#arcanum season 2

[anneeeboleyn]

me marrying damon and ruling the realm as the queen of the valley and king of altergrove would've been the perfect fucking ending except rc is a coward and hates power couples 😒

[raayllum]

love as magic :: rayla + callum’s mage arc (s4 update)

So I made a post about this over a month ago and a much longer meta about Rayla as an agent of Narrative Change in Callum’s specific arc with magic (as he has arcs with his family, grief, also running throughout Arc 1 and 2) forever ago ?? (Oct 2021 dear lord) but this is my unofficial follow up because S4 did what I’ve been hoping for for a very long time

Which is to say rather than leaving the parallels between Callum’s relationship with magic and his relationship with Rayla as purely subtextual, it finally made them 100% textual, thank you very much

So now I just wanna scream about why this is a big deal, to me, anyway

The first is that this is not technically the first time this has happened, with three main preceding events. The one that probably counts the ‘least’ purely because it’s supplementary material (although it did help me predict that Rex Igneous was gonna eat a jelly tart like 2 years in advance so you know, can also be relevant sometimes) is from Callum’s Spellbook, in which Rayla has a note saying “Love is magic” in agreement with him (and Amaya also signs it, so future Janaya foreshadowing maybe?) as the closing note / page of the entire book.

This sentiment is of course very well reflected in the other moments that draw the largest parallels between Callum’s journey with magic and his development with Rayla. When Callum connects to the Sky arcanum, he does so propelled by love from the memory of his mother and anchored in the present by love from Rayla, with pretty clear parallels. 

And in his eyes, it is his love for Rayla that makes the wing spell work for the first time against all odds. 

Season four continues this trend, then, with the creators confirming in multiple interviews that one of the reasons Callum became so obsessive about the mirror was to distract himself, and we see this first hand in their reunion scene as he goes to his half-empty Tome of Translation, then using the mirror as a wall, etc etc. Even throughout the season in terms of how he uses his staff as well, until he realizes he can’t use it as a crutch any longer and flat out drops it to pick up Rayla’s sword.

Okay cool, so Callum’s arc with magic often parallels this relationship arc with Rayla, even into S4. (If you’re interested in how it parallels in S1 and S2 I’d recommend the metas linked at the top.) Why does this matter?

Well, it lends itself very well to the idea that while reconnecting with Rayla, Callum will also connect to the Moon arcanum in a future season (likely season five) and possibly while breaking free of Aaravos’ brainwashing. 

It also helps to balance out the negative side effects he’s experiencing due to magic use with some of the more positive ones, like the emphasis of agency in Callum’s arc or the fact it can help him protect his loved ones, like the rest of the Dragang. 

TLDR; I think it’s a great example of how relational TDP is with its story arcs (i.e. Soren’s position as crownguard is about his own construction of self and also his relationship with Ezran, reaffirming each other in a loop) as well as how the show displays that the best things or characteristics in our lives can also routinely be our worst ones if taken too far to extremes, and I just think it’s a neat fun consistency and reflects how Rayllum’s dynamic changes every season, while Ezran has thus far routinely been there to anchor Callum as a foundational > transformative aspect. 

[haitianempress]

Explain to me...

how this Jay Leno looking bum manipulated everyone into having a full blown war?!

First of ALL, fuck you and your daddy! Nobody cares about your sob story! You killed people on both sides then tried to blame everything on the Dyrads? Knowing that you are just as bad as them?!! GOODBYE

[romanceclub-confessionss]

Not a confession, I don't know how people know who writes each story. Am I dumb? I don't see it at the end credit scenes. I genuinely have no idea who writes what unless I see it on Tumblr.

hi anon !

here's a detailed guide of who writes what, provided by mod lizzie !

Tepish - Sails in the Fog, Love From Outer Space, Love, Sin & Evil.

Jester - Moonborn, Legend of the Willow, Psi, The Thunderstorms Saga.

Natalia - My Hollywood Story, Sins of London.

Ursa - Queen in 30 Days, Chasing You, The Flower from Tiamat's Fire, Chasing You 2.

Alice - Shadows of Saintfour, Heaven's Secret, Arcanum, Heaven's Secret 2, And The Haze Will Take Us.

Alexandra - Wave Patrol, Path of the Valkyrie until Anna took over.

Yim - Hell and High Water.

Anastasia - Seduced by the Rhythm, On Thin Ice, Garden of Eden.

Veronica - Dracula: a Love Story.

Anna - Rage of the Titans, Path of the Valkyrie.

Marina - Sophie's Ten Wishes.

Dmitry - Gladiator Chronicles.

Wincy - Heart of Trespia, Soulless.

Remy - Kali: Call of Darkness, first season of Kali: Flame of Samsara, Song of the Crimson Nile.

Stacy - co-wrote Love, Sin & Evil, Kali: Flame of Samsara season 2 & 3.

Arina - Theodora, W Time Catcher.

D.A. Thorne - First half of The One Volume 1.

Faye - The One Volume 1, The One Volume 2.

Langley - Vying for Versailles, 7 Brothers.

Amy - The Desert Rose, Shakespeare's Code.

Jack - Elite Tag, The Parallel Universes Bureau.

Elena - Astrea's Broken Heart.

Aleksandra/Sasha - Heaven's Secret: Requiem.

[nasgard]

I wouldn't have minded Viren's death the way it happened if it had occurred later. Maybe in the final season, but here it unfortunately left me feeling betrayed and disappointed.

I know the intention was to show that he was finally being completely selfless and humble, sacrificing his own life to save the people of the kingdom. But the way it happened, the journey leading up to his death, just seemed cruel and unfair to me. Especially when I think about everything that happened in his life.

First, we know that his journey to darkness began precisely because he used dark magic to save his son's life. He used dark magic to save others and to serve the king. In other words, he spent his entire life destroying his own body and soul to save other people's lives, to feed the people of two entire kingdoms because somehow their rulers were incompetent to do so in the first place. So, once again, he destroys his body and soul and ends his life to save people who are okay with dark magic being useful to them once again but still continue to hate whoever uses it.

Moreover, he is forced into this when he said he wouldn't do it anymore, when he finally felt free from it. And he dies repeating that he is a servant. Again, I understand the intention of showing that he is no longer selfish and power-hungry, but when I remember that his hunger for power came from the insecurity of being someone without importance and value, seeing him die saying that was very sad. As if he, a servant, could never be anything else.

So, no, I didn't like Viren's ending as it was done.

Honestly, I find myself wishing he had died at the end of Season 3 because it feels like all his development in the last two seasons was thrown away and served no purpose. Because if Viren remained dead and Claudia still chose to follow Aaravos, Soren doesn't discover the truth, then what was the point of bringing Viren back to life? What was the point of him being, as far as we know, the only person ever resurrected? What was the point of him being able to see a vision of himself from the future and the past? Why did he have visions of Aaravos' mirror? And his constant visions with Claudia? That obvious connection to the Star Arcanum served no purpose?

Besides, knowing the true reason for Aaravos' revenge plans simply makes the way he dealt with Viren, Claudia, and Sir Sparklepuff in the last three seasons very, very strange. And here, I'm not judging the character but the writers who crafted this confusing plot. Because noticing the similarities between Viren's and Aaravos' stories, I don't see why Aaravos didn't reveal that to Viren. I know that if he had treated Viren as he did in Seasons 2 and 3, he would have convinced Viren to stay on his side. But instead, Aaravos pushed Viren to a complete breakdown, to the point of wanting to give up dark magic.

And what was that about Lissa not wanting to shed a single damn tear to save her own son? Honestly, the revelation that Viren had to pull her hair to get the tear to save THEIR SON, when Viren had already made the greater sacrifice with his own body and soul, didn't make me mad at Viren, it made me mad at her. She even abandoned the kids afterward, and Viren is the only terrible parent here?

All that being said, Viren was my favorite character because he was the most complex, the most real, and the best written. With him dead, I've lost interest in continuing to watch the show, which is really a shame.

[tales-and-creatures-of-xadia]

The most emotionally impactful parts of season 6 to me are as follows:

(In no particular order)

1. Viren deserting Claudia (ouch)

2. Callum having to use love to cast a spell to bring back Runaan the person who killed his second father.

3. Claudia and Callum casting the same spell at the same time in the last episode.

4. Queen Janai and Karim both giving practically identical speeches to their armies.

5. Practically everything Soren

5 b. Specifically Viren telling Soren he's proud of him which is all Soren wanted to hear in season 1 but now he doesn't want to believe anything his father says.

6. Callum's inner truth being Rayla.

7. Callum's dad died of a lung disease and when Callum was trying to learn the sky Arcanum his mom had to tell him to breathe because he was hyperventilating and then his most iconic spell for a while was aspiro which is a spell that empowers his breath

8. Viren sacrificing himself to save Katolis and Claudia being too late to see him again but Soren was there to see his father redeem himself.

9. Cosmo and Astrid seeing eachother for the first time.

10. Aaravos, a father who just wanted to protect his daughter being a mirror to Viren being a father who wants to protect his son and daughter.

There were so many impactful moments this season and many of them couldn't have happened without the setup in seasons prior, I am probably forgetting some because I'm just doing this off the top of my head.

[acesw]

UTTU Part 1: The Magazine

Welcome back to A.D. doing mega lore posting because good god this will never get old. But anyways, this post will be about UTTU and not only about their magazine, but also about their Flash Gathering. (This also counts as my birthday gift for Sonetto since she likes being info-dumped, probably. Happy Birthday Sonetto!)

“Standing in the shadow, we tell all the stories which were once unknown, like a weaver in silence, or a moth light trap in the dark night.” - Pandora Wilson, UTTU Journalist

First, who even is UTTU?

UTTU Magazine is an arcanist magazine organization that releases stories about notable arcanists. According to Blonney, they are "the greatest fashion and arcanist information magazine." They operate globally as well as privately, going so far as to hide the physical identities of their reporters and their main headquarters.

There’s not a lot of things known about how UTTU works, but what we do have is information about their magazine and their Flash Gathering event, which we can start off from there. But first, what does the name mean?

The name ‘Uttu’ comes from the Mesopotamian goddess of the same name, one of Sumerian origin. She was associated with weaving (and spiders but the claim of Uttu being envisioned as a spider is limited).

They sell their magazines in the form of seasonal subscriptions, advising to only purchase the subscription and not much else. From there, they create the articles and send out monthly updates.

UTTU also hosts “Flash Gatherings” for the game’s events as a reading club, where the arcanists are invited to see the UTTU market situated in the area of where the in-game event takes place; they can read the Flash Journal and FLASH:FAME, obtain FAME cards from retails, and get rewards. I’ll get into this in Part 2.

First, we'll explore the magazine since there's so much questions surrounding them.

UTTU Magazine

Of course, the magazine is the main brand of the organization. The magazine has properties in which only arcanists are able to read it (speculation), and it has a scheduled self-update to release new articles/artworks.

The reason why we are able to see such a large amount of information is because from what can be told, Vertin is an avid collector of this media, even being titled “Top Collector” in the introduction of the Green Lake Flash Gathering.

Anyway, the magazine has a very interesting way of how it works, and they even have their own reading guide, including instructions of how to manage the magazine and activate the self-update.

Reader’s Guide and Self-Updating system

Welcome to UTTU. This is a magazine.

Don’t skip this page. Unlike those useless prefaces filled with boring platitudes, this one is important.

1. Don't doubt the truth of UTTU. We only tell true stories that happened to real arcanists.

2. You only need one copy of UTTU. After you make the seasonal subscription, the copy will update itself on 15th every month.

3. Whenever the copy updates itself, please place it below a cupboard or the firewood in a fireplace, but do not leave any fire or light. Then step back to 8.8 feet away and wait for 10-15 minutes. It is normal to hear the sounds of sewing and crawling during the update.

4. Don't be confused about the interviews of the artworks. Please note that anything can be an artwork: they can be alive, or dead. Whoever has a story to tell can be deemed an artwork.

5. You might smell a fine aroma from the pages while reading an interview. This is normal.

6. Do not be shocked by live photographs, and do not let any of them come in contact with dark coffee or matches.

8. Keep UTTU away from fire. This is an arcanum magazine and is definitely not fireproof.

9. Although it's not fireproof, UTTU is waterproof, but please do not soak it in water for too long. If you do so by mistake, please prepare enough insect repellent.

10. Don't ask where article 7 is. (lmao)

11. If you see any ads about nightmare recycle on the attached pages, do not call the number on it or make any attempt to catch those monsters. If your children report strange goings-on to you, comfort them with one extra milk candy before bedtime.

12. Try to enjoy reading UTTU.

The way one could get the magazine is buying a seasonal subscription, and upon receiving it you’d have to take care of it regularly since it is delicate. When updating, you put it in a place where you’d most commonly find spiders. That way, these arcane weavers can multiply and add to the tapestry. Additionally, this magazine seems to be a live and interactive type of media, which does explain the “live photographs” and the spiders.

Magazine Contents

Now, what are the contents of the UTTU Magazine?

First, we look at our Role Atlas. Yes, the Role Atlas is involved in this too.

There are categories of our roster that classify them by what they are: Beyond, awakened, arcanist, mixed, and infected. Now, what are each of these?

Beyond: an Arcanist with unexplainable origins not found within Arcanum (Ex: Voyager and aliEn T are aliens born of supernatural causes rather than arcanum. Jessica is a hybrid species of a deer woman (a spirit in Native American myth) and a changeling (a supernatural creature in European folklore) )

Awakened: an Arcanist who was once an object and has been given sentience one way or another (Ex: Sputnik was a regular space probe as the real Sputnik 1 who gained sentience when entering orbit).

Arcanist: A general term for those who are born with a different physiology that makes them able to sense and use arcanum, this is not limited only to human arcanists. (Ex: Door was born of arcanum on Earth and was always sentient thus is not a Beyond nor Awakened arcanist)

Mixed: People who both have the genetics or blood of a Human and an Arcanist. (Ex: Pavia and Satsuki were implied to be born of a human and an arcanist)

Infected: Currently unknown, no arcanists within this category.

They also have a “Bound Volume”, which serves as a gallery collection of arcanists that Vertin has and has not met. Those she (and we) haven't met will be obscured.

The “Artwork”

Artworks in this game are basically the arcanists that UTTU chooses to write about. As long as there is one to tell, they will conduct an interview and report on it. For each artwork they contain: Exhibition details, Item Collection, and Story/Interview.

First, the cover. Made by my friend and fellow lore chat dweller Rabies En., this is what can be made out of what each part of the exhibition details mean:

And of course, the “Completion” date is their birthday.

When it comes to describing their inspiration, it tends to be left on a vague note and left for speculation. While concluding that the first half is the title of the arcanist’s afflatus, the second half has left most people confused. My speculation is that this latter half is something that is related to their job, hobby, skill, or interest.

For example, Balloon Party’s inspiration is quite straightforward: “Remains of a Rock Formation [Mineral] Bones Balloon.” It directly showcases her afflatus and what she is inspired by, which also goes hand in hand as to what her arcane skill is. Meanwhile, Sonetto’s is more vague and unique: “Trained Loyal Dogs [Mineral] Foreign Affairs.” These reflect her upbringing and main interest respectively. With this theory, I concluded that the afflatus and inspiration boost one’s arcanist’s medium, which in turn helps fuel their arcane skill.

Second, the items. All arcanists have a section that lists personal items that closely pertain to their character, usually, these things would be visible on their person. The author analyzes them and relates them to their story and character. And depending on the item, they are priced by clear drops.

Additionally, if a character has a garment that isn't their I2 (e.g. event garments), they will have a special section for a new set of items. (Ex. Sonetto's Parade Anthem garment isn't exactly her I2 outfit, thus she has another set of items that relate to the uniform.)

Lastly, the Story and Interview; Each and every arcanist is interviewed by Pandora Wilson, another fellow arcanist and one whose face is obscured to the world other than a pair of lips.

The first story is a retelling of their background and upbringing, the second is a story about their daily life or lifestyle, and the third is a transcripted segment of their interview. The interview segments usually starts with Pandora greeting and/or asking a few questions towards the interviewee, but occasionally they also include the end of these interviews.

They highlight parts that make the interviewee unique; It exhibits their distinction, their personality, and most importantly, their overall character and the life they lead. These help us learn about the arcanists in a more deeper level the more we bond with them, as well as learning about the world they live in considering how all of them come from different times.

Now, our magazine analysis ends here. Feel free to ask questions and Part 2 is linked below!

Part 2: The Flash Gathering

[dumpingscreenshotshere]

Romance Club authors' social media accounts

Russians

Alexander. D (Jester) Author of Moonborn, Legend of the Willow, PSI, and The Thunderstorm Saga (VK): http://vk. com/id577630490

Alexander. Tepish Author of Sails in the fog, Love from outer space, and Love,sin, & evil vol. 1 (TG): https://t.me/AtepishTG

Alexandra. K (Sasha), Author of Heaven's Secret: Requiem (TG): https://t. me/alexandra_rc

Alexandra. R (Remy), Author of Kali: call of darkness, Song of The Crimson Nile, and Kali: Flame of Samsara (TG and IG): https://t. me/remirc and instagram. com/alerogute

Stacy, Author of Kali: Flame of Samsara season 2 and onwards, co-author of Love, Sin, & Evil (TG); https://t.me/stacysbizarreblog

Alice, Author of Shadows of Saintfour, Heaven's secret, Arcanum, Heaven's secret 2, and And the Haze Will Take Us (TG and IG): https://t.me/aliccachtg and instagram.com/aliccach

Anastasia, Author of Seduced By the Rhythm, On thin ice, and Garden of Eden (TG and IG): https://t.me/nancymeyson and instagram.com/nancymeyson

Arina, Author of Theodora and W: Time catcher (TG and IG): https://t.me/arinawriter and instagram. com/arinawrites

Veronica, Author of Dracula: A Love Story (IG):instagram.com/veronicaoteia

Dmitry, Author of Gladiator Chronicles (TGand VK): https://t.me/telegagladiatorov and http://vk.com/dmitrygc

Elena, Author of Astrea's broken heart (TG): https://t.me/elena_k_rc

Ursula (Ursa), Author of Queen in 30 days, Chasing You, The Flower from Tiamat's Fire, and Chasing You 2 (TG): https://t. me/ursas_whiskers

Natalya, Author of My Hollywood Story andSins of London (VK): https://vk.com/id13641845

Amy. G, Author of The Desert Rose and Shakespeare's Code (TG): https://t. me/amyscloud

Non-Russian Authors

Wincy, Author of Heart of Trespia and Soulless (VK and IG): https://vk.com/wincyw and instagram.com/wincy. author

Jack. K, Author of Elite TAG and The Parallel Universe Bureau Vol. 1 (Reddit): https: //www.reddit.com/user/JackK_RC/

Yim, Author of Hell and High Water: https: //www.creaturista.com,mastodon.art/@Yim

Langley, Author of Vying for Versailles and 7 Brothers (Bsky and X): langleyhyde.bsky.social and x.com/langleyhyde

Faye. G, Author of The one vol. 1 and The one vol. 2 (IG and Tumblr): instagram.com/manicpixelwench and tumblr.com/manicpixelwench

[raylasrightbraid]

the parallels between season 2 of arc 1 and season 5 of arc 2 ARE KILLING MEEEE here are sum

season 2: viren looks for info on aaravos but cant bc the of the cursed book

season 5: callums looks at the SAME BOOK looking for THE SAME INFO 🗣️

season 2: callum uses dark magic for the first time and gets dark magic fever dreams

season 5: viren uses dark magic for the first time in 2 years and gets dark magic fever dreams

season 2: callum uses dark magic to save rayla

season 5: what a shocker

season 2: callum connects to the sky arcanum

season 5: callum connects to the ocean arcanum

season 2: harrow killed avizandum using the dark magic spell of “blood full of hatred, a dying breath and a unicorn horn”

season 5: callum tells finnegrin that same spell and he wanted to kill archdragon domina

season 2: gang meets villads for the first time

season 5: GANG MEETS VILLADS AGAIN AFTER 2 YEARS

season 2: claudia fights a dragon

season 5: claudia fights a dragon (and wins this time)

lmk if theres more this is all i can think of so far

Its safe to sayyyy these arcs are parallels to eachother and same thing happened with s1 and s4.

i’d also like to point out s3 was the season rayllum was canon so i’ll let that sink it

[yinmai]

Romance Club, Arcanum Season 2

for a lovely anon

[santoschristos]

Libra

September 23 - October 23

Thoth, God of Knowledge, and Ma’at - Goddess of Truth and Divine Justice

The zodiac series: Libra art by Johfra Bosschart

The tenth holy night of the Christmas season, from January 2 to 3, corresponds to rulerships, the higher intuition (Buddhi, life spirit) and the constellation Libra. In the painting below, Johfra (1919-1998) depicts characteristics of the Libra, and in the following text he provides an explanation.

The Libra is a positive sign, sky in essence, the sign the sun is at the beginning of fall as it crosses the equator to enter the period of winter. The ruling planet is Venus. The distinctive quality of this sign is balance and harmony. That is why the composition of this painting, like that of the Twins, has been kept symmetrical.

In the sign of Libra, the orientation of the soul changes. While in the preceding six signs the emphasis of the evolving human being has been on the self, in the following six signs the non-self is central to the acquisition of experience. It is Venus, the goddess of love, harmony and beauty who reigns here.

It is above all also the balance between head and heart, mind and feeling, which is the aim of this sign. That is why I also involved Thot-Hermes in the performance when compiling the symbolism. Just as I have pictured Mercury as ruler of the mind in his Egyptian form, so here also the goddess Venus appears in her Egyptian form as Hator, the goddess of joy, dance, celebration and love, with cow horns and ears. The two figures keep a balance.

On the one scale the feather of Maat – so again the soul-judgment, but then in connection with love-wisdom. The placement of Mercury to the left and Venus to the right of the balance refers to the kabbalah where Hod, the sefira who rules over the mental aspect in man, stands below on the left pillar of the tree of life (the pillar of austerity), while Nezach, the feeling , is at the bottom of the right pillar (of loving kindness or mercy). So here too the perfect balance between reason and emotion is expressed. Left and right absolutely need each other. Reason without feeling is sterile and deadly. The emotion without the corrective mind is just sentimentality and creates chaos. Both are very dangerous abilities without their polar opposites.

Nezach is the seventh sefira. Hence Hator carries a seven-pointed star between her horns. Below it is the astrological sign of Venus. In her hand she holds a sistrum, the ritual ringing instrument of the Hator priestesses. The four serpentine rods it contains represent the four elements that harmoniously resonate in the cosmos. Winding around the figure of the ibis-headed Thoth are the well-known serpents of the Mercury staff — the negative and positive forces united in harmony. In his hand he holds the ankh cross – the symbol of eternal life among the ancient Egyptians. At the center of his belt is the astrological sign of the planet Mercury.

The harmonic duality of the sign Libra is further depicted in the lower part of the painting by the two Assyrian sphinxes. These represent the chariot (arcanum 7) on the tarot card, which is associated with the sign of Libra. Here the two sphinxes pulling the chariot represent opposing cosmic forces, which work harmoniously under the guidance of the charioteer.

In the painting, the two animals are also symbols of the four elements in a positive (male sphinx) and negative (female sphinx) respect: the head is the element of water, the lion's front legs are the element of fire, the wings are the element of air and the bull's abdomens are the element earth – completely analogous to the four beasts of Ezekiel and the four symbols of the evangelists from the previous sign of Virgo.

The black and white checkered tile floor also refers to the harmonious cooperation of the polar forces at the foundation of the cosmos (this is the floor of the temple of the Freemasons). The lily in the foreground represents the serenity that results from the perfect balance between head and heart.

In the middle of the tiled floor is another Masonic symbol, namely the altar in the shape of a cube. The cube represents the foundation, because it consists of squares. This "cubic stone" is the "cornerstone", the Christ. It is the philosopher's stone of alchemy. This sacred altar in the temple, where the light of the spirit is always burning and never extinguished, was the Hindu symbol for our sign Libra. Officially, this cubic stone should be black and opaque. However, I painted it as a crystal to show the sphere, the golden seed it contains. This also contains the astrological sign for Libra, also in a heptagon, for Venus is related to Nezach (the seventh sefira on the tree of life).

When the cube is unfolded, the six faces form a Christian cross. In that case, the golden seed in the center of this cross. This image is directly reminiscent of the rosary, where the rose is also attached to the center of the cross – see the scales as a rosy cross above. I chose the sign of the Rosycross because this order also strives for the balance between head and heart in building the perfect man. The red rose is the flower of Venus, for it represents self-sacrificing love.

Furthermore, some other symbols related to the union of the opposites: the Chinese yin-yang symbol in connection with the polarization in primordial matter, the superimposed ∞ (the lemniscate, the symbol of infinity), the polar forces of the sun and moon, the spirit and the soul, interacting eternally. - Johfra Bosschart

[late4the-party]

So, the dragon prince season 7...

I'm sorry I didn't like it.

Spoilers ahead!

The ending felt rushed. And it was like the writers had many ideas, but at the same time nothing concrete. They wanted it to be super epic, but in my opinion it wasn't. Partly because of the speed and partly because of things that seemed random or that were left unanswered. The background music was perfect. The animation,... there were parts that were really good, but there were others where they lacked detail. (The inversion of the moon nexus for example. All that energy flowing and it didn't even more the leaves on the trees, or the clouds, etc.) So many characters, and it feels like they were too much and they didn't know what to do with them. The archdragons for example. That could had been a truly epic battle, but they were there 5 minutes and that was it. By the way, the sweet tooth dragon,... who turns their back on the enemy?? That felt super forced. And Callum. You just attack, you don't start talking about your plans. You don't give information to your enemy to help them bring down your plans. You don't give them time to do it. And that look in Aaravos face when Ezran arrived with the sword. What was that about? That sword. Again, 5 minutes and for nothing. Are they trying to force Netflix to authorize more seasons??

Opeli! That was a big loose end. I think it was in season 2. Aaravos was using a little caterpillar in Viren's ear to talk to him and they saw Opeli. It was like Aaravos recognized her and even maybe fear her a bit. But it wasn't mentioned again. I don't know if they had a story written and Netflix said "nope, we don't like this. write something else".

When the first season of the mystery of Aaravos came out many people complained about it having slowed down. I thought it made sense. The first arc had closed. This was the beginning of a new one. They needed time to settle things. But then the next season came and it wasn't as exciting as I had hoped. And now with this 7th season I feel like it all was a running around just for the sake of running around.

When Callum started learning the arcanums I thought he was going to learn all of them. And that somehow that was going to be key to defeating or imprisoning Aaravos, but that just stopped. I don¡t know if they thought that was going to be too Avatar and decided to change that part midways. Which reminds me of the cube and that book it opened. So, they show us that and that's it. No more meaning or use for that?? Didn't King Harrow left some not mentioning the cube was important?

Oh! And that creature, I forgot his name. Viren and Aaravos son. I had thought he was going to go after Claudia. She killed him. Or at least that he was going to have a super important part that was going to last more than a minute.

Part of me wants to rewatch the whole series to try to find answers (or maybe more questions), but I'm really not happy with this ending. I also particularly didn't like how it didn't really end. Aaravos was going to come again in a few years. It makes this events feel pointless. Like not a real end. Idk,... maybe Aaron has already announced there do is going to be a season 8 and here I am bleating non stop. I think this series deserved a better planned ending and maybe even end it with a movie.

I know I shouldn't do it but it's difficult not to compare this series to Avatar. After all, Aaron was head writer of ATLA. The ending of ATLA, that do was super epic. What they learned along the story served a purpose for the end. They took the time to deal with everything.

Anyway, I guess I'll stop here. I'll post it in the morning after reading it one more time. Maybe I'll be writing more about this later.

Thanks for reading 🙏

[raayllum]

Anyway borrowing from the Rayllum relevant sections of my "arc 2 is about the pursuit of knowledge / knowledge as a burden" meta for s4 and s5 (minimized/condensed text is from previous meta) let's talk about S6

Season four in a lot of ways was the journey of

Mutual Love as Self Actualization: Part 1 — Uncertainty to Certainty (S4)

As previously noted, Callum starts out S4 at both a loss with the mirror, and still coping with the uncertainty and stagnation of his loss of Rayla. When Ezran reaffirms that Callum still loves her, all Callum can helplessly rely that he doesn’t “even know if she’s alive.” Things don’t really improve once Rayla shows up, either, even if we see the persistent thread of not knowing vs knowing being knit throughout their arc with one another.

When Ezran is trying to get Callum and Rayla to work together, he doesn’t tell them to set everything aside, or even harkens back to their good old days. He asserts their identities and says, “Don’t you remember who you are?” because to him — and evidently to Callum and Rayla, because it works — working together and helping each other has become a fundamental, core part of who they are as individuals. They are that interwoven with each other, and Rayla reflects that in 4x07 with, “Callum, you’re the 'destiny is a book you write yourself’ guy. No one can control you or make your choices for you” as well as what Callum offers up to her in 4x09 where we see the turning point in their prior uncertainty. Although they’ve both changed, they are fundamentally still the same people they were when they fell in love, and there is both comfort, sadness, and acceptance in that realization, where Callum says:

Mutual Love as Self Actualization: Part 2 — Certainty and Discovery (S5)

Upon reconciling once Callum has said what we knew all along — “I’m so glad you come back” — Callum and Rayla return to the castle, and their searches for knowledge become arguably more explicitly stated by the text. Their first scene together in 5x01 establishes that Callum wants to know the Ocean arcanum (“I thought it would be about controlling the tides or fighting the currents” thereby exerting control, which he desperately wants over himself post-S4) as well as Aaravos, whereas Rayla is seeking answers about her family: “If I can figure out how he put you into the cursed coins, maybe I can find a way to get you out.”

This is, of course, something we know she doesn’t trust Callum with yet, not wanting to burden him with her problems especially before she’s reached her own conclusion of what to do about it (to delay it for the good of the world) and we see that the certainty and forgiveness Callum found in 4x09 has more than carried over.

Opeli: Don’t you want to know what she was up to? Why she did all this?

And although very uncertain about opening up, Rayla still expresses certainty that she knows Callum could and can be there for her, if he wants to be — if he’s ready to be.

This is, after all, with both Amaya’s encouragement and Callum’s reassurance that 1) “You can tell me when you’re ready” and that 2) he does want to know from 5x01. Then, we see both their arcs in this way largely — or at least they would, in a perfect world — be resolved in many ways by their interaction later in 5x04:

Previously, we’ve mostly talked about knowledge, especially within the text of the show, as a positive thing. It is the foundational rock of a strong relationship, it can lead to positive self actualization, and it helps the heroes keep Aaravos from being unleashed. When you do not have enough knowledge or perceived understanding of someone (Claudia assumes Soren could never understand her, and Viren and Harrow’s relationship breakdown), your relationship accordingly deteriorates. When you share knowledge, and share experiences (Rayla to Callum about the coins, Soren to Elmer about abusive cycles), you can become stronger together.

But knowledge is not exclusively a good thing. It can also be harmful, or unwanted, or unwanted precisely because it’s harmful. It can bind you to deals or bonds you don’t really want, and once you know something, you cannot un-know it, whether about yourself or about others. And we see this most plainly in the story Archmage Akiyu shares about the prison ("I knew too much").

So if S4 is about beginning to navigate both in spite of and within uncertainty, S5 is about having the safety of that uncertainty stripped away, both in creating more of it, and in removing some of it. Namely, the Ocean arcanum.

He chased the Ocean arcanum because he thought, if Sky granted him potential and freedom, then Ocean would grant him control, but the truth was more complicated than that. While it did grant him control (the ability to break free from Finnegrin’s spell), it also granted him a rather hard truth he’d rather not know.

The first time he cites his poem about true tides and untold depths, he is talking about his faith and trust in Rayla — the way he views her: “If she didn’t tell me, she has a good reason. […] I trust her. Unconditionally.”

The second time he recites the poem, it is about himself. The untold depths are within himself, are parts he is still trying to understand in full because they are uncomfortable truths. In many ways, Callum unlocking the Ocean arcanum is his version of Ezran’s 4x03 speech (see how we looped all the way back? 'Totally’ intentional I swear), that multiple things can be, and sort of have to be, true in order to gain new ground, even if there’s a part of you that wishes it could be simple.

Season six develops this theme, too, but it takes it and calls it Truth, and we see this reflected most notably in 6x06.

Mutual Love as Self Actualization: Part 3 — Certainty and Salvation (S6)

In season six, we see Callum build upon this certainty with Rayla by the way he remains emotionally open with her about his hopes and fears. After his 6x01 nightmare freaks him out, he runs right to her to receive support; when the guilt and fear gnaws at him in 6x03, he tells her the truth of what he did on Finnegrin's ship.

While the obvious facet of knowledge (truth) and salvation here is in 6x06, I also like to think it starts an episode earlier in 6x05. Callum wants to go along with the mission because he knows the quasar diamonds will be what they get in exchange whereas Rayla goes along with it because he's pushing for it (and well, helping people is always nice).

However, where Callum believes that the icy beast they seemingly have to slay is a monster, Rayla believes differently and hedges her bets on what she knows.

This is a great mini turning point in season six for a few reasons. For one, it merges the idea of truth and knowledge into one ("I know it's true") as well as emphasizing the concept of knowing something in your heart, which 6x06 will build on of "dark magic tears a hole in your spirit/heart that light can fill". It also clearly ties back to something that Callum knows he knows, which is that he trusts Rayla unconditionally (5x01). So he goes with it.

When Rayla does reach out to the behemoth, it's with more facets of knowledge: "I know you're in pain. I don't want to hurt you...", knowing the creature's name and the stories ("I know who you are"), and even in her lullaby:

(We'll come back to the lullaby for 6x06's relevancy as well). Once Rayla's kindness and compassion gets through, of her knowledge and seeing the truth of Esmeray's pain much like Ezran saw Zubeia's ("and the truth of you seeing that made it feel like less, like healing"), we return to how well Callum knows her and his knowledge about the trial ("You knew this was the reward"):

If I'd told you, you would've refused to go, because you never do anything for yourself.

To love someone is to know them, and to know them is (in these cases) to develop love for them. The same way that Rayla brings Runaan out of his grief and guilt induced darkness in 6x09 ("I'm your daughter and I love you") and recognizes the grief and guilt plaguing Esmeray, likewise, she represents and is Love to Callum.

He's gone from being uncertain about her survival, about expressing his love, all the way to looking to her for support and direction about the trials set before him:

Kosmo: Dark magic left a hole in you, but the Star-truth ritual can fill the darkness with light. [...] You must search your mind and heart for your one deep truth, the star within you. Then you must let that truth shine and fill the darkness. Callum: One deep truth, huh? Kosmo: Your deepest truth. [...] You must find the star within you, the one deep truth so bright it can fill the darkness.

As know, Callum's trial is still a struggle for him at first. But luckily Rayla's lullaby also foreshadowed the principle of looking inward rather than outward, too, and precisely what kind of answer and truth Callum is going to find.

Callum: I found my one truth.

His truth, his knowledge, his constant, his light... is love, his love, for Rayla and from Rayla. At the end of 6x06 in many ways, Callum is at his most self-actualized, freed from the taint of dark magic and paranoia about Aaravos' control... saved and allowed to become the best version of himself, a bright shining light. A star in his own right. Which is likewise why he expresses his truth before the episode is done. He did dark magic for her, but she's so much more than just darkness or desperation or sadness for him; she's light and hope and Love, too. She's his Constant, Deepest Truth. She's everything.

It's taken two and a half seasons, but he's ready to do more than just know it. He's ready to say it.

So he does.

[the-sky-the-stars-the-sea]

Day 5 of The Ultimate Dragon Prince Rewatch! 🙌

SEASON FIVE IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SEASONS, IT’S MY FAVORITE FROM ARC 2

Very cool visuals in the beginning with Ezran and Soren and Corvus with Zubeia and the giant conch shell

Soren’s right, Ezran does need time to be a kid. Luckily Soren is a kid at heart and engages in immature humor. And Corvus is not that type of person—“I’m not engaging in this”—and yet he joins in too, which I really like to see, because I think they all needed that

“If dark magic does this to a person, you’d think they wouldn’t do it at all, right?” I agree with you Terry

Rayllum is back in full swing! Gah I love their dynamic, and I love Callum poking his head through Bait’s mini door. And I love how Bait and Stella cuddle up together

I have a feeling that Karim’s ring is going to be important or at least referenced again. There are a lot of sentimental items in this show that don’t have any value to anyone but their owner. And the ring has the symbol that’s in the “o” in the title design of “The Dragon Prince”

Terry is The boyfriend. I’m not kidding he is the greenest of green flags. He deserves all the awards. My darling boy 💖

My heart literally broke seeing the love in Viren’s eyes as he played with young Soren. That was real. At one point he loved Soren unconditionally. But then it stopped. And he was so desperate to make Soren better-

Viren’s nightmare, Claudia following in his footsteps, literally, and then she goes past him……

Callum and Rayla are such partners in crime. I love them complaining in the tent, then going “so we’re leaving tomorrow at dawn, right?” “Too right you are” with matching twinkles in their eyes. They could take over the world overnight if they wanted to

Kazi and Callum in the Great Bookery >>>>>>>

Literally every time I watch the scene of them vs the shadow banthers my heart beats so fast for so many different reasons. “I should have said it earlier. Rayla, I hope you know…” “I know.” C h i l l s. And when Amaya uses very voice…c h i l l s. And when the shadow banther scratches Zubeia? AHHHHHHH. When Corvus nigh sacrifices himself? AHHHHHHHHHHHHH. When Amaya gets them into the bookdrop?? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Great parallels between Callum and Viren but opposite: Callum has always been “destiny is a book you write yourself” and here we have Viren saying that there is no choice and you can’t change fate. So glad that they contrast here because I don’t know what I’d do if my boy perfectly paralleled Viren

Adding on to this ^, I love seeing young Viren in the mirror, and his desperation to not become like that. He wanted to try. His spirit hadn’t been broken yet. This story would have been a lot different if that Viren survived.

Archmage Akiyu is so right. I would also chase birds bigger than me and feed unsolicited visitors to a big monster. What an icon. (And not to mention gender envyyyyy)

Season five is callback season! Villads, Nyx, eggs and sausage guy, and Soren’s similies/metaphors (on one hand though it kinda worries me that there’s another Viren/Callum parallel here because both are pinching the bridge of their noses as Soren delivers these similies/metaphors)

SNEEZLES! HAT! JELLYBUG!

“If you see Claudia again, tell her I say, ‘hi.’” Peak sibling behavior

I love the whole scene of Sea Legs chasing The Ruthless. And then everyone going silent when they see the sea legs. Also the fact that it’s not their animation style adds on to it looking Not Right for the ship to be turning into a crab

WOE TO THE MAN THE DARK EYED SAILOR SHIPS ADRIFT AND THE SEAS HIS JAAAAILOR DRAG HIM DOWN DOWN DOWN DOWN DOWN TO THE WICKED DEPTHS BELOW 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️

I LOVE HOW THEY ALL VOLUNTEER TO LOSE THEIR HAND I LOVE THEM

I just realized that Callum only connected to the sky and ocean arcanums after using dark magic…and this isn’t even a little while after but right after…

…I’m not gonna talk about Soren’s Moment with Elmer because we’re gonna be here forever if I do, also I already have a post about that and it’s actually my post with the most amount of notes.

Elmer feeding Finnegrin to the Sea Leviathan was so satisfying to watch

Finnegrin has no right to give me so much gender envyyyyyyyyyy

Purple pentapus! So one Avatar reference each season now huh? /pos

Claudia and Ezran underwater…whatever they had on the roof in season two is gone now. But Ezran is not known for letting people down. And so his body language gives her the answers.

Claudia’s sob when she comes back up to the surface…😭😭😭💔💔💔

Viren has officially broken up with Aaravos after being distant from the waking world for so long, love to see it. Fate! Is! No! Longer! Choosing! Him!

My gosh that Mushroom Man…

What happens to Viren now?? ✨To be continued✨

I love this season so much. And every episode is jam packed but the pacing is awesome. I was engaged the whole time. 100/10 points for this season

Also!! The Rayllum in this season >>>>>>>>>>

Today was a good rewatch day 😊

[romanceclub-confessionss]

Confession:

"Mary from Arcanum is a well written character for the book she was in. Season 1 Mary was such a horrible gal (in love with her) Season 2 was a fat ass let down, a guy tried to kill us just after we were done having sex by a tree. So there is that.

Season 3 was good because I like wolves so I am biased, also like that she wanted to ask Selena to become one of her prostitutes...After trying to kill her and learning girl is being chased by God itself.

And they say Romance is dead."

[veronica--blog]

There's going to be a huge post here about my complaints about magic in TDP and why I find it horribly inconsistent....

1. Arcania, as I've realized for myself, is the concise essence of magic. Its foundation. Whereas in the case of the ocean it is something metaphorical, in the case of the sky it is something physical. Why?

Well, let's accept the fact that the arcana of sky = contain air. Why then do the arcana of water ≠ we also have "water" flowing through us? Too hard to relate something to other elements? Then create metaphors all over the place.

2. How did Aaravos create something that doesn't work according to general laws? Ok, you have sources of magic, you need to conceptualize them in order to use them. Why isn't there such a thing with dark magic?

There's nothing stopping you from leaving out the "drug" connotation, just make it work according to the laws you've created. If the source of DM is the life force, then Arcania is the meaning of life.

Why then is DM harmful, you ask? Because not everyone is able to realize that the meaning of life is an illusion we create with our desires. Or take a step: arcania DM=life has no value. Or let it be something like "life has no meaning at all, it's just an illusion", and then it will become clear why mages are so crazy about it.

3. Why were the elves so panicked about DM? Is she scary? Well, humans are scared of her too, but they're more scared of you. Is she dangerous? Well, without her, you're dangerous to humans. What is the point of this hysteria anyway?

If a person can get magic by realizing its essence, well, give them the opportunity to achieve it themselves. You're born with it, and people aren't all prodigies. You're still on the plus side! Ah, yes, xenophobia. And after that, Viren has a sensitive ego? Ridiculous

(I note in advance that I am willing to admit the inappropriateness of this statement in the context of elves as a species, for humans manage to hate members of their own species as well. Let's refer this to the Star Council).

4. How the hell did Viren fail to comprehend ANY of the arcanum? If it's all about understanding the higher meaning, then couldn't the experience of previous generations and his own research help him with that?

According to the available canon, he may well have been a user of a lunar or celestial source. Oh, and Claudia isn't stupid if you don't like a character that advances the plot that much. And since elves are so set on monopolizing.... Are you saying they actually kill everyone who has mastered magic? Is that why there is so little information? That's why Callum is the only one - was he just lucky enough to fall under the patronage of the archdragons around the time he mastered magic? Or is the problem with the DM?

Then perhaps you could show that? Why, if the DM interferes with arcane knowledge, does Callum have no problem with sorcery? Is he just that special? Sarai had an elf in his lineage and that asshole passed enough on to him?

Speaking of Sarai's lineage.

5. How many seasons have to come out before we get an answer to the question about Ezran's ability to understand animals?

6. Okay, what if there's something beyond our elements? Some unfathomable higher magic, the very essence of it, and that's what helped Ezran, that's what helps Callum, then.... doesn't it all make sense? Why these arcanums then, why this division? Why can't an elf of one species understand the arcanum of another at least on a basic level?

Perhaps in the future I will continue this story, supplementing it with questions and reasoning. For now... for now, I just want to express my opinion.