1 and 12 for the salt ask.
1-Cassandrian, Cassunzel, Varipunzel, Adira x Hector, Varian x Catalina and New Dream. Now, New Dream fans, PLEASE don’t kill me!!! I do NOT have anything against New Dream. I acknowledge 100 percent that it is the canon pairing and that Rapunzel and Eugene get married in the wedding short. It Just doesn’t have the same affect on me that it does on many others in the fandom. As I said, I don’t hate New Dream. I just don’t find myself enraptured in it the way so many New Dream fans are. That’s all.
Cassunzel, I just don’t like, because the relationship between Cassandra and Rapunzel was never meant to be romantic. It’s one of those ships where people see a very close friendship and mistake the interactions between those people as romance, despite the characters not having those kinds of feelings for each other. Also, given just how toxic and unhealthy Cassandra and Rapunzel were for each other as friends, I shudder to think what a romantic relationship between them would be like. Also, as I mentioned above, I acknowledge New Dream as the canon pairing and have no desire to rip them apart for a ship that is never going to happen.
Now for Cassandrian. I know this is a popular pairing for both Varian and Cassandra, but I said in my other post, I was against it the moment I saw Varian crushing on Cassandra in “Great Expotations.” I know there are fics where people write Cassandra and Varian as a couple when Varian is either 18 or older, and I acknowledge that as one matures, an age gap becomes less of an issue, but it was just a teenage crush. A crush that Varisn got over quickly after Cassandra betrayed him alongside every one else, and never regained, as expected with most crushes. Also, I just don’t see the Chemistry, no matter how old Varian is. He’s dorky, sweet and kind, and Cassandra just….isn’t any of that, and I can’t see their personalities complementing each other in any way, including in an opposites attract relationship.
My dislike of Varipunzel is similar to Cassunzel. It’s another pairing where people see a sweet friendship and assume that they are attracted to each other. Like I mentioned with Cassandrian, I know age gaps between people become less important as one gets older, and the age gap between Varian and Rapunzel is even less than the one between him and Cassandra. However, it’s still odd thinking of them as a romantic pairing due to the age gap, like Cassandrian. Also, as I said above, New Dream is canon and I see them as having a sibling relationship in the show.
I don’t ship Adira or Hector with anybody, much less each other. I loved getting a glimpse of their complex relationship in ”Rapunzel and the Great Tree” and the implications that they had reconciled by the finale, but I do not see them as romantic partners at all. I don’t believe Hector or Adira ever Saw each other in a romantic sense, though I know people love to inclde It to add more drama to their relationship. I will always see Hector, Adira and the Brotherhood as a whole (with the exception of Edmund) as siblings.
I will never ship Varian and Catalina as a result of the age gap between them. Just like with Varipunzel and Cassandrian. While yes, I know that Cassandra and Rapunze were both legally adults when they met Varian, who was still a minor, the age gap between Varian and Catalina is of similar length to the age gaps Varian had with Rapunzel and Cassandra. In season 3, Catalina is a pre teen whereas Varian is already in his mid to late teens. You can see the way Varian towers over the girls, along with his frame being more filled out than either of them.
Yes, Varian and Catalina are both minors when they meet, but one thing that people do not seem to understand (and that I will probably do a post on sometime in the future) is that Varian is NOT at the same stage of development as Catalina. He is still emotionally and physically more mature than her. As I said, Varian is in his mid to late teens while Catalina is a pre teen. There is a significant difference in their stages of development. Like I’ve mentioned with Varian and Rapunzel. I prefer and see them as siblings.
12-This one is tough. I guess I like seeing Edmund bond with Eugene in season 3. I don’t hold the hard feelings towards Edmund that a lot of people seem to have. He never abandoned Eugene out of malice or cruelty. Eugene didn’t have an easy life growing up, but the Dark Kingdom wasn’t a safe place for a child to grow up in. However, I dislike the idea that Edmund should leave his life and legacy behind in order to have a relationship with Eugene. One can have a loving relationship with their child while fulfilling their own commitments, duties and having their own lives. I also like Dark Prince Eugene, but I don’t know if I’d consider it an arc or a popular one or not. As we discussed earlier, so many characters and their arcs were dropped like a hot potato.
