#tdps3spoilers | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

trashyvirster · 4 years

Text

I admit that s3 was tough to watch as a Viren fan; not because his character “died”, but because it felt like his CHARACTER ARC died. To a lot of fans, he seemed to be a cardboard cut out villain and not the complicated villain we loved in S2.

But looking back on it, that's the whole point. His narrative shows his slow descent into evil and his fervent fall resulting in his own death. You gotta wonder what it all means.

I think Viren’s death symbolizes the END of his arc as a villain.

Here’s my timeline of Viren’s fall, death and ressurection.

The Man Harrow Believes In

Uncorrupted Viren

Viren is a genuinely good person at the start of this timeline, the day of the King’s Portrait. He’s such a good person Harrow himself insists he stand in the King’s portrait with him.

Viren is uncorrupted. He smiles! Acts a bit nerdy/goofy. He conveys love and adoration for Harrow with just his eyes. And he shows kindness for Sarai and her kids.

Titan Heart

Uncorrupted Viren

The next stop on our timeline is the Titan’s Heart flashback. As far as we can see, Viren is still uncorrupted. We see just how complex he is as a person. Pragmatic. Argumentive. Supportive. Stubborn. Caring. Resourceful. Brave.

1. Viren genuinely wants to support Harrow because he loves him. As his best friend, as his King. “FOR HUMANITY” is NOT his goal. Serving Harrow is his goal, its what he lives and breathes.

2. Despite his pragmatic arguments, Viren risked his own life to try to save two individuals. In other words, the sacrifice of the individual for the greater good is NOT something he’s happy to sit with.

3. He is BLUNT and honest. Uncorrupted Viren does NOT manipulate. He doesn’t say white lies either. On the contrary, he says exactly what he’s thinking and feeling. And sometimes that makes him a bit of an asshole. At least he’s an honest asshole!

4. He’s not vengeful or hateful. Sarai’s death greatly impacted him, but Uncorrupted Viren only shows grief and guilt.

This is his true self. This is Viren.

Thunder Slayer

Corrupted Viren

The first time we see Corrupted Viren is in the Virrow flashback of S3 when he and Harrow slay Thunder. Okay, this flashback is full of monstrous plot holes, but I’m gonna include it.

1. His personality is colder.

2. He doesn’t even acknowledge Ez’s presence in the room, compared to the King’s Portrait scene. Worrisome.

3. Where once was grief and guilt, now there’s only hatred for Xadia.

4. Where once he just wanted to support Harrow; he arguably has changed his goal. You’ve guessed it. FOR HUMANITY!! An amazing goal sure; but it’s impersonal…..And cold.

5. He didn’t exactly lie to Harrow. He told him he wanted to destroy the egg and why……...But he now keeps secrets from his King, his best friend.

6. He steals zym’s egg as a tool to use, justifying it because dragons are deadly and dangerous to humans anyways. Slippery slope.

7. He coins Rayla’s parents, for no real reason?? At least its not murder. Lol

8. His form is corrupted, symbolizing he’s no longer his true self. And he hasn’t been his true self IN YEARS.

Corrupted Viren is of gray morality; he’s NOT evil. He justifies his actions towards Xadia with his mindset “FOR HUMANITY” in a time of war.

Though he steals Zym’s egg as a tool….he never actually uses it. If anything, this shows that while Viren has an addiction to collecting Xadians as tools to use……..He can’t actually bring himself to use them unless it serves some sort of purpose for Katolis or Harrow.

The Man Harrow Lost Faith In

Corrupted Viren

We’re finally at the start of the show. Yes, the soft Viren that took shippers by the heart when he woke up Harrow is - corrupted. He’s been corrupted for years. But even as corrupted, Viren tries his best to be a good man, to be the man Harrow believed in.

1. Insisting one soldier give his life to Harrow was pragmatic. But Viren choosing to give his own life for Harrow….that was personal. This wasn’t a “for humanity!” moment. He wanted to give us life to Harrow, because he loves him.

2. Yes, he is short with Soren. But he tries to treat of his children equally; bringing them into the office for the debrief, together.

3. He (eventually) shows softness to both of his children and a great sadness at the thought of leaving them. LET ME EMPHASIZE. HE SHOWS SADNESS AT THE THOUGHT OF LEAVING SOREN. The scene is when he pleads with Soren “I hope you’ll understand! I’ll do anything, anything!”

While this Viren is capable of such cruelty towards Xadians, he shows true devotion and love for his kingdom and family. He’s gray, he’s corrupted, but he still has a heart. And yes, he shows love for Soren.

Villain

Dark Viren

But sadly, when Viren said “Goodbye Claudia” he meant it. Because when he walked out of Harrow’s room on that fateful day, he was no longer the same man. SOMETHING happened to him in that room. But what?

Dark Viren covers the remainder of S1 and most of S2. To summarize the startling differences:

1. Claudia is now the only living person he shows any amount of love to. But even his relationship to Claudia is not the same. Before he was vulnerable and honest. Now he lies and manipulates; even to Claudia.

2. Blunt honesty is out the window. Why bother reasoning with people when they’re all absolute idiots? If Viren can’t make them understand, then he will simply manipulate them. Especially Soren.

3. Virens love for his son has died. He is a tool to cultivate and use.

4. Viren intentionally divides his children; treating them differently.

5. While before, Viren’s “FOR HUMANITY” pragmatism was much more gray- here it morphs into something much more evil. A complete lack of care of what or who is sacrified, even if it’s his own son.

6. Giving Soren the mission to kill the princes is evil. His first true evil action on this descent.

But Dark Viren is still a very complicated man, far from a cookie cutter villain.

1. He shows a reluctance to actually murder with his own hands. He could have murdered Runaan, he didn’t. He could have murdered Gren, Opeli, the council, ect. He doesn’t. Which makes the mission he gave to Soren all the more cruel; he’s hoping Soren will do what he has yet to; spill blood.

2. He’s still very cautious with every step, especially with Aaravos.

3. He genuinely believes Xadia poses a threat. BECAUSE AMAYA SAID SO.

4. While he got pissed off at the pentarchy, taking vengeance was NOT his original response. When he returned to Katolis after the failed meeting, Opeli bitched at him, but Viren is so defeated he doesn’t even bother to bitch back, he just answers “for nothing….”

Dark Viren would finally give into Aaravos, admitting he desires for some important men and women to listen to him. Somehow Aaravos heard “so...murder? lollol”

Murderer

Evil Viren

With Aaravos guiding him, Viren became a murderer. It happened at the end of S2 with the Shadow Assassin spell; making him fall deep into the path of evil. Whereas Dark Viren could be redeemed, Evil Viren walked an unredeemable path ensuring his destruction and death.

When Aaravos told Viren to stop when the soldiers were trying to arrest him, Viren argues “But I have all the power I need to destroy them!” Sounds like a cookie cutter villain right? Because he became one. All of this was back in S2.

We can talk at length at how cookie cutter Viren felt in S3, at how horrible and cruel he was to Soren. But Viren being a cookie cutter villain isn’t a mistake. IT’S THE WHOLE DAMN POINT.

The point is Aaravos is evil and utilized Viren’s corruption. And by the end of S3, he’s practically posessed by Aaravos.

It was Aaravos who took Viren’s desire to have the pentarchy listen to him and transform that into murder. It was Aaravos who whispered in Viren’s ear to LIE to Claudia, resulting in gaslighting Soren. It was Aaravos who schemed for Viren to have an army - to conquer Xadia. It was Aaravos who schemed for Viren’s army to be gifted/turned into “monsters”. It was Aaravos who told Viren to take Zym’s energy. Did you notice where it was going??............Aaravos’ staff.

True, Evil Viren still had some nuance. Calling Claudia his daughter, saying he wants humanity to flourish, lacking a plan for what comes after attacking xadia lol. But he is a hollow shell compared to the Man Harrow Believed In of S1. And he lacks the rationality and caution of Dark Viren of S2.

The end result of Viren’s absolute descent into evil; attempting Zym’s murder - was his own death.

Dead Viren

Viren died at the height of his evil villainy. And he really died. He’s like dead, dead, super dead guys.

But you know what else I think died? His narrative as a villain. Why? Because he already did that. He had everything he asked for. He had an army of four kingdoms. He had magic. He had power. He had “control”. He gave it all, and he lost it all.

He didn’t just lose his life. He lost everything. Everything but Claudia. But actually you can argue...that he’s lost her too.

Why would he want to go through that again?

Resurrected Viren

But Viren was ressurected. The question is, what is his narrative now? Ah, a speculative meta for another day!

So have hope mage fam, because we have four more seasons to go and Viren’s ain't going anywhere. …….Redemption, and possibly saving Claudia from Aaravos, is still on the table.

PS. In my last meta, I said the ritual was one of healing. Well bitches, I wasn’t wrong! (wink)

#lordviren meta #viren #tdpspoilers #tdps3spoilers #meta

124 notes · View notes