#blonde Viren

[cmcrusoe]

Blonde Viren?

I wanted to know what blonde Viren would look like.

[sorinethemastermind]

Everybody leaves.

In light of the events of Season Six and the resurrection spell, I wanted to talk about the official TDP short story "Rise Again" which hints at what was to come.

· · ────────────── ·𖥸· ───────────── · ·

Niaga esir, nellaf fo hsa!” With as deep a breath as she could draw into her little lungs, Claudia blew out her red candle’s flame. She sat with her eyes squeezed shut for at least ten beats of her heart. Claudia didn’t think she could take it if the spell didn’t work.

She didn’t want to believe that her father had been right—that some dark magic would be too difficult and dangerous for a little girl of only eight—but she had to look eventually.

Not only do we see once again that Claudia is not willing to lose anyone, we also see a glimmer of Viren trying to protect his daughter from the dark path he himself followed.

“Biscuit?” The smoky creature trotted closer, faintly trailing ashes and magic. Claudia gasped in delight. “It’s you. It’s really you! Look at you, there you are—!” The spell began to disintegrate, fraying at the edges. Her heart nearly fell out of her chest. “No, wait—not yet!”

Soren poked his head in through the doorway, wiping the spill of his blonde hair out of his eyes to smile sheepishly at her. “Sorry, Clauds.” “You followed me again!” “There are spiders in this attic. Big ones. I’m supposed to—” “—protect me, I know.” Claudia rolled her eyes and Biscuit’s shape wobbled. “You don’t have to, Sor-bear.” “But I want to,” he said and came up beside her. Out of the corner of her eye, Claudia watched him freeze at the sight of the smoky little cat on the ground before Claudia. His hand flew to the little wooden training sword he kept at his belt. “Woah—!”

We also see Soren wanting to protect Claudia, and not just from physical dangers, either. He also wants to protect her from Dark Magic. But Claudia doesn't think of Dark Magic as something that she needs protection from. In her mind, it's something she can protect people with.

“Don’t freak out!” Claudia told him. “It’s just Biscuit!” Soren’s eyebrows shot up. “Biscuit?” She nodded. Her brother squirmed. “Clauds, Biscuit’s—” “—I know. But I fixed it. Now we can still play with her.” Soren shook his head. “No. She had a nice long life, but then… we had a little ceremony, remember?” “Yeah.” “Because Biscuit died.”

With a flick of her wrist, the dark magic holding the little cat’s ashes together made her hop and scamper as though she’d seen a mouse in the attic’s dusty corner. Claudia laughed. “Isn’t it great?” Soren stepped back. “Clauds, what did you do?” Claudia grinned, watching her cat-shaped spell pounce. “Just a little bit of dark magic. The spell used her ashes, so—I guess we can call her Burnt Biscuit now.” Soren said nothing, and Claudia frowned. She had hoped he would laugh.

Frustrated, she pulled on the magic again, calling the little cat back to her. Biscuit sprang to her side, trailing cinders. “You want to pet her?” “What? No! Besides… it’s just smoke! It won’t feel like a real cat.” “It’s almost the same,” Claudia insisted. “It tingles! Come feel.” She ran her hand above the creature’s back as if petting her. Biscuit was warm—like their hearth in winter—but she didn’t burn like fire. Not unless Claudia wanted her to.

Soren shook his head. “Does Dad know?” He sounded worried, so Claudia spoke with a big, wide smile. “No, but it’s okay, I knew I could do it! I watched Dad really closely when he did this spell, and he even showed me how to make the candle because I didn’t do it right the first time—” “Dad doesn’t want you doing this stuff without him!” Soren squared his shoulders like all the castle’s soldiers. He thought he was so much like them, tough and brave and strong, but Claudia only saw a little boy trying to look bigger. “He said not until you’re older—”

“I know what he said, but—” “I’m telling him.” “Don’t you dare!”

Viren might have been the one who taught Claudia dark magic, but he also knew it's dangers and tried to make sure she understood them too. But to Claudia, she saw only Viren's example, and to him, dark magic was a "creative solution" that could solve any problem. And so that's what it became to her.

She seized his hand. Her brother froze for a second, and Claudia thought she’d won, but he pulled his hand away and glowered at the cat. “Fine. But he’ll find out anyway if you keep that thing around. How long will it last, anyway?” Claudia crossed her arms, proud and stubborn. “As long as I can make it last. Maybe forever.”

Soren scrunched up his nose, watching Biscuit circle Claudia and rub up against her leg the same way she did when she was alive. He turned a little green. Soren had never liked magic. “Ugh! Stop being so weird about it, Soren. You just don’t understand.” “Don’t understand what?” “Dark magic,” Claudia said. She cupped Biscuit’s warm cheeks in her hands. Smoke trailed between her fingers like whiskers. The cat purred—that low, hollow rumble.

“Dark magic can do anything.”

This short story illustrates both Claudia and Soren's relationships with dark magic really well, as well as shows us the first signs of just how far Claudia will go to make sure nobody leaves her ever again...

[adashulaz]

I hate when Apple fans try to excuse her actions because of her mom being horrible. Yes her mom sucks, she isn't the best and Apple would've possibly had a better chance at being a better person if she didn't have Snow White as her mom or had some other adult for support. This argument doesn't work because plenty of other characters have horrible parents and end up being good people. I'll use Soren as an example because they're both blue eyed blondes. Soren was treated coldly by his father. Viren, his father, would constantly call Soren easily confused(dumb basically) and just be cold towards Soren because Soren isn't like him and Claudia, Sorens younger sister. Now Soren was pretty mean towards Callum due to jealousy, this jealousy was because of the fact Harrow, Callums step-dad, treated Callum like his son while Viren never bothered to treat Soren with any kindness. That is where Soren and Apple are similar. They both are treated harshly by a parent, high expectations thrown onto them.

Where do they separate? Apple is selfish, point blank. Apple might've agreed to end signing the book in the Wonderland arc but she immediately fell back into wanting Raven to sign the book once she was given the chance. She never once thought of how it would affect Raven, she even saw how it did affect Raven. She saw that signing the book changed Raven, Apple saw that signing the book made Raven evil. Yet Apple didn't care because it means she gets her happily ever after.

Soren isn't selfish, most things he does are for everyone else. The only selfish thing he did was leave Claudia and Viren. This was due to seeing how Virens actions hurt others. Soren was used to being hurt by his father emotionally, he was used to his father being cold to him. Once he saw that Viren was willing to turn others into monsters, he left to warn Callum and Ezran. Soren even offered for Claudia to come with him, an offer she declined. But that was the only selfish thing Soren ever did, he left Viren because he was a bad person. He left because Viren didn't just hurt him but is now hurting others. While Viren was the temporary king of Katolis, something he gained through manipulation, Soren still left. Soren would have gained so much if he stayed. Soren would've been royalty, he would have a higher status. Yet he didn't care about that, he only cared about the fact that Viren was willingly hurting others.

That is where Soren and Apple separate. They both had a terrible parent in their lives. The only difference being one was selfish and one wasn't. That is what makes the argument pointless. Soren was in a similar situation as Apple but he still decided to help others. He didn't put himself above others unless he was standing up to Viren and leaving. Apple kept her own dreams and ambitions above those she claimed to care about. That is what makes Apple a horrible person, she put herself above others.

[svperluminous]

Let's Talk About the Breakfast Guards!

Are they a couple? Was it just a brief thing? Or did some of us hallucinate the whole thing altogether?

We fist meet them in Book 1 Episode 2: What is Done.

They're a bit out of focus, but we can see some distinguishing details: the guy's beard and that the woman has blond hair and green eyes. I think she also has a braid under the helmet flap.

Also, I think they're voiced by Jason Simpson (Viren and Barius' voice actor) and Paula Burrows (Rayla and Opeli's voice actor).

The next time we see them again is 2 years later, in Book 4 Episode 3: Breathtaking. It looked like they were about to kiss! At least I think it's them

The guy is definitely the same, at least the same model. The woman's eyes look blue here. She's also got blond hair and has a braid, though here the braid is out.

They don't have any speaking lines.

The last time we see them so far is in Book 5 Episode 7: Sea Legs. They're stationed outside Lux Aurea and the guy seems to be flirting with a Sunfire Elf guard! The human woman guard looks annoyed.

We know this is the same breakfast guard. He's even referred to as such in the subtitles. But is the other human the same woman as before? She's blond and seems to have a braid but her ayes are definitely blue.

I do hope it's them each time and that we'll see them in the future. We only have 18 episodes left so probably at the end of the show but I would love a resolution for them 🤭

[kradogsrats]

in a true case of gazing into the abyss and having it not only gaze back but double down, I jokingly thought “ha ha if Lissa is blonde the chances of her producing a child with (already rare in the northern European sort of genetics we just kind of presume she and Viren come from) true-black hair from someone with Viren’s midrange mousy brown coloration are SO LOW that it’s more likely Claudia is secretly her affair baby with someone who has actual black hair” and then realized that a) the nearest man with hair that dark who isn’t Black is Kpp’Ar, and b) after lying awake literally all night (for unrelated reasons) my single remaining brain cell can’t think of anything in actual canon thus far that would definitively disprove him secretly being Claudia’s father

[birdbrainedboy]

I’ve been noticing a lot of parallels between The Dragon Prince and BBC Merlin lately??

Strong blonde knight/ prince (Viren almost became king once) character who can act a little stupid sometimes and starts off the series as a bit of a bully

Character above has a black-haired sister who starts the series off very friendly but turns evil due to the actions of her father, also she has magic

Main character’s journey revolves around learning how to use magic

Dragons are a key element in both series, and are a more or less revered but endangered species

The main character protects a dragon egg/ baby dragon

Main character’s dad isn’t in his life

They’re both fantasy (but this one is obvious haha)

Let me know if y’all are able to think of any more similarities between the two series!

[xadian-daydreams]

Aaravos' Plan for Viren

In Reel James S5 interview Ehasz confirmed there was a connection between Aaravos' 'swallowed Aditi' comment and the giant skeleton found at Aaravos prison.

Which has lead to a lot of speculation about shapeshifting Aaravos, or possessing Luna Tenebris corpse etc.

My speculation is that this skeleton is from a creature Aaravos created, but his working was interrupted by the Orphan Queen and the archdragons' plan. Heck, this could be the main reason he was caught.

Aaravos has been tricking Viren into retrying this great working. Only better! Because Viren has something that wasn't around 300 years ago.

Plus, a theory about Kim'dael's Bloodmoon cult.

Spoilers from Season 4 & 5 and Book 2 Sky novel, and stuff from interviews, below the cut.

Warning - really long post...

History Repeats Itself if Someone Weaves Threads of Fate Tight Enough.

Events occurring in the present and 300 years ago are echoing each other extremely loudly.

The Dragon Monarch dies - Luna Tenebris and Avizandum

A human mage/king, that is under Aaravos' influence, plans a war - Viren and unnamed blond king.

A politically important and magically powerful individual goes missing, which would present difficulties in transferring power after Dragon Monarch's death - Queen Aditi and Zym

Both of these magically powerful individual meet 'swallow' fates, though Zym survives his.

There is massive upheaval in the Sunfire kingdom - Queen Aditi's disappearance is blamed on archdragons, Viren/Aaravos corrupt the Sunforge and contaminates Lux Aurea.

While Viren's dragon slaying and eggnapping started this echo, Aaravos has been guiding events so they align up. The only event that doesn't immediately seem to be blamed on Aaravos or Viren are Luna Tenebris' death - but, it does seem suspicious, and I'm going to expand on a theory about that in a bit. But the take away point is that I believe that Aaravos has tried this plan before 300 years ago and failed.

The Great Working - a break down on how Aaravos has been chivvying Viren unwittingly along.

Right from the first silent meeting across the mirror. Aaravos doesn't bother establishing any alternative communication (like writing or signing). After Aaravos notices Viren has Ziard's staff, he simply presents the spell artefacts and, eventually, Viren plays along.

The Blood binding ritual - They both make and drink an enchanted potion, then spill their blood into part of the enchantment artefacts, which combines and enchants their blood, then Aaravos drinks the blood to create Lil Bug Pal. Then Aaravos presents Lil Bug Pal as a means of contact from wherever he's imprisoned.

However, going by Book 2 Sky novel, this spell pre-dates Aaravos' imprisonment.

A little while later the mirror mage returned to view, carrying a small ornate chest. ... Viren felt he had seen this object somewhere before . ... Yes, he could see it perfectly in his memory - a chest which could be this one's twin, or sibling at least, belonged to Kpp'Ar. Certainly, it was among the irreplaceable relics his mentor had destroyed during the profligate tantrum he called his repentance.

Channelling - passing energy/magic between them, which cemented a connection. Viren is being apprehended by the guards, Aaravos warns him that he's in danger and to follow his instructions in battle. Viren could have just gone back into the secret passage, or not made things worse for his defence by fighting. In Book 2: Sky novel describes this as;

He could sense his movements and actions being gently directed. Viren did not feel controlled, but he understood that somehow, invisible strings connected him with the Startouch elf. ... Though his [Aaravos] actual location was a mystery even to him, there was no denying that in this moment he was in a way present and completely connected to Viren.

Gestation - Aaravos convinces Viren to smuggle Bug Pal into the Sunfire kingdom by hiding it down his throat. This has similarity to how Aaravos formed Bug Pal in the first place and Bug Pal becomes significantly bigger.

Empowering - This happens off screen, so speculation here. Between corrupting the Sunforge scene and returning to the human armies Bug Pal grows much bigger. Presumably, this growth comes from energy from the Sunforge. Aaravos possibly presented this as teaching and grabbing the power for the Hearts of Cinder spell used on the army, as that's the next big spell Viren casts. 🤔 My other speculation is it forges a link for the working to the Sunforge - Aaravos has been purposefully targeting the Sunfire kingdom as part of his plan, even before he was imprisoned, as he picked the most disruptive time possible to disappear Queen Aditi. Significance of this in a bit.

Swallowing - While Aaravos original phrased it that taking down Zubeia and capturing Zym would garner him world attention - so more political power, after the Hearts of Cinder spell there's no more beating about the bush. Viren is invested in this ride and Aaravos just promises he can take Zym's power for his own. Aaravos himself casts this dark magic spell via Bug Pal and Zaird's staff. Viren just has to stand there and make off-putting faces and noises while receiving this... bounty. This is clearly one of the crux parts of the working - stealing a world leading power and gifting it to a human.

Aaravos' spell rewinds to - "He swallows your heart. He swallows your mind. He swallows your power." The phrasing matching the disturbing "You're just like your grandmother. Would you like to know the truth of her fate before you meet yours? I swallowed her." Which makes me wonder if Aaravos has done this spell before, only using that blond king shown in the imprisonment flashbacks to steal Aditi's power, rather than some cannibalism thing.

Side note - How could Aditi compare to an infant archdragon for use in the working? Aditi is particularly powerful - even the archdragons respected her. There's also hints she possesses a unique Light ability that helps her make judgments - the archdragon's held her judgment as the highest, she's called "guiding light" and the "Light of the Sun Incarnate" and there's that scene where bright light erupts from her glabella. This power seems Stars adjacent (and potentially a threat to Aaravos' secrets and plans).

“You are not afraid of me—but what of the dragons?” asked Kim’dael. “You would dare invoke their wrath?” “The dragons know better than to invoke mine,” Aditi said. She struck the metal again and again, purposeful and confident. Not a shred of her strength was wasted. “Is that not why you came to me? For my protection?” “I came because the dragons trust your judgment. Your guiding light,” Kim’dael told her, feigning meekness. “But my queen, they do not fear you. The dragons fear nothing.” “They feared you once.” Kim’dael twitched a smirk of pride and quickly hid it. ... “A token of my protection,” Aditi told her. “As I promised.” “A false promise. How…unbecoming. I thought it beneath the Sunfire elves to lie.” “I did not lie. That collar claims you as mine, and as I told you, the dragons know better than to risk my wrath.” Aditi gestured to the thing around Kim’dael’s neck.  The Queen's Mercy

Then Viren took a really long first step down the world's tallest stairs and died. Two years later Claudia uses a resurrection spell Aaravos taught her via Bug Pal, and the 30 day prison hunt begins.

Hatching the homunculus out of the cocoon. Claudia is told this is to create a guide who will lead them to the information they need to locate Aaravos' prison - but Viren is who was expected to cast the spell. Instead, Viren's hesitance means Claudia just decides to perform the spell herself. Kinda curious how this misstep will effect the working.

Consuming the homunculus' essence - Even before Claudia has completed her mission, Aaravos is urging Viren to commit the life extension spell, before the resurrection spell expires.

Now he's here for you. And I will show you how to use every drop of his living essence to restore your own life and your future. The resurrection spell will expire tonight, and you will die. You must make the sacrifice. If you don't, tomorrow, the sun will rise... and you will not. [Infantis Sanguine]

Which harkens back to what Aaravos was promising before Viren died;

When you capture the dragonling, I will show you how to take his power, how to imbue yourself with all his magic and potentials, so that you will transcend the limits of your human form. Then none will dare stand against you. [Final Battle]

If you break down what Aaravos says here as steps - 1, take power, 2, imbue yourself, 3, transcend human limit - then this is a strong indicator Aaravos always intended for Viren to consume the stolen power from Zym (and the Sunforge) by absorbing Sparklepuff's essence. That the absorption occurs during a life extension spell is just making omlets out of broken eggs.

The goal all along was to "transcend the limits of your human form" Very peculiar wording. Remember the giant skeleton at Aaravos prison - the big creature Aaravos created was formerly the blond king.

Why Viren?

At the end of S3 Aaravos' Bug Pal is free to roam, can talk to others (he speaks to Claudia) and can possibly even cast spells. So, couldn't Aaravos pick a not dead dark mage, restart the spell, go wild in abandoned Lux Aurea and just sneak in to spell zap Zym, instead of taking 2 years to resurrect Viren? Heck, he could convince Claudia that, with this method, he could gift her the power to permanently resurrect Viren - she'd even know her way around Katolis Castle to grab the mirror, if it's necessary.

Viren has one accomplishment, with still existing ingredients, that's making him too tempting to pass up. The Mystery of Aaravos opening even hints what's particularly of interest about Viren to Aaravos.

He killed Avizandum with the Weapon of Vengeance spell. The weapon is still there, stuck in Avizandum's remains. A spell powerful enough to fell "the most powerful being in the world" and it's magic is keyed to Viren.

Why I think the cursed unicorn horn is important to the working? I don't think Luna Tenebris just keeled over for no reason, I think she died due to Aaravos' machination to get ingredients for the working. But rather than blond king killing her, Aaravos got the Bloodmoon cult to kill Luna Tenebris.

First, the blatant bloodmoon image when discussing her death. The cult's big rituals require the power of the bloodmoon, so they can infuse essence and powers into blood, which they can consume at their convenience and use their powers outside of moon's cycle.

Go back to the Queen's Mercy short story and Kim'dael is proud of how the dragons once feared the cult. Avizandum only hunts them down after the death of Luna Tenebris - they've been active long enough that most of the horror stories humans have about Moonshadow elves are actually about Bloodmoon elves. It could be because he discovered what they did and believed they'd become too big a threat.

Luna Tenebris is a Moon Archdragon, and the cult is about increasing their moon powers, by sacrificing others using dark magic rituals. Yes, the Bloodmoon cult uses dark magic - that's straight up confirmed by Ehasz in AIPT comic S5 interview.

AIPT: Kim’dael is one cool character. A lot of times when you have graphic novel spinoffs, they’re just that. But you bring a character who you introduced in the graphic novels and introduce her in such a cool way, that she has to be a big player in seasons six and seven, right? JR: She’s awesome, we have plans for Kim’dael that go beyond the show. AE: She complicates the story in a really important way. In the first three seasons, the narrative of the world is that humans use dark magic, primal magic is for elves and dragons, humans are naughty and bad because they do this. Kim’dael shows that there’s elves who have gone there. The way she does, the way that she does, is beyond primal magic. She’s found ways through dark magic to extend her primal moon powers. It’s very evil how she is able to do what she does and extend her life, and use her powers that would normally only be used under the full moon, she can use anytime because she’s infused blood with the light of the full moon. That’s dark. We love Kim’Dael, but we love what she means about the world of Xadia, and the narrative that’s not been acknowledged. There’s darkness and complication across the Elven world as well.

If Aaravos gifted dark magic to humans, then who else could he have gifted this knowledge to? (Kinda hoping he personally knows Kim'dael, that'd be a cool twist). And his prize would have been archdragon blood infused with the most powerful archdragon's essence.

Why is Aaravos after an ingredient related to the most powerful archdragon around at the time? Because he's trying to create his own archdragon - a Stars archdragon. (Possibly also Dark magic archdragon, if that even makes sense, like - dark magic corrupted Stars archdragon?)

There's that info in the Tales of Xadia handbook about Stars Devourer dragons - a myth that when a star disappears it's due to one of these dragons entering the core of a star and absorbing its magic. (Heck, there's even a little legend about a king who wanted to be remembered forever and made a wish upon a star dragon bone. His name was forgotten, but the legend lives on, which does also fit it neatly with the whole bones of a king who failed to become a star dragon).

But, what if the artificial Stars dragon can only really become a true star dragons if they manage to consume a star - in this case, the Sunforge. Which is why Aaravos has been targeting Lux Aurea.

So, 300 years ago, using Luna archdragon essence and the Stars adjacent Guiding Light power of Aditi, Aaravos uses a human dark mage to create a pseudo-dragon, but is unable get around to completing it and it dies. The Orphan Queen's image shows her catching out Aaravos' treachery when his own Key shines the Stars primal - what if she came across this pseudo-dragon and the Key confirmed it was a Stars dragon in the making. The archdragons not only imprisoned Aaravos, they put down his creation and left the remains over his prison as a warning to anyone who might think to release Aaravos about what kind of horror he's trying to unleash. (I'm assuming Jailer arranged the placement).

Now, Aaravos has Sparklepuff imbued with infant Sky Archdragon potential, a cursed unicorn horn powerful enough to fell a Dragon Monarch (unicorns are Stars primal) and the Sunforge under his control. Which should make this attempt much easier (well, except for Viren trying to skip out on it).

Why would Aaravos want to create a Stars archdragon?

Possible reasons;

Viren could channel energy and magic from Aaravos, if this is an open channel, then Aaravos could channel power from an archdragon. He's already mastered all 6 primals, getting archdragon powers is pretty much the only power upgrade he hasn't got.

Aaravos could just be planning to switch bodies with his creation. (Not my fave answer, but you never know).

Going by Ripples short story, Aaravos desires include making the other Startouch elves fall (Plus, the Mystery of Aaravos title includes falling stars). However, they're no longer on Xadia. If they're somewhere 'heavenly' (eyes Leola's Last Wish star suspiciously) and Aaravos is exiled and can't access it, then he'll need a Stars primal creature who can.

I can't think of a more powerful weapon then your own pet Stars archdragon, whoever he's got a beef with will be in deep doodoo. I don't think the Novablade is gonna cut it as a counter to a Stars archdragon.

Do you want to conquer Xadia? The dragon monarch is usually the most powerful archdragon at the time, a Stars archdragon would probably legitimately become Xadia's monarch using this standard.

And that about wraps it up. So, there are a lot of speculations and what ifs in this theory, but I think it ties a bunch of things together nicely.

I also like the way that Ezran/Zym bond would be parallelled by Aaravos/Viren if this theory turns out to be true. One bond being made of friendship and sincerity, the other out of trickery and dark magic. I can see these two bonds clashing and being very embodying of the show's theme. In Book 2 : Sky novel it's very obvious that the scene where Viren fights the guards channeling Aaravos' power, and the scene where Ezran helps teach Zym to fly when at the Moonstone path, are intended to be compared.

Pretty invested in seeing how much I got wrong or if I got anything right come Season 6.

Thanks for reading!

[beautifulterriblequeen]

Sir Sparklepuff: text and subtext

Canon:

Viren and Aaravos share a blood ritual where they cut their hands

Aaravos pulls a caterpillar out of his mouth

and uses the blood in the jars to send it to Viren.

Then, in Lux Aurea, Viren hides it from Pharos' scanning spell by swallowing it, and later spits it out so it can attack Pharos and give Aaravos a temporary body host

when Viren falls from the Storm Spire and dies, he spends 2 years wrapped in a cocoon to keep his spirit tethered. once Claudia is ready to start reviving him, the caterpillar spins its own web and begins to change.

A few days later, Claudia cracks open the chrysalis with magic, and Sir Sparklepuff emerges

And at the end of the month, Aaravos tells Viren that Sir Sparklepuff is "our child" in the same speech where he tells him to kill the homunculus to spare his own life.

Sir Sparklepuff is the equivalent of a donor child, born specifically to donate something of themselves to a living, dangerously ill blood relative. He is the spawn of both Viren and Aaravos, via whatever magics Aaravos used to make it happen.

Subtext:

Aaravos pulls a fat purple dick out of his mouth and gives it to Viren.

Viren manages to swallow, spit, and also give birth.

He's an attentive, if exasperated, dad who carries his worm son around everywhere, and he's also the dumb blonde who was failed so hard by a lack of sex ed classes that he has to ask "Is it mine??"

Unsupported:

"Aaravos was the pregnant one"

[stranger-angel0401]

You Should Hate Me

Pairing: Soren x Reader

Description: Soren and reader share a night together before the final battle

CW: None, I think?

No pronouns used for reader, no use of y/n

Okay okay I KNOW this is super similar to another one I've written and YES I can't stop writing the night before the final battle but I love that episode sm ok this is the last one (it's probably not)

When Ezran appeared back at the top of the Storm Spire riding a dragon, you hadn’t expected him to bring company. You wouldn’t even have paid attention if he hadn’t cried out.

“Callum, Rayla! We need your help!”

As Ezran dismounts the dragon, another figure slides off its back and falls to the floor. The person has overgrown blonde hair, and light stubble. He is wearing a full suit of armor, and he is gasping for air.

“...Soren?”

“This guy again?”

Rayla glares at him, and Callum steps forward. 

“What’s Soren doing here?”

“Stop asking questions, help him!”

Ezran’s scolding kicks Callum into gear.

“Oh right, breathing!”

You step back as he performs the breathing spell, and Soren gasps for air. He takes a moment to orient himself, looking wildly around the room. It’s not until his eyes land on you that he finds his words.

“I-is this the afterlife?”

It’s so stupid, and so incredibly Soren-like, and you want to rush over to him, but you don’t. After all, you’re still angry with him for choosing Viren, right?

Rayla rolls her eyes, and Callum sighs.

“No, it’s still just..the life. Still. You’re alive.”

When you finally speak, your voice comes out softer than you intend.

“What are you doing here?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After Soren had revealed Viren’s latest actions, you’d found yourself needing a moment. Your head was spinning, both from the info-dump, and from Soren being here to begin with, so you’d retreated to the pinnacle. You sit with your legs dangling over the edge, crying softly. You’re doomed, you’ve decided. Your friends, Zym, Xadia. You nearly fall off the mountain when a voice from behind you pulls you out of your thoughts.

“Hey.”

At the sound of Soren’s voice, you quickly wipe your face, attempting to appear angry, or at least indifferent. The last time you’d seen Soren, he’d been bedridden, unable to walk. But you’d had time to reflect since then. Time to reflect on how he’d chosen his father over you. How could you blame him?

“You’re walking.”

Your tone is dry, but you allow him to sit beside you. He keeps a small distance at first, testing the waters.

“Yeah, uh- Claudia.”

Honestly, what did you expect? How else would this ‘miracle’ have happened?

“And what terrible acts did she commit for that to happen?”

He stays silent for a moment, and you grimace.

“S-sorry.”

“No, you’re right. She uh- she wouldn’t tell me. I think it was pretty bad. Turned part of her hair white.”

You nod. He shifts uncomfortably, and the two of you sit in silence for a few minutes. You startle him when you finally speak.

“Soren, why are you here? Why didn’t you go home? You could’ve gone back to the castle, avoided the entire battle. Instead you’re here. Why?”

He inhales deeply and starts fiddling with his fingers.

“I’m a crown guard. I have to protect the king. The true king. Plus, I- I needed to see you again. I needed to tell you that I’m so sorry for letting you walk away alone, and for what happened with the dragon, and everything in between. You- you’re all I have left, and I understand if you hate me, but I needed to see you.”

You don’t respond, you can’t find the words to. Instead, you allow your hand to find his own, barely letting the tips of your fingers touch his. He hesitates at first, but slowly lays his own hand over yours, and you don’t retreat. You relish in the warmth, his large hand enveloping your own, and you sit in the silence together. At some point, you find your head dropping against his shoulder. He tenses for a moment, afraid to move, before slowly wrapping an arm around your shoulders. You let him. He doesn’t speak, but his thumb rubbing soft circles against your back says everything it needs to, for now. 

That night, Callum and Rayla declare that everyone should rest before the battle. Despite your best efforts, you find yourself doing anything but. Tossing and turning, and stressing about what tomorrow will bring. After what you think must be an hour, you leave your makeshift bed, frustrated. You’d chosen to sleep on the pinnacle, mainly for privacy, but now the isolation is getting to you. You sigh as you sit on the edge once again, refusing to wake anyone else. The silence of the night surrounds you, until the sound of footsteps approaches behind you. You stand, quickly grabbing your sword, ready to attack. That is, until you see Soren. He’s wearing pajamas, and he looks scared. The sight shocks you a little, and your sword clatters to the ground.

“Sorry! I’m sorry! I thought-”

“Relax, it’s okay. I didn’t mean to startle you, I don’t blame you though.”

You should’ve expected this. As it was, Soren had insisted on sleeping at the bottom of the steps to the pinnacle, insisting that if anyone wanted to get to you, they’d go through him first. You motion towards your makeshift bed, not making eye contact.

“It uh- it’s a little chilly up here.”

Soren nods and sits down, waiting for you. When you join him, he wraps the blanket around your shoulders, making sure you’re taken care of before himself.

“I’m sorry for scaring you. I just- I couldn’t sleep. Knowing that my dad is bringing an army here..it’s scary, you know? And- and it feels like my fault.”

You shake your head.

“It is not your fault, Soren. It is scary though. I..couldn’t sleep either.”

Soren shivers lightly, and you lean against him, attempting to share your blanket.

“Hey, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be keeping you up. I can uh- head back to my bed.”

You pause for a moment, but when he starts to stand you grab his arm.

“Stay with me?”

He looks at you for a moment, and how can he say no when you’re looking at him like that? He nods and sits down, pausing awkwardly. You hesitate for a moment before gently pushing against his chest until he starts to lay down. You lie next to him, and find yourself nose to nose with him, sharing a pillow. It’s not the first time you’ve laid together. When you were younger you’d sneak into each others’ quarters nearly every night, but long gone were the days of sleeping on each others’ bedroom floors. One night he’d insisted you lay with him, and it had quickly evolved into a nightly event. One of you would sneak to the other’s room and crawl into bed with them, before you’d fall asleep in Soren’s arms. You’d never been awake to see the way he’d look at you, how sometimes he’d stay awake all night to make sure you were still breathing, still with him. You were always worth the bags under his eyes. 

It doesn’t take Soren long to pull you into his arms, but he starts out slow, unsure of where your relationship stands. You understand he’s giving you an out to tell him that you’re uncomfortable, that you don’t want this. Instead, you surprise him by pulling him closer, tucking your head under his chin and burying your face against his shoulder. He tenses, just like earlier, but only waits a few seconds before tightening his grip on you. It’s silent for a few minutes, until Soren sniffles, and you realize your hair is damp under his chin. You pull away from his chest to look at his face, and his eyes are red with tears. You reach up to touch his cheek and he flinches away before allowing himself to melt into your gentle touch. A tenderness he only receives from you.

“Soren, what’s wrong? Is it your dad? We’re gonna beat him, I know we will.”

He shakes his head.

“I just- I didn’t think I’d ever see you again, and- and I thought if I did..you’d hate me. You should hate me. But instead you’re here, in my arms, and I just- I promise, I’ll never let anything bad happen to you. I’ll never hurt you again.”

You brush a strand of hair out of his face, and you want to cry at how he flinches. You wonder what Viren has done to him. You continue to run your fingers through his hair. It’s greasy and dirty, a symbol of how long he’s been on his own, all to get to you. 

“Soren, I could never hate you. You piss me off sometimes, but I’ll never hate you.”

He removes a hand from your waist, gently resting it on your cheek. It feels like when you were young teenagers breaking the rules, yet so much more than that. You stare into each other's eyes for what feels like hours, until you find yourselves leaning closer to each other. Your lips finally meet, and you feel Soren communicating everything he’s never been able to say. 

I’m sorry.

You’re everything to me.

I’ll never leave you again.

When he pulls away, he looks nervous, as if he’s scared he’s ruined everything again. But instead of scolding him or pushing him away, you hug him tightly and hide your face in his chest. You inhale his scent and realize you’ll never get enough of it, of him. You’ll never get enough of feeling his touch and seeing the way he looks at you. You understand that tonight has changed you both forever, but that is a conversation that can wait until after the world is saved. And long after you fall asleep in his arms, Soren lies awake, relishing in the way he can feel your soft breath against his neck. He swears to every primal source individually that he will protect you from whatever may come, that he will gladly lay down his life if it means you survive, and he does not regret the lack of sleep that comes in the morning. 

[iamsoobsessedwiththedragonprince]

Rayla is albino. Explanation: true violet (purple) or red eyes are only possible through albinism. Albinos almost always have white hair. Rayla has white hair. And purple/fuschia eyes.

Callum's birth Father is Aaravos. Explanation: Callum learns both sky and ocean magic-Aaravos is a master of all six primal sources. Plus, Aaravos could have forced Viren to harm Callum at any time, or he could have harmed Callum or his friends when he possessed Callum, BUT HE DIDN'T. I rest my case.

Soren and Claudia don't have the same father/mother. Explanation: how unlikely is it that a person with brown hair and a person with blonde hair would have a child with black hair?!! Soren's mother is obviously Lissa, but Soren is nothing like Viren, so I think he has a different father. Then they would be half siblings, Lissa being their shared mother.

Aaravos created dark magic (I won't explain here because I have previously posted about this theory

Tell me in the comments if you have any theories!

[goldenworldsabound]

Word Find Game...TWO

Rules: search for the given words in your WIP(s). If you don't have a word, you can use a variation on it or a word with a similar meaning. Then choose new words for the people you tag to look for in their WIP(s).

BONUS TAG FROM @kylilah!!! My beloved friend

WORDS: time, hands, gaze, heart, serene

Since this is the second time I'll be skipping tag but eee excited

S6

Tdp s6 companion fic...mega angst lol

"It's...complicated." He offered up a weak smile, which Wendy matched, the strain on their face clear. But at the same time, he saw some sort of relief in their gaze. They wanted to know, but they didn't. It was a mercy not to tell them, even as he desired to unburden himself on them as he always had. That was a cycle he needed to break. "Why aren't you wearing your pendant?"

Wendy looked surprised, turning their hand palm up, the chain shifting and sliding across it as they stared down.

"It's complicated," they replied, with a small smile.

Viren chuckled softly. "I suppose that's fair."

"I'm glad you see reason," Wendy's smile was growing, expression soft.

"You were always good at making me see it."

Their smile fell, and Viren knew he had said something wrong.

"Except when it mattered most." Their voice was a whisper.

Pouty

old Rufus fic when I was still exploring the dynamic and his character!

Rufus stood behind the couch, grumbling and sighing heavily. He tapped his fingers on the back of it, sneaking a glance to see if Aura was paying attention to his antics. She wasn't, of course. She was glued to the television screen. He repeated the performance, sighing extra loud to get her attention. When she continued to not notice, he scowled, growing annoyed.

"Are you just going to ignore me forever?" Rufus snapped.

"What? Hang on, I'm just about done with this battle-"

"No! No hanging on." Rufus grabbed the controller out of her hands, but not before Aura could frantically smash the pause button.

"Rufus!" Aura whined, turning around on the couch and shifting such that she was now kneeling on the cushions, her hands gripping the back of it. "What are you- why?" She frowned at him.

"Because you've been ignoring me, Aura!" Rufus snapped back, putting a hand to his forehead and sighing. "I've been standing here sighing for, oh I don't know, five minutes? And you didn't even react at all!"

Read To Me

Healen fic in the og RufAura timeline

"It was at that moment that the group realized," Aura paused for dramatic effect, eyes focused on the book in their hand, "that while they had won this battle, the war was far from over." They lowered the book, gaze going to Rufus, who's head was resting in her lap as she sat propped up in bed against the wall.

"...that's the end of the chapter?" Rufus asked, sounding unimpressed. He raised his brows in disbelief.

Aura laughed, the hand that had been stroking his soft blonde locks shifting to ruffle them affectionately instead. "It's a little dramatic, but we can allow the author that, can't we?"

"Well, we could, if they weren't so overly fond of such quips to begin with." Rufus clicked his tongue, before smiling wryly up at Aura.

Welcome To S

Ainosuke x Aura chapterrr

"...oh." Langa hung his head a little. "This is Void-"

"I got that much!" Reki squawked indignantly.

"-and she used to ski, so I thought maybe she should try rollerskates instead of a board!"

"...is that even allowed?" Reki murmured, frowning.

"Um, Langa?" Aura smiled weakly at him.

"Hm?"

A place you can be yourself. It was worth a shot, at least.

"<I'm actually, um, nonbinary, so I use they/them pronouns>," they explained softly, their heart pounding.

"<Nonbinary...>" His eyes clearly said how cool he thought that was, sparkling full force again.

"What?" Reki interjected, looking between the two of them.

"Reki, Void is...mm...I don't know how to say that word." Langa looked put out.

"Not a boy, not a girl, not something in between," Aura said, shrugging at Reki.

"Oh. Yeah. Nonbinary. Cool. Well, welcome to S, though I'll admit, I'm a little bit baffled by how you ended up here without even knowing it was for skateboarding." Reki looked at them dubiously.

AC

the fic I planned as a companion piece for RufAura during the events of Advent Children.

"You will go to Edge. Take Darkstar with you, and hide yourselves." Rufus said calmly. Reno made a quiet sound of surprise, Rude's brows twitching a fraction.

"Rufus, I- what do you mean?" Aura kept their breathing calm as they stared at Rufus, who looked slightly past them.

"I mean now. You will be safe there."

It clicked then. Aura's hands balled into fists, expression hardening into a frown.

"I will not." She stared him down. He met her gaze finally, surprise evident in his wide eyes and slightly open mouth. He recovered quickly, his own expression mirroring hers.

"You will-"

"I won't!" Aura interrupted, stomping one foot on the ground angrily. "Kadaj is dangerous. Something could happen to you! I-"

"That's why you need to go." Rufus interrupted, frustration edging into his voice. He could see the outcome of her staying easy enough. "If he figures out how much you mean to me, I-" he paused, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself. His voice was quiet again when he continued. "All will be lost."

Kadaj would kidnap her. With Aura in his hands, Rufus would be forced to comply. The mere thought of Kadaj and his gang getting hold of her, hurting her...he knew he would cave immediately. He couldn't play the game with her life on the line. Not her.

[theaceofarrows]

Toh x Tdp au that's no angst, just them all doing shenanigans along the lines of⬇

Callum, Luz and Hunter nerding out over and info dumping about their different kinds of magic and trying them out

Rayla, Soren and Willow having a push up contest

Amity and Claudia being magical goth girls together

Vee trying to shapshift into different kinds of elves

Ezran, Gus and Luz using the secret tunnels to be chaos gremlins

Soren and Hunter arguing over which is better between a sword and a staff; and being blond teenage prodigies

Rayla, Willow and Amity doing different magical girl transformation poses™

Vee and Zym having magical reptile species solidarity

Bait being exasperated by friendly and excited palisman

Luz calling Viren a crusty old dude

[coralcatsea]

-VIREN STOP BEING SO LIKEABLE RIGHT BEFORE THEY KILL YOU OFF

I SO KNOW YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SURVIVE THIS

-I'm SO curious about Terry. 👁️ 👁️

-I don't trust that blonde high council woman (whatever her name was) for a single second.

-Aaravos' guide looks like a cross between Gollum and the weird Voldemort baby.

[thedizzydinosaur]

Transformation into a monster

Dealers' choice on what character you use.

Yo, there be semi graphic body horror here. Proceed at your own risk.

Soren felt like he was on fire, and not in a good way.

His father's words were still ringing in his ears as he ran full force though the underground passages that ran like a rabbits warren under Katolis castle, trying desperately to escape the terrible spell that was seeping into him with every heart beat.

He knew it was wrong to let those elves go. He knew they were dangerous to the king, to the princes, but no one deserved to die like that.

No-one.

The sudden sensation of his ribs braking, warping in a wave of pain as they cracked and reshaped sent him to his knees, and the moment that pain lessened, it started again in his arms, his legs, his hands, his face. Nothing was spared.

Bones snapping, morphing, stretching and fusing in ways that tore and stitched the muscles around them in ways the human body was never ment to experience, causing immobilising spasms to pin him in place on the rocky floor, helpless to the all consuming magic.

The agony was blinding.

Soren tried to scream, to cry out for help into the empty tunnels that he was hopelessly lost in, but all that came out was a feral, pain drenched howl.

He could taste nothing but the horrid metallic reek of blood, see nothing but light and pain, and feel nothing but endless torment.

Faintly, over the sound of his suffering, soren could hear the sound of his father's stalf tapping on the cold stone floor.

And then soren knew nothing but darkness

-

--

Viren looked down at the wolf beast with destain.

Of course, the boys' recognizable ashy blond hair had carred over to the beasts fur. That would have to be dealt with at some point.

People would connect the dots sooner or later, between a missing guard and the freshly minted hunting beast he'd soon be presenting to the King to aid in finding the missing assassins.

He'd Need some training, and some more... alterations, but he'd do the job just nicely.

[theunchainedmelody]

"At His Mercy" A Sorayla ficlet

Warnings: Violence, gore Unofficial Sequel to my other Sorayla fic

The Moonshadow elf’s lithe form rested in a flower bed, head atop a stone. The blond knight stood over her, hands poised to cleave her in two. One swing of his bastard sword would remove the head from the elf’s shoulders. Yet the longer he stared at her, the more Soren was forced to take in her features. She looked so peaceful as she slept. These Moonshadow elves had seemed like nightmares in their invisible forms as they lay waste to dozens of castle guards in mere moments, as Soren was pushed hard on the defensive just to survive their onslaught. But seeing one up close, this elf’s face wasn’t terribly different than a human’s. A really beautiful human at that. There was a strange elegance to her long ears, snow-white hair, facial markings, and curved purple horns. She looked so peaceful under Claudia’s spell. So peaceful as he prepared to murder her.

Claudia was standing beside him on high alert, eyes darting around in worry at the thought of more Moonshadow assassins being nearby.

The Dark Mage spoke urgently, “Well? Do it, Soren! Kill her!”

Soren knew it was unsporting to kill someone who couldn’t fight back. It went against everything he stood for. Chivalry… Etiquette... Was he prepared to abandon them? But this was war, wasn’t it? Did mercy have any place in the growing violence between humans and Xadia? And if he didn’t do this… If the princes escaped… Then Dad would hate him.

And so, Soren swung down and with one motion, removed her head, sending it rolling across the moonlit path. Blood began to pool around the body. Crimson blood like that of a human.

And then his hands began to tremble.

The elf was dead.

Rayla was dead.

The girl who complimented him on the Storm Spire was dead. The elf he sparred with on an even footing, garnering her respect. The woman who understood the danger  Viren’s survival elicited, something only they seemed to comprehend. Who left him alone for two years in the dark of night, going as far as to abandon the prince she so dearly loved. She’d come back to Soren so suddenly, pretending nothing had changed. They’d argued and bantered but in Umber Tor, Rayla had fawned over him, so relieved he was alive. That was when he knew she cared. And since then, they’d been best friends. And they’d become…

Looking down again, the elf’s corpse was still there… lifeless… Leaking ichor.

This wasn’t right. This wasn’t what was supposed to happen.

“Nooo,” said Soren as he dropped his blade, ears deafening to metallic clanging as it rattled about the stone tiles.

Claudia smiled and said, “It’s done, Soren. The elf is dead. Now the princes will be safe and Dad… He’ll love you again.”

“I had no choice,” he whimpered.

His sister replied sweetly, “Of course, not, Sorebear. Orders are orders. And besides, she deserved it.”

“She didn’t… She didn’t… She didn’t even kill anyone. What did I do? What did I do?” pleaded Soren as he stared down at the corpse. He whispered, “Rayla…”

Desperately, he cried out, “Rayla!”

The muscular knight awoke in his bed, his long fringe of hair sticking to sweat-laden skin. He was panting for air and his heart was struggling to catch up. It was then he realized someone was nestled nude in his arms. He peered down at Rayla with her small dainty hands resting on his bare chest. Gentle breaths escaped her lips. They were sleeping under a warm blanket, sharing body heat like they had so long ago. Soren felt relief overtake him. Rayla was alive.

That’s right. He hadn’t killed her that night. And because of it, the Moonshadow elf was here in his embrace.

Rayla stirred, violet eyes straining to open. Yet swiftly, her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and she made sense of her surroundings. Seeing her boyfriend so shaken up, she knew Soren had only just broken free from one of his night terrors. He was hardly the only one. Rayla too was afflicted with them. Seldom were the nights where they both slept peacefully. The elf stroked his chest lovingly as she nuzzled against him, burying her cheek on his hard shoulder.

She asked, “Soren, what’s wrong?”

“I… Just a bad dream.”

“About Viren?”

“No… Not exactly. Maybe. But it was more like… Well…”

Rayla said bluntly, “It was about me.”

“Yeah,” answered her boyfriend quietly.

He continued, “I… I remembered the night we met at the Moon Nexus. I was so close to killing you. Just because you were an elf. And if I had… I’d have killed the woman I love.”

“Soren… It was just a dream. You were a tiny bit more merciful than that and besides… you’re forgetting… I was faking being asleep. I got the jump on you.”

He chuckled lightly before responding, “True. True.”

“Soren, we both chose this fate.”

“Yeah…” he said, sounding lost in thought, not wholly convinced.

The Moonshadow elf sat up in bed now, tucking in her knees to allow an arm to rest on them leisurely.

She spoke, “I get it though. When I first came to Katolis, I had my blade aimed at Callum. At Ezran. I like to think I’d never have gone through with it. I spared Marcos after all. But I don’t know… Still, haunts me, just knowing I might have.”

“You do get it,” he said with a bitter laugh. “You always get me.”

Rayal twisted around now so that she was hovering over him as he lay collapsed on the bed, sinking in his despair. The elf laid a hard kiss on his lips and then another on his forehead.

“I’m not just dating you for your biceps, Soren.”

He answered haughtily, “Yeah but no one would blame you if you were. They’re impressive biceps.”

The elf laughed and said, “Dummy.”

Rayla lay against him again, continuing, “You understand things about me that no other man could. I love you.”

“I love you too,” he said before wrapping his powerful arms around the small of her back.

“I feel safe with you, Soren. Thank you for hesitating that night.”

And with that, they fell back asleep. It would be a peaceful rest of the night for the two love birds.

[kradogsrats]

Since we already saw past!viren when he resolves his dark magic nightmare in book 5, do you think Soren’s blonde hair could be from a skipped generation from one of his parents’ ancestry

LMAO GOD okay so I'm personally a blond Viren truther and I will die on that hill, so you have opened a real can of worms

A lot of people seem to cite Soren's hair as the reason Lissa "must" be blond, but hair color is determined by a huge amount of very complex genetic factors. Like literally hundreds of genes. It's genetically possible for two people to have a child with pretty much any hair color, regardless of the parents' coloration.

Additionally, what actually creates the color of hair that we perceive is the ratio of two different types of melanin, one that affects the "darkness" of the color, and one that affects the "warmth" (redness, basically). Blond hair can have any ratio of these melanins in very low amounts, because what creates blond hair is just lack of melanin. From there, you also have the fact that melanin production overall tends to increase with age, at least up to maturity—babies' eye color frequently appears to "change" because they start producing more melanin, for example. Blond, particularly very light platinum or golden blond, is considered a "youthful" or desirably rare color on adults (at least in the US/European-influenced West), because it's less common than it is in children. Many kids that start out blond have significantly darker hair by the time they're 18-20, whether it's just a much darker blond or a color that would be characterized as brown, instead. As a kid with hair so blond it was practically white when I was very young, my hair was about the shade known extremely attractively as "dirty" or "dishwater" blond when I hit my 20s, and by the time I was in my 30s... yeah, it's brown. (Meanwhile Spouse is still blond, and in fact is the lone blond from an otherwise brown-haired family.)

Past Viren looks to me to be around?? 20???? or so????? but it's a cartoon so who knows, really. You could probably crank that up 5-8 years or down maybe two. Either way, "Viren was blond into his early teens" is a reasonable stance to take. It's definitely also possible that one or both of his parents was blond. (I imagine his mother as blond, personally.)

Also like... idk man, but Claudia and Viren just have almost nothing in common features-wise besides "not blond," while Soren has an extremely similar facial structure to Viren's throughout. I just think it makes more sense that Claudia is practically a copy of Lissa and Soren takes after Viren.

but hurrrr fantasy nordic people are always blond and del bar is literally just skyrim logic i guess