#lissa analyzes varian....again

[newsies-of-corona]

Weakness vs Strength

ALRIGHT, WE’RE BACK IN THE GAME!

It’s been wayyyy too long since I’ve done one of these but I was rambling about Varian again and this kinda happened 😂

I’ve kind of touched on this before, but I haven’t fleshed it all out so NOW’S THE TIME!

So without any further adieu-

“Well, shall we get started?”

Before the Storm

One of Varian’s biggest desires in life is helping others. He sees a problem, he comes up with a solution...and it usually doesn’t go as planned. It’s not always his fault, but he tends to harm people through his attempts to help. This only makes him more eager to assist, but it continues in a cycle.

He wants to help, he fails, people get hurt, and he tries again.

He’s so intelligent that he’s able to build these highly dangerous machines, but he doesn’t immediately see the problems before they go haywire.

So, what does he do? He tries to make up for it by building another invention.

And they just keep blowing up in his face every time.

It’s gotta be exhausting.

So when the amber happens and things still go horribly wrong, even though this time he was sure he was finally going to get something right, it takes a huge toll. Especially now that it involves his only living parent.

Villain Arc

Instead of giving up or shutting down, Varian tries harder, giving it everything he has to save his father and losing himself along the way. This also means (as I covered in another analysis way back when) his motives changed. Saving Corona is the farthest thing from his mind, so caring about the people who live there is also not a priority. He even says it:

“Do you honestly expect me to be concerned about the welfare of Corona?”

His willingness to help and fix his mistakes all became focused on Quirin once he decided on a path of revenge, and with nothing tying him down to the people anymore, they were now at his disposal.

He’s seen the damage he can do, and in a different light, he was winning that entire time. All it took was simply switching his mindset to:

“All I’ve been good at is hurting others, so why not use that to my advantage?”

With his vendetta against Corona under his belt, he’s automatically one of the biggest threats of the kingdom (or at least his village) because technically he already was on accident.

In a way, he sped up his own “development” in his skills, simply by twisting his own motives. It was basically just cheating the system. His inventions were already hurting people, but now that he wants them to hurt people, he’s finally winning.

His initial problem with himself became his “solution.” He changed his weakness into his strength.

I’ve seen the question around the fandom “why is Varian so good on the side of evil, but seems to mess up the minute he gets redeemed?”

Or more like the very second-

(I love you bud, but why did you even have a bath bomb on you???)

But I digress-

I believe the reason Varian was so “smart” when he was on the opposite side, is because he could let his “mistakes” run wild since, well, they weren’t mistakes anymore!

He could hurt all the people he wanted and feel accomplished because that’s what he designed his inventions (and genetically engineered monster raccoons) to do!

Redemption

So what does this mean for his turn around? His jump back onto the side of good?

Well, his “redemption” truly started when the compassion he felt before started to return. He saw all the destruction he’d caused in the same light as he did before the amber. He realized he hurt people which was what he didn’t want to do initially before the storm.

And he feels really bad about it because that’s not who he is. He doesn’t want to be known as someone who harms people, even though he initially let himself fall into that stereotype. He wanted to be a change. A defining factor for helping others and improving the world around him, and instead he had done the exact opposite.

During his time with Saporians, his compassion became his weakness.

The Quirinian was the last straw. He had been known for destruction all of his life, either purposeful or accidental, and it was going to change right then.

By opening himself up to others and once again caring about giving Corona a brighter future, he flips it around once again, and those destructive “weaknesses” come back. How does he deal with this? Well it certainly takes some trial and error, but eventually he finds more healthy ways to solve this problem by being more careful and conscious about what he’s doing, and enlisting the help of others instead of going it alone (even though those “others” might press certain buttons and meddle with things they shouldn’t...I’m looking at you Lance-)

Conclusion

Being the villain may have been easiest for Varian considering his situation and given set of skills, but it wasn’t beneficial or lasting.

His true strength lies in his compassion, not his destruction. And through this he’s able to accomplish so many things for Corona. His Season 1 mishaps still occur from time to time, but in the end it’s worth it because he finally was able to do something to help.

Destroying the red rocks, helping stop Cass and Zhan Tiri, and accomplishing his goal of the hot water machines were his crowning moments of achievement because he worked through his mistakes even though it was tough. He also had people in his life to pick him back up and encourage him when something went wrong.

Even though he basically had to start all over again, this time he was stronger than ever before with his friends by his side. (See what I did there? No that was not planned...😂)

So instead of the cycle before the storm, it becomes-

He wants to help, people reassure him, it’s either successful or a failure, but he has friends backing him up either way.

He took hold of his weaknesses in a positive light with the assistance of others, and ended up in a position to help the entire kingdom through his talents.

(And he didn’t need to “cheat” the system this time. He earned his title through sheer determination and drive.)

(I’m so proud of this boy- I just aGh 💙)

[newsies-of-corona]

Varian & Affirmation

Analysis:

And we’ve got another one, folks! This one hit hard for me for sure. Just the way that the show set it up...it’s incredible. So without any further adieu...

“Well, shall we get started?”

Motives

So I’m just going to come right out and say it: Varian is selfish in Season 1. The whole way through. (Now don’t leave yet! If you know me you know how much of a fan I am of this complex alchemist and this is not a hate post by all means!)

But yes. Throughout the whole of Season 1, Varian has a very self-centered mindset that’s hard to pick up on at first, but it’s there. Here’s some dialogue examples:

“I am sure that I, Varian, can unlock the mystery of your hair with the power of science!”

“Hey Flynn Rider? Wanna come with?”

“It doesn’t matter. The truth is all I really wanted to do was impress you, I thought that if I showed you what I was capable of you might see something in me.”

“Actually he’d probably be impressed. At least I hope he’d be impressed.”

Most of these quotes sound perfectly innocent, and they are! But it’s the motives behind them that make them more self-centered. Varian’s main goal, his life blood practically, is affirmation. He yearns to be adored and recognized for his achievements. It’s a perfectly normal and human want. I myself struggle with this all the time. But when it’s the only thing that you strive for? The only thing that makes you happy? It effects everything that you say and do. If you dig deep into these quotes, you can see what he’s really craving.

By discovering the mystery of Rapunzel’s hair, Varian gets credit and especially admiration. By showing his idol his inventions, he’s expecting Eugene to tell him what a genius he is or how amazed he is that this fourteen year old kid could build all this. The third one is just wanting Cassandra to recognize him since he looks up to her, and went to great lengths to impress her. Even when he helped her, it was still because he wanted to impress her and get her to help him in return. Throughout that episode he’s trying so hard to get her to compliment his work. In three of these examples, he gets the adoration he asked for. But that’s the problem: he asked for it. Eugene and Cass essentially tell him the same thing, “you’re a great, smart kid with good intentions.” And both times he responds more...despondently. For Cass it’s “thanks for saying that.” For Eugene it’s just looking at him sadly because this wasn’t what he wanted to hear. In essence: it isn’t enough.

And the last quote obviously represents the affirmation he craves the most, his father’s, and the one that he doesn’t get.

Even slight comments like “I build it myself,” “of my own design,” and “wanna see my new invention?” all have the underlying motive of craving affirmation from his peers. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but since Varian often has tunnel-vision and can’t see the consequences of his actions, it quickly becomes an issue. Especially in the case of, of course, the black rocks.

Taking it Too Far

We find out that Varian discovered the rocks in Great Expotations. Rapunzel inadvertently tasked him with figuring out how to get rid of them, and in his mind he needed to. To impress her and possibly all of Corona. So he ran tests and got reprimanded by his dad probably more than once. But this is the biggest thing he could ever do: rescue his village and the kingdom and make his dad proud in the process. That’s why he wanted to come with him and hopefully talk to the king. Yes, in this case he actually wants to help his village, he’s not heartless and he cares a lot, but he’s predominantly focusing on the rewards that will come after he figured it out.

Of course we know his plans go awry again, but he never stops focusing on his goal of making his dad proud of him. Seriously...NEVER.

Taking it WAY Too Far

Enter: Villain Arc. Suddenly his need to be adored and affirmed flips upside down. He doesn’t want compliments anymore, he wants people to fear him, respect him, and listen to him.

Examples:

“I have asked for help and have been ignored, I will not be ignored any longer!”

“I tried asking for help in a civil manner but was denied by everyone in Corona. So, unfortunately, this is my only remaining recourse.”

“I’ll make them hear me...”

I touched on this in my Confidence analysis, but Varian never loses his drive. And his want to be revered, consumes him. Even when he goes to prison, he joins Andrew and takes over Corona to be feared. But he soon realizes, it’s still not enough. His want for revenge doesn’t satisfy him or make him happy, it just makes him feel worse as the weight of what he’s done gradually crashes down on him.

By the time Rapunzel comes back, it’s all an act. He’s not craving adoration anymore. He just wants a way out of this cycle of disappointment that isn’t getting him anywhere. You can tell from the lines, too.

“Me? No, not really.”

“So that no one will forget they turned their back on my father!”

“I took their queen prisoner! I threatened their princess! I helped these guys take over their kingdom!”

Now the first one is small, but it actually shows a lot of development (even if he says it in a rather dorky way) because he’s not taking credit for something or taking the “fear” that he wanted so badly. The second one just sounds like a threat but it’s not “they turned their backs on me,” like it was in season 1. It’s back to his father, and it’s, in a way, humbling Varian by taking himself out of the picture. And of course the last one is the most evident: he’s listing his faults and realizing he doesn’t deserve the adoration he used to crave so much.

Making it Right

During Varian’s redemption...we see these thoughts really come to light.

“All I ever wanted was for my father to be proud. But if he were free from the amber now, and saw everything I’ve done, well he’d be ashamed.”

This is his turning point. This is where he owns up to how warped and twisted his mindset was and makes an effort to fix it with Rapunzel. Not for himself; not for the glory, but because it’s the right thing to do. He knows he messed up with the Quirineon, and he’s literally willing to die to make up for his mistakes. This is a direct contrast to his previous statement: “I will make you proud of me, dad. If it’s the last thing I ever do.”

Because if he dies fixing his mistakes, he doesn’t expect any kind of praise. He’d leave a legacy of horrible deeds that would never make his dad proud; but he’d be saving Corona and that’s all that matters. Of course he doesn’t actually die, thank goodness, and Rapunzel saves Corona instead, but he’s learned something from this whole experience. And one thing he especially didn’t expect was for Rapunzel to keep her promise after everything. And even when his dad finally says those words...they were supposed to mean everything, but they don’t. It still isn’t enough. Especially not after everything that’s happened. I touched on this in another analysis as well, but he feels like he doesn’t deserve those words.

From this point, Varian has a whole new outlook on life, not dependent on gaining recognition. He’s still the cocky, confident alchemist we know and love, but he shows off his inventions because he’s proud of them, and that’s enough. He saves Corona from the red rocks because he genuinely wants to help his kingdom, he doesn’t have any underlying motives whatsoever. He helps with the Demanitus Scroll because he wants to help Rapunzel figure everything out. And at the end he helps defeat Zhan Tiri because he knows he can help, and he genuinely wants to. (And here’s where I get emotional.)

Varian doesn’t once ask for compliments or a “thank you” throughout season 3, yet that’s exactly what he gets. After all of those years of seeking and yearning for adoration, he finally gets it when he doesn’t need it anymore.

In every selfless thing he does for Corona, he gets a reward in some way. When he rescues the kingdom from black rocks, he didn’t ask for anything in return, yet his reputation was restored. When he agreed to help with the scroll, he actually got to work in Demanitus’ Lab, someone he’s admired forever. And when he helps with the portal, he gets to go see Demanitus’ tomb and I mean...

that’s the happiest we’ve ever seen him. And it isn’t just the big things either, it’s the little ones. The way that Rapunzel calls him “a genius,” when he doesn’t ask for it or allude to it in any way. The “good job, buddy,” that Eugene tells him after he fixes up the balloon. And every time he’s complimented, he stays humble. He even responds one time with “just doing my part.”

And at the very end of his arc, after all of that selfless work he did for Corona out of the goodness of his own heart, he’s given his very own title of “Royal Engineer.” An official position in the kingdom that people truly look up to and respect.

Conclusion

This is honestly one the most well-done character arcs I’ve ever seen, because it’s absolute poetic justice. At the beginning, Varian is so focused on his own need of affirmation that he forgets everything else, and jeopardizes himself on multiple occasions. Especially when his motives become warped. But when he finally sets his pride and his own ambitions aside and realizes he’s already enough, that’s when he gets the respect and adoration that he had always wanted. And that my friends...is CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT.

[newsies-of-corona]

Allow me to bring you yet another nit picky observation:

Varian’s amber solution in Queen For A Day starts out bubbling the same lime green as the compound itself, and it grows very slowly, letting Varian vent for a bit before Quirin realizes how big it’s getting. It also doesn’t turn orange until it’s about ready to encase Varian.

In Secret of the Sundrop, Varian’s amber solution turns orange immediately, and starts growing very fast. It probably would have encased the Queen right then and there if she hadn’t cut off her chains in time.

Now, most people might be like “oh well it’s just an animation error. They probably just forgot.”

And yeah, I admit that’s probably what happened, but what’s the fun in that? Here’s what I think happened:

When Varian was making the amber solution again (which is already a very sick thing to do...) he had some more time to experiment and found a way to speed up the reaction to heighten the stakes, and to make sure that Rapunzel helped him right then and there with no delays whatsoever.

He’s a criminal mastermind and I love him.

[newsies-of-corona]

Varian’s Alchemy Staff

This analysis originally started in my notes with the title:

Analyze Varian’s Staff (it’s gotta have some kind of meaning)

And oh boy, IT DOES.

I’m not going to be analyzing the colors, though I have seen that done before, but I’m actually going to be focusing on the significance of the staff itself and when it comes into play in Varian’s arc.

Well, shall we get started?

Queen For A Day: Making the Staff

Varian constructs his alchemical staff in the midst of a snowstorm during Let Me Make You Proud. Though he already has a lantern, he decides the leave it behind, and make a much stronger light source using his own chemicals.

This change in light source symbolizes that he’s taking matters into his own hands to make sure that he will get through the storm, both literally and figuratively, in his life. It’s also worthy to note that he makes the staff right after the lyric “I’m gonna fix it, just watch me!” He’s determined to fix what he has done.

What the Staff Symbolizes:

I believe that the staff represents control. More specifically, Varian’s control on the situation around him. When he has the staff in his hand throughout Queen For A Day, it seems like he has a pretty firm grasp on his circumstances. Or at least he thinks he does. At the beginning of the song he seems very uncertain, and he trips a lot as well.

But after he makes the staff, he pulls off awesome stunts like this:

He seems to be in more control and more sure of himself in the second part of the song than in the first (especially through the lyric changed from “let me make you proud” to “I will make you proud”) and the staff definitely contributes to that.

The second time we see the staff in Queen For A Day is when Varian runs back to his house to find his dad fully encased. He casts it aside and has a heart wrenching meltdown in front of the statue.

This act of throwing it aside is showing him losing control of his situation, since he never expected for his solution to go that far. He had thought everything out on how he was going to save his dad, but when things don’t go as planned, he loses control and breaks down.

The Alchemist Returns:

Varian is seen almost throughout the entirety of The Alchemist Returns with his staff. He has a perfect scheme laid out, and practically through the whole episode he is in complete control of the situation and even Rapunzel.

In two instances, this staff is the only thing keeping him alive, which is symbolizing that his need for control in his life is the only thing keeping him from shutting down.

Two other times when we see Varian throwing the staff down is in an attempt to save himself from getting “squished,” and when the automaton knocks him against the pillar. These are both delays in his well thought out plan to get the Sundrop flower and for a brief moment he doesn’t have a grasp on the situation.

By the end of this episode, he gets what he came for, and the staff is tucked safely inside the strap of his bag. He has Rapunzel exactly where he wants, and once again he believes he has control of his situation.

The Secret of the Sundrop:

The final instance we see the staff is briefly in Secret of the Sundrop.

This is the only time it comes back and I believe it’s because Varian is no longer in control after this moment, he’s let his emotions and rage control him and push him to this point.

In Secret of the Sundrop and even The Alchemist Returns, the staff is shining a light, literally, on what Varian has become by trying to control and “fix” his situation through his own vengeful means.

What the Staff Becomes:

At the beginning of Varian’s villain arc, this staff represents him stepping up and being determined to fix his situation, but as his motives and methods change, so does the symbol of the staff.

It begins to represent this false sense of control that he has made for himself in an attempt to persevere and not fall into depression.

After a while, this need for control turns into a need for power and revenge which ultimately turns him into a cold, heartless villain, letting the storm of anger take over his life.

[newsies-of-corona]

Hello my brain doesn’t want me to do homework right now so I’m doing this.

This right here is the moment where Quirin says “I’m so proud of you Varian. I always have been.” You can see that expression isn’t Varian’s usual sincere smile. In fact, it looks like he’s straining to even give a slight smile. All he wanted to do this whole time was hear his dad say those words to him, but now after everything that’s happened, hearing “I’m so proud of you,” just makes him ashamed because he knows he’s going to have to tell Quirin all of the horrible things he’s done. In his mind he’s thinking, “He might be proud of me now, but after he learns of all the crimes I’ve committed, he’ll probably never say those words again.”

I’d also like to compare this expression to one we see in the last episode of the series: Plus Est En Vous.

Y’all know this one. The smile that everyone was saying “didn’t quite reach his eyes.” This smile is a bit happier than the previous one, because this time Varian has actually done things to help the kingdom. This time, he’s worthy of hearing that phrase from his dad. But at the same time, he just gave his father a rigged helmet. He could be thinking, “Will he still be proud of me after I knock him out?” Or “what if Eugene is wrong and the helmet activated anyways?” or even “what if the helmet doesn’t work and my dad is mindtrapped forever?”

In both of these instances, there’s so much riding on the phrase “I’m proud of you.” On the outside Varian is trying to look happy, and he’s definitely assured now that his dad has actually said those words to him, but on the inside he’s still struggling to accept those words himself after everything that’s happened.

[newsies-of-corona]

QFAD Analysis

Hi I’m freaking out so-

“Well, shall we get started-”

And all that jazz okay let’s go-

Rapunzel’s New Role

One thing that I think people have overlooked and even I’ve overlooked in Queen For A Day is what’s really going on in the “You Promised!” Scene. (You know the one.)

See, Rapunzel wasn’t just “Princess Rapunzel!” when Varian came to her. She was acting queen, representing the entire kingdom with her decisions. She didn’t keep this in mind while talking to Varian, though. Her sights were understandably still set on her parents.

But because of this new role, when she refused to help, that was the entire kingdom refusing to help. And unfortunately in the way that Rapunzel handled the situation, she wasn’t thinking straight. She didn’t say “we can fix your problem later” or “I’ll send one of the guards to help.” She said “I can’t help you.”

I’m not sure if Varian knew of her new status at this point since he still refers to her as “Princess,” but the rest of the citizens do know. And based off of their perspective on royalty, what happens next doesn’t look good for Varian.

The Perspective of the Citizens

The citizens were there when Varian barged in. Not exactly in the same room, but they could most likely hear the commotion from where they were, or they heard passing conversation about what’s going on. (Most likely by Stan and Pete because they love to talk and they were right there.) The way the citizens see it: Rapunzel is this kind, generous, person who cares for everyone in Corona. They’ve seen her frolicking around the kingdom and helping everyone first hand.

And now they’ve heard her say no to Varian. And that’s not the end of it. He was literally dragged out of the castle.

Based off of Rapunzel’s helpful reputation and her newly gained status, hearing about her being so drastic with someone basically equals “this is probably a terrible person.” In their minds they’re thinking “If even Rapunzel won’t help this kid, he must be a bigger threat than we thought.” Because remember, Varian already had a reputation for being dangerous which really doesn’t help him in this situation.

The Rumors

I believe this is why the rumors caught on so quickly. Because not only does Varian have the “dangerous wizard” label, he now has the “person Rapunzel refused to help” label. Both of these are huge misunderstandings if you know all of the details, but no one in that situation actually knew the whole story. So it was pretty easy for the rumor of “Varian attacked the princess” to come into existence based on the old and new information about him, and even easier for it to spread throughout Corona.

(I’m not saying this makes Varian the victim in this situation, except for the very beginning, but I am saying that this is just more proof of how abandoned and alone he truly felt...)

[newsies-of-corona]

Last(ish) Scene of SOTS

Mini Analysis:

Okay so this is “mini” cause it’s shorter...and most people probably already know this, I’m just slow 😅

Well, shall we get started?

Varian’s Facial Expressions:

His face turns into shock when he sees Rapunzel controlling the rocks (which I originally thought was just because he had never seen anything like that before; and/or he knew she could defeat him now) but now that I think about it, he’s in utter shock because this whole time Rapunzel wasn’t just CONNECTED to the rocks, she could CONTROL them. This whole time, she technically could have done something.

His face then devolves into utter rage because he’s even more infuriated that she could have been able to help, and now she was going to pay for not stepping up and trying. In this moment, he goes straight for Rapunzel, whereas before he was only harming her family and friends to make her suffer. He’s done with trying to find a solution to his problem, and is ready to take out the person who “started” it in the first place.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this is the exact moment where he had Nothing Left to Lose.

[newsies-of-corona]

“Never give up, Ruddiger.”

Mini Analysis:

Okay so here’s another mini analysis based on one line. This analysis came to me in the weirdest way but once I thought of it I just started crying because it’s SO SWEET.

“Well, shall we get started?”

“Never give up, Ruddiger,” is one of the last things that Varian says directly to Ruddiger before his villain arc happens. After this scene, Ruddiger didn’t come with Varian on his journey to the castle and only saw him next when he came back to Quirin fully encased, and when he swore vengeance on Corona.

Ruddiger actually backs up and is scared of him in that moment. He could have ran away from Varian and abandoned him in his darkest hour (like everyone else) but he didn’t. He stayed right by his side up until the very end. Being a friend to Varian when he needed it the most. And it cost him. When Ruddiger was transformed he had to hurt innocent people against his will because of Varian’s vengeance spree, but the raccoon still came back. He even helped Rapunzel’s side because he didn’t want to see Varian like this. If Ruddiger hadn’t been there, who knows what would have happened.

And even when Varian is being carted off to jail, Ruddiger wastes no time to comfort him, even giving him a little pat on the cheek as to say “it’s going to be okay.”

Through all of Varian’s mistakes, Ruddiger stayed right by him. He listened to Varian’s advice, and he “never gave up.”

(We’re not going to talk about how Ruddiger basically had his own villain arc during season 3...because that isn’t important for this analysis 😂)

[newsies-of-corona]

Something I’ve noticed about Varian:

This kid is a lot of things and I mean A LOT OF THINGS but one of them that I haven’t seen people talk about is his confidence.

When we first see him, he’s got that “cocky-smart-kid” vibe that you might see in any “nerd character” from any other show. He’s confident in his abilities and knows that he will be able to figure out what’s up with Rapunzel’s hair without a second thought. He isn’t intimidated by her royalty either. What’s interesting though is his confidence doesn’t stop only in regards to how smart he is.

When he meets Eugene, his idol and “hero,” instead of shyly saying hi and just reveling in how awesome it is to meet him, he jumps right in and says “Hey Flynn Rider? Wanna come with?” He barely knows this man who’s so much older than him, but he even gives them a team name, the famous “Team Awesome,” and doesn’t think anything of it.

He also has complete assuredness when it comes to Cassandra in “The Great Expotations.” He isn’t shy around her even though he’s a teenager and she’s an adult, he just goes for it. Even when she brushes him off the first time, he finds her and pretty much immediately asks her to help him. He isn’t intimidated by their age difference, he just sees her as a person who he wants to be friends with. (or more than friends at the time). Sure, he has his awkward moments, he’s a kid. But he just brushes it right off like nothing happened every time he falls or even catches on fire. Honestly, this is a quality I wish I had. Just to be able to go up to anyone without being intimidated by who they are or who their friends might be. (I’m getting a bit off-topic but I’ll get back in a second.) Coming from a high schooler’s perspective, I honestly think that if Varian was in high school he’d be one of those people who just meshes with every group because he isn’t scared of making a bad first impression and he’s confident in who he is.

Okay back to the show. So those are some ways that Varian has confidence when he’s on the right side, but what about when he’s a villain? Well the song “Let Me Make You Proud” perfectly portrays that. In that song he never once says “I don’t know if I’ll be able to make you proud,” he says “I will make you proud, and “I’m going to fix it,” and “I will save the day.” Even in the midst of a catastrophe, he’s still fully assured without a shadow of a doubt that he will be able to save his dad. It’s this over confidence, however, that becomes his downfall.

When he asks for Rapunzel’s help and is denied, the way that he was going to save his dad vanishes. In the reprise he’s still determined, but now it’s in the wrong way. He never stops being determined and assures himself so many times that he will be able to fix his mistake that he takes his over-confidence to a whole new level through manipulating and attacking Rapunzel, threatening the kingdom, and kidnapping the queen. He’s lost a lot of other things but he never truly loses his determination in SOTS even when being carted off to jail. “I will make you proud of me, dad.”

It’s this determination that was part of his motivation to break out of jail and join with the Saporians. He’s still the cocky overly confident villain that he was in SOTS, until he gets thrown in jail with Raps and that confidence and determination finally break down to reveal the insecure and hurt person he really is. Fortunately, his self-assuredness reveals itself once again, but a lot less than we previously saw.

For example, in “Be Very Afraid” he has major PTSD from his dad being encased, and the whole time he’s trying to reassure himself by saying “No problem, we’ve got this.” He says this 23 times according to Rapunzel, but it used to be a lot easier for him to go into dangerous situations. One example of this would be in “What the Hair” where he puts himself in danger by trying to shut off his machine, which actually occurs again in “The Great Expotations.” However, after he does save the day with his amber solution, and faces his fears, his confidence grows once again and it prepares him to fight some of the hardest battles in the show.

In “Cassandra’s Revenge,” Varian once again puts himself in danger trying to come through to Cass, knowing that she could definitely harm him or even kill him. She even flat out attacks him with rocks, but he isn’t intimidated and he even calls her out for it. (“you’ve lost your grip and lost your mind.”)

In “Once A Handmaiden,” Varian once more has to face down Cass, but he isn’t even a little bit scared from what happened the last time he saw her. He doesn’t even lose confidence in himself when the bazooka “misfired” (even though we all know it was Zhan Tiri and she’s the worst how dare she) Sure he’s a little shaken up and probably traumatized but after Cass breaks out of the amber he picks up that bazooka without hesitation and he goes for it.

Finally, in “Plus est en Vous,” he literal says “onward we ride, who knows if we will make it back.” Like he knows they might die, and he still goes for it. When Raps asks him if he can build the Demanitus portal, he’s just like “yeah that’s no problem, we just need the parts.” He even fights a LITERAL DEMON without hesitation. Keep in mind, this is still a teenager.

In short, Varian is a very confident and self assured person, and I think that’s a great quality that he has. We can all learn from his good form of confidence that we don’t have to be scared or intimidated of other people and possibly miss out on some good friendships. Varian’s only friends in the show (pretty much) are people who are much older than him, and the only way that happened is because he was willing to go out of his way and start a friendship with them without being shy about it. Confidence is key! 💙

[newsies-of-corona]

“I used to see your wanted posters all the time, you were my hero!”

“Well...hero is a bit much.”

This was one of Eugene and Varian’s first interactions in Tangled the Series. Of course it’s a light hearted moment, Varian obsessing over his idol, “Flynn Rider” and Eugene accepting that praise because, well, he adores flattery.

Now fluff is all well and good but...if you know me, you know there’s bound to be angst in there somewhere...

Let’s think about Eugene’s reaction for a second.

“Hero is a bit much.”

The way he says this line at the time just portrays that he’s pretending to be humble, but the words themselves can convey something much different...

“Flynn Rider” was a renowned thief throughout the seven kingdoms, and though Eugene is known to flaunt his “legendary” status, he still corrects people when they call him by that name. Flynn Rider was his old identity, a fake one he had molded out of the stories he read and the experiences he had as a child. To quote the Tangled movie:

“For a kid with nothing...it just seemed like the better option.”

This choice that he made definitely had its repercussions. Becoming a thief (especially from such a young age) really hurt the people he stole from and it hurt him as well. He grew up with bad influences surrounding him and constantly telling him things like“every man for himself,” which clouded his vision on life and how he should treat others. It prevented him from having true friends, until Rapunzel, and forced him to always be on the run. He must have felt very guilty every time he stole, and though that guilt may have faded away over time, it most likely never truly left.

Though Eugene sometimes brags about his reputation as “Flynn Rider,” we know that he’s glad that life is behind him.

When Eugene heard Varian say that Flynn Rider was “his hero,” of course he was flattered at first, but he also probably saw a lot of red flags from that statement. Varian was a 14 year old kid, probably not much older than Eugene when he started his life of crime. He wouldn’t want to wish that life on anyone, especially this bright eyed, talented teenager who had his whole life to live. He doesn’t want Varian to grow up like he did, as a criminal. This is probably one of the reasons why he quickly shuts Varian’s obsession down.

He doesn’t want Varian to refer to villains as heroes.

Unfortunately, the way that Varian looks up to Flynn Rider already foreshadows his fate and his very own villain arc...

~

Oh you thought I was done? No no. I’m just getting started.

Time to flip the script:

It’s years later and Varian is around 20. He’s living it up in the Capitol, going to the store to buy some new equipment.

“Hey! You’re Varian!”

He turns around to see a 13 or 14 year old boy smiling brightly at him. He figures the kid knows him from his status of Royal Engineer or something. He greets the kid and is about to walk away when he hears this:

“I used to see your wanted posters all the time, you were my hero!”

“Uhh...”

This would be an absolute nightmare for Varian. He’d probabaly have no idea what to say. His time as a villain was the worst experience in his life, and he was so glad he had redeemed himself and gained everyone’s trust again. This boy, who was the same age as the alchemist was when his father was encased, telling Varian that he was his hero? That wouldn’t bode well. Varian wasn’t just a petty thief, he was a hardcore villain, and he had paid for his crimes. The time he spent as a criminal still affected him to this day, and it was most likely something that he could never fully live down. He was the last person that this kid should want as a role model.

What’s to say this teenager wouldn’t end up as the next huge threat against Corona?

Varian would quickly shut down this kid’s obsession as well, because he had learned from past experience that it was dangerous to treat villains like heroes.

[newsies-of-corona]

Okay I’ve been on one heck of an analysis high so let’s get into it!

Team Awesome Analysis

Part 1: Season 1 Relationship

In season 1, Varian and Eugene’s relationship isn’t much. In “What the Hair,” obviously the two just met, but Varian spends the episode idolizing Eugene for being “Flynn Rider” and trying to impress him, and Eugene tries to get Rapunzel’s secret out of Varian, and later tries to get him to turn off his dangerous hot water machines.

When they first meet, Eugene is flattered that Varian says “Flynn Rider is his hero,” but then immediately feels very awkward around him because Varian doesn’t listen when Eugene explains that he only adopted the name from the book, and the stories aren’t actually about him. It also doesn’t help matters that Varian keeps calling him “Flynn,” even though Eugene has told him multiple times that it isn’t his name anymore.

Right off the bat, you get the vibe that Eugene doesn’t trust this kid and is frankly frustrated with him. Varian is unintentionally putting everyone in danger through his hot water machines, and he won’t listen to Eugene when he tells him that it isn’t safe. To make matters worse, Eugene has also seen a glimpse of the destruction that Varian’s machines and experiments can cause because of the lazer sword, the explosives, and the tremors caused by the hot water machines. Seeing his girlfriend actually inside of one of Varian’s contraptions is probably adding to his anxiety, and he wants to get everyone as far away from this dangerous kid as possible. Eugene still cares about Varian however, but it’s only in a “he’s a kid who needs protection” kind of way.

When Varian shows up for the expo in “Great Expotations,” Eugene definitely isn’t too happy to see him (“...since your last invention almost killed us! So glad you’re here. With what looks like another invention.”). The explosion at Varian’s lab could have killed both Rapunzel and Eugene, if it wasn’t for Raps’ hair, and it was probably very traumatizing for Eugene as well. When Varian’s invention for the expo goes off the rails, (even though it isn’t his fault) Eugene is probably on even higher alert in regards to Varian.

Jumping all the way to “The Quest For Varian,” when Rapunzel talks about her dream, Eugene is very quick to say “stay here where you’re safe.” And when Rapunzel gets a note from Varian asking for her help, Eugene is very suspicious. (“It’s always something with that guy.”) He has no right to be suspicious, even though he may have heard the rumors from Nigel, because he heard from Rapunzel that Varian only wanted her help during the storm. Eugene also has no idea about Varian’s turn to villainy. Even when Eugene sees Varian’s father trapped in the amber, he’s still very critical.

In “The Alchemist Returns” when Eugene finds out that Varian is with Rapunzel, he’s just quick to think that “Rapunzel could be in trouble,” and he doesn’t seem surprised at Varian’s turn either since he already didn’t trust him.

Another thing to note is that whenever Eugene talks about or mentions Varian, it’s usually to criticize him even when he’s on the right side.

Part 2: Season 3 Relationship

In season 3, when we see Varian come back as a full fledged villain, Eugene is obviously defensive when Rapunzel says that they have to work with him. (“After everything hairstripe here has done you are going to trust him?”).

But after that, something changes. Eugene seems to be way more trusting of Varian after his redemption, when in reality it seems more natural for him to be even more suspicious because of what happened before.

In “Be Very Afraid,” for example, Eugene doesn’t warn Rapunzel about how dangerous it would be if she went into the tunnels with Varian, but instead he seems completely chill with them going and isn’t suspicious of him at all.

In “Cassandra’s Revenge,” Eugene seems pretty comfortable around Varian, even enough to even touch his alchemy that Eugene probably would have stayed far away from back in season 1. Varian actually has to tell Eugene to be careful (oh the irony). Later on, when Varian is trapped in the rock cage, Eugene basically risks his life to help Varian by walking over to the cage that’s suspended in mid air. Varian also looks to Eugene as a source of comfort when the cage gets pulled in, and Eugene obliges, being very protective over him now.

In “Race to the Spire,” Eugene and Varian are acting more like friends, pranking each other and laughing with each other.

In “Flynnposter,” when Eugene is talking over him, Varian doesn’t hesitate to sass him, because he considers him as a friend instead of his “idol” who he needs to impress.

In “Once A Handmaiden” Eugene trusts Varian enough to ask/let him make a dangerous weapon because he knows Varian will be careful with it. They’re shown to be acting more like best friends, and they even have a handshake! Even when Varian is using the bazooka somewhat haphazardly, Eugene doesn’t get frustrated with him, he smiles and thinks it’s funny. He even teams up with Varian during the fight against Cassandra which shows that he trusts him enough to protect Corona.

In “Plus est en Vous,” we really get to see how far Eugene and Varian’s relationship has come when Eugene jokes about Varian’s villainy and Varian laughs along with him. This topic is very sensitive to Varian, but he’s chill enough with Eugene to joke with him about it which shows massive growth. When Eugene is concerned about Varian’s father being in the brotherhood, he warns Varian about him possibly being under the mind control. Though Varian is angry at first, he respects Eugene enough to listen to what he said and takes “precautions.” Eugene is so proud of Varian and we can see that he really values their friendship when he tries to cheer him up after Quirin gets knocked out.

Instead of criticizing him, Eugene compliments and encourages Varian throughout season 3, and really seems to connect with him now. These two really became an inseparable “team awesome.”

Part 3: What changed?

So how did Varian and Eugene become so close? Well the simplest solution would be to say that “Rapunzel trusts Varian now and Eugene trusts Rapunzel,” but technically Rapunzel trusted Varian in season 1, and we all know Eugene certainly did not. Another reason could be that Varian is older and more responsible, but I think the biggest reason that Eugene is suddenly so trusting of Varian is because he can relate to what Varian has been through.

As a kid, Eugene was already in a life of crime and thievery and it lasted all the way up into his adult life. He probably got thrown in jail multiple times too. When he met Rapunzel, he was still a theif until she gave him a second chance. Rapunzel didn’t necessarily change him, but it was Eugene’s time with her that made him truly “see the light” (pun intended.) When Eugene brings Rapunzel back to the kingdom, he doesn’t get accepted right away. Cassandra still doesn’t trust him (in season 1) and he’s still regarded as a theif in many areas, but he’s able to show them all, in time, that he’s a changed man and that he will do anything to protect his friends, Rapunzel, and all of Corona.

In Varian’s situation, he’s done a lot more than just petty thievery, but Rapunzel is willing to give him a second chance as well. Again, she didn’t change him, but she made Varian see what was the right thing to do even if it was hard. Eugene had every right to reject Varian and blame him for all of the horrible things he had done, like everyone else in Corona. But when he sees that the kid really does want to change and that Rapunzel wants to help Varian just like she helped Eugene, he gives him the benefit of the doubt.

Eugene knows first hand what Varian is going through, over the course of season 3, and how hard it is to come back from a life of crime. The least that he can do is give Varian one more friend that he can trust on his path to redemption, and encourage and help Varian to step back into the light. Because of all of this encouragement and trust from Rapunzel and Eugene, Varian is able to rise up and do amazing things to help Corona.

Eugene and Varian have a lot more in common now, both being redeemed, and they can also relate to being decended from members of the Brotherhood of the Dark Kingdom. (I bet they had a nice long talk about that 😂😂)

So in short: Varian and Eugene’s relationship has come so, so far and I’m so glad that they both trust each other now and that they became such amazing and close friends. “Alright Team Awesome!!”

Woah that was a lot!!! I’m so mad at myself for deleting it before, but the beauty of rewriting it was being able to make a more thorough analysis and find more things that I missed before! I really hope y’all enjoyed it!!

[newsies-of-corona]

Varian’s Plan B

Analysis:

It’s been quite a bit since I’ve shared one of my analyses, so I figured it was time for another one! This one will address something that potentially could have happened during Secret of the Sundrop that I like to call “Varian’s Plan B.”

“Well, shall we get started?”

Instigation

“The key to stopping this destruction, is Princess Rapunzel herself.”


Varian says these words when he attacks the kingdom the first time, using the eerie fog and a loud voice to capture the citizens’ attention. He warns the people of how dangerous the rocks are, making them aware of the situation and blaming Frederic and Rapunzel in front of everyone. After he does this, Monster Ruddiger appears and starts attacking the kingdom.

The reason he was doing this? Well, obviously a distraction so he could break in and kidnap the queen, but I think he had another motive: he was trying to start a mob. Varian was attempting to get the people so riled, angry, and terrified, that they’d turn completely against the royals. By blaming the whole debacle on Rapunzel and Frederic, he’s furtively getting the people on his side. And by extension, he’s villainizing the royalty, just like they vilified him.

Why would the people give into his manipulation? Simple:

Mob Mentality

“Mob mentality” or “herd mentality” is a psychological tendency to be influenced by peers into doing less than rational things. (In this case the “peer” would be Varian.)

A great example of mob mentality is the appropriately named “Mob Song” in Beauty in the Beast. Gaston turns an entire town against the Beast by spewing rumors, and spreading fear. Of course the magic mirror helped too, but fear of the “monstrous beast” drove the villagers to do out of the ordinary things to save themselves and their village. By the end of the song he had an angry mob at the ready to do his bidding.

In the same way, Varian strikes fear into the Coronans in the line:

“Something dark is coming for you.”

It’s vague enough so that people don’t know exactly what’s happening and to make spreading rumors about the matter easier. But it’s also jarring enough to grab the people’s attention.

He goes on to say:

“Our king has refused to acknowledged it, in the hopes of keeping his secret he has lied to you and vilified me.”

In this line he establishes the danger of the black rocks, the lies of Frederic, and his own wrongful treatment. We even see shots of the citizens looking up at the king’s statue in disbelief, and we can tell that Varian’s speech is setting in.

“In a matter of days, Corona, this island, and the castle itself, will be overcome by this growth. It has already overtaken the outskirts of the kingdom.”

Now it’s very clear that Varian’s talking about the looming threat of the black rocks which the citizens had already been worried about before. We even get scenes of people wanting to tell the king earlier in the episode, but we don’t know what happened. Probably because Fred lied to them about it.

At this moment it almost seems like Varian’s in the right. But he doesn’t stop there, oh no, he stimulates more fear in the people by sending out Ruddiger, showing them exactly what he’s capable of if they don’t listen to him, and that they definitely shouldn’t ignore him.

At this point the citizens are fearing for their lives. They’ve seen how the king treats people, they know that their lives are in danger and that they’ve never been informed until now, and they know that Varian wants Rapunzel. On top of it all, they have a ravenous beast terrorizing the kingdom.

In order to save themselves, they might do anything.

What If...

After that whole scene, we do actually see a mob forming. They storm into the castle and demand answers. Some of them are angry and look ready to fight, and some of them are just plain terrified (which can also be turned into anger.)

Fortunately, Frederic was able to quell this mob...

But what if he didn’t have anything to say? Or the citizens didn’t listen?

Well, the royals wouldn’t only be fighting Varian, but also the entirety of their kingdom. Judging how Cassandra and the guards were having to hold people back, the citizens might take over (even violently), and it could potentially be the end of the kingdom. Either that or they might even take Rapunzel hostage since she’s the key to stopping the impending destruction. (I’m guessing that they would do the latter because of all of the warnings.)

If any of this were to actually happen, it would just be another way that Varian could make the royals “endure the same amount of pain and agony that he has.”

He’d be showing them exactly how it feels to have rumors spread about them, and to have everyone turn their backs on them. Just like they did to him.

This would have hurt Corona for the long run, even if Varian was captured. It would probably take a lot of time for the royals to win back their kingdom (if they could at all) and convince the people that they aren’t corrupt.

Varian would have made Corona “pay for turning their backs on him,” in just a simple speech. And that would have been some cold, hard revenge.

[newsies-of-corona]

Varian & Red (The Color)

Here we go! Another Varian analysis! In this one I will be breaking down 2 instances where Varian is surrounded by the color red, and how they directly parallel each other 🙃

Well, shall we get started? (This has become my trademark, might as well use it 😂)

Secret of the Sundrop

Varian is surrounded by red, figuratively and literally, in a machine he designed that is completely under his control. The red surrounding him reflects the emotions he’s feeling: rage, malice, and wrath.

This red also symbolizes war, danger, power, and determination (in the wrong way).

Another thing to point out is through this whole sequence, he’s in power and he’s trying to purposefully hurt people...and kill them.

He pretty much has limitless power, (until the rocks) and his enemies are on his turf where he has all of his alchemy and inventions at his disposal. The ball is completely in his court (at the time) but he still loses and is rendered powerless at the end.

Be Very Afraid:

In this instance as Varian is making up for his mistakes, he’s surrounded by red in a situation that’s completely out of his control. This red symbolizes strength, determination (in the right way), and courage.

During this entire episode, he’s rendered powerless except for the amber solution, and he’s risking his life to save Corona.

He isn’t in a place where he’s comfortable or prepared either; he lost almost all of the supplies he needed to sever the red rocks’ power, and now he’s only relying on a miniscule drop of the amber to hopefully save everyone. The odds aren’t looking good, but he manages to pull through.

Comparisons

Both of these instances are incredibly hard moments in his life, but they are complete opposites:

One breaks him down, and villainizes him, and the other builds him up and redeems him.

In one instance he’s fully against Rapunzel and trying to kill her, and in one he’s working with her and he has his fair share of near death experiences, having to be saved by her.

In one instance the amber is a tool of destruction, and he’s trying to harm others with it and shatter it using extremely violent means, and in the other it’s the instrument that he uses to save Corona.

In one instance his father’s encasement is the force that drives him, telling him to finish his spiteful plans, but in the other, the images of Quirin are breaking him down, making it increasingly hard for him to complete his mission.

In Secret of the Sundrop he’s completely determined, sure of himself, and “ready,” though this determination ultimately fails him.

In Be Very Afraid he’s just that: afraid, lacking confidence, and worried about what’s going to happen, but he’s still able to summon enough courage to come out on top.

Varian has come a long way from being the threat, and we now see him really wanting to change whereas he showed incredible resistance to redemption in season one. He’s able to make up for his mistakes in the exact opposite way that he committed them: by using the element of his life that had haunted him for over a year to save the very people he once sought to destroy.

He stops “seeing red” and reflects back to see the red flags of his own mistakes for what they really were. He conquers his past, makes up for his mistakes, and comes out a hero, stronger and more determined than he ever was.

[newsies-of-corona]

Okay so like I was rewatching The Alchemist Returns and dangggg Varian is good at manipulation.

He KNOWS that Rapunzel is scared about losing Corona. That’s the whole reason she couldn’t help him in the first place because it’s her duty as princess to keep her kingdom safe. He uses the same reasoning she did about “saving Corona” multiple times so that Rapunzel feels guilty if she doesn’t do what Varian wants.

The first time Varian slips up and his true motives are revealed he covers it up by saying “it’s Corona’s only hope.” And just like that Rapunzel is convinced again.

Even here when he slips up about the truth serum he puts her focus back on Corona so that he can distract her from his real motives.

In this scene he says what he truly feels when he says he “isn’t really concerned about Corona,” but when Rapunzel acts so defensively and surprised he desperately tries to back it up by saying he loves Corona but he also mentions that he wants to save his dad. Apparently this doesn’t convince Rapunzel enough because she starts to ask him questions after he takes the flower and he’s had enough of the charade.

This is where Varian’s true motives come out. He doesn’t care about her or Corona in that moment. He’s showing Rapunzel that he’s willing to trick his friends and make Rapunzel commit treason to save his dad. This hurts her so much because she trusted him at the beginning and now she feels that all of this is her fault which makes her weaker when Varian is ready to strike.

This, in my opinion, is a good villian move. Varian not only got what he wanted, (even though it didn’t work) he also weakened Rapunzel emotionally so that she felt like all of his manipulation was her fault. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad Varian got a redemption and that he’s friends with Rapunzel again, BUT DANG THAT KID WAS A GOOD VILLAIN 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[newsies-of-corona]

Two nearly identical gestures:

One while Varian is surrounded by light representing him being on the right side.

And one surrounded by the dark reflecting the darkness in his heart.

[newsies-of-corona]

TTS Enneagrams: Varian 🧪

Varian- “The Sacrificial” 8w7

8w7’s are proactive people with entrepreneurial skills, curiosity, the ability to think strategically, and a passion for exploring new opportunities.

The “sacrificial” subtype makes them especially want to protect, serve, and be of help to those they care about. They’ll usually have an optimistic view on life and a lot of eagerness to help. They’ll be fun, talkative, and appear to have high social energy.

Strengths:

-enthusiastic

-generous

-powerful

-pursue desires aggressively and will usually achieve their goals

Villain Varian- “The Reckless” 8w7

“Unhealthy 8w7’s can become physically dangerous. They’ll have little to no concern for rules, almost no emotional sensitivity, and a belligerent nature. They may have felt a deep betrayal, and can become violent, rude, and deadly, lashing out at whatever gets in their way.”

Weaknesses:

moody

angry

overly aggressive

May be violent, explosive, or prone to overreactions

———————————————————————

So I hope you like this new series I call “TTS Enneagrams!”

I originally mistyped Varian as a 1w2. It made sense at the time, but as @jade-kyo pointed out, “they have to be organized” and let’s face it: that’s just not our boy 😅

I believe 8w7 fits him much better. It’s especially interesting to me that this personality includes his villain arc since it seemed so out of character for him in the beginning.