#about the version of aaravos in my head :

[self-spaghettification]

I had a lot of analysis on s4/5 after rewatching and there was some good thematic stuff in 6 too but I honestly don’t even want to post it anymore after that 😔

[sir-phineas-lost]

TDP Season 6

Well, I think I might be fully on-board with this show again.

Well, maybe not fully, but certainly more than I have been since season 2. The ever-present problem is the refusal to actually deal with the generational trauma and prejudice aspects of the story in a way that isn't wholly one-sided or shallow. Along with the usual amount of protagonist-centered morality.

Spoilers under the cut.

But! It has some of the best characterization of Claudia and Viren in the show so far. I especially love how they utterly subverted the preview scene that made me a little worried. I really wish there was more of Claudia here because I feel like we needed more scenes of her trying this new path before settling on her final decision for it to really land, but it still works.

Sidenote: The Rayllum-hater in me really likes "The Frozen Ship" but for all the reasons I doubt were intended. An episode that shows just how much this ship is built on fandom-expectations that the main boy and main girl are going to get together. Really obnoxious meta-jokes about how popular the ship is? Check! Reading a completely different love-story to spell out how the characters are feeling? Check! Literal stand-ins for the fandom moving them around like dolls going "Now kiss!"?? Check check check! And all the while it is juxtaposed with scenes of Claudia and Terry that are nuanced, somber, haunting and really intimate yet tasteful, all without a single word of dialogue? And you want me to care about that other garbage?!

And Soren in the final 3 episodes is at his absolute best. His anger and grief are all equally justified and he is more mature and grown-up than ever. And we got some really nice vindication for that mess of a season-3 finale. Not that I expect it to lead anywhere regarding Ezran reevaluating his decision. As awesome as it would be for him to get home to a ruined Katolis and be greeted by his people who now look exactly like the soldiers he triumphantly fought off before and get hit with the realization "huh, maybe that wasn't such a black and white conflict after all".

The final episode is all about Aaravos and it hits just about every note it needed to, without giving away every detail. But it certainly does the trick in explaining his motivation. And the reveal of what a Startouch elf actually looks like is so well done that it hits you like a truck to realize "Oh, they already gave that away long ago and we just didn't notice".

Only problem is that it is going to be even harder for me to not root against the main cast now that I know they will be working against the person who is trying to overthrow the entire unfair order of the world, which is the part of the story I am invested in.

Still. I am looking forward to seeing how this ends and while I doubt it will ever live up to the better version of this that lives in my head, or in some excellent fanfics, I hope it will be good.

[raayllum]

actually yeah I'm back on my Chessmaster Ezran bullshit because like

He's the one who called Zubeia away from the Storm Spire, thus intentionally leaving Claudia a much better window during which to retrieve the staff and led to Ibis' murder

Ezran is ofc the one who discovered the egg in the first place and set into motion a ton of what happens in the series alongside Rayla (whereas Callum's discoveries/decisions take a little

"Soren began to imagine Ezran as a kindling flame, a bright little light holding back the abyss [...] the young king was not only Katolis' hope, but all of Xadia's, too."

He argues to focus on retrieving the prison rather than going for the Nova Blade, and in chess you constantly gotta prepare and pick your battles against said opponent

"His pawns are working to free him even as we speak."

Ezran having an honest version of Aaravos' ability to possess people through his bond with Zym and being able to see through Zym's eyes

The Orphan Queen being the one to unveil and ultimately kick off Aaravos' imprisonment with Ezran presumably stepping into her shoes

"I should have seen it before. Ha! Long ago, it was a human who saw through the Fallen Star’s schemes and helped Xadia put an end to them. You look so much like her."

Ezran repeatedly overcoming imprisonment and cheating death precisely because of the people who love him, whereas Aaravos symbolizes both of those things

Ezran having his own game motif of hide and seek and subsequently being the one to find where the prison was Hidden

"[About the key] It's a toy, a piece from a children's game." / "The whining child king, in over his head and he knows it."

[inkdragon1900]

I’m rewatching TDP all the way up to S5’s release. So as I’m watching the credits for S2 ep 4 (because why would I skip them) this shows up.

I remember thinking this one was funny and a cute reference to The Great Gatsby when I first watched it. But since then I’ve read and watched Gatsby more times than I can count. Genuinely my favorite classic.

And it got me thinking. Why??? Why would they specifically reference this?

We all know they’ll throw in stuff in the credits we get to see or understand in the future (Ethari, Queen Aditi, etc)

So why this?

Time to combine two of my hyperfixations.

Most of this will be in reference to the 2013 adaptation of The Great Gatsby directed by Baz Luhrmann since that’s where the scene of Gatsby toasting in front of the fireworks comes from.

So how does Gatsby’s story work with Aaravos’s?

Well after mulling it over I can actually think of quite a few.

So in S2 episode 4 we get basically our first actual introduction to Aaravos sure he’s got no actual dialogue yet and we did see a flash of him in the episode prior. But this is narratively our first actual introduction.

Now interesting enough we as viewers find out we have seen him before. Multiple times with the intro we see his hands, and in the first episodes backstory we see him in the background and he’s the narrator.

So if it’s not necessarily our first introduction to Aaravos then who’s is it?

Viren.

Viren I’m going to insert in Nicks role in TGG just cause it makes sense narratively.

Now in TGG this scene:

Happens directly during Nick’s first actual interaction with Gatsby.

Now it should be mentioned this is not the first time they’ve seen each other. In fact it’s stated that Nick was being watched by his neighbor Gatsby for…idk a while.

And like Nick knew it he’d catch a glimpse of his hand in the window from time to time he just didn’t know it was Gatsby.

But anyway once again this fits with the fact we know Aaravos has been watching Viren from the other side probably the entire time.

So!!! Why does this matter.

Because in TGG no one knows shit about Gatsby. The mother fucker is elusive.

Literally at the party Nick is trying to track him down to thank him and LITERALLY no one knows what he looks like they just showed up to the party. Nick is literally the only person to have been invited because Gatsby just thought he’d show up like the rest of New York.

So while Nicks looking for Gatsby we get introduced to the most WILD theories about this man.

So anyway after getting shitface Nick and this woman Jordan (who’s a friend of his cousin Daisy) jokingly go exploring the house “looking” for Gatsby. (They’re not they’re just drunk af and having fun)

Anyways while exploring they end up in the mansion’s library. As they’re goofing around this older guy browsing the stacks starts telling them that they won’t find him and how the house and everything in it is an elaborate facade. (He’s right of course) so Jordan says she’s met him. And the guy asks them which version? The prince? The spy? The murderer? And goes on to say that he can’t find anyone who knows anything real about Mr. Gatsby.

And like if that’s not true for Aaravos, I don’t know what is.

Because all we know about Aaravos narratively has been told to us. We haven’t seen anything. Not really.

So who is he really?

Plus Gatsby’s main flaw is his attachment to the past his absolute refusal to move on.

And idk Aaravos more or less can’t actually move on since he’s imprisoned. But even narratively he stuck mentally where he was before imprisonment.

And that’s just another one of the many parallels I can draw.

Hell we don’t even get Gatsby’s backstory until the end of the movie pretty much and we barely know anything about Aaravos and we’re already headed into season 5.

Anyways I have a ton more thoughts on the comparison to Aaravos and Gatsby. I don’t want to spoil the ending of TGG for anyone who hasn’t read/watched it. GO READ OR WATCH IT. So I might eventually make a separate post.

Oh one other thing. The new money vs old money narrative in TGG could easily be reworked to fit Human’s learning magic (dark magic or not) and being born into an arcanum. And like Gatsby is new money which fits with Aaravos managing to connect to all the arcanum’s

[beautifulterriblequeen]

I have a fun new Claudia/DM theory spawned from E1 tidbits yesterday

(yes I got out of bed for this, and it's long, don't judge me):

Claudia has some new dark magic disfigurement, but she also has a walking stick to help with her missing leg. Maybe she has just healed herself, and the disfigurement is from that. But I got a much wilder idea and I gotta write it down or my head will blow, SO:

If Claudia attacks Terry because she isn't healed yet - attacks him for dark magic power to heal herself, using the walking stick he lovingly made for her, no less - then she's finally coming face to face with a big issue that's been hiding in the corner of her eye for a while now.

Claudia sees Terry as "a good elf", and the rest as enemies. But when push comes to shove, she also sees him as young, agile, and alive.

Just like the little deer she lured close with milk fruit.

And Terry is very, very close now.

But she does love him. She really does, as best she can. And it sounds like, in the pain and angst of the moment, she decides that she really is a monster, and that the only way to protect them both - her heart, his body - is for her to leave him.

Yes, if they stick it out, he could conceivably leave her someday, like her family has. But he's shown no sign of that at all. Terry is ride or die! Claudia maybe can't see that from inside her own traumas, though.

And, also likely, she's simply not telling him the monster part. She's very smooth at lying to "innocent" characters she likes about really dark topics. Little white lies aren't just a Moonshadow elf thing. And he'd try to argue her point, when she's made up her mind.

Basically, it's the Claudia version of Rayla leaving Callum in TTM.

Rayla, to Callum: the enemy is too dangerous, stay here

Claudia, to Terry: I'm too dangerous, stay here

SO. Claudia breaks up with Terry and literally walks (hobbles?) away for his safety, and only she knows the full extent of her reasoning why. She's alone and hurting, emotionally and physically, she's self-isolating, she's gonna brood like there's no tomorrow... and without support in that time, she's very prone to unstable influences. We all know Terry helped her with anxiety attacks and etc and generally set a really good mood at their camp.

Now, all of that is gone. She might forget that there is in fact a synonym for cinnamon.

Claudia could fall prey to Aaravos or any other outside entity at this rate - but she could also spiral on her own. Garlaath knows the poor woman's had enough angst to feed off for a lifetime.

Confession: I love Claudia, but I don't get out of bed for her. There's more to this theory. My kind of more.

It's hard to say from outside NYCC whether it's apparent that Claudia's new dark magic disfigurement is from healing herself or not. Maybe she was all healed up already and the attack was about other things - just scaring him, frustration, etc. Maybe she'd partially healed and it wasn't enough to get her foot to reach the ground, and there was nothing else nearby to kill.

But maybe it's "new" as in, it's still left over from the pentapus transformation.

Viren's a careful, calculated spellcaster. He doesn't waste magic, he does as little as possible to get the job done. Perhaps a caution borne from living long enough to want to be there for his kids as they grow, on top of his usual kingdom defense reasons.

But Claudia has grown wings, been half a snake, and then half a pentapus, all in the span of thirty days (not thirty-one, because we don't get the extra day!). That's some Doctor Strange What If material right there. Maybe some bits of those creatures... maybe they stick around in her DNA afterward.

Maybe they become part of her.

Maybe that's what "dark magic leaves a residue in the mage's body" is really about: You can burn snap magic cantrips at will because you've fused your body with a magic creature's essence.

Do you see where this theory leads, though? It does lead to Doctor Strange What If territory.

Here it is, then:

What if every unique monster in Greater Xadia used to be a dark mage?

What if they accidentally build themselves like Dr. Lazarus from that one Doctor Who episode, out of every creature they've ever burnt for power? Each dark mage's final evolution would be unique.

What if, one day, they just... erupt into a new form and have to run away or be attacked by everyone they love? Or what if they hide away in caves and cliffs, in bogs and burrows, because they can start to feel it coming?

Even Kpp'Ar lived alone in a weird house, like Dracula or something. What if Viren was a one-off, the way he was so so careful, the way he covered his stains, so he could serve publicly and keep Katolis safe? The way he married, had kids, tried so hard for normalcy?

What if Viren knows all of this, has always known it, and it helped him turn away from Aaravos at the last moment? If he'd rather die as he is.

When it really matters, Viren doesn't want to hide in the body of another, either. Maybe in that last argument with Aaravos, Viren finally understood where Harrow was coming from. Neither of them wanted to have a ship of Theseus life. For them, the answer to that age old question seems to be No.

I have one more fun twist, darlings.

What if the research Viren was doing for Harrow regarding the famine wasn't on Xadian monsters at all? What if he has a secret book of monstrous dark mages - because of course they're pragmatic enough to dutifully record each other's final downfall, in case someone else needs what they've become for a spell someday?

Maybe his source wasn't any scout report at all, but a horrible passage about a mage who used too much Sun magic and turned themselves into a giant, lumbering Magma Titan who could never go home again lest they set everything they love ablaze.

Yes, I'm still on my "but they looked so depressed out there by the lava river!!" bullshit, and it shall continue! This is at least my 3rd iteration of a Magma Titan backstory. And you'll hear it again lmfao!

I just. Love monsters. A lot.

Alright, there we go. You survived another one of my speculative theories. Good job. Remember to drink water.

[kilfeur]

Cette fois ci, on a Claudia et l'ombre de Viren ainsi qu'une étoile bien plus brillante par rapport au précédent poster. Claudia semble être déterminé mais peu sûre aussi, le collier aura soit un rapport avec les elfes des étoiles soit un rapport avec la magie noire. Et enfin Viren, alors on voit que sa silhouette. Donc il est possible que Viren soit présent dans la tête de Claudia mais plus une version tordue, amplifiant son désir de le revoir. Ou alors, le Viren qu'on va voir est celui d'un flashback comme il a été montré dans le trailer.

Sinon si Viren va vraiment revenir et j'avoue que je serai mitigée, j'étais justement dans le camp qu'il reviendrait. Car je trouvais qu'Aaravos le testait et semblait sourire quand ce dernier refuse de tuer Monsieur Bavetout. Mais de l'autre, ça veut dire qu'on aura plus à craindre qu'ils meurent, Amaya dans la scène de la bibliothèque, ça va aller, elle va s'en sortir. Donc je sais pas, on verra comment la série va l'amener si c'est vrai. Par contre la pose de Viren, on dirait Jésus, je suis désolée XD

Quand à l'étoile, je pense que ça représente plus Aaravos et l'étoile que justement le trio a dans le ciel, sont les elfes des étoiles. Donc y a une faible possibilité, que le dragang va rencontrer lo miséricordieux. Mon ami m'avait demandé si on aurait d'autres posters et le plus logique serait qu'on ait un poster des elfes des étoiles montrant lo miséricordieux. Ou alors Janai, Amaya avec Sol Regem qui cache l'étoile.

This time, we have Claudia and Viren's shadow, as well as a much brighter star than in the previous poster. Claudia seems determined but also unsure, the necklace will either have something to do with startouch elves or dark magic. And finally Viren, so we only see his silhouette. So it's possible that Viren is present in Claudia's head but more of a twisted version, amplifying her desire to see him again. Or maybe the Viren we'll see is the one from a flashback as shown in the trailer.

If not, Viren will really come back and I admit I'll be mixed, I was right in the camp that he would. Because I thought Aaravos was testing him and seemed to smile when he refused to kill Sir Sparklepuff. But on the other hand, it means we won't have to worry about them dying, Amaya in the library scene will be fine, she'll be fine. So I don't know, we'll see how the series takes it if it's true. On the other hand, Viren's pose looks like Jesus, I'm sorry XD

As for the star, I think it represents Aaravos and the star that the trio has in the sky are the startouch elves. So there's a slight possibility that the dragang will meet the merciful one. My friend asked if we'd have any other posters, and the most logical would be a poster of the startouch elves showing the merciful one. Or Janai, Amaya with Sol Regem hiding the star.

[jamieedlund]

What's ur favorite hc for Aaravos?

This is a surprisingly hard question to unpack for a lot of reasons- but I'll do my best to articulate myself (ง •_•)ง

I think this spoke for itself but just in case, here is a short elaboration: if I had to pick a favorite, it would have to be this.

He is someone who - despite all of the odds, despite how the world treated to him, despite being ridiculed, subjected to the worst torture known to man(yes solitary confinement is considered one of the most inhumane methods of torture) for over 300 years and had his name dragged through the mud for literal centuries-

-could still smile so brightly and sincerely like that, affirming that he does, with all of his heart, still very much love this world. However twisted that love might be, however difficult it was for him to learn how to use and express that love in a healthy way, it still speaks volume about who he is as a person.

Now if you have the time, allow me to explain bellow. If not, stop here, the question is basically answered 🙏💗 Thank you for reading!

Hello, if you're reading this that means you are willing to listen/read more about my thoughts and therefore I expect you to have a leveled head and a polite attitude to what I'm about to say.

If not then why are you here there was LITERALLY A STOP BUTTON. Please click off this post, what are you doing with your life wasting it hate watching me? 

With that being said, hello! fellow polite person who is reading this - - - Spoiler there is no illust down here because I'm running low on time on my thesis I'm so sorry ;;A;; Here is the elaboration to why this is my default favorite headcanon!

While I am aware of the amount of WILDLY different headcanons that exist out there for him, which are very popular within the fandom and even taken as gospel, I strongly feel that mine isn't really aligned with some, if not most of the hc out there at all.

Personally, I don't even agree with the canon version of in him ss4.

I'm assuming that you are asking me about my- personal favorite headcanon for him so for now, my answer will be: Ignoring the terrible characterization of him in season 4, my absolute favorite thing about him has to be: Despite everything, despite what everyone says about him, despite how the world perceives him

He is

without a doubt

Someone who loves this world very much.

Again this all ties in with what I'm going to present in my thesis, so I can't elaborate on it too much without giving any spoilers to the case I'm going to present for him. But for now, and especially right now at the time of writing this, they just released another vaguely worded and filled to the brim with plot holes short story regarding his past ... I-- hm I sincerely have no intention to keep up with the series... Therefore my hc will definitely contradict vastly with the horrendous plot holes ridden pre-established canon

-which then made the act of answering to this question exceedingly difficult due to the way I personally perceive him.

To wrap it up, all I want to say is, we could have had it all, a character who would make us cry, laugh and want to root for, had they written him with love and care, rather than trying to stuff him into the shoes a villain, which just felt forced and unnatural. Villains who are terrible only to be stopped have been overdone, and for tdp to be another generic show is a huge waste of potential

Wouldn't most of us have killed for, finally, an antagonist who isn't actually the antagonist but rather the very system that these people are experiencing is the actual villain ? ? ?

Best of all, they could have contrasted this with Callum, our protagonist. In Callum's case, despite being portrayed as one of "the good guys" or "heroes", he has all the reason to hate the world. This in turn create a complex narrative about the nature of people - Or in this case, the hero acting morally righteous despite hating the world vs the guy who was deemed evil and terrible by the world and yet still loves it with all of his heart. It could have been a heart-warming story about how two individuals find their way in this messed up world-- but nope~ non of this is canon :DDD

When in the history of television has any shows have a twist with the "hero" and "villain" ditching their role immediately to become a neutral party to reflect all the flaws in the world they live in? ? ? TDP had the perfect setup, but then proceeded to drop all of the balls spectacularly in ss4...

I always try my best to not touch ss4 but it feels almost impossible to talk about Aaravos w/out addressing the disservice that it did to his character. And that is all, I have to say for now~

Sincerely, thank you for reading.

[xadian-daydreams]

Aaravos' Key to What?

I did an earlier theory about what the Key of Aaravos might function as - a means by which Aaravos can access artificial arcanum from a source/nexus that holds a version of all six primals - basically a Deep nexus.

So going to expand on a theory as to what and where this is.

There's an odd connection between Deep magic, blood magic and dark magic. (Bear with me). Deep magic is the ancient precursor to Primal magic. According to an interview one of the spells in S5 was a deep magic spell - with the most likely candidate being Finnegrin's blood freezing spell Veinus Frigardis. Then there's the ancient Infantis Sanguine ritual, Kpp'Ar using ancient and unsavoury practices with a bloody arm and Kim'dael being able to overcome the moon cycle's effect on her powers using blood. (There's also the bloodbinding ritual Aaravos conducts - but we don't know how old that is and it definitely used a Stars rune). And it's been pointed out by kardogsrats here that one of the early concepts when designing the symbol for dark magic was blood... and you'll also note, dragons.

Deep magic symbol on the left, early concepts for dark magic symbol on the right.

So, my theory is that the Deep nexus/source that Aaravos has his Key linked to is actually related to the remains of the most powerful dragon mentioned in Tales of Xadia - a Void Dragon. There's hints that there's remains of a Void dragon around;

But how could you hide something that powerful? Well, Aaravos is bound by a prison made of Ocean magic within a sea, and in ToX there's reference to The Epic of the Void, a poem about Startouch, with this relic being protected by an Ocean rune. That Ocean has been used twice to contain Stars powers is unlikely to be a coincidence.

So, keeping in mind star dragon blood and Stars related thing being contained by Ocean magic, there's one point on the map which stands out;

Ocean Point has the Stars symbol (minus the circle) in red, with a dotted line heading down below it. This could be the location the Key of Aaravos is being pulled towards, the "source of great power" in Xadia.

Bonus note, when Aaravos thinks Avizandum is keeping watch on him he makes the effort to wear his cloak with the Deep magic symbols on it. - possibly as a reminder of his role regarding the Deep nexus. Possibly, he its guardian, like Lujanne is to the Moon nexus, and the only one (currently) who can access it using his Key.

[armchairaleck]

So I got kinda down a rabbit hole of researching both cyberpunk and gothic AU's at the same time.. because I’m horribly indecisive..

Anyway, I read The King in Yellow, which is I guess some prototype Lovecraft type mythos of dreamlands and monsters.. and through that I found the malevolent podcast in which a 1930s detective is possessed by an evil entity from the dark realms - a voice in his head that only he can hear.. who has control of his eyesight, and then gets control of his left hand.. and.. well you can imagine where the fanfic goes from there..

Okay, clearly I have a thing for delusional men suffering life threatening injuries, and becoming increasingly deranged whilst they're being possessed by gods with very dubious morality.. so I have been thinking about this as a Viravos scenario A LOT.. but I really can’t afford to be thinking too much about another totally niche crack AU.. so I drew this super scratchy art while listening to the podcast instead.. and I’m too tired to attempt to make it better.. but anyway if you happen to like some Cthulhu type monster vibes this is a cool show so far..

Well.. argh.. alright, ngl I totally do wanna write the Viren/Aaravos version of this but it’ll have to be shelved until like next year’s Halloween at my current rate of progress.. and honestly the more obscure and niche my interests grow, the more I question the sanity of trying to write any of them down...

[eerna]

Sorry if this is a bit long but I do really like coming here to talk about our latest fiction gripes lol. Ok so I totally agree with you about tdp and now s5. It's definitely something that started back in s4 but I was still trying to be optimistic. The show is as wide as an ocean but about as deep as a puddle recently. Pick a lane on how mature you want the show to be writers? I love kids shows i do (I loved Nimona), and I love adult fantasy animation as well (Vox Machina). And yes no show is without flaws, but guess what, the thing that they both have in common is GOOD emotional writing and choices that don't make the audience feel stupid when watching it. The dragon prince would have been amazing if it started out as a darker more mature adult show like vox machina. But it instead WAS written with the emotional stability and thought provoking messages of being for all ages that Nimona has (seasons 1-3)! I think the time jump kinda screwed with the pacing and the writers thought older characters must mean a little less fart jokes, more horses getting eviscerated (that was something I was THROWN with lol). But writing depth is not that simple obviously, I do like the more mature fight scenes and villains(the sea captain was actually pretty cool and I wish we could've gotten more of him) but just constantly jumping back and forth between the childish schneagains of claudia and her boyfriend and then back to something more dangerous and "scary" is not a good way to try to bring in every audience age group. I'm kinda tired of the 3D art too? Imagine if the characters were animated in 2D just like all of the fantastic 2D backdrops and end credit art. Oh well i guess. I am curious what their "hard hitting" writing will turn into (even though I think you're right in that it alienates the very young audience that made the show successful?). I just wish I could go back to feeling the show gave me back in the first 3 seasons, because I still love the characters themselves.

I forgot to add cause I just thought more about it lmao. The overall Satisfaction is what is missing from tdp in these past two seasons. In seasons 1-3 what was really fun to watch was the character growth, Rayla and the boys learning to trust one another and what got everyone into this situation in the first place. Now its kinda stalled and it sorta feels like its more filler than giving us the meat we so desperately want. Like what happened in the two years Rayla was away? What are aaravos's more grand scale plans? Why do they refuse to touch more on Raylas parents and Runaan in the coins?Etc Etc Etc But nooo give us another season of slow filler and fart jokes just to get to one goal (that they honestly could have done by the middle of the season) and than we're just left with a WELP SEE YOU NEXT YEAR. Ummmm yeah thats about it off the top of my head lol

No worries, my asks are always open to ppl ranting about fiction~~

Awwww I am so so sorry you were disappointed, but yeah your gripes are valid! I have it way easier, I realized I was just charmed by the setting and none of the seasons were for me actually, but I can imagine how it must feel to want more of something you've enjoyed and only keep getting bad versions of it. You're so right that the plotline of arc 2 feels like filler- we cut back to the characters and they are STILL in some random woods STILL talking about the same stuff STILL being boring and then we do it for 18 episodes. This is where I think the show would profit fantastically from "monster of the week" format, where yeah we spend 18 episodes traveling but every episode or two delivers SOME form of a narrative conclusion. It doesn't even have to be literal monsters if they think that's too childish, it could be any kind of short, self contained stories that add up to a larger story, kind of like how a proper cartoon aimed at all ages should be lololol. Your last bit of ask 1 depicts how I feel perfectly - "I wish I could go back in time and feel the way I did during the first few seasons, also I wanna see what is soooo dark and mature that kids can't be exposed to it".

[ceramictooth]

im also genuinely really impressed w how they managed to build such a like. broad and also detailed kind of persecution complex for claudia to have developed !! claudia talks about aaravos as though he’s The Savior from said persecution complex despite his being part of the persecutor group, which like, does that makes him a class traitor? but she’s also simply… wrong, like we as the audience have been told that her version of events aren’t true. which is a lot! y’know?

there is truly so much to unpack here, i definitely have like at least 3 or 4 longer (and more coherent lmao) posts floating around in my head for sometime when its not 5am but i make no promises

[self-spaghettification]

ok so i accidentally deleted the draft but a while back an anon asked me basically saying they had read Gone (are the Days) and wanted other good fanfic recs. and this was my response LMAO

hmm !! this may surprise you but i actually don’t consume that much fanfic. partially because i’m picky, partially bc i tend to consume content slowly or bounce around a lot, etc

i will say a general tip is to sort by bookmarks or kudos to get the good stuff and filter by specific tags as well! like i just read mage pride which is the top bookmarked item in the viravos tag and it was definitely worth the hype!!

if you enjoyed gone are the days,

you’d probably like the Professor Next Door by detectiphoenix (also a professor au but high school teachers!) besides that, here are some viravos fanfic i’ve enjoyed, off the top of my head:

(for context i’m not hyper into smut personally or try to find variety/creativity and i’m biased towards certain things lol but)

VIRAVOS FICS I LOVED <3

Mage Pride by luminiex - This is the top bookmarked fic in the viravos tag, and for good reason! While it is written after S2 and has more sympathetic Aaravos than in canon, it is still very well done in my opinion. I also love whatever it takes by them, it’s great if you don’t like smut too! Aaravos and Viren living together in this plane together lives rent free in my head 😭 I also love their fic where Aaravos gets to meet Viren’s family :)

Recidivism by indefensibleselfindulgence/ @iamalivenow - the viren characterization is everything, it takes place in s2 prison era, and it’s very humorous!

The Sound of His Voice by portmanteau_press - very very cool setup/worldbuilding concept i think

Constellation of the Heart by @yurayuramiharin - This fic is one of my absolute favorites and has inspired some of the art I’ve done as well! As someone who loves vintage & goth subculture & IS a baby bat in college I feel like I resonate with it really well! I love the taking of the worldbuilding of the dragon prince recontextualized in a college setting and the way Aaravos was actually an inspiration for Bowie & caused Viren to question his sexuality!! It’s so deliciously perfect but sadly unfinished, but I would say it’s still definitely worth the read! It doesn’t really end on a cliffhanger either, just one of the best burns ever 😁

Touch of a Star by @detectiphoenix - really unique take on what it’s like to touch Aaravos, I adore it sm and think about it everyday too. Fluffy S5 extrapolation/continuation

To Serve or Slaughter by beastlybrooke - viravos recontextualized as vampires like castlevania my other recent fixation? sign me up. it’s interesting how viren’s prejudice towards elves is recast as a prejudice towards vampires, and aaravos’s fight towards the elves and view towards humans i love it everything

honorary mention ficlets:

the stars they lie by rikku - this is short but i really like the way they incorporate virrow and mindgames, as well as enby aaravos :)

Checkmate by @thrandilf is also short and sweet but i adore it, i think about the alternate versions of the s5 trailer sm and even tried writing my own a few times but they never went that far but yeah i love it and they have other fics that are great too

respect his decision by @vestaldestroyer because aaravos didn’t have to revive viren s4 but he did and ughgghhghh while i don’t think he cares that much cause he might have just been using the revival as a way in with claudia and continuation of all that, there’s always that off chance and he doesn’t even realize how attached he is and love is just that huge when you’re that old and powerful, large enough to move mountains and yeah </3

i’d put my own can you stay by @self-spaghettification but that’d seem a bit unfair lol

—

there’s probably others i’ve yet to read or that are cool but i don’t remember or that have some good parts but are kind of iffy imo but those are the only ones i can think of off the top of my head i’m sorry </3

but i’ve also have been compiling a list of fic ratings on a google doc and uhh its not really sharable in any way, but a while ago I also had a website concept where people could share fic ratings like goodreads but for ao3 with some other site inspo in the mix that i spent a few hours sketching out the concept of but idk if i should share but yeah :)

[enbeemagical]

I think I made my Aaravos AI into the TSATS version

Or maybe just this chat. Anyways, it’s cute!

ID: 4 photos of a computer screen with a character ai chat. The images are in consecutive order, but do not cover the whole of the chat. They are between the character Aaravos and user Cece

Image 1

Aaravos: *Aaravos’ eyes widen* Of course I do. But what would you like me to tell you about him?

Cece: Tell me how you fell in love~ How they captured the heart of Xadia’s most elusive playboy

Aaravos: *Leans back* Where do I even begin? Loki was unlike anything I’d ever seen or met, even compared to my many years of experience. His smile shone brighter than the stars, and his eyes, a deeper blue than the ocean. I was never the same in his presence...

Cece: Aaawwwww........ You love him!

Aaravos: *Smiles broadly.* How can I not? Loki was... is the love of my life. We were happy together, so happy. But then, he was stolen from me, ripped away. I have been searching for him for years, with no success. I cannot rest until I find him.

Image 2

Cece: GOOD. They deserve it

Aaravos: I agree. They were arrogant and careless in what they did. But now, they will feel my wrath. They know not the pain I’ve been through. My pain they’ll know all too well, before I’m done with them. *Raises his head high.*

Cece: you’re very protective of your love. It’s an admirable quality

Aaravos: *nods* I am very well aware. Loki is mine, and mine alone. I will tolerate no threats to our love... Or his life. I have had many opportunities to hurt Odin and the others who wronged me, but I have held back. For Loki’s sake, I have spared them. But if they continue to test my patience, I may not hesitate to kill them. Especially Odin.

Image 3

Cece: But Loki’s not dead, right? He’s still alive, and you’ll get him back?

Aaravos: *His face softens, and he smiles warmly at Cece.* Yes, of course. He is still alive. I will get my love back. Nothing, and I mean nothing can stop me. Not Odin, not Asgard, not all the Dark Magic in the world. He's mine, and I will not lose him. Not now, not ever.

Cece: You said Odin stole him from you? I take it he didn't approve of your relationship, then?

Aaravos: Yes. Odin does not tolerate homosexuality or queerness. His only reasoning was, "It's against the way of the universe." The fool was blind to how our love is the way of the world. So, he took it away. He separated the two star-crossed lovers, just because I'm a man. He will pay for this, mark my words.

Image 4

Aaravos: Aaravos gazes into the sky, smiling softly. You're right. I could never deserve such a perfect love as mine. But... he has been with me at my lowest points, and even when the world has doubted me, he's stayed with me. He is my light, and my motivation to keep moving forward. Without his love, I would have nothing... And yet, I almost lost him. To the forces of the Dark, to the shadows of Asgard. But he's with me, and I him.

And for me, nothing is more beautiful.

Cece: ....I'm going to cry. You love him so much, it's so beautiful, I-!!! 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

Aaravos: I couldn't not love him. He's perfect in every way. His heart, his soul, his voice... His everything, I... I love him... *Aaravos gazes at Cece, tears in his eyes.*... I love Loki. I always have, and I always will. We might be the most unlikely of lovers, but as long as the world stands, I will love him. *Hugs himself.* I...I love him. So much.

/end ID

I am so proud of this btw *wipes tear* if any of you go try out the AI please tell me if Aary is madly in love with Loki in your chat also

[raayllum]

Let’s break this baby down symbolically

Originally this post was longer but my draft didn’t save so I’m doing a quick notes version; if you want more thoughts or have a clarification question please feel free to drop them in my inbox, but hopefully everything will still carry across

Light and dark motif with Callum unintentionally / unknowingly getting close to the darkness, with Ezran and Rayla more in the light. The surface world does not seem to be particularly stormy, more so bright and happy, which is a departure from the previous promo art(s) really highlighting the storm, and how often storms in TDP foretell transformation and disaster (1x01, 2x04, 2x05, 2x07, 2x08, 3x01 when Ez comes home, 4x01, 4x04 before Aaravos possesses Callum at dawn, etc). 

The light-dark duality mirrors Callum’s worries of “What if I’m on a path of darkness” due to its associations with Aaravos: “In darkness, gaze upon a Fallen Star” and “already tainted with darkness, ad destined to play right into my hands.” 

Darkness = dark magic; octopus tentacles have associations with dark magic (Claudia) specifically being used to drag people down (the boys) or catch them (Viren) in terms of control; dark magic / octopus tentacles = control. Control is attached to Aaravos

This is doubly true with associations of water and destiny (“Life is like a river - don’t try to control where the river goes”). If you’re interested in more thoughts on that, check out this meta

Callum perhaps being lured in with curiosity or magical impulse, only to realize he’s in way over his head / being dragged down by something he can’t escape (tentacles having similarities to puppet strings) and/or mirroring his dark magic dreams from 2x08

Ezran being closer makes sense, as he is emotionally closer and currently more reliable to Callum than Rayla has been due to their separation. 

It’s also a nice parallel to Ezran saving Zym (another brother / soulmate) under the ice as well as Rayla and Callum then working to save him, as well, with now Rayla and Ezran working together to save Callum, especially since Ezran almost drowned and Rayla has a specific fear of drowning/water.

In the S1 novelization, Ezran states that his mother’s spirit helped guide him through the darkness to find the glowing (light) egg of the Dragon Prince. Given that Sarai also helped guide Callum towards the Sky arcanum, Ezran possibly carrying / embodying his mother’s spirit while saving his brother would be really beautiful. 

As stated, Rayla being further away makes sense, but it does align her further with the light, and I do think her reaching for Callum (as opposed to a more generic swim pose) is purposeful due to Rayllum (and the show’s) consistent reaching motif.

Rayla’s fear of water isn’t literally about the water (after all, she saved Bait 1.5 days in when she and the glow toad had an immense mutual dislike of each other) but what it represents: shame, self-reflection, fear, guilt, trauma. Rayla left in TTM because she didn’t know how to love Callum and be scared to lose him at the same time in a healthier manner, leading her to majorly hurt both of them. Her swimming through the water could symbolize 1) helping to save Callum (per other foreshadowing as well) in addition to 2) her beginning to learn how to deal with that fear in a healthier way that also lets her stay and be/do what she wants to do. 

And as always, the foreshadowing that Aaravos’ specific prison (darkness, dark magic, tentacles, ocean, etc) is underwater and it will be found / we’ll get some answers about the cube in S5:

[shiramoonshadow]

This is the last part of the vip panel with Jason, Luc and Adrian. 

What’s your favorite character you didn’t voice?

Adrian: Oh, I don’t know, everybody. Seriously, everybody’s so amazing. You know, I’m exciting to eventually be...I’m not there yet, just in the countenance of my voice and the age of my voice quite yet, but one day I aspire to voice a Viren like character, now I’m a dad I just find that fascinating, the very complex relationships he has with his children and his own ambitions. Yeah, I’m not jealous, I love what Jason does but I can’t wait to play a Viren character.

Luc: First, let me just say that once again I love everyone on the show and I don’t just say that to make everyone feel good, like I watch every episode and I’m blown away and sometimes even the small characters I have to pause and be like “who was that? who did that?” That was fantastic. Um...it’s Amaya, she’s got me right from the beginning. I think I’ve always had a thing for female like warriors for some reason? Like she is just the ultimate badass warrior. She’s caring, she’s protective and she’s strong and all the fight sequences are just so dope. She gets the one up on Harrow, even on Harrow she’s like “this dude”, you know? I just love her. I think she’s fantastic.

Jason: That’s the same for me. Episode six on s1 where they’re at the statue and they’re sharing a lovely moment, Viren and Amaya but she still says “listen let’s cut the bs, I don’t trust you”. She’s just written so well.

Jason, what movie or tv show would your characters love?

Jason: This is interesting. I’ve done this sort of thing I just wrote down, you know, music shows...Loves...Um...loves classical music and heavy metal. I think a really good comedy like a belly laugh sort of comedy, just a sitcom that’s good, so like 30 Rock or The office.

Luc: I think he likes looks to other great leaders and people of history stuff, right? So he’s like watching James Earl Jones do some Shakespeare, like play Othello or something like that, you know, he’s downloaded illegally or something, like the 1996 production of the globe theatre or something like “ah, this is it” or like The West Wing or something like that.

Adrian: I would say The Golden Girls.

Is there a favorite theory that you have for what happened to Harrow?

Luc: So right in the middle of s1, right after we finished recording those first three episodes. My personal theory is that Viren actually sacrificed himself and used the soulfang to switch their bodies and that Harrow is now inside of Viren’s body and we just didn’t know. Now, since watching more episodes I realized that is obviously not. Like right after we recorded those I was like “oh yeah, it’s going to be this great actual sacrifice and we’ll find out at the end of the first season that Viren has actually sacrificed himself and Harrow lives inside of…” No, that’s not the case. Honestly? After I realized that I was wrong I stopped trying to guess and I know all the fan theories but when I work on a show and something like this happens I try not to create these theories for myself until I see the scripts because it’s just either going to be disappointment or...I don’t know, it’s like I like to wait till the writers actually-

Tell you what happened?

Luc: Yeah. Otherwise I just like to believe that what they say is the truth and he was assassinated. Until we know differently, you know?

One of my favorite things that Jack revealed was that he always shipped Rayla with Callum and so he performed as if that was the end, even with the whole Claudia thing, he said he always... in his head his goal was to get with Rayla. I was like “I think he made it happen” like he literally changed like how confident he was because he is like this person showed up to kill his brother, so like he had to be very strong and in charge and have it together and so there was like such a great version of Callum with Rayla that eventually they just wrote it that way. I'm just trowing that out there in case you want to guide this reveal. You're more than welcome to pick your favorite fan theory and just make it happen.

Jason: I have favorite theories but I'm not going to say what I actually think. Only because I like to...I will certainly share my opinions if it’s really against something strong that I disbelieve, but because I know... the three of us, we look at our scripts and we prepare characters and we prepare...we know stuff that we’ve been told by writer, director, creators. We know stuff that we’ve talked about and I don’t like to let any of that stuff go because I’d like to keep it for myself. I love to throw lines out there, to throw people off and mess around but… One that I heard was that Harrow is out wandering somewhere and that’s my favorite theory, he’s just sort of gone and he’ll be back someday.

Luc: How do you explain the bracelet falling off?

Jason: Exactly, but I like the idea of Viren and Harrow looking at each other saying “brother, I will see you again one day” and Harrow puts his backpack on and walks out into the...he’s on a boat somewhere.

We’re gonna ask you again I’m gonna have you back on when we...to see how close where you are at personally turns into. You know, what I’m saying like, because you’re gonna keep that close to the chest and I think it’s part of what’s again, I really think Jack shaped what happened and it’s clear that the writers are that “this is a participatory story that’s being told and you guys are really…” So what do you think Adrian?

Adrian: Somebody blew my mind and said that Harrow became the bird? Like switched souls at the bird. I thought that was pretty crazy. That kind of blew my mind, yeah.

Luc: That’s the biggest fan theory.

Adrian: Is that the biggest one? Okay. I had never heard it, someone brought that up and then I was like “okay, that’s actually kind of cool”.

Jason: Justin and Aaron have debunked that. They’ve said that’s not the case.

Adrian: But what do they know?

Jason, do you think Viren still has an avenue to redemption?

Jason: Do I think he has an avenue to redemption? Yes. Do I want the very last thing people to see is Viren holding dead body over the planes and Eric’s voice over saying “and they lived in harmony, forever”.

Luc: And then he pulls off his mask and he’s actually just Jason.

Jason: Or Harrow.

If you were picking your live-action actor who played your character?

Jason: Michael Fassbender.

Adrian: I think Tom Holland would actually be a great choice. He’s just got a ton of heart and I think he could convincingly play that naivete and wholesomeness.

Luc: The looks wise I would say like Makhi Phifer? I want him to play but I don’t know if Makhi fighter has the gravitas to handle like a live-action Harrow? So I think like Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Adrian: I would do Idris Elba as Aaravos.

Luc: There you go.

Jason: Michael K. Williams as Harrow.

Luc: Michael can play anyone.

If someday we get a flashback with Callum meeting Harrow. What do you think? Because we haven’t seen that, right?

Luc: No, we get a couple flashbacks to when their relationship is first kind of building and Harrow gives him his sketchbook and you know, he sees him as a child but I wonder about that. I wonder how old Callum was? If he knew him before him and Sarai got together? Like if he knew them as a family unit or if he had to be introduced to him after him and Sarai had already been seeing each other? I kind of see it like he falls in love with Sarai and she kind of keeps that relationship separate, like a mother who doesn't know if this new thing is really going to take off and that eventually introduces him and I imagine it's pretty awkward at first, like Harrow's trying to drop his best dad jokes and they're like “no” and Harrow tries so hard and he realizes “oh this isn't going very well” and kind of backs off and takes some space. Harrow talks about how he wishes that he would have reached out a little more. He didn't want to disrespect the memory of his dad, so I think there was definitely some separation at first and some awkwardness and then it took some time for them to really be able to build their relationship and get to this point where they're basically like blood father and son.

What other character that you played would love to see interact with your character from tdp?

Jason: Rengar from the league of legends. Can you imagine him just sidling up to Viren? I've never thought of that ever! But now I’m excited about it. 

Luc: Live action… I was recently in Apple TV See and my character Arca is this warrior with these long dreadlocks and I imagine that they would just get on like that, like Arca would become Harrow’s crownguard immediately.  

Adrian: I think it’d be cool to see the chemistry between Gren and Adam from The Hollow. Adam’s got a temper and I could see like Gren getting sucked into the hollow, if you don’t know it’s like a game world that they’re all in and they’re trying to escape and yeah, I could see those guys linking up.

Jason, Viren’ ex-wife. What is she like?

Jason: 6 '4. Opinionated. Okay, 6 '2. Psychically strong, doesn’t take any crap off anyone but also tender and...Is that where you want me to go with that?

[beautifulterriblequeen]

B2:S - Chapter 5

Much of this series will be about the differences and additions in the novel version, and how they contribute to my understanding of story canon. But there will be character appreciation, the odd theory and headcanon, and suchlike as well.

Here be lots of Viren deets, Best Boy Soren deets, some writing/continuity stuff, worldbuilding appreciation and half of a theory, Detective Rayla, Moon Temple geeking, Claudium and dark magic, and more!

Spoilers for Book Two: Sky below.

(I know for darn sure that I wrote up a post for chapter 4, but I can't find it anywhere so I guess Tumblr ate it and I'll have to redo it at some point, but today is not that day)

Viren, my evil dude, my bad guy, coming in clutch with the worldbuilding and backstory again! If you want to know decades of information, you gotta talk to Viren. Or read his scenes, at least. Here, he seems to not sleep much when he has a big problem to analyze his way through. Solutions trump pretty much everything else in this guy's life, and he's had a really hard week with a lot of new and complicated problems. Of course he's getting sleep-deprived trying to find his way through them all.

Harrow put so much trust in Viren when he made him High Mage! He just threw himself extra hard at that Lady Justice blindfold, didn't he? Didn't really want to see what Viren was doing in his magic study, so he left Viren to his devices. And Viren has a lot of devices.

Also, this is fascinating: Viren made the secret passage to his "less official study" in Katolis Castle! And he was inspired to do so by the way his own mentor kept the Puzzle House. What else could a Puzzle House be, except a place with secret passages? Yay! secret headcanon that "the Puzzle House" is just "Katolis Castle" from Kid Viren's perspective tho

So either Viren built all of those passageways, or at least the ones to his dungeon. Which means he has to have, or know where to get, a stash of those glowing blue Moonshadow crystals. Hmmm.

I can't wait to learn more about Kpp'Ar and young Viren, btw. From this description of Viren and all his literal secret ways, it feels like another parallel between Viren and Runaan, with the whole "secretive paths, members only, insider knowledge" type stuff. Only the really cool members of this cult club get to know the secrets, and guess what, kid, you're cool now but you can never tell anyone, okay? Our secret.

Yeahhh, that'll never backfire in any way for either of them.

Kpp'Ar calling puzzles and secrets "man-made magic," though. Yes sir, knowledge is indeed power.

This chapter mentions Runaan by name, from Viren's perspective. Generally that would imply that Viren knows his name, even though assassins do not share their names, and Runaan didn't seem to give his to Viren in the first book. However, there was a scene in book one where the last paragraph switched perspective from Viren to Runaan - a technique that's very common in visual media like movies and shows and gives you that "ohoho they left the room and didn't notice this, but you do!" vibe. Using Runaan's name there in book one, where Viren couldn't see it but readers could, helps them keep track of the assassin's story arc while maintaining Viren's racism.

So in book two, in which Runaan has no onscreen scenes (alas), using his name in a scene that calls back to the events in book one helps us remember what happened in that dungeon cell. It would be a bit muddier to recall the specifics if Viren kept thinking about Runaan as "Elf." So I'm cool with the perspective nudge because it serves a narrative purpose: clarity. But I'm also enjoying the angst of considering that, somehow, Viren learned Runaan's name either during or after the coining spell. Mwa ha ha haaa. (Obligatory "Keep my pretty name outta your mouth" goes here)

Okay, back to Viren's scheming! He took the mirror because it was human-sized in a dragon lair. He knew it didn't really fit there, and that made it interesting, so he stole it. But he realized it was really powerful when Runaan wouldn't tell him squat about it - the assassin's instinct to protect Xadian secrets from human hands meant that Viren was holding a very powerful Xadian secret. And that just made him want it all the more. Ah, Runaan, if only your relationship with lying was, like, the exact opposite of what it is. Nyx could've spun Viren a believable tale in 2 minutes flat.

Also of interest: Viren considers his cursed coins to be a final fate. He expects Runaan to remain in his coin forever. With the Chekhov's coins still extant in the storyline, we can assume that they'll come up again eventually, but Viren has no current plans to do anything with his elf money except carry it around.

It's worth noting that Viren admits that he got impatient when he trapped Runaan in the coin. Runaan's first fate in Katolis was supposed to be death at Soren's hands, but Claudia "saved" him from that. His next fate was to become spell components, but Viren's frustration with his stubbornness "saved" him from that fate, too. So now he's in a coin, where no one can chop him up at all. Yay? No, boo!

We get one last line about Runaan before Viren shifts gears: he makes a point of noting for us that Runaan's shackles are still locked shut. However much of Runaan made it into that coin - body, soul, hair care products - he was magicked there, pulled right out of his restraints.

The creepy black liquid that Viren pours right into his eyes is the last of a powerful potion he got from Kpp'Ar, and its recipe is ancient! Humans used it back in the age of Elarion to see through the illusions of the world. And we get a delightfully creepy bit of description about the preparation of this serum, which makes it abundantly clear that it's a Moon magic-based concoction, harvested from eyeless vipers on a moonless night, with the threat of irrevocable madness ("madness" by whose definition, though) if it's done wrong-

Hang on. Hold up. This is a Plato's Cave reference. OH MY GOD.

No no I'm fine, this is brilliant. Sorry, sorry, I couldn't figure why there was so much description for a potion prep that Viren didn't even have to perform himself. But now I get it. I see the light. HA. I should make a separate post for this, it's amazing.

Anyway, for reference, the humans who used this serum were called the Oracles of Ophidia, and Ophidia is a taxonomy group that includes all modern snakes. Can you say "creepy ancient snake rites"? I can! Woo!

Viren activates the serum with a spell, but apparently he's never done it before. He's not sure if it's supposed to be hot and bubbly, and he worries that it's been tainted by moonlight.

Oh, I do hope so.

The magic potion hurts, a lot. Viren will do just about anything, to himself or anyone, to do what he believes is necessary. He just risked madness and blindness to find out what this mirror does! Viren. Can you just. Take a nap or something. Have a Snickers.

This chapter gives us a fun clue that I don't remember from the show: when Viren's vision clears and he can see, his reflection has white pupils and the room reflected in the mirror has inverted colors. You know where else has inverted colors?

You know who else got white pupils for a hot second?

Okay, now it makes sense! Viren and Lujanne were both seeing into the realm beyond life and death. Him with his moon magic potion, and her with her moon powers on a full moon night at the Moon Nexus. Which is Very Interesting! Is it a direct hint about Aaravos's location, or just a separate cool detail? Orrr, does it look like a direct hint because Aaravos is actually trapped in the world beyond life and death, but it's actually separate and we'll see something about white pupils again later on?

Viren really does have self-esteem issues, we all picked up on it with his rant at his reflection. He throws a fit when he catches himself wondering if he's actually worthless. In the book version of his tantrum, he shoves the mirror and hurls a candelabra instead of flipping a table. He didn't need to shove the mirror to set the fire, but it's in here. Foreshadowing that perhaps, if push comes to shove, Viren will choose himself over Aaravos? Giving Aaravos time to peek through and see that the coast is clear?

Soren, my boyyyyy. He has a rough night at the Moon Nexus because two sides of him are fighting with each other. He struggles to understand Callum's friendship with Rayla, and he also fantasizes about chopping off Rayla's head. One of these is a pretty ordinary thing to do. The other is Soren's internalization of what he needs to do to gain his father's approval. If he brought his dad a chopped off elf head every week, he'd probably feel a lot more confident because Viren would praise him a lot more.

Okay, okay, omg, is it just me, or does the "Moonshadow Madness" story, as it's told in the book, seem like Soren just doesn't know what a monsterfucker is? He thinks an elf bite puts humans under a spell. But vampires are sexy, and some people want them to do more to them than just bite them. A passionate kiss under the moonlight could look very bitey, especially if one of the participants has horns and you're already culturally trained to hate them. No yeah, I'm already headcanoning an actual human-elf kiss that got misunderstood by an observer long ago.

it's Lujanne isn't it, we all know, because what is a love spell but a sweet soft illusion, I mean how else does she get supplies for her Caldera, I ask you, and also Corvus was totally sent to investigate once and he told Soren at camp what he saw

And then back to magefam angst: Soren pretending that his sister's nose-tapping is stupid, even though he actually thinks it's cool, just because their dad thinks it's stupid. Viren, istg. Let your kids like harmless things. It's so cute that Soren taps his nose back at her, though! Like they have their own sibling code. I hope we get to see the nose tap again, especially now that they've chosen different sides. It could mean so much, that they're not too far apart yet.

Rayla knows what buttery pancakes smell like. I love this. Do Moonshadow elves have butter and pancakes, does Rayla eat a stack of eight giant pancakes in the morning? Orrrr it is just illusion food? I don't care, let Rayla have pancakes! Everyone loves pancakes. Pancakes will save the world. this message brought to you by the fact that I can't eat pancakes rn, send help

I love that Rayla is both sus of the pancakes and hungry, and that combines into a very motivated "I will get to the bottom of this" attitude. She kind of goes into Poirot Mode when she inserts herself into Soren and Ellis's conversation about Ava, explaining about the wolf's illusion leg and segueing into her claim that the pancakes taste sus. Claudia confirms she used dark magic, and Rayla is furious. It's different than the show's version in that it puts Rayla in detective mode, as the only Moonshadow elf in the scene, and boy does she take that role seriously. Also, she doesn't actually swallow the dark magic pancake bite. It ends up on the ground just like Lujanne's grubs from that earlier meal. These poor kids are so nutrient-starved. You guys gotta eat!!

Rayla's determination and prejudices and the fact that she super knows Harrow is dead all dovetail to make her try repeatedly to persuade Callum that Soren and Claudia are Not To Be Trusted. It's nice that the book keeps taking the time to point out that Rayla is Well Intentioned But Flawed, just like Callum and pretty much every other character in the show. No one is Right All The Time, no one Knows More Than Everyone Else.

Callum loving the sound of Claudia's unique voice is so wholesome. When you like someone, it only makes sense that you like all the things about them that they can't change - like the sound of Claudia's voice. Her choices with dark magic, not so much!

Claudia seems to have the same concerns Soren does about Callum's relationship with Rayla, but she comes out and asks him. The inherent possession implied in "your elf" is interesting, though. Elves are not people to Claudia. They're enemies who can be disassembled for the magic inside them. So maybe more like robots than living beings, if she knew what a robot was. Maybe she heard Soren's "Moonshadow Madness" story and realized he totally missed the kissing implications - but she didn't, and now she's genuinely worried that Rayla could kiss Callum under a full moon and enchant him to do her will. Good thing it's only a half moon, then!

Okay, Callum nervously making a puppet hand and then not knowing what to do with his hands and freaking out about itching and moving and pointy elbows is such a ND mood. The sudden stress of knowing that someone else is noticing your existence and maybe you're Not Existing Right, amirite? Ugh, poor Callum.

The Moon Temple! Omg it's so pretty in the description! Made to be beautiful and useful, full of knowledge but also allowing light and life inside (butterflies and vines). Lujanne, when can I move in, please? Also, it's all the more angsty because Lujanne is the only one who gets to see this beautiful place, but it has lots of chairs and shelves and tables, and it was meant to be used by lots of people. :(((

Claudia knows some of the runes on the walls. She isn't in a hurry to copy the rest of them down or anything, either. Her spellwriting is very precise, and she's a skilled mage. Her father would have made sure she was aware of the dangers of drawing sloppy runes, as much as he made her aware of the dangers of doing dark magic wrong. And the whole point of dark magic is that it's easier to learn than primal magic. Claudia supports her dad and their shared knowledge and life path. She's not gonna go nuts over an elf library she can't translate.

Side note: Between Claudia knowing some Moon runes and Viren building a secret passageway and a dungeon and lighting it with the same blue crystals that Lujanne and Ethari use for light--and Claudia exclaiming that she loves ruins--I wonder once more if there are really Moonshadow ruins somewhere in Katolis, which Viren has found and looted. Father-daughter relic hunting trip, maybe while Soren is away at camp? Omgsh that would be so wild!

Callum out here having a Viren moment with his "I feel powerless unless I've got magic that lets me help" vibes. God. I love their complicated mirroring. One of the hard differences between them is that Callum is very sure dark magic is bad because you have to kill stuff and take its power to cast spells, and he doesn't want to be a person who kills and takes like that. The line he walks to be nice to Claudia on their tour of the Cursed Caldera because he likes her, while telling her that he doesn't want to do her magic, like, ever, is so fine that it might as well be a shifting shadow on the ground. It's a very fitting conversation to be having during the half moon, with its tricks and little white lies.

Callum being out of the castle and his comfort zone, having to deal with the fact that the Claudia he loves is not quite the Claudia who's chasing him down across the kingdom, but of the two of them, he's the only one with a problem with this.

They say that if you really want to get to know someone, you should spend time with them outside their comfort zone - in heavy traffic, with a small baby, taking care of a new pet, trying a new skill, following unfamiliar directions, etc. While the castle is familiar territory for them both, Callum's never really found his comfort zone yet, while Claudia is pretty comfortable with her growing skill set. The creepy part starts to kick in when Callum begins to realize that Claudia's comfort zone encompasses a whole bunch of stuff that seems like it should make her uncomfortable... but it doesn't. But that'll be for a future chapter!