Hey peeps! I go by "Sparky" on this blog (not my real name if it isn't obvious)) :).
FYI- I took a 5-year break from this blog, so if anything I said seems out-of-the-loop from the rest of the fandom's discussion, do pardon me. I will not be active every day.
I'm a Tangled/TTS fan and NEW DREAM (Rapunzel x Eugene Fitzherbert ) shipper. Eugene is my favorite character in this franchise and I talk about him a lot.
I post/reblog fluff and sometimes angst, but no NSFW/suggestive
content. I do not wish to view such content either, so please be respectful.
WARNING: I am opposed to C@sssunzel (Rapunzel x Cassandra)/U Nighted Dream (Rapunzel x Eugene x Cassandra) and have posts critiquing them. I, for one, believe that Rapunzel belongs to Eugene alone, and if you disagree, please don't follow me.
I DO NOT approve of Varian x adults!!! or pediophelia/incest ships at all. Please stay FAR FAR away if you do.
Alright, so here's what the current status of this blog is going to be, since I posted a while ago that I was on the fence about returning.
I will keep posting, but I won't make it a chore. The whole reason I abandoned this blog for the last few years is because I struggle with anxiety, as well as ADHD (as well as some of its side conditions) which I was only diagnosed for this year. I have been healing and improving in both of these areas, but life still happens. Social media, even certain parameters, can really be a trigger for me. I still love my fandom, and I want to post my thoughts somewhere, which is why I have decided to keep posting, but only with appropriate boundaries for myself. Generally speaking, I'll only really log on if there's something specific that I want to post/repost or check on, and I might look around while I'm at it. If I disappear for days at a time, or even longer, please don't worry about me. I'm fine.
If you have similar issues, I encourage you to take care of yourself and do the same. Social media can be challenging, but we genuinely have no obligation towards it. Fandoms should be fun, not taxing, and social media should make us feel connected, not crushed. This is not to say that we should shut out everything that may be contrary to our opinions, especially if we want to have sound arguments, but we shouldn't throw ourselves in the ring on purpose if we know our limits.
This is more than I intended to write, but I will further elaborate on the post I made where I claim that Cassandra's role "casts Eugene to the side", because there has been some objection.
At this point, I think that I have said all that I need to say. If you aren't sold on what I'm talking about, then perhaps this just isn't your hill to die on, which is perfectly fine. We can agree to disagree.
I don't have time to keep refining this (and I won't for the next several days) so I just decided to post what I have as it is. It ended up being more extensive (and possibly rambly) than I intended, so I apologize in advance.
As Chris Sonnenburg decided, Rapunzel is the main focus in the show, and the writing choices surround her more than anyone. Personally, I and many others wish that Eugene would have been given the same prioritization that he got in the original movie, and this is where you and I may disagree. This being said, it was the decision of the writers to focus on Rapunzel and Cassandra's friendship, at whatever expense that focus may have cost the writing or the other characters. As I have already said, it is ultimately the writing that I think most of us can agree was an issue, regardless of who our favorite characters are.
And I admit that it is a bit of an oversimplification to say that it's just a matter of Cassandra overshadowing Eugene. There's more to it than that, but I do hope that what I'm referring to makes sense.
From a technical standpoint, there is nothing wrong with the writers deciding to focus on Rapunzel and whoever else they want to loop into that. For a show that cares so much about trauma, though, I think that it is owed to Eugene, as the deuteragonist of the movie and as Rapunzel's closest companion, to address his grievances, great and small, from a much more empathetic standpoint, which, in my humble opinion (that you may or may not agree with) the writers fall very short of. Like you said, Eugene has a large role and is important to the show - the plot relies on his actions. He also is an emotional support for Rapunzel, who wouldn't be who she is today without him. But his actions rely on his character, though, and his character is what suffers - at least, in my argument, concerning the respect that it is given in consideration of his opinions, traumas and motivations. To basically summarize: when I say that Eugene is "overshadowed," I'm referring less about how often he appears and what he does, and more to his allowed emotional complexity and how his decisions, good and bad, are connected to that.
Both Rapunzel and Cassandra's feelings are given a lot of validation, especially Cassandra's in her arc about feeling like she never gets a chance and how she was abandoned my her own mother (though I think Rapunzel's traumas are downplayed, but that's another can of worms that this post isn't trying to open). Cassandra is given a lot of mercy and empathy from Rapunzel, as well as the writers, who give her multiple points of dialogue and song discussing her feelings and why she went down the path that she did ("Waiting in the Wings", its reprise, "Crossing the Line", and "Nothing Left to Lose" all give her a clear voice to explain her sorrows ). This show loves talking about certain characters' traumas and making the connections between their choices and how much they have suffered, especially hers.
But I don't think that this is the case with Eugene, at least not half as much as it should be. The writers kind of forced him to accept Rapunzel and Cassandra's strained friendship which is where Cass "takes priority" over him here. I do still have an issue with "No Time Like the Past," because Eugene's life experience and trauma stemming from dealing with shady people for years should not be trumped by the oversimplified virtue lesson of "friends shouldn't leave friends behind". We've met the Stabbington brothers, the Baron and Stalyan - very tough people who have all sworn destruction on him at some point (Yes, he did them dirty too, but my argument here is that this is just how the "dog eat dog" world is - trust no one, because it will kill you.). There is also a lot of implication from his relationship with Stalyan that she was abusive towards him (I'm sure that @tangledbea can refer you to more detailed posts on that), and he witnessed Rapunzel's abuse from Mother Gothel first hand, so he has all the reason in the world to believe that people who wish harm on you shouldn't be trusted. And he was right - Cassandra was the one who chose to betray Rapunzel. She also maintained several times that she was done being Rapunzel's friend. For the writers to keep pushing them towards reconciliation without the proper handling of the dialogue, suggests three things:
That Rapunzel should continue to long for Cassandra's friendship, instead of moving on (bad for Rapunzel)
That Cassandra's boundary should be pushed (bad for Cass)
That Eugene is wrong for (correctly) identifying strained relationships as problematic (bad for everyone really, but Eugene specifically)
This is a big deal if we're talking about understanding the characters through the lens of psychology. Not to bring too much personal stuff into this, but as someone who has been in both Rapunzel's shoes (dealing with difficult people at the expense of my own well-being) and Eugene's (realizing that I really have to fend for myself in such situations), I just cannot get over the way that his feelings were brushed over here, and many other people agree with me. In the show, Eugene mostly is there to be Rapunzel's emotional support, which the show does a good job of, but outside of this role, most discussion of his own emotions and traumas are isolated (like his solo, "Everything I Ever Thought I Knew" being witnessed by nobody, and him "pouring out his heart" only to Pascal in Tangled: Before Ever after, never directly being give the chance to explain this to Rapunzel). Any time that his traumas and grievances are brought up in front of other people, he gets dismissed or laughed at. Examples are the writers using the "Horace" line to add comedic relief to him being hurt and angry at his dad for leaving him behind, and him getting angry at the Flynnposter guy for stealing his identity. When these are played as a joke, they just come across as him being insecure, arrogant, and always the one who is "in the wrong" at the end of the episode. Characters like Rapunzel and Cassandra are highly validated in their emotions, perhaps to a fault. Cassandra's faults are arguably a lot worse than Eugene's are by season 3, but because they are always directly and explicitly tied to her traumas, we are expected to feel empathy for her instead of laugh at her and hope that someone talks some sense into her. Same goes for Rapunzel's feelings, and mostly for Varian's. We excuse them because of the emotional appeal, but Eugene isn't allowed that emotional appeal because he's supposed to be the "funny" one. In contrast, it makes Eugene look like an insecure, superficial hothead, and not as someone who has deep wounds just like everyone else. The segment of the fandom on Tumblr that stans Eugene generally understands his behavior from an empathetic standpoint (naturally), but that's not as widely understood by the rest of the fandom. In turn, he's not that likeable to people who don't dissect his character as deeply as we do, which is honestly a problem that people have with Rapunzel in this show too. Varian and Cass' traumas are loud and clear. Rapunzel and Eugene's are not (I won't diverge too much farther into this, since the post here is about Eugene and Cass).
Also - although my main argument is about emotional overshadowing, here's a bit of a tangent where I think Eugene is physically overshadowed by her too. In the movie, Eugene is, of course, confident and funny, but he also has a distinct nonchalant, serious side to him as well, which the movie gives us many examples of. Cassandra is basically the epitome of those qualities, which, always having her front and center, does wash out the appearance of those qualities in Eugene. It's like when you place a muted version of a color and a brighter version of that same color side-to-side - the more saturated one just makes the other look gray. I'm not saying that Eugene's seriousness or skills are "dull" - rather, they are just one of many parts of him; but when placed next to a character who epitomizes those traits, all we see are the colors that remain. What do we have left if we wash out Eugene's seriousness, skillfulness and melancholia? Humor. Boisterousness. Chaos - all qualities that make up a part of him, but don't really allow his colors to shine....unless Cassandra is absent or in the background of the scene, and this is where I hope you can see the issue. It's a caricature of his goofy qualities, which reduces him to the "clown"/comedic relief character if we are trying to focus on Cassandra. There might be an argument along the lines of "well two serious characters can exist!" but in the writing, this ideal really doesn't hold up - in fact, there tends to be competition. Either one character will have this moment or the other. If character A gets it, then character B has to be doing something else. Take episodes like "Rapunzel and the Great Tree" and "Freebird" for example - Eugene just looks stupid in these episodes, which does not do justice to him because we all know that if he were present, he would have behaved in a way that is very reflective of his concern for Rapunzel's well being. The message this gives off, ultimately, is that Eugene really doesn't matter, and that he's a dispensable placeholder.
I could really keep going, but I think (and hope) that I've illustrated my point already. I've already said a lot, and I know I'm not the only one who has talked about this before, so I'll let this rest.
Thank you for your interest in this topic, and pardon me again if I didn't make my original point clear the first time.
TL;DR Eugene getting "pushed aside" refers less to his physical role in the show role standpoint and more from a personal and emotional standpoint, which is largely due to the writers' choice to emphasize on Rapunzel's relationship with Cassandra. Also, Cassandra herself isn't the problem, but the writers' decision to make her and Rapunzel's relationship such a priority.
It will never not be ironic to me that Cassandra's whole schpiel in Tangled: the Series is about feeling "overshadowed" and "cast to the side", when that's exactly what her role in the show does to Eugene.
Eugene has a HUGE role, he’s in every episode, his relationship with Rapunzel is healthy. Heaven forbid Rapunzel has someone else close to her in her life 🙃
@flossy2003 "Being present" isn't the same as being respected. The point about my post isn't that Cass has screentime. It's about how the writers prioritized Cassandra over Eugene, which shot a lot of bullets at his character. See my first reblog of this post, where I give examples (I just wanted to note, also..I see that you are a Cass stan, so I just wanted to clarify that I don't hate her or think she doesn't have valid sufferings. Please don't take the tone personally. I'm complaining about the decisions of the writers, not the character).
Cass' "inferiority" arc is inside the show - her feeling below the other characters. Eugene's inferiority arc happens in the very structure of the show, where all of the drama proceeding and entering into season 3 is about the straining relationship between Rapunzel and Cass, which has to mitigate the place that Eugene has in having major roles and making decisions.
You are right about Rapunzel and Eugene having a healthy relationship, and the fact that it's healthy and right to have relationships outside of your S.O, but the episode "No Time Like the Past" almost verges on toxic - the only saving grace here is that Rapunzel didn't choose to manipulate future Eugene's memories, but the writers did choose to shut down Eugene's (very valid) feelings about Cassandra so that her and Rapunzel's relationship could reconcile. This is what I mean. Eugene's autonomy in putting in his two cents is very intentionally taken from him by the writers (the Great Tree episode is another example), which I personally think is way worse than Cass supposedly having her autonomy taken away by her social status.
But he’s more than just present, he’s a HUGE staple of the show, the show literally wouldn’t work without him. I’m a Cassandra Stan, yes but Eugene is my second favourite character and I don’t see how Cassandra was prioritised over him? Aside from only a couple of eps that I have issues with, they’re mostly treated equally?
I don’t think that this is not an attack on Cassandra’s character or that it’s personal and I’m sorry if my tone in my reblog was a bit hostile, I just get kinda frustrated with this argument because I feel like I’m the only one who can’t see this at all? 😭 i can see it to a very small extent but not to the extent that everyone else does?
Yeah I do agree with you here, season 3 is kinda where everyone gets done dirty. While I don’t see No Time Like the Past as toxic, necessarily, I think both Rapunzel and Eugene’s feelings were valid and should’ve been handled a lot better. It should’ve been an episode about talking things over and coming to something mutual. That being said, I see this less as Cassandra being prioritised, and more of Rapunzel being prioritised.
Chris said in an interview once that every decision they made had to centre around Rapunzel in every way possible and because she’s a Disney princess they had to make her good role model. Here, I think they needed Rapunzel to be shown in a good light and be the friend that never gives up on anyone, and so they pushed Eugene’s feelings aside to focus on hers and push the message on not giving up.
Linking a follow-up post here. You do have valid points, and I agree on what you said about the writing centering on Rapunzel. I just took more time to discuss my thoughts on Eugene specifically here. It'https://www.tumblr.com/rabbitsparklez/807064980566458368/further-elaborating-on-my-post-about-how-i-claim?source=share
Why do people think Rapunzel's love is first come first serve to the point the series hinted it?
So, a great deal of our fandom believe, no thanks to the series episode 'Rapunzel Day One,' that Rapunzel would have fallen in love with anyone who saved her. That Eugene wasn't special. They didn't uniquely bond. It was just she was grateful and bonded to the first person she met who showed her kindness and the world, and saved her.
And if you speak against this, people get rabid on social media, coveting their AUs where they think characters are so exact you can just interchange them and they'll have the same ideas, same events, same scenarios. Once more, thanks to that damn episode.
But what people don't realize of that episode is that Cassandra knew the story, she knew about the tower she had been told the events of the movie. So she knew what to reenact, how to play things, what to do and not to do. She didn't go into it blindly like Eugene. Her ideas and treatment were genuine, they were a replay based on meta knowledge.
She was just a part in a play that already happened, following a paraphrased script of events.
But that's beside the point.
There's an anime known as Haibane Renmei, in it the MCs are Reki and Rakka. And in the last episode, Reki tells Rakka to try to hurt her that she only wanted salvation and that it didn't have to be Rakka, there was nothing unique about their bond, it could have been anyone.
This is treated as a TERRIBLE thing to say that wrenches them a part until Rakka realizes she was lying and does save her. This is a line given to make Reki a bad person in that moment.
And yet, it's literally what this fandom is constantly saying about Rapunzel and Eugene. That Rapunzel only needed to be saved, it didn't have to be Eugene, nothing special about their bond, and could have been anyone.
“You know what I was thinking about earlier? Our trip to Pincosta. Remember you said stealing the Sultan‘s jewels was one of the worst ideas I’ve ever had, but then, I made you go through with it, and well, we made a fortune that day. My point is, I know what’s best for you, Rider. I always have. I know in my heart that this is where you belong, Flynn. And deep down, you know it too. “
“but then, I MADE you go through with it”
the thing that really infuriates me is that she’s not even a little ashamed of her words, no, she’s proud of them. She GLOATS with them, just to mock him…and she’s just gaslighting him so much, it’s almost unbelievable…
And not to mention the fact that Eugene does tell her it’s the worst ideas she has ever had proves he never really loved her. Whenever Rapunzel has a bad idea Eugene always says something else to try not to hurt her feelings like in Fitzherbert PI
I just had a crazy dream where Eugene was immortal and it takes place in present day and Rapunzel and everyone else died cuz you know they’re old But Eugene is secretly like thousands of years old but ppl think he’s 25 cuz of his ID and stuff but he’s really just trying to live in the present and he has like multiple jobs he’s a librarian but also a janitor at McDonald’s? Like what???
Anyways, he finds Rapunzel, or well, reincarnated Rapunzel at the library and she’s her friendly companionate self so she goes up to Eugene and sees the book he’s reading and she’s all like “Hey that’s a cool book” and of course Eugene immediately recognizes her cuz true love and whatnot and she’s like “Hey thats funny u lowkey kinda look like that Flynn Rider dude that we’re learning about in our history textbooks” yes she lowkey said lowkey this was a dream ok and it does take place in present day.
And he’s like “u mean Eugene Fitzherbert”
“no who’s that I’m talking about that thief in Corona that stole the lost princess’s crown”
“Ya but he found the princess from the tower and like married her and stuff”
“Are u talking about prince Johnson? No offense but like how do u even mix them up?”
And then Eugene’s all confused like tf??? But then he checks out the history books in the library and realizes that in the books it shows him as a thief and nothing else and as prince Johnson whoever that is as the guy who saved and died for and married Rapunzel. And he’s devastated cuz why wouldn’t he be. But he and Rapunzel become friends after some time Rapunzel regains her memory and they both find out that Eugene isn’t the only one living that was born thousand years ago apparently there’s some guy who’s also immortal like Eugene and he lied about history
And that guy is Mr. Johnson, MY SECOND GRADE SCIENCE TEACHER 💀
I'm glad I'm not the only person who has imagined Eugene immortality AU's (him and Arianna, actually, since they both experienced healing from the Sundrop).
It will never not be ironic to me that Cassandra's whole schpiel in Tangled: the Series is about feeling "overshadowed" and "cast to the side", when that's exactly what her role in the show does to Eugene.
It always gets me in Destinies Collide, they all agree Cassandra is the most agile to balance the rope.
How?
How is it Cassandra who learned from the Castle Guard in stif patrol forms vs the thief who was LITERALLY jumping castle roofs and balancing ledges in the movie? Who had a career of vertical heights with the dexterity of a cat?
Nah, Cassandra's got to outshine him in his own tools of the trade too.
It will never not be ironic to me that Cassandra's whole schpiel in Tangled: the Series is about feeling "overshadowed" and "cast to the side", when that's exactly what her role in the show does to Eugene.
Eugene has a HUGE role, he’s in every episode, his relationship with Rapunzel is healthy. Heaven forbid Rapunzel has someone else close to her in her life 🙃
@flossy2003 "Being present" isn't the same as being respected. The point about my post isn't that Cass has screentime. It's about how the writers prioritized Cassandra over Eugene, which shot a lot of bullets at his character. See my first reblog of this post, where I give examples (I just wanted to note, also..I see that you are a Cass stan, so I just wanted to clarify that I don't hate her or think she doesn't have valid sufferings. Please don't take the tone personally. I'm complaining about the decisions of the writers, not the character).
Cass' "inferiority" arc is inside the show - her feeling below the other characters. Eugene's inferiority arc happens in the very structure of the show, where all of the drama proceeding and entering into season 3 is about the straining relationship between Rapunzel and Cass, which has to mitigate the place that Eugene has in having major roles and making decisions.
You are right about Rapunzel and Eugene having a healthy relationship, and the fact that it's healthy and right to have relationships outside of your S.O, but the episode "No Time Like the Past" almost verges on toxic - the only saving grace here is that Rapunzel didn't choose to manipulate future Eugene's memories, but the writers did choose to shut down Eugene's (very valid) feelings about Cassandra so that her and Rapunzel's relationship could reconcile. This is what I mean. Eugene's autonomy in putting in his two cents is very intentionally taken from him by the writers (the Great Tree episode is another example), which I personally think is way worse than Cass supposedly having her autonomy taken away by her social status.
I’m kind of retiring from this fandom soon but I’m still gonna talk about it, and I have a hot take that some might hate, and this is from me having really cool discussions with my friend.
Varian is defended way too much. More than he deserves, even.
And this is coming from someone who used to VOUCH for him in conversations, too. But it’s time for a needed change of heart.
Something that’s said a LOT, is the fact that Varian was punished for his crimes, while Catalina (Red) and Kiera (Angry), were sort of let off the hook.
Catalina and Kiera are very clearly a couple of prepubescent children when they debut, while Varian is a full on teenager who CAN be held criminally responsible. So no, King Frederic was not being a dick. It depends on how that works in some countries, but for theirs, that’s clearly just how it works. And it makes sense.
Varian also did noticeably worse things than they did, or should I tell you to look up his criminal history? Because let’s not forget he very nearly murdered the queen for the sake of saving his father, who very well could’ve stayed dead by the end of the series. Let’s be lucky the hurt incantation even exists and worked on the amber.
Next, Rapunzel cannot be putting her royal duties as princess below Varian. And putting this one character on a pedestal is part of the problem.
An infamous scene in the series is when Varian travels through the blizzard to get help from Rapunzel, while Quirin is actively dying back in Old Corona, and she literally cannot go because she’s in charge of the kingdom, didn’t know this blizzard was going to happen, is worried about her parents who could be dead, just sent her boyfriend and her other friends to go possibly die, nearly lost her only childhood companion trying to fix said storm and save everyone. There’s a lot happening, a lot of possible death happening, one definite one, it’s a lot. Yes…Varian is technically one of her citizens, and yes she did make a promise that we’re lucky she was able to keep later on. But she couldn’t go.
(Edit: Thank you [TangledBea] for specifying that she didn’t explicitly promise to help with Quirin, but that she would help with the rocks when she isn’t so busy. Because she didn’t know that’s what would happen and that just furthers the point. The situation was twisted entirely)
And what I see NO ONE talk about, is the fact that if she did abandon her post to go and see what was wrong, the result would be the same. There would be nothing she could do, she wouldn’t even understand what went wrong, and then there’s no one at the palace to make the big decisions. Quirin would still be long dead already and there’s no way they’d be able to run all those tests, Rapunzel would not be able to ignore the ongoing and worsening blizzard outside.
And before anyone says that Rapunzel could’ve told Varian about the Demanitus device—he did not care about the blizzard altogether. He’s not paying attention to Demanitus when his father is dying.
And my favorite line— “She could’ve gone to check on him!!”
And do what?
We need to understand the result would be the same. It was too late for Quirin. He went out saving his son, he went out being Varian’s father.
And…Varian switched up as SOON as he saw it was too late. Checking on him wouldn’t matter. It was too late for Varian, too. Because even if she checked on him, she still didn’t keep her promise in his eyes.
“She could’ve checked on him but took a painting lesson instead”
Did we watch the episode??? Rapunzel wasn’t in a painting class for shits and giggles. Like God forbid the PRINCESS OF CORONA…has things to do.
When Varian sent them to get the scrolls, she saw Quirin. She did see what happened, and even so…there still isn’t a THING she can do. There isn’t even time to assess the situation. It’s over.
It would all just be filler that does absolutely nothing for the plot, besides bring too much attention to a situation that can’t even be handled for another 2 seasons.
Varian also…doesn’t listen. So in that unlikely scenario, she’d be unable to do anything and Varian would still begging and reminding her that she promised, and it would all be the same.
Honestly, we should take that as great writing because no matter the changes you make, the outcome will be the same, because that’s just who Varian was.
The Cassandra situation.
I’m only bringing this up because I mentioned Catalina and Kiera earlier. Cassandra didn’t serve time in prison for all that she did when she betrayed Rapunzel. And I still fully agree that she should have been penalized for all of that, but I also haven’t heard any opposing opinions or other perspectives on it. But I CAN share my findings that have helped me cope and understand that ending better.
There’s a big difference between Cass and Varian, and it’s how many people they’ve had behind them supporting them from the get-go.
Cassandra has had Rapunzel, Eugene, her father, the guards, the king and queen, all their other companions behind her since day one. While Varian was said to have a bad reputation before his face was even shown for the first time. So in comparison to Cass, Varian had no one.
When it came to Cassandra’s moon arc, of course everyone that loves her and has loved her since the beginning, wouldn’t want to hurt her, give up on her, or by the end of the series, lock her away. There’s too many people on her side. Whereas when it came to Varian, nobody really knew him long enough or well enough to have the same sentiments. He’s not known as a beloved and respected figure and hasn’t been from the beginning.
Something I wanna add that has nothing to do with Cass; Varian’s appearance shouldn’t be enough to sway opinions, either. If he looked even half as average as some of the background characters, I don’t think anyone would feel as strongly. But as soon as you see a cute looking character with big puppy eyes, suddenly they don’t deserve any criticism or punishment for the heinous things they did, or they “deserve better” just because they’re too cute to be treated poorly. Varian wouldn’t even relish in that light if fans were able to say that to his face, because he would want to be more than that, and that’s probably the funniest part.
That’s all I have for the moment, I’ll add things later if I have anything to add. I’d love for anyone to add their own thoughts and opinions because I really like having good talks about my favorite stuff. But I want to hear unbiased opinions, please. And be nice.
And if anyone has already made these points and I just didn’t see, I apologize.
⚠️ Jesus, since I have to say this now. I’m not hating on Varian. I love him as much as you do. This is not a hate post.
Something something Eugene Fitzherbert liked being Flynn Rider and having such a high price on his head because there were posters with his picture on them that proved he was wanted.
Something I love about Eugene is that he honestly kinda is a bootlicker. He has every right to hate the king and queen, and yet he’s trying his hardest to endear himself to them. Baby boy is in survival mode at all times, even in the castle, his “home.”
But also the fact that he’s in survival mode because they could separate him from Rapunzel. Frederic is a man who was sending Eugene to the gallows and who is super overprotective and controlling of his daughter. Of course Eugene is on his best behaviour. Not only to save his own skin, but to be able to stay with Rapunzel. And, hell, probably to make castle life easier on Rapunzel as well - she’ll have a simpler time of it if he’s staying in line. He only risks any of it when Rapunzel needs protecting.
It will never not be ironic to me that Cassandra's whole schpiel in Tangled: the Series is about feeling "overshadowed" and "cast to the side", when that's exactly what her role in the show does to Eugene.
So you never get the opportunities to shine and show your strength?
Well, at least the writers didn't send you on a freaking drug trip and make a fool out of you to keep you out of an important scene where you would have made much better decisions than the people involved.
They didn't dismiss your very legitimate past traumas, including escaping execution and literally being murdered, and make your worst fear of all time be a cowlick.
They didn't take your iconic moments, including your heartwrenching love confession before dying, and cheaply replace them scene-to-scene with another, character, heavily hinting that the writers wanted that character to be with your girlfriend.
They didn't give your (implicitly abusive) ex a half-baked redemption that you had absolutely no say in.
Now, please don't kill me. I'm not saying that Cass didn't suffer or have reasons to be upset, but honestly I think that being snuffed by the writers is 1000 times worse than being snuffed by other characters.
It will never not be ironic to me that Cassandra's whole schpiel in Tangled: the Series is about feeling "overshadowed" and "cast to the side", when that's exactly what her role in the show does to Eugene.
“While I absolutely love Tangled the Series so far, I have a hard time watching Rapunzel and Cassandra together. I was so thrilled that Rapunzel was going to have a friend other than Eugene, but the way Cassandra treats Rapunzel upsets me. It reminds me too much of my ex-best friend who I ended up having to break away from for my own emotional stability. Rapunzel deserves a much better friend, especially after having to live with Gothel for eighteen years.”
Something I feel like we stopped talking about pretty fast: the bracelets Eugene wears while they're on the island. I love how each one corresponds to one of Rapunzel's outfits up to that point:
Frankly, I'm convinced that she made them for him.
Once a Tangled stan, always a Tangled stan @rabbitsparklez - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
