#blaaravos

Kabel is a human/elf hybrid created using dark magic. Specifically, made by his dark mage father using a modified version of the homunculus spell. Because he was created using dark magic, especially an unrefined modified version of a spell, he's extremely unstable. Thus, he's basically a magic vampire; he uses claws and fangs he got as a side-effect to suck out the magic from others - which, if fully drained, turns the victim to dust and bones. -

The point he'd show up in the story is about Season 4/Book 4. Kabel would've probably been the highlight in that season for the fandom, tbh. (That season was rough, oof.) -

He'd already be there by the time the first episode starts, much like Terry. Though Viren is immediately on-edge seeing him, since he's visibly 'wrong'; each horn, wing, and the hair on either side of his body/head are two different colors. His horns are antler-like, his wings somewhere between a normal skywing elf's and a dragon's, and he has claws and fangs like a predator. Not to mention, he has a human-like skin tone and ten fingers. -

I feel like he'd get his own 'b-plot' in an episode, where Claudia would explain to Viren how she and Terry came across him, which opens a flashback. The flashback starting with Terry mentioning stories about that part of Xadia's magic forest; "Every night, a voice screams for help, but no one can find where it comes from." This would be part of Aaravos' subtle guidance to him. They'd find him by listening until nightfall and following his screams for help. -

Claudia and Terry would find him in a hidden cellar; an abandoned mage's lab, where experiments were once done and spells tested. Kabel chained to a wall and emaciated, surrounded with the bones of rats, snakes, and birds. He would almost immediately jump toward them with joy at finally being rescued. Before they leave, though, Kabel grabs a hand mirror, which he still has in the present. -

Claudia directs Viren to a journal they found, which Viren spends the rest of the episode reading. Cut to more flashbacks with Viren's voiceover: Listing only the important ones: Entry 1 - My wife and I have been trying for months. I'm starting to believe humans and elves can't have children. I will not give up, and I've begun looking into magic for a way... Entry 58 - I may have discovered a breakthrough! The homunculus spell can create a rudimentary cross. But the creature is not a 'true' child in any meaningful sense, some insectoid... beast. I do not wish to raise a dog; I want a son! Perhaps I can modify the spell, or mix it with another? Entry 180 - I've done it! My wife is pregnant! Using our mixed blood in place of thread was only the first step, but after all the trials, my wife is finally going to give me a son! Entry 400 - My wife is growing progressively more ill. I can't tell if this is a side-effect of the dark magic, or if she's gotten a plague. Nothing helps. I've been trying everything, but she's gotten worse. Entry 430 - Animals are dying. They're all suffering from the same problem as my wife. Those I find inside our home have bite punctures, too. Maybe a venomous snake? Entry (Smudged) - ...I never should've created this monster. It was all his fault. -

The last entry would end with a flash of a much-younger Kabel crying, being locked in the cellar with the bones of his mother on the ground a bit off to the side. (Clearly implying what happened without making it too visually gnarly, 'cause you know... it's not a graphic series.) -

Viren would only get more unnerved by Kabel's existence after reading that, and he ultimately brings it up with Claudia once or twice. "Are you sure he's... safe?" and "He doesn't feel... wrong to you?" Claudia brushes it off. It's not long before he looks into the mirror, too, only to find it's also an artifact of dark magic - a mirror with the ability to show the user anything they ask, provided they know it exists. This mirror is something Kabel is very protective of, and often, he talks to it. -

During the encounter with the water dragon, Kabel disappears from the group. He only returns a scene later, flying back to the group after 'lagging behind'. Viren notices Kabel is suspiciously less emaciated now, and physically healthier. It's implied that he went after the dragon after Claudia let it go, but it's never outright stated. -

Every time Kabel is running low on magic, there's visual ques for it. Kabel loses feathers, his colors dull, he gets emaciated again, etc. -

Kabel is shown to be a very compassionate and empathetic person, even empathetic to a fault. He has a few moments where he has to absorb magic from a creature, or even an elf, and he does so while tearing up and apologizing. -

Someone (Callum) even realizes Kabel isn't a bad guy and asks him why he's doing all of this. Kabel is surprisingly open about it, yelling that if he doesn't absorb magic, he'll die. This perhaps opens a whole moral dilemma about whether it would be right to end Kabel. On one hand, Kabel is dangerous and feeds on magical creatures, but on the other, Kabel literally has to do it, or he'll die. -

Kabel follows Claudia without hesitation, and he takes whatever route/plan results in finding Aaravos faster, even using dark magic, which diminishes his magic stores. This nearly kills him twice, and both times, he's barely able to stay alive by going into a frenzied state and attacking a nearby animal to feed from. Obviously, Terry is disturbed by this, but given Kabel can't live otherwise, he tries to rationalize it as basically just like hunting meat. -

When Claudia leaves Terry in season 6, Kabel isn't sure where to go, since he was told to just follow Claudia. Though Claudia is now demanding Kabel leave her alone. So, Kabel just stays behind with Terry, unsure what else to do and not wanting to be alone. Insert a scene where Kabel and Terry actually get to know each other. Kabel opens up to Terry, even; "I don't like hurting things. Pain is-... I don't like seeing things suffer. The problem is, if I don't feed... it feels like I'm drowning. If I go too long without absorbing magic, I can feel myself... dying." He also mentions that he's never been able to handle death, or watching things die. -

Kabel does what he can to help them, and rarely shies away from connecting with them, either. Kabel is actually pretty open, surprisingly, even though he'd also be one of the most introverted characters in TDP. Kabel especially vibes really well with Claudia since they're both eccentric (read: autistic). Though he's dead-set on Aaravos. Ultimately, Kabel gets lost in the background a lot when other characters are talking. Not because the writers forget he's there, but because he usually stays in his head unless he's talking to someone, or to himself. -

When Claudia goes back to Katolis and finds Viren's body, Kabel is just as affected by the loss despite not knowing Viren. This is entirely due to Claudia, Kabel's empathy and seeing someone he knew dead both leading him to feel the need to leave. (So when Claudia finds the pearl, Kabel isn't there for it.) -

When they get to Sol's skeleton and speak with Aaravos, staying quiet, even though he's also rubbing his hands and flitting his wings. Something telling: When Aaravos finally gives Kabel attention, Kabel leans toward him and his wings flutter. -

Kabel initially volunteers to help with the spell, but Aaravos stops him. Aaravos tells him that Claudia has to be the one to perform the spell, specifically because if Kabel does so, he'll die instantly due to him being artificial life - the spell would, basically, sense his body was created with magic, and since the spell is also creating a body with magic, it would try to use Kabel as one of the spell's ingredients. Thus, killing him. -

Aaravos sharing about his daughter fills Kabel with just as much empathy. The scenes there don't really change, beyond Aaravos briefly appearing beside Kabel to wipe away his empathetic tears. This both reinforcing Aaravos's hold on Kabel and reassuring Kabel to stay and listen. -

Aaravos' appearance has about the same response in Kabel as it does for Terry initially. Shock, awe, etc. So, Aaravos still picks up Claudia, and the season ends that way. It's only in Season 7 that Aaravos and Kabel's relationship actually gets explored more. Same with exploring Kabel's character, in general. -

Episode 1 of Season 7, Kabel is visibly more clingy to Aaravos. During the scenes when Aaravos is talking with Claudia and Terry, he's passively letting Kabel sit on his shoulder, or even holding Kabel in his hand like a songbird. Kabel chiming in with a comment or two. Kabel only gets off when Aaravos gets up to change his shape and begin the journey for a moon primal stone. Claudia doesn't comment on it, but Terry notices how clingy Kabel is with Aaravos. -

Kabel has the biggest goofy grin on his face during the scene where Aaravos is cycling through different disguises. You can practically feel how in love he is with Aaravos every time the camera shifts back to him. -

Kabel initially suggests using the mirror to find the Garden of Innocents, but Claudia mentions her map, and they decide to go with her idea, since it'd be easier than trying to figure out where it is with a glimpse from a hand mirror. -

When they get to the puzzle house, there's a small thing that happens that the audience could overlook - Aaravos mindlessly reaches out and runs his fingers through Kabel's hair, almost like he were scratching a dog behind the ear. Kabel visibly leans into it, then follows Aaravos as he walks to the tower. -

Kabel choses to ride the earth dragon on the carousel. When Aaravos talks about how much fun it was to ride on the carousel, you can just see another big grin on Kabel's face as he gets off the earth dragon. -

When Claudia and Aaravos are alone, Claudia asks him about Kabel. Emphasizing one thing: how could Aaravos know about him? Kabel was trapped in the cellar long after Aaravos was imprisoned in the pearl, after all. Aaravos pauses, then - as always - replies with honesty: "I know him because he found me." -

Aaravos, over voiceover, explains that while he was imprisoned, his mirror reacted like something magical was trying to tap into it. In the mirror, when Aaravos used magic to see what was reacting, they met - the magic of his mirror and Kabel's intersected with Aaravos' unwitting influence, resulting in them being able to see one another. The voiceover shifts, with Kabel speaking to Terry, explaining that while he was stuck in the cellar, the only window he had to the outside world was his mirror. He couldn't speak through it, but he could hear and see; "I could only experience the world through a pane of glass." -

With that phrase, goes back to the present, with Terry and Kabel talking. Focus on Kabel, who finishes: "...I couldn't feel the sun on my face, all I could eat was rats, I didn't even have anyone to talk to, or to hug. I almost gave up... but then, Aaravos found me. Somehow, he tapped into the mirror, and for once, I wasn't just watching. He was really there, really seeing me." -

With the map, Kabel can't see it either. Aaravos lets him know what's going on along with Claudia, I imagine. Kabel has an excuse when Terry mentions the map and tries to get Kabel to look at it, though; Kabel mentions having bad eyesight, and makes the excuse that the map has a glare that's hard for his eyes to see properly. Terry doesn't question it, since Kabel would've had a few scenes before this episode that also implied he had bad eyesight. (It's mostly that he's nearsighted, but he also needs glasses.) -

I imagine the whole 'touching' thing is pretty regular between Aaravos and Kabel. Aaravos running fingers through Kabel's hair, a hand on his shoulder/back, a brief caress of Kabel's cheek? It's everywhere, but it's usually small enough that audiences wouldn't normally notice unless they were looking for it. A similar thing is also true with Aaravos giving Kabel compliments and small words of affirmation, too. -

It's basically all but said directly that somewhere between the point where Kabel 'met' Aaravos and Kabel was set free, that Aaravos charmed and seduced Kabel. At first, it's not entirely clear if Aaravos actually reciprocates these feelings or not, but one could easily conclude that he doesn't. (That changes later, of course.) -

During S7 E3, Aaravos has a moment with Claudia while Terry and Kabel are gone. (Kabel left at Aaravos's request.) Aaravos tells Claudia about how Kabel is - in essence - a dark magic spell constantly running. Dark magic requires a primal source's sacrifice to function, and because Kabel came from a 'modified' spell, he's unstable, and requires feeding directly off of a living creature. Claudia doesn't really know what to say, other than asking what would happen to him if he didn't get to feed. "S-so... he would just... 'poof'?" "If Kabel were to run out of magic completely... it's hard to say for sure what would happen, since he's the only one of his kind. ...But I'd say we have enough evidence to make an educated guess." And holds out one of Kabel's lost feathers. Cut to a 'sketch' of Kabel when Claudia found him: emaciated, losing feathers, withering away. "...So, if Kabel starts to run out of magic, we must help him feed on something." This probably makes the whole 'self-eating' thing foreshadowing, given what happens later. -

He's with Aaravos and Claudia when they reverse the moon nexus, leaving Claudia to reunite with her 'mom'. It isn't until the truth is revealed that he approaches alongside Aaravos. Terry pleads with Claudia still, but when that doesn't work, he tries with Kabel. "Kabel! You know this is wrong! Why are you doing this?! ...Y-you said you hated to see suffering!" Kabel doesn't respond at all, simply looking away. -

Claudia is sent away like normal, and Kabel watches everything from beside Aaravos... until Aaravos gets shot in the neck with an arrow. Kabel freaks out, though calms when Aaravos mentions that body being a vessel. Right as Aaravos is about to disappear, he tells Kabel to fly away. Kabel tries, but is unsuccessful, shot in the wing by another arrow, sending him crashing down. By Episode 7, he's captured and imprisoned. -

In Episode 7, Corvus, Terry, and Soren bring Kabel along, bound in chains with his wounded wing bandaged. Kabel is distraught to see Aaravos captured and tries to get closer to him, but he's stopped by guards. -

This whole 'magic feeding' and 'being trapped' thing goes full-circle in this episode, as Kabel actually starts running out while they're trapped, before Ezran and Aaravos can start their moral back-and-forth. (Which viewers who were paying attention probably would've predicted, since Kabel hadn't fed on anything on-screen in a while.) Nobody except Aaravos can really tell what's happening, and his expression goes from fury to genuine worry, when he realizes just how far along Kabel is in starving of magic, even to where Kabel throws up black ooze and violently seizes while still bound in chains. It isn't until Aaravos demands they at least bring Kabel close enough for him to 'handle it' that Ezran finally gives the order. -

Once Kabel is close enough, he lunges for Aaravos in a frenzied state, and Aaravos flinches, but doesn't give much more of a reaction. Kabel feeds on Aaravos, which is treated about as horrifyingly as you could imagine it would be; the guards are disgusted, horrified, and even Soren takes a step back. Aaravos doesn't become bones and dust though, and it's basically implied that he's so powerful that Kabel's feeding on him couldn't kill Aaravos, even if he wasn't immortal. -

Once that's finished, Kabel is dragged away from Aaravos, dazed. Aaravos and Ezran then have their talk, with Aaravos even bringing up what just happened as an example of him being selfless. -

Kabel regains his mental faculties once the attack starts, and Aaravos plucks him from the floor, removing the chains himself. (The rest goes as normal, save for Kabel being in his hand.) -

Next episode, Kabel is on Aaravos's shoulder as he approaches Lux Aria. He just sits there and listens to Karim's little speech, but is just as unimpressed as Aaravos is. Kabel even makes a comment: "...I thought you were gonna eat him for a second." (Which is literally what I thought was gonna happen when that scene came up, tbh.) Aaravos chuckles in response. -

Kabel is launched off of Aaravos's shoulder when Rex shows up, just barely avoiding mass injury thanks to Claudia showing up just in time. Kabel's wing is still fucked up from the arrow, but he quickly tries to use dark magic to fix that when Rex attacks Aaravos. After Aaravos struggles with Rex for a moment, Kabel catches Rex off-guard with a dark magic spell, (hitting Rex in the eye) which gives Aaravos an opening to throw him off. This is when Aaravos makes his 'gift' line and Avizandum's spirit appears. -

Avizandum's spirit makes even Kabel pause in surprise, but he quickly recovers, checking in with Aaravos immediately to see if he's okay. Cut to Rex talking to Avizandum, so we don't hear Aaravos's response. -

When Zubeia pleads with Avizandum to listen and remember her, Kabel's empathy kicks-in again. Aaravos quickly notices and diverts Kabel's attention away from that and to the other spirits. "I believe they may need some guidance, my dear." He says, and Kabel tries to shrug off his empathy, launching away to direct the hoard. -

Kabel only realizes what's going on right at the climax, but before he can try to help Aaravos, he's directed through telepathy to help Claudia get away. Kabel hesitates, but follows her, promising him telepathically to protect her in his absence. -

Loki Odinson:

   UHHHHH- while the original song I find fairly endearing, this version? It honestly gives me some thriller/stalker vibes, which is not a good sign. Based on the lyrics though? ‘My only friend was a stray kitty’ especially? I’m getting the feeling that in this instance, I’m the stalker. Oh, no-

Scarecrow/Jonathan Crane:

   Oooh, I love Mother Mother songs. Let's see... Well, I gotta say, it does have Scarecrow's vibe. The song is about trying to force change in yourself, but said change isn't working (And you end up hurting yourself by trying to in the process.) Or...at least that's my read of it.

   So, Someone tried to change themselves for the relationship and it didn't work, which ended up hurting them? Sounds like a failed villain redemption and subsequent relapse to me. (Try to be not a villain for your civilian partner, only to end up turning around later type of thing?) ...So, I'm gonna assume this is BTAS Scarecrow, then-

Brahms Heelshire:

   I- I mean... well first of all, the 'dressed in green' line would imply that Brahms is the frog, seeing as his cardigan's green and I never wear green, in fact, I usually wear black or brown, which are actual scorpion colours anyway-

Tomura Shigaraki:

   Ooooh, that's a nice match. Honestly, yeah, it kind of feels that way, especially with what quirk I gave my S/I, and Shiggo's quirk as well. 

   Sounds like someone attempting to coerce someone else into joining a ‘team’, only to finally open their heart to said person, and right then, that person they coerced gets hurt because they were joining that team? Idk, maybe you could replace that 'team' thing with the LOV? (Or the Paranormal liberation front?) Either way, sounds angsty, I'm in!

Aaravos:

   Well, that's certainly not what I expected-

   Okay, so what am I getting from this... Well, duality first of all, perhaps indecisiveness? So this is probably talking about me then, haha. Honestly from that context, this makes way more sense.

Newt Scamander:

   Yeah, I feel like the lyrics on this one are pretty self-explanatory. Person the song is in pov of was in a bad relationship before and they’re scared to be open to their new lover.

   Honestly, in the context of this involving Newt, it reminds me of this 'x reader fic' I came across at one point, that involved the reader coming home from fighting in WW2 and being severely affected by it. It was pretty good all things considered.

Prince Stolas:

   Wait, isn't this song about being trans? Regardless, lyrics-wise sounds pretty accurate, to me at least, especially in the story I gave him with my S/I. Poor man didn't deserve all that hardship, he only has his daughter and his man and me, now.

Viktor (Arcane)

   I swear to god, it was on shuffle, I promise- What a coincidence that it ended up being the awesome song from his own source! Though, that doesn't bode well for the relationship, I guess. Sounds like it'll be angsty, oh no. But then again, knowing who Viktor is, I suppose that's kind of a given.

   I get vibes of 'everything is crumbling down around us, so let's spend these last few moments of normalcy together' from this match up. (Which should make sense with where Viktor ends up going in LOL lore.)

Rook Blonco:

   I can't say I expected this one either. I also can't say I'm super clear on who in this dynamic would be the one who's pov this song is from here?

   Obviously, more angst. The song is about changing yourself for someone you love, a theme we saw with Scarecrow as well. Hmm, there's a lot more angst here than I expected...

Vilkas (Skyrim):

   Oh no. Vilkas, hun, don't say shit like this, you're breaking your husband's heart- 

   Bad snippet of the song since you can’t actually hear any lyrics, but yeah. Nothing like a little bit of ‘I don’t think they’d really love me’ to get the heart wrenching, right?

Anyway, though!

Blake/Copycat x Loki - Cardinal x Magpie

(Trigger Warning: Mentions of familial abuse/neglect.)

Everyone expected Thor to have wings and Loki not to. It was an unspoken expectation that everyone shared. However, everyone was shocked when Loki began developing wing stubs as a child, while Thor had no sign of wing development at all.

Loki was told from a young age what it meant, and though the idea of having no say in this person was unnerving, it was also intriguing. As time went on, Loki's wings remained featherless, even into adulthood. Because of this, Loki covered them with their clothes, finding the naked wings unsightly, and perturbed by them seeming no closer to feathering.

Rumors over what the lack of feathers might mean spread pretty quickly, and though Loki tried to ignore it, the rumors only added to their self-consciousness, as their family and people still neglected them in favor of the golden child, Thor.

Loki stopped thinking about it after a while. It wasn't until one morning that Loki felt itching, pin feathers sprouting up. Of course, Loki was relieved to have a shred of evidence that they really had a soulmate somewhere.

Loki wanted to hide them, but covering them only made the itching worse, so they had to use illusionary magic instead.

Days went by, and Loki checked their wings in the mirror nearly every day for signs of more growth, eager to meet their supposed 'destined love'. Though, it was only around the 1900s that Loki's wings developed enough that they felt comfortable showing them.

It was clear by that point what bird Loki's wings and tail feathers were - a magpie. Black and white, with gleaming iridescent purples and greens. Loki kept very close watch of their wings, their internal loneliness and eagerness for acceptance making them more and more eager as the days passed.

By the time Thor was banished to Earth, Loki's wings were nearly fully feathered, with only a few feathers yet to have grown completely. Then, when Loki arrived in New York, it would be only a matter of days before Loki met this mystery person. Though the mind stone's manipulation and the situation involving the Avengers, Thanos, etc, made it hard for Loki to think about that.

It wasn't until the morning after Loki was 'captured' and brought onto the SHIELD helicarrier that Loki's wings were fully feathered. But it was hard for Loki to notice that, given the situation.

Copycat finally arrived on the helicarrier, flitting his red cardinal wings every time he met someone new, hoping to feel his feet lift from the floor, or strength to fill his wings. It wasn't until Copycat noticed Loki and did some research of his own that they finally met.

Copycat went down to the cell where Loki was held, and they had their conversation. Copycat realized Loki was under the mind stone's influence, and with some hesitation, joined Loki's side purely to help Loki break away from its control.

Things go about as normal, neither of them even attempting to fly until the battle itself, when Loki realizes they can suddenly fly. (It's over, brother, I have the high ground!)

Loki has a battle with Thor, The Hulk breaks the mind stone's hold on Loki, and Copycat manages to yoink Loki away before they're recaptured by the Avengers.

Copycat had realized he can fly during the battle, too, and uses that to his advantage while they escape. After Loki finally regains their bearings, they realize Copycat is their soulmate. Loki was amused, since their soulmate's first act to Loki was throwing away everything for their sake.

Blake/Plague Rat x Arkham!Scarecrow - Cardinal x Crow

(Trigger Warning: Human experimentation.)

Jonathan never really cared about the whole 'Soulmate' thing. Although the idea of a doggedly loyal assistant obviously appealed to him, he focused far more on his fear-fixation than anything else. The only times it ever became relevant were times his test subjects' fears would involve soulmates or when someone would make a comment about how they 'didn't expect Dr Crane to have a soulmate'.

Feathers grew in pretty late for him, one reason he didn't think too much about his soulmate. Black feathers sprang up in the twilight years of his time as a recognized psychologist, surprise to nobody: His wings and tail feathers were that of a crow.

After becoming the Scarecrow, Jonathan mostly only paid attention to his wings and tail feathers when he was using them to his advantage. His fear toxin seemed to twist them into horrifying shapes, it seemed.

Blake finally entered the scene around this time, initially kidnapped by the Scarecrow as a hostage so Batman wouldn't catch him, Scarecrow realized his wings were actually working when he flapped them. Before Batman could react, Scarecrow grabbed Blake and took off with him, like a bird of prey carrying off a mouse.

This new development made Scarecrow change his plans, realizing Blake was his soulmate near-instantly.

Scarecrow and Blake talked, realizing they had a lot in common, and they ended up forging a bond that was... oddly healthy?

Blake became Plague Rat soon after, returning from a violent kidnapping and terrible bout of being experimented on by crazed scientists. Then, after a brief lull of relaxation, Scarecrow gets kidnapped by Killer Croc, (Can we all stop getting kidnapped for five minutes?!) going missing for a long swath of time, when everyone assumed he was dead. ...Everyone except Plague Rat.

Plague Rat's wings remained flightable, so he knew Scarecrow was still alive somewhere, hiding from everyone as he scoured for signs of his soulmate.

Eventually, Plague Rat found Scarecrow before Halloween in Gotham, finding him torn up, needing to use a ventilator, and all. However, whereas Scarecrow assumed Blake would react negatively to his appearance, Blake was more concerned with his health and finally seeing him again.

Blake also realized that one of Jonathan's wings was missing, rendering Jonathan unable to fly. Plague Rat was outraged, very close to hunting down Killer Croc and turning him into a handbag.

Blake was happy to have Jonathan back, either way, and even after Jonathan was overdosed on fear toxin - breaking his mind and filling him with insanity and paranoia - Blake stayed beside him, doing everything possible to care for his love, even in his weakened state.

Blake/Kabel x Aaravos - Cardinal x Reverse Pheonix

(Trigger Warnings: Major spoilers for The Dragon Prince seasons 1-6)

Aaravos's wings were... an odd situation. For the longest time, 'Startouch elves can't have soulmates!' was just common knowledge. No Startouch elf ever developed wings, nor tail feathers. ...That is until Aaravos.

Aaravos didn't have them at first; there was no 'time' wings would develop, since he's immortal. So, Aaravos assumed he had no soulmate, and Aaravos was okay with that. Being a single father wasn't that bad.

Then, Aaravos started feeling aches in his back. He brushed it off at first, but it kept happening, and after trying every remedy possible to alleviate this mysterious ache, and trying everything possible to find the source, Aaravos finally realized it when he felt them - wing nubs, the beginnings of wings.

To call it a shock was an understatement. Aaravos wasn't sure how to react, and he barely had time to even process it before the fateful day when Aaravos's world crumbled, emotions shattered, his daughter gone.

Over the time he was imprisoned, stewing on his plans, Aaravos watched as his wings and tail feathers grew, finding it bittersweet. In fact, Aaravos hated them at first.

Many, many years later, while Aaravos was busy dealing with Viren, he felt dark magic radiating from a single spot in the woods of Xadia. Aaravos, of course, investigated as well as he could - using ancient magic (With Viren's unknowing help to do it) to tap into the dreams of whatever used that dark magic, to find: His soulmate.

It was a pitiful thing. A lonely thing, alone in a cellar, left with nothing and nobody. ...It was familiar, actually. Aaravos was especially curious about his appearance - this 'Kabel' had five fingers like a human, but was clearly also a Skywing elf. His normal Skywing... wings in their proper place on his hips, while his soulmate wings were on his back.

Kabel was a physical, living being, stitched together with dark magic, a hybrid of human and elf. A being made of dark magic - a fully realized living creature with its own mind and spirit - was dangerous! Unlike a simple homunculus, it would require feeding on the magic of others to survive.

Kabel was on his last legs. Isolated and left to rot in a cellar, like he was a prisoner simply for existing. Aaravos could feel that Kabel was ready to give up, to stop looking for more magic to feed on.

So, Aaravos whispered into his dreams, telling him to be patient and wait. He'd be rescued soon. Kabel was on the verge of giving up, and that gave him enough hope to try a little longer. Dreams of Aaravos barely flickering past Kabel's mind each night, before, after many more months, some years, Kabel finally heard voices.

Viren, Claudia, Homunculus, and Terry found him. Terry and Claudia immediately were ready to help him, as Kabel looked slightly emaciated and sickly. Viren, however, was hesitant, noticing the telltale signs of that horrible dark magic.

Each night, through each leg of the journey and story, Aaravos kept popping into Kabel's dreams, becoming more and more clear the closer Kabel got to his prison. Finally, when Aaravos was freed, their wings finally surged with life, and he flew into Aaravos' hand, marveling at the sight of Aaravos - a startouch elf with massive, sparkling wings that looked like they were made of ice and starlight.

Blake x Imhotep - Cardinal x Ibis

Imhotep had his wings for a while, obviously. However, his wings never developed their feathers. It wasn't clear why to anyone, but after a time, Imhotep met the wingless Anck-Su-Namun, and the two ended up falling in love. (I mean, Imhotep being in love with her is scandalous already, what's adding potential polygamy with Imhotep's future soulmate to that?)

Imhotep tried for the manacle of Osiris and failed, becoming mummified alive, and later resurrected by the wingless Colin Weasler. After being resurrected, Imhotep passively noticed his wings began growing feathers. There was a slight confusion, but at that point, Imhotep basically decided: 'Alright, this might as well happen'.

After everything involving the O'Connell's, Imhotep's wings developed slowly over all the adventures. Large white wings with black tips and black tail feathers.

Imhotep went after another time travel artifact. The O'Connells and Ardeth Bay arrived to stop him, and Weasler was obviously there with him. But something went wrong, and the artifact broke while it was glowing and spinning, breaking into ruin, never to be fixed.

Then, when they left the caves, they realized things were... different. The artifact stranded everyone in the present day!

Imhotep grew far more frustrated now. First, he had to adjust to the 1920s, now another time?! Imhotep ended up heading for Egypt to look for something else that might be useful, and when he arrived, Imhotep only then realized his wings were fully formed.

Within one tomb, Imhotep spotted him - Blake, a man who was supposed to be with a tour guide, who discovered an unnoticed hole in the side of a pyramid and went inside to investigate. With large red wings, fully formed now. Blake found an artifact Imhotep thought was destroyed, now wearing it around his neck: The amulet of Anubis. An artifact that Imhotep was told that the pharaoh destroyed, but was actually hidden.

As soon as Imhotep's presence was known and Blake turned to see him, Imhotep could feel the surge of strength in his wings. This man was his soulmate. ...Damn.

Keigo x Blake x Shigaraki - Red-tailed hawk x Cardinal x Snowy Owl

It's not unheard of to have more than one soulmate, but it's also not common. A big indicator is that your wings might develop at different rates, but that's not always the case.

Keigo's wings are a special case. Only while he was getting trained by the HPSC did they realize his developing tail feathers weren't part of his quirk, and that he actually had a soulmate. Of course, Keigo's wings were fully formed because of his quirk.

Meanwhile, Shigaraki's wings were recognized immediately, though it didn't make much of a difference until All For One. All For One noticed he had soulmate wings, and immediately planned for what was going to happen.

Blake and Shigaraki technically met long before the events of the anime, since they met online as kids while playing an online co-op game. The wings only count real-world meetings, though, so their wings gave no indications of their soulmate bond.

Because of Keigo's wings, the HPSC had Keigo pretend his tail feathers were also just a part of his quirk, not wanting to give information like a potential weakness as a 'soulmate' out to the public.

Blake finally met Shigaraki after leaving Chisaki and the Yakuza. Having basically adopted Eri, Blake wasn't sure where to go, and found the league of villains. From there, Blake met Shigaraki, his one fully formed wing feeling stronger, now, and one of Shigaraki's wings felt the same sudden strength.

If you told Shigaraki that his soulmate would have an adopted daughter by the time they met, Shigaraki probably would've pulled a weird face and said something about thinking kids were brats. ...But, Eri grew on him after a while, and it doesn't hurt that Eri literally looks like she could be their daughter, honestly. (Same blue hair and red eyes like Shigaraki, a horn like Blake?) Eri went from being tortured and isolated by her older brother to being raised by a pair of villainous gamer dads.

But, of course, they have two wings. Shigaraki actually meets Keigo first, as he joins the League undercover. Little did Keigo know that he'd actually be meeting both of his soulmates at once. It wasn't fully obvious to Keigo at first, given his circumstances, but the moment Shigaraki realized his other wing was strong enough to let him fly, he knew what happened.

It was an interesting meeting, and Keigo - being an undercover agent - was unsure how to feel or react to this situation. Sure, he knew he'd have a soulmate or soulmates later, and that might cause complications with the HPSC, but... villains?! Especially Shigaraki; the leader of the league, and Blake; a well-known criminal?!

This complication only got more apparent when he met Eri, and learned about her trauma, and how Blake protected her. Learning how Eri considered the League her family, and how Blake and Shigaraki were her fathers. Keigo felt more guilty about it as time went on, and he hadn't even done anything yet. ...Uh-oh.

Blake x RZ!Michael - Cardinal x Bearded Vulture

Michael being born with wings was something his mother would often defend him about. Ronnie made many crass comments about Michael growing up to be a pussy for being involved in the soulmate bullshit. Basically implying Michael would be some "bleeding heart bitch wrapped around some bitch's finger". (That's a direct quote)

Michael's mom (Deborah) would tell him that having a soulmate and wings were good things, and Michael took that to heart more than Ronnie's bullshit spewing.

Obviously, Ronnie ate his words on Halloween, when Michael slit his throat while he was asleep. Being in the Sanitarium, Michael's wings were a hopeful sign, as Deborah assumed that if he had a soulmate, he'd heal and be released back into society, right? ...RIGHT?!

Deborah didn't know what to think when she realized Michael's wings were fully formed one morning. Large black wings and tail feathers. At first, she thought maybe he'd see his soulmate across the street while they strolled the grounds again... but then the truck drove up.

Oh, how terrifying it was for Deborah, when she saw another troubled boy being pulled from a truck and brought into the sanitorium - with large red wings - and saw Michael's wings flutter with strength as soon as the two boys locked eyes. She desperately went to Loomis, hoping that she was wong, that there was still a chance. ...Then she learned the boy's story.

The boy, Blake, was locked in a root cellar by his family, left there in isolation for years, until the day he escaped. Blake was found by the police, having stabbed his parents to death, and simply let the police take him. Eerily similar to how Michael simply let them take him away. That was the night Deborah took her own life, drained of all hope.

The ward kept Michael and Blake separated, since realizing they were soulmates, and decided neither were stable enough to be in each other's presence. This only made Michael more tense and upset with the Sanitorium staff, since... well, his mother told him his soulmate was supposed to be with him, and they're keeping the two of them apart.

It wasn't until the night Michael escaped that they'd meet again. Michael looked for him, and basically picked him up and walked away with him.

Blake x Remake!Leon Kennedy - Cardinal x African Grey Parrot

Leon looked forward to meeting his soulmate, like anyone else would, but he went about his life as he normally would. He knew most of the relationships during his dating life wouldn't ultimately last, but it was less about the relationships themselves and more about the experiences.

...Didn't mean it hurt any less when the relationships would end, though. So Leon still ended up getting drunk and avoiding the whole zombie outbreak in Raccoon City either way.

Everything was basically the same, as Leon's wings grew more feathers by the time he, Sherry, and Claire escaped. The feathers growing out into a deep grey color, and his tail feathers a blood red.

Leon was pulled into training, becoming an agent, and that was when things changed. In some rural town in Scotland, people were reporting sightings of mysterious creatures living in the woods. Large wolves, enormous bats, someone even claimed they saw an alien creature draining some local livestock of their blood. Initially, only soldiers were sent, but after they stopped responding, the government realized Umbrella corp was behind whatever happened, and sent Leon to investigate.

Find whatever creatures were out there, report back his findings, and keep the people of the local towns safe. That was Leon's mission. He found himself quickly in the middle of what felt like Jurassic Park - genetic hybrid creations made in some bastardized attempt at mimicking ancient creatures, creating living weapons, and perfect soldiers. All abandoned by Umbrella, their facility left behind to be reclaimed by nature.

Leon came across Blake as he investigated. A genetic hybrid, almost a Frankenstein's monster, created by mashing together human DNA with that of multiple animals, all to create a living weapon, the closest thing Umbrella got to what they wanted. ...And Leon's wings suddenly grew stronger and flightable as soon as they locked eyes.

...Well, shit.

Blake/Sparkburst x Starscream - Biplane x Jet

The whole 'Soulmate' thing, for cybertronians, works a little differently than how it does for humans. Instead of feathers, their wings slowly build on themselves over time. (Imagine wires and a basic frame slowly being built up into fully built metal wings.) not to mention, they're called 'sparkmates', not soulmates.

Being a seeker, Starscream always could fly, regardless. His jet form made that possible, as transforming built up his wings fully, only returning to their un-built state when he turned back into his normal cybertronian form.

Having a sparkmate wasn't seen as notable in cybertronian society. That is, until Sentinel. Whether it was out of jealousy since Sentinel didn't have a sparkmate, or a further attempt to cause in-fighting, nobody knows. But Sentinel 'Prime' spread the idea that sparkmates were 'weak' without each other, and thus, cybertronians with sparkmates are weaker than those without.

This idea was obviously wrong, since Starscream was the strongest among the high guard, and he had a soulmate somewhere. And after being beaten by Megatron, Starscream could see his wings were nearly built. It sucked that his sparkmate wouldn't get to see him as the leader of the high guard, but... oh well.

It wasn't until later, when Megatron finally renamed the faction to the 'Decepticons', that Starscream would finally meet his sparkmate. Starscream noticed someone, a spy perhaps? He followed whoever it was, only to realize this mystery person was... not normal. He wasn't like any cybertronian Starscream had ever seen - insecticon? Predicon? But... that was impossible. Predicons were extinct, for one, exterminated by the Quintessons long ago.

Before Starscream could consider this further, though, he felt his wings shift, filling with energon - like butterfly wings pumping full of blood before first flight. It was clear, obvious, and it was confusing as hell. ...Starscream, the strongest warrior in the high guard, is sparkmates with... what could only be described as a cybertronian abomination? Why? That made no sense!

But Starscream saw something in the creature's eyes. The moment he realized Starscream was his sparkmate, this stranger looked at him like Starscream was sent by Primus himself.

...Okay, now Starscream could see why.

Blake/Avac x Broly - Cardinal x Harpy Eagle

Broly grew his wings only after he was banished. Paragus was glad for it, knowing this must certainly mean that they'd eventually be able to leave this rock of a planet.

Broly wasn't sure how to feel about it, honestly. Just about everything was beyond Broly's control, so the idea of even his future partner being already chosen for him? On the outside, Broly shrugged it off. On the inside, Broly wasn't happy about it. But Paragus kept saying it was a good thing, so he went along with it.

By the time Cheelai found him, though, Broly's wings and tail feathers were fully grown, and that same day, Frieza's forces set course for earth.

Avac had arrived in the icy wasteland before Goku and Vegeta, attempting to gather the dragon balls for himself. Frieza's appearance immediately put Avac on-guard, and that's when Broly arrived on the scene.

Paragus instantly knew Avac had saiyan blood, but because he was only partially a saiyan, Paragus instantly felt disgusted by this 'half breed abomination'. Considering Avac's very existence an insult to the saiyan race.

Before Paragus could ask Frieza if he 'wanted a demonstration' of Broly's power, though, he realized Broly's expression. Shock, amazement, confusion, and Paragus realized what was going on as soon as he saw wings on Avac's back, too.

Frieza was amused, Paragus was angry, Broly was shocked, and Avac was mostly confused. By the time Goku and Vegeta showed up, Avac and Broly were already locked in combat. Though Broly didn't want to fight him, Paragus basically forced him to.

Avac's abilities are less centered on brute force and more on powering up over time while chipping away at and weakening his opponent. This meant Broly was at a disadvantage, since saiyans are, by design, mostly brute force fighters. Avac is weak, but because he grew stronger and weakened Broly over the course of the fight, they were pretty much on equal footing the entire battle.

Goku and Vegeta stepped in pretty quick. Vegeta still saw Avac as an enemy, so turned his attention on Avac while Goku fought Broly. This resulted in an odd scenario, where Broly and Avac basically ended up being 'enemy of my enemy' and fought back against Goku and Vegeta together. Fighting alongside each other, Avac jumping in at a few key moments to help Broly, and both Broly and Avac realizing they had similar 'anger-based feral states' all immediately sparked a bond between them.

The scene where Aaravos appears in the Sunfire elf kingdom and the scene he first speaks are both legendary, and I have a soft spot for the 'little bug pal' scene. But for me, Aaravos possessing Callum is the most memorable. Honestly, it was the first scene that popped into my head when I saw this ask.

Season 4 imo was pretty disappointing, but this scene was a diamond in the coal mine. Note: I haven't seen season 5, as I'm watching TDP with someone and we haven't gotten the chance to watch that season together yet, so my answer might change later.

Aaravos is so playfully threatening, insulting the cast to their faces, and the dragon king to his mate's face without anyone being able to do anything about it. But not just that, Aaravos knows exactly what to say to get under their skin, playing on their weaknesses and perceived faults to get at each person's core. He's like a cat toying with mice, it's great-

Cunning and playfulness like that is the type of shit that made me fall for him in the first place.

Let's also not mention the way he calls the queen dragon 'ravishing'. God, I wish he was talking to me-