#i love how expressive your sol is. like. he's a frog and those are some real human emotions and they really come across

[stone-stars]

[Video Description: An animatic of Sol and Kenna's conversation from Naddpod c3e54, where Kenna shows Sol a memory of her and Jaina Bronzebeard. Full transcript/description under the cut.]

[Kenna and Sol are in a room of Calder’s house. Kenna lays on a couch while Sol runs on a treadmill, blasting music from a crystal.] Caldwell: Kenna’s trying to sleep and I’m just ignoring her. Murph: Yeah, as you’re working out, you see Kenna-- yeah, she’s laying in bed, but is just kind of like, staring up, and she keeps like, making motion like she’s going to talk to you, but she keeps like… kind of stopping herself. Sol lifts the crystal, pointing to it: Sorry is the music too loud? I can turn it down a little bit. Kenna, sitting up: Yeah, um. Yeah, Mr. Bufo, why don’t you turn it down, I think, um-- Sol: I’m just trying to get a little workout in before bed, you know. Kenna: Yeah. Sol: I wanna make sure I’m at my best for everything we’ve got going on tomorrow. Kenna: Of course, of course, but um… Mr. Bufo, I’ve, um… I've heard you bringing up like, family and stuff a lot? And… I don't-- I don't totally know how to say this, but do you think that I could show you something through like your spores thing? Do you think it works like that? Sol: I mean, we can certainly try, I'm not really sure what all it's capable of, but… yeah! Let's give it a go! Murph: You hop off the treadmill, you see Kenna walks up, puts her hands on your head, um, and then rests her head against them. And you feel a sudden [whoosh, snaps, the camera zooms in on the mushrooms on Sol's head] jolt as you are pulled into one of Kenna's memories.

[Sol is small, floating in space amongst spores. One, a memory, glows nearby. Sol looks down into the memory from above.] Murph: And you see Jaina Bronzebeard, looking over some kind of city plans in her study in like the Irondeep Castle, she's looking all stressed out. And then you see… Kenna enters the room. You see Kenna is wearing like, civilian clothes, just like a regular tunic and no plate mail. And Jaina goes-- Jaina: Shouldn't you be out in the yard sparring? Murph: And Kenna looks down. Kenna: I'm.. I'm leaving Irondeep. [She clutches a paper with information on someone tightly in her hands.] My… My father's been sending me money, and I-- I bribed one of the couriers and they… they told me where I could find him. So I'm-- I'm gonna go to Ezry. And I'm gonna look for him. Murph: Jaina puts down her work and nods, and sort of crosses her arms and thinks and goes-- Jaina: Well has, um, has he reached out to you at all? [Kenna looks up at Jaina, small in the frame.] Or… or are you the one that is doing all the work? Murph: And Kenna looks down again, kind of not wanting to answer. And Jaina gets up from her desk, walks around, and kneels next to the young squire. And goes-- Jaina: I will not tell you what to do. If you choose to go to Ezry to look for him, I will charter the airship myself. But I-- I wanna tell you something. [As Jaina talks, there’s flashes of other scenes.] Jaina: I have had two little sisters in my life. [She looks off to the side, saddened.] One shared a family name with me, [camera cuts to Kenna] and the other did not. One liked jewels in her beard and music and dancing [Gemma, smiling and adorned, then dancing on a balcony with Hardwon.], and the other liked hammers and plate mail and sparring [Kenna swinging her hammer and grinning.] Murph: And she sort of pats on Kenna. Jaina: And she wanted very much to be a knight. I would hate to see her throw that dream away. And I would hate to lose another sister. Murph: Kenna just breaks down crying and buries her face in Jaina's chest, and Jaina brings her in, kind of holds her for a moment, and then Jaina pulls back and makes eye contact with her, and goes-- Jaina, seriously: The gods do not decide who is and isn't family.

Murph: And you [whoosh, music ends. Sol and Kenna fall back from each other in the room as the memory fades away.] come out of the trance, and see Kenna standing there, kind of awkwardly and teary eyed. Kenna: So, yeah, that's… just, I thought maybe… Sol: No, yeah, no, that's-- Kenna: Yeah. Sol, putting an arm around Kenna: I know that you call yourself a squire but… I can see it, everyone can see it, you've got a knight's heart beating proudly under that iron. Kenna: Thank you for saying that, Mr. Bufo! And-- Sol: Just call me Sol. Kenna, reeling back: (laughs) That's gonna be a hard habit to break Mr B-- Sol. Sol. [Caldwell laughs] Murph: And you see she goes over to her like, pack, and she goes-- Kenna: Anyway, I-- I found some old books in the equipment bags. Murph: And you see she pulls out a copy of The Boy Wizard and his Frog Pal. And she hands it to you. Sol: Oh! Oh gosh, this old thing. Kenna: Hey man, I know the monsters weren't real at Launchpad, but I thought the main characters were very believable as brothers. Sol, taking the book and then flipping through it: You're right. Thank you for reminding me, you know, no matter how much we loose, we gotta hold on to what we have and we gotta… double down on those connections. I'm really glad that we got to meet you. I'm really glad you're here. Kenna, grinning: Thanks big bro! Murph: Um, gives you a big hug. Sol: Did you want me to sign this book? Kenna: Yeah. Yeah, for sure. For sure.

*crawling out of the ground* hello guys I made an animatic

[wildselkie]

Top 10 Scenes in TDP Season 1 (pt. 1/3)

Top 10 Scenes in TDP Season 1 (pt. 1/3)

*not ordered in which is better or worse, but it will be in chronological order*

Also some things are worded weirdly. I have a pain in the ass time trying to get my thoughts across in words so... I thank you for your patience :))

_________________________________________

1) The scene where Callum, Ezran, and Rayla find the dragon prince. Ep. 2

I think this is one of the more pivotal moments in the show. I mean it is literally the scene that sets the story in motion after all! Two human princes, an elf assassin, and the lost dragon prince (who was thought to be dead/gone/egg destroyed(?)).. this is just IT.

*also i’m aware that Ez probably found the egg first cos he already knew about this secret area but still

2) Viren (attempts to) proposes the idea to trade his life in for Harrow. Ep. 3

Now there are other well thought and well written posts on this scene with Viren and Harrow, so I won't waste your time with all the gushy stuff. I find this scene important because it shows the lengths that Viren would go for his friend. Whether he's doing out of the goodness of his heart or some other selfish reason... maybe both(?)..

!WARNING! MINI VIREN POST ALERT EVEN THO I SAID I WOULDN'T GET INTO IT

In the book Moon, it dives deeper into the plot along with expressing the characters' thoughts and feelings. As for Viren, it's stated in the book that he wanted to:

"offer his life for Harrow's, but he wanted him to understand that this was more than just a sacrifice of a subject to his king. This was personal"

"... he would need to be straightforward. He wanted to say simply I love you and I will die for you" (Ehasz 80).

I have no doubts that Viren didn't not love Harrow or anything of the sorts, but at the same time it feels like there was another motive. Maybe there was, who knows.

All we know about Viren is that he's a father of two (Claudia & Soren), divorced/ separated from his wife, and he's a dark mage. Of course there's some more (like he's taller than Harrow according to the character line up)... also his staff... like if you look at it, it's the same one as the mage who faced Sol Regem all those centuries (?) ago. Maybe he's related to him, or possibly descended from one of the followers. I'd imagine that teaching dark magic may be a thing within his family and ancestors... he taught Claudia dark magic. That doesn't prove anything but it's a small thought.

ANYWAY-- this scene is one of many scenes that show Viren in a vulnerable state. The book gives a look into how he felt when he decided to sacrifice himself and everything. It's just interesting and I'm here for it. 

3) Amaya and her weapons grade baguette Ep. 4

On a less serious and more fun note, the fact that Amaya is a breakfast connoisseur is just perfect. Amazing. Fantabulous.

"As a breakfast connoisseur, she was offended that Ezran would neglect a hearty morning meal" (Ehasz 120).

I only emboldened and italicized "offended" because in the show YOU CAN LITERALLY SEE HER FACE WHEN EZ TELLS HER.

Bruh she was so offended lmaooo

It's right at 13:36 time in the show... the slow zoom in and all 😂

4) Amaya and Gren meeting Viren at the statue Ep. 5

I’m trying to see if I should have paired this with the first scene where Amaya arrives first. That scene is pretty calm but has a somber feeling. It introduces the relationship of Amaya and Sarai without having to directly say it. 

But this scene here is... interesting. Not in a good way or bad way, but we see they’re reminiscing of the past. At some point, they all got along nicely. Callum even noted in his spellbook that Viren’s family became like a second family to him when he moved to the castle. 

This interaction was cute tho. It started out positive (sort of) with them joking about Viren eating the last jelly tart which pissed Sarai off lol. But then Viren went on to apologize to Amaya and reassured her that what he does is out of the goodness of his heart and love for Katolis. But...

“Aaaaand, he’s back, Amaya thought” (Ehasz 150). 

And then went on to sign that he’s on a bunch of bs. See? Even Amaya knows he’s full of shit lol. But really tho... it makes me wonder how much of bs Viren goes on even before the events of the current story line. 

5) Rayla saves Bait from the sea monster Ep. 5

Let us give a round of applause for Rayla going against her fear of water to save Bait, the grumpy frog who hates her. I think this just goes to show how compassionate Rayla really is. This would include the time when she goes back to grab bait back in the banther lodge in episode 4. 

6) Viren giving his kids their *secret* missions Ep. 6

Okay this isn’t just one scene. I cheated yeah yeah whatever >:3

When Viren is telling Soren what he must do when he finds the princes, at first he doesn’t fully get it, but then.. OH n0

Viren’s intentions are starting to unfold and come together as one. Like, this man just told his own SON that should he find the princes, he should kill them. This 18 yr old bby 

bruh

And Viren didn’t say it aloud, but he heavily implied it. Only to then gaslight him later on when Claudia confronts him in prison. 

As for Claudia, Viren tells her that she must retrieve the egg. And do everything in her power to bring it back, even if it means that she’ll have to sacrifice Soren... her own damn brother ;-;

7) When Callum finally lets Rayla hold the egg Ep. 6

This scene is pretty big. Rayla knows that Harrow is long gone and is trying to find a way to tell them. Obviously she doesn’t choose the best time to try it.

They were in a dire situation that could potentially kill them (even tho they had plenty of those moments already). The reason why this scene is so big is because it shows her struggle to break the bad news (ever since the right binding fell) as she continues to grow closer to them. Here you can see Callum passing the egg to her, despite her hand being in the terrible state that it is in. It is also the scene where right before passing it, he finally tells Rayla that he trusts her. 

8) Human Rayla!! Ep. 7

Human Rayla is so corny but it’s the good kind of corny. One of the best comedic jokes in the series! 

That is all cos human Rayla needs an AU of being a nighttime tv host or smthg

9) Viren and Runaan Ep. 8

yo this is alot okay. The scenes with these two introduced some Moonshadow philosophy and such (ie. not being scared of death). Runaan being the stoic and serious assassin that he is. And Viren not having any of this shit. 

There are three major things here:

 Runaan knows about the mirror and is most likely aware of who Aaravos is. He literally says, “That mirror? You have found something worse than death.” Goddamn...

And then Viren just... trapped his soul.. his essence into a goddamn coin. Just like that? wow. And hold it, almost admiring it in front of Gren. 

Also this is the first time we officially see Viren in that form. In the beginning of episode 5 we are given a darkened silhouette of Viren and the butterflies. But here we see the damage resulted from years of having done dark magic, and it’s horrifying. He is the high mage and all but goddamn. I mean with every action there are consequences so- 

10) Callum destroying the primal stone Ep. 9

I feel like this is one of the “of course it’s this one!�� scenes but it really is! Callum realizes that only a sky dragon can be hatched in the eye of storm and there he is with a literal storm in his hand. By now, Callum has come to understanding what feels right and that being a mage is his destiny. But he also understands that he needs to sacrifice some things for new beginnings. This whole journey was to get the lost dragon prince home and restore balance and peace and with the egg starting to die... well you can’t really do that without the egg. 

It’s at 18:50 where he realizes all of this. It’s one of the big boy moments in the show. Seriously, it’s a big moment and the suspension helped get the feels in. And we got a cute baby dragon!! 

End, begin. it’s all the same. (pls someone get that reference ;-;;;)

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Some honorable mentions:

- Episode 7: Claudia and Soren interacting. I love their sibling bond; it’s so silly and sweet and I love it. It makes me wish I had an older brother of some sort. 

Ellis and Ava,, I like the flashback story given when they meet the dragang. I just like it, okay? Smol chiald w/ smol wolf pup and a hippie Lujaane seeing the beauty & strength in Ava. 

CGI Coran. That all I have to say about that guy lmao

- Episode 8: When the group is going up the cursed caldera and they encounter that giant leech. Like can we just appreciate Callum’s funny way of making out a plan? Fat respect for that. 

Another is when the group split up and waited for the leech to leave. The conversation between Ellis and Callum were sweet as was the one between Rayla and Ez. I loved Ellis’s admiration for Callum being a mage. And her expectations of what a mage was is pretty hilarious. So wholesome. The same goes for Ez when he gave Rayla that daily fill of positivity. 

Like... Ellis is telling Callum how smart and confident and cool he is. And meanwhile Callum is like... it’s not me, it’s this. *whips out primal stone* And she goes on to tell him that she believe he’ll be amazing with or without the stone. 

And Rayla is telling Ez how she failed in her job of killing the enemy. And Ez is telling her how she’s awesome at everything she does.

this is the positive wholesome shit I come for like... this is parallels but GODDAMNIT it’s so.. ;;;;-;;

Yo this is long ENOUGH! Thank you so damn much if you read to the end. You’re the real beauties. Anywho... uh parts 2 and 3 will be up soon. 

 It’s 11 now so I need some sleep. goodnight kids

[subcutaneous7]

Five Minutes - [Grace/Frankie]- Chapter 4

Hope you like the next part! Thanks for the love (: Full chapter here on A03.

***

“Why don't we start with whatever is on your mind now?” Dr. Judy, whose first name was Rebecca, which was ridiculous, instructed. “Eventually we’ll get to everything else if I’m doing my job right, but for now, just tell me what brought you here today.”

“Okay,” Grace took a deep breath, crossing her legs, smoothing her hands over her perfectly pressed white slacks. “Well, I guess...I guess I just...sorry, are you sure you're a real therapist?”

Dr. Judy’s office looked more like a yoga studio than a professional practice. She sat in a big, cozy-looking arm chair, feet tucked underneath her, a collection of ceramic frogs staring back from the shelf next to the window. She wasn't wearing any shoes, and there was no pad or pen in sight.

“Diploma’s on the wall,” she smiled, pointing to it. “I just like to be comfortable. But if it bothers you, I can…”

“No, no that's fine,” Grace stopped her. “It's sort of perfect, actually.”

“Why’s that?” Rebecca asked.

“Well...I have this friend,” Grace started again. “A real friend. Not like when people say ‘I have this friend’ but they're really talking about themselves. I'm sure you get a lot of that. Anyway...she really is my best friend, in the whole world. She lives with me, and we're…different. Very different. But it works, most days.”

Rebecca’s eyes softened as she listened. Grace tried to pick up on any other changes in her facial expression, any early signs of judgement. She figured they taught shrinks to control their reactions in college, so it might not actually mean anything that she seemed cool as a cucumber. Nevertheless, she was good.

“Anyway, she sort of reminds me of you,” she continued. “Very laid back, at least on the surface. Beyond that things tend get a little more neurotic. No offense.”

“None taken,” Rebecca nodded.

“At first she drove me crazy. I mean really, really crazy. I couldn't even stand being around her half the time. We spent so many years just sort of tolerating each other, living these parallel lives, but never really meshing. And now…god, that feels like a lifetime ago,” Grace swallowed. “Because I can't imagine my life without her. I’ve tried, really...and I don't want to, ever. Which is why this so hard.”

Rebecca leaned forward, handing her a tissue. Grace nodded a silent thanks, embarrassed to be choked up so early on.

“So I guess...what I'm really here to talk about is how I can do my best to not mess this up,” she breathed. “Because...well, we kissed recently, and I think we might be headed for other things. Turns out she's not just my best friend. She's everything to me...and I can't believe I’m even saying that out loud, because it's way too scary. I wasn't prepared for this...but I guess, in some ways, it was inevitable. Because that's what Frankie does to you. She barrels into your life like some kind of...I don't know...pagan, zen Buddhist freight train...and then you can't get rid of her. And sure enough, you don't want to, because she fills your life with color and kindness and so much... life, for lack of a better word. It can be overwhelming, but it's also exactly what I never knew I needed. When I'm with her...I just know there will never be another boring lunch in a formal dining room with gray walls and no talking. Now there's always talking, every day. And I don't ever want it to stop.”

Rebecca watched her quietly for a few moments. Grace breathed slowly, staring down at her feet.

“It sounds like this...Frankie, is it?” Rebecca clarified.

Grace nodded.

“It sounds like Frankie is someone you love very much. Is that safe to say?”

“Yes,” Grace swallowed again. “Yes, she is. As stupid as that sounds.”

“Why would that be stupid?”

“Because,” Grace laughed as she sighed. “This wasn't supposed to happen. We were just supposed to help each other through a difficult time, not stay together for the rest of our lives…but that is what I want. It's what we both want, I think. But I want things to be different this time, better than all our past relationships, with the time we have left. It's not lost on either of us that we may only have another twenty years or so, if we're really lucky. But what we do have...I want to make the most of it, because I already almost lost her once. And I can't go through that again.”

“What do you mean you almost lost her?” Rebecca asked. “Does she have health problems?”

“Yes. Well, nothing major…” Grace swallowed. “Sort of major. She had a stroke about ten years ago and didn't even know it, and another smaller one recently. She's fine now, taking all the necessary precautions. That's not what I meant actually, though I do worry about that too. She almost moved to Santa Fe with a man she was seeing, but that's over now, thank goodness.”

“She stayed because of you?”

“Yes,” Grace nodded. “And because our families are here, and we're all very close, despite what happened with Robert and Sol.”

“Who are Robert and Sol?”

“Oh…” Grace froze, brow furrowed. “Did I...did I forget to mention our husbands left us for each other?”

Rebecca’s eyes went wide, but she quickly recovered.

“No,” she said. “You did not. That must have been very confusing.”

“It was a bombshell,” Grace rolled her eyes. “Twenty years worth of lies, half our marriages. But it makes sense now, at least on my end. Funny enough, I think it was all worth it. I wouldn't have it any other way.”

“Did you always know you had feelings for Frankie?”

“Not at all,” Grace shook her head. “No, I did like her more than I let on. I thought she was interesting, lovely, if still very annoying. But no, I didn't feel this way back then.”

“What about other women?” Rebecca continued. “Was there ever any indication…”

“No,” Grace insisted, clutching her purse in her lap. “Well...I mean, I’ve looked at other women, obviously. My whole business was focused on women. How could I not? I suppose...well, if I did have those kinds of thoughts, I certainly never took them seriously. I thought that was just part of the human condition.”

“It is,” Rebecca smiled again. “To some degree.”

“Robert, on the other hand, says he's always known. About him, not me,” Grace stressed. “Even before we were married. I guess...I just want to know...do you think we're doing this, me and Frankie, because we're trying to get back at our husbands in some subconscious way? Are we just acting out some twisted part of the pain we experienced? Because I don't want people thinking that.”

“No,” Rebecca assured. “That's not how it works, at least from my perspective. But I do think there's a lot to explore there, especially how your ex-husband made you feel. That's a lot to go through, such betrayal. How long ago was that?”

“Almost two years,” Grace swallowed. “I guess I really buried the lead, didn't I?”

“I don't think so,” Rebecca shook her head. “Your exes getting together may have been the impetus for where you and Frankie started, but it sounds like your connection goes way beyond that now. You came together out of loneliness, shared trauma, but you wouldn't have stayed if you didn't genuinely care for each other. This is no longer your ex-husbands’ story; it's yours. You've made a life with Frankie, and now you want to share that life in new ways. There’s nothing wrong with that, so long as you're both happy. You're not copying or mimicking anyone.”

“Gosh,” Grace exhaled, sniffing back more tears. “It means a lot to hear you say that.”

“Do you think you deserve to be happy?”

Grace paused, lips falling open, but no words came out.

It seemed like such a simple question. She was used to bolstering herself up, making herself look super confident, like nothing could touch her, like she was absolutely entitled to everything she had. But as she thought about it, her mouth slowly closed, mind running blank. She blinked a little, staring back for what felt like far too long, unable produce an answer.

“Sounds like we have some work to do,” Rebecca smiled warmly. “I'd like to get you to a place where you can allow yourself to feel everything you're feeling without beating yourself up about it. How does that sound?”

“Good,” Grace smiled. “Really good.”

“Okay then,” Rebecca nodded. “Why don't you tell me more about yourself?”

Grace wiped her nose on the tissue crumpled in her hand, putting her purse aside, letting out another slow, deep breath before sharing more of her story.

***

Read the rest on A03.