#viren headcanons

[squigglyscribble]

Viren won’t make the same mistake twice.

[raayllum]

Take my hand

[bycaprinae]

I was watching Reel james interview with Aaron and there he pointed out that in the scene where we learn about Aaravos' prision, there's actually a giant corpse burried there. It was a hidden element and apparently important to the story, enough to be connected to Aditi being "swalloed" but not in the way we might think! I feel like we might know who that corpse belonged to, so I'd like to connect the dots and present to you all my theory.

Being straight foward, who do i think that corpse belongs to? Leola. Why? And why that matters? I'll present my case:

I think that the Startouches are Gods that created the world of Xadia, both human, dragons and elves. Aaravos and Leola were close to one another (as friends, family or lovers?), but Leola was the first one out of the two to pity the humans. Leola cared for humanity and Aaravos cared about Leola. Leola then decides to help the humans, maybe she tried to act under the radar and disguised herself as a unicorn, so the others Startouches wouldn't find out about this, as the humans were MEANT to be weak and suffer.

But soon after, they find out that Leola gave humanity magic, and decided to punish her for it, leading to her death? And because Aaravos was close to her, but not the one that defied their plans, he was spared by the others, but casted out to the world of Xadia, unable to go back to his people, and stripped away from his original status and power. Filled with bitterness, he plotted his revenge, to undo and destroy all of the other Startouches creation from inside out, by the hands of humanity, the ones that Leola pitied, the ones that the others despised, and in the process he got closer to humanity, learned their culture, their ways of doing things, he learned the love that Leola held for those creatures. She was prometheus and he was Lucifer!

If it wasn't obvious, I think the Startouch can shapeshift, I think they're actually massive beings, and both the skelleton and the statues are actually their original sizes!

Some of it is just pure headcanons because I don't have strong evidences, but here is what I do have:

Recently we learned from Aaron that the Startouch elf we see in the opening is actually named Leola!

It came as a surprise because Leola was also described as a unicorn, but not just any unicorn, the very one that gifted humans with primal magic. This is information comes from Tales of Xadia Handbook:

And when I read that tweet from Aaron, I immediately went to check that info on Leola, because I never actually read the handbook, and I was puzzled when I found a screenshot of that text and also the information on the wiki about unicorns, because in both wiki and the handbook is only written that "the elves" warned the unicorns, but WHICH elves? I distincly had the memory of it being the FIRST elves (aka, Startouch Elves), and then today I remembered where that info came from!! Is from book one: moon prologue!

Previously I theorized that "Ripples" is not a story about how humans came to wield Dark magic, but actually a story BEFORE they even learn that. The reason for that is the choice of words used to describe the magic.

"Precious primal flames" "undeserved power", such words used to describe what they had and what was destroyed. And then there's the implication that Aaravos' plan was to have the destruction of the Startouch empire come from the hands of the very humans they once despised so much.

The next logical thing to get from Ripples was that it described the birth of the Sea of the castout, caused by none other than Aaravos falling from the sky! The short story describes a small star falling down, changing the world, birthing a new sea.

It HAD to be Aaravos right? He's a fallen star! But he wasn't the one that gifted humanity with primal magic, through primal stones. He was the one that gave them the Dark magic. Back then I thought that maybe he was the one to do it, but if Leola and Aaravos are connected, then ripples might be about Leola's passing/falling.

Cookiesaddict made a post pointing out the possible connections of Aaravos and Leola, you should read it, but to summarize the points. Once in the NYCC this question was made:

Cookie suggested that this person might be Leola. During the S5 watch party I asked Devon if the Statues in the Sea of the cast out were made before or after Aaravos was impriosioned, because people were wondering why the hell would the prision have that GIGANT STATUE almost screaming: HEY, AARAVOS IS HERE!! COME GET HIM!! and this was the response!

Now, we see that statue both in the show and as a sketch, the other elf is known as "The merciful One" as disclosed by Aaron on twitter. BUT HMMMM THAT SKETCH.... LOWKEY REMINDS ME OF... THIS SKETCH....

The one from Ripples!!

Personally I think in S6 Aaravos will tell Viren about Leola, and maybe through that story we'll find out why the hell did Aaravos insisted on having Viren to live until the end, and how their themes/motives are actually more similar than we thought it was. It's not about power, but about what they'll do to save/avenge their loved ones, their family. I also read a theory that the sparklepuff sacrifice was a test on Aaravos part, while I do think that with the theory of mine it might make sense, I also fail to see why would he go to such an extent to test Viren? Maybe Aaravos realizing that Viren is much more of a family driven man than he already knew he was (as he mentioned he wouldn't expect him to sacrifice Claudia or Soren) will be the thing to trigger their interactions where Aaravos tells him about Leola. As things stands now, Viren is the only logical character to be the narrative tool in which Aaravos shares his side of the story. They're the one that have the most intimacy for him to be "vulnerable", and perhaps their final departure will come from Viren trying to talk Aaravos out of his path of revenge, to share the realizations he had with his nightmares, ohhh my god, can you imagine, Aaravos finally is vulnerable, finally shares about Leola, shares his grief, to the one he thought might understand, because they're similar, but Viren is too far into his search for personal redemption, and belittlethe bitterness Aaravos held in for so long. Super ultra gay divorce is coming (in my delusions).

[starsky707]

Aaravos confesses to Viren 🥴😵‍💫😏

And then...

They get married!

And live happily ever after❣️

Until...

Oh... no...

Please, don't put me into tdp jail! If that's a thing here... I hope it's not. Please, no jail!

[that-one-daydream-you-forgot]

these are my own personal headcanons for our local sparkly elf

insert a song only he remembers stuck in his head

doing evil sparkly elf things

rehearsing the things he's gonna say to the mage that he's been ignoring

trying to make the a cool reveal while wearing the hood while viren is doing his thing

daily practicing with magic

workout(?) for 2-3 hours (working out to out run the child support bills)

does he eat human food or does he just like-

idk why but i just hc him as a bad cook....not that bad- it's just that he magics everything, that i don't think he knows how to cook like a human

probably took care of sir sparklepuff while it was transitioning into the butterfly...(it's my way to coop)

...eats flowers

can and has went into virens dreams and then denies ever being in there

has the softest hair even by elf standards

i think he (hopefully) has a shower

or maybe he can magic cleaning himself again

can do the booba blade thing

(OPAI like the ones in genshin physics)

he has nice hands, takes care of them regularly

[madou-dilou]

"Gods -Sarai, get up. Just -what am I going to tell them ?"

[stuck-in-jelly]

Soren wanting to be the father is so special to me but also utterly tragic

Do you think he’s gonna be as loving as his dad used to be before he turned cruel

[huntress-of-stories-and-dreams]

Headcanon #81

People in the coins remain conscious and know what’s happening around their “compressed” space.

Runaan isn’t happy when he sees the affections between Rayla and Callum.

[idkyourleastfavoriteartist]

i never did an edit before but after watching season 5 i was listening to this song and all i could think about was them.

[kradogsrats]

I have a completely unsubstantiated headcanon that Harrow is just a completely insufferable brat as a child because he actually had a brother who was 8 or 10 years older than him who was killed in a riding accident, so he was suddenly crown prince at like 9 years old and his unhealthy coping mechanism for that burden of grief and responsibility was to be borderline-cruel to everyone around him for years, because hey, he's crown prince, he can do whatever he wants and what he wants is to feel like he has some kind of control over something in his life

Anyway then Viren, being from some poor backwater hamlet, has NO idea who he is when they meet (because what, is he supposed to memorize the entire royal family tree? sure, he knows what the king looks like, but come on) and therefore is perfectly willing to straight-up punch this horrible boy across his smug face when he gets out of hand, and Harrow's just like "you know what, I can respect that"

[beautifulterriblequeen]

so, the guy in the ace flag colors

(ace flag made with colors picked from Aaravos turnaround model)

✨Reproduces through asexual reproduction✨

Aaravos really be out here spawning the caterpillar from his own mouth like he's budding, huh.

mlem mlem plop

Step 1: spit out a bug Step 2: bug receives primal radiation to begin growth Step 3: pod Step 4: open pod

Leaves me to wonder, from a scientific perspective: if Sir Sparklepuff is indeed a clone/bud of Aaravos, maybe Sir Sparklepuff actually has Aaravos's true form. Ahaha, god that would be wild.

(But don't you think it's a little sus that these godlike beings just so happen to look exactly like elves, even though they're thousands of years older? I do. I don't trust that beauty. Something's up. Maybe it's benign, or some kind of "become an aspect of what you're worshipped for" or something. But if you could bend reality then why would you keep looking like elves 24/7? And you know I'm asking seriously because I'd be an elf for like 2479 years first before I tried any other shape. So: if god, why elf?)

Anyway, this asexual reproduction is the funniest thing in the whole show to me. Aaravos is the sluttiest slut who ever slutted, but he doesn't understand sex at all... unless he does, but with his Startouch brain, sex is just the same as everything else.

Which is extremely, extremely asexual of him.

Y'all can pry genius idiot asexual Aaravos from my cold dead hands. I'm keeping him forever.

[raayllum]

for @kradogsrats

It takes the third time of Viren shutting a cupboard more firmly than he needs to for Kpp'Ar to sigh, raise his head, and ask, "What is it this time?"

At his best, Viren is dutiful if prideful as a pupil; at his worst, he is frequently stressed and, when bothered enough, moody and bad-tempered. This seems to be a combination of all simultaneously, as he's kept his eyes on the records book Kpp'Ar had assigned him to update all morning, and his concentration hasn't wavered, but... his mood has only soured as the day has gone by.

Viren glares at him, running a pale hand through his hawkish mop of brown hair, freshly anointed wedding band glinting, and Kpp'Ar thinks for a moment his apprentice won't say anything when Viren grits out, "Lissa's pregnant."

Kpp'Ar nearly drops his wrench, the clock on his work table not quite tuned right. He turns, a strange swooping sensation in his stomach. "Oh."

"We knew... we thought we wanted children. But not now." Viren buries his face in his hands, sighing deeply. "I don't know what we're going to do."

Kpp'Ar is quiet, each word sticking in his throat less measurable than the last. What does he know about having offspring? If there's one thing he's avoided more than people, it's tiny, wailing, squishy-faced people who can't control their own thoughts and impulses.

Finally, he says, "Don't be daft. You'll do quite well for yourselves. You have the castle to live in, and—"

"There's more to raising a child than putting a roof over their heads," Viren snaps. He crosses his arms like the petulant child he may raise. "Not that my father would know," he grumbles in a lower voice.

Kpp'Ar rises, reaching for his cane and wincing. His joints are always worse this time of year, and Viren's crisis isn't worth it, maybe—the man is dedicated and singleminded to a fault, so long as he pays the child proper attention, there shouldn't be many issues—but...

Kpp'Ar curls a hand over Viren's shoulder. "So long as you show up, and love them, I'm sure you'll be a perfectly adequate father."

Viren's lips twitch. "That seems like an awfully low bar." He straightens, puffing his chest out slightly. "And I intend on being far more than adequate."

"There you go," Kpp'Ar says, moving back to his bench. "Treat it like you have something to prove, and you'll have an easy path laid out ahead of you."

As easy as parenting can be, anyway.

"It cannot be that straightforward," Viren says, his mood gone, eyes alight with amusement.

Neither will ever admit it, of course, but Kpp'Ar knows—secretly—that they both enjoy the intellectual challenge of their constant bickering as much as any other pursuit of their partnership.

"You have good intentions," Kpp'Ar counters. "Many fathers do not even have that."

"Hm." Viren goes and pulls down a flask from one of his stores in the walls, taking a swig.

Six months later, Viren and a smiling Lissa bring by a little boy with blue eyes and wisps of golden hair, and an only slightly squishy looking face. The old cogs of Kpp'Ar's heart stir in ways he didn't think he was capable of.

He makes the boy trinkets, and his sister too, when another one follows a year or so later.

Soren is frail and dying the last time Kpp'Ar sees him, a father's fury in Viren's eyes. Good intentions, Kpp'Ar thinks, as the gold swallows him up.

(You know what they say about hell.)

[jennyandvastraflint]

Viren's sexual orientation is Men with Power and he has a praise kink. In this essay I will

[starsky707]

My most random TDP headcanons about the mage fam (+ Aaravos).

1. Terry uses Old Spice deodorant (this is so random and weird😭 idk???)

2. Aaravos has an extensive skincare routine (I think this is basically canon now lol)

3. Viren can braid hair (obviously, he has a daughter)

4. Aaravos likes to dance (I can totally imagine him dancing the tango with Viren or maybe even pole dancing🤨 He'd just dance in different styles.)

5. Aaravos doesn't mind/ likes wearing feminine clothes.

6. Terry isn't good at magic (he knows only a few spells and finds magic difficult)

7. Aaravos would throw temper tantrums before he was imprisoned.

Maybe I'll make a part 2...

[air-seaprimal]

I had a revelation today.

Arravos is a stand in for Lucife. Here me out

Arravos is a fallen star, Lucifer is a fallen angle.

Both were apart the fall of man, Arravos with dark magic and Lucifer with the fruit of knowledge. Both were cast out for their sins by God or a god-like figure (I still don’t trust Aditti). There’s more biblical stuff.

Rayla means something akin to sacrificial lamb. What was Jesus? The lamb which was supposedly suppose to the scapegoat for humanity. I. E. Rayla’s savior complex.

Callum means dove, I don’t think I really need to explain this one.

Ezra’s is very close to the name Ezra; the name of one of the prophets.

You remember how it’s tradition in Katolis to mourn a monarch for seven days and knights. That’s a Jewish tradition.

In short no story is truly original and my brain went weird places.