#tried to reconcile all this with the fact that he's an utter douche lmao

[chronicvillainstan]

Reading Patience (the official Aaravos POV short story) reconfirms my theory that Aaravos genuinely has a saviour complex a la Viren's "bright future for humanity." On the surface, yes, he *appears* affectionate towards humanity. He admires their patience, their character, and it's strongly implied he "gifted" them with Dark Magic so as to help them prosper. At the same time, part of his contempt towards Xadia and his kind seems to derive from the way they scorned humanity ("The stars, after all, have no interest in the lives of mortals. The stars are arrogant, blinded by their own incandescent light...") But Aaravos' 'affection' is clearly not without fault. He uses people for his own ends, playing the cosmic game of chess. They're "vessels," puppets, figurines. In many ways, Aaravos is as arrogant and apathetic as his brethren. He, too, dismisses the lives of humans. But the key is that Aaravos sees potential in humans where his brethren don't. He's intrigued by their patience, their character, and we can see that in the way he preys on those with "strong minds and strong hearts." So this 'affection,' such as it is, is Aaravos' way of saying: 'humans have infinite potential, and I wish to help them fulfill it.' And why? Well, he sees an opportunity to be revered, to be worshiped for his greatness and hospitality. He would be the one to share the "brilliant light" of his kind. To be 'the one' that fulfilled humanity's true potential.

And if he's the one that 'saved' humanity, then the "arrogance" of Xadia isn't justified.