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rachelbethhines · 3 years

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Tangled Salt Marathon - Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf

Ok, so I’ve tried and tried several times to get this posted, we’ll see if this is the time it goes through. Half the reason why this review series has slowed down is not just the multitude of real life stuff I have to deal with, but also Tumblr just refusing to work with me and deleting my posts. I also can’t save my work else where due to Tumblr messing up the formatting. It’s been a frustrating mess and so far no one @staff has come up with a tech solution or work around.

Summary: Rapunzel helps to rebuild Old Corona, (after its near destruction from the Black Rocks) which will become the permanent home of Red and Angry, who have returned to Corona to settle down. However, she begins to notice strange footprints around the area, as well as the livestock becoming more unruly and fearful. The group comes across a monster hunter named Creighton, who explains to the group that the area is being stalked by a werewolf, who possessed one of Corona's citizens. Aiming to save this person rather than kill them, Rapunzel sets out to find who it is.

When Was This Decided?

No seriously, when was this decided? It’s a pretty big leap go from ‘the rocks makes various towns inhabitable’ to ‘let’s rebuild!’ What’s changed here? Cause the rocks haven’t been removed and Rapunzel failed in her mission to nullify their power. In fact the rocks were not only reawaken in the second season finale but shown to be under the power of someone who’s intentions were made unclear to the heroes.

So I ask again; who thought this was safe thing to do now? What provisions have been made to accommodate the rocks? They blocked the well, remember, and destroyed the fields; how are the people getting food and water?

And most importantly why wasn’t the audience informed beforehand? When you change up the status quo in a story you need to provide just cause to the viewers. I legit thought I had accidently skipped an episode when I first watched because this plot point was not set up properly.

Why Were They Ever Left Alone to Begin With?

In a story where neglect is a central theme and motivating factor for all the main characters, it is super tone deaf to have those same characters perpetuating neglect themselves. The decision to live on their own should not be left up to Angry and Red because they are children. Children are not mature enough to provide for themselves neither emotionally nor physically and when placed in situations where they have to do so it psychologically damages them. Which the series already showcased with Varian so why is this suddenly deemed ok?

This Completely Undermines the Past Two Seasons

The entire conflict of the past two seasons was the rocks forcing people out of their homes. Eugene was made an orphan from them, Varian lost his entire support group because them, they drove out the Saporians from their encampment which prompted them to invade Corona, and Rapunzel and company spent an entire year on the road trying to find a way to stop them from spreading supposedly.

All of that has now been flushed down the drain with this decision. And its super insulting to watch because it’s the writers telling us that we’ve wasted our time caring about this plot for two years. You don’t resolve major conflicts off screen and without explanation; it’s lazy!

Also Where Is Varian and Quirin During All This?

This is not only their home and legal charge, but it’s also the ending to their ongoing story, and they’re not even here in a silent cameo.

Wouldn’t Quirin be overseeing the rebuilding of his town? Wouldn’t Varian be using his skills to find workable engineering solutions for them, fulling his season one goal of saving his home and making his village better with his inventions? Also wouldn’t Edmund want to catch up with his brother and help out now that he’s here?

In fact not a single person who actually lives in Old Corona is to be found in these opening shots.

Oh, But We Do Get Earl

Earl might be from Old Corona, or he might not be. We’ve literally never seen him before. The artists had to create a brand new character model for this character, the writers had to write new lines for him, and the casting director had to hire an actor and have him record these lines for only less than a minute of screen time, never to be seen again. Even though they legit had shepherd models already to go from season one that they could have used. It’s a waste of resources and a prime example of the mismanagement going on in this show.

It’s Too Late In the Series to Waste Time On a New One Off Villain

Speaking of a waste, Creighton might have more story reasons to appear in this episode than Earl does but her inclusion is still a poor decision. The show already has an overabundance of villains, so many in fact that they shipped the bulk of them off in season two, and this is the final season; the season where we should be wrapping up plots and minor characters stories not kicking off new ones.

Taken on her own Creighton isn’t a bad character presa, she works for the episode, but when we could have gotten a resolution to Caine’s, Hector’s, or the Disciples’ story arcs instead it highlights how misused the series assets are.

All This Lore Will Be Forgotten In Just a Few Episodes Time

We finally get like some magical rules and backstory only for future episodes to ignore it from here on afterwards. Red can turn into a werewolf whenever she pleases, night or day, with little explanation as for why.

Just Arrest Her Rapunzel

You’re the acting queen. You have the power and the right to arrest or even merely detain someone who is threating your citizens and refuses to leave. In fact it’s kind of your job. You don't even have to throw her in a dungeon if you thought that too cruel. Just lock her up in a nice room somewhere in the castle until you’ve sorted out the mess yourself.

The series wants to treat Rapunzel as the underdog when she isn’t, and her failure to wield her power effectively doesn’t make her look ‘nice’ it just makes her look stupid and grossly incompetent. This is a conflict that didn’t need to have happened and Rapunzel let it happen.

Oh, So Now Y'all Riot

You didn’t complain when the king orphaned children with his crack down on crime. You rolled over as he dolled out overly harsh punishments to poor people who committed minor offences. You gleefully went along with the royals as they scapegoated a child for their mistakes, even as they endangered your homes. And ya’ll sat on your asses while invaders pulled off a coup and enslaved you.

But this is what you get mad over? A rumor about a mythical creature existing that your princess has zero control over. Seriously?

Man, I hate the townspeople in this show.

Pointless Dream Sequence Is Pointless

This scene tells the audience nothing new and just wastes screen time.

This Is the Wrong Lesson to Focus On Rapunzel

We do not tell the 12 year old to unload their phycological issues onto their baby sister!

You’re telling me parents were involved in writing this show? What the hell!?

Rapunzel you are the adult here. At 20 now you should be more adept to handle listening to the deep seated emotional traumas of a little girl than a fucking 10 year old! And if you’re not, or don’t want to, then it’s your job to find another adult who will.

That’s the core problem with this entire episode. It treats Red’s and Angry’s problems as some eternal issue that they need to work out and not as the inherent failure of the adults around them that it is.

It is neither Red’s nor Angry’s decision on weather or not they get live on their own. Nor is it their responsibility to be each other’s therapist. Yes, a change in living arrangements is always stressful and for children with abandonment issues it can be hard to readjust, but that’s when you need to step it up and deal with the problem; not shove it off onto the kids themselves!

Monty Is Useless

Is this all Monty is good for? Being a red herring in ridiculously simple mysteries? Is this why we wasted a whole episode introducing him back in season one? Really?

Why Are We Still Treating Old Corona As Being Separate from Corona Itself?

Look, I get that it’s a joke, but it’s a joke that highlights how poorly thought out the worldbuilding is in the series. Is the Coronan government in charge of Old Corona or not? If so then you can just make those lease laws yourself as the acting regent Eugene. If not then Frederic shouldn’t have had any say in the matter of relocating Old Corona’s citizens nor putting a child outside of his jurisdiction under arrest.

But more importantly this is a just a repeat of that vague level of responsibility Rapunzel has for people who live off the island. She can’t order a whole village to be rebuilt while simultaneously claiming that she bares no accountability for Varian and Quirin’s problems in season one.

Replacing Guns with Crossbows Isn’t the Safe Option That the Censors Think It Is

I find it kind of amusing that censors will ban showing a 17th century blunderbuss but allow it to be replaced by a weapon that is still mass produced today and can be bought in any Walmart across the country. Like I’m a major advocate for gun regulation in real life, but even I have to find this to be a bit silly. Crossbows aren’t some fantasy weapon. People still own and use them. But it would be seriously hard to get ahold of a working antique firearm.

Seriously This Is How the Girls Have Been Living and the Adults Haven’t Done Anything About It Until Now?

I feel like I’m beating a dead horse by now, but it’s so engrained into the episode I have to keep bringing it up. The show itself is visually telling us that Red and Angry can’t keep living this way, but it never wants to call Rapunzel and the other adults out for not rescuing them from this life sooner.

So All This Tells Me Is That Rapunzel Could Have Easily Checked Up On Varian In Painter’s Block, But Didn’t.

Remember they’re right next to Old Corona; meaning that Janus Point is also right next to Old Corona. Meaning that Rapunzel could easily have checked up on Varian right after Painter’s Block and choose not to. With each passing episode Rapunzel has less and less excuse for her behavior in season one.

Yeah Remember that Plot Point That Wound Up Being Entirely Irrelevant to the Story?

In jokes don’t cover your ass when you make poor writing choices. Quite the opposite in fact as all you’ve done is remind the audience of all the various dangling plot threads that you will fail to follow up on. The disciples plot goes no where and serves no purpose, and it should not have been introduced as this big important thing if you weren’t going to do anything with it.

Nice Idea, Poor Execution

I’ve heard fans of this episode tell me that they enjoy it because of this scene with Red. If you’re a naturally introverted person or neurodivergent and have trouble communicating at times then Red’s speech here can strike a cord. Which is cool; I’ll never deny someone’s feelings and if a piece of media speaks to you on a personal level for whatever reason that is great. What I’m here to discuss though is story structure and whether or not the story’s themes are presented well in context of what it’s set up.

The conflict here does not work from a pure structural standpoint because it’s a surface level deflection of the real issues. Red’s problem isn’t that she is being ignored, it's that she’s been abandoned. Now communication issues can arise from that abandonment and feeling heard can be step forward in working those issues out, but Red’s central trauma isn’t going to be magically fixed by people ‘listening’ to her, i.e. being granted whatever she wants, but by providing her with a real home and with a real guardian to look after her.

Because what Red wants on a surface level is harmful to her, and the reasons why she wants what she wants needs to be addressed more so than then sedating her angry outbursts in the moment. This is treating the symptoms not the cause.

So What Is or Isn’t Real About the Curse?

Once again, we finally get some actual lore and rules for magic and the writers are already throwing it away during the same episode they are introduced. I now have as little context for how the wolf curse works within the Tangled world as I did before the episode started.

This Is Sweet, But Once Again Context Brings It Down.

So just to reiterate, this a surface level resolution to the conflict of the episode that doesn’t actually address anything. It might feel like an appropriate ending but only if you ignore the fact that Red and Angry are orphans who’ve been abandoned but the adults.

Angry apologizing here to Red does not solve any of their problems, especially since Angry, as a child herself, is not responsible for her sister’s behavior, feelings, nor well being. That falls to the adults and they fail to address Red’s core issues and their own failings to her in their apologies as well. Not to mention that the very next scene undermines any optional progress that could have been made here.

Listening to Someone Does Not Mean Giving Them Whatever They Want

This does not fix anything. Red and Angry are still left to live on their own without any real supervision. Giving them a big play house is not providing for them, it’s spoiling them. Would you let all the other orphans in the local orphanage roam free without an adult to take care of them? No!? Gee I wonder why? Could it be because letting a 12 and 10 year old raise themselves is a very stupid idea? One that will potentially damage them later in life assuming that they don't get themselves killed in the meantime.

Moreover this is yet another example of the series overall problem with not understanding that compromise and resolving conflicts does not mean rewarding the characters at the end with everything that they want without having them work for it. That’s not how life works and it’s not how good story telling works.

This Is Beyond Irresponsible

No! Bad Show! Bad!

You do not get to pretend that negligence is the same thing as compromise. Yes I know Eugene said to come to him when they have a problem, but as demonstrated by this very episode children do not always know when to ask for help nor can they always find it when needed, that is why parents exist!

Nor does the show get a free pass for turning it’s main characters into child abusers who neglected three minors multiple times now. Even when they themselves are victims of that same abuse!

How utterly blinkered do you have to be to not see the problem here?

It’s the Return of the Pointless Parallels

Let me count the ways for how stupid this is.

Red and Angry’s conflict has no impact on the on going narrative. Even with them now being reoccurring characters they still manage to contribute nothing to the future storylines involving Cass.

Neither Rapunzel nor Cassandra learn anything from Red and Angry’s spat; Rapunzel because she refuses to acknowledge her own flaws and Cassandra’s not even here for any of it.

The sister’s dynamic between Raps and Cass is not well established and the writers mange to piss all over it by series end because of gay baiting and poor writing. Therefore relying on lazy parallels to other siblings in the show to bolster this connection falls flat.

Red and Angry’s argument has nothing in common with Rapunzel and Cass’s current fighting. One is about abandonment issues and the other is about shallow validation. Trying to tie these two themes together actually winds up undermining both conflicts.

Red and Angry are children. Rapunzel and Cassandra are not. That very much matters.

Red and Angry didn’t drag innocent people into their petty bitch fight and endanger them because they wanted to feel special.

This Makes Zero Sense

I don’t know; she looked pretty happy during Crossing the Line.

She was also able to control the rocks just fine then, so what happened?

Not to mention soon after this Zhan Tiri is telling her she needs some sort of incantation to control the rocks, despite being able to already control the rocks....

It’s almost as if the writers are full of shit and don’t actually know what they’re doing.

So Are We Remembering the Burnt Hand or Not?

Does the hand matter or not? Is it ever a motivating factor in what Cassandra decides to do? Is her waning control over the rocks connected to her burnt hand; even though having a burnt hand is what allowed her grab the moonstone in the first place? Did the moonstone heal the hand? Does Raps singing the healing incantation later on heal it? Does Cass have a forever burnt hand?

Who the fuck knows!

Not the writers that’s for sure, cause it never comes up again.

Don’t introduce plot points and then not resolve them. That’s writing 101 guys.

Wait if she needs the incantation to control the rocks and the angry thing is a lie, then how the heck is she controlling them just now? Make up your dang mind show!

I swear I lose brain cells whenever I have to rewatch the evil Cassandra plot. It is so dumb you guys.... so, so dumb.

Conclusion

It’s not the worst thing ever but series has far better episodes on offer than this one. Even in a season as suck ass as season three.

So there’s praying that this review posts this time and if you enjoy my writing and would like to support me in my projects feel free to leave a tip on my Ko-Fi. Thank you.

https://ko-fi.com/rachelbethhines

#tangled #tangled the series #rapunzel's tangled adventure #anti-tangled #anti-rapunzel #anti-Cassandra

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finnoky · 3 years

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AU where pascal didnt save varian in time and andrew dropped him in Rapunzel's return? :3

•| Send me a potential AU and I’ll tell you five fun facts |•

Oh god anon, right out the gate with the angst... I like your style. BUT ALSO THESE WONT BE FUN FACTS CBDJDBX.

TW: Character Injury

1) I'm gonna say that Pascals little thing is delayed — that by the time to thwacks Andrew, Varian has already been dropped + Andrew sorta... Falls overboard just after him. Rapunzel heard Varian yelling for help, and fought the other Saporians off, but by the time she makes it to the boat edge he's just... Gone. Without a trace. She's so panicked she doesn't notice the balloon lines getting slashed until it's too late... Seeing Andrew gives her some hope — girl works out how to lift the ship out of explosion range from the town + Yadda Yadda canon stuff hair goes glow, Rapunzel saves the town all sunshine and rainbows.

2) Boyo landed on a roof in Corona — alive but VERY injured, no one is sure he's actually gonna make it. Rapunzel is horrified the bubble thing didn't work for him which I'm putting down to Varian just not having the reaction time to DO that, at least to himself. But he's not dead. Civilians got him down and were debating what to do with him until Rapunzel came along and made them try help. At least then if he doesn't make it they tried their best; Boy is still awake, though not responding to anything [Cue Eugene arriving to Raps cradling Varian close + singing the healing incantation]

3) Rapunzel gets the fun time of dealing with what she could have done better and starts overworking herself trying to balance everything — it's hard work, she has to deal with her parents, recovering Corona, Cass' betrayal and Varians injuries. She can't bring herself to visit him though she clears his criminal record and assures he won't be going back to prison.

She can't bring herself to visit Varian — she frees Quirin but Eugene has to explain what happened BC she keeps breaking down into tears, she's horrified she sacrificed a friend for her kingdom and it's just. A lot.

She focuses on the kingdom first — it feels good to see herself making progress and the civilians are nice. Eugene catches her standing at the infirmary door most nights... And she suffers a lot as she tries to stay happy and positive. Drives people away by her determination to keep going.

4) Varian suffers a lot™ and is unconscious for days. His main visitors are Eugene and Quirin, with Lance who usually sits with him. It's a miracle he's alive, though he's far from unscathed [A broken arm, brain injury that leaves his memory spotty] and worst of all... A broken back + a spinal injury that leaves him without any feeling in his legs.

Though the injuries are bad he's doing ok! They're devastating, and he shuts off for a while. When Quirin returns is the first time he really reacts to anything, but from there there's progress. He gets help he needs. Assurance he's been cleared of crimes — Eugene forms a good friendship with him, but... Rapunzel still hasn't visited, and no one really explains Cass to him.

Honestly? Quirin is impressed by how Var draws up blue prints for wheelchairs and supports as soon as he can sit up for long enough. There's tough times... But he resolves to see it as a challenge, he needs a wheelchair or something so he can go back to work and start making it up to the people of Corona. After a couple of months he moves back to Old Corona with Eugene issuing him the Demanitus scroll to try translate

5) Whilst Varian starts improving, Rapunzel has managed to get most the castle repaired & shines as a Queen — though that's just on the outside. Cass' betrayal is still fresh, as is the guilt of Varian. Eugene tries to convince her to visit but it's too much. She's sure he's broken beyond repair and is terrified of that.

Eventually... She has to, she goes to Old Corona convinced that her friend will still be bitter and bedridden, only to be greeted by an explosion coming from the lab. Runs in panic. Sees Varian grinning to himself over some new formula. Asks what he's doing, Varian awkwardly explains... There's some tension and mostly exchanging pleasantries. Until Rapunzel finally apologizes — and once she starts she can't stop.

Rapunzel rants and raves about everything — how the kingdom is a mess, how Cass betrayed her, how she felt so bad because she thought HE died and she couldn't protect him. She's so sick of everyone else doing well while she feels like she's shattering to pieces.

That's when Varian speaks up. He gets the chance to explain all his frustrations in full — how now his life is changed forever, how he felt betrayed and bad and that Rapunzel still couldn't face him for what he'd done! He hasn't told dad or Eugene but of course he's struggling to... And it's just a sorta level they can connect on. They both struggle admitting they need help... And that things are far from perfect.

After that conversation is easier. Their friendship starts getting better + become good advisors to each other, Varian taking Cass' place as Raps' advisor / confidant and Varian getting the chance to feel like he is working on getting better.

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These... Are long points but I didn't want bad end. I think rest of canon works — BVA happens in a similar way + Cassandra's Revenge is Cass stealing his wheelchair tho she's more aware of being the bad guy. Worries Varians replacing her which makes her a bit bitter and regret it less. I'm not sure about the finale? He could get healed, but honestly Varian doesn't feel the need to be healed — he's adjusted, and can still use his hands.

IF he did get healed he'd still need months of reablitation afterwards and still rely on a wheelchair a lot! It's not just a snap and fixed. Either way he gets a lot of love and support, and it deepens his bond with Punzie

#anon #Tangled AU #AU #AU ASK game #varian #tts au #tts #Rapunzel #tts varian #alternative universe #freckle sibling rights #sorry killing him would be too easy #and Rapunzel deserves to get good writing #struggling with guilt and empathy and being over worked #and disabled boy rights

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aj-illustrated · 4 years

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*pulls up a 97-slide PowerPoint* I’m so glad you asked

Ben is an OC co-owned by me and @finnoky! The short of it is that he’s an orphan who Varian helps save from a life of crime, and who later gets adopted by Quirin!

More about him under the cut:

Age: About 12

Birthday: He has no idea, but thinks it might have been sometime in the autumn.

Likes: Quirin, Varian, farmwork, tending to the sheep, his dog (Achilles), the Challenge of the Brave (spectating and later competing), adventure stories, head pats, strawberries, friendly roughhousing, drawing

Dislikes: Cramped spaces (he’s claustrophobic), people hugging him, carrots, books with complicated words, cold weather, any kind of tight or scratchy clothing

Fun Facts:

Ben meets Varian about nine months after the end of the series.

He’s good friends with Kiera and Catalina! They’re the only kids his age who can beat him in a fair fight.

He eventually grows to be taller than Varian, and absolutely uses that fact to tease him.

He’s an excellent pickpocket, though he hasn’t stolen much of anything since Quirin took him in.

He’s got a knack for drawing— he’s not too good with words, so he finds it easier to express himself with pictures. He’s also a leftie!

He’s been almost adopted several times, but Quirin is the only foster parent who kept him around for longer than a month.

Backstory: Ben is an orphan who’s been given a raw deal in life, and as a result is kinda pissed off at everyone and everything all the time. The orphanage he grew up in was lacking to say the least, and he spent much of his early childhood being routinely abused and neglected, often lashing out in aggression at those he deemed to be a threat (which was most people). He eventually starts getting into trouble with the law and is tossed in prison for multiple counts of petty theft and assault, and it’s around that time that he meets Varian, who is helping to reform Corona’s prison system and is disgusted to see that they’re still punishing children as if they were adults.

He gets Ben out of prison, but the orphanage refuses to let him come back, so Varian convinces Quirin to take him in. Quirin agrees for a few factors: 1. Ben reminds him of Varian when he was going through a rough time, and how Quirin wasn’t able to help him then, 2. He’s not getting any younger and could use some help around the farm (plus Varian has been worried about him getting lonely, now that Varian has basically moved into the castle), and 3. The kid deserves a shot at having a healthy, stable home life.

Ben only agrees to go live with Quirin because trying to survive on the streets is no picnic, and also because he’d really rather not stay in prison for any longer than he has to. He figures that it won’t last, anyway— Quirin will lose patience with him and kick him to the curb, just like every other foster parent/guardian he’s been handed off to. He gets very confused (and a little annoyed) when Quirin turns out to be incredibly patient and willing to give him as many chances as he needs. In response, Ben acts out and does everything he can think of to convince Quirin that he’s rotten to the core, but nothing works.

Ben doesn’t want to get his hopes up or let himself get attached. He manages to annoy everyone else: the other villagers, Varian, even Eugene (who visits sometimes), but never Quirin. The most he ever gets out of him is an irritated sigh.

Throughout all of this, Ben is also finding out that he kinda likes helping out on the farm, and he’s pretty good at it, too. He’s very strong for his age, and a fast learner.... except for one thing: he can’t read. The orphanage had tried to teach him, but it never really clicked and they had long since given up on him, so he just never learned, instead relying on pictures and context clues to figure out the meaning of written words. As he continues to grow more attached to Quirin, he starts wanting to be better, to deserve the love and acceptance Quirin is offering him, so his self-consciousness about reading (among other things he doesn’t like about himself) really starts to bug him.

While he's sociable and generally gets along with other children, he does have the flaw of a short temper. So when he's targeted and called out for his apparent lack of academic intelligence, things get ugly, fast, and he gets in a fight. When Quirin asks later what it was about, Ben is reluctant to tell him, and is even less enthused when Quirin later suggests enrolling him in school.

He eventually admits to Quirin that he’s illiterate, expecting to get belittled or even compared to Varian (who is an actual genius and is kind of intimidating to Ben). But Quirin.... he doesn’t care that Ben can’t read, and even offers to help teach him or find him a tutor if he wants to learn. It’s after letting himself be vulnerable and accepting Quirin’s help that Ben starts to wonder if maybe... maybe he has a shot at being part of a real family.

He starts to let himself feel at home in Old Corona, thinking (or rather hoping) he’s found somewhere he belongs... as much as he hates to admit it, he really likes it here. So he tries to keep on the straight and narrow so he can stay longer, even making an effort to be nicer to Varian (who is more than happy to help him with his reading and is the one to introduce him to the Flynn Rider series). For the first time, Ben’s future is looking bright.

Until he loses his temper again.

On a visit to the capital, he passes by his old orphanage and gets in an argument with one of the kids he used to know (and wasn’t on particularly good terms with). The argument quickly gets personal, and then physical, and Ben takes it way too far— by the time the guards arrive on the scene to break it up, the kid Ben was fighting is a bloody, mangled mess, about a minute away from passing out. The guards don’t care what awful things that kid said to Ben; all they care about is that this boy with a history of violence and petty crime just savagely attacked another child, and Ben is swiftly arrested and taken to the dungeons.

At this point, Ben has cooled down enough to realize just how serious his situation really is. Even if they let him out of prison to go back to Quirin, he’s sure this is the last straw and that Quirin won’t want anything to do with him— he’s violent and dangerous, and no matter what he does he can’t seem to stay out of trouble, even when he really does try his best to be good. He hates himself for blowing his one chance at finding a home and family, and consoles himself by thinking that it was only a matter of time and at least the wait is over (boy’s got some raging self-loathing issues if you haven’t noticed).

Varian gets word that Ben’s been arrested and heads down to the dungeons to hear his side of the story, but Ben is too ashamed to even look him in the eye. Ben was told by the guards that, although he won’t be left to rot in the dungeons or thrown onto a prison barge (as per the new regulations regarding juvenile justice), he’ll be sent away to a correctional facility for delinquents— aka, reform school. Ben has no idea what to expect, but based on what the guards have been saying about it (very loudly, just outside his cell), it sounds no better than regular prison.

Varian is having absolutely none of this and contacts Quirin to tell him what’s going on— Quirin is up at the castle within the hour to try and bail Ben out, or at least renegotiate his sentence. However, since Quirin is not yet technically related to Ben— for the past year or so, he’s legally been closer to a parole officer than anything else— the law states that he can’t actually do much to interfere with Ben’s bail or sentence, especially since the boy is a repeat offender and is now classified as a menace to society.

Instead of giving up on the situation, Quirin decides to become Ben’s legal guardian right then and there, whipping out the adoption papers he’s been keeping in his vest for weeks— he’s been wanting to ask Ben if he’d like to be adopted for a while now, but he could never find the right moment. Now seems to be as good a time as any.

It takes a day or two to sort things out (Nigel and Fred both aren’t too keen on releasing a violent criminal for any reason, even if that criminal is like twelve), but Varian is able to pull some strings with Raps and Eugene to give Quirin full guardianship over Ben. Meanwhile, Ben is expecting he'll be shipped off any day now— when he sees Varian come back down to the prison with a guard, he expects it's to say goodbye... not to remove his shackles and lead him back upstairs to the throne room, where Quirin and Rapunzel are waiting beside a stack of paperwork. They only need one more signature to make the adoption official: Ben’s.

Luckily, Varian and Quirin have been helping him practice writing his name, and once he signs, Quirin tosses Raps the bail money (which she had whittled down to like two coins) and they head back home— Ben’s permanent home.

Ben’s story is a result of many many rambles between me and Feen on Discord, and I don’t think we’re gonna be stopping anytime soon— Ben is such a fun OC to flesh out XD

Feen and I are actually running a Q&A for Ben over on Feen’s Instagram story, y’all should go check it out!

#ben #tangled oc #tangled the series #tts ocs #varian #quirin #long post #AJ draws #AJ talks #finnoky

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whitecatindisguise · 3 years

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Give Him A Chance To Mend

I'm alive, lmao. Took me long enough to update this story, and I hope this want to write is not temporary, and will last unless until I finish it.

Anyway, AO3 link can be found here, and the newest chapter is put under read more, to not spam the dash with long post.

So, enjoy.

Chapter 4: Raise A Little Hell

Varian and Quirin were working in the fields, when it happened. There was no sign, no way to prepare themselves. It took them both by surprise and left them wishing they didn't have to ever deal with it.

It started innocently. Adira and Hector left for training,while Varian offered to help his father with the harvest. They were nearing lunch break, when the two came back, wearing unrecognisable faces.

"Aunt Adira? Uncle Hector?" Varian called out to them, confused by their behaviour. He never saw that kind of expression on them, and didn't know what to make of it.

"Did something happen?" Quirin inquired from a little further, placing a pumpkin on a half-full cart.

"You could say that." The woman replied, pursing her lips together.

Varian observed the two and noticed a crunched paper held in his uncle's hand. He cocked his head to the side, wondering what's on it, already figuring out it must be the cause of their off behaviour.

"Well, neither of us is a mind-reader, so maybe you could tell us what's wrong." Quirin said, putting his arms on his hips. "Unless you want to continue this staring contest."

"Why our nephew has a wanted poster?" Hector asked. Both father and son blinked, not really registering the question.

"We were training in the woods, when we found this." The man unrolled the paper and a 14-year-old Varian glared at his older self from the poster. Oh…

"We missed one." The alchemist mumbled, more to himself than anyone in particular, but it managed to make Adira and Hector give him a weird look. He chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his neck. "I… might have commited treason once?" He said, attempting to make it sound like a joke and failing miserably. It was only partly worth the bewildered faces of his aunt and uncle.

Quirin sighed and picked up the cart, wheeling it towards the shed.

"Let's go inside. It's a long story." He said. Hector sputtered.

"You knew?!" He screamed.

"Can we talk inside… please?" Varian asked, looking deeply uncomfortable. The two Brotherhood members shared a look and nodded.

"I expect to be explained everything, nephew." Adira said, as he led them back to the house.

"Oh joy…" They heard his response.

It took ten more minutes for them to get settled in the kitchen, Quirin insisting he prepare mugs of hot cocoa. For grounding, he said. Neither of his siblings questioned it, but they did exchange confused glances.

Finally, they all sat down around the kitchen table, Varian picking nervously at his gloves, Ruddiger curled comfortingly around his neck.

"So… treason?" Adira spoke up. Varian sighed and straightened up, curling his hands around his mug.

"Let me start from the beginning." He said. Adira nodded, Hector remaining silent but attentive. "Six months after Princess Rapunzel was brought back, and two days after the failed coronation, she and Cass..andra came to Old Corona in search of the great wizard. "He made quotation marks with his hands and put them back around the mug. "which was how people used to call me, since they didn't know anything about alchemy and thought what I was doing was magic. Anyway, the Princess wanted to ask about her hair which magically reappeared, I tried to help but couldn't come up with anything specific. Then her boyfriend arrived, I told him about my water heaters, which were highly unstable back then, and long story short, they blew up and the Princess and her entourage left while I stayed to clean up the mess. Then we met at the Science Expo few weeks later, I asked Cassandra to be my assistant, she agreed but stood me up later, that's not really important and now it seems I'm rambling-"

"Drink some hot cocoa, son." Quirin helpfully suggested. Varian nodded and took a few gulps, exhaled slowly and continued.

"Anyway, after the expo I showed Princess the black rocks that grew outside the village, and she asked me to research ways to get rid of them, promising we'll get to the bottom of this together. So, in secret and against dad's orders, I've spent next weeks studying those rocks, trying to find anything to make them stop growing, or, better yet, get rid of them entirely. At some point, when the village was almost completely overrun, me and dad travelled to the capital to ask the King for help. I wasn't allowed inside the throne room, but I overheard dad lying about us having a good harvest and needing more land to store all the crops."

Adira and Hector both looked surprised.

"Quirin lying?" The woman asked.

"It was a code." The man quickly explained. "I didn't want everyone to panic about what was happening. My words actually meant we need a place to move to until the situation is taken care of."

"But, of course, I didn't know that, so I lashed out at dad, he lashed out at me, then the Princess came and I told her what's going on and she, yet again, promised to help me once her parents will be back from their anniversary trip, during which she was to act as a Queen." Varian added. "But then everything went downhill. Dad caught me during one of my experiments on the rocks and we had a fight about secrets and such. I didn't notice one of my solutions spilling on the rock, but dad did. He pushed me away and got stuck in amber, me running to the capital to get Princess' help. At the same time, an enormous snowstorm hit, which later I learned was caused my Zhan Tiri herself. Anyway, I managed to get to the castle, but as I begged for help, the Princess refused, saying she had to stay and help the others, and I was thrown out into the storm."

"You were what?!" Hector screamed, standing up abruptly, his chair falling to the floor with a loud clatter.

"Sit down and drink your cocoa, Hector." Quirin ordered. "You getting angry now won't change what happened."

"And you're fine with this?" The man questioned angrily.

"I had the same reaction as you did when I found out." The farmer replied calmly. "The matter was resolved long time ago. There is no need to dwell on it."

"They threw a freak-"

"Language."

"A teenager, my nephew, in the middle of the snowstorm!" Hector finished, fuming. "And you expect me to not get mad?!"

"Let Hairstripe finish, Hector." This time it was Adira who spoke. She looked as collected as ever, but Quirin knew her long enough to know she was just as angry as her brother.

The green-eyed man grumbled, but picked up his chair and sat down, crossing his arms and mumbling under his breath.

"A-anyway" Varian continued. "I ran back home but I was too late, dad already fully encased in the amber. I worked day and night, trying to find a way to save him. At some point I've found a hidden chest in his room, full of armour pieces, weapons and a piece of the scroll with a drawing of the sundrop, the black rocks and some weird language. Took me some time, but I finally managed to decipher it enough to know the Sundrop might be the way to end all this. Oh, and in the meantime, the King apparently decided I know too much and sent royal guards dressed in masks and coats to make sure I don't tell anyone. The rest of the village moved to the new land long ago, so nobody was around to stop them. I called the Princess to the village, using a lantern with a tied letter, to find the scroll which I hid in my lab. I wanted her to see dad, see why I was doing what I was doing. Then, a week later, I came to the capital to meet her in secret, because somebody spread a rumour I attacked her on the day of the storm and people didn't really like me walking around anymore. I managed to persuade her to sneak into Royal Vault with me and stole the Sundrop Flower. But, it turned out its power was long gone, moved to the Princess instead. So, I devised a new plan. I built an army of automatons, used alchemically-turned monster Ruddiger as a distraction and kidnapped the Queen, all to get the Princess' attention. And, of course, she came, along with the citizens of Corona ready to fight the dangerous alchemist of Old Corona. I made her use her hair to try and free dad, but when that also failed… I snapped. I went total rampage, and even tried to kill Cassandra and the Queen. I was only stopped when the Princess touched the black rocks, which blew up and impaled the automaton I was controlling. I was arrested and the Princess went her merry way, on a journey following the black rocks."

"I've seen the aftermath of the battle before but I didn't realise…" Adira seemed genuinely shocked. "It was you?"

"Turns out being left without adult supervision and having someone promise help and then back out when they start to feel uncomfortable does that to people." Varian shrugged, but they could see he was ashamed of his actions. "Or just to me."

"Is this true?" Hector looked at Quirin for confirmation. The man nodded.

"The Princess confirmed it." He said.

"Wait, the Princess went to the Dark Kingdom…" Hector looked like he didn't really want to hear an answer to his question, but he asked anyway. "What happened to you?"

"Prison." Varian replied darkly

#give him a chance to mend #varian #quirin #adira #hector #brotherhood family #sorta recap chapter #a.k.a. Adira and Hector find out what happened in season 1 #kitty mom writes

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whaleiumsharkspeare · 4 years

Text

I was so inspired by the headcanon made by @letthemsayfuck and expanded upon by @newsies-of-corona about Varian’s season 3 outfit that I had to write a quick one shot about it! It was such a cute idea and I couldn’t get it out of my head, I had to write it down. Hope you enjoy!

New Threads

It had been a couple weeks since Rapunzel had returned to Corona, and things were starting to return to normal after the Saporian attack had been quelled. Well, almost normal. Thanks to the attack, Frederic and Ariana were not currently fit to rule since their memories hadn’t yet been restored, and as a result, Rapunzel was now the acting queen of Corona. The people of the kingdom were grateful to have their beloved princess back, and Rapunzel was happy to be back as well, even if there was a certain empty spot in the castle that was hard to ignore. Coming back to Corona after losing a friend was hard, but even though she’d lost one friend, Rapunzel was happy to have gained back another one. Now that Varian had turned over a new leaf and was back on the right side of history, he and Rapunzel had managed to start laying down the bricks of their rebuilt friendship. He was a lot happier now that his father was free, and he was almost never not by his side, stuck to him like glue. Rapunzel was happy for him. She’d truly felt awful that she had let him down all those months ago after being unable to save his father, and watching Varian go down that dark road, feeling so lost and broken, had been difficult. Rapunzel never, ever broke a promise, so finally being able to keep hers had been a wonderful feeling. But even though Rapunzel still cared greatly for Varian and had forgiven him for his misdeeds, it didn’t mean that the kingdom had. Varian had never exactly been a very popular boy, not very well-liked in his village, and now he was reviled even more. True, Varian had helped save the kingdom from the Saporians, but not everyone in Corona was as quick to forgive as their princess. Varian couldn’t hardly go anywhere alone without having insults and sometimes objects hurled his way, so he hadn’t been around much since Rapunzel came back. As a result, if Rapunzel wanted to see him, she had to go visit Varian in his own home. Today was one of those days. Rapunzel journeyed happily to Old Corona, hoping to see her young friend. As she walked through the village, the people who had come back after being displaced smiled and waved at their beloved princess. She returned their greetings, happy to see her subjects out and about. She climbed the familiar steps of Varian’s home and knocked on the door.

“Oh, Princess!” Quirin greeted, opening the door.

“Hello, Quirin!” Rapunzel smiled. “How are you?”

“I’m doing much better, thanks to you.”

“That’s great to hear. I’m really glad I could help,” said Rapunzel. “Is Varian home?”

“Yes, he’s home,” Quirin replied. “He’s in his lab. You can go on in.”

“Thank you!”

“Thank you, Princess,” said Quirin as he stepped aside to let Rapunzel in. She smiled as she walked past him and went over to Varian’s lab. She stood outside the door for a moment, listening to the familiar sounds of Varian’s tinkering. She closed her eyes briefly, remembering her friend of before. But he was still her friend, and hearing the usual cacophony of his lab helped her remember that. She pushed open the door and went inside. Looking around, she spotted him in the corner working on some new machine she hadn’t seen before.

“Hi, Varian!” she said brightly. He looked up suddenly from his work.

“Oh, Rapunzel! Hi!” he looked at her with a smile on his face.

“What are you working on?” she asked as she peered at his machine in curiosity.

“Oh, this?” he stepped aside to give her a better view. “This is my newest invention. It’s a machine that’s designed to reverse the effects of the Saporian memory wand and restore your parents’ memories, since I, well...” he trailed off, his smile fading. After a moment, he sighed softly. “I’m sorry, Rapunzel.”

“It’s...well, it’s not really okay, but I trust that you’ll figure something out. You’re a smart guy. You can fix this,” she assured him.

“Thanks. For...for trusting me,” said Varian quietly. “I-I know I don’t really deserve your trust, but-“

“Varian,” Rapunzel gently interrupted. He looked up at her. “I know you feel sorry about everything. And the fact that you’re working to help me already shows me that you’re worthy of being trusted.” He gave her a little smile.

“Thanks.” He loosened up a little after previously feeling a bit tense. “So, uh, what are you doing here?”

“I just thought I’d come and check up on you, see how you’re doing,” Rapunzel replied. “Do you need any help with your machine?”

“Actually,” said Varian, his eyes brightening. “If you could pass me my tools when I need them, that’d be great.”

“You got it!” Rapunzel said cheerfully, handing him a screwdriver.

Rapunzel spent the rest of the afternoon in the lab with Varian, helping him out with his machine, watching him work, and listening to him explaining its function with rapt attention. He also talked a lot about the past couple weeks that he’d been reunited with his dad. He spoke excitedly about how happy he was to be back and how much he missed the simple things they used to do together, like having dinner in the evening, but how glad he was to get to do them again. Rapunzel loved listening to Varian talk about the things that he was passionate about, and hearing his sweet laughter again after so long was a pleasant and beautiful sound. Watching him work and hearing him talk, it made Rapunzel feel like nothing had changed. But things had changed, even in very subtle ways, and there were many indicators about just how much time had passed. As Rapunzel watched Varian tinker away on his machine, she noticed that he wasn’t quite so little anymore. Granted, he was still a “little guy”, as Eugene had called him, but Varian had grown. He was taller than he had been the last time she’d seen him all those months ago before she left. It was evident in where he now stood in comparison to Rapunzel and in the way she noticed him absentmindedly tugging on the sleeves of his faded blue shirt every now and then, as if trying to bring them down further on his arms. It could have also been a subconscious desire to cover his hands, since he was now working with his hands exposed because the black gloves he used to wear had melted off while Rapunzel was in her trance. Looking at him, she could tell why he always wore those gloves, since working without them had left behind tiny cuts on his hands from the lack of protection from his alchemy and metalwork. Really, he had simply started to outgrow his outfit. Even though Rapunzel could tell that Varian was a little bit skinnier now as a result of eating nothing but the prison food for months on end, she still noticed that his old blue shirt was starting to be too small. The way Varian shifted his feet around while standing and talking indicated that his shoes were too small as well. And even if his clothes fit him perfectly, the patched sleeve of his shirt and the old, worn fabric were signs enough that he was in need of a new outfit.

Surely he must be uncomfortable she thought as she watched him working. Then, realization struck her and her heart sank as she thought about why Varian was still putting up with clothes that weren’t exactly fit to be worn anymore. Not everyone in the kingdom had forgiven Varian yet. There were still some people who were harboring fresh wounds and weren’t ready to extend him a helping hand yet. He couldn’t even walk around without his dad nearby for fear of being harassed in some way. Even if Varian wanted to go out shopping and buy himself some new clothes, he couldn’t do it without facing persecution from the citizens who were still angry with him. But not everyone was upset. Rapunzel saw in him a good heart and she knew he had changed for real, and when she saw that a friend was in need, well, she couldn’t just sit idly by without trying to help. So when it was time to leave and she told Varian goodbye, she headed straight back to the castle with newfound determination and an idea burning in the back of her mind.

“Hey, Sunshine!” Eugene greeted warmly when she arrived back home. “How was your visit to Old Corona? Is Varian doing okay?”

“It was good,” she replied. “It was really good to see him. He’s doing a lot better. He’s back to inventing and doing alchemy.”

“That’s great to hear,” he said. “I’m glad the little guy is starting to become more like his old self.”

“I am too.” She smiled at the thought. But then she remembered what she’d been so fired up about. “Oh! I have to go see the royal seamstress,” Rapunzel said as she began walking off towards the beauty room where the seamstress worked.

“You planning on getting some new threads?” Eugene called after her.

“Something like that.”

Rapunzel entered the quarters where the seamstress worked, sewing up new clothes for the royal family. She looked around through the curtains of dresses and suits that hung all around.

“Faye?” she called.

There was a ruffling sound and a bundle of fabric was suddenly tossed through the air and a short woman with pins in her mouth poked her head out from behind some more rolls of fabric.

“Oh! Your highness!” said Faye, the seamstress. She took the pins out of her mouth and pushed them into the mini pincushion she wore on her wrist. “How can I help you? Is there something wrong with your dress?”

“Oh, no, it’s fine. Just as beautiful as ever! But I have a special request for you,” replied the princess. She took out her journal with a new painting on one of the pages and showed it to Faye. “Do you think you could make me something like this?”

Faye studied the picture Rapunzel had made, looking over all the details and specifications.

“Absolutely, Princess! I’ll get started right away.”

“Thank you, Faye!” Rapunzel said cheerfully. “I know it’ll be just great!”

***

A few days later, Rapunzel once again made the trek to Old Corona, this time with a package in her hands. She had a skip in her step as she thought about her little surprise. When she made it to Varian’s house, she entered his lab enthusiastically.

“Hi, Varian!” she announced, her voice bright.

“Oh, Rapunzel! I’m glad to see you,” said Varian. “I wanted to tell you more about my progress with the new machine.”

As he spoke, Rapunzel glanced down and noticed his hands.

“Hey, new gloves!” she observed.

“Oh, yeah,” said Varian, looking down. He was wearing a pair of new alchemy gloves, dark brown this time, with little pressure gauges on them. “Dad bought these for me the other day when he went into town. I had mentioned that it was harder doing my alchemy without gloves, and I guess he was worried that I would burn myself or something. But I’m glad to have them, it feels more normal. Anyway, I’m not quite finished with the machine yet, I’m still working out the kinks,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “But in the meantime, I’ve been working on some potions that I think could help with restoring your parents’ memories. I’ve just gotta test them.”

“Sounds like you’ve been busy,” Rapunzel said.

“Yeah,” Varian agreed, laughing lightly. “So, what brings you here so soon after your last visit? Not that I’m not happy to see you,” he added quickly.

“Do I need a reason to come visit?” Rapunzel teased.

“I don’t know. Do you?”

“Maybe I just wanted to come say hi! But actually I do have a reason.” She brought the package out from behind her back and held it in front of her so Varian could see it. “I have something for you!”

“For me?” Varian looked down at the package in her hands in surprise. “W-why would you get me something?”

“Can’t I just be nice?”

“Of course, you’re always nice. But, why me?”

“Because I thought you could use it.”

“What is it?” Varian asked.

“You are seriously missing the point of a surprise,” Rapunzel replied. She pushed the package into his hands. “Just open it and see for yourself.”

Varian set the package down on a nearby table and used the sharp edge of one of his tools to open it up. He peered inside and his eyes went wide.

“Wait, Rapunzel, really? This is for me?”

“Of course! I hope you like it. I designed it myself and I had the royal seamstress sew it up based on my pattern. What do you think?” she asked. Varian lifted the carefully folded clothes from the box and held it up to himself.

“I, wow, I don’t know what to say.”

“Well, go on!” Rapunzel said, making a shooing motion with her hand. “Go try them on! Let’s see how it fits.”

Varian picked up the box and left his lab, going up the steps of his house and to his room. A few minutes later, Rapunzel could hear footsteps coming down the stairs and Varian came back into the lab, and Rapunzel smiled at his appearance. Instead of his old blue shirt with the patched sleeve and his pants with frayed edges, he was now wearing a new dark maroon vest with gold buttons going down either side, and underneath that was a beige long-sleeved shirt with a collar. He also had a new pair of pants and a belt, plus a new shorter tan apron that tied at the waist rather than higher up on his chest like his old one. He even had a new pair of boots, with a thicker toe on them to protect his feet better from broken glass or just the usual chronic clumsiness that Varian seemed to suffer from. Rapunzel’s eyes lit up when she saw him.

“Hey, you look great!” she complimented him warmly. She got up and looked him over. “That’s a nice color on you, and it looks like it fits you better than your old shirt. Hmm, except for the sleeves,” she noticed, seeing how the cuffs almost covered his fingers. “But that’s okay, we’ll just get you some sleeve garters to wear and it’ll help with that. How do your boots feel?”

“Rapunzel, I...I can’t accept this,” said Varian softly.

“Why not? Should I have gotten you blue instead? You seem to like blue.”

“No, it’s not that.” He paused briefly. “I just don’t deserve something like this.”

“Varian, why would you say that?”

“Rapunzel, just look at everything I’ve done. I-I stole the sundrop flower, I kidnapped the queen, I tried to hurt you, worse, even. I took over the kingdom, I erased your parents’ memories. Why would you want to be nice to me after everything I did? You saved my life, you saved my dad’s life. That’s more than I could ever ask for. Why would you keep on giving me things? I don’t deserve your gifts,” said Varian sadly, nervously rubbing at the too-long sleeve of his right arm. Rapunzel put her hands on his shoulders so he’d look at her.

“Varian, it’s true, you did a lot of things that hurt me. But I can see that you’re sorry for them, and you’re working to make up for them. I know you have a good heart and that you really are a good person. You had a pretty...rough patch, let’s say. But don’t think for one second that you’re any less valuable as a person because of it. You still deserve to be treated with kindness because I can see that you still want to give kindness to others, and you’re a human being just like everyone else. That means you make mistakes just like everyone else, and it means you deserve to be treated kindly just like everyone else. I know you’re mad at yourself and that takes time to get over, but please don’t think that you’re unworthy of love or friendship because of your past. What you need to focus on is the present. Don’t talk badly about one of my friends,” she said earnestly.

Friends. Varian’s eyes lit up at the word and he gave her a smile. He liked the sound of that. He took a step back and turned around to look at himself in a mirror in his lab. He smiled at his reflection, turning to look at himself from different angles.

“So, what do you think?” Rapunzel asked eagerly.

“I think...it looks good.”

“So you like it?

“Of course I like it.” He ran his hands over the fabric softly. He’d never had such fine clothes before. “And you’re right. This is a nice color,” he laughed lightly. He looked up at Rapunzel.

“Thank you, Princess.”

“You’re welcome, Varian,” she replied with a smile. She gave him a hug and she stuck around to listen to him talking about his further progress with his machine. When it was time to say goodbye, she waved and headed back to the castle. And for the rest of the day whenever Varian caught a glimpse of his reflection, he couldn’t help but smile.

***

Not too long after, Rapunzel decided to raise her kingdom’s spirits by bringing them together for a community project, namely to help rebuild the castle’s throne room after the Saporian attack had damaged it. Several members of the kingdom had volunteered to come, and Rapunzel was both surprised and delighted to see that Varian was one of them. Finally shaking off his fears of traveling to the capital city alone, he showed up at the castle with a backpack full of tools, ready to help.

“Hello, Varian! It’s good to see you out and about,” she said.

“Thanks. It’s good to be out and about. I know I’m a big part of why the throne room is damaged, and I’m sorry about that. But I’m ready to get to work rebuilding,” he replied.

“Well, thank you. I appreciate it. We can use all the help we can get.”

At that moment, Eugene entered the room and spotted Rapunzel talking to Varian. He looked him over in surprise.

“Varian! I like the new outfit! You’re looking sharp, buddy.”

“Thanks,” Varian replied with a smile. “New outfit, new day, new me.”

And it was true. The new, special clothes looked good on Varian, and not just because the color was nice. It was a different, more mature look and it reflected Varian’s growth, in more ways than one. It was still perfect for alchemy and inventing, he hadn’t lost that part of himself. He was still the same sweet boy he’d always been, but he was changed. He really was a new person, still with all his same quirks, but now he was bigger and stronger, and not just in size. His return to kindness had ushered in a new change, and change looked good.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed!

#tangled the series #rapunzels tangled adventure #tts varian #varian the alchemist #princess rapunzel #I love their bond so much #whaley writes

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glacecakes · 3 years

Text

Alchemy Lullaby (16/?)

Of all the changes that came with living in the castle, becoming a father was not one he anticipated. When Eugene encounters a small child suffering like he did, he gives them the opportunity to grow up the way he never did… helping them both heal. (AU where Varian is 4 and gets adopted by Eugene)

The worst child custody fight you’ve ever seen.

Read the rest on AO3

Y'all I am so nervous I really hope this delivers! I spent a good 5 days just agonizing over how to get my idea across, editing, redoing, this was a monster to make. The biggest goddamn shoutouts to Scar server, coloring_the_banner, @aj-reblogs, and @space--butterflies for ideas and inspiration, and @finnoky for being my partner in this whole mess, as well as the amazingly talented artist for this chapter. SIMP FOR FINN OR DIE BY MY BLADE Oh also, I had to retcon the last sentence from the previous chapter you shall see why.

Quirin and Ulla, glaring one another down.

A flask in Ulla’s hands, a sword in Quirin’s.

Varian whimpered from the doorway. Rapunzel and Eugene were so close, he could feel it! As each second ticked by, another rock reacted to her warmth, heating up his soul, his heart. He just had to hang on a little longer, and he could go home! Right?

Quirin stared Ulla down. His back was turned away from their son in the doorway, and he didn’t intend for Ulla to step any farther.

“Quirin,” she says, exasperated. “This is what you wanted, is it not?” She swirled the small vial around in her hand. “You wanted the moonstone, the rocks taken care of! This will do that!” To demonstrate, she let a single drop fall onto a nearby rock. Amber creeped up the surface, swallowing the rock wholly until it crumbled away, leaving only the amber behind. “If we give this to Varian, it’ll eject the moonstone from him!”

“I want the moonstone destroyed, and I want Varian safe,” Quirin hissed. “You were the best option; I didn’t want to kill him!”

Ulla raised an unimpressed eyebrow. “I thought you were all about duty? ‘No matter the cost’?”

“Not at the expense of a child!”

“Oh, relax. This won’t kill him. Probably. I’m actually not sure.” She shrugged, and Quirin’s anger grew. How could she be ok with killing a child, her own son? The whole reason he was here was to satisfy his morals and duty, and yet her solution was not feasible.

He’d let Ulla manipulate him for far too long. She knew how he felt about her, and she’d used it against him this whole time! She preyed on his desire for a son, for a family, and he’d totally bought into it. The man had told himself he was doing this out of duty, but he never was.

“If you cannot guarantee his safety, then I won’t let you hurt him.” He said, and Ulla’s face fell. “I only put up with those experiments in the hopes of a solution, and yet all that’s come from this is pain. I…” He looked back at Varian. “I stole a child from his father in the hopes that you could end this.”

“And I can,” Ulla insisted. She thrust an arm out, reaching for Varian. “If you would just trust me!”

“What a fool I am,” He sighed. “To ever think I could trust you.”

Her eyes narrowed, face morphing into a scowl. Quirin brandished his sword, but alas she was prepared. From her apron she pulled a small vial and threw it at Quirin’s feet. It exploded into goo, trapping him in place.

With him out of the way, Ulla’s attention fell solely to the boy. Her hair practically floated in midair, more and more chunks falling out her bun as she stalked forward. “Oh, Varian,” She sang, gaze trained solely on her son. “Come to momma, moondrop. Let momma fix you.”

Quirin struggled desperately to escape from the goo trap, but the alchemy held strong. “Varian, run!” he cried.

The child backed up in fear, shaking his head. “Punzel’s gonna be here! She’s coming for me!” He insisted. Just a little longer, he just had to wait a little longer…!

His momma laughed in agreement. “Yes, stay. It doesn’t matter, Varian. Just take your medicine, and all our problems will go away…” Now that Ulla was closer, her scowl morphed into a cheshire grin. She ran a hand through her hair, leaving a large piece hanging like a curtain over one eye.

Varian’s mind reeled as tears streamed down his face. Think, think! Eugene always told him to come find him when he was in danger, but he knew where Eugene was! He was coming! Why wasn’t he here yet?

He glanced around wildly, looking at anything aside from his momma and the glowing vial in her hand. From Quirin, who struggled to free himself, to the moon shining through the window…

Wait, that’s it! The incantation! The one Quirin said to only use in danger! This surely counted as danger, right?

“Wither and decay…” He mumbled, and Ulla’s face lost all color. “End this dest-destiny…” He didn’t really know what the words meant, did that matter? He hoped not.

“Don’t you dare,” Ulla growled, grabbing Varian’s arm roughly. “Don’t you dare you brat! You worthless child!” She pushed the vial into his face. “DRINK IT!”

BANG!

“GET AWAY FROM HIM!”

Eugene stood front and center at the lab’s entrance, chest heaving as he stared at the scene in anger. His baby boy, backed into a corner and at a madwoman’s mercy! Righteous justice bubbled in his chest, a desire to grab Varian and cause just as much pain to this lady as she had caused their family. Rapunzel at his side readied her frying pan while her braid shone like the sun. Cassandra stood by as well, sword drawn and ready to fight Quirin, though she lowered it slightly when she saw he was no threat.

The alchemist snarled, throwing down Varian’s arm and reaching for her alchemy. “Honestly, if you all had just waited five minutes, I would’ve gladly handed him back…!” Why did none of them see her way? She just wanted to extract the moonstone from a baby who had no use for it, nor a proper grip on his powers. She wanted the rocks to vanish, just like the rest of them! Ulla charged at the trio, throwing a smoke bomb to distract them. The room filled with smoke, hiding Varian from sight.

“Varian!” Rapunzel called. “Hang on, honey! We’ll save you!”

Ulla’s voice rang out loud and clear from behind. “I’m trying to save us all, you morons!” Rapunzel brought up her frying pan to bat away another bomb now that she could see Ulla through the smoke. “If I had the moonstone, I could retract all the rocks!”

“What makes you so sure you can control them if Varian can’t?” She barked. The only response she got was a goo bomb trapping her pan to her hand. “Ugh, seriously?” Ulla smirked, throwing another bomb she knew Rapunzel couldn’t dodge. The princess braced for impact, only for Cassandra to push her to the floor just in time.

“Eugene!” Cassandra called through the smoke. “Go find Varian!”

Eugene held up his shirt to help his breathing through the smoke, though it was slowly beginning to dissipate. He could barely make out Quirin’s form, trapped under Ulla’s alchemy. While part of him still hated the man’s guts, seeing that he was not on Ulla’s side (anymore) was enough to push that down for now. “Quirin,” He rasped. “Varian. Is he ok? I swear if you hurt a hair on his head-”

“He’s fine, I tried to stop Ulla from using that chemical. I’m so sorry,” That got Eugene to blink in shock. A truce, a common enemy, that would’ve been expected, but an apology? “I should never have taken him, I was just trying to do my duty, I never wanted him to be hurt-!”

Eugene cut him off. “Yea, we can hash that out later. Varian?” That made Quirin blink a few times in shock. He was just ignored, just like that? Well, he couldn’t blame Eugene, it was his son after all. But still, ow. He pointed his sword in the direction of the boy.

“Varian, bud, you there?” Eugene said, and the smoke finally cleared enough that he could see his son still in the corner. “Oh thank god-” He trailed off at his son’s appearance. “Varian…?”

Pitch black eyes stared back. His baby’s lovely hair, raven black with a streak of moonlight, was now dark as the rocks he controlled, with teal flowing through his head. A large shadow loomed behind Varian, creeping and slowly swallowing the room in darkness.

“Break these earthly chains… and set the spirit free.”

The floor beneath him cracked, and the air turned stale, blowing away any remaining smoke.

“Wh-” Cassandra tried to speak, but broke into violent coughs. Like sand in an hourglass, energy sapped away from the adults in the room, redirected towards the toddler. With each heartbeat Eugene felt himself weaken, but still he staggered forward, dropping down onto his knees in front of his son.

The past few days have been wrought with anxiety, but now, seeing Varian in front of him, so close yet so far… that was worst of all. Eugene’s boy was dressed in rags similar to when he was first found (Where was his suit? His suit that he adored and made Varian look like himself?). Oh how Eugene wanted to scoop Varian up. To run away, to the ends of the earth. But that would make him no better than Ulla. To think just a few days ago, nothing was wrong, their only problem had been Varian’s jealousy towards Rapunzel. How had it all gone so wrong? Did that make Eugene a bad parent? If he had fought harder, would Varian be in this position? Or would this destined to happen, the forces inside his son doomed to swallow them all whole?

He reached out, hands shaking, and pulled Varian into his arms. His clothes sizzled slightly under Varian’s touch, but he didn’t care. He rocked Varian back and forth, just how he liked it. “Varian?” Eugene whispered. “Varian, can you hear me?”

“...Wither and decay,” Varian murmured, another tear falling.

Distantly, Eugene could hear the others struggling. He heard a thump as someone collapsed, the distressed cries of Rapunzel. He glanced up, and… was it just him or was her hair flashing? Like a candle on the verge of going out, Rapunzel’s hair flickered between blonde and brown. She grasped at her chest, clawing at it as if something was trying to burst out. From under her fingertips a faint gold glowed.

“....Thief…” Ulla’s voice rasped. She lay on her stomach and rolled a vial over to Eugene. “U...use that on him! Make him drink it! Otherwise we’ll all die…!” Her eyes turned desperate, a silent call for a truce.

His arms were now burning where Varian touched. He rested his chin on Varian’s normally soft hair, only for it to feel hotter than a thousand suns. But none of that mattered. All that mattered was the boy he had in his arms. His baby, his darling, finally back where he belonged.

Eugene held the golden chemical, ready to move it to Varian’s lips…

And faltered.

No.

He wasn’t going to risk Varian’s life for his own.

He tossed the vial aside and placed a kiss to the top of Varian’s head, ignoring the searing pain it caused his face. Though it might have just burned his stubble off. “Bluebird,” He whispered. “Dad’s here. You’re ok now. Come on, Varian, come back to me.”

“End... this destiny…” Varian faltered ever so slightly.

From where she had collapsed, Rapunzel sat up shakily. “Varian, you mean so much to us. Please…” While his vision was blurred, Eugene could tell he was right; her hair was brown again. A golden stone pulsed on her chest, giving her the strength to stumble towards them. Upon reaching her love and son, she collapsed once more, placing shaking hands on Varian’s shoulders. Miraculously, she didn’t burn.

“Sweetie,” She whispered. “We’re here, we need you.”

A single tear trailed down Eugene’s cheek. “We love you,” he said.

There was silence.

Tiny hands squeezed at Eugene’s arm. It didn’t burn.

“Daddy…? Mommy…?”

Varian blinked once, twice, eyes no longer tar, but rather the same electric blue as always. His hair was back to normal too, and the burns slowly began to fade to a general ache instead of searing. Even breathing felt easier. Eugene let out a wet laugh, placing a kiss to the crown of Varian’s head once more.

“Yea bud, daddy and mommy,” he choked out, and Varian sighed, content. They sat there for a moment, the three of them, Rapunzel wrapping both of them into a hug. Finally, after days of agony, they were together again.

Slowly, steadily, Cassandra stood up, leaning against her sword. She couldn’t help but feel a little awkward, but nonetheless glad to see Varian back to normal. Quirin, who had finally managed to free himself from the goo, also seemed at peace. They stood in place, watching the family with smiles on their faces.

For a moment, all was calm.

A hand snatched Varian’s shirt collar, retching him from his parent’s grasp with a cry. Eugene barely had any time to react before Ulla was forcing the amber solution down Varian’s mouth.

“No!” He yelled as his son began to cough and sputter, writhing in Ulla’s grasp so much that she almost dropped him. With hungry eyes she watched as Varian curled in on himself and screamed, his pain causing a flurry of rocks to sprout all over the lab and weaken the already damaged structure. Not only that, but creeping tendrils of amber engulfed each new rock, reaching claws out to try and ensnare anything that ventured too close.

Cassandra tried to strike one with her sword, but it shattered on impact. Shit, this stuff was just as strong as the rocks!

“How is this better than the moonstone!?” She hissed at Quirin. The knight didn’t respond, instead shielding her when a nearby rock exploded from the force of the amber. A war of yellow and black raged, ravaging the room.

“Varian!” Eugene screamed, horrified as the child seized on the floor. Much like Rapunzel moments ago, a bright glow centered on his heart grew. This one was cyan, and as it got brighter, his hairstripe grew dimmer.

Ulla’s hand dug into the boy’s chest, seizing what grew. He let out a final scream, and the room exploded in a bright light.

Rapunzel’s own breast glowed briefly, reigniting her hair long enough for it to wrap protectively around her boyfriend. Quirin and Cassandra huddled together to brace for impact. Wind howled around them, so loud that it was all they could hear, and dust blew directly into their faces.

When Rapunzel’s hair parted, and Cassandra and Quirin opened their eyes, the house was destroyed.

Shattered support beams lay strewn across the landscape, some impaled by black rocks that were beginning to move. A loud groan echoed, haunting as the rocks of Old Corona shifted directions until all of them faced towards the ruined lab.

At the epicenter, where all the rocks pointed, lay a very still boy.

Too still.

“No no no!” Eugene lurched forward, coughing violently as the debris that coated his lungs made itself known. But that didn’t stop him, dragging across the ruins until he was at Varian’s side. “Varian!” He begged, shaking arms picking up his son. He cradled him close to his chest, hoping, no, praying, that Varian was ok.

He was quickly joined by Cassandra and Rapunzel, who's searching hands checked Varian for signs of life. Cassandra placed a finger on his neck, and let out a massive breath. “He’s alive,” she whispered. “Just unconscious.”

“What on earth was that…?” Rapunzel asked, fear clouding her emerald eyes.

In all honesty, Eugene had no clue. He glanced at his sunshine, with her once again brown hair, and Cassandra, with her broken sword and shattered look, and sighed.

Suddenly, the rocks lit up blue around them. It started off their usual hue, glowing brighter and brighter, even more so than when Rapunzel’s hair reacted to them. The air hummed with electricity, and sparks jumped from rock to rock with loud cracks.

“Finally…”

The trio whipped their heads around. Eugene’s heart leapt into his throat as he clutched Varian tighter.

Ulla stood off to the side, previously silent, now admiring her new form. Her hair was set free from its bun, ending at her waist and a bright teal, more saturated than Varian’s hairstripe. Gone was her alchemy apron and goggles, replaced by a black, capped sleeve dress. Dark blue spikes covered her lower arms.

The moonstone spritzed with power on her chest.

“After 5 agonizing years…” Ulla’s voice was haunting, almost melodic. She spread her fingers out, beckoning a rock to her command. It creeped up from the earth until she rested her palm on its surface. The power was addictive, filling Ulla’s veins with refracted sunlight. No wonder Varian put up such a fight, she’d rather die than be without this power ever again!

Her euphoric haze faded at the sight of the trio. In the thief’s arms was her son, the boy who had given her so much grief for all these years. It was laughable, how easy the solution had been in retrospect. But oh well, live and learn.

Rapunzel glared down the other woman, clutching Eugene’s bicep in support. Like hell they would let this woman get away with what she did. So what if she had an indestructible body armor and ultimate power? She hurt their kid, and they’d kick her ass.

Ulla’s grin turned wicked sharp. “I can make the world as it should be,” she raised her arm, and the spike she’d summoned grew. Then another joined it, and another, and suddenly a ring of obsidian rose around her. Their points all faced the family, preparing to spring forward.

“Starting with you.”

Without warning, the rocks formed a trail, several jutting closer and closer, snaking through the earth preparing to meet flesh. They braced for impact-

CRUNCH.

Ulla gaped at the piece of rock that jutted out of her chest.

Panting, Quirin drove the point further into her.

She fell to her knees.

Then her side.

Her eyes stared forward, unblinking, gazing at the son she never loved.

#varian #tangled the series #tts #tts varian #eugene fitzherbert #tangled eugene #tts eugene #team awesome

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jade-kyo · 3 years

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Jadey’s Tangled Rewatch: What the Hair

So... back at the end of September I said I was gonna rewatch Tangled and post about it- well... life sort of just went downhill starting in October and I’ve honestly just been Not Great for the past few months but like... I’m kinda sick of being miserable so I’ve decided to return to this series because gosh darn it if the world won’t give me some good vibes then I’ll just have to channel my inner Rapunzel and make my own!

So without further ado let the rewatch continue! 💚

The first episode of the show- also the first episode I watched because I didn’t know Before Ever After was a thing and I was very confused 😂

But let me say, starting out with a nightmare- my whumpers heart knew I was gonna love this show instantly- and my psychology nerd heart too cause I can recognize the signs of PTSD when I see them- Gothel telling Rapunzel they’re going back to the tower, how Rapunzel goes completely stiff when Gothel touches her, how she can’t even say anything she’s so scared of this woman- yeah it’s a magic dream but it’s also a PTSD nightmare.

“LiTeRaLlY a CoNvEnT” me too Cassandra, me too

The girls be gossiping about mY SON! But seriously does anyone ever think about the fact that Varian’s invention caused such issues that rumors spread all the way to the capital about him being dangerous? Like dang boy you been busy.

Varian- Varian sweety why are there literal holes in your roof and walls- how does that even happen- what have you been doing? Is this why your lab is in some side shack cause you kept blowing holes in your house? And if so why was Quirin’s solution to give you a side shed instead of to you know teach you some boundaries and awareness of what is or isn’t safe to experiment with and- you know what I’m just gonna stop before this turns into a rant about Quirin’s crummy parenting cause there’ll be plenty of time for that later

MY SON HE IS MY SON AND HE IS HERE I LOVE HIM JUST LOOK AT MY SON

Varian just flat out yeets Ruddiger out his door and I just find that very funny

HE IS SO DORKY AND PRECIOUS I FREAKIN CANT I LOVE HIM SO MUCH

This might just turn into me gushing about Varian-

His fear of blood has been such glorious angst fuel ngl

Eugene was fully prepared to throw hands with a 14 year old to save his girlfriend and you know what? He’s so valid. I stan.

Turns out tiny child is a feral gremlin with zero self-awareness and zero self-preservation and Eugene is fearing for his life.

“Mr. Rider, when the princess of Corona speaks directly to you every word is important.” Eugene take notes this kid knows what’s up.

Again, Varian has zero awareness or preservation- it does not take a genius (which Varian is) to know that machines that cause tremors in the earth are not safe in any capacity.... he’s just so... stupid.

I love this scene so much. Just the way that Eugene gets down on Varian’s level and speaks to him with authority but without being demeaning is so amazing. And he acknowledges good intentions! He doesn’t just belittle Varian he actually compliments him and lets him know that he’s a good person but he just needs to be safer and yeah I just really loved this moment so much. Eugene best dad 10/10

And Team Awesome is just the best.

I remember watching this episode for the first time and when everything just started exploding I was like “well dang that escalated quickly one episode in and the main couple have already almost died”

Varian really just gets saved by a badass with a sword and was like it’s time to be resident idiot teenager and crush on her so hard 😂 boy just comes swinging right out the gate with a milady what an absolute lady’s man in the making right there homeboy got NO SHAME. Cass looks like she’s seen better days tho 😂

This scene made me so mad the first time I watched it (still does) like what- no- you don’t just ignore your son like that... I don’t care how mad or disappointed you are in a situation like that the correct response is not to ignore your kid- like Varian messed up big time you need to freakin talk to him, explain to him why what he did was wrong, lay down some boundaries so it doesn’t happen again, let him know he’s not a horrible person and that you don’t hate him, and supply some form of punishment ground him for awhile or something. But ignoring him? That’s literally the worst thing you could do. Props to Cass tho for actually offering some semblance of support. That was always really soft and sweet to me.

New Dream. That’s it. That’s all I have to say. They’re perfect and I love them.

Well, there you have it! Another episode complete and hopefully this time I’ll stick with a somewhat more consistent schedule 😂 hope you enjoy my little ramblings! 💚

#jadey speaks #tangled the series #rapunzels tangled adventure #varian #varian tts #eugene tts #rapunzel tts #cassandra tts #team awesome

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ultraglittercat · 4 years

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Drabble 136

Christmas Plans

The year was almost over, and everyone was excited for what changes the new year would bring. In Rapunzel and Eugene's case, the new year would see them become parents, as Rapunzel was about 7 months pregnant now and looking forward to seeing their beautiful baby be born. For Kiera and Catalina, a new year meant mastering new skills, as they were showing great improvement in ballet class (along with Varian, who was still bemused at how he'd ended up joining their lessons.) For Varian, a new year meant refining old inventions and creating new ones as the Royal Engineer. For Quirin a new year meant new crops to harvest and new livestock to raise. And for Lance, a new year meant passing on the parenting tips he'd learned and showering his daughters with love and praise.

They were all bundled up and wandering around town, looking at the winter decorations. Even Eugene had been persuaded to come see the sights. He was grumbling, but not as much as usual, as every so often he would look at Rapunzel and smile. Rapunzel was absolutely in awe of everything she saw. Growing up, Mothel Gothel had never celebrated the holidays, even Rapunzel's birthday was just another day where she made hazelnut soup and Rapunzel did chores and sang her healing song to rejuvenate Gothel. Rapunzel hadn't realized how much she'd missed, until she left her tower. And even now, 3 years later she was still amazed.

“Look at Monty's! It's so festive!” she squealed. Monty had placed gingerbread houses and peppermint sticks in a window display. Attila had hung a wreath on the door and some garland. The other shops were similarly decked out in red and green, and several stores had Christmas trees still out.

“I hope we find a good present for Dad.” Catalina said as they walked. She and Kiera had pooled their allowance, and had a good amount of gold and silver pieces saved. They excused themselves to go into Monty's Sweet Shoppe. Rapunzel smiled, thinking how much the girls had grown since they'd first met them as cautious and bitter thieves, to selfless and loving young ladies who wanted to surprise their Dad with something nice. Lance even teared up a bit, hearing they were going to get him a gift.

“I bet the girls find something great. Corona's a good place to shop.” Varian noted. He looked longingly at a cucurbit in a shop, a rounded container meant to hold a substance being distilled.

“You know Varian, if there's something you need for your engineering or alchemy work, you can request money from the Royal Treasury.” Rapunzel told him.

“I know, but I feel guilty about asking, like I still owe everyone in Corona an apology for what I've done in the past, and I don't deserve to take their money. I'll find another way to get what I need.” Varian explained.

“Varian, you're a good kid. But I understand if you don't feel like asking now. Just remember the offer always stands.” Rapunzel said. Varian nodded and continued to walk around town with the group.

Eugene spotted a canvas painting bag in an arts and crafts store and knew he'd have to come back later to buy it for Rapunzel. Picturing her happy expression on Christmas Day was worth being outside in the chilly winter weather.

“We'll see you all tomorrow for the Christmas party, right?” Rapunzel asked as the girls came running back, holding a medium-sized wrapped present.

“Of course, there's no way we'd miss it.” Lance assured her.

“Dad and me have a lot of work to do on the farm in the next few weeks, but we won't start until after the party.” Varian said.

“That's right. Christmas is a time for visiting friends and family.” added Quirin. For nearly 14 years, it had been just him and Varian, but now he counted Rapunzel, Eugene, Lance, Kiera, and Catalina as friends of the family and he looked forward to baking an apple pie for all of them. It was good that Varian had made so many friends, back in Old Corona he only really got along with Katie the seamstress and Pamela the jeweler (and it was a bit hard to tell in Pamela's case.)

“I'm so excited, you're all going to be there! Mom and I had a blast setting up the ballroom for the party. All that's left is the Christmas tree, because I wanted us to put on the ornaments together. I even painted a few myself. And of course, it wouldn't be a Christmas tree without a star on top, which Eugene is gonna place this year.” Rapunzel detailed.

“Really? But that's the most important part! Shouldn't your father do it?” Eugene was taken aback.

“Dad wants you to, he's really warmed up to you Eugene. He's been in a great mood all December, I think he's really looking forward to being a grandparent.” Rapunzel smiled.

“I know how he feels, being a Dad feels like it's going to be the biggest and best change in my life, after marrying you of course.” Eugene replied.

“Parenthood's a big step but I know you're ready, just as I was ready to adopt my girls.” Lance spoke up.

“I don't know if any father's really ready for all the challenges parenting brings.” Quirin chuckled. “But it's worth any trouble your kid causes.”

Varian looked a little sheepish. Even at 17, he could still feel called out. Still, he knew his father loved him, and Varian loved Quirin in return.

“It's great that we had this talk. But don't you guys think it's getting cold out here? We really should go back inside.” Eugene wouldn't be Eugene if he didn't complain about the winter weather at least once a day.

“Yeah, we should start heading home. But we'll come back tomorrow for the party. See you guys soon.” Varian said. Quirin nodded as he and Varian said goodbye.

“See you tomorrow! Let's go home, girls and maybe take a peek at that present?” Lance suggested.

“No peeking, Dad!” laughed the girls. They were determined to have their gift be a surprise. Lance sighed, he knew when he was outmatched, so he picked up Angry and carried her on his shoulders, while he held Catalina's hand as they walked together.

Rapunzel grinned. “We have the best friends, don't we?” she mused.

“And we have the best castle, where it's nice and warm.” Eugene said pointedly. Rapunzel laughed. Eugene had his quirks, but she truly loved him, and would do whatever it took to make him happy. And right now, that meant going back to the castle, where she would kiss him under the mistletoe.

The End

Christmas is really coming! We have all the holiday books on display at the library now, and the WalMart I go to has their Christmas food and decorations in store. It's still pretty warm where I live, but there are other signs of Christmas everywhere I look.

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littlemisslol-fic · 3 years

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Summary: Two years after the events of Barviel Keep, Varian has tried to adapt to the expectations brought by being a King’s Ward, with mixed results. Haunted by ghosts, Varian is forced to face the demons he tried to leave behind in Bayangor when his abdication is forcibly stopped by a third party, out for revenge against the Bayan Royal bloodline. On the run, with few allies left to turn to, Varian finds himself chasing a ghost through a series of tests that only a true heir of Demanitus could ever hope to pass.But the shadows are ever present, looming and dark, and not everything is as simple as it might seem.

Notes: We've reached our destination! But things are never quite that simple.

The open sea was miserable.

The boat Rapunzel had bought (and yes, bought, seeing as the last boat she’d rented had wound up burning with Barviel Keep) gently rocked from side to side, the ocean spray bursting up over the side. The boat was named Oracle, a nice enough little sailboat with a small underside and a deck painted bright blue. She was sturdy, reliable ship, one that had carried them across the sea, directly toward the Wildshore Isle.

Varian sat on a crate that had been left on the deck, wincing as Eugene slowly worked on stitching up his arm. The boy was tense as a bowstring, trying to put on a brave face. The man noticed him pulling a face, and smiled in sympathy.

“C’mon goggles,” he said, pulling the needle through the cut Cerise had left. “You’ll be fine, everyone needs a few good scars. Makes for a conversation!”

Varian tried to smile, but it came out a grimace. The feeling of being sewn back together, while not unfamiliar after so many lab accidents, was unpleasant to say the least. He winced when Eugene pulled tight, his bare fingers tight against the wood of the crate. Varian flinched as the ache flared with every stitch, a burning fire he forced himself to sit through.

“Almost done,” Eugene soothed, his movements oddly quiet and methodical. There was a bottle of sterilizing alcohol next to him; Varian had already been subjected to that particular joy already. He winced at the feeling of another tug in the skin.

“Can we be done sooner?” Varian couldn’t help but ask. He nearly jumped out of his skin when Eugene made another loop with the thread, but a grounding hand on his shoulder kept him from moving.

“Just have to tie off, kid.”

Varian finally relaxed at the quiet snip of scissors. He risked a peek down, ignoring the small roll of his stomach at the sight of blood. Eugene had done good work, the stitches clean and even along the two-inch line of the wound.

“See?” Eugene asked, “There. Now you’re gunna want to keep it clean, and don’t go getting into any more knife fights for at least a week, young man. And next time you get hurt, please actually tell me before it’s been sitting for three days.” He tossed Varian his shirt, the boy pulling it over his head with a laugh.

“Sounds like a good idea,” Varian agreed, “No knife fights, got it.”

The Oraclerocked again, a little more noticeable this time, and Rapunzel’s voice drifted down the ship from the bow.

“Guys! We’re here!”

Varian and Eugene paused, looking at each other briefly before going to join her at the steering wheel of their little ship. The wheel was on its own level, up higher than the rest of the deck, so Varian had to struggle up a ladder to stand next to her. Eugene, bless him, didn’t comment, instead opting to lean against the wall and save the boy’s ego as he tried to climb the ladder with only one arm. Eventually he got there, trying to ignore the way Eugene scaled the ladder with a natural ease. Varian pouted, his gaze shifting toward where Rapunzel was pointing.

Sure enough there was a large island in front of them, covered in trees. It was easily the size of Corona’s own capitol island, if not less habituated. Varian could see, even from the boat, a long expanse of soft beaches and rolling waves, the bright sun catching the water in a way that nearly bided him. Rapunzel gestured a little down the shoreline, where a small village was embedded into the lush forest and spilled out into the beach.

“I think there is a good place to start,” she said, looking to the boys for any argument. When she didn’t get one, she turned the wheel, altering the Oracle into a gentle turn. The sail caught a little more wind, the ship cutting through the water at a brisk pace.

Varian watched the scenery go by, the thick trees and dense foliage of the woods making it nearly impossible to see through. He caught sight of people on the beaches, going about their daily business- a few fishermen throwing nets, children running up and down the shore, a few people doing their laundry in a pool of water, it all seemed peaceful enough.

A perfect place for his mother to hide.

He felt the nerves beginning to creep up as the village got closer. If this was where his mother had been hiding, she’d certainly picked a great place. Quiet, out of the way, unassuming, it was a perfect place to lay low and keep your head down. And if she were here… what did that mean, really?

They’d been on the Oracle for three days. Varian had spent all that time so focused on finding Aisha that he hadn’t really contemplated what he would do once he finally did. And now that it was right in front of him, the very real possibility that today could be the day…

Something in him wanted to run from this, too.

What would she even be like? Ever since Bayangor Varian had always felt trapped between the two ghosts Aisha had left in his life; the first was the loving mother, the one who had run from an abusive house and left Varian in the arms of a man she knew would raise and love him… the second was the one he’d seen in the hall of portraits, a warrior queen, the conqueror of lands, the woman who had left villages smouldering ruins. Demanitus’ heir, Aldred’s bride.

A queen of blood and ash.

These two impressions had sat next to each other on a shelf in Varian’s mind for years. He knew which one he wanted to be real, but he never knew for sure which one was right. He never knew how to feel about the idea that she’d been… well she’d been just as bad as Aldred, thanks Rapunzel. It was all skewed, everything he’d ever heard about her. Quirin wouldn’t have told Varian about the worse aspects of his mother- but nor would Aldred have mentioned her better parts. All Varian was left with was two extremes on the spectrum, and it made him feel disconnected to her in a way that ached.

He knew the truth must lay somewhere between these two images. A history of evil didn’t an irredeemable person make, as Varian would know, nor did one good turn make someone a saint. Varian wasn’t sure how to parcel the two versions into one person, into one image in his mind. He, at the end of the day, had no idea what she was really like, if the image in his head was even close to who he might be meeting on the isle.

It made him nervous, the idea that today might be the day he’d finally get to see that image, meet her. A million thoughts raced through his head, countless avenues and ideas that he could barely keep track of without getting a headache. His stomach was filled with nerves, twisting and churning until he felt sick.

Varian startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

He turned around to lock eyes with Eugene, the man smiling sympathetically. Varian realized he must have had more of his emotions showing on his face than he thought, and forced himself to return the grin. Eugene didn’t seem to buy it, patting him on the shoulder.

“You’ve got this, kid,” Eugene said brightly, “We’ll find her.”

Varian’s smile fell. “I’m nervous,” he admitted, “It’s been almost twenty years… would she even recognize me?”

“Well, you can tell a lot by looking at a man's eyes,” Eugene said. His voice was distant, quieter. “I’m sure your mother will know you once she gets a good look at you.”

“My parents recognized me,” Rapunzel added. The way she kept her distance made Varian’s heart pang, but he knew he still wasn’t ready for her to act like things were normal again. Rapunzel seemed to know this, focusing instead on the sea in front of them. “And Edmund knew Eugene.” Her face was carefully blank, controlled. Flat. “It’ll be alright.”

Varian bit his lip, looking out over the water. The nerves hadn’t died, but he shoved them down deep enough that he could ignore them for the time being. Varian’s hands tensed on the railing of the ship, watching the village growing larger on the horizon. If his mother were there, after all this time, he’d finally know her as she was, not how others saw her. He grit his teeth, shaking the whirling thoughts from his mind.

He had so many questions.

>>>><<<<

The village was… cute. The Wildshore Isles were small, barely even a speck on the map, and the capitol, the itty-bitty village of Harling, reflected that. It was even smaller than Pincosta- hell, from Varian’s point of view it was nearly smaller than Old Corona- but lively. The town was maybe a hundred buildings, most of them houses, though around the shoreline there were a few shops and businesses scattered around. There was a soft undertone of salt in the air, not oppressive but definitely noticeable as Varian, Rapunzel, and Eugene entered the town on foot. They’d ditched the Oracle at the main dock, tying her off and letting her bob in the waves without too much preamble.

Harling was made of cute little cottages, it seemed, with neat little flowerbeds and old, massive stones to make up the streets instead of cobblestone. People milled around, mostly fishermen and women from what Varian could tell, as well as what seemed to be a few traders and other salespeople. Everyone seemed mostly friendly, save for a few more grizzled, older men who glared at the newcomers. A few people stared, but it seemed strangers were a rarity in these parts, so they shrugged it off. Varian looked around the square, at a loss.

The alchemist paused, unsure, before looking back at his companions.

“I, uh,” he said, “I don’t really know where to start.”

Eugene came to his rescue, holding out his hand. “Can I see her note?” he asked, “Maybe she left a clue of some kind.”

Varian passed it over, unable to shake a weird feeling. He looked around, but was unable to see what was causing the feeling of eyes on the back of his head. He shook himself- probably just paranoia- before turning back to watch Eugene scan the paper.

“Well, here,” Eugene said, “Obviously there must be a secret code or something, right? She’s a nerd like you, so that would make sense-”

Varian snorted, taking the paper back. “Ha, ha,” he said, voice flat as a board, “You’re very funny. I’ve been looking over this thing for days, there’s no sign of a cypher or a clue. I think we’re stuck doing this the old-fashioned way.”

Eugene groaned, and Rapunzel wrung her hands. “Are you sure?” she asked, “Maybe we should just go back to the boat, try looking again.”

Varian felt his face do something funny when she not-so-subtly tried to get him to give up. It wasn’t even a scowl, more like a grimace, but it was more than clear how he felt about that suggestion as Rapunzel deflated.

“Or we do this the old-fashioned way,” she muttered. Eugene pat her on the back in a show of support, before turning to Varian.

“Alright, split up and ask around?” he asked, “We’ll meet back here in an hour and figure out if anyone’s seen her.”

The old-fashioned way, it turned out, was boring and tedious, and generally unsuccessful. Varian, unable to shake the feeling of being watched, wandered around the town, stopping by every small shop he could find to ask after any sign of his mother. Every single one had come up negative; none of the citizens of Harling had ever heard of a woman who matched her description, nor did her name ring any bells. He wasn’t surprised at the last one, when he’d been planning on going into hiding after the battle of Old Corona, Varian had already had false names ready to go.

It was nearly mid afternoon by the time he met back up with Rapunzel and Eugene, the two of them having no luck either. Varian huffed, frustrated, before looking around the square once more.

“Maybe we should break for lunch,” he said. “We’re not getting anywhere if we’re hungry.”

Eugene nearly wept, squishing Varian’s cheeks between his hands with a dramatic sob. “My boy,” he cooed, “Thank you for this.”

Varian snorted and shoved at his friend, pushing the hands from his face. “I’m hungry too,” he admitted. The alchemist ran a hand under the hood of his dad’s cloak, trying to shove his hair under it but only succeeding in making his bangs flop forward for a second. Rapunzel made a concerned noise when she caught sight of the stripe, miming for him to push it back under the fabric. Varian rolled his eyes, but complied.

“So, back to the boat, then?” Eugene asked hopefully, already turning around at the promise of some lunch. Rapunzel nodded, offering Varian a small smile as she turned away to follow Eugene. The boy moved to follow, but paused for a second. The air to his left seemed… strange.

Like it was rippling-

A pulse of panic raced up Varian’s spine, the boy scrambling back with a shriek as the air split in twain, a large crack following as a figure appeared right next to him. They were covered head to toe in a black cloak. Varian barely got a scream out, startling his friends, before a hand clapped over his mouth, another arm wrapping around his middle in a tight grip.

Arms pinned, he was only able to kick as the figure dragged him close. Varian could see Rapunzel and Eugene spin at his scream, eyes going wide when they saw what was happening; Eugene reached for his sword and Rapunzel her frying pan. The blond woman was quicker than her husband, running forward with an arm outstretched toward him.

“Varian!” she screamed, reaching for him with desperation before-

CRACK.

He was gone.

Varian’s whole world shifted sideways, his stomach jumping up into his throat before jumping down into his feet within a second of each other. He slammed his eyes closed with a scream, the noise muffled by his attacker’s hand. For a second gravity was both non-existent and too heavy, everything pushing and pulling and rotating in ways he definitely didn’t like.

The world snapped back into focus with another sickening crack.

Varian shuddered shaking roughly at the sudden return to normalcy. He kicked into the air again, though this time the heels of his boots connected with wooden floors instead of dirt and stone. His eyes shot open, the boy screaming again at the sight of a cabin’s interior. He struggled harder, bucking back against the person’s hold roughly.

They grunted- it sounded like they were male, but Varian couldn’t tell for sure with the pounding of his panicked heartbeat filling his ear. He shook once more in the grip, and finally resorted to drastic measures. With a snarl, the alchemist ripped his face away from the person’s gasp and opened his mouth, biting harshly into the meat of his attacker’s hand.

The person yowled, and the grip holding Varian fell away. The boy dropped to the ground, scrambling forward along the wooden floor of the cabin. He grabbed the first thing he could, a vacant chair that had been sitting alone at an empty dinner table, and held it above his head with a battle cry- though Eugene would probably argue it was more of a screech than anything else.

The person was holding their hand tightly, making weird noises as they ripped the glove off their hand. They shook it, whining, and dropped the glove to the wooden floor.

“You bit me!” they yelped, looking up to Varian. The boy wasn’t able to see their face, the skeletal thin man (because yep, definitely a man from the way their voice was a semi-deep whine) was covered in a large pair of dark goggles and a bandanna, with a mop of greasy, choppy, black hair peeking out from under the hood. He didn’t seem too old, maybe in his early thirties, but it still set the boy on edge. Varian paused his scream at the familiarity of the man’s outfit, reminded of his own Saporian getup, before hefting the chair higher and snarling at the man.

“You attacked me!” the boy bit back, not feeling badly at all.

“Yeah, and then you bit me, you little goblin!”

The man took a step, waving his injured hand, but backed off when Varian swiped at him with the chair.

“Where the hell am I?!” the alchemist demanded, refusing to get sidetracked. “Where did you take me?”

The man paused, seeming to weigh his options. “You’re in my house,” he finally said, “I needed to… needed to- something. I needed something, just give me a second...” The man trailed off, muttering something.

Varian looked around quickly, seeing that he was indeed in a small, single room cabin. It was cluttered, filled to the brim with loose papers and books, stacked to the ceiling in some places. Towers and towers of random literature were scattered across the floors. Varian could see the end of a bed poking out of the pile near a fire, unkept and messy like the rest of the cabin. The table to his side, the one he’d taken the chair from, was covered in dirty dishes, some of them looking nearly ancient from the way old food had crusted over. Varian wrinkled his nose at the sight, shifting away.

The man in front of him snapped his fingers, bringing the boy’s attention back. “I remember!” the man said, “I needed to warn you!”

The chair in Varian’s grip dropped a fraction, the alchemist tilting his head. “Warn me?” he asked, “Of what?”

“Well, you’re a crow, aren’t you? Though, not old enough really. More of a hatchling,” the man asked, cackling at his joke. He brought a hand up to his face, removing the bandanna first and showing a scruffy, black mess of a beard. He then moved again, shoving the goggles up onto his forehead, and the cloak back. Varian felt the fear come jolting back at the sight of the man’s face and electric green eyes, hefting the chair higher again.

He wasn’t Merrick, too old, but they could have been twins-

“Ah-ha,” the man awkwardly laughed when he saw Varian tense up. “So I’d guess you’ve met my siblings, then?”

Ah, that would explain it. How many of these bastards are there? Varian wondered to himself, glaring at the man in front of him.

“Sure, we can call it that.”

The man paused, bringing his hands up awkwardly. “I really do just want to talk,” he said, “Since you’ve met the others, I can’t blame you for being worried, but I promise I’m not here to hurt you.”

He took a step forward, but flinched back when Varian took another swing with the chair.

“Oi,” he yelled, “Watch it! I just want to talk-”

“You have a funny way of showing it!” Varian snapped at him, scowling as he tilted his head in agreement.

“I needed to talk to you without the Coronians trying to stab me! Don’t think I didn’t see that frying pan lady!” He took a step forward, Varian flinched back into the table. He paused, arching a brow. “You really are scared of me, huh? Strange, very strange…”

His voice was quiet, questioning. Almost confused. Varian looked away, unable to lie, but unwilling to tell the truth. The man looked all the more puzzled, taking another step. Varian allowed it, but the chair stayed up in the air in silent threat.

“You’re a crow,” The man insisted, like that solved anything. Varian’s face twisted, looking at him with a bitter expression. He paused, looking at the boy like a skittish animal. “You’re Aldred’s son, his heir, the monster’s flesh and blood-”

“I’m not his anything.” The alchemist cut him off. “He’s dead anyways, what does it matter?”

The man paused again. Tilted his head. “You really don’t know.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement. When Varian shook his head, still refusing to look at him, he let his hands drop. “How do you not know-”

“Because I only knew the man for a month,” Varian said, a cool anger in his voice. “And it was the worst month of my life. Care to ask any more stupid questions?”

Something seemed to click in the man’s mind at that. “I… hm,” he trailed off, scratching at his beard. “This changes things. I was hoping you’d know the basics, but if you’re this in the dark… did my siblings ever explain anything to you? They’re chatty still, right?”

Varian didn’t reply, but the chair dropped another few inches. The man sighed, nodding. He rubbed his face with both hands, groaning once before slapping his own face with both palms. His face split into a grin, his spine straightening into a peppy jump. “Alright!” he chirped, “In that case, I’m making tea. All awful conversations need tea, don’t you know, always makes things easier-”

He shuffled around, still talking to himself and giving Varian and his chair a wide berth while he went to the kitchen part of the cabin. The boy kept the man in sight, refusing to do more than blink as the stranger bustled around. The man scooped up random jars that were scattered around the area, and a kettle that had been haphazardly perched on top of a stack of books. Varian watched as his odd host filled it with water from a nearby pump, before scuttling through a think path through the mess and setting it over the fire near the bed. He turned to Varian then, waving him forward with an excited grin.

Varian finally set the chair down gently, pushing it into place under the table. Though he knew better than to be lulled into a false sense of security, the manic energy of the man in front of him made him pretty confident that, should things go south, Varian would beat him in a run for the door. That, combined with the tantalizing offer of answers at long last… well, how could Varian say no?

The man jumped onto the bed with a grin, swinging his legs. He pointed in front of him, to an old chair in front of the fire. Varian took the hint and sat, trying not to wince at the way the flat stuffing did nothing to cushion the seat. He looked at the man expectantly, pulling a face when the man grinned. The boy huffed, holding his arms out in a well? kind of expression.

“So?” he asked, impatient. “What’s the warning?”

The man cocked his head, “Warning?”

Varian sighed, frustrated. It was easy enough to pick up that his host wasn’t all thereto say the least.

“You said you wanted to warn me,” the boy said, “And you said you’d explain why your brother and sister hate me s much.”

The man paused, blinking, before nodding. “Ah, yes!” he cried, “Right, right, that’s what you’re here for. I knew it was for something! My old mind is a little rattled, I had a bit of an oopsie with teleporting as a boy, scrambled my noggin pretty good.” He rapped on the side of skull with a knuckle. “Makes it hard to remember things sometimes.”

Varian wanted to remind the man that he’d literally snatched Varian off the street, but held his tongue. The man hummed to himself, uncorking a jar and pulling out a handful of dried herbs. He lifted the lid of the kettle, tossing them in, before wiping his hand on his cloak and turning back to his guest.

“I’ll start with my name, Oriellos, as that is what I’m called,” the man said, “Though, that’s more syllables than any good man should have to himself, so most just call me Ori- the village coot in training.”

“Varian,” the boy grit out, shifting away when the kettle made an angry, grumbling noise. Ori paid it no mind, scratching at his beard.

“Odd name,” the man mused, “from the Dark Kingdom, if I’m not mistaken. Not Bayan, to say the least.”

“My dad named me.” Varian hunched low in his seat. “Neither of my birth parents did.”

Gods that was bitter on the tongue. Ori seemed to pick up on the boy’s mood, and let it drop.

“Interesting,” is all he said. Varian refused to meet his eye, watching the fire instead. He didn’t have time for this- if Ori had answers, Varian would very much like to hear them, thank you.

“You were going to tell me why your siblings- oh by the Sun-” Varian cut himself off, suddenly clicking. “Your- Cerise, she-”

“Dropped like a stone and died, hm?” Ori cut in, “Yes, I felt it. Merrick would have as well.”

Varian went slack jawed, blinking quickly. “You… you know?” It was a stutter, but Ori simply nodded.

“Of course,” he shrugged, “Magic is an energy, like any other. When you connect to it, you receive feedback. When a connection’s severed it makes for a rather bad shock for everyone else. Like getting slapped with a wet fish.”

“I’m so sorry,” Varian whispered, electing to ignore the odd rambling. “I tried to pull her up, I swear I did.”

Ori shook his head. His toxic green eyes were distant. “We all have to die of something- in our family, you expect these things,” he muttered. “Crow, you have to understand-”

“My name’s Varian.”

Ori paused, dipping his head in agreement. “Varian,” he acquiesced, “There’s so much blood, buried in the books. Crows and Weasels, always biting at each other.” He scratched his beard, picking out what looked to be a crumb of bread. Ori shrugged, popping it into his mouth. Varian gagged a bit, but forced his face into something neutral. Even if Ori didn’t seem violent, Varian was quickly learning that appearances weren’t everything.

“The first King of Bayangor, Geldam, betrayed a long-time friend of his, named Cyrillus, who’s family line ends with me, as it does my siblings. Geldam nicked a powerful artifact called the Novis Staff.” Ori rolled his eyes, as if bored by the thought.

“Our family retaliated against yours, who got revenge on us for that, who then got back at us, and continue ad-nauseum until death. Back and forth and back and forth.” Ori slumped on the bed, kicking up his feet. “It never ends!”

“When Geldam and Cyrillus bit it, their feud refused to die with them, and the staff was lost to time. I assume if you’ve met the terrible two that you’ve already had a bit of a taste of how things are currently going between the families. Aren’t blood feuds fun?”

Varian picked at his gloves, thinking. It made sense, and the names lined up with those he’d heard in the past, but something still didn’t add up to him.

“Then why are you here?” he asked, “Why were Merrick and Cerise on their own?”

Ori huffed a tired breath, poking at the kettle. “Didn’t want it,” he said. “I wanted out, couldn’t do it anymore.”

When Varian remained quiet, the man looked to him. Ori sighed, shrugging. “We were raised as killers,” he admitted. “We were the champions of Bayangor, after all. Bunch of trollop. I was the oldest, five little whelplings following me. So many born, so many dead.”

“Five?” Varian breathed. He’d only met three.

“We started with six, including yours truly,” Ori had that faraway look again. “King Crow hit us hard after I left. Lost two that day, and dear old dad.” He paused again, scratching at his face. “You already know what happened to my little sister. Dead, dead, dead, bunch of corpses in a row.”

Varian felt a rock settle in his gut, a cold shock of ice. “F- Aldred did that?” he whispered, breath stolen. Ori paused in his rambling, smiling vapidly. The boy sighed, already recognizing another tune-out from the man in front of him. Sure enough:

“Did what? Sorry, I don’t think we’ve met.”

Varian bit his tongue again, trying to think his way through.

“Aldred. Attacked your family.”

“Ah, yes, yes he did. We were enemies, you know. Our families.”

Varian flinched. “He wasn’t my family,” he said, trying to keep his tone from being aggressive. From the way Ori focused on him, a carefully neutral expression on his face, he must have failed.

“Aldred was my father’s enemy, those old bastards,” he said, “And you, me, and any others were going to continue the bloody tradition until the Queen Crow disappeared with you. The day Aldred decided you two were dead, my family were dolling out champagne.”

“You thought it was the end,” Varian said. Ori nodded.

“We did. But Aldred wasn’t done. Neither was my father, the stubborn asshole. There’s one thing you have to understand,” Ori leaned forward, his eyes focusing again. “There comes a time when blood for blood becomes blood for blood’s sake. I tried to convince them that, with you and your mother gone, King Crow was refusing to take another wife. His bloodline was going to die with him, and our feud could finally be put to rest.”

Varian flinched when Ori mentioned his mother. “I feel like it didn’t go so well,” is all he said.

Ori smiled, something bitter. “Not so well at all,” he agreed, back to being flippant. “I wanted it over, no more, I thought! No more crows, no more blood! So, I left. Two weeks after that the King Crow hit our home harder than he ever had before. I was seventeen. Cerise would have been around eight. Merrick was three. Did you know he used to have a bowlcut? He was the ugliest little baby-”

Varian shuddered. Looked into the fire. “I’m sorry,” was all he was able to pull from his aching chest. Ori only shrugged.

“Such is life. You had nothing to do with it, even if my siblings don’t understand that.”

The alchemist forced himself to look at Ori once more. Something in him tugged, a dark part he’d been keeping locked away. A niggling doubt that hadn’t left in all the years since Barveil Keep.

“I’m… still connected to him, though.” It was more a whisper, like he was afraid to even voice it. “You said it yourself, I’m his blood. Whatever made him… like that, it could still be in me. Waiting for me to slip up again. I’m- I’m scared of it. I hoped leaving Corona would make me feel less connected to everything, but I think it’s just made things worse.”

Ori nodded. His eyes were sad, but Varian could tell that the man in front of him understood exactly what he was saying. “There are some things we can never leave behind,” Ori said. “Things like where we come from. Who we’ve loved, and lost. These are things that we carry with us no matter where we go.” The man paused, seeing Varian’s face fall. “A long time ago I would have said that your family defines you as much as mine did me. And I supposed it still does, since the two of us aren’t currently trying to kill each other!”

Varian snorted at that, wiping at his eyes to chase off a small spring of tears. Ori smiled at the laugh, sitting up properly for the first time since Varian had met him. He caught the boy’s eye, serious.

“I think that, even if you can’t leave it behind, the past is just part of the puzzle. Where you come from is just that, but it doesn’t tell you where you’re going, my young friend.”

Something in Varian felt seen, a sudden connection clicking in his mind. In Corona they’d all told him to forget the past, to leave it buried. Never to think of it as a part of him, just a blemish on his history to be painted over and left to rot. It made him want to run, run, run, until it was a spot on the horizon behind him. But here was someone who, like him, had tried to shuck the trappings of his bloodline and had found his own place, his own joy.

It gave him hope.

“Thank you,” Varian said, trying to get through how awkward he still felt, only to see Ori had zoned out.

“Come again?” the man asked. Varian only huffed something of a laugh.

“Forget it,” he said, settling back into his chair.

Ori smiled when the kettle began to scream, taking it off the fire and holding it tightly. He stood from the bed and shuffled over to the kitchen, bustling for a second. Varian ignored his manners for a second, content to puzzle over the strange wisdom that had been dropped in his lap. When Ori returned, it was with two steaming cups.

“It’s bergamot peel and ginger,” the man declared, setting the cups down on a stack of books that lay between them. “Good for-”

“Good for magical protection and luck,” Varian finished for him. Ori smiled, toasting his cracked cup in recognition.

“Correct!” he crowed, “And here I thought you weren’t of the magical sorts!”

Varian felt his face heating up, taking his own drink and reminiscing. The last time he’d spoken to Arianna they’d shared this drink together, it made him melancholy to see it again without her. He hoped she was okay, that Merrick hadn’t hurt her too badly.

“I just know a few tricks,” he said, taking a sip and wincing at the bitter flavor. “Learned them from a friend.”

Ori smiled knowingly. “The arcane arts are a dying breed,” he lamented, “Hard to find anyone who knows the less aggressive side of magic. Especially after Cyrillus’ time, with the thousand-year feud. Anything that couldn’t be used in battle tended to fall by the wayside.”

Varian couldn’t help but feel curious. Supposedly this whole thinghad been happening since the time of Demanitus and Zhan Tiri, but-

“Why for so long?” he asked, “Didn’t anyone ever, I dunno, try and make amends?” His gaze shifted again, this time to the floor. “Revenge doesn’t make anything better, it just causes… problems. Nothing ever gets any better.”

Ori’s face split into a grin. He brought up his cup, toasting before taking a drink.

“You and I, young sir,” he said, “Seem to have a very similar philosophy.”

Varian huffed a laugh into his tea, but stopped when he heard a commotion outside. Both he and Ori looked towards the door of the cabin as it burst open, books and different knick-knacks going flying in every direction. Varian shot to his feet, hiding behind his chair even as Ori sat still. The boy watched as the man took another sip of his tea, ignoring as a wave of people entered the small room.

The first person he noticed was Rapunzel, her frying pan held high as she weaved around towers of books, scanning the room. The second was Eugene, sword held high as he went in a different direction from his wife. The third was a tall, stocky woman, with a large brimmed, black hat and a long brown coat. She looked furious, scanning the room like a falcon looking for a mouse.

“Ori!” she barked, “Get your sorry self out here, you degenerate!”

“Right here, constable!” Ori hollered, waving a hand, “We’re just having a lovely chat!”

Varian poked his head out from behind the chair, quickly catching the eye of Rapunzel. The princess sprinted toward him, wrapping him up in a hug and pulling him close.

“Oh thank the Sun,” she murmured, pressing kisses into his hair, “We thought we lost you, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Varian assured her, patting awkwardly at her arm. “I’m fine, he’s a… well, a friend, I guess.”

He caught sight of Ori offering him a pair of thumbs-up, and grinned back. The constable drew closer, sidestepping Rapunzel and Varian. She was a middle-aged woman, maybe in her fifties, who looked tired and cranky. She grabbed Ori by the ear, dragging him into a standing position as he whined.

“You cannot,” she began, “Be doing your weird magic shit in my town, Ori. You scared these poor people half to death!”

Ori whined again as she shook him by the ear. Varian got the impression this wasn’t his first offence, but wasn’t able to pry himself out of Rapunzel’s death hug quite yet.

“Now, you’re going to tell them that you’re sorry,” the Constable hissed, “And then you are going to promise me to stop snatching children off the street! The bloody hell were you thinking?”

Ori babbled something unintelligible, the constable shaking him like one would a stubborn jar that refused to give up its contents. Varian pushed himself out of Rapunzel’s arms, quietly approaching.

“It’s okay,” he said, ignoring when Eugene spluttered behind him, “He just wanted to talk to me. Our families are… old friends.”

The woman stopped, eyeing Varian. “You sure you don’t wanna press charges?” she asked, her gruff voice nearly concerned.

“No, thank you,” Varian mumbled, “He was just trying to help.”

The woman sighed, letting Ori’s ear go. “You lucked out on this one,” she griped, jabbing a finger in the man’s face. “But don’t think I’m okay with you popping in and out of thin air. You’re going to give someone another heart attack, and the doctor’s already made a complaint.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Ori said sheepishly, “No more, I promise.”

“Damn right.”

The Constable turned to Rapunzel then, nodding once. “Sorry about him,” she said, “He’s a bit of a loon, but he doesn’t mean any harm.”

Behind her, Ori plucked one of his books down from a tower, and tore a page from it. Varian winced at the sound of tearing paper, but the Constable ignored it. Rapunzel hugged Varian to her again, holding him tightly.

“It’s alright,” she said, “If Varian’s okay, then it’s fine.”

The boy grimaced a little, but plastered a smile on when the officer shot him a look. Ori had taken his page and begun to fold a hat from it, holding it up with a grin.

“If he gives you any more trouble, let me know,” the Constable said roughly, before turning and leaving the cabin. In the silence that followed, Eugene approached, cupping Varian’s face in his hands. The boy didn’t fight it, letting his friend inspect him.

“You’re alright, kid?” he asked, “No bumps or bruises?”

Varian shook his head. “He wanted to warn me about his siblings,” the boy said. “He’s related to Merrick and Cerise.”

Rapunzel tensed, eyeing Ori once more. The man took his paper hat and placed it upon his head with a delicate motion, like one would a crown.

“I am sorry,” Ori said, “But I wanted to talk to the crow without you two trying to run me through first.”

He tore another page out, folding it as well. Eugene seemed unimpressed, pursing his lips, but looked back to Varian. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked.

Varian snorted. Ori had finished his other hat, passing it to Varian without preamble. The boy took it, placing it on his own head with a grin.

“I’m good,” he said.

Ori cleared his throat once more, holding the book tightly. He flipped a few more pages, showing a hollowed-out center.

“I have one more thing,” he said, “I know you’re not here by chance, and I know what you’re looking for.” He took a small stone from the book, covered in runes with a large hole in the center. He held it out to Varian, who took it gently. It was barely large enough to fit in the palm of his hand, and smooth, almost like glass. Varian wasn’t sure if he were imagining it, but it almost seemed warm to the touch.

“It’s an adder stone,” Ori explained. “It’s good for pointing your way to lost things, or helping see past illusions. It’s not much, but I hope it helps.”

Varian held the adder stone tightly, bringing it to his chest. He grinned, grateful.

“Thank you,” he said again. He hoped Ori knew it was for more than just the gift, but when the mage’s eyes glazed over once more, the boy sighed in defeat.

“For what?” the man asked, “Sorry, do I know you?”

“Yeah, you do.” Varian replied. He thought for a second longer how to elaborate, at a loss, but eventually settled with something he thought was close enough to the truth for now. “We’re friends,” he said, smiling when Ori’s little hat fell off his head.

With new information, context at long last, something in him finally began to settle.

#varian #tangled the series #tts #set the kindling strike a match #fic #we past the halfway hump now lads

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chiscribbs · 4 years

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PLUS EST EN VOUS Review

(Over a week later, and I’m finally posting this. At least I don’t have to worry about another episode coming out before it’s posted.)

Okay - there’s a lot to cover, so without further ado... Let’s get right into it, shall we?

Things I liked about the finale:

All of the beautiful Cass / Rapunzel scenes!

They were so emotional and beautifully done, it felt like everything that needed to be said was said, and seeing them act like friends again was very cathartic for me. In a lot of ways, Cass & Raps’ relationship reminds me of some of my own (old ones that didn’t end so smoothly, and then newer ones that I can already tell will leave a lasting impression on my life) and seeing them reconcile and talk about how much they meant to each other really warmed my heart. A best friend is an irreplaceable thing, and I love that their interactions showed that. I also really appreciated the “I love you”s, because the world needs more of those between friends. And it also reminded me of Eugene saying the same thing to Lance, in Beyond the Corona Walls.

The awesome Team Awesome content! There was an abundance of it in this episode, and I loved every second of it! Truth be told, I was never a big “Team Awesome” fan until S3 came around. The relationship always felt a tad too one-sided to me, and I just couldn’t see them being particularly close, at least not as close as Varian and Rapunzel. The fandom helped me warm up to the idea a little bit, but this past season definitely sold it for me. Eugene has really matured and become a lot less self-involved since the first time they met. I absolutely love that he’s turned into sort of a cool older brother figure to Varian (in fact, many of their interactions are reminiscent of moments I’ve shared with my own brother) and Var now looks up to him rather than just the “Flynn Rider” persona. The fact that Eugene could tease him about his past mistakes and Varian just turned around and casually joked right back? That made my heart happy.

Speaking of maturing & happy hearts -

I’M SO PROUD OF THIS BOY!!!

I know I say that a lot, but He’s just come so far since S1, or even the beginning of S3! There were a ton of little moments showcasing his growth in this episode. Such as: - Jumping onto the piano to help Raps rally the troops (did anybody think we were going to get pianist Varian? I sure didn’t, but I’m not complaining.) - Stating with certainty that he can rebuild Demanitus’ portal, before even seeing the schematics, and just overall showing more confidence in his abilities. (Quirin looked so proud when he was building the portal...you know, before going all mind-slave and trying to pull the lever.) - Being the first - the FIRST - of the gang to walk into Demanitus’ tomb. This may seem small, but it was such a 180 from Be Very Afraid, where he was nervous and trailing behind Raps the entire time. Now he’s not only joining in on the adventure, he’s taking the lead on occasion! - Rigging Quirin’s helmet with a temporary stun mechanism as a fail-safe for the mind-trap. He seemed hurt and offended when Eugene initially brought up the possibility of his dad being a double-agent, but even so, he listened. He put common sense and the safety of others before his own feelings, and that’s not an easy thing to do. - Firing an explosive concoction straight into the face of an enormous demon monster??? I mean,...heck yeah, boy!! Also - using his past mistakes (i.e. the amber and monster!Ruddiger) and repurposing them towards something good. I could go on, but you get the idea. he’s just come so far and I could not be more proud of his development. And the fact that he went on to become Corona’s Royal Alchemist Engineer was just the cherry on top! YOU DESERVE IT, BOY!!! 👏👏👏

You know who else I’m proud of? Rapunzel. She was never my favorite character in the series (despite being the protagonist,) but this story - and this past season in particular - has really endeared me to her. She’s grown so much, she’s become a strong and wise leader, and I’m proud of her for it. Honestly, I’ve related to her far more this past season than any other. And I don’t know if that’s because she’s older and more mature now, or because her naivete and eager-to-please attitude is all but gone, or because she just felt a lot more real and vulnerable in recent episodes - but I really, truly love her. And I’m happy to see her story reach its completion. (Also - long-haired brunette Raps is my new favorite thing, tbh.)

THIS:

‘Nough said, I think.

The epic new powers and abilities (and return of some old ones)!!! There were so many moments while watching the finale where I was literally just yelling at my sister like “wHOA, DID YOU SEE THAT?! THAT WAS AWESOME!!!” I had no idea that Cass could make ANIMATED WOLF HEADS of the black rocks, that completely blew me away! And then there were those golden rocks that Zhan Tiri manifested, that was so cool! I wonder if the sundrop alone could make those appear, or if you had to have both of the elements to make it work. Also - the Healing Incantation was finally brought back! I knew it would be, eventually, but I’d almost completely forgotten that was a plot point by the time the finale came around. It was good to hear Mandy’s voice saying those familiar, nostalgic words again. And she put so much emotion into it!

Now, onto the less fun stuff...

Things I disliked about the finale:

(Feel free to skip over this section if you’d rather just focus on the positives, I fully understand. I’ll do my best to be fair and only address the things that really stood out to me.)

This subplot went on for far too long:

It was pretty funny for the first few minutes (and I’m sure the animators loved getting to go crazy with the characters’ designs like this,) but after awhile, I was like “is this really what we want over half of our cast to be doing during the BIG FINALE?” I mean, we already had the monkey gag, which I actually thought was a riot. And this one came right in the middle of a pretty climactic moment, so it just seemed kind of out of place. I’ll admit, the snake-hair joke and Lance’s multiple eyes had me rolling, but ultimately, I just felt like this whole bit only served to waste limited time that definitely could have been better utilized.

The portal was too quickly demolished. They could have at least come close to a success with it before it was destroyed, so that it didn’t feel completely useless! I get that they wanted ZT to be defeated by her own power, and I’m down for that, but if the portal’s sole purpose within the story was just to temporarily remove all the secondary characters in limbo so that the mains could do their thing, I can’t really get behind it. Especially seeing as their only Plan B was “throw things at the giant all-powerful octopus monster,” come on, guys. I would have preferred that be a last-resort after several failed attempts at other pre-orchestrated plans. They could have had Varian and Quirin working on repairing the portal while the others distract/attack Zhan Tiri and THEN have her destroy it (purposefully, rather than by some random falling rock.) Or, maybe everyone could have been in on the plan to get the sundrop and moonstone to meet, and then have Raps and Cass are the ones who finally succeed in doing it. I don’t know, I just feel like there was a lot of wasted potential there.

This scene:

I’m going to be perfectly honest, this scene bothered me. For a multitude of reasons:

Firstly; it was a shot-for-shot copy (not a parallel, a copy) of the iconic New Dream moment from the movie, just replacing Eugene with Cass. That wasn't necessary, Cass and Raps have their own unique relationship and their own moments, they don’t need to steal Raps & Eugene’s. This should have remained a New Dream-only thing, in my opinion. (Especially seeing as her parents already stole their gondola bit...I’m mostly joking about that one.)

Secondly; it didn’t make sense? Rapunzel was standing just as close to the blast as Cassandra, yet she wasn’t harmed at all. In fact, she seemed completely unfazed by it. Why was Cass the only one effected? (And we can’t even make an argument that the moonstone shard protected her, because the powers were lost the moment the two fused.) If they needed a brush-with-death scene, why not have ZT hurt Cass? I feel like that would have been a lot more dramatic, especially after manipulating her for an entire season.

And finally; it made every other character’s “death” seem unimportant in comparison. I get that the writers needed Raps to use the Healing Incantation, but, EVERYBODY ELSE WAS ALREADY HALF-DEAD, AT THIS POINT. I’m sorry, but, why wasn’t that incentive enough to use the healing power? Why did we need to have Cass’s near-death on top of everybody else’s? I mean, I would’ve been maybe a little bit more okay with it had Rapunzel mourned everybody’s death and not just Cass’s, and then used the power to save ALL of them at once. But instead, she completely forgot about everyone else until the very last second, which was frustrating. I’m not a fan of plot devices that ignore other characters, especially when the protagonist is supposed to care about them but then just doesn’t even seem to remember that they exist for a hot minute. This felt like the ending of Freebird, only worse because you can’t make the excuse that she was unaware. (Just to be clear, I’m not blaming Rapunzel. I know it wasn’t meant to come across that way, I just feel like it was not well executed.) There are a lot of ways that this could have been done differently. Rapunzel and Cass could have BOTH been devastated about their friends/loved ones, I would have loved to see Cass show genuine concern and remorse towards the OTHER people whom her actions hurt, not just Raps. Or, Rapunzel could have at least landed near Cass so it would’ve made sense for her to notice her first, and then looked around and noticed everybody else before using the healing incantation. At least that way, the other characters wouldn’t have felt so much like a second-thought. I don’t know, I just didn’t appreciate the treatment of the supporting cast in this scene at all. It felt like they were forgotten right up until the very last second.

Cass didn’t get to sing in any of the songs. I was really surprised by this, I figured given how important her role had become, she’d get to sing at least one line (like Lance and Varian did.) But nope. Actually, a good 90% of the music in this episode was sung by Raps, and as much as I love the songs & Mandy’s beautiful voice, I was hoping for the other characters to be a little bit more involved. Especially in the Life After Happily Ever After (Reprise), that would have been a great opportunity to have everybody sing together.

Things I would have liked to see in the finale:

More information about Demanitus and ZT. We got so little! I was expecting this episode to answer all of our questions about that two, but I still have no idea; what their relationship was, where Zhan Tiri came from, why exactly she wanted the power (besides just to have it for herself, I guess), or how they came across the SD and MS in the first place! Like, just a little bit more information would have been nice, the only thing the flashback really gave us was what ZT looked like before spending a few millenia in limbo. (Also - apparently Corona is several thousand years old??? Which, I didn’t know, I was under the impression that it was a fairly new kingdom.)

Closure for this relationship:

This is probably what I was most disappointed by. Honestly, I’m still kind of surprised that this didn’t happen, even just a little bit. Given that Cass was wearing the Cassandrium at the end, we can safely assume that they at least parted on good terms. But the last few exchanges that they had really gave me the impression that we’d be getting some kind of closure before the credits rolled. We were given two whole episodes focusing on the unique bond that these two share (that’s more than we were given for Cass & Eugene,) they were painted as parallels, so it only makes sense to give them a proper wrap-up. In CR, Cass seemed hurt and devastated after realizing that she’d effectively pushed Varian away, it’s clear his friendship meant a lot to her. Not to mention, Var had the best understanding of Cass’s feelings, he could relate to her - especially about her guilt and fear of not being forgiven. But despite all of the build-up & foreshadowing, they didn’t even get an on-screen goodbye? Not a single “thank you” or “I’m sorry”? I realize that the main focus was always on Cass & Raps’ friendship, and I’m totally fine with that. I’m just saying that after all the obvious parallels and time invested in this relationship, it would have been nice to get some closure. I just wish they’d included at least one little dialogue exchange to wrap it up in a satisfactory way, like we got with Cass and Eugene.

Actual pay-off for all the Varian - Demanitus parallels. I think we can all agree that this seemed like it was going somewhere, and then it just...didn’t. He did rebuild the portal, but it turned out to be useless, and outside of that, the similarity was never touched upon. Not by Rapunzel, or Zhan Tiri, not even Xavier made the connection. I mean - this kid is doing at 15/16 what Demanitus did in the latter half of his life. He’s not only following the legendary engineer/inventor’s footsteps, he’s expanding the legacy. If that’s not foreshadowing for something, I don’t know what is! And I do love the fact that he became the Royal Alchemist Engineer, but at the same time, I just feel like there was so much wasted potential in this almost-but-not-quite-subplot.

An actual Brotherhood reunion, without all the mind-trap influence. It would have been so interesting to see them all interacting! I was surprised that, even though Edmund and Quirin were both in the same place for most of the episode, they never really interacted? Outside of mind-controlled Quirin, Hector, and Adira attacking Eugene & Edmund, they didn’t exchange so much as a word. And I get that a lot of that was time restraints, and having to focus on more important plot points (as Edmund said “bigger fish”) but honestly, if they had time to thrown in all that netherworld nonsense, a little Brotherhood interaction doesn’t seem like too big of a favor to ask.

Rapid-fire Opinions:

Favorite song: Through it All

In my opinion, this song is the best group number in the show (not counting the ones only sung by main 3, such With You By My Side or Next Stop Anywhere) It’s not quite as epic as Ready As I’ll Ever Be, but it has an infectious beat and a triumphant melody that I really enjoy. Also, the scene as a whole was so cheerful and fun, and we got Varian, Lance, Kiera, and Catalina all playing various instruments! (Plus more New Dream dancing! ❤ )

Favorite callback to a previous episode: Easy answer, because it comes from (what is still) one of my favorite episodes in the series - the Cassandrium.

Favorite scene: This one’s a little tough, but I did really enjoy the little moment that Eugene and Varian had after Quirin was incapacitated by the helmet.

I also loved the final scene where Cass said goodbye to Rapunzel and they gave each other the biggest, warmest hug I’ve ever seen in animation history (and the prior exchange between her and Eugene was really sweet, as well.)

OH! And how could I forget? That beautiful New Dream proposal. 💜 That was absolutely perfect. The animation, the music, Mandy & Zach’s incredibly heartfelt voice work, just...I loved everything about it.

Most underrated moment: Catalina pushing Kiera out of Zhan Tiri’s way and getting grabbed herself. (Show of hands, who else briefly forgot that she was a werewolf and had a small heart-attack in that moment?)

Theories I had that were proven true:

- Cass leaving Corona to “find her own destiny.” I’d always felt like Cass never really had a dream of her own; she didn’t know who she was, and she was never going to get the answers by staying by Rapunzel’s side. So I had a strong feeling that she would be leaving, but I’m glad to see that it was on good terms.

- Everyone vs Zhan Tiri. Granted, like most people, I was under the impression that Xavier’s “magic and alchemy” statement would be more...relevant? Turns out, we read into that way too much. Which, honestly, is a tiny bit disappointing, but it was still cool to finally see Zhan Tiri at her most powerful.

- Varian becoming Corona’s Royal Alchemist Engineer. This is a theory I’ve had since my early days in the fandom, and I’m glad to see it finally confirmed! My only complaint is that we didn’t get to see Rapunzel bestow the honor upon him, because I would have loved to see that exchange.

Theories that were not proven true, but I still believe:

- Varian (and possibly Quirin) being a descendant of Demanitus. You can pry this one out of my cold, dead hands, there are way too many clues pointing to it. I’m not even sure if Demanitus has any descendants (again, we have very little information on him still) but if he does, Varian’s a prime candidate. His lineage comes from the Dark Kingdom, he’s a genius alchemist/inventor, has a personal connection to both the Sundrop and the Moonstone; honestly, I’m kind of surprised this possibility was never even considered, at least one, in canon.

- Cass will eventually return to Corona. I have no idea when, why, or how, but I truly believe she will. Her spirit may be roaming free at the moment, but the heart always returns home. And - as it stands right now, at least - her heart is still waiting in Corona. In the meantime, though, I’m glad she’s living her best life, seeking out adventure wherever destiny leads her! She deserves it <3

Well, that’s my full Plus Est En Vous/Tangled the Series Finale review! I’d love to hear everybody else’s thoughts on the final episode, as well; how many people were satisfied vs unsatisfied with the ending? What were everyone else’s favorite moments, what else would have been nice to see? Let me know!

Final words: This show and this fandom have meant so much to me, and I’m far from done loving it. I still have many projects in the works to celebrate the show and its completion, but in the meantime - thanks for reading.

And God bless the amazing team that came together to bring us this incredibly beautiful, meaningful, story which will always have a special place in my heart.

#artistnotes #tts #tangled the series #plus est en vous #character analysis #episode analysis #episode review

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