#like come on just bring leola back

[lolabearwrites]

If the writers are just going to give Rayla everything she wants can they give aaravos the one fucking thing he wants please

[raayllum]

An interesting thread in S7 that I noticed:

You are destroyed by the things you create.

The first time we see this kind of thread (at least I think, I might've missed something) is with Kpp'Ar and Viren in season 6. Kpp'Ar takes Viren on as his "most eager student" and teaches him much in the ways of dark magic, even eventually handing over the position of High Mage. And even once acquiring said position, Viren betrays him in order to take the Staff of Ziard, citing:

Then you have Viren being destroyed and creating the exact circumstances he didn't want. In corrupting Lux Aurea, he expelled the Sunfire elves, leading to Karim's increasing fanaticism, power struggle, and usage of Sol Regem. This led indirectly to Sol Regem bringing Viren's worst nightmare down upon Katolis.

We see this more directly with Aaravos as well, as he created Sir Sparklepuff and had Avizandum specifically summoned back from the dead in S7, both of which have a hand in his demise:

This also ties into Aaravos' desire to destroy the Cosmic Order, as they created the circumstances that led to his anger in killing Leola, and therefore his violence and great machinations:

This "you are destroyed/defeated by what you create" is also one of the things that won me over when theorizing about S7, as I thought that if Callum used dark magic to defeat Aaravos fully (rip Rayla's positive character development theorized there too), while it might have felt a bit thematically muddied, would've had a great layer of irony: Aaravos, being imprisoned/defeated by the very thing he created. Close, but no cigar!

Then, for the core protagonists, to a certain degree we have this theme with Viren and Claudia. Viren realizes his horror at what Claudia has become, as well as the path that he's pushed and led her down by example. This doesn't literally destroy him, but it does emotionally devastate him, and does end up destroying their relationship in a lot of ways.

Even Claudia gets a bit of this, as she stabs her mother in the back—a daughter killing her own mother—just as Soren stabbed Viren in 3x09. Children killing their own parents, even as illusions, fits the theme, don't you think?

Ezran also gets interwoven into this idea in a few interesting ways in season 7. In creating the circumstances that led to Ezran being king, and thereby creating the child king and his rage, Runaan could've become a victim of it, and indeed nearly was (7x01, 7x02).

The second way this could come to a head for Ezran is Project Ruby Fire, though we'll have to wait for future seasons. While the project is his and Aanya's brainchild to keep Katolis (Evrkynd now?) safe and safe from the threat of dragons in the future, it's unlikely that these weapons of destruction will stay unused, and could possibly lead to devastation and loss in their kingdoms and/or of their friends (Zym).

Last but not least, we have Callum and Rayla. While not a literal destruction (but close to), they were prepared to sacrifice everything for one another. Callum's death would've made Rayla an assassin, hardening her heart further than it already is; on the other side of things, Callum became a mage and a dark mage because of her (2x07, 5x08): "If you love her, you'll be the you who can save her," even if that means demanding she'd become the her who can kill him, and save him / the world from a fate worse than death.

At the same time, Callum only begins doing the dark magic spell because he trusts Rayla to be his safety net. I can see solid arguments for whether she would've actually gone through with it on either side, but it led to Callum re-corrupting himself and opening himself up to Aaravos' possession in the future either way.

Like with Ezran and Project Ruby Fire, I expect this plot thread to be more of a beat in Arc 3 / future seasons, but am still deeply interested to see how it may all come to pass - and how there could be more consequences (the Nova Blade?) even from trying to do good.

[thrandilf]

Thinking about Aaravos and grief again like

Even for us, most parents expect their children to outlive them. It isn't a guarantee but that concept of "You're here and I don't think I'll ever have to live in a world without you" and then losing that is huge

Aaravos just has the added bane of immortality so he doesn't get closure with time moving on or anticipating his own end

Which is why I think that Aaravos has to come to the same conclusion others in the show have, which is that no amount of suffering will bring leola back or actually make him feel better

I feel like one more big success/one significant blow directly to the Cosmic Order will make him realize that he doesn't actually feel better or happier or anything of the sort and is going to have to make him reevaluate and find emotional closure. Even if he killed all the other startouch elves he wouldn't actually be happy or have his problems solved. He could rewrite the order, but for what? For who?

Which is why I'm like we gotta see him come around and Claudia as the catalyst makes the most sense/has had set up now

[kradogsrats]

Signs of the Fall, Pt. 2

Since Part 1 was cut short due to the limit on number of images per post, here's Part 2.

Perhaps Your Heart Is Not Yet Darkened

And finally, the big one: the darkened center of his chest star. We can pinpoint this as happening somewhere between Leola's execution and whenever TMO gets around to checking on Aaravos weeping over her remains:

I have my own feelings about the whole "for 100 years, I wept" thing in relation to Ripples, mostly related to how I don't think the place Aaravos is crying is like... the same plane of reality.

We're also given pretty big hint as to why his star is darkened, and the subsequent connection between him and dark magic:

Aaravos is connected to dark magic users through the emptiness in his own spirit, as seen in his darkened chest star. Why is his spirit empty? Well:

Because he lost what fills that darkness. Bummer.

How was he able to conceal this from the rest of Xadia for hundreds, if not thousands of years, seeing as it's not darkened in the s4 flashback? Well, we still don't know. Why does it light up again when he's casting primal spells? Don't know that, either.

I do think most, if not all, of the pre-s6 theories about Aaravos's chest star are still viable. The Laurelion poem remains suspiciously on point, and "dark magic corruption is literally an offshoot of Aaravos's own entrenched grief and hatred" is... a take I expect will be kind of controversial. (I might noodle on that a bit more and see about writing it up, because I don't think it's as insane as it sounds.)

It is Such a Quiet Thing, to Fall

So to circle back to the beginning, we still have the question of what even was Aaravos's fall? Why is he "fallen"? What does that even mean?

Most interpretations have been that it's related to some kind of transgression and punishment, whether that was his machinations in bringing dark magic into being or some earlier involvement with humans that met the stars' disapproval. This, I think, is largely rooted in Aaravos's definite associations with Lucifer, fallen angel and manipulator of humanity. Plus there's the fact that he's imprisoned when he's introduced, and it took a while to get across that he has actually been imprisoned for "only" 300 years—"fallen" was frequently taken to be synonymous with his imprisonment, being stripped of his power and exiled.

I want to put forward a theory where those things are separated: even though the artbook directly says, "As a 'fallen' Startouch elf, Aaravos can only access a fraction of his former power," I'm not sure those things are actually related.

Aaravos's relatively depowered state, I think, may actually be a normal part of him choosing to manifest in Xadia.

It's pretty standard for divine beings taking on corporeal mortal form to not be able to access the same level of omnipotence as they could before. Given the way Leola's trial and execution played out, it also doesn't seem like stripping Aaravos of some of his power is something the council of stars would be interested in doing, whether they wanted to punish him or not.

So one possibility is actually that a "fallen" star is simply another term for a Startouch elf walking Xadia, one of the great ones made manifest.

Another possibility is to come full circle back to Aaravos as "the Fallen Star" being related to his imprisonment. In answer to Ezran's question about whether a fallen star was previously just a star, Zubeia describes Aaravos as powerful and beloved, until they found that he had betrayed them all and had been doing so for hundreds of years:

We don't really have a ton of context for Aaravos for the time period between what we see in s6 with Leola and what is described as 300 years earlier in s4, or even how much time that was, but the references to "fallen star" are largely confined to the latter period. The mirror inscription, for instance:

The one exception is the history book page about Aaravos that appears only in the artbook (alongside the two seen when Viren, and later Callum, try to look up information about him). It's the Italian-language one, and among other things, says:

Known by many names in ancient stories - "The Fallen Star", the last of the Great Ones, the bringer of gifts, but his true name was Aaravos. Texts mentioning his name have been found since the time of the great schism, although there are disagreements about his role in historical events. Some describe him as a beneficent figure, an ally of humanity, willing to share his great magical power with those who needed it the most. Others portray him as…

(As a side note, there's a very significant translation difference I've discovered here from what is on the wiki. The current Google Translate output has "Texts mentioning his name have been found since the time of the great schism," while the wiki translation has "Words mentioning his name have been truncated since the time of the great schism." I don't know Italian, but I did French and a teensy bit of Spanish—personally, I think Google is correct on this one, looking at the individual words and there relationship to other Romance languages, there's nothing in there even vaguely similar to "truncated." THIS IS A HUGE DEAL, ACTUALLY, GIVEN THAT THE MAGICAL CENSORSHIP OF TEXTS ABOUT AARAVOS IS A PLOT POINT. So never trust this fandom's wiki for anything but the most obvious information, and take even that with a grain of salt.)

It's not clear exactly when this text is supposed to be from, as it is referring to Aaravos abstractly as a historical figure. It could very well be from after his imprisonment—with the Orphan Queen's involvement, information about Aaravos from that era could easily have been recorded even on the human side of the Border.

Anyway, my point is that Aaravos imprisoned is actually a strong contender for the meaning of "the Fallen Star," but we still don't really know much about his imprisonment as related to his powers. The prison was created specifically to contain him, and Zubeia refers to "part" of its power being that no one knows where it is.

It seems unlikely, given the way Zubeia describes having to confront Aaravos obliquely, that even the archdragons would have been capable of stripping any part of his powers. So if his power is reduced when in the prison, it's almost definitely only when within the prison.

Personally, that's what I lean toward at this point—that Aaravos having reduced power is related to his incarnate form, and "fallen" is a modern descriptor applied to reference his descent from a place of honor and respect when his betrayals were discovered.

This concludes my post-s6 "State of the Fallen Star" address, thanks for reading this incredibly hot mess of a take.

[otter-and-terrier]

if arc 3 happens, i don't think leola should come back to life. listen, her death was DEVASTATING. i was like actually crying (from someone who rarely cries while watching shows/movies (books are another matter though)) and it was her death that caused aaravos to, you know, kill the archdragons, cause chaos and destruction, etc, etc.

and i feel like even though i would LOVE it if leola came back to life and there would be a lot of adorable father/daughter reunion fluff, i feel like it would erase the whole... seriousness of it? it'll create this message that "it's ok, all the bad things that happened can just be automatically undone", which they can't.

i think that instead of bringing leola back as a kind of automatic fix-it option, they should all go get some fucking therapy talk to aaravos and tell him that they understand his grief/that leola wouldn't have wanted this/something something emotional speech etc. (i know i'm saying this kind of sarcastically, but if it does happen, i know i'll be lying on the floor and crying 😭).

and then, they should go and fight those cosmic bitches. the end.

[colonelpancakes]

Watching The Dragon Prince Season Six Part Nine: Stardust! The time has come to see if Rayla will make it out of this season with the most parents. I hope so

Under the cut as per the usual!

Hey, the quote from the beginning of episode one! I wonder if we’ll find out more about him and that other Startouch elf given that he’s quoting them now.

Ohhh. Okay. I was entirely convinced that the quasar diamond was another fake. Whoops

Oh, Claudia, honey… 🥺

Skafjlk Something about Aaravos just suddenly showing up next to Claudia so that he can shush her is so funny to me. I think it might be Terry’s face.

HUH? EXCUSE ME??? That was not something I expected. Aaravos has a kid?? Hello?

Darling!!! Oh, honey. She looks so sweet!!! I love her already.

I am also already feeling immense dread because Aaravos is talking about her in the past tense and she isn’t here in present day. “Had a daughter” oh god. Something bad is going to happen to the baby isn’t it. I am not ready.

Sweethearttttt. Oh my god, the way that you can hear the love in Aaravos’s voice as he talks about her… It’s not an emotion don't think I could have pictured on him before this episode but it's so tangible, the voice acting in this episode is incredible. This episode is going to murder me isn’t it.

Also, I like how the terms he's using to describe her could also easily apply to Claudia whom he's trying to get to empathize with him. To connect her own love for her father to his love for his daughter.

Okay, this might be me reading into it but. The way his daughter's hands are held in this picture looks a lot like the way I flap my hands when I stim. Is Aaravos’s daughter maybe neurodivergent? Either way, I love her already, she’s so sweet.

Give Aaravos’s VA an award. The RANGE this man has, spanning from threatening to playful to right here where it’s so soft and sad and full of love for his daughter.

Also, the adoraburrs!!! Look at her!!!

…I am remembering vividly that response from the writers when someone asked if the Startouch child in the intro was a younger Aaravos and they responded that the child was Leola. Oh no. And again, the fact that Aaravos is talking about Leola only in the past tense… I am not ready for this episode oh no. NOTHING HAS EVEN HAPPENED YET AND I’M ABOUT TO CRY.

Also, the animators always do such an amazing job with Aaravos’s expressions. I just. Oh…

Callum, buddy, I don't think you're helping.

Oh, Rayla, honey… I might be wrong but I think that’s the first time Rayla has actually verbally acknowledged Runaan and Ethari as her parents. I know she’s called them her family before but I don’t think she’s called them her parents.

“Those coins will guide you. Each coin contains a fragment of a soul. On the other side, the rest of the soul longs to be whole again, for it cannot pass into death incomplete.”

I like the clarification of what the coins actually do to a person and why they’re worse than death. Because they don’t allow the spirit to achieve peace by passing on or allow them to continue their life, they trap them in between life and death. I also really like that they’re bringing back the stuff from Through the Moon.

Callum… I love them so much oh my gosh. He’s so nervous for her…

They're so sweet, I love them!!!

Ough and the fact that, to get her family back, Rayla has to dive into the lake despite her fear of the water.

OHH NOO I am getting Through the Moon flashbacks, Runaan??? Buddy?? I wonder if it’s a side effect of being in the coin? Are Rayla’s bio parents gonna be like that too?

While the corruption obviously isn’t great, I must say, I like the curly hair on Runaan.

RUNAAN. NO. No killing Rayla. Bad Runaan.

Rayla, honey...

Petition to give Rayla a break.

Oh, they’re dancing. Interesting. Maybe it's some kind of trance that Rayla needs to break them out of? Like there's a different challenge for each soul that she needs to overcome? I don't know, something definitely feels off.

Ohh… The way Claudia looks up at him, she's so enraptured in the story.

Baby!!! Baby girl!!

OH??? It looks like each side unlocks a different arcanum and a different version of the book, intriguing…

I wonder if there’s something particularly special written in the book or if it’s just a tome of knowledge of the arcanums. Rayla did originally think the cube was a piece from a children’s game, maybe in a way, she was right.

SKjafslkjf. Leolaaa. I love mustache Aaravos so much. And it’s so humanizing seeing such a different side of him. To have a moment where he’s not some all-knowing mysterious arch-mage but just a father with a young daughter who likes to poke fun at him sometimes.

Oh no!! Kiddo!

Aaravos being so gentle with the little kid…

Ohh Aaravos definitely knows whoever took Leola and by the look of it, he does not like them very much.

Also, I’m curious who the golden dragon was, that’s an interesting detail.

Continued in reblogs!

[js589]

So, my husband and I just finished The Dragon Prince, and...

We're mad.

(There is a lot I love about TDP, and about season 7, but it gets very little mention here. You have been forewarned.)

Like, this final season was just coming at us with everything it had for most of the first 8 episodes. Sure, there were filler-y bits every now and again, but there was a pretty good buildup. Episode 8 especially was just like oh wow, we're going here. (As much as Karim just never learning was frustrating, it made his fate very fitting. I was both horrified and impressed.)

But it seemed like the final episode, rather than serving as a fitting ending if there isn't further media, reminded us of all the plot threads that are still dangling, some from much earlier seasons!

The whole show had moments of "okay, this was an unnecessary bit" and "okay, when are we going to get back to this thing that seems to be really important?" but Mysteries of Aaravos was definitely much worse about it. The baitlings/glowtads, for example, probably should have been relegated to side materials.

And Harrow-bird... I have multiple misgivings. First of all, it should have been much clearer earlier on if this was indeed going to be A Thing. There's no way it resolves quickly, but it could have been spaced out through the seasons. And the unseriousness of the reveal really felt like it cheapened the emotional impact of Ezran deciding to forgive Runaan even though he doesn't know how to yet. That could have been an amazing exploration, and instead, it's moot because Harrow arguably hasn't actually died. Like, Callum could bring him back. Easily.

And while this is a show aimed at children, Ezran not actually using the nova blade after it got hyped for so long felt kind of like a pale imitation of AtLA, but Ezran's peaceful ideals never actually got confronted the way Aang's did. In TDP, Callum had to face up to his inner darkness multiple times, but God forbid Ezran not get saved from actually doing anything remotely controversial. I mean, Avizandum and Zubeia's sacrifice works, IMO, but it just feels like anytime Ezran has to confront big, scary things, it turns out he didn't need to and it's actually all kind of okay somehow.

But above all, the arc title is now too fitting. A lot of those mysteries of Aaravos are still mysteries, and they didn't need to be! If this is the Aaravos arc, then it should have had an actual resolution and not a "we'll circle back in 7 years" ending. Like, they'd better put it together and just keep Aaravos from coming back in that case. Seriously, Aaravos gave humans dark magic. Why did the Startouch council not intervene the way they did with Leola? Why did they not intervene when he returned? If he'd done something to incapacitate them, you'd think he'd have said so, but he appears to not have exacted revenge yet. Other questions: does the book that uses the key still exist? Is the key actually important? Can Callum use it to forge connections? Is (as my husband jokingly theorized) dark magic just star magic with a different source?

What about Claudia? I'm left wondering why she still serves Aaravos. I'm assuming it's because she understands his desire to avenge Leola and she doesn't care about who else gets harmed along the way, but I feel like that doesn't really square with her characterization? I dunno...

Finally, as much as I love Rayllum... yeah, it got a little too much focus. Not as much undue focus as other elements, but it was definitely overdone. (But I did actually appreciate Rayla readying to kill Callum. Like, dude's got plot armor up the wazoo, but she doesn't know that.)

Overall, I'm just really dissatisfied with all that's left open. Mysteries of Aaravos had massive pacing issues. I believe that the story could have been told in its entirety, and I wish it would have been.

[ruthariandbluecookies]

~DiScUsSiOn TiMe!~

I know how people are voicing speculation and concepts and stuff about how Leola might come back because of how Startouch Elves are "immortal beings of the cosmos" and just, like, exploded.

Like, IF she did come back, would she fall out of the sky like a shooting star and her star, the brightest star in the sky, "Leola's Last Wish" would just... disappear? 'Cause that'd be a catastrophe for navigation. Or would she just appear/spawn like... BAM! Would Aaravos sense if she came back or be entirely ignorant to it?

On the topic of Aaravos, if Startouch Elves DO come back, why wouldn't he want to join her in the stars so that they could rejoin the world together? Why wouldn't he spare himself having to mourn his literal CHILD? Because he doesn't want her to be forgotten? Because he wants to AVENGE her? He could do that even if he came back with her, so I don't know.

Back to her coming back, wouldn't it be funny if she just-so-happened to come back, say, near The Silvergrove. And Ethari, who had been going to pick moonberries or something, just-so-happened to find her?

So, we have a lost little Startouch Elf and a depressed Moonshadow elf who thinks his husband is dead and all he knows about his daughter in all but blood is that she's alive (because of the lotus). Obviously, he'd take her in, he's ETHARI.

Would he tell the rest of the village or hide her away? That, I don't have an answer to.

If he told the village, I doubt they would do anything besides kill her or something. I mean, look what they did to Rayla. They GHOSTED (a fate worse than death to them, I'm sure) a fifteen year old with no clear evidence besides the fact that she was the only one alive from a practically SUICIDAL mission (it definitely goes deeper than that and I might make a post about it, but don't count on it). I wouldn't call people like that the voice of reason.

So, it'd probably be better if he didn't tell them and instead hid her away.

However long he takes care of her, I'm sure they talk and grow closer. Leola comes to see him as at least a bit like her father after getting over her panic of appearing in an unknown place, which was definitely by no means terrifying.

And Ethari? He has something to live for again. A person to take care of. And maybe Leola reminds him a bit of little Rayla (minus all the sharp bits).

Meanwhile? If Aaravos CAN sense Leola, then let's say he can also sense where she is. After finding out his little girl, the whole reason he's doing all of this is alive, I'm sure he drops everything and goes after her (of course, Claudia and Terry will go to).

Once he gets there, since he's a Startouch Elf, and one of the "Great/First Ones", he'll easily get past the illusion shielding The Silvergrove.

With Claudia, he probably razes down The Silvergrove, kills some elves until he finds her. When he does find her? He sees a Moonshadow Elf standing over/shielding her. I doubt that goes over well. To Claudia, it'll probably look like the Moonshadow Elves kidnapped her, so she'll 100% be on Aaravos's side.

Anyways, since Claudia is a dark mage what if she puts them all into a coma or sleeping trance, or turns them to stone, or they just all evacuate and no one knows what happened to them, or something else entirely?

Staying true to the "turning your enemies to stone" thing, after Aaravos gets Leola, wouldn't it be cool if Claudia turned all the elves to stone like her father did to Avizandum? And Ethari, while turning to stone, brings a hand to the sky and casts a spell that's like a flashbang that brings attention, and promptly turns to stone completely while a singular tear falls from his eye (Avizandum parallels, anyone?).

After that, they leave to continue the plan (no matter how much Leola pleads for them not to and tries to stop them even though she doesn't really know what's going on because that's her DAD).

Then, when Rayla and Runaan are close to The Silvergrove to tell Ethari that Runaan is alive (which they won't get the chance to do now), they see the words "Silvergrove has fallen" blazed into the ground (because Aaravos is dramatic) and are both horrified. Then they get there and see Ethari's statue (and just AAAAAGGHHHH). I need to see their faces and how they'd react to that.

They both think in their own ways. Rayla probably blames herself (she just lost one of the two parental figures she has left after saying goodbye to the other two and most likely thinks this happened because Aaravos and Claudia were trying to get at her (maybe Runaan even blames her a little, if subconsciously).

Runaan on the other hand? It's terrifying for him. HE'S the assassin, Ethari knew when he married him that Runaan would probably die on a mission. But Runaan? It's HIS job to be in danger. ETHARI'S supposed to be SAFE in The Silvergrove. Runaan's not prepared to lose Ethari because he always knew/thought that he'd be the first to die. He's not prepared to live in a world without him (so now he's going through the grief of his partner dying, the exact same thing Ethari was/is, but Ethari had been prepared for it (not that it made it hurt any less)).

Obviously, they're frustrated because they can't do anything right now because of Aaravos and swear to find something to free him and everyone else afterwards (maybe even get so angry that they try to do/do something rash like go after Aaravos?).

And that isn't even going into how Terry feels when Aaravos and his girlfriend raze a whole VILLAGE to the ground and turn EVERY ELF into stone, including the CHILDREN. That's bound to make him think over some things and which side he should really be on.

Or, what if we move onto a new concept. Everything still happens like this, except Leola's not in it. Like, Aaravos burned down Katolis, which was Callum and Ezran's home, so what if he tries to burn down The Silvergrove since it's Rayla's home (even if it's not really anymore, she'd still be devastated). I doubt he knows that she comes from specifically The Silvergrove, but he's Aaravos, so I'm sure he'd find out easily, adding the fact that he has a dark mage on his side? Piece of cake (now I want cake, specifically chocolate).

Anyway, I know this definitely won't happen in season 7, but, it IS a cool concept, at least to me (and I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!).

[bat-snake]

Thinking about “Leola lives” AU, but that doesn’t mean it would come with its own problems:

Namely, her friends and their decedents constantly dying all the time for centuries. So, when one decedent of a friend dies prematurely as the last of his line…she manages to bring him back to life, believing she has saved him.

Turns out she used a piece of her own eternity…which is still eternity. So she’s accidentally created an immortal human in a “Demona and MacBeth” situation. And it’s a good 100 years or so when she (and the Startouch Council) realize. So it just kinda looks like

Rather than be on trial for execution(again), Leola disappears into the stars, and a slightly different history takes place, with most of the main events still happening in some way.

At that point, I’m not entirely sure how things go down, but it does end up with Callum and friends seeking out the most powerful mage in Xadia when they realize someone is trying to summon a Quasar Dragon.

[thatdudewhoshere]

Back with more renting about tdp s7 this will be mainly about Claudia

Obviously spoilers

Claudia didn't get a redemption ark, and she didn't exactly go full evil either, but i think that suits her character. She doesn't have Viren anymore, and now Terry left her, so all she has is Aaravos. And even then she has mixed feelings about Aaravos and al he's doing. She THINKS and FEELS like some of what he has her do is wrong, as we've seen her say with Terry, but she can't bring herself to admit that it IS wrong. All she has is Aaravos, who is now basically a father figure to her now, so she goes along with it because what else does she have to lose? Another thing is after Aaravos told her why he wants do all of that in the first place, how he wants to make them suffer and all of that, Claudia continues to help him because she feels for him in a way. She understands how much it hurts to lose someone you love. Claudia did anything and everything to get Viren back just for him to leave again. Aaravos can't get Leola back, so he's doing anything and everything in his power to get revenge, to make the star council and everyone else really, to suffer how he did.

This brings me to another point. Aaravos and all he's doing is driven by his pain, his loss, and his hate. Could he have chosen to die with Leola? Yes. But he chose instead to live and aveng her. I personally can see where he's coming from.

Going back to Claudia, I think it would have been nice to see her have a redemption ark, but i think what happened instead was perfect for her character.

extra: AARAVOS CALLING CLAUDIA HIS DAUGHTER AND HIM HER FATHER MY POOR HEART. "I can't watch another daughter die" SOBBING. IM NOT OKAY.

Hope you enjoyed! Also I may have worded some things wrong I'm kind of tired but hopefully I got my point(s) across (also I will probably be doing more of these rants to myself and whoever sees them)

[incorrectgarashir]

Voyager Christmas Traditions

Janeway: Is the one who decides the senior staff should do Christmas together, but never actually organises it or cooks anything. She does however always give everyone the best presents before knocking back several brandies and going to sleep while everyone else is still talking.

Chakotay: Turns up even though he doesn't want to be there, gives fairly benign gifts like new coffee cups and photo frames. Picks at the food and moans about it (especially the carrots), bring his own alcohol from his secret stash and waits late to make sure Kathryn actually gets a proper sleep before she takes the morning shift.

Tuvok: Feigns indifference about the whole thing but hovers round the food like a vulture and always clears his plate. Gives thoughtful gifts like books of quotes, handmade ceramics he's picked up while on away missions, or crafts made by his own hand.

B'Elanna: Is cagey around the Christmas party for the first year or so since she only celebrated Christmas when she was really little and it makes her miss her dad. After she fails to get everyone to agree to a Secret Santa, she starts to gift people sweets and cakes, and usually ropes everyone into an after-dinner game of some sort (like charades) because even though she loves the senior crew, she still has a really low tolerance for small talk.

Tom: Arrives carrying copious amounts of booze and sweets he's stashed somewhere. Replicates Christmas crackers just so everyone has to wear a stupid hat at the dinner table. Tries and fails each year to turn Christmas dinner into a potluck to save them all from Neelix's cooking.

Harry: Goes overboard with the gift giving, giving everyone bags full of presents all the while apologising because he's convinced everyone will hate their presents. Gets tipsy and then maudlin at the dinner table, talking about everything his parents used to do at Christmas. Once properly drunk he disappears for a while and comes back with his clarinet and/or saxophone and plays a song or two before Tom distracts him with cookies. He's usually the first one to leave due to being an alcohol lightweight.

Neelix: Is in charge of the cooking for most of their Christmas dinners together. The first year he adds leola root to the stuffing. And decides mashed leola root is far more flavourful than mashed potatoes. He quickly learns he shouldn't do this, but every year after that he makes sure to add leola root to something... just for the nutritional value. Every year he's shocked the crew can pinpoint what he added it to. He almost got airlocked by Kathryn one year and putting mistletoe over her and Chakotay when they were standing talking. He still doesn't understand why she took exception to that because everyone else seemed to find it particularly amusing (especially Tom and drunk Harry who both shouted " just kiss already!").

Seven: Shows up as ordered to her first Christmas dinner with the senior crew, criticises the food and leaves. The next year she does slightly better, by criticising the food and staying. By their last Christmas together she manages to wrestle control of the kitchen from Neelix by claiming that her present to him is to give him the afternoon off. She puts on an extravagant multi-course banquet for her long-suffering friends, even making leola root mash specifically for Neelix.

The Doctor: After getting his mobile emitter, he's a no-show unless he's guaranteed the opportunity to present a slideshow educating the senior staff about different Christmas traditions around the world. He argues that since he can't eat then this is the least they can do to make him feel included. Every year he focuses on a different country or region, but the crew think he's making some of the facts up, especially the Catalan traditions!

[disappointingcabbage]

I’m gonna lose it my in progress live reaction to episode 1 deleted itself. im gonna try to remember what I said and then finish the episode

TDP Season 7 Episode 1 live reaction below the cut, beware spoilers for anything and everything in this episode and proceed at your own risk

kosmo emo poetry moment lol

“I’m back and no one knows hehe >:)” aaravos, my dude, that’s not gonna last long you’re the size of a fucking building someone will notice

oooh funky new intro animation

Ethari?

HOLY SHIT ITS HAPPENING

nvm runaan isn’t back in the silvergrove yet his flower is just floating again

Ethari doesn’t believe he’s alive :(

The jump cut from Ethari being like “no he’s definitely dead :(“ to Runaan being a nightmare patient and trying to convince Rayla and Lujanne to let him leave the moon nexus because he needs to get back to his husband Right Now is peak comedy

Also lujanne’s bf just being able to scoop up this twink like a fucking cat and put him back in bed is amazing actually

Aww rayllum fluff, cute!!

Aaravos shut the fuck up challenge impossible

Terry calling aaravos out for being a manipulative bastard is amazing actually

Claudia I get that you miss your dad but he’s died like 3 times now let the man rest

I don’t buy aaravos’s whole “viren may be stuck in the in between as a ghost bc his death was too traumatic” thing for one second

Callum found Soren’s dragon plushie in the castle ruins

I love that Callum and Soren are just allowed to hug it out and cry we need more shows like this that show men healthily feeling and expressing their emotions

This scene is brutal though. I almost cried

Fuck all the way off, aaravos

No no no no no stay away from the moon nexus leave Runaan alone he’s been through enough

Where the fuck would you even get a moon primal stone

What do you MEAN, “invert the moon nexus” what does that even do??? Stop pissing on the moon you’re not Eggman >:(

aww sorvus

Ok I think I covered the stuff that tumblr dot com deleted on me time to finish the episode

KOSMO WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE INTENDS TO RELEASE THE DEAD AMO- ohhh he’s bringing back Leola. Fair enough? Maybe? I don’t know the Bigger Implications of that as it pertains to this magic system?

Hell yeah Astrid!!

Aww Aanya’s cuddling Bait!!

Soren ily

Ezran going full vengeful mode is unexpected but fair tbh. That said, um, sol regem’s already dead so I don’t think his revenge quest is gonna last all that long.

That said if Ezran of all people shows up in a rage while Aaravos and Terry and Claudia are still there it’s gonna be both funny and scary

Oh Callum and Corvus are going to the valley of the graves instead. That’s a smarter decision.

Aanya is such a good friend.

An archdragon’s bite, you say?

I’m just picturing Ezran chucking a poké ball at aaravos and zym coming out of it and just chomping this motherfucker on the ankle

“It will be better to be a bit less conspicuous” sir, once again, you are a fucking kaiju. I think that ship has sailed.

Your footsteps literally cause mini earthquakes I don’t think you’re capable of stealth

Did this motherfucker just become an evil lion turtle????

No he just transformed all his extra body mass into an island and became Normal Sized. That’s not any less weird.

Oh my god why is he giving me Dr. Frank N Furter vibes

ough shapeshifting disguise. I liked the tidebound better but he’s probably going with earthblood to match Terry

I know he did not just hit on Claudia. Absolutely the fuck not.

Runaan angrily shoveling grubs into his mouth is not what I expected but it’s really funny

also apparently he’s going to Katolis with Rayla. That’s… a choice.

Aaravos needs to get way better at planning stuff out because it took Callum and Corvus all of two seconds to see the massive dragon skeleton in the valley of the graves and the new island that just mysteriously popped up in the lake

What if zym bit a rock on the island

oh fuck he picked a human disguise and now he’s gonna infiltrate katolis. Ah shit.

Aaravos’s human form looks. Uncomfortably like your average fanart of Gerry from TMA.

Nvm he’s leaving I guess

is that a fucking Snow White apple?

Aaravos really has like a -1 stealth lmao like dude why did you use Callum’s name your human sona doesn’t know him

Thank you Corvus for being the voice of reason

Thank you Ezran for not continuing to be counterproductively angry after finding out Sol Regem is dead

Rayla’s back!! With Runaan! I don’t to his return to katolis is well timed like at all but he sure is here

Oh no ezran’s still mad

Understandable but dude now is not the time

I really don’t want acab to include Soren :(

Astrid why did you just look directly into the fucking sun immediately after removing your blindfold

That’s it that’s the episode I guess

[raayllum]

I've touched on this before in regards to TDP, at first just in regards to Claudia's consistent thing with fragmentation and then further in my meta regarding Rayla-Leola parallels, but I want to talk briefly about the Fixing vs Broken dichotomy TDP has been running with more subtly till S6 said, "Sit up and pay attention" so let's get into it.

First: what breaks things in TDP?

If you're a magical object, it's probably Callum but when it comes to people, things get a bit more complicated. We see the literal act of dark magic break people and families apart, both literally and metaphorically:

This on the one hand makes sense. Of course the characters and by extension their family dynamics or magic use is going to reflect the landscape of Xadia itself: literally split and divided down the middle, initially, due to dark magic use and how the elves and dragons chose to handle things. A broken continent and broken people.

Therefore, we see characters who want to fix things, particularly in TDP shorts featuring Claudia:

Her brother squirmed. “Clauds, Biscuit’s—” “—I know. But I fixed it. Now we can still play with her.”

Reflections Vol 1: Rise Again

It will be just like before, only this time, you won’t be able to fix him… [...] “Do not fear,” the Startouch elf had said. “You are a dark mage, powerful and potent. With my help, there is nothing you cannot fix. Not even death.” [...] “Let’s go,” Claudia told the creature. “I can fix this. I can fix anything.”

Reflections Vol 2: Lost Child

as well as in show canon:

This is reflected in magic use routinely throughout the series, as mages inherently use magic (primal or dark) to fix their problems and help those around them. Callum uses magic to try and fix Rayla's problems with her family; Claudia uses magic to 'fix' Soren and Viren's physical conditions, and is confused and upset when it isn't enough. Bringing Zym back to Zubeia 'fixes her "irreparably broken heart" (3x08) and starts to heal the continent. Wanting to fix things or keep things from breaking apart further is something that drives many of the main characters, most notably Claudia and Karim in their steadfast attempts to hold onto, or restore, what they still have to the way it 'should be':

This "I need/want to fix it" mindset isn't exclusive to the villains, but wanting to go back rather than move forward — heavily resisting change — does tend to be more common for antagonists (versus Viren's "I have changed") and more counterproductive when protagonists engage in it ("She's been trying hard to get things the way they were" "But things aren't like they were!").

Part of this, of course, is because breaking things isn't (or is rarely) exclusively bad in TDP, or that not breaking things is always Good.

And all of this comes back to, I think, one of the most interesting scenes in the whole show in both a "character perspective as an individual" standpoint and in a broader narrative way of thinking: Sol Regem's assessment of the world in 6x04:

Which of course begs the question: what is broken in Xadia, and what does Sol Regem think is broken in Xadia?

I'd be willing to wager given that Sol Regem seemingly reported and/or testified against Leola to the Cosmic Council that it's about magic use, but it could even be about the First Elves themselves leaving and the "long slow spiral to chaos" that's ongoing. For us as an audience, our context of what is broken (re: not functional and wrong) — especially by the end of S6 is the Cosmic Order system because it's not fair, the division between elves and humans, and the splitting of the continent, which is why Ezran argues for elf-human reunification, Callum uses primal magic for good, and Rayla loves her human family. Because what fixes things, routinely, is love, compassion, self-reflection, and mercy. That's what breaks the cycle, and allows people to fix themselves and their world views, their families, their mistakes. That's what allows healing.

We also know canon is gearing up towards something given Aaravos' endgame is some kind of great shattering, and given what it implies, both immense suffering and good will likely come out of it:

I have not seen the stars in centuries. But when I see them again—when the stars are forced to look upon me, their dark brother—they will know how I have waited. And when everything they have built lies shattered, I will savor their fall from the sky.

—TDP Reflections Vol 1: Patience

Because Sol Regem is both right and wrong.

Xadia is broken — but our team of heroes can and will save it.

[thrandilf]

Can we just establish that 1. If it was possible to use a quasar diamond to bring Leola back Aaravos would have done so centuries ago and 2. The solution in S7 can't just be imprisoning Aaravos again after all this buildup to letting him out. Like it's the weakest narrative choice available I'd rather have some mystery way of killing him come up than trap him again come on

[orchid-merryweather]

I know it's unlikely that @netflix will give us seasons 8-10, but I HAVE HOPE IN MY HEART GODDAMNIT. Despite the fact season seven has been referred to, by Netflix, as the "conclusion".

Season seven was not a conclusion, it set up so much for what season eight will be.

There are the obvious things, like Aaravos coming back in seven years and Harrow being alive and in the bird.

But there's still other things. What will happen with the Sunfire elves now that there is no sun orb and no sun seed either?

And what about Zym? From the second Rex Igneous died, I knew what would happen. All the archdragons would die, and a without heirs-- other than Zym, of course. What does this mean for Zadia, now that there's only one living archdragon? Will other dragons strengthen and take their places? Or will Zym be the last archdragon ever to live?

And also, I don't know if anyone else is thinking this, but what is up with Stella? She can create portals on command, and if my memory serves me right, the only other person who can do that is Aaravos. The obvious explanation is yeah, Stella is also connected to the star arcanum. But I think there is something more to that little critter, though I'm not sure what.

There's another quasar diamond. Will it be used to bring Harrow back from being a bird? Or maybe we'll bring Viren back to life one last time. Or maybe, just maybe, the quasar diamond will be used to bring Leola back from death. In season seven we saw a lot about redemption and forgiveness, with Runnan and Terry. There is nothing that could make Aaravos change his mind about the world, other than Leola.

Aaravos's reaction when he saw the spirit of Sir Sparklepuff. In that moment, do you think he realized what he'd done to Sir Sparklepuff? Sir Sparklepuff was technically Aaravos's child, he'd said it himself. Sir Sparklepuff died, practically killed by Aaravos's own hand, in order to further his own agenda. Aaravos keeps loosing his children, it seems, and what does that mean for Claudia? Also, what was Sir Sparklepuff's unfinished business? Perhaps, Sir Sparklepuff is more than we thought.

And the key of Aaravos. We still don't know what it is or what it means. I, for one, don't believe that this is a plot hole. The key of Aaravos will be integral in defeating Aaravos once and for all in seven years, or to changing him.

The Novablade. We have it. We don't know what it will be used for. Killing Aaravos again will only delay him. And so what use even is the Novablade? We would find out in the next arc, I suppose.

[sorinethemastermind]

Season Seven Synopsis Breakdown

Aaravos is out in a big way! It’s not too late to catch up on The Dragon Prince before the season 7 culmination and climax of the great fantasy saga. As Aaravos and Claudia seek to destroy the cosmic order and invert life and death, our heroes must literally be ready to sacrifice anything and everything they love and believe in to save the world! This season will be more thrilling, magical, and heartbreaking than ever.

The way this line is phrased makes me unsure whether they're talking about the end of the show, the end of this arc, or just the culmination of what they've spent the last six seasons building towards. Whatever the case #giveusthesaga!!

We knew that this season would be about the war on the Cosmic Order, so this fits with that. The question, then, is whether or not it's a good cause. From what we've seen so far the Cosmic Order doesn't seem especially good. So I think that in Season Seven we're going to spend some time exploring that, which is one of the things I love about The Dragon Prince; it's never in black and white.

I am so ready for whatever this means!! Is Aaravos going to try and bring Leola back? Or is that undoable? Are we going to venture into the world between life and death again? Invert technically means: put upside down or in the opposite position, order, or arrangement. So what effects would inverting life and death have on the world?

This part isn't surprising... but it's still scary. We've been told that Season Seven's theme will be "sacrifice" and the addition of the word "anything" reminds me of a few lines. Lines like "I would do anything for you" and "You do anything for family. However dangerous, however vile." This feels like very intentional phrasing to me, as if they had said "our heroes must literally be ready to sacrifice everything" it would have had the same effect. So including "anything" feels like a callback. And maybe a warning. I'm so excited and terrified for this season!

Finally, the most "thrilling, magical, and heartbreaking" season was, again, a bit of a given. Though including heartbreaking again makes me so worried! I think we should all schedule therapy sessions for after this season.

I'll try to do some more in depth analysis posts as things come out, but these are my initial thoughts!