sorinethemastermind

[sorinethemastermind]

some ez, soren, and zym doodle pfps <3<3

credit if u use pretty please or else i will cry

(requested by @wolfwarrior142. i think)

[sorinethemastermind]

a love that is devotional. a love that only has eyes for you. a love that is consistent. a love that is always sure about you. a love that never stops pursuing you.

[sorinethemastermind]

Silly TDP Headcanon #6

Having a part of your body used for dark magic HURTS. As the spell is cast, the “source” is suddenly in pain, no matter how many hundreds of miles away they may be.

The pain varies. When Rayla’s braid was used for the tracking spell she felt a brief twinge of pain. Pyrrha had a deep, phantom ache for days after her horn made the lava bridge. Small pieces, like hair, aren’t too big of a deal. Horns are pretty dang uncomfortable. Blood sends an icy burning sensation through your whole body. If a dark mage gets ahold of one of your organs, an eye perhaps, they say it’s absolutely excruciating.

Terry, over the time he spent with Claudia, became very accustomed to dark magic pain. A few locks of hair, his antlers after he shed them in the winter, a vial of blood given up for his girlfriend. Claudia always held him and apologized over and over again as he gasped through it. He was always more than happy to give up whatever she needed (or at least he pretended to be).

And she, no matter how bad she felt about it, was willing to take more.

[sorinethemastermind]

Day 143 of Campaigning for The Dragon Prince Arc 3

How do we get it? Leave positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB!! Tell Netflix that we wants seasons eight, nine, and ten through their online request form!

Want to go the extra mile? Write @netflix a letter: 131 Albright Way, Los Gatos, CA 95032, US 

And of course keep using the hashtags! #continuethesaga #giveusthesaga #thedragonprince #netflix

Keep the fandom alive! Keep discussing the show - rewatch it! - host fandom events, create metas, fics, and art. We're in this together!

[sorinethemastermind]

I’d Fall to Pieces on The Floor If You Weren’t Around

AO3

Summary: Everybody needed Soren. He had to be strong. For the people of Katolis. For Ezran. For the Council.

But nobody was there to be strong for him.

Soren had just allowed the first tear to roll down his cheek as there was a knock at the door. He hoped whoever it was would just go away if he was quiet enough.

Note: I listened to “I’ll Still Be Here” by Leigh-Anne and “Forever Winter” by Taylor Swift a LOT while writing this. Listen to them while reading if you'd like the ~full effect~

The biggest of thank you's to the amazing @stuck-in-jelly for beta reading this✨

...

Soren was sitting on the edge of his bed in his room at the Banther Lodge. As Head Crownguard and a member of Ezran’s Council, he had a private room inside of the Lodge, instead of in the barracks or the temporary tent housing they had set up. The Council had been offered rooms and were some of the few non-royals with private rooms.

Usually, he would have insisted on sleeping with the rest of the knights and guards, but Ezran had insisted that Soren was still recovering from the attack and would not take no for an answer. The King also said it made sense to have at least one Crownguard staying near where he’d be sleeping, and Soren couldn’t argue with that logic.

Since they were running out of rooms in the lodge, Corvus had volunteered to be the one to stay elsewhere. Even after Rayla and Callum had so inelegantly departed.

Soren knew Corvus would be fine. He knew Corvus enjoyed sleeping outside. But Soren’s heart still twisted.

It seemed to be doing that a lot recently. For a multitude of reasons.

He’d always been drawn to Corvus, but it seemed… more extreme since their search for Zubeia. Soren couldn’t get Corvus out of his head. He kept thinking about the warmth of Corvus’s hugs, how his arm felt slung across Soren’s shoulders or lower back. How concerned Corvus had been when he arrived in Katolis after the wedding and the glorious sound of relieved laughter he’d let out when he saw Soren.

Thinking of Corvus and their mushroom escapades made Soren reflect on what had happened at the end of their adventure, when he’d confessed his concern for Zym because Zubeia’s the only family he has. It had taken Soren a little bit to realize he’d been a little emotional that day because he’d felt that his mother - Lissa - was the only family he had left.

After the destruction of Katolis, Soren foolishly thought that maybe, just maybe, Lissa would reach out. He’d held onto a glimmer of hope for weeks. Surely if there were a time she would try to connect, it would be then, right?

She knew where he’d lived. She knew his dreams of becoming a Crownguard. She could have assumed he was still living there. Even if she hadn’t been certain he was still at the castle, she knew how influential Viren had been in the royal court. Even if she had heard of Viren’s fall from grace, it was a safe assumption that somebody at the castle or in the government would know the location of Soren.

But even after the official proclamations about the attack had been sent to the other kingdoms, no letter had arrived for him. He’d checked with the Associate Crow Lord every day, for weeks. Asked if there was anything from Del Bar. Every day, nothing.

He eventually stopped going. He couldn’t handle the pity in the Associate Crow Lord’s eyes.

It seemed that Claudia would never change from her anti-Xadian ways, and his mother just didn’t care anymore. So why should he?

He should’ve known better at this point. He kept hoping for the best from those that hurt him. 

And where did it get him?

His kingdom in ashes. Everything he’d ever known, gone in an afternoon.

Viren, one of the last people Soren would have expected it from, was there to help him. To help Katolis. He still couldn’t parse through all of his emotions surrounding his father, let alone Viren’s death.

Relief? Anger? Cheated? Regretful? 

Sad?

He shook his head, trying to focus on his train of thought from before.

Oh yeah. The rest of his disappointing family and how he was slowly giving up on them.

He hated thinking that about Claudia. But he wasn’t sure why he kept thinking that his blood relations actually cared about him. She hadn’t exactly checked in on him in… well, years. He’d been alone for years.

Well. Not alone.

He had his chosen family.

But that didn’t make the loss of Claudia any easier.

Didn’t make the seeming rejection from his mother any easier.

His eyes stung and he sighed. He’d known this was coming, that a breakdown of epic proportions was on the horizon. But he’d held it off, placing his focus on Ezran and the others, hoping if he busied himself, he wouldn’t have time to think about his own feelings.

The last time he’d allowed himself to cry was when they were all reunited in the ruins of Katolis. Because Soren didn’t have time to be feeling these things right now. Ezran needed him. Ezran, who was going through just as difficult a time as him. He’d also lost his kingdom, followed by his brother leaving within the span of a few days.

And Soren knew all about how leaving and being left felt.

Everybody needed Soren. He had to be strong. For the people of Katolis. For Ezran. For the Council.

But nobody was there to be strong for him.

Soren had just allowed the first tear to roll down his cheek as there was a knock at the door. He hoped whoever it was would just go away if he was quiet enough.

“Soren?” a familiar voice called. “Are you in there?”

Soren’s eyes widened. No, Corvus could definitely not see him like this. It was bad enough that Soren had cried in his arms when recounting Sol Regem’s attack.

“Soren, I know you’re in there. I can see the light on, and I hear your feet shuffling.”

Soren looked down. Damn, his legs were swinging back and forth against the floor. He got up, defeated.

“If you don’t respond I’m just gonna come in. I’ll tell Ez I assumed you must be injured and that I had to do a wellness check.”

“Why do you have to be so observant,” Soren mumbled as he cracked open the door, hiding behind it and peeking out. “What’s up?”

“Being observant is what I do, you know that,” Corvus said with a grin before meeting Soren’s eyes. Eyes that appeared to be teary and rimmed in red. His smile fell, a look of concern replacing it. “Sor…?”

Soren looked away. “I’m fine. Why are you here?” Even Soren flinched at his own harsh tone.

Corvus, however, wasn’t fazed. “Can I come in?”

“I’d rather you didn’t.”

Corvus shrugged. “Fine, but I guess you’ll never get these new types of tarts Barius has been concocting,” he said, shaking the container that Soren hadn’t noticed in his hand. Corvus acted like he was going to walk away.

“You can come in.” Soren eventually relented at the promise of food, just as Corvus knew he would, opening the door all the way. He closed the door after Corvus, yet remained facing the door, hand on the knob and forehead pressed against the wood. Soren took a deep breath to compose himself.

…

Corvus watched Soren with bated breath. He hated seeing Soren like this. Everything in Corvus wanted to rush over to him and envelop him in a hug. Corvus wanted to walk up behind him and put his hands on Soren’s hips. Corvus wanted to rest his head on Soren’s shoulder, smelling that lavender scented hair while providing him comfort. Corvus wanted Soren.

He looked away, instead giving the man some privacy while searching for a spot to put down the tarts. Soren’s room was sparse, really just a bed and some storage (“For what personal items?” Soren had sourly mused to him on a shift one day. “It’s not like I have any belongings now.”), but it did have a small office area with a desk for Soren to work at. Corvus strode over there, setting down the container on the desk. Some snacks for when Soren got too focused on what he was doing. Soren didn’t forget meals often, but it wasn’t unheard of. Usually when Corvus brought him up a plate, he found Soren hunched over his desk, focused on whatever schedule he was creating or the applications for the guard that he was going through.

Soren jumped at the noise and turned around, eyes wide. He relaxed when he remembered it was just Corvus.

Soren cleared his throat. “So, what’s up?” he tried again, going back to sit on the bed.

Corvus glanced around the room, realizing that the only seating option was at the desk, or Soren’s bed. Soren patted the bed beside him. Well, that made Corvus’s choice easier.

Corvus sat with a fair amount of space between them and shrugged, looking in the opposite direction. “I just finished my shift and ran into Barius in the kitchen. When he told me he had new treats to try, I figured you might want some.”

Corvus pointedly did not mention that he’d purposefully sought out Barius with the hope he’d give him a good excuse to go hang out with Soren.

He heard a sniffle beside him and quickly turned his head, alarmed.

Soren was crying.

“Soren…?”

“Why are you so nice?”

“What?”

“Why are you so nice to me?” Soren cried, head falling into his hands. “Everybody else who’s nice usually just wants something from me, is using me in some way. But you don’t. It’s been years, Corvus, and I still can’t figure out why you’re always here.”

“Soren, what brought this on?” Corvus asked, hesitating to place a hand on his shoulder, genuinely concerned. He could see Soren fighting an internal battle on whether or not to tell Corvus what was going on.

He let his hand settle on Soren’s shoulder with a squeeze, hoping the pressure would help bring Soren out of his thoughts.

It must have, because a moment later Soren spoke.

“It’s my… Lissa.” Soren admitted. He was quiet for a moment. It looked like he was coming to a decision. In the end, Soren nodded. It seemed his mind was made up. “I want to show you something.”

Corvus watched as Soren reached underneath the armor on his left arm, pulling something out. It was folded up and worn around the edges.

“It’s the last thing I have of my family. My whole family. Even… even before the fall of Katolis,” he whispered, slowly unfolding the paper to reveal a family portrait. In it stood a young Viren, and a woman who Corvus assumed must be the aforementioned Lissa. Neither were smiling. In front of them was a small Soren, beaming as usual. In Lissa’s arms was an excited Claudia.

“It’s beautiful.” Corvus said, tucking his arm around Soren’s shoulders. His heart ached for his friend. “How long have you had it?”

“I… honestly, I’m not sure. It must’ve been the last family portrait we did together before I got too sick. Before she left.

“I used to keep it in a picture frame by my bed, but it made Viren angry, and Claudia upset. So, I hid it. As soon as I joined the Crownguard, I decided I wanted it with me, always.” Soren choked out a laugh through his silent tears. “Stupid, I know.”

“No, Soren, it’s not stupid.”

Soren went on. Corvus wasn’t sure if he’d even heard him. “Claudia thought it was stupid. I didn’t tell her about it until Pyrrah paralyzed me. I only told her so it wouldn’t get damaged or lost. I think… I think she understood? But she didn’t want the reminder.

“For a while, I kept thinking about how I had it on me when I left her, abandoned her. How it was in my sleeve when I killed that illusion of Viren. About how she knows. She must think I’m such a… a hippo…”

“A hypocrite?”

“Yeah! That word!” Soren let out a shrill laugh. Corvus hated how unnatural it sounded. It seemed laughter was Soren’s go to, even for feelings like this. But Soren’s laughter was supposed to be full of joy and mirth, not sorrow and anger. “She must think I’m such a hippo-critter.”

“You’re not a hypocrite, Soren. You had an abusive father. Families are hard enough to begin with, even in the most ideal of circumstances. It’s understandable that your feelings are all...” Corvus waved a hand. “Mixed up.”

Soren nodded, resting his head on Corvus’s shoulder with a sigh.

Corvus, trying to make Soren smile, jostled him with his shoulder and said, “Hey. You know, you were a cute kid.”

Soren sniffled. “Excuse you, I am still cute.”

“Yeah. Yeah, you are.”

…

Soren flushed, soaking in the compliment and enjoying Corvus’s arm across his shoulders while he put the picture away.

Unfortunately, his mind wouldn’t let him enjoy it for long. “Speaking of mixed up feelings, you know how we went to the Associate Crow Lord a few times to check for mail from Del Bar?” Soren asked, straightening up after a few minutes.

Corvus nodded.

“I was… well, I guess I hoped Lissa would send… something to check on me. On the family.” Soren laughed bitterly. “Then I remembered that my family doesn’t care if I live or die.”

“Soren, you know that’s not true.” Corvus said, somehow scooting even closer to Soren.

“Isn’t it? Why else would she not even send a letter?” Soren explained his earlier reasoning to Corvus, that she could at least try to locate him via the castle and make sure he was safe. “I get that she hated Viren, but… at some point you’d think wanting to make sure I was still alive would be more important than that.”

Soren knew he was being unfair to Lissa. He understood better than anyone else the need to leave Viren and never look back. But he at least had tried to search for Claudia during those two years. Checking her room every day for months to see if anything had changed, keeping an eye out for her on every mission outside of the castle.

Sending a letter to a definite location seemed so easy.

Soren couldn’t help the sob he let out. His eyes widened, embarrassed, before he turned fully into the man beside him. In turn, Corvus wrapped both arms around Soren. He didn’t say anything, didn’t try to tell Soren it would be okay and to stay positive like so many did. Soren had always appreciated Corvus’s straightforward honesty.

Soren wept into Corvus’s shoulder. Corvus enveloped all of Soren’s broken pieces and jagged edges in a hug, holding him together. 

…

Soren had been silent for a few minutes, and Corvus could feel his breathing slowly starting to return to normal. They were still sitting in Soren’s bed, Soren practically in Corvus’s lap as Corvus held him through his tears. Corvus’s shirt was more wet than dry at this point, but he didn’t care. He wasn’t sure how long it had been, but he knew he’d stay with Soren all night if that’s what the man in his arms needed.

“I don’t know why she wouldn’t send a letter, Soren,” Corvus said honestly into Soren’s hair. “But do you know what I do know?”

Soren shook his head. The movement tickled Corvus’s chin.

“I do know that your mother is missing out on getting to know the most amazing man I’ve ever met.”

Soren let out a watery laugh, but a hint of joy was creeping back in. “You must have low standards.”

Corvus tightened his grip on Soren. “You know I don’t.”

Soren felt more tears go down his cheeks as he rested his head on Corvus’s chest. 

“I also know that you don’t have to figure out your feelings right now,” Corvus continued. “Like I said, family can be… complicated. Even if your mom did send a letter to check in, you are in no way obligated to answer her or ever interact with her, okay?”

Soren nodded and quietly asked, “But what if I want to? What if I did want to see her again?”

“That’s completely up to you. And I’ll be by your side, every step of the way.”

Soren couldn’t stop the smile that rose to his face. 

Corvus enjoyed the closeness for a moment before his mind wandered to the beginning of Soren’s breakdown.

“Earlier you wanted to know why I’m here for you, Soren?” Corvus asked, bringing a hand to Soren’s face to make him look at him as he said this. The handsome face in front of him was blotchy and red, wet with tears and snot, but Corvus thought it made Soren all the more lovely. Soren let so few people see him like this - he’d even tried to shut Corvus out. But just like how Soren snuck his way into Corvus’s heart, Corvus was insistent on weaseling his way through Soren’s defenses. Corvus felt honored to be allowed to be there for Soren during times like this. “Because you’re my best friend and I love you. You may not see it yourself, but you’re worth more than what you can give to other people.”

Soren’s eyes widened and his mouth parted in surprise, like he’d never thought about it that way.

“Thank you, Corvus.” He absentmindedly nuzzled into Corvus’s hand.

“Anytime. I got you.”

...

Author's Note:

Would it really be a fic of mine if I didn't have at least a few pieces of inspiration from Tumblr? Granted, two of them were my own posts, but still.

General concept thought up here and here.

One section of dialogue was inspired by this post by Jelly.

Also, no I did not purposefully make an SPOP reference. I was writing and it suddenly just ✨appeared✨ and then I realized. TLDR: Soren is Adora.

[sorinethemastermind]

Damian + Claudia

Malicious

[sorinethemastermind]

Honestly one of the coolest moments in the season was the Claudia vs Callum mage fight. It was quick and instense and showed how far Callum has come, how he matched Claudia spell for spell, and that he wasnt afraid to be ruthless, using the same freezing water/blood spell used to torture him and rayla back in s5

[sorinethemastermind]

Day 142 of Campaigning for The Dragon Prince Arc 3

How do we get it? Leave positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB!! Tell Netflix that we wants seasons eight, nine, and ten through their online request form!

Want to go the extra mile? Write @netflix a letter: 131 Albright Way, Los Gatos, CA 95032, US 

And of course keep using the hashtags! #continuethesaga #giveusthesaga #thedragonprince #netflix

Keep the fandom alive! Keep discussing the show - rewatch it! - host fandom events, create metas, fics, and art. We're in this together!

[sorinethemastermind]

Prrrayla and Catllum, the two bonded stray cats that will get anxiety and depression if you separate them

[sorinethemastermind]

out of context season 2 viren

[sorinethemastermind]

But when does a comet become a meteor? When does a candle become a blaze? When does a man become a monster? When does a ripple become a tidal wave? When does the reason become the blame? When does a man become a monster? Forgive me (When does a man become a monster?)

[sorinethemastermind]

With a hiatus ahead of us, and a likely 7 year timeskip in canon time, an Interlude of sorts is happening with the Rayllum fandom — therefore, may I present Rayllum Month 2025: 'Idyllic' Interlude.

Like previous Rayllum months, it covers both our favourite lovebirds' birthdays, starting on July 1st and finishing on July 31st (Rayla's birthday). Prompts are suggestions and staggered every 2 days to provide for prep, catchup, and general sanity time. Works exploring mature (nsfw) or violent themes are welcome so long as they are properly tagged / put under read mores where applicable. And as much as it would be nice to cut these two a nice, fluffy break, the 'idyllic' part is definitely a suggestion: feel free to angst it up to your heart's content.

July 1st: Seasons

July 3rd: Anniversary

July 5th: Cycles / Change

July 7th: 7 Years

July 9th: Stella / Sneezles

July 11th: Anything

July 13th: Lies / Truth

July 15th: Callum's Birthday!

July 17th: Proposal / Engagement

July 19th: Timeblind (Present, Past, Future)

July 21st: Everything

July 23rd: Priceless / Pretty Nice Life

July 25th: Moon Arcanum

July 27th: Honeymoon / Wedding

July 29th: Home / Evrkynd

July 31st: Rayla's Birthday

As always, if you have any questions feel to leave them in my inbox or DM me! Happy planning and creating!

[sorinethemastermind]

Day 141 of Campaigning for The Dragon Prince Arc 3

How do we get it? Leave positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB!! Tell Netflix that we wants seasons eight, nine, and ten through their online request form!

Want to go the extra mile? Write @netflix a letter: 131 Albright Way, Los Gatos, CA 95032, US 

And of course keep using the hashtags! #continuethesaga #giveusthesaga #thedragonprince #netflix

Keep the fandom alive! Keep discussing the show - rewatch it! - host fandom events, create metas, fics, and art. We're in this together!

[sorinethemastermind]

TO THE FINISH? FIC | Chapter Five: Friday Free Practice

Melbourne, Australia 

Claudia bopped her head along to the beat playing in her ears as she hopped from the car to make her way down the paddock, nodding to the cameras and a few fans as she went by. One girl freaked out, practically hopping up and down as she gestured to her hair, which had been dyed the same shade of purplish magenta as the tips of Claudia’s.

“Looks sick!” Claudia told her, taking off one headphone long enough to give her a thumbs up and a smile. She was surprised the girl didn’t faint on the spot.

The walk was shorter than last year. Notably shorter. It made Claudia smile every time she arrived at the paddock. After spending her first years in the sport having to walk nearly all the way to the end, it was nice to stop near the front. It felt like progress.

“Who’s my favorite teammate?” she asked, coming to a stop behind Kasef.

“Hrmph,” came the reply. He was watching yesterday's laps back again, stupidly big biceps on full display as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Claudia wrinkled her nose. He was like if Soren was grouchier, broodier, and all around less fun.

“Well, clearly not you then,” Claudia informed him, slipping into her seat across from him in the briefing room. She took out her earbuds and tucked the waiting headphones on instead, adjusting the mic not hovering in front of her face. She was early; punctuality was important. But Kasef was early. Like did he sleep here? kind of early.

“So, how was your night?” she asked, knowing that her voice would be broadcast directly into his ears. He didn’t look up at her.

“I went back to my hotel room, ate dinner, and was in bed by nine o’clock. What about you? Or, no, I don’t need to ask, do I?” Kasef held up his phone for her to see, opening Instagram and tapping on her stories. “It’s all here, isn’t it?”

Yep, there she was. Hanging out with Callum and Soren - he swiped through to the next image - still hanging out with Callum and Soren. On to the next. More hanging out with Callum and Soren. Claudia wrinkled her nose, watching as he went through her entire night. She didn’t get what he was in a huff about. They hadn’t even stayed out that late. And it wasn’t like they’d been drinking or anything. It was literally just her and her friends.

“So? What’s your point?” she asked, leaning forward to rest her arms on the table.

“It’s not even the first race of the season and you’re already gallivanting about with the competition.”

“Gallivanting. Wow,” Claudia replied with a little laugh. “What do you have, a word of the day calendar?” She made a mental note to check her own so she could one up him tomorrow. “And they’re not the competition. They’re my friends. And if you remember, that one-” Claudia reached across the table to point at the image of Soren, arms around both her and Callum’s shoulders “-happens to be my brother.”

“They’re also the competition,” Kasef maintained, returning his phone to the table before Claudia could prod at it again. “You can’t go cavorting-”

Before Claudia could ask what cavorting meant and also inform him that no matter what it meant, he had no business telling her who she could or couldn’t do it with, the door opened, and in strode Saleer. 

Claudia knew three things about Saleer. The first was that he was the Team Principal of SolAire Formula 1 Team. The second was that he and her Dad were friends. And the third was that he had a very strict no nonsense policy, both on and off the track.

She shut her mouth, and Kasef shut his, too. But that didn’t stop her from glaring daggers across the table at her teammate throughout the briefing or being the first one up from the table as soon as it was over. And it definitely didn’t stop her from storming out of the room in a huff.

“Claudia. Claudia!” She whirled at the sound of her father’s voice, turning to find him standing in the hall behind her. “What is going on with you?” he asked, giving her an appraising look as he hurried to catch up.

She slowed her previously agitated trot to a sort of… frustrated mosey so that he could walk beside her.

“Kasef,” she began, managing to fill the name with all the explanation he might need before continuing anyway, “seems to think he has some say over who I spend my time with.”

Beside her, Viren sighed, and Claudia stood up a little straighter as she waited for him to commiserate with her. But instead he said, “And have you ever considered that he might have a point?”

Claudia balked at the idea. “What? No. No, Dad. C’mon.”

Her father held up a hand to silence her before continuing. “I presume this is about your little adventure with the Force Katolis team last night?”

“They’re not the Force Katolis team. They’re Soren and Callum.”

“They are also the Force Katolis team,” Viren maintained. He was beginning to sound a little too much like Kasef for Claudia’s liking. “Which means you need to watch what you say around them.”

“Dad,” she said, stopping in the middle of the hallway to turn around and face him. “We didn’t even talk about racing. We played karaoke.”

“And racing never came up? Not even once?”

“I mean, Callum mentioned something about the media and how they’ve been harassing him but-” Viren gave her a pointed look and she sighed. “But that’s not even racing! That’s racing… adjacent at best!”

“I’m just saying you need to be careful. He might be your friend, but he is your competition now. And you know how your brother is. Even if he says he won’t share strategies or whatever else you might confide in him, he’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer. He’ll slip up. And then where will we be, on track, when they know our every move?”

Claudia scoffed. “When would Soren and I discuss strategy?”

Her father seemed to consider that. “You’re right. I don’t see why you’d discuss it with him. The point still stands, however.” He tucked a hand under her chin, a small smile crossing his lips. “I know that they are your friends and you need that anchor during the race weekends. But remember that they are also your competition. We are here to win, Claudia. And so are they. They will use every advantage you give them. It’s what they’ve been taught to do.”

“What you taught Soren to do,” Claudia corrected him.

“What I taught you both to do.”

She felt herself deflate a little bit, leaning her cheek on her father’s hand for a moment before he dropped it back to his side. 

“Fine,” Claudia decided. “I’ll be careful. But only because you have a good point! Not because Kasef said it.”

“Certainly not,” Viren agreed. “He is also your competition. Don’t let him get in your head. This is a competitive sport, Claudia. Nobody is on your side. Remember that. There are no friends here, only enemies.”

“And you,” Claudia reminded him. “I have you.”

“Yes,” Viren smiled at her. “That you do.”

[sorinethemastermind]

Antigone - Jean Anouilh, Tr. Lewis Galantière

[sorinethemastermind]

mothers and daughters mages and mages

[sorinethemastermind]

Why is it always about Orpheus turning back foolishly and never about Eurydice following him out of the Underworld, likely knowing she was doomed. That Orpheus went all this way, singing the story of their love, hopeful that he will return her to the surface and finally build their life together— but they will not. She knows her Orpheus will turn back. And yet she still follows him, all the way to the top, because the simple pleasure of seeing his back again is enough for her. Isn’t that a foolish thing to do for love?