hmm, this image feels VERY telling to me about how the dynamic between Ladybug and Chat Noir is starting to change. Now that she’s revealed her identity to Alya, Marinette has started to lean on her much more than before, asking her to help out during akuma battles like we saw in Mr Pigeon 72 and this episode, Optygami. As a result, we haven’t seen Chat Noir that much so far, and this is reflected in the end card with him being off to the side while Rena Rouge is very much front and centre.
I can’t wait to rewatch the episode with subs, since there was an awful lot that went down. However, I do think one thing is pretty clear: we’ve already seen Adrien/Chat Noir being sidelined a couple of times, which has spawned a theory that it could lead to a conflict between him and Ladybug because he feels as though she doesn’t need him anymore. And while that theory isn’t set in stone, it feels as though this episode hinted strongly at it, and now I’m terrified of what’s to come
After more than a millennium of careful planning, moving and manipulating generations of humans and elves like pieces on some cosmic chess board, the machinations of the Midnight Star known as Aaravos are finally coming to bear. But where did this enigmatic Startouch elf come from? What does he want? And what price will our heroes have to pay to stop him?
okay this is just the first couple watch throughs (and I haven’t been able to figure out any of the text but) here are my initial thoughts of what I think I can identify on the map in the new TDP S4 intro
First to get the Obvious ones out of the way
What looks like baby / a much, much younger Aaravos, close to Ezran’s age if not a little younger
Then we have Sol Regem at the top of the map, the same way we have Thunder / Avizandum at the top of the Arc 1 map
The constellation below Sol Regem on the right looks like a Bumblescorp, which Claudia famously mentions in 1x06 to Viren (a joke set up for the “If you must make a choice between Soren and the egg, choose the egg”)
The constellation to the left of Sol Regem looks like a Sunfire dragon like Phyrrah, the one the boys and Rayla rescue in 2x07 and returns in 3x09 for the battle
Then a constellation of what I thought at first were fish, but upon closer inspection they’re actually like our favourite grumpy friendly Bait - a pair of Glow Toads (reminiscent of Pisces)
To the far northeast of the map we have an elven combatant who seems to have a skull at the front - perhaps Garlaf the Annihilator? Although it’s hard to tell if he’s Moonshadow with the horns, so maybe not
We have some kind of many-legged creature (like the Startouch panda-bear from Tales of Xadia?) playing a string instrument, which could be a reference to the strings in the sneak peek S4 song “Of Love and Loss” that a character in canon apparently will play
We have birds, a book, and a tree in the far midwest. It makes me think of the tree in Katolis’ courtyard, as that seems to be linked to Aaravos and the Orphan Queen (planted 300 years ago), this map is clearly much older. Trees of knowledge are common in mythology and the two birds represent freedom, family? This also may have increased importance as its the one clearly Nature motif constellation and S4 is going to be Book 4: Earth.
We have a unicorn near the bottom, which makes sense as they were around aplenty before humans hunted them to near extinction for dark magic, and they’re canonically connected to the Star Arcanum. This is the second constellation with a possible Claudia connection (as she hunted a unicorn for the Avizandum slaying spell) next to the Bumblescorp.
A very bright star all on its own, near the south east of the future Pentarchy side of the picture. The South Star perhaps that people use to navigate?
Crown in the very middle of the map, which is clearly important (perhaps why the King of Dragon is always portrayed aligned with it) but the significance / meaning is otherwise unknown.
What looks like the Mama Banther and Baby Banther that Callum mentions in the “Written in the Stars” skit, or something comparable to wild boars (if very hairy)
This figure reminds me of Lady Justice due to not really having a face and the robes. It also seems like she’s holding one hand up that’s cupped and one hand straight. It’s similar but it’s hard to tell to a common gesture in historical Christian art that means “Speaker”
We have a second elf who seems to be Moonshadow, judging by the regalia. It doesn’t seem to be Queen Aditi - but, maybe? She / they seem to be frowning or upset about something and the headpiece is reminiscent of the Sunfire queen crown / Sol Regem’s horns
Last but not least we have whatever eldritch abomination this appears to be, right in the middle of the Xadian side of the map. It seems to have eyes and something of a face (is even a little similar-ish looking to Aaravos’ insectoid conduit) but I wonder if it’s supposed to be a whirlpool, or even reminiscent of the essence of Magic itself? It gives me eldritch but accurate Biblical angel vibes
And of course the map has the six primal sources near the bottom, with Star glowing purple at the top
Also worth noting that not all the constellations have little name tags, but the ones that do goes as follows:
