Viren’s Voice

Viren’s voice

i love Viren’s voice, okay. It’s cool and smooth and generally chill. Very nice to listen to. I especially love that little hitch he does when he’s searching for words. It’s kinda cute.

But it’s also scary, because of the times when his voice doesn’t hitch.

Viren gives off a bit of an absent-minded academic vibe sometimes, as if he has these great ideas but doesn’t know how to express them clearly. When he says lines like “We may be on the brink of… changing times,” and “Right now… I… do not come to you as my king…” it’s pretty obvious that he’s grabbing for language to make his point. 

Cool cool. We all do that.

But what he’s really doing is softening his intent. Viren is trying to make his true feelings and motives more palatable for those around him. For his children, for his king. For those whose opinions he values.

When Harrow rejects him and tells him he’s gotten above his station, Viren drops all pretense. His anger and hurt make his voice come out fast and smooth and strong.

“Oh, are you sure you wouldn’t prefer ‘Your Royal Highness’?”

“’Your Esteemed Inimitable Majesty’, perhaps?”

Viren words here are like molten gold. Smooth, fluid, fast, rich, and deadly to the touch. These are his true feelings, which he so rarely shares. But Harrow is in a far different mindset than usual, and they’re both under a lot of stress, and Viren loses his cool. His words pour out hot and deadly, and he doesn’t care, in that moment, about impressing Harrow anymore.

Viren starts off very cordial and reasonable when he tries to get information about the mirror out of Runaan. “If you don’t eat, you’ll die.” And “You don’t look dead. Though…that hand has seen better days.”

But Runaan is angrily opposed to even being civil with Viren, let alone being helpful, so Viren quickly downshifts, seeking a motivation that will work on the elf.

When he comes back in with the coins–when he dumps them out in front of Runaan–he knows exactly what he’s doing. His voice is smooth and velvety. He’s entirely pleased with how things are going, and he’s getting everything he wants from the situation.

“Oh, this isn’t a bribe. It’s a threat. Go on, take a closer look.” Viren doesn’t have a need to impress Runaan anymore. He tried the soft way and got nowhere. Now he’s just flexing his dark magic muscle. He can do whatever he likes with Runaan, and no one will stop him. And they both know it. 

So when Viren speaks, his voice pours out in an easy, smooth stream of comfortable power. This is Viren at his hottest (gods help me). He knows his place and he isn’t afraid to stand there. 

Look at this look on his face. He’s expected a result, and he’s gotten it. He’s reveling not only in being right, but in shaking Runaan up, hopefully so he’ll spill some intel about the mirror.

[unfinished tdp meta]