#something viren leading to karim being like viren

[raayllum]

me pre s6 going "haha wouldn't it be Funny if ezran and prince karim became foils for one another, there's some parallels but not a ton but there could be more" and then they're both mourning fallen kingdoms and family heirlooms and disagreeing with their older siblings and "if you love your sister than it's not too late for you to make better choices" and being so very lost and angry

[baatarthefirst]

Who Ezran Blames

Why isn't Runaan getting a free pass when Zubeia did? Is it because Ez is being (understandably) irrational? Has he been stubbornly refusing to face the fact that Runaan wouldn't have killed Harrow if Zubeia hadn't ordered him to? Probably. I would even say most certainly. I hope that Runaan points this out to Ez and forces him to face it. But I do think there's more to say.

See there are two big differences between Arc 1 Zubeia and Arc 1 Runaan (I say Arc 1, because we don't know if and how Runaan will change).

First difference, Zubeia is grieving, Runaan is just on a mission. She is likely acting on blind rage and he is looking at the situation with a clear head and still says 'yep, gonna kill this child for a crime he didn't commit'. Which leads us to the second difference

Zubeia, like Amaya and Rayla, sees evidence contrary to her beliefs and reevaluates; Runaan, like Viren and Karim, sees the same evidence and continues stubbornly. When Zubeia learns her son is alive, it doesn't matter that humans are in Xadia and the boy she put a hit on is alive. She' changes her tune and is happy that humans and elves are working together. Runaan sees the dragon egg and was still willing to fight through his own daughter to finish his mission. He may regret that now, but it might be too little too late.

Would Ez forgive Runaan if he hadn't been coined and showed remorse? Honestly, probably not. It's easier to blame the assassin who's out of sight rather than blame his baby brother's mom. Bonus, he's had two years of getting to know Zubeia, and Runaan is still a mystery.

But it is something to think about.

[sunfire-shield]

Rewatching season 4 and thinking about how you’ve got the bit with Janai having her crisis and the whole “At least Karim would lead the people with some sense of certainty” thing, how Karim and Janai work so well as foils for each other, and this thing the Sunfire elves have going on about certainty and strength, and the penchant Karim (who is a character fixated on and representing the conservative traditional) has for strong decisive gestures over even carefully considered plans, like how he steamrollers Miyana when she tells him that while some Sunfire elves are unhappy with Janai’s progressive attitude and policies, they aren’t ready for open revolt, and throws down a flashy and dramatic challenge to his sister, the way he demands “Fight me! Defeat me! Prove the throne should be yours!” during his duel with Janai, as if that kind of attitude proves the virtues of a leader, when in reality it is Janai’s mercy, something Karim no doubt considers weak, and a demonstration of her uncertainties and doubts that he would think makes her a weak ruler, when in reality her ability to stop and think and consider and show mercy makes her a far better leader than he could ever be. It all reminded me in an odd way of how when Viren didn’t like the idea of Ezran being king in season one and set Soren the task of killing the princes, he says to Soren “But if we are led by a child king . . .” and Soren questioningly goes “He will make bad choices?” and Viren’s response is “He will make weak choices.” The emphasis is on weak, not bad, being such an interesting moment. And when Ezran does take the throne, he refuses to wage war on Xadia, exactly what Viren wanted to do, was willing to kill a child and seize the throne to do. Because that’s what Viren considers the ‘strong’ choice. But Opeli points out “Peace will require just as much strength as war” something Viren could never see. The way the villains in this show keep putting emphasis on the ways they consider the protagonists weak and themselves strong, and how that plays into Harrow’s thesis of “these moments of purest strength appear as weakness to those who don’t know better”, inverting it, so that the ways that the shows antagonists think they are proving themselves strong are in fact proving the opposite

[requiem-rose]

So! Thoughts on season 6 (this will be out of order): 

Re: Rayla’s family: the fact Rayla could save two people but knew her mom and dad would rather pass on together than be without each other is both *chef’s kiss* and T.T Plus out of the three elves trapped, the one who was saved was the one who ‘deserves’ it the least…*double chef’s kiss* 

Claudia was so close to changing her ways, it was painful to watch. 

Glad Callum told Rayla about using dark magic again before they got back together. And Rayla is more concerned about how using it hurts him rather than it being the wrong thing to do <3 

Kosmo being able to see possible paths the future can take! That’s kinda linked to my whole ‘multiple realities’ theory! I’ll take it! Also, on that note, Kosmo, buddy, I get not telling Callum the truth before having him all fixed up, but after???? THAT’S KINDA CRUCIAL INFORMATION TO KEEP TO YOURSELF. 

CALLUM’S BIRTH FATHER LORE! A poet named Damian who was chronically ill but in Sarai’s words ‘the strongest man she ever knew.” 

Viren didn’t have to trap K’ppar in a coin to get the staff and save Soren, he only did it after K’ppar threatened his position as High Mage…

No offense, Lissa, but the spell wasn’t actually so horrific (not as horrific as I thought it was gonna be, anyway) If all he needed was your tears, why not just give them? I mean, I suppose she thought with what Viren looked like he did something truly vile and she didn’t want to be complicit, but…

Viren physically manhandled Lissa! And then she left! Can’t blame her, but WHY NOT TAKE YOUR CHILDREN WITH YOU?

I knew Viren blamed Soren for Lissa leaving. Jackass.

Feel like Callum and Rayla won’t be able to keep their promises to each other: Callum won’t be able to choose the ‘greater good’ over Rayla, and Rayla won’t be able to kill Callum if he ends up corrupted—which, let’s be real, he’s going to end up getting corrupted. They wouldn’t have Kosmo drop that warning if it wasn’t going to become relevant later on. 

Rayla is Callum’s deepest truth! Awwwwwww. Interesting how she is both the reason he started ‘walking the path of darkness’ and the reason he was able to get off of it (for now)! Which leads me to hope that if/when Callum becomes corrupted in S7, Rayla will be the one to save him. 

KATOLIS WAS DESTROYED! NOW THAT IS TRULY AN EXAMPLE OF A STORY’S DARKEST HOUR. 

Haha, Sol Regem abandoning his followers was NOT a surprise. Him aiming his ire at Katolis was, though. Was there something he had against that kingdom specifically or was that just the closest human kingdom he could get to before he succumbed to his injuries? 

The prejudice towards humans really irks me. From Karim to Sol Regem to the Startouch elves themselves…

Rayla and Sarai parallel with the behemoth and magma titan!

Rayla singing! RAYLA SINGING! 

Now we know what put Aaravos on his path to villainy but we still don’t know what his endgame is. Like, we get why he wanted Sol Regem to suffer, and why he hates his fellow Startouch Elves, but what does he hope to accomplish? 

Poor Leola…She was just a child and they sentenced her to death. And the way she died was just brutal. And for what? Because she helped out humanity? HOW DOES HUMANITY HAVING MAGIC CREATE CHAOS?  

Leola wasn’t an actual unicorn! It was just a nickname from her father cause of her horn! 

Aaravos truly does not give a shit about the collateral damage his revenge has. 

AARAVOS IS HUGE. Not surprising, in all honesty, but wow. 

The Merciful One wasn’t so merciful after all! Eh, kind of expected that. 

Claudia freed Aaravos! So…how is Callum going to play right into Aaravos’ hands, then? Is he part of Aaravos’ actual plans for the world, and not just for getting out of his prison? 

Season 7 cannot come quickly enough. I need answers, I need resolution, and I need them now! 

Viren cut out his own heart rather than take Soren’s. Good.

[17mujipens]

the dragon prince season 5 live thoughts:

the way Rayla constantly has the weight of the world and her parents and her personal relationship and then the world again on her shoulders is insane

Terry is bf goals, he really saw his girl having a meltdown and was like here are some nice textures. autism wins again

Callum really was like ‘my girl can commit any crime she wants :)’

that little bug elf person is so scary for no reason

loooove the dragon designs. like every time we see a dragon i’m fascinated

im so glad that in-universe people understand that Ezran is just a kid. like its heartbreaking but i’m glad it is discussed

side note but Corvus and Soren are def fucking and Corvus is not proud of it

i love how everyone is experiencing trauma and Rayla and Callum are in some second chance romance fluffy story

THEYRE SO CUTEEEE

VIREN mindscape

that scene between King Harrow and Viren genuinely has me hyperventilating

oh Harrow is that bird for sure for sure

oh to have a partner as dedicated to your success as Terry….

baby Soren is such a sweetie!!!!! im gonna cry

oh even more beautiful dragons

i totally forgot that Aarovos whispered something to the previous queen and now that intrigue is back

i feel like i gotta stop saying something every time Terry does/says something incredibly sweet because we’ll be here for so long

they keep reiterating how important family is to Viren and i mean it’s not a necessarily new characteristic but it’s more intense now. like the way morality doesn’t exist when it concerns them. before it was all for power and now its all for them and it doesn’t matter that Soren is on the ‘enemy’ side so it has me thinking that something is going to happen to one of his children that will. result in either Viren’s self sacrifice or his betrayal of Aarovos

Amaya and Janai are so so real

OMG baby Claudia!

Callum and Rayla’s frustration over being forbidden from going to Lux Area is hilarious, especially how Callum gave a freaking illustration shdjjdbdb

Aunt Amaya is a real one

oh i just knooow Karim’s storyline is going to be so so messy

also this made me think. like what the fuck do you even do after you get banished. like where do you go

Claudia and Viren sinking and saving each other is mirrored is just muah delicious

Soren running away terrified Viren but Claudia turning out just like him is scaring him even more

Claudia is my wet cat pathetic but also op character

some eye of sauron shit in Lux Aurea

the nerd elf is so cute and way too innocent for all this bullshit

Aunt Amaya is a real one pt. 2

omg. didn’t i say Karim’s story is going to be insane

i feel like Amaya’s monologue about love is going to be so heartbreaking in a few episodes

i’m usually a throwback montage hater but this one is so cute and sweet and it really highlights just how much they’ve grown and how far these two have come

Stella is a little kleptomaniac. sweetie.

Karim is constantly misunderstanding things because of his own biases. like how he thought the Janai wouldn’t fight because he came to the conclusion that the throne doesn’t matter to her because she didn’t lead like he wanted her to. and now he thinks that what Sol Regem needs is sight when what he actually needs is hope

the ‘i would do anything for you’ is sounding scary in the context of we just heard that that’s what started Viren’s descend into darkness

the library fight sequence is great, always fun to see their different fighting styles and how the cooperate

but it also gave me so much anxiety because Amaya is exactly the character that’s important and beloved enough that the writers might decide to make her infected so we all suffer

Dragon Queen to the rescue!!! oh how powerful dragons are…

why are u always leaving Bait behind :( he’s just a baby :(

NO I SPOKE TOO SOON!!! AMAYAAA

AND CORVUS TOO??????? agony and pain in Xadia

oh and i totally forgot about the Queen herself!!!!

oh Viren’s brain is doing a full reset

EZRAN YOU SWEETHEART <33333

i’m obsessed with Tina already. her design and her grumpy old woman attitude

oh Terry and Claudia you will always be famous to me

Akiyu and Lujanne would be besties

‘ when your mind is telling you to speak, instead you must listen’ LMAO

i know this Bloodhuntress is evil, they even say this out loud but… she’s kinda hot, yeah?

im really hoping that they find some way to cure the dragon queen. we don’t need to preteen kings

that boat set up is terrifying. and way too similar to Charon to be comfortable

bright hope cove…or scumport

this made me realise how much i just need at least a short story or something on Rayla years alone

this is such a fun setting. i have a soft spot for these types of towns in stories

i NEED the reaction pic someone already should have made of Ezran and Bait after Finnegran announced the ship’s price

omg pirate return!!

Claudia my girl who is worse <3

baby glow toads are 80% eye and 20% body lol

oh another return appearance!! i hope Nyx’ll bring some interpersonal drama

yeah, and she’s already pushing Callum’s buttons lol

damn, Soren is strong as hell, swimming in armour

oof i think she shouldn’t trust Miyana, wasn’t she Karim’s lover?

now that i see the Bloodhuntress in daylight, i have to say im not a fan of her colour scheme BUT powers are so cool visually, this whole fight sequence is amazing

Callum is just so powerful… i feel like we forget it sometimes but he is the first human mage to use any primal magic and the scale of the spells he’s using here is just insane

ITS A FUCKING HERMIT CRAB?????

oh god seeing Anaya in pain and despair is somehow worse than anyone else. and seeing her grief turn into anger muah chefs kiss

why is this y-7 show giving me anxiety. i literally started watching this to relax and think about interesting fantasy concepts what’s all this!!

oh shit this intro has Callum in it. shits about to hit the fan

i feel like that sea shanty has to have some deeper meaning. i hope it’s not that they’re going to drown our heroes

WHY IS THERE TORTURE IN HERE!!!!

don’t get me wrong i’m a tragedy enjoyer, i should know that by now but holy shit i just wasn’t emotionally prepared for all this

Soren, himbo of all time

Finnergrin is a great character to contrast our heroes actually and push them over

HES FREEZING HER BLOOD

oh Callum :( i love those moments where his anger boils over but i also love how they show how that scares him

Finnegrin is putting Rayla in mortal danger…i HOPE Callum goes feral

oh yeah this is some serious levelling up!!! Go Callum!!!

Soren, sweetheart :( he really saw this wood man get treated like trash, recognised it and at great personal cost helped him free himself :) using his daddy issues for the greater good

oh wow that greater good is apparently killing! slay

i feel like i gotta say something about Callum using dark magic to free himself but god that’s just plain heavy

oh Zubeia is still grieving and she’s just going on for her kid :(((

it’s day 30, damon what a way to up the already high stakes

Ezran was so sure that the prison being underwater would stump them but they figured it out so quick

my one thing is, this is open sea, if they’re even approximately at the same place, shouldn’t they have seen each other?

Aaravos really says every single sentence like it’s some dirty talk. like bro is saying something about borrowing consciousness or whatever with the same voice u usually hear say some shit like ‘oh you like that?’

finally Claudia and Callum and Ezran meeting! the way she truly believes that the ends justify the means and that all that dark magic hasn’t had its affect on her… wow

OUR CHILD? this whole monologue has me in hysterics

also because like…if he didn’t say anything, and was just like ‘kill this homunculus and your life will be restored’ Viren probably would have done it

i fear that ultimately, Viren will be too little too late for Claudia. because while he turned into who he is while an adult, Claudia was raised to be like this. so if he tries to change her, it’d be a betrayal to her

yeah, see Claudia is even more extreme than her father. because she has nothing else besides him, there is not status or prestige, or brother, or anyone else. it’s just her and him

fucking hell, i KNEW Miyana wasn’t to be trusted!

i think Karim will have a devastating win in s6, but it’ll be short lived, because like i said before he lacks critical thinking

what the hell is this mushroom mage and how soon can he help us retake Lux Aurea

what the fuck did he mean by ‘swallow’

Claudia is literally destroying herself in her quest. like we know that dark magic is detrimental to not only your physical but also your mental health, like we saw with Viren, and Claudia’s hair, but now literally her leg is gone. how far will she go?

side note: i think that because Viren reset, that’s why all his mentality and soul came back and that’s why his morals are so much stronger than we ever saw them?

OH THATS JUST A CRAZY INSANE CRUEL PLACE TO FINISH THE SEASON WOW

[classydreamlandalpaca]

Dragon Prince Season 5 Review Part 1

So I decided I would post my review of Season 5. I'm going to go more in-depth about the first four episodes in this post and post about the later 5 in another post. Overall I thought season 5 was great and is probably the best season of The Dragon Prince so far. Two episodes in particular I thought were amazing and deserve a spot on the top 10 best episodes of the whole series.

So I decided to split it this way because this season had two main story A plotlines. The first is Callum and Rayla going to the Bookery to find more information on how to defeat Aaravos. I thought the first few episodes did a really good job building up to what was going to happen in episode 4. I was actually really surprised by that corrupted banther attack in episode 2. Now I saw the banther in a trailer and I read Karim's short story. However, did I expect to actually see the banther eat Callum's horse and see blood flowing out of its mouth? No, I did not.

Episode 4 was one of those episodes I discussed earlier that I thought deserved a spot on the top 10 list. I was on the edge of my seat for this episode. I think a big part of this was that there were a lot of reoccurring characters in this episode so it genuinely felt like a character I like could potentially be killed off or be corrupted until the end of the show at least. I thought this was going to happen to Amaya and Corvus. Then Zubeia got bitten by one of the corrupted banthers. This episode was intense.

In the first four episodes, we also saw some character development. Mainly we saw Callum and Rayla learning to trust each other again. This resulted in a lot of Rayllum fluff and I loved it. This lead to Rayla telling Callum about her parents being trapped in the coins and Callum being super eager to help her get them out. I was really glad that they have a plan to get them out now and look forward to seeing what happens with that.

Now let's look at the subplots. I really loved Viren's dream sequences. I thought they did a really good of making you feel bad for Viren while making it clear that he's at fault for what happened to him. The saddest part for me was baby Soren running away from him in fear and Viren pleading with him to come back. It really made it clear that Viren loves Soren and really misses him. At the same time though it acknowledges that Soren made the right call by getting away from him. I also liked how the dreams showed that Viren put Claudia on a dark path and that she is probably going to end up worse than Viren. Give me evil Claudia.

We also start off with Karim's subplot. This subplot was cool because we saw Sol Regim again. We also learn that Karim wants to use the sunseed to cure Sol Regim's eyes. Now on the one hand it would be cool to see Sol Regim at full power again. Sol Regim in my opinion is the most intimidating of the arch dragons. His design and voice are perfect for his character. However, this would be really bad for pretty much everyone. Sol Regim would probably kill Zubeia and Zim and then after that, he would probably try to wipe out all the humans.

We didn't see too much of Ezran these first four episodes, but that makes sense. His main goal in the first four episodes was to talk to different dragons for help and he had Zubeia to fly him around and protect him. So not a lot happened with Ezran in the first four episodes, but most of the scenes he was in were pretty cool and had some cool looking dragons. If I had to complain about something regarding the first four episodes it's that Ezran has limited screen time.

So the first four episodes were a great start to a great season. As I said before I will be making another post that goes more in-depth for the last five episodes of season 5

[imminent-danger-came]

Here’s a jumbled mess of my thoughts and questions after watching season 4

This is a long list buckle in:

When Callum asked Rayla to kill him. Oh. Oh god.

Nothing was resolved this season. We're so fucked for season 5. Like, this is very much the season 1 of arc 2. Season 2 fulfilled a lot of what season 1 set up in arc 1, and I think season 4 is the same.

Why was Rayla acting so strange all season? Like there is so much there to suggest she’s not herself.

What's with the weird butterfly guy, like yeah he lead Claudia and the gang to the map but there's going to be more there.

Callum possession.

No really the Callum possession was the worst (affectionate) part of the whole season I’m still freaking out

We never got a Rayllum I love you. Next season’s gonna hurt!

Stella is a fucking weirdo I still do NOT trust her. (Thanks for saving bait and Rayla’s fake rock parents though.)

 How did terry and Claudia meet. Very excited to get an explanation if that’s in the cards!

Gonna go on a big rant about our 3 human mages

*Ahem.* VIREN AND CLAUDIA NEVER SAW CALLUM DO MAGIC WITH THE SKY ARCANUM. AUGH. I’M WAITING FOR IT TO HAPPEN. THE “Callum mastered the Sky Arcanum” reveal for those two is going to be SO FUCKING CRAZY

THEY SET SO MUCH SHIT UP FOR A CLAUDIA AND CALLUM CONFRONTATION NEXT SEASON. I'M SO SCARED. Like she's the one who keeps going on about Humanity having nothing and Elves and Dragons considering them to be filthy animals, BUT THAT'S NOT TRUE. Also the way she looked at his sleeping form. The “Not anymore.” at them being friends. Lol. We’re screwed guys.

Now that Callum and Rayla have reconciled I am fully confident he's gonna master the moon Arcanum next season, since those two things have been thematically connected. I'm screaming.

THE EPISODE 4 INTRO THOUGH.

LIKE EVERY INTRO AFTER THAT WAS A SCARY GAME OF “Is it going to be Viren, or will it be Callum?”

Fuck that cube

I CAN NOT BELIEVE CLAUDIA GAVE RAYLA THE COINS. LIKE. WOAH. WHAT. WHAT WHAT WHAT. CLAUDIA I HAD LOST ALL HOPE FOR YOU.

Viren, that dumb motherfucker. Can’t believe he has like, “a will to live” again UGH

Very interested to learn about the 7 Xadian cakes.

Every time they foreshadowed “Callum becoming Aaravos puppet” was wild man. I am not ready.

Speaking of, Callum really wasn’t okay with that all season lol. Again. He asked Rayla to kill him like WOW. “What if I’m on the path to darkness?” Buddy you should have destroyed the cube.

Or, maybe not. You’re gonna need to use it as leverage later probably.

Actually the fact that he was crying over the possession. Over Rayla? All of it?

So glad Soren is part of the Dragang.

Episodes 3 and 4 were FUCKING AMAZING HOLY SHIT.

Can not believe they stabbed both Ibis and Claudia on screen. Like really I shouldn’t have been surprised with the way season 3 was, but I think it was fair to be surprised at the blood spilling out of Ibis’ mouth.

THE COINS HAHA! Yay?

i DESPERATELY want to know why Rayla came back. Miss “I left because I love you and want to protect you against everything. I love you so much. We may never see each other again”. Like lol. There is more there. The Rayla I know would have crumpled from guilt the moment Callum was a little bit angry towards her. She has exactly ZERO self-worth. I am terrified of what those 2 years did to her.

The fact that she called searching for Viren “revenge” felt strange too. Especially after reading the “Dear Callum” short story.

Somehow, I trust Stella less than the weird star butterfly abomination. Like I really do not trust that cuddle monkey.

JANAYA THE WHOLE SEASON. I LOVE THEM.

Karim. Lol.

The way Soren screamed after seeing his father. God.

The Soren and Claudia reunion was kinda sweet. Fucked up. But the way Soren protected Claudia from falling hurt me.

Terry this season was a DELIGHT. I think a lot of his appeal for me comes from the fact that he’s Claudia’s partner. There’s something so wrong with him. And he’s also a dork. The dualism.

When the looking glass shattered. FUCKING SCARY DUDE

Really loved the world building on moon opals and other magic stones.

Buddy you should have destroyed the cube.

The drakewood was neat!

2 of the funniest jokes in the season were back to back and all happened in episode 7. The whole “speaking in the dark” bit. Zym putting a hand on a grieving Ezran’s shoulder. Comedy.

DOG ZYM DOG ZYM DOG ZYM

Is it okay for me to have a crush on a dragon.

Really Zubeia has the prettiest voice.

buddy you should have destroyed the cube.

Thank you Rayla for NOT choosing to go after Viren again. Don’t leave your boys. Callum needs you.

JANAYA PROPOSAL JANAYA PROPOSAL JANAYA PROPOSAL JANAYA PROPOSAL JANAYA PROPOSAL JANAYA PROPOSAL JANAYA PROPOSAL JANAYA PROPOSAL

Janai this season was so sweet.

Karim. Lol. Eat shit.

Rex Ignus was cooler than I thought he’d be. Still a fucking loser though lol

Callum did so many cool spells this season I’m so proud of him.

Buddy. You. Should. Have. Destroyed. The. Cube.

Terry’s magic form was SO NEAT.

I hope we get to met the water arch-dragon next. She looked SUPER pretty

I wonder what other pieces of Aaravos’ whereabouts the other arch-dragon’s have.

“I’m going to do something more human. I’m just going to stab him.” (Not word for word but you know the joke)

Queen Aditi was very pretty and I am excited to learn what happened to her

Also the Orphan Queen! What a gal! The Katolis custom of “only orphans may ascend to the thrown” makes a lot more sense now! Fuck whoever that other bitch was that was manipulated by aaravos.

Corvus playing the fucking cello. Like girl what? You’re a multi-classing ranger and bard?

The Soren and Zubeia dynamic was so fucking good. Please dragon smash boy SAY the good words now, they light the hearts of other people (those people being dragon queens)

I miss Corvus (And lowkey ship Sorvus)

Soren and his new friend dragon :)

TLDR; I love tdp

[raayllum]

Teasers Timeline

With the teasers we've gotten this week, I want to try and assemble them into some kind of timeline. Spoilers and speculation ahead!

First off, there's the ones we know are taking place during 6x01 Startouched thanks to con spoilers, such as shots of the prison with Callum, his nightmare featuring Aaravos, Rayllum on the castle battlements, group discussion, them departing for the Starscraper, and Ezran comforting Zym about Zubeia.

Claudia and Terry is also probably from 6x01 (maybe Claudia commiserating with a flashback if it's from later on in the season) due to the beach location and her having to take wet/bloody clothes off. We can even see that one pantleg is shorter than the other.

Now onto the rest, with episode titles as a slight guideline.

This shot with Corvus, Zym, and Soren is likely from 6x02 Love, War, and Mushrooms, given they went looking for Zubeia and Soren meets up with Corvus at the Sunfire camp.

I also wouldn't be surprised if the "Ezran at the castle" and Janaya is around here. If Viren is alive, he could be showing up in Katolis (or Claudia is there to find the fake prison) and Janaya is preparing for war now that Sol Regem has the sun seed. Likewise, this is one of two places I could see the screencap of the Viren and Kpp'Ar flashback being; Viren may be heading back to try to free Kpp'Ar (and may do so with the staf?? If Rayllum didn't take his coin) and thereby reflecting on their past.

Then we get Rayla and Callum on the burning ship in 6x03 Frozen Ship. There's less fire when they're first there together and Callum needs to get his staff back, and significantly more fire when Rayla is there on her own despite being near the same hole in the roof and Callum not being in frame anymore.

Then they head to the Starscraper (and potentially face the big scary dragon along the way, though that could be a trial for 6x05 as well).

Rayla's line about "The fate of the entire world is at stake," her expression, as well as Stella's (almost angry?) expression makes me think she's trying to reason with Callum > telling the celestial elves what's going on, but it really could be either.

Big dragon could also be the trial or thing they're flying off too as well, after the infamous Chin Touch (and possible smooch) given that the clouds from what may be their room seems to match what we see in the background.

If the dragon adventure with Luna Tenebris' unsuitable heir is on the way to the Starscraper, I'd guess it'll have something to do with the moonstone collar its wearing (perhaps an enchantment that cloaks the starscraper from outside viewers?). If it's after, then I have no clue WHY beyond the celestial elves going "you gotta".

At the same time, Karim and Janai are preparing for war. The search for Zubeia must've been either successful or they had to give up and switch gears, as Ezran has 1) left Katolis to be here and 2) reunited with Corvus and with Zym, only to be captured and need rescuing from his favourite dragon pal (Zym's covering them, but it also seems Ez and Corvus showed up on horses so.. parlay gone wrong?)

The amount of Sol Regem regalia on their outfits and Karim's tent makes me think he's already used the sun seed to heal / ally with Sol Regem, or that he's very very close to doing so.

I do think he ultimately goes through with it, though, given that the next time we see Sol Regem, his eyes aren't healed but his wings are 100% patched up and Pharos is seemingly riding him into battle, with Janai and Amaya leading their ground assault.

Amaya still has her crown, and Aanya might show up to help -- the cliffs match the ones she's landing on -- at Ezran's behest, but it's probably not enough.

If she loses but lives, that could be why we see her almost in mourning at the sun seed tree

And I think that's it for now! More speculation and teasers to follow soon I'm sure

[raayllum]

decided i’d toss my own “tdp soundtrack title predictions” hat into the ring, given that i haven’t gotten to one of these since S3 aired, and damn the nostalgia

full track list here with S4 seemingly being from 1-28, and S5 from 29-62. also not going to be talking about every track as some (“rescue at the great bookery” and “threate in the forest” for ex) seem pretty self explanatory, and with that all out of the way, let’s get into it

31. I Haven’t Forgotten (3:41) — Could easily see this being an early Viren and/or Aaravos focused scene, as Aaravos holding a grudge kinda necessitates having a good ass memory - maybe even something that relates to Zubeia as well, since she’s ancient in her own way and is clearly gonna have her own role to play this season.

32. Seeking Answers (3:05) — Likely in 5x01 with the group returning to Katolis, perhaps centred on Callum and Rayla individually well, seeking answers. For Rayla, this could mean looking into the dungeons about her family and finding Runaan’s bow. We also get Rayla’s voice over (and clip) that appears to be her in Ezran’s old room in the S5 trailer asking “How do we kill a Startouch elf?” so that and/or answers about Aaravos’ prison may be what they go to Lux Aurea to, well, seek. 

34. My Most Eager Student (4:58) — First Viren and Kpp’Ar conversation (which the implication he had more than one student if that’s the case?? Fascinating) perhaps, or Aaravos reflecting on Claudia, as it seems she will fully be stepping into her own as Aaravos’ protege this season

35. Keep Moving (3:01) — Terry and Claudia, since Viren won’t wake up, realizing that they can’t wait any longer and have to start moving. Maybe end of 5x01 or 5x02?

39. In Your Dreams (1:55) — Callum and/or Viren and/or Zubeia having dreams/nightmares regarding their respective fears?

40. A Familiar Warning (2:04) — Karim and Sol Regem, maybe, beginning to barter, or a warning from Kpp’Ar that Viren disregarded, cutting to the present day with Terry giving the same one to Claudia that she likewise ignores?

42. Stay Safe (2:17) — Some sort of temporary farewell between Amaya and Janai (splitting up library things?) or Claudia and Terry (leading to her getting attacked by the water dragon?) or Ezran (+ Zym) briefly splitting up from his crownguard 

43. Father and Daughter (1:37) — Claudia and Viren most likely, maybe one of the flashbacks to when Soren was sick and how Claudia was introduced to dark magic as a Fix it solution. “I love you Daddy” out of context spoiler?

44. Like Aunt, Like Nephew (2:46) — A conversation between Amaya and Callum or Janai and Rayla about Amaya and Callum, probably. Could be either their good, protective natures, their hair, or their tendency to make some dark humoured off colour jokes

45. We Can Help Them (2:26) — Rayla telling Callum about the coins, and him offering to help and/or Karim being determined that he can still reverse the corrupted core and save the zombiefied elves. If we do get a flashback to Aaravos’ younger years, I could also see him having this viewpoint about humanity (however ‘true’ it is).

50. Times Are Changing (2:21) — Relations between humans and elves in New Aurea / human-dragon Zubeia and Ezran related stuff? This could also be closer to when the Dragang reunite and put the pieces together. Callum and Rayla with whatever they learned about (murdering?) Startouch elves and Ezran with what was gleaned from Evenere (probably the location of Aaravos’ prison, if Callum & co. can decipher the riddle/poem verses)

51. Blood Moon Rises (1:30) — Karim bartering with Kim’Dael, or her showing up of her own accord. Currently leaning toward Rayla and Kim’Dael perhaps not running into each other this season, but if Amaya and Janai bear witness/survive her villainy, Rayla would surely remember and be able to piece it together based on description, leading to a confrontation later

52. If You Kill Me Now (1:59) — Aaravos versus Archdragon confrontations / Viren demanding answers from Aaravos / Kim’Dael and Karim? Janai? / Callum and Rayla possession conversation callback. Either way, delicious, and speaks to the prevalence of murder in this damn children’s show

53. The Wounded Return (2:13) — A failed attempt to take back the corrupted core in Lux Aurea? Or speaks to the idea of “a festering wound” (out of context spoiler). If the kids have had their pirate escapade, this could also be related to the injuries we see Callum sustain in the trailer, which would make sense if anyone else had been hurt as well (hence, plural wounded) 

54. To Kill an Archdragon (3:03) — Lore on Luna Tenebris’ death (or something we don’t know about Avizandum’s) or a threat on Zubeia’s life. If Sol Regem has been corrupted by the corrupted core or is just threatening Janai’s reign, figuring out how to stop him will also be crucial 

55. Not Yours to Give (4:50) — Been wondering if Karim would even be able to free Kim’Dael, since he’s not the proper heir, and Aditi herself said that the magic was a kind “that takes”. This could also be an Aaravos related flashback since he ‘gave’ humanity something they ‘shouldn’t have’ — whether it was related to primal magic alongside the unicorns, or was the discovery / inclination towards dark magic, we’ll have to see. Could be Viren curing Soren and/or Callum ‘giving’ the Moon fam freedom (but again, have to see). Looking at the “gift giving” motif real meaningfully

56. Deadwood Deserves Dignity (3:03) — If a pirate dies or an according ship is ruined? ‘Deadwood’ isn’t a place in Xadia and sounds like a very pirate-y, seafaring moniker to me

62. Tomorrow the Sun Will Rise (3:07) — So I’ve said before that nothing good ever really happens at dawn/sunrise in this show (Sarai and the queens of Duren dying, Callum’s possession, etc) and I don’t think this is an exception. Karim cites that “This empire is ending, that the rising sun is now a falling star!” so if he’s taken over the kingdom by this point, his tendency to metaphoric language would make sense. A rising sun is also mentioned in Aaravos’ short story, Ripples, following a world changing transformation: “The humans huddled together, scarcely daring to breathe, awaiting the rise of the sun. And when the long, dark night had finally passed—for the sun must always rise, mustn’t it?—they gazed out upon an unfamiliar landscape.” Which also bodes well for predictions that Aaravos will be fully released by the end of S5 as well. 

[raayllum]

@kradogsrats Yeah, I think you're right! I definitely feel like they have to break apart, and Miyana walking way / possibly providing a wakeup call for him would more than do the trick. Because while Miyana asserts that her loyalty and love for Karim are synonyms... they are both ultimately too politically minded, and mutual in that regard, to actually put their position first. If they cared about getting to live out in the open (which could recontextualize Karim telling Janai to likewise not make her relationship official through marriage either) then Miyana could resign from her position at any time, but that's clearly not something either of them are concerned about. Like she loves him, she would do anything for him, she's loyal to him, but being with him is not ultimately more important to her - to either of them - than their own values and own political aims (which are currently aligned). If those tip out of favour with each other, she's gone

And if Miyana's tipping point is the army she's responsible for - the people who trust(ed) her to lead them - being corrupted by dark magic / Pharos, that would line up pretty damn well with Soren's defection as well

(Honestly, Miyana opens up a question of how much Viren loved Harrow being vastly different from how loyal Viren was to Harrow as like, a dichotomy, but meta for another day, perhaps)

like on the one hand miyana dying would be a pretty fitting punishment for karim as the consequences start to catch up to him and he loses everything even more than he already has, but on the one hand i love her and her cringefail man and i want good things for her smart politically savvy ass

[raayllum]

Anyway official / unofficial list of S4 predictions because I’m feeling particularly unhinged but also like “Oh yeah, it’s all coming together” so

Karim is a traditionalist who will disapprove of having a human queen. He’ll call a gathering of the Six Horns and lead a rival campaign for the throne, but he also doesn’t want anything bad to happen to his sister, someone gets injured and possibly healed with Light mode (healing version of Heat mode) and the two siblings reconcile. 

Upon reaching Katolis, Zym and Zubeia will notify Ezran that not all dragons are particularly pleased in the peace established with Katolis / the tentative Pentarchy, particularly Sol Regem (who Karim and some Sunfire elves may be rallying around). Ezran and Zym (+ Soren as bodyguard and maybe Corvus) seek out Rex Igneous either for sway or for information - or for sway and then stumble across some information, possibly related to Aaravos. 

Viren (and possibly Terry) will begin to doubt Aaravos’ plans and motives outright. Claudia charges on at full speed after all the time/energy she’s poured into this, desperate to save her father, while Viren begins to question if he should be saved, re-evaluating his old fallen goals and that Aaravos may be something they should keep contained, rather than unleash on the world (after all, before hand Aaravos was ‘prioritizing’ all of Viren’s goals). 

While Viren and Callum will parallel each other greatly, and they will all mingle together, Viren and Rayla’s mirrored arc will be about doubt, and Callum and Claudia’s will be about determination. This will culminate in Callum, Rayla, and Viren all ‘failing’ to a degree (even if Rayla and Callum successfully reunite/protect each other) while Claudia and Aaravos succeed. Moreover, it further ties Viren&Rayla as being “already dead” while Callum&Claudia are determined to keep them alive, for better or for worse. It will also tether Viren and Callum in opposition, where Viren starts to fear for protecting the world / Claudia from Aaravos, whereas Callum will put the world at risk for Rayla’s life.

Cube hostage exchange theory. Shouldn’t have to be said at this point with the amount of foreshadowing, structural patterns, and other narrative graces, but still not a surefire thing (of course). However, slots in nicely with all the other developments.

Janai, Karim, Rayla, Ezran, Callum, and Claudia all contributing to unravelling the Mystery of Aaravos. For Janai and Karim, they want to know how their sister and grandmother actually died. For Ezran, it could be Zubeia (as Avizandum imprisoned Aaravos in the first place) and Rex Igneous. For Rayla, Aaravos may be known by a moniker, as Runaan absolutely and her parents seemingly knew exactly what the mirror was. For Claudia and Callum, they will likely get the chance to converse with Aaravos most directly; for Claudia, it may be Aaravos’ future plans, and for Callum, we may get pieces of the more sympathetic parts of his backstory. 

[raayllum]

Was going through more of the out of context spoilers from SDCC 2021 now that we have more, well, context for them, and to see if any of my predictions had changed. And a few have or have been created, so let’s talk about it!

This is the first prediction that’s changed. Previously I thought it might relate to Ezran’s birthday (therefore almost a year timeskip minimum if not more) but there is a reason I don’t think it relates to Callum’s birthday, either. For starters, Ezran mentions Callum’s cake later in 4x01, like he hasn’t seen it, and his special birthday treat is just one. Therefore I am hoping (praying) this is something sweet for Rayla and Callum once they are reunited and safe, since the 30-day time frame for Aaravos’ release also has Rayla’s birthday in it, since she’s two weeks after Callum’s.

Or I could see this being something cute, like Janai and Amaya’s wedding or them having to pick between different cakes as part of the planning (before family stuff with Karim inevitably goes to shit).

Thinking this will be one of Terry’s friends or related to him for sure, perhaps an old wise Earthblood elf who’s pretty recluse but very knowledgeable with something Claudia needed to revive Viren, or something she needs to help get Aaravos out. Speaking of Terry:

I think the crystal vs gem lecture is him too! Him rambling and giving a very earnest informative lesson to a very done Viren cracks me up, and he is an Earthblood elf who seems to lean more towards the mineral > nature side of his arcanum, anyway. So goodbye Callum being given this lecture, and hello Terry being the one to give it!

Is a scene before Ezran and Zym’s promo art poster comes to fruition with them seeing Rex Igneous. This is not what Bait signed up for! Would also explain why we don’t see Ezran in the poster itself, if he’s strapped to Ezran almost like a baby carrier, or maybe even as very safe, initial bait for Rex Igneous to stir in the first place. 

My predictions for this spoiler concerning Corvus is basically the same (presumably with the Janai&Karim arc, maybe even at Janaya’s wedding) but before we weren’t sure if Corvus had stayed with Ezran or with Amaya. Now that we know he’s one of Ezran’s two (2) specific bodyguards, it means Ezran is around whenever this is happening, adding fire to my “Ezran and the dragons have to help Janai and Amaya settle some political unrest” scrap pile.

At first glance I had no clue, as it sounded like someone searching for something or rummaging through but being very bored, seemingly, at what they were finding. And I could be totally off base, of course, but it sounds like a travel bag: sticks for firewood, hat for cold (or hiding horns), and knives... like swords. Blades. Which is to say: this may be Claudia going through Rayla’s belongings and leaving whatever she doesn’t think is valuable behind, leading to this infamous screencap: 

That is all