) like Zubeia; he was thought to be dead and sealed away like Zym, both also believed to be a threat to the whole world if they were left to thrive and fester; and now the S4 intro has Viren experiencing his own punishment that he handed out for Avizandum (even being a fallen king and a fallen father). 

In trying to destroy his enemies Viren has become what he thought weak, or despicable, and dangerous. How’s them apples? 

Now, in S4, Viren will have to reconcile with what he’s become, while Aaravos likely tries to topple Zym’s reign before it can begin… and this time, Viren may not be as on board with it.