#variangst

[vat7k-user-2026]

Ruddiger supports his owner

[wheredomelodiescomefrom]

“Consumed by darkness”

And the award for the laziest background goes to...

Let’s pretend it’s a metaphorical representation of Varian’s fall into villainy. *nods* smooth recovery.

[leania112]

AU where everything is the same except Zhan Tiri can actually change her form just to mess with people. Soooo have ZhanTiri!Eugene...?

Anyone interested in part 2? :O

EDIT : PART 2

(sorry for grammar mistakes, as always)

[newsies-of-corona]

More Varian practice! This time was mostly freehand (except for the goggles 😅)

[dear-alex-chill]

One of my oldest WIPS

Rumor has it I may never finish it. Only make progress on it..

[whaleiumsharkspeare]

Me loving Varian and wanting him to be happy but also writing angst fics

[whitecatindisguise]

Silenced

I got inspired yet again! @wheredomelodiescomefrom, you, my friend, are the amazing artist and one providing one of the best inspirational pieces.

This oneshot in particular was inspired by this picture. Hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did writing it.

------

Varian stared at the graphtyc laying on the workbench. He still didn't know why it was hidden in his father's room, along with the chest full of mysteries.

I mean-

When your father is a farmer, the last thing you expect to find amongst his things is the suit of armour with a peculiar symbol you didn't see before in your life.

So, yeah. Saying Varian's interest was piqued was a huge understatement. Adding to that he didn't have any way to ask his father about that... you probably get the idea.

Anyway... The graphtyc contained a part of the bigger scroll of some sort, seeing how the words and symbols cut off in the middle. Also, it was visibly torn apart. Yeah, that too.

It took him several days, filled with frustration and flying papers when he was stuck on a particularly puzzling phrase, but he finally had the scroll (or at least the part from the graphtyc) translated.

From what he had gathered, the black rocks were the manifestation of some 'great evil', which seemed to emerge after the Sundrop Flower was taken away. The same flower that, according to the scroll, was the only way to get rid of them.

Varian groaned and let his head hit the table in frustration. Ruddiger chittered anxiously from his spot on the side but the boy ignored him.

What if he knew how to take care of the black rocks if he couldn't do anything about it? Even if he knew where the Sundrop Flower was held (because he refused to believe the King simply got rid of the flower with such power; he must have stored it somewhere), there was no way he could just go and get it. Not with those masked men watching his every move and making sure he doesn't leave the village.

He didn't know who they were, but he could bet they were on the King's orders. No one else had any purpose in making his life even more miserable than it already was.

Coming back to the point of the Sundrop Flower... it was probably stored somewhere on the castle grounds. If only there was a way for him to get in unnoticed...

He trailed off as his thoughts moved to a certain long-haired princess with promise issues. Surely with character like hers, enjoying freedom and sneaking out, she must have known about some secret way in and out of the castle.

His eyes wandered to the bottle he fished out of the river not so long ago. It contained several drops of a potion which changed the personality of the unfortunate victim. With some minor adjustment, he should be able to convert it into a truth serum and use it to learn of the Flower's whereabouts. And once he knows that, he could use the Princess to get in and out with no problem. But how to convince her to help him...?

He looked back at the graphtyc and then turned to stare at the enormous monolith, the yellow bits barely visible under the cloth he covered it with. Yeah... he could work with that.

If his calculations were correct, the Princess birthday were approaching, meaning the Coronans would start leaving gifts and cards under the Princess statue. If he could send her the message using the lantern, telling her to come...

Varian worked quickly after that, scribbling a short and desperate-sounding note, securing it with the key to the graphtyc and tying the whole thing to the string attached to a lantern. He, then, took the graphtyc and looked around for a place to hide it.

It couldn't be too obvious, but, at the same time, couldn't be too difficult either. His eyes spotted the Flynn Rider shrine at the back of his lab and he grinned. He approached the spot and picked up one of the books. His heart hurt at what he was just about to do, but it was for a higher cause.

With a heavy heart, he cut out the hole in the middle of the pages and pushed the graphtyc inside. Then, he closed the book and put it exactly in the middle of the shrine. There, that will do it.

With everything ready, he waited until the early night hours and then carefully sneaked out of the house. Ruddiger was anxious at letting him go, but Varian was certain it would be easier for him to do it alone, even if he himself felt a little too anxious.

He creeped through the abandoned village, eyes and ears open for any movements and sounds. Ever since the villagers left, Old Corona felt more eerie at night. Black rocks sprouting all around only added to the creepy atmosphere. Varian repressed a shudder as he continued down the empty streets, the lantern and the message cradled in his arms.

He was almost out of the village, when he felt someone suddenly grab him by the arm and pull him back. He fell to the ground with a startled yelp, the lantern falling out of his hands.

"And where do you think you're going?" A masked man appeared in his corner of vision, towering over the laying boy.

Varian froze up, terror overwhelming his movements. He heard another man shuffle around and, with horror, he noticed him pick up the lantern and unseal the letter.

"What is the meaning of this?!" The man holding the letter approached the boy and he shuffled back, terrified.

"P-please, no!" He cried, already feeling the tears welling in his eyes.

The man reached out and pulled him up roughly. Varian let out a pained yelp and tried to escape the hold, only for the grip to harden.

"Where. Is. The. Graphtyc?" The man seethed, shaking the poor alchemist.

"N-no, please." Varian's voice trembled with fear. They couldn't get the scroll. It was the only way to persuade Rapunzel to help him. And it belonged to DAD.

"It's probably somewhere in his lab." The other man said and the one holding Varian hummed thoughtfully.

"You're right." He nodded and turned his attention back to Varian. "So, here is how it's gonna be, kid. You can either tell us where did you hid the graphtyc, or watch us turn your whole lab upside down to find it."

Varian's eyes widened at the implication and he stared with horror at the man. His mind was already showing him the visions of how the lab would look like if he didn't cooperate. Spilled chemicals, destroyed experiments, unusable instruments...

"P-please..." He begged, eyes filled with tears.

"Where. Is. It?!" The man shook him again and Varian cried both in pain and realisation.

~~~~~~

Varian sobbed quietly, held by under the elbow by one of the masked men. His arms were bound behind his back, a gag tied around his mouth, the taste of material filling him from the inside.

The man who held him had the graphtyc in his hand, the other keeping the lantern and the letter. Varian heard the sounds of wheels and his heart dropped. The prison cart appeared at the entrance to the village, driven by another one of the masked men.

The cart stopped and Varian was roughly pushed inside, stumbling and falling to the wooden floor. The door were locked and he heard the men exchanging some words with the driver, before the cart was moving again.

Varian shuffled towards the corner of the cart and leaned against the wall. He missed Ruddiger already, but didn't regret telling the raccoon to run. He only hoped his only friend was safe and not captured by the men, like he was.

After quite some time, the cart rolled to a stop and the door were opened once again. He was dragged out of the cart and roughly pulled through the dark corridors of the castle, finally finding himself in the deepest part of the dungeons.

One of the guards unlocked the door, while the other unbound his arms and pushed the terrified boy inside, before the door locked again. Varian stumbled to his feet and ran up to the wooden door, pounding on them desperately.

"No! Please! Let me out!" He cried, fist hitting the wood. "I only wanted to help! I only wanted the king to listen!"

"Save your breath, kid." The guard at the other side of the door growled. "No one will hear you here, anyway."

Varian heard the guards laugh and their footsteps started to ebb.

"No! Please! Don't leave me here!" He cried more desperately. He heard the guards ascend the stairs, the door opening and closing, the lock turning.

He cried for several more hours, his voice becoming hoarse, his hands starting to bleed from the pounding on the door. He didn't hear any more sounds than those he made himself.

Finally, worn out by his desperate attempts, he slid to the cold floor and hugged himself, crying over his fate.

Yet, another enemy of the King was silenced.

[royal-engineer-of-corona]

*knocks on door* Varian, buddy, you OK?

Seven Kingdoms AU

[Varian tries his best to wipe his tears, but more just keep coming. He’s still curled up in the dark corner, and doesn’t answer Hugo.]