Should we as a fandom collectively decide to step away from Vat7K and push for something completely different? Now don’t run off to grab your torches and pitchforks just yet. This isn’t a hate post. I just think it would be kinda fun to have a big discussion on the subject.
First of all I’d like to ask you a few questions. This will help us get to know one another a bit better.
Questions:
What got you into Vat7K?
What do you think of the Vat7K concept?
Would your opinion of it be different if it wasn’t created by someone who worked on TtS?
Have you personally noticed any problems with Vat7K and or it’s fandom?
What would your ideal Varian spinoff be like?
What would your ideal partner for Varian be like? (Can be either romantic or platonic)
The vague concepts that I like:
Varian leaving Corona on a simple quest that turns into something a lot grander along the way. Let the boy have his own epic adventure. ;D
Varian finding some friends who are around his own age.
The potential to learn more about Varian’s family, (This includes his mother and The Brotherhood.)
Reuniting with Cassandra and finding out what she has been up to.
Varian being given more opportunities to use his knowledge of alchemy and engineering. Doing things like problem solving, helping others, or using it for self defense. (Since this is part of what makes him special.)
Maybe finding out if there is anything special about Varian’s hairstripe? Is it nothing? Is he cursed? Does he have some unknown magic power? Is it some prophecy bullshit? I want to knowww.
Things I like about 7K:
I like Varian’s teal vest. Out of everything 7K related, it’s probably the only thing I have no real issues with.
Don’t worry, I’m not being completely serious with that comment.
My Vat7K thoughts and ‘opinions’:
This AU has potential, but some stuff would need to be reworked in order to make more sense.
Mode of transportation:
-Why wasn’t Varian provided with horses and a nice caravan? He's not only the Royal Alchemist/Engineer of Corona, but the son of a marquess. An uncovered cart wouldn't give him and his supplies adequate protection from hazardous weather conditions/potential enemy attacks.
-Would Princess Nuru's parent/s allow her to leave in some dinky cart?
The trials:
-If Donella and Ulla already completed the trials then what happened to the totems that they used to open the portal?
-Did someone reset the trials after they had been completed? Even if they reset on their own this leads to a huge issue with the plot. Other people could have already completed the trials. All you would have to do is find someone who did and bypass the trial completely.
-Why does Varian and his group struggle with the trials if they have a cheat sheet journal? The implications here are honestly a little insulting.
-Since Princess Nuru joins the main group much later on, would she be able to take part in the trials out of order? If so, then does taking part in only a portion of the trials disqualify her from entering the Eternal Library, or can anyone enter once it has been opened?
The Demanitus device:
-Since this is an AU I’m fine with the Demanitus device still being intact. The problem however is that the intended use of that device was weather manipulation. It could alter wind trajectory. This wouldn’t be all that useful for creating a portal.
-Varian is already capable of building interdenominational portals. He also has access to Demanitus’ tomb. Thus it is entirely likely that he could locate the notes and blueprints needed to create the portal without completing the trials.
The Eternal Library:
-Having the end goal be to reach some treasure trove of knowledge is probably going to be a bad idea. If all knowledge is at your disposal then what’s the point in experimenting? Whatever life and drive that Varian still had left would slowly be drained away by this prospect. He wouldn’t be trying anything new. He would simply be following instructions.
Characters:
Varian:
- Who let Varian leave the house in that ridiculous boy scout outfit? That’s a bigger crime than any of the ones he committed in TtS.
-All jokes aside, there are real problems with Varian’s portrayal in this AU. By making everyone and their mother a genius, alchemist, and or an engineer, you’re robbing Varian of everything that made him special. He doesn’t feel like the main character of this story. He’s just the guy with the journal. There are no big moments where he has an opportunity to really shine. Even in the final battle he has to be rescued from becoming a meat suit.
Varian’s family
Ulla:
-Ulla essentially abandoned her entire family in order to find the Eternal Library. There is no other way to put it. This wasn’t some day trip or mini vacation. It could have taken her years to complete the trials. Even if she had returned home, she would have missed out on a lot of Varian’s childhood. Don’t you think this would have a lasting impact on his emotional development?
Given this information it’s not a plot twist whatsoever that she turned out to be the final boss. Which bothers me greatly because it is just reaffirming the one thing I hated about Cassandra’s villain arc. That somehow villainy is inherited from one’s parents.
Regardless of her being ‘redeemed’ or not, I’m giving her an F on the good mom scale. The quest wasn’t even time sensitive. She could have waited for Varian to become an adult before going on this journey. Heck, she could have taken him along for the ride…
-Okay, so I’ll admit that I don't actually like the name Ulla. I’d probably like it if it was pronounced Yoolla, but uh-lla and oo-lla is on level with Horace for me.
Ulla’s relatives:
-Does anyone find it creepy that Ulla’s family are almost all Varian clones? Let them be their own characters… This feels lazy.
-Also, why would Varian give up on his quest just because he found his family? I get that they are like minded people, but he’s supposedly traveling with like minded people??? This feels OoC. Varian is a very goal oriented character. He doesn’t give up so easily.
Supporting cast:
Donella:
-What is her goal exactly? She’s the one who returned Ulla’s journal to Quirin in the first place. If she really thought there were secrets inside then she should have come to this conclusion beforehand…
-There was no reason for her to send Hugo to get the fire totem or to have him infiltrate Varian’s group. Everything could have been resolved with a little honesty. Talk people!!! Seriously, I hate when plots have pointless drama or misunderstandings because someone bottles up their god damn emotions.
-When you give it some real thought the whole plot legit makes no sense. Why wait for Varian to turn 18? If she had been keeping tabs on him then she would have given Hugo more information. Instead she lets him go into some big mission completely blind? Way to go… You left him out here thinking that Varian is some sweet naive summer child who wouldn’t snap him like a twig… You’re lucky that he makes it out of this story alive.
Princess Nuru:
-Her character is severely underdeveloped. Much like Yong she feels like an afterthought. Like she was created to fill a void rather than to be an actual character.
-Sure, let’s force the sole female character into the role of the ‘mom friend’. That won’t be stereotypical at all.
-Why does Nuru not know anything about Varian? She’s a princess. Such people soak up loads of political gossip through osmosis. Even after Varian’s reformation he would still be a hot topic of discussion. I’m hella sus, girl…
-I get that her kingdom was in a state of crisis, but would she really be allowed to just leave with a group of strangers? Why wasn't she provided with some sort of guard at the very least?
Yong:
-There is nothing particularly interesting about his character. He’s just the baby of the group.
Hugo:
-If Hugo is supposed to be some stealthy street smart thief, then why does his personality completely contradict this? You can try to say that it’s just an act, but he’s always portrayed as an obnoxious player, like some pompous flirt. Stuff like that would make him notorious and easily recognizable. Believe me when I say that this behavior isn’t ideal for someone who’s entire job is to go on undercover missions. Donella would not be pleased. She didn’t raise a cheap half assed Flynn Rider 2.0 knockoff did she?
-I hate to be the one to point this out, but the fandom might have inadvertently turned Hugo into a full on Gary Stu. Let me explain. Often times I see people saying that Hugo is ‘smarter’ and ‘more capable’ than Varian. Did this man bring a kingdom down to it’s knees twice over? Why isn’t he using his skills in alchemy and engineering to make a fortune? He’s supposed to be greedy. That’s his whole gimmick isn’t it? Then why is he letting those smarts go to waste? He wouldn’t need to be a lapdog to a manipulative old woman if this was the case. It doesn’t matter if he feels indebted to her. A smart and resourceful person would be using their intellect wisely.
Animal companions:
Prometheus:
-Is this just Varian in donkey form? Why do they look so much alike?
-Am I the only one who finds it a little humiliating for Varian to leave on a big adventure with a derpy looking donkey? I get that this is probably the point, but I think it's a little sad.
Ruddiger:
-Ruddiger is awesome. I just think that people forget that he exists sometimes.
Olivia:
-My only issue here is that people are taking information about Hugo from his D&D counterpart. They should be treated like completely separate characters. Otherwise I have no problems with the little mouse companion. I think it's a cute idea.
Thoughts on relationships:
-There should be other potential suitors for Varian in Vat7K.
-Varian is a Flynnigan Rider fanboy. Suffice to say that his vision of romance is likely to be incredibly idealized.
-I know that this fandom loves it’s angst fodder, but let’s think for a moment on the lasting consequences of betrayal. Varian already has trust issues. That paranoia is gonna linger in the back of his mind forever regardless of how many healthy connections he makes throughout the years. If he is betrayed by a love interest, those feelings are only going to be amplified tenfold. You don’t just kiss and make up after something like that. He likely would want to close himself off completely from being in romantic relationships as a self defense mechanism.
Varigo:
-The first thing I saw from this relationship was an adorable confession scene animatic. That was hella cute shit. I was like “Hell yes! Nerds in love!”. Was that what I got? No, but that disappointment set in much later.
My issues with Varian’s portrayal in the relationship.
-If you have to change a character’s whole personality in order to fit your ship preferences, then at this point they are no longer the same character. They might as well be an OC.
-Why does the fandom push toxic stereotyping? (Basically the seme/uke nonsense that you see in BL manga.) Varian usually gets dumbed down so that Hugo can swoop in. Varian has to be short, weak, and naive... Why is this so heavily enforced? Why can’t people portray things differently without the fandom losing their collective shit?
-Why is Varian portrayed as not being street smart? He lived on his own for months while being harassed by guards. He went to prison… He worked with terrorists… He is friends with former criminals. He is acquainted with pub thugs. ???? Sorry, but he’s not gonna be impressed with Hugo’s whole shtick… It’s not something new to him.
-Also… Varian may be skinny, but he’s still relatively athletic. He has the endurance to run round trip through a magical blizzard. He can parkour like a pro (When he’s feeling confident.). He can build huge boilers and giant automatons. So he’s probably used to some level of manual labor. He can leap down great distances. Somehow he can scoot Xavier across the ground with no issues. o__O; What part of this sounds weak to you all?
-His height as an adult is debatable. He may remain short forever. He could grow tall. Maybe he even has a late growth spurt.
-Regardless of his height Varian shouldn’t always be portrayed as some uwu submissive fragile little flower. Let there be some equality in the relationship.
-For reference on Varian being assertive and flirty I would recommend rewatching Great Expotations.
My issues with Hugo:
-Hugo triggers my anxiety because he gives off the vibes of a sexual predator. Unlike Eugene, Hugo doesn’t fall in love right away. Any interest he has in Varian is for self gratification and that makes me hella uncomfortable. If you combine this Varian being treated as naive and innocent. Then you can understand why I want to chase Hugo ass away with a flip flop.
-The way Hugo speaks to Varian is gross. Constantly calling him “sweetcheeks” and other objectifying terms… It just solidifies my view that he’s not capable of keeping his mind out of the gutter for a second…
A note to the fandom:
Oh boy, I went a bit overboard… Please don’t think of me as an enemy because of this post. We can still be friends. I’m fine with you all sticking with 7K. I just wanted to raise awareness of some of the things that I have noticed about the plot and characters. Whether it has any influence on your views or not is up in the air. If anything this can be used to help troubleshoot and improve upon the AU.
At this point it’s unlikely that Disney has interest in creating a Varian spinoff series/comic/novel/etc. It would be awesome if they did, but I won’t get my hopes up.
So in the meantime, does anyone want to band together and brainstorm ideas? I feel like we could have a great time coming up with scenarios for something new.
Advice/suggestions/additional misc notes:
-Don’t stalk or harass the creators of this AU.
-Do not pass HC’s off as canon facts. This includes pushing 7K onto others as a canonical continuation of Tangled the Series.
-You should never threaten or bully people who do not share your opinions or HC’s. Try channeling those negative emotions into doing something positive instead.
-Do not bully or try to ‘socially cancel’ people who ship other pairings. Don’t like a ship? Scroll past it and move on with your life.
-Tag fics appropriately. Express content in detail. Don’t bait and switch. Don’t rant and rave or be malicious in any way.
-For some reason there are people who enjoy making ‘white boy’ jokes about Hugo. These same people often exaggerate Varian’s skin tone in order to put more emphasis on this. I find it pretty distasteful. Would you tolerate this behavior aimed at any of the other characters? If the answer is “No.” then stop.
-There are people who use the trans tag when all they really want to do is gender swap the character to fit their smut preferences. Objectification is not representation. (To be clear, I'm not saying all trans smut is like this. The type of storytelling I'm talking about is obvious to spot. You'll know it if/when you see it. Though hopefully you won't have to see it.)
If you want to HC Varian or any other character as trans because it makes you feel closer to the character, then by all means do so. You’re valid and this is perfectly reasonable.
I may face slack for not sharing the trans Varian HC personally, but I’m in the mindset that we need more characters who were born male that do not conform to society's norms. It’s incredibly important for boys/men to see that they can sew, cook, and clean without these activities being treated as if they are somehow emasculating. Getting rid of toxic gender stereotypes is the first step to a future where people can be accepted as equals.
