#the dragon prince: mystery of aaravos

[mandaloriandragontrainer]

If you told me that Rayla would be bound and gagged by pirates (after being tortured in front of Callum, who decked her tormenter square in the nose for it) and lowered into the ocean to be ripped apart by sea monsters, only for a desperate Callum to break free of his own restraints with dark magic, then save her life and connect to the ocean arcanum out of his love for her, I’d say that came from a self-indulgent fanfic I’d never publish and not an actual scene in the show.

#the dragon prince #the dragon prince: mystery of aaravos #callum #rayla #rayllum #tdp spoilers #mando ramblo

[thorne-antics]

Thinking about how this

Turned into this

Man

Just look at how far they've come

#the dragon prince #tdp #the dragon prince season 5 #tdp season 5 #the dragon prince: mystery of aaravos #the dragon prince callum #tdp callum #the dragon prince rayla #tdp rayla #rayllum #rayllum my beloved #snake boi callum

[becausedragonsarecool7]

The Dragon Prince really out here avoiding the bury your gays/POC trope by making it look like they'll bury them and then locking them inside a book drop instead

#the dragon prince #tdp #tdp season 5 spoilers #tdp season 5 #tdp s5 #tdp s5 spoilers #tdp spoilers #the dragon prince: mystery of aaravos #mystery of aaravos #tdp the great bookery #the great bookery #tdp s5e4 #tdp s5 e4 #tdp season 5 episode 4 #the dragon prince s5 #the dragon prince season 5 #tdp amaya #tdp corvus #book 5 ocean #tdp 5x04

[ccieatchildren]

OKAY BUT THE CALLUM WHUMP IN THE DRAGON PRINCE SEASON 5!!!

Specifically S5 E8.

First, just him being locked away in the captain’s cabin, isolated and tortured by Finnegrin for the dark magic info.

And him absolutely refusing to reveal anything right now, laughing at Finnegrin for what he sees as a hypocritical thought process, because it would go against his morals and he doesn’t want to give Finnegrin the ability to kill Domina Profundis.

Finnegrin taunting him about his dark magic usage, typical villain spiel of asking if Callum has never thought about it or wanted/needed to use it. Learning that Callum has studied it extensively (and though Callum points out that he has also studied the other types, his curiosity always seems to get the better of him) and has once used it, to save his friends. Finnegrin taking this information in and twisting it on the boy. The defeated way Callum gets pushed out by Finnegrin, seeing all his friends chained up and having to make a “decision” for Finnegrin.

Finnegrin forcing Callum to choose one of his friends' hand to cut off. Not being able to choose anyone, and the gang standing up for each other, offering their own hands. Preaching the love and friendship deal, only to peeve off Finnegrin even more, who tries to goad Callum into using dark magic once again. You can see the way he actually thinks about it, the guilt in his eyes but also the determination to save his friends. Only for Rayla to escape, making sure to take any option for dark magic out of Callum's hands. I believe if Rayla hadn't intervened, Callum would've eventually gone through with it, as the main thing holding him back was said guilt and own mental blockage. Finnegrin then freezing Rayla's blood, putting her in excruciating pain, and Callum, doing a full 180, goes batshite over Rayla being tortured, decking Finnegrin full force in the face. He is calm when faced with his own pain, but when someone he loves is hurt, especially due to his inability to do anything, he immediately loses his temper.

However, this small win ends them back up at square one, with Callum tied up and at the captain's mercy. When Finnegrin tells him that he's gonna feed Rayla to the leviathan, and Callum can't do anything, he immediately gives up the info, thinking that would save her. Only for Finnegrin to turn around and go "nuh-uh," completely destroying him.

He can't even save the person he loves. Callum may have primal magic (one or two of the arcanum depending on how you want to look at it), but he still can't do anything; he is completely useless in this moment. Realizing this, all hope drains out of him, and he does the only thing he can think of, spill the beans. He begins to break his principles by telling Finnegrin the dark magic spell (one of the darkest spells at that), in hopes of him releasing Rayla, only for it to backfire and be completely for nothing. Now, not only can he not save Rayla, but now Finnegrin can kill Domina Profundis. The guilt weighs even harder on him, he has essentially doomed everyone.

Then, Callum gets out, stands up to Finnegrin, using his own arcanum against him, gaining said arcanum at the same time (also, I just really love how he figured it out, using Finnegrin's words against him, and the idea behind the ocean arcanum is just very fun, I just really liked this moment), and save his homies.

So, everything turns out fine, right? Nope!

Callum had to use dark magic to get out, preforming the same snake chain spell he had before on his restraints. When he was all out of options, Callum always reverts back to what he knows, even if it might break his morals. And while this action is totally justifiable, as he basically had to, Callum doesn't really seem to see it that way. Despite knowing that there are parts of himself he can't understand, he still is riddled with grief over it. The deep pain and guilt on his face as he hugs Rayla, not telling her or anyone else what he had to do to get out, shows us that he believes he had committed a grave sin. In his eyes, he is just as bad as Viren and Claudia, and he is still dealing with the PTSD of being possessed by Aaravos, of having the chance to turn completely to the dark side. This paranoia and anxiety makes him keep everything to himself. He doesn't think they would understand or forgive him, and he doesn't think they should, as he doesn't really either.

The ocean arcanum also gives us a look into Callum. He states himself about how it is accepting the hidden depths in oneself, even if you may not truly understand it. Callum's ability and willingness to do dark magic at times is part of those deeper depths. He doesn't truly understand it yet, and may never will, but, like any other human, there are many paths for him to follow. I do not think he is truly evil, or what he has done is irredeemable, but I believe that Callum, like all of us, is neither truly good or bad, but chooses where he takes himself (we also see this with Viren throughout the season). He could become someone filled with light and kindness, a "do-gooder" if you will, which is what I believe he wants to be, but he could also lead himself down a much darker path if he isn't careful, placing himself among the ranks of Aaravos, Viren, and Finnegrin, or he could be someone who carefully struts the line in the middle. The point is that it is up to him. Though he has become in tune with the ocean arcanum and those "hidden depths," him not accurately understanding his potential for darkness could usher him into a much more disastrous existence. Hopefully linking with the ocean arcanum will allow him to slowly accept these parts of himself and find a true balance between dark and primal magic, whatever that balance may be.

(Also the implications of him being the one in the intro rather than Viren...)

All in all, this whole episode was just very whump (even in the B plot somewhat). Callum and Finnegrin were very much whumpee and whumper -coded and you can't convince me otherwise.

The emotions in this episode for the main gang were top-notch. Watching what each character did to try to help themselves and their friends, and seeing the physical and emotional consequences of their actions (whether positive or negative) was amazing. Not just with Callum, but also the others (Ezran instantly offering himself up again and again, practically begging; Rayla breaking herself out to try and save Callum, only to be quickly and severely subdued; and Soren continuously taking the hits to help Elmer find his own worth, saving the gang in the process), was very well done.

ABSOLUTELY SCRUMDIDDLYUMPTIOUS!

I hope we get more moments like this in future seasons.

#☡ #the dragon prince #the dragon prince: mystery of aaravos #callum #callum tdp #rayla #rayllum #whump #whumper #whumpee #finnegrin #tdp s5 #tdp spoilers #whumblr #does this make yall realize how much i love and have hyperfixated over this episode #my analysis #also loved the many rayllum moments in this ep #very nice

[magicandmundane]

YOUNG VIREN?!

#i’m pumped in case you can’t tell #the dragon prince #the dragon prince: mystery of aaravos #tdp season 5 #tdp spoilers #viren

[jennazed]

the whole "I chose the name Terrestrius" "It's a strong name" while heartwarming is super hilarious to me.

Viren is like "I may make no effort to hide the fact that I despise you for your race, but of course I support your trans identity, I'm not a fucking bigot"

#tdp #the dragon prince #viren #terry #mystery of aaravos #the dragon prince: mystery of aaravos

[1lovepeace]

There were so many amazing moments and scenes, as well as the relationships/dynamics we got to see developed more, that I really loved, admired and appreciated in S4. But one that I absolutely loved was seeing Soren and Rayla's newfound friendship. It was absolutely beautiful and heartwarming to see. Their dynamic is like brother/sister. It's amazing, beautiful and heartwarming to see:

#the dragon prince #the dragon prince: mystery of aaravos #tdp spoilers #tdp season 4 #rayla #soren #their friendship/dynamic is everything 💜 #brotp: we're in this together

[aimlacely-sapphic]

I think Terry is such an interesting character for the way he shows us how easily good morals can be evil without being compromised and the distinction between evil and cruelty.

He has very clear moral lines and sticks to them throughout the show. His belief is always that one must do everything to help those they care about. While many of us might object to the way these morals play out for him, specifically with being willing to use dark magic as an elf and being willing to kill Ibis (even if he feels horrible about it), the fact of the matter is those aren't moral lines very different from much of our main cast (especially Callum). And this is so important for setting up many of the hard choices the main characters will have to face in the next few seasons by showing us someone who can be so kind and loving and help plants grow can also be violent and dangerous without questioning the morality of their choices.

And it is also interesting because of what it means when he calls Claudia out for being cruel in taunting Rayla about the coins. Because Terry is an antagonist in the show, he manages to be "okay" with killing someone and yet he objects to Claudia taunting Rayla, a much more insignificant way of hurting someone. And that is because of Terry the question is not about if you are hurting someone but if you are helping someone else by doing so. Evil is when you hurt someone in order to achieve your aims. Cruelty is when you hurt someone for no reason.

#the dragon prince #the dragon prince: mystery of aaravos #tdp #tdp mini meta #terry tdp #morally ambiguous fam #but with very clear values #tdp s4

[mandaloriandragontrainer]

TDP managed to write such a compelling and believable romance in season 5–you could feel how much they loved each other—and they didn’t even have to kiss.

Rayllum really is such an amazing ship.

#now don’t get me wrong #I REALLY REALLY want to see them kiss #but I know it’s coming #all in due time #the dragon prince #the dragon prince: mystery of aaravos #callum #rayla #rayllum #tdp spoilers #mando ramblo

[thorne-antics]

BABY CALLUM APPRECIATION POST

(From TDP graphic novel #3, "Puzzle House")

#the dragon prince #tdp #the dragon prince callum #tdp callum #puzzle house #the dragon prince: mystery of aaravos #look at him hes so cute #my baby #i love him so much #he is so precious #i wanna hug him #must be protected #baby. baby boy

[thejosiebird]

Been thinking about the poem that Kazi and Callum found and how it describes the sword as “white as the star’s heart it pierced”. And if the fan theories are to be believed, and the star in the middle of Aaravos’s chest is his heart, it’s looking pretty dark these days.

I’m just saying, I get the feeling that at some point when Aaravos is free, the gang is gonna get their hands on the Nova Blade, get a clean shot at Aaravos…and it’s not going to work. He just does not strike me as the type of villain that can be defeated just by stabbing him and calling it a day.

#the dragon prince #tdp #aaravos #tdp theories #the dragon prince: mystery of aaravos

[manawari]

CAN SHE??? STAY AS A BABY FOREVER???

PLEASE?????

#my kleptomaniac sweet monkey child #i am not ready for her to grow pls 😭 #the dragon prince #tdp stella #stella #tdp callum #callum #tdp rayla #rayla #ezran #tdp ezran #the dragon prince season 4 #the dragon prince: mystery of aaravos #mystery of aaravos

[magicandmundane]

POOF

#he looks far too amused with himself #lmao #the dragon prince #the dragon prince: mystery of aaravos #tdp season 5 #tdp spoilers #aaravos

[dragonsfromthemoon]

Viren's and The Being's (Sir Sparklepuff) Wiki. Seriously, I'm laughing my ass off 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I'm still not over that Aaravos and Viren have a child.

#the dragon prince #the dragon prince: mystery of aaravos #the dragon prince spoilers

[star-touch-child]

I have a theory (or three) on the Secret to the Star Arcanum

So first off, I am an utter SLUT for Startouch lore. Obviously, look at the handle. But like, I'm currently in the works of a fic for a Startouch-descended character and even creating constellations and stories for them in the TDP world. Like, I'm down bad for them as I am for Rayllum (and trust that I'm down BAD).

The thought for the star arcanum's secret was, of course, a shower thought that I think really works:

Eternity is ever-changing, and that change is the only constant in this or any world.

I think about how the stars move constantly throughout the year and how the Startouch elves are essentially immortal gods looking down on mortals from the starry night sky. I think about how our favorite characters grow and change throughout the duration of TDP as a whole and how the world of TDP changes from the beginning of Book One to the end of Book Five thus far.

Everyone and everything is constantly changing and shifting, no matter how bad we wish it wouldn't or wish to go back to how life was before. Sure, you could say this kinda ties more with the ocean arcanum with how there are depths you just don't know and things you can't control - something that comes as a byproduct of constant change - but when you think about how the stars move throughout the year as the world turns round and the immortality of the Startouch elves that are still very much a mystery to us - and I feel especially with the show progressing, seeing our favorite characters grow and change along with the world they live in - it makes a lot of sense that that could be the secret to the stars - as well as a nice poetic way to wrap up the show or something.

Edit: However, upon actually looking at the wiki (because I tend to get ahead of myself lol) and further reflection, it could very well be tied into the recurring theme of destiny.

I look at what the stars are associated with according to the fandomwiki: vision, truth, intelligence, otherworldly, reality-altering, timelessness, mystery, destiny, and wishes. And I think about the constant recurring theme in Callum's arc about destiny

So perhaps the star arcanum can answer the question on destiny? Just a thought.

ALTHOUGH, I am also entertaining one final, possible secret: that there is none. It simply just is.

It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, I know, but the wiki also states that many have tried and agonized over the secret of the stars and could not find the words to truly describe it. And when you look once more at the associations to the stars - vision, truth, intelligence, otherworldly, reality-altering, timelessness, mystery, destiny, and wishes - it wouldn't be totally crazy for the secret the all-knowing First Elves were born with knowing is that there simply isn't a secret. That all that exists simply exists in the time and space in which it exists.

And I'm kinda leaning towards this theory now that I read it out loud.

#tdp #the dragon prince #tdp mystery of aaravos #the dragon prince: mystery of aaravos #mystery of aaravos #book six: stars #tdp season 6 #the dragon prince season 6 #book 6: stars #startouch elf #startouch elves #star arcanum #tdp theories #the dragon prince theories #tdp theoy #the dragon prince theory #rayllum #callum #rayla #tdp callum #tdp rayla #ezran #tdp ezran #viren #tdp viren #aaravos #tdp aaravos #the first elves #sorry this is long i have many thoughts #thanks for reading this hell of a ted talk

[violentcouchpotato]

When Soren said yip yip my soul left my body

#the dragon prince #the dragon prince: mystery of aaravos #the dragon prince s4 #soren #tdp soren #atla #appa #yip yip