Headcanon for both Varian from TTS, and Tim Drake-Wayne, because both are on my mind and it fits both of them
They both had a tendency to either talk really loud or fast or both because they are used to not being heard or interrupted and they want to be able to say what they wanna say.
A screenshot redraw from one of the new Tangled episodes. I’m in love with this show right now. The story, the characters, the animation, etc. are all really good
I’ve done badgers and birds - it’s high time I grew the Brotherhood as woofs, specifically werewoofs, because everyone knows werewoofs are the best. Would love if the moonstone just started turning everyone into big monster puppies.
I’ve actually had these points mapped out for a while, just haven’t bothered to write them all up until now. But I’m seeing the discussion float around a bit, so I’m throwing it out there.
It boils down to this: I think people get Cap’s motives for not putting Cass in the Royal Guard all wrong. I think Cap is less interested in having guards who are capable at catching bad guys, and more interested in having guards who just want to help people. I’ll just point out the things that led me to this conclusion.
Firstly, I’m just going to knock out the idea that the Royal Guard is sexist. You could argue that the show’s creators fell into some unfortunate implications, but there is nothing to suggest in universe, that the Royal Guard or the Captain are against women fighting, or leading. There’s lots of evidence to the contrary actually. Likely the reason we don’t see any women in the Guard is just because in the real world male is the default, and if a woman does anything that is traditionally male-dominated, we need some sort of explanation (even Adira has to have a line excusing why one of the Brotherhood is a woman - which is pretty funny). Now if sexism is the in-narrative problem, it’s never addressed, nor is it solved, which makes it a bad problem.
So, next let’s rule out the theory that Cap is just an overprotective dad. That one just doesn’t add up to me. In ‘Cassnadra vs. Eugene’ we see him worried for her, but that’s entirely understandable. That’s the only time we see him worried, and the problem is solved by the end. If the story wanted to hammer in the ‘overprotective dad’ idea, this would be the episode to do it, but it doesn’t take that chance. There’s no set up of a conflict between Cass and her dad that is about being over protective.
He seems reluctant to give Cass guard duty during the Science Expo, in ‘Great Expotations’, but there’s no reason to suspect it will be an especially dangerous assignment. His only condition is that she finish her lady-in-waiting duties. At the end of the episode, she puts herself in danger to help a friend, but Cap doesn’t express worry or relief that she’s alright afterwards. Instead he offers her another assignment right away, and tells her he’s proud when she decides to put her friends first. After this he starts giving her more assignments.
He’s so confident in her abilities that, after being severely injured in Varian’s attack on Corona, he doesn’t hesitate to put Cassandra in charge of the pursuit and battle. Cassandra did prove something to her dad in ‘Great Expotations’, but it wasn’t her ability to be a good guard (because let’s face it, she kind of messed up that assignment).
I was on the ‘Cap is not putting her on the guard to protect her from her past’ train for a while. As in he doesn’t want Fred finding out she’s Gothel’s daughter, and all the drama it might cause if she was in the Guard. But the whole ‘you didn’t tell me Gothel was my mother’ thing doesn’t really go anywhere. It’s still a good theory, I just haven’t found enough in the series to really work into a good argument for it. Cap seems to be on good terms with Fred in Season 1, and he knows Gothel is dead, and the Lost Princess is come home. There’s really no reason he shouldn’t let her join, if that was all he was worried about. But who knows? Maybe he was still a bit leery.
Ultimately, the Captain has no doubts over Cassandra’s ability, but it’s her motivations that make him iffy. She tells him she wants the job because she wants to be like him, she wants to make him proud, and prove that she’s capable – never does she say something like ‘I want to help people’. She does mention serving her kingdom, but she clearly doesn’t have a lot of interest in protecting Corona if she felt no qualms about joining Ingvarr instead - she isn’t interested in going where people need her most, just in getting what she wants. That’s not a bad thing in itself, but it’s not a good reason to pursue a job that is about serving others. Ambition alone is not a good enough reason to join the Royal Guard, and Cap knows it. It’s like that classic fairy tale trope: the best person to wield power is the one who wants it the least.
When it comes to guards, Cap values self-sacrifice and selflessness over skill. His top two guards, Stan and Pete are not the best at catching criminals (okay, none of the human guards are good at catching criminals), but that’s because he values their other qualities – they’re kind, helpful guys, who would go out of their way to help people. There’s plenty of times where Cap is shown valuing people over duty. He gives Attila a second chance to prove his innocence. He expresses pride in Cassandra setting aside guard work in order to help friends. In ‘The Quest for Varian’ he seems regretful that his obedience to the king has pitted him against people he cares about, especially Cassandra. He tries to fix his parenting mistakes by showering the fake Little Cassandra with attention (something he clearly feels regret in not doing enough). And he nominates Eugene as Captain, because he knows Eugene exhibits those qualities he values. Eugene doesn’t want power or glory. He may not have experience, but he is very dedicated to protecting and helping the people around him, even if they sometimes get on his nerves. Cap even says as much when he gives him the job. It’s a nice nod to how much Eugene has grown as a character. I would still argue that this could’ve been handled better, because while the audience sees this change in Eugene, the Captain doesn’t really get the chance to acknowledge it before he gives him the job, but that’s a separate nitpick.
Point being: the Captain thinks selflessness, and self-sacrifice is the most important skill a Royal Guard can have. It’s more important then being a good investigator, or being able to obey orders, or being a good fighter, and it’s certainly more important than ambition. That’s what he’s waiting for Cassandra to demonstrate before he will allow her into the Guard. And the fact that she is his daughter does probably play into this. He knows her too well, and he knows she hasn’t learned this lesson (and if ‘Islands Apart’ is anything to go by, he feels like this is a failing on his part, not hers). That might be why he encouraged her to be a lady-in-waiting. Having connections to nobility could be very helpful to someone who’s as ambitious as Cass, especially if he felt the Guard thing wasn’t gonna work out. In the end, Cassandra learns the hard way that wanting power for power’s sake is a messy business. She doesn’t gain the skills her dad felt were necessary for a guard, but she never really needed too. She learned over the course of Season 2 that a life of service to the kingdom wasn’t what she wanted after all.
It would’ve been nice to have it tied up in a nice little bow by having her dad somehow involved with that conclusion, but at least the stings are all there. They’re messy strings – I’m not saying it’s the most well-executed character arc in the show, but it’s there. It’s the only explanation I’ve found so far that makes sense story-wise.
Queen Arianna is the Queen of the kingdom of Corona and the mother of Rapunzel. She appears as a minor character with no lines in the film Tangled and its sequel short film, Tangled Ever After. However, she takes on a much more substantial role in Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure and it’s shown that she has a deep bond with her daughter, Rapunzel.
i am once again thinking abt how cassandra was able to cry with zhan tiri but couldn’t in front of her friends
and literally all it took was “i’m sorry that happened to you” has there ever been a character more DESPERATE for someone to just fucking acknowledge that she’s hurting
There was a low thrumming sound in the air that grew louder and louder as they neared the university campus. It reminded her of thunder, but it was more rhythmic and.. metallic? That wasn’t the best description for it, but it was all she could think of to describe it.
Soon, other sounds joined in with the thrumming noise. She assumed that it was music playing… there was certainly a melodic quality to the combined sounds, but it wasn’t like any music that she had ever heard before.
It was faster, more rhythmic, more aggressive, and louder than anything she had ever experienced. She couldn’t even recognize the instruments that were playing, though they all had that slight ‘metallic’ quality to them, the same as the thumping bass, that now was so loud that it resonated in her chest.
Her and her friends followed the crowd as they shared confused looks.
It was now dark out, and all the oddly dressed people that they had seen parading around all afternoon were also heading towards this party.
Some of them carried multi-colored glowing sticks, or wore jewelry that flashed with brightly colored lights. A lot of people had those same thin boxes that Aunt Cass had used, and these had glowing screens as well. They would peer at these screens, as if reading something upon them, or talking into them with disembodied voices answering back. A few pointed the boxes at themselves or their friends, struck a pose, and then a bright flash of light would surround them.
Not that anyone needed the light. The city of San Fransokyo shown as bright as day under street lamps, lighted windows, glowing headlights from the horseless carriages, and various Halloween decorations that blinked with strings of lights. None of which burned with flame. It was as if the whole town ran on magic.
'Or science’, Rapunzel thought.
She had assumed at first that it had to be magic just because of how fantastical everything was here, but now she was beginning to question that assumption.
She knew magic well. She herself was magic.
While she didn’t always understand it, it was still an integral part of her, since birth, and ever since leaving the tower, she constantly came across it. Each and every time she could sense it. It almost tingled, at the back of her scalp, at the tips of her roots, like a shiver or a chill, but not quite. She really had no words to explain it, but it was almost like the magic would pull her towards whatever new magical object or creature they came across and it towards her, like a magnet. And nowhere was the attraction stronger than when facing the black rocks and the moonstone that created them.
Yet, she felt no such magnetic attraction when surrounded by this city’s wonders.
"Oh excuse me, can I take a picture of your costume?“ A voice called out, startling Rapunzel.
It was a tall man, dressed inexplicably as a canister of oatmeal.
"Oh… I’m sorry,” Rapunzel tried to politely excuse herself, “but we really don’t have the time to pose fo-”
"Oh it won’t take but a moment. I’m gathering images for a scrapbook that I’m making for a friend.“ The tall man explained and held up another one of those thin boxes and pointed at them. “Say cheese.”
"Why?“ Lance asked.
The other man frowned… "Uhmm… it’s just an expression… just smile real wide for me.”
Everyone did so, and a bright light flashed from the box.
"There, I got it.“ The man cheered, his own smile returning. "It turned out pretty good. You wanna see?”
He flipped the box around to show them the picture. It was a near realistic image, even more detailed than the most famous royal paintings hanging in the castle halls back home.
"Hey, look at that Blondie!“ Eugene enthused. "Instant portrait! Oh can ya take another of my profile?” He asked the man as he struck another pose.“ This is my good side.”
Rapunzel fought back the urge to roll her eyes. Usually she found her boyfriend’s antics amusing, but the weight of their mission was bearing down upon them. “As amazing as this man’s artistic skills are, I’m afraid we really don’t have the time, Eugene. We need to find Varian before it gets too late.”
She began to pull him away when the tall man interrupted.
"You guys are looking for Varian?“
Rapunzel felt a rush of adrenaline as her stomach flip flopped. "You know him?”
"Sure, I know him. He’s one of my best friends.“ The taller guy laughed. "How do you know him?”
"Oh… ummm… we’re researching some of the same things he is.“ Rapunzel quickly said. "and we have a major scientific discovery to show him.”
It wasn’t a complete lie, but after their run-ins with Aunt Cass and the police officer, Rapunzel was now wary of giving out too much information.
"Really? You guys are studying portal tech too?“ The man asked. "Where are you from?”
"Coro-“
"Europe.” Eugene interrupted Lance. “That’s right, we came all the way from Europe, just to talk to him about portals, but we have to return home tonight. His aunt told us he’d be here.”
"Oh, Aunt Cass sent you.“ The man smiled with recognition.
"Is she your aunt too?” Lance asked.
The guy laughed, “No, but we all treat her like she was. Anyways, Varian’s busy playing on stage right now, but if you’re willing to wait, the band should go on break in a few minutes.”
"Oh well, thank you… uh…“
"Noel, but friends call me Wasabi.” The man answered Eugene with a smile. “So, what’s this breakthrough you’ve discovered?”
All three of the Coronians shared awkward looks.
"Well, ummm….“ Eugene stuttered… "what do you know about projections?”
"Oh quite a lot. I’m a fiber optics major.“ Wasabi explained.
"Oh wonderful, so you’ve heard about long range projection then?” Eugene bluffed.
Wasabi looked thoughtful. “Long range… you mean like for communication? You you’d have to make some pretty big advancements in holographics then.”
Eugene snapped his fingers. “Holographics, yes! What if we told you that we found a means to travel by using holographics. Project yourself to wherever you want to go without ever leaving the comfort of your own home.”
Wasabi looked thoughtful again. “Hmmm… what would you use as projectors? They would have to be portable somehow… unless… Are you using hard light technology as a base or traditional fiber optics? Do you need a solid surface to project onto, or are the portable projectors concave to reflect the light and hold the images steady so as not to project the particle beams out into the stratosphere?”
"Uhh… yes!“ A dumbfounded Eugene stalled, "Yes, to all of that. You’re a real smart guy. I can tell you really know your stuff.”
"Ah, well lasers are my specialty.“ Wasabi blushed. "Man, I would love to chat with you all night about projectors, but Tadashi’s birthday is tomorrow and I need to get all these pictures taken tonight so I can finish his present. Do you guys know Tadashi as well?”
"Umm.. no, we haven’t met yet.“ Rapunzel honestly answered.
"Oh, well, he’s Varian’s brother and is running this whole event. If he’s not working at the haunted house attraction you can either find him at the concession stand or the ticket booth. Just tell him who you are, and I’m sure he can take you backstage to meet with Varian.”
Seeing their chance, Eugene started to push his friends along, “We’ll do that. Thank you.” He lied.
"Nice meeting you.“ Lance called back.
"Yeah, nice meeting you too.” Wasabi waved after, before asking another couple of teens for their pictures as well.
Rapunzel couldn’t resist casting another glance back at the curious young man. He had described himself as Varian’s ‘best friend’, and he certainly had seemed friendly. But so had Varian, when she had first met him. She wondered if this Wasabi knew how volatile Varian could really be.
Eugene had a different opinion. “Man, this whole place is full of eggheads. No wonder Varian decided to settle down here.”
They turned a corner and started to head up a sloping hill. The paved sidewalk was trimmed with flower beds and there were rolling fields of freshly cut green grass that stretched out and led to the various buildings that made up the campus. They were impressive looking structures as well, full of character and stately importance. They weren’t as massive as some of the mile long high towers that they had seen in downtown, but they were still very large, just more wide than tall.
The university was more spacious than the previous city and so the buildings had more room to spread out, and its inhabitants were more free to roam the lawns. Rapunzel spotted many couples cuddling under the large oaks trees dotted about or laying on the grass wrapped in each other’s arms as they used their coats for blankets.
Rapunzel longed to find a more secluded spot and just hug Eugene and enjoy the night. Anything to avoid the nervous churning of her stomach, but she needed to keep going. Corona and Cass were counting on them to succeed.
They crossed a short wooden bridge over a babbling brook that fell into a shimmering pond that reflected back the rainbow of lights surrounding them in a whirl of color. The pond surrounded another impressive building, this one with a red tile roof and a black marble monument that stood in the center of the pebbled courtyard in front.
Rapunzel involuntarily shivered. The black stone jutting out of the ground, breaking up the serene landscape around it, reminded her of the horrors she had faced with infamous spikes that ravaged her home. Though she was sure this particular rock had been placed there intentionally by people, though she knew not why.
"Ooh! Ooh! I see him!“ Lance shouted, breaking Rapunzel out of her gloomy thoughts.
She looked to where he was pointing. There was Varian, up on stage, playing what looked to be a guitar. Only the sound that came from it was more jagged and, once again, metallic like, than any guitar she had ever heard before.
He hopped around, completely lost in the music as he played, oblivious to their arrival. He wore a purple cape, and a dark blue vest with a high collar. He had leather garters on the sleeves of the white linen blouse he wore underneath, and his neatly pressed pants actually fit him for once. His polished black shoes trapped in time to the rhythm of the backing drums and his signature striped hair fell across his face, his bangs threatening to block his line of sight at any moment, but somehow never quite getting in the way.
"I wonder who he’s supposed to be dressed as?” Eugene questioned out loud, and Rapunzel only shrugged her shoulders.
It just looked like he was wearing regular clothes to her, but she found out that even regular clothes could be costumes on this night.
Yet it wasn’t his choice of dress that had snagged her attention. Her heart pounded in her chest as she intently watched his face. From far away, he looked just like the little boy she had met all those years ago; silly, carefree, and happy to help, and not the vengeful rebel that glared at her with such crippling hate.
Another girl joined him on the stage with a guitar of her own and he flashed her the biggest smile. She wore a black leather jacket and had short purple hair. Rapunzel has never seen hair that short on a girl before. Half her head was practically shaven.
Behind them was yet another teen with a set of drums. She had her dark brown hair tied up in a ponytail and wore a jacket similar to the first girl, only hers was a deep blue and made from the same material as the pants she wore.
Then beside her, another girl, with dark curly hair, began to sing. She wore a fairy costume with wings, and was playing on the smallest piano Rapunzel had ever seen.
They were all clearly very talented artists, even if the music was a little too loud, and had circumstances been different Rapunzel probably would have jumped right in with the crowd of dancing people that hung out in front of the stage. Even Lance was snapping his fingers in time to the music.
"It’s certainly different, but it’s got a nice beat.“ He mused.
"Different is right?” Eugene complained, his hands over ears. “How is this even music? It’s just noise.”
"Naw man, you just gotta chill and go with the flow of the rhythm.“ Lance said as he started to shake his hips.
Eugene was not amused. "Will you please stop dancing like that? We gotta figure out a way to get backstage and talk to Varian.”
Rapunzel barely noticed their argument. She was still staring at the goggle-wearing teen. A million scenarios ran through her mind. Would he try to fight them? Insult them? Would he call that chief policeman on them, using one of those thin boxes? What if he was sorry? What if he had a change of heart?
Rapunzel doubted this, but she remained hopeful anyways. After all he seemed happy, for the moment, and perhaps being in this new kingdom had given him a new outlook on things? Either way, the one thing he couldn’t do was refuse to help them, otherwise they were all doomed.
Rapunzel was so lost in her thoughts, and so fixated on the stage before her, that she hardly watched where she was going and very nearly ran into a table.
Fortunately, a voice stopped her from walking through the display.
"Hi! Welcome to SFIT’s Fright Night. Tickets for the haunted house are five dollars apiece.“
Rapunzel blinked in surprise at the girl who had spoken. She was another teenager, with long straight brown hair that was cut right at the shoulders. She wore a red and blue suit of armor covered in white stars. She didn’t look much older than Varian. In fact most of the people here seemed to be near Rapunzel’s own age or younger.
Eugene quickly stepped in to navigate the situation. "Hi. I’m sorry but we don’t have any currency on us. We’re actually here to meet with someone. But thank you anyways, miss…”
"Just call me Karmi.“ The girl smiled. "Who are you here to meet with? Are you here to help out with the event, or just expecting more to join your group later?”
"We’re wanting to talk to Varian. The guy up on stage right now.“ Lance said.
Karmi shrugged. "Well, they’ve been playing for a while now. They should take a break soon. I can’t get you backstage, but knowing Varian he’ll probably use his break to dance with Honey Lemon.” She gave a little snort.
"Dance with honey and lemon?“ Eugene echoed with confusion.
This caused the girl to laugh harder. "Honey Lemon. She goes to school here with us. Everyone knows that she and Varian are 'a thing.’ Everyone except Honey Lemon herself that is.”
Karmi good naturally rolled her eyes as she imparted this juicy bit of gossip.
'Uhh… huhhh…’ Eugene slowly answered. “And where might we find this, "Honey Lemon.’”
"Oh she’s running the concession stand with Gogo.“
The girl pointed to a couple of tables covered in food where two women were selling treats. One was tall with strawberry blonde hair and wore bunny ears on top of her head. The other was short and had equally short black hair with a purple stripe in her bangs. She seemingly wore no costume, just a short sleeved blouse and those blue britches people tended to favor in this city.
Rapunzel and her friends shared a questioning look at each other. They couldn’t tell which girl was meant to be which.
However, before they could go over there to ask, a new voice joined the conversation.
"Hey Karmi, Tadashi sent me over here to give you a break.”
They all turned to see a young man with black hair and dark eyes, dressed as a spider. Lance let out a little shriek before fainting. Eugene had to catch him.
"Err.. my friend here, uh, has acute acrophobia.“ He explained.
Karmi took her notebook and started to fan the unconscious man with it. Lance soon came back around.
The young gentleman who had caused the incident looked a little sheepish. "Sorry for that.”
"It’s okay Sam.“ Karmi said. "After all, what’s Halloween without a few scares?” She stopped fanning Lance and pulled out her wallet. “Speaking of which I haven’t walked through the attraction yet. Do you guys wanna go? I’ll pay.”
"Oh, thank you, but you don’t have to go out of your way just for us.“ Rapunzel tried to politely turn the girl down.
"Oh it’s no problem.” Karmi insisted. “I get a discount since I’m working the event, and besides it’s no fun going through a haunted house by yourself. And that should pass the time while you’re waiting for Varian to go on his break.”
Rapunzel thought the matter over as she cast another glance back towards the stage. The band had finished one song and were starting on another. This time it was Varian’s turn to sing. They played a creepy melody about a headless horseman, suitable for the macabre night. Rapunzel shuddered. It was the first time she had heard his voice in over a year and a half, and she found herself mentally retreating from it.
When Disney first released the pilot on DVD, they included this miniature journal replica with it as a promotional item.
To date, this is the only actual reconstruction of Rapunzel’s Journal. There are toys and the My First Year as Princess book, but none of them are a straight up reproduction like this.
And the only way to get it, is to buy the Before Ever After DVD. I recommend buying from the Disney store directly if you want to make sure you get the journal. If you buy it secondhand or from a third party seller like Amazon, it might be missing.
Content
The book is exactly what it says on the tin. The fist ten pages of the replica are recreations of what Rapunzel would supposedly write and draw in her journal. Then you have several blank pages after that, because it’s only the pilot and Rapunzel presumably hasn’t gotten around to filling the rest out yet.
Every other page talks about Rapunzel’s desire to see the world and how she currently feels trapped in Corona, and in-between that she has pages dedicated to the townspeople, her parents, Eugene, Max, and Cassandra.
You can tell a lot of this was early production work and notes. Nothing about the rocks or her hair is mentioned, just vague notions about how she feels her destiny is calling to her from outside the kingdom walls. She also mentions Eugene proposing to her and her not feeling ready yet.
What really informs the reader about how early in production these pages come from though, is that none of the townspeople who are named appear in the show. There’s a locksmith called Canlier, a grocer and his family named the Rollet’s, Madame Bouvier, who washes the laundry, and some kid who’s last name is Fouquet. He lost a tooth.
Also everyone is called Monsieur or Madame, which hints to that “Corona is really France” bullshit that the series kept teasing but never fully committed to, and doesn’t make a whole lot of sense given that Rapunzel is a German fairy tale.
Presentation
The recreation is about a third of the size of the what the novel in the series is meant to be. It’s easily able to be held by one hand or by a child’s hands. The size is most likely reduced so as to fit in the DVD box.
The cover is a hard, but thin plastic printed to look like leather. The cord to close it is either fake leather or suede though. The tassel is a lock of fake hair and a little hard plastic bottle.
On the inside the replicated pages are printed on glossy paper while the blank pages have a printed texture to make them look like parchment, along with the series logo printed in the bottom corners. I think Disney designed the book with the idea that little kids would write or draw in the blank pages themselves, but the glossy print seems a be counterproductive to that end. Oh well, I guess that’s why the actual toy journals exist.
Like I said, the art work is clearly lifted straight from the per-production art and is nice to see. There’s even an early Cassandra design where she’s in her knight uniform.
If there’s one complaint, is that, while authentic looking, the messy handwriting is often too hard to read. Especially when there’s any large amount of text to decipher. Which is certainly not helped by the reduced size.
Like I just completely gave up even trying to read this page….
Even I have handwriting better than that, and I write like a doctor!
Would I Recommend It
Only if you’re a hardcore collector. With the complete series blue-ray DVD now for sell, there’s no reason to pay full price for the solo pilot. And only by buying it new from the seller are you guaranteed to get the journal. That’s $16 dollars for the product and another $10 dollars for the shipping, plus tax. Not gonna lie, it’s a neat piece of memorabilia, but I don’t think it’s worth $28 bucks though.
Next Up
It’s our first appearance of Varian in the marathon with the double episode novelization of What the Hair and Great Expotations.
