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#bc that's the tag for structure

raayllum · 9 months

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Already touched on this scene regarding the differences to the brothers, so I'm not going to repeat myself too much here, but I am thinking about the like... Purpose of this scene from a narrative/characterization standpoint in line with that. Because like, think about it... This scene would hit so different, as a debate, if we didn't know how far along Claudia and co. were in their quest to free Aaravos; then we could lean one way or another operating with the exact same information the characters have.

But we the audience Know that Aaravos isn't out, which is the primary reason Callum gives regarding incentive to get the Nova Blade. Nor is this the first time that Callum has a perspective we know isn't necessarily, well, necessary because we know more than the characters do. So we're already inclined to be more on Ezran's side because we know his line of thinking - that Aaravos isn't out and it's worth trying to just stop his release - is worth following.

It is likewise worth noting though, that Callum thinks the Novablade plan is good whether Aaravos is out or not. While he brings up that Claudia and Viren might've already released the Startouch elf, when Callum initially proposes the plan (shown above) he says, "Then we wait for Aaravos to get out." Even though if Aaravos gets out, that would kind of put him in the best possible place to possess Callum again, given how it operated last time. Even though if Aaravos gets out, he'll be even more powerful and likely to do real harm and even harder to defeat.

All of which to say this scene has approximately three purposes

To reinforce the differences between the brothers and possible seeds of conflict for the future, in both Ezran's pacifism (possibly to set up contrast with his latter choices) as well as Callum's more pragmatic side

To reinforce, by giving Rayla the deciding vote and having her side with Ezran, that Callum's morality and inclinations is different than both his brother and his partner

And on that note, characterization wise, to start highlighting what Callum is willing to do and that he's always had this streak in him (cue both he and Viren watching dark magic corrupted enemies die by their own hand at the Storm Spire while Ezran and Harrow feel somewhat conflicted about it, at least) / can often be more solution oriented ("How does this solve anything?" from 1x02) and willing to take the path he perceives as easier/more efficient

Sarai: You said you want to make a difference, to build a better world. But that's going to take decades of hard work. There's no monster you can slay to solve all of your problems. There's no shortcut.

Some other interesting notes:

Shows the different in the trio's dynamic regarding decision making, since previously it had normally been Callum and Rayla having the final call with Ezran going along with it (2x03, 3x08). Now, the brothers discuss first with each other, highlighting that they've spent the last two years without her and that Ezran has become more assertive, but that they still fully include her in the decision and have it be one they made as a group, signifying their heightened unity upon reunion and healing, and the way they all trust/look to each other.

It also demonstrates growth from Rayla, as last time she thought there was a potential threat to the world, she went the more violent route in wanting to track Viren down (alone) and kill him. But now that she's come back and reintegrated herself into the group, she's taking the more level headed, preventative route in some ways.

#tdp meta #tdp #dragons liveblogs #5x05 #mini meta #analysis series #analysis #this isn't as coherent as i wanted it to be bc i'm Sleepy but here enjoy #the dragon prince #also final screencap please be foreshadowing do it for me #tdp broyals #the english major strikes again #bc that's the tag for structure

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solargeist · 3 months

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Oh oh if we're feeding Grian, I'd like to offer him a White Person Taco. (Don't want it to he too spicy for him!!!)

-Lunar (a white person who also can't handle spice)

omg right he's british he cannot handle spice ADJGKADJGK

i imagine Watchers can spawn food bc they know how it's made, like, every single component, i think if they offered him a taco he'd be genuinely impressed, like, its so much to remember.

he's also a bit iffy about the meat.

#ask #watchers r just advanced crafters #i enjoy spicy food but ive had white people tacos bc i avoid beef and pork #quick doodle bc im starting to die #i wonder if grian gets real weird abt food. he cant get it by himself. and even then its weird its spawned by magic #theyve already explained it to him. its as real as any apple you pick. its structured the same way. threaded. coded. whatever.#a taco is also funny bc i have been imagining him eating only minecraft food.#i forget in a story i can give him other food. why am i only giving him apples #doodle tag #evoau #my art #watcher mum always gives him sliced fruit to eat <3

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the-bi-fangirl-biatch · 10 months

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the finale haters are so BORING like cmon man. complain all you guys want about it, but me and the angst enjoyers here are gonna be LIVING because of how much delicious potential the next season has. and this is neil fucking gaiman we're talking about! their sets are still standing, their costumes bagged and tagged, and you don't think this man would work his ass of to give us a happy ending? the man who wants to make sure this is alllllll worthy for his friend's memory?? let the (serious and/or violent) stress go and have some faith!

#yall are planning to boycott the season just bc you dont understand the point of a 3-act structure?#do you guys not remember that this is the same man that wrote The Sandman? with THAT ending??#faith trust and pixie dust my guys #neil gaiman #terry pratchett #good omens season 2 #good omens 2 spoilers #good omens #good omens 2 #tag talk #michael sheen #david tennant and michael sheen #david tennant

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captainofthetidesbreath · 11 months

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thinking again about how Vandran's pact with Uk'otoa ended at the same time that Fjord's began, how they both were armed with the Sword of Fathoms, how easy it is to frame the pact and its boon as conceptually and emotionally passed from one to the other, how it is like an unwitting inheritance from someone like a father to someone like a son, how Fjord mimicked Vandran's voice and bearing for the entire time (but no longer than) he had this pact that forms a continuity between the two of them, how much Vandran wanted to guide Fjord away from his path and away from his mistakes

#Vandran and Fjord have an insane relationship for two people who are in the same place for like 6 minutes out of 141 episodes #It's just.... their relationship is so weighty bc of all the structures like this that allow Fjord to engage with it in Vandran's absence #Critical Role things #I'll throw this into the tags sure lmao bc I miss them #Critical Role #Fjord CR #Fjord Stone #Fjord #Vandran #I regret not more consistently tagging Vandran tbh

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infernal-lamb · 7 months

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Howws that fic with your OC going? I’m very intrigued about that one :D

Oh!!! And if you have any new art/tidbits about her?

lmao, its going! I've made progress but now I am sulking like an 18th century poet in their giant, empty study.......Contemplating. Critiquing (just being nervous about posting fic since I havent written anything since I was like. 13. and I'm not exactly a writer, just someone who throws stuff together and goes Well, That's A Plot I Guess!) I'm glad people are intrigued about and Neves dfhjfghf. I DO have some lil doodles of her in the cult. One specific tidbit that makes me laugh: Neves is tall as hell in comparison to the cult members.

I'm not sure how to measure the inhabitants of the Lands of the Old Faith, but I imagine them at least smaller than the average human--mostly because I think its sort of funny to emphasize just *how* out of place Neves is among the Lamb and their flock. This is more like a rough estimate of how they compare LMAO. With her height, the cult members usually ask her to help with picking fruit on big trees or, for example, doing things like standing on her shoulders to clean the Temple windows that are too high up otherwise :') Here's a silly comic w/one of her experiences in the cult too!

#cult of the lamb #cotl lamb #cotl oc #cotl au #cult of the lamb fanart #my art #sorry for the human jumpscare again @ everyone in the tags #no one knows how humans work so everyone just kinda makes shit up or tells rumors and fake stories about how fucked up humans are LMAO #this reminds me I have ANOTHER comic to post but I'm lazy.....sorry lads #Neves doesnt fully know what the deal is with the cult until much later. when the horrors truly set in #so for now she's like wow what a weird herd structure. nature is so interesting #also she is trimming the Lamb's hooves bc they are a menace and are too much in the swamplands THEY COULD GET HOOF ROT SMH #shoving my oc into everyone's face again. i promise i'll post fic

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raayllum · 8 months

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The Coin / Moon Fam plotline: a Structural Analysis

There's been some stuff in the tags recently about people being bummed over how long the Moon Fam / coin plot line has taken, and while it's an understandable perspective (particularly with how long hiatuses can feel between seasons), when looking at TDP as one complete story... the Coin / Moon Fam plot line hasn't actually taken that long, and is one of the most consistently developed plot threads / relationships in the show - and here's why.

This meta is broken down into three subheadings labelled, "Series Layout," "Plot Relevancy," and "The Trio('s emotional arcs)".

Series Layout

First things first, the fact of the matter is that the only season that didn't continue the coin plotline at all has been S2. Every other season has had something. This is pretty unique as outside character journeys or relationship development, not much besides overarching plot carries between season to season. Callum's arc is a mage and Ezran as king is ongoing, but the coin plotline has developed more consistently per season than emphasis on Ezran and Rayla getting one-on-one scenes together (which they haven't since S2). So the official breakdown is this:

1x01-1x03: Runaan and his relationship with Rayla are developed. He is taken prisoner while she goes on the mission with the boys.

1x05: Rayla shares the backstory of her parents failing to protect the egg. This is the first and last time she talks directly about her family until S3.

1x08: The coins are introduced in relation to Aaravos and the mirror, specifically. Runaan knows something of what the mirror is. He is coined.

3x03: While Runaan is believed to be dead, it is shown to the audience that he is stuck between life and death in the Lotus pond.

3x08: We see Lain and Tiadrin. It is implied they are coined.

3x09: Viren has the coins, taunting Rayla about them. This likewise teases that her parents were coined and reminds us that Runaan is too.

4x07: We learn about the quasar diamonds, which is set up for S5. Rayla also mentions how Runaan used moon opals to create illusion spells.

4x08: Rayla offers to sacrifice her blades and explains their connection to Runaan and Ethari, and how she believes she won't ever see them again. This is pretty blatant setup for the next episode in which

4x09: Rayla tries to save and then receives the coins from Claudia. This is also when it is finally confirmed that Lain and Tiadrin were coined as well. She and Stella escape Umber Tor (this is also how Rayla learns about Stella's portal powers).

5x01: Rayla investigates the dungeons to find out what happened to Runaan / how the coins work. She finds a 'mystery human' in a 4th coin. She determines that while she wants to help her family, she can't bring herself to prioritize it while the world is still in danger and that Callum and Ezran need her.

5x02: We meet the mystery human and find out that he is Kpp'Ar, Viren's old mentor. Rayla uses Runaan's bow and Ethari's arrows (thanking the latter) to defend herself against a corrupted banther.

5x04: Rayla tells Callum the truth about the coins and her pain concerning them. He immediately wants to help her and finds a potential solution concerning the coins: quasar diamonds at the Starscraper. Callum intends to personally free them himself and risks all of their present lives to get the information.

5x05: Karim summons the Bloodmoon Huntress, Kim'Dael, to do his bidding. As we know thanks to the graphic novel of the same name, she has history with Rayla, Runaan, and Ethari.

TDP loves to set things up, add to it a little for a season, and then make it a major focus.

Think of how Claudia and Soren didn't see their dad again after 1x06 until 3x03 - that's about 14 episodes, roughly half of Arc 1! Or how nothing that Viren does in S1 or S2 affects the trio at all until his kids catch up with Callum, Ezran, and Rayla in 2x02, or his own actions until close to 3x04 and 3x08 - once again, seasons apart.

Thus, the breaks in between the Moon Fam development makes sense, even if as laid out before, Rayla's relationship with them and the coins are developed 4/5 seasons. In particular, Rayla's relationship with Runaan and Ethari are more developed and emphasized, additionally, than her relationship with her biological parents. And what's more, thanks to both the Nova Blade and the Quasar Diamonds being rumoured to be at the Starscraper, let's talk about

Plot Relevancy

As soon as we'd learned there was a fourth coin, I assumed that Kpp'Ar was imprisoned inside it, simply because 1) he's close to Viren, 2) he 'mysteriously disappears,' and 3) his name sounds like fucking copper. It is implied in the Book Two: Sky novelization that Kpp'Ar has Plot Relevant Information about Aaravos (and possibly the relic staff) as well as whatever Viren did to save Soren (and his own dark magic misdeeds).

The novelization confirms that Kpp'Ar had a box that perfectly matched the one Aaravos uses inside the mirror for the bug pal spell. Kpp'Ar is also a master of puzzles and could very well be the descendant of the Jailer, who created the now infamous puzzle of the prison, in addition to having a wide berth of magical knowledge.

This implied connection to the prison would make the most sense if Kpp'Ar gets out before Aaravos is freed, and Aaravos will have to be freed in season six. And if Kpp'Ar is getting out of his coin, then the Moon fam are also getting out of theirs before the season finale.

There's also the Kim'Dael plotline to consider. While she is a menace in S5, Janai implies that she is not at her full powers, claiming, "This is a monster you do not want unleashed." Given that Karim has the sun seed and an army, he will likely become King of Lux Aurea and able to free Kim'Dael in S6 as well. This sets up the Moon fam all working together with Rayla to defeat her in S7.

So thanks to Kpp'Ar and Kim'Dael, the Moon fam is tied to two ongoing plotlines that have to get underway sooner rather than later. They are also three of the few characters to have presumably known what the mirror was. Runaan seems to outright know something ("That mirror? You have found something worse than death") and for Lain and Tiadrin, it is implied, as it seems they stayed behind ultimately to guard the mirror > Zym's egg (given that they tried to have Hendryr take the egg with him) because they knew it falling into the wrong hands could be dangerous. This means that when the three of them do come sprawling out of the coins, they will immediately understand the stakes of Aaravos' imminent or potential release.

The "two relevant plotlines" is under the assumption as well that Callum's pursuit of Star magic in order to free them is not what ultimately leads to him 1) him being possessed (with Rayla being called upon to kill him again, generating a potential interesting conflict with Runaan) or 2) snowballs into being what releases Aaravos. In which case they'd be tethered to Three Plotlines. But in some ways, they already are, because of how Runaan in particular is going to impact each of

The Trio

or why the "Ezran short story indicating Ezran is going to have lots of big nasty feelings about Runaan's rescue and survival is the best thing that could've ever happened, thank you" section. You can read the short story here if you haven't already (and I highly recommend it).

Okay, but why is this a good thing? Well...

We know next season that Callum and Rayla are heading to the Starscraper, likely now that things with Aaravos have resolved enough and/or to get the Nova Blade because things have escalated very quickly. However, as previously discussed, while Callum might do some plot relevant snowball shit to get them out of the coins, from an emotional arc standpoint, he's more likely to struggle with Runaan once the assassin is out. As of now, Callum is wholly dedicated to helping Rayla get her parents out of the coins (as he states and reaffirms in 5x04). The fact the Starscraper also has the Nova Blade is a nice preventative bonus. But this current lack of 'big feelings' means that Rayla was our main emotional tether to how people are Feeling about the coin plotline, from a character standpoint.

Enter Ezran and his anger. Not only does it expand his character, it gives the audience another piece of emotional investment and complication in the coin plotline, even if we're still inclined to be more for freeing Runaan than not (which is where Ez may fall). And it also introduces that complication for Callum.

Rayla and Ezran, and Ezran and Callum, rarely argue. Now Ezran is going to be presumably pitted against something Callum wants to do for Rayla, being torn between the two people he loves the most, with Ezran possibly feeling betrayed by the two people he loves the most.

So now there's an emotional investment with all three of the main characters - for Ezran, his anger in contrast with his hopes for peace; for Callum, devotion to Rayla and more importantly in this vein at least, disagreement with his brother; and of course, Rayla being caught up in magic that may have a steep price to pay in order to free her family (and what Runaan may encourage her to do once he is freed, re: killing Callum).

The brothers have to resolve their conflict; Rayla has to get her family back; Runaan's responses to each of these things, and indeed being freed, opens up a lot more avenues. TDP has never taken the easy way out when it comes to character development and complicated emotion. Viren was saved from a similar fate to his former prisoner so that he could develop further - otherwise why keep a character alive? Runaan (and the others) are going to be freed by the end of S6 if not earlier than the finale by a decent margin, and have enough time to change, stumble, and grow alongside their daughter and her friends - while defeating Kim'Dael together as a family, I think. #Justformerassassinthings

Conclusion

S6 is go time and it's gonna be great, Runaan and Ethari are gonna get a good chunk of screentime together, Runaan is one of the most important driving forces within S6's setup, and they all still have places to go as characters. Thank you goodnight

#tdp #the dragon prince #tdp meta #the english major strikes again #bc that's my tag for structural stuff #moon fam #analysis series #analysis #tdp runaan #like does soren mention claudia at all till they reunite in s4? no. he mentions her once in s5. she doesn't mention him at all #the show trusts early season development to carry us forward as we explore characters in different areas/dynamics #but they always circle back to what's most important

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enden-k · 9 months

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rlly had an exhausting day at work (physical pain/discomfort almost had me lose my mind ngl) but its all forgotten upon seeing haithams cute lil feathers sticking out when i come online