Akizumy - Akizumy

Okay okay okay you know what ? Fallen Angel AU everyone, get in

This may get kind of long, so TLDR will be at the end.

On one hand there are Angels, led by King Frederick and his family; on the other hand there are Demons, led by King Edmund and his family (Eugene and his mother are by his side). The two Kingdoms are separated by a physical barrier called the Black Rocks, that can almost never be moved or broken.

Why almost ? Because the leaders of the Kingdoms have the Moonstone and the Sundrop, and can use them to control the rocks. In this AU, Rapunzel has the Sundrop while King Edmund has a Moonstone staff. (I'll come back to this later).

Where is the drama ?

Well first, Rapunzel and Eugene have met a few times already (when their parents would meet each other for political business) and fallen in love, but their relationship is made impossible by the fact that they can't really see each other (no way to communicate) and because relationships between Angels and Demons are forbidden.

Second drama : said relationships are forbidden for a reason. Unlike King Frederick who does everything himself, King Edmund has separated the work between the members of the Brotherhood : Quirin, being the wisest, was the one in charge of meeting with the Angels (and thus given the Moonstone staff). However, the knight fell in love with one of the Angels accompanying the King, and they had a child. A child named Varian, whom his mother had to hide from the authorities and who was born with broken wings because of the incompatibility between Angels and demons. The two kings were the only ones to know, and so the day King Edmund put Quirin in charge of Eugene's education instead (because he was still loyal and caring), King Frederick started to track Varian's mother down.

Frederick ultimately succeeded and Varian's mother was sent to jail (which are not among the Angels but among the Demons instead), which led to Varian wanting revenge because of course he would. So Varian befriends Rapunzel in order to manipulate her and force her to use the Sundrop to get rid of the Black Rocks, which would allow him to reunite with his family while also threatening to annihilate both of the Kingdoms. Varian is stopped and put under arrest, sent into jail as well.

That's where our real story begins. King Edmund, who knows Eugene should soon replace him as King, decides to test his son's skills as a leader. In order to do that, he asks him to go visit Varian in jail (without saying anything about him) with the mission to have to tell him after a few days what he thinks would be best to do with him.

Eugene does so, and is shocked to see a kid, and above all one that seems to be neither an Angel nor a Demon. Is that why his Dad sent him ? Because he didn't know how to judge this particular person ? Because he felt sorry for the kid ? Or because he just saw him as an opportunity ?

Eugene doesn't want to see him as any of these things. He wants to understand the kid, who he is and what his point of view is, not just what he has done. It is difficult to do so however, because Varian is very hostile, so Eugene tries all kind of ways to get the kid to open up, which eventually leads to them being friends.

Bonus angst ? Bonus angst.

Edmund has forced Eugene to come with a bodyguard, which are the members of the Brotherhood : so yes, Varian and Quirin did meet, although none of them recognized each other because Varian has no idea what his Dad looks like and Quirin has no idea he has a son (Frederick and Edmund kept this "accident" a secret).

There are many jails among King Edmund's Kingdom, but only one is made for "criminals seen as a threat". Which means that Varian is in the same HUGE prison as his mother is in, and many other familiar faces as well. And yes, Andrew is Varian's cellmate, and he does try to make him join him in his plan to 1) break free and 2) steal the Moonstone's staff.

Eugene loves Rapunzel but Varian sure doesn't. When they come to that subject, Eugene is less than pleased to learn that Varian has hurt Rapunzel to get his way, and Varian is really not happy to learn that Eugene (who he finally thought he could trust) is on Rapunzel's side.

TLDR; Varian, born from a forbidden love between an Angel and a Demon, goes to jail after he has attacked Princess of the Angels Rapunzel. In jail, he meets Prince of the Demons Eugene, who was sent by his father to learn more about that Fallen Angel who is unique in many ways. Friendship and redemption follows, though it is not easy with Varian's hatred for everyone and his cellmate Andrew trying to further manipulate him.

One of the weirdest feelings there is is posting a fanart on a server and being told that there is exactly one (1) other person caught up on this show. And that this person's favorite character is what you could call the nemesis of your own favorite character

WOAH WOAH *intense eyes emoji* Did I miss something? What's this Tangled adventure AU? I saw the art for it and I already adore it even if I don't know what's going on.

Ahaha! You mean the art by @gueswho? They’re really talented <3

So the idea for the AU just came to me whilst on Discord (headsup the Scar Varian Server is fantastic). But the AU idea I had was similar to/inspired by the premise of Kung Fu Panda in a way, with several changes…For now I’m calling it the Un-Chosen One AU…

So essentially, the normal events that set off the beginning of Tangled happened, but just as the sundrop is gone, the black rocks start growing rapidly and scaring/endangering the townsfolk. Everyone turns to Frederic for help and, seeing as he can’t very well ignore the problem, he calls on Quirin to bring that scroll he had used to warn him. All of the nobles, researchers, scientists, “magic experts” and general townsfolk gather to try and guide out a solution. They quickly realize that now that the sundrop flower was gone and so was the girl who was possibly born with its magic (she would have been killed, they think), and her mother does not have any remnant of it, they fear they are doomed.  They look at Demanitus’ notes at the bottom of the scroll.

The notes talk a bit about the celestial powers, and warn of the powers falling into the wrong hands or being possessed, and then that leads people to wonder…if the sundrop could be embodied, could the moonstone?  (It was also weird to them that Demanitus talked about the sundrop like a person, attributing it with many human qualities that were exaggerated or limitless beyond mortal imagination). They reason that whoever it was who had taken the sundrop (they presume it’s Zhan Tiri because she was well-known in legend as Demanitus’ primary foe, and they don’t know much about Gothel or the other disciples) was also maybe going to head for the moonstone…and try to take over the world…but if the sundrop was the balance to the moonstone, as Demanitus said, and if said sundrop was gone, could it be that someone who didn’t necessarily have the sundrop’s exact magic but was “pure of heart,” good, strong, and intelligent enough…could maybe counteract that darkness and save them all? The moonstone needed to be protected and…maybe…if someone were to become strong enough, or close enough to embodying/wielding the ideal, hypothetical traits of one with the sundrop (strength, purity of heart, intelligence, etc), they could be saved after all.

So essentially, like many real people, these fictional characters read about three lines of ambiguous text, ascribe meaning to mystery, and conjure up this idea that Demanitus left a “prophecy”, the foretelling of a chosen one who could either defend of even destroy the moonstone in the sundrop’s stead.

A select group of Coronans, including Quirin with his family and Captain with Cass, decide to head over to the Dark Kingdom…Quirin because he wanted to warn his brethren/Edmund that the sundrop did indeed exist, had been stolen, and whoever had come for it was probably also heading their way, and the others because they heard from Quirin that there was a specific kingdom that trained warriors from the beginning and practically revolved around the moonstone. Frederic and Arianna stay behind in Corona, with any remaining subjects-they are knee-deep in grief for their kidnapped daughter and guilt for the chain of events Frederic caused.

(I hadn’t thought much of Eugene-either one can assume Edmund never sent him away and instead raised him, or that he did send him away and Eugene is living the life as an orphan/rogue right now. I had thought that even if Edmund had raised Eugene, he might have run away to get away from that kind of life, and thus stumbled upon Rapunzel’s tower. Thus commencing the normal sequence for most of the Tangled movie.)

So this group settles in the DK, and every able-bodied child is recruited and trained from the beginning, to be capable of having the “honor” of being selected as the chosen one. You know how they find out that they are? They go through different rounds/levels in the ranks until they’ve completed all their mentors/king/knights have told them they needed to, “specialized” in any of their strengths…and they have to be able to grab the moonstone. (many older kids had died in this very last part of the process). Before many of them can actually make a choice, all of the kids are subsumed into this web of magic and danger and prophecies-kids who fail to move up ranks are seen as burdens or given lesser work. Kids who are good but don’t quite make it to the top are just assigned with being the kingdom’s next mentors and league of guards. And the kids who are fantastic and do actually try to see if they’re the chosen ones…die…because obviously the moonstone doesn’t really care, it just doesn’t want to be touched. Instead of making the kids hopeless or questioning, however, this spikes their competitiveness, especially with the encouragements of their parents, who all want their children to be important/get near to the level of being a “chosen one”. The actual chosen one. Not the kind who died like all of them.

They’d be trained in almost everything-from physical combat, to a few of the relevant sciences (Varian’s alchemy is initially welcomed because even if it’s new, it looked useful), to certain kinds of acquired magic too.  They’re allowed to “specialize” in an “important” field related to their mission but only if they’ve fulfilled the basics physically.Varian is quickly turned down when they realize that alchemy isn’t exactly a “relevant science”…nor is it exactly a magic that will bring him closer to doing the thing everyone expects him to do. Quirin even tries to talk Varian out of alchemy because it seemed like a “waste of time”, asking him why he didn’t instead focus on the “useful” sciences that were more relevant to their “mission”. 

Cass’ father is very proud of her and Cass is deadset that she is gonna be the chosen one. No one seems more clever, cunning, or stronger than her in the battlefield. At least, not all at once. 

Varian isn’t the best physically, but he excels at strategy and tact too. Nothing seems enough for Quirin, however, who is constantly either leaving his son to worry about even involving him, or berating/criticizing him for not doing/being enough, or constantly ignoring him when Varian starts to doubt the validity of this prophecy and his actual place there.

Quirin does care about Varian, but the father is also…worried and confused. He’s not even that worried about Varian not being the chosen one…he’s just worried that Varian will fall short and get hurt. These were tough times they were living in, and as much as he wanted for his son to be himself and do whatever he wanted, he simply couldn’t…without questioning himself and a lot of things he believed in.

One fateful day,  news comes from Corona -the long lost princess has returned. At first, no one in the DK cares…until they learn that she apparently still has the magic of the sundrop and had been the “chosen one” all along.

The people who had worked so hard and broken their backs believing that they could fix this huge problem that had plagued their generation now have to escort the princess from Corona to the DK so that she can do the real work…which actually doesn’t take training…or so much experience…And apparently she was the only one who could “neutralize” the moonstone, rather than needing to destroy it as they had believed they could do.

Most people are relieved because that means the life-threatening chaos would be over, but the trainees/students are shocked and betrayed (and in Varian’s case, fascinated). It feels worse when some of their parents don’t even acknowledge that they’re betrayed. Cap is angry on Cass’ behalf, but Quirin seems relieved, which hurts Varian-did Dad not believe he could ever be special?

So in this story either Varian can be the antagonist who can’t accept that his efforts were for nothing and Cass accepts herself not being the chosen one, or it could be the other way around-cass can be the antagonist who can’t accept that she’s not the chosen one and Varian can accept that he’s not the chosen one. (it turns out that there is no actual chosen one…the prophecy was something people had conjured when they misinterpreted Demanitus’ research and tried to ascribe meaning to mystery. Rapunzel happens to have some remnant of the sundrop’s magic but it wasn’t meant to be embodied so there is no actual thing other than that which holds her above the others).

I do think this conflict would have played out great with Captain and Cass…especially the whole “you raised me on this idea of a destiny and did nothing as it was given to someone else” idea…if there had been a legitimate, misleading idea of prophecy, and some kind of mission Cass believed was owed to her because the captain was so proud of her that he believed she could get it, and in trying to prove that she was worthy of it, she happened to prove that she wasn’t worthy of it…not because of a game of chance, and not because she wasn’t born with magic…but because she was vengeful and proud and such power/heroism shouldn’t be ascribed to someone with those traits, despite how much of a skilled or passionate warrior they were.

This was a similar issue with Cap that Tai Lun had with Master Shifu in Kung Fu Panda….Tai Lun was trained all his life to become the esteemed/legendary Dragon Warrior or “chosen one” who would protect the valley, only to be denied that “destiny”, but in trying to show that he was worthy of the scroll (given to the dragon warrior), Tai Lung instead showed why/how he wasn’t worthy because he was corrupt and not pure of heart. He was vengeful, and greedy and arrogant, despite being a skilled and passionate warrior. When Tai Lung asked if all his hard work had actually made Shifu proud, Shifu even apologized to him, saying that-“I was so proud, it blinded me to see what you were become…what you had become.”

On the journey from Corona to the DK, Varian and others could possibly partner with Rapunzel because she has much to learn and they have to find out parts of themselves along the way that matter more than just being warriors/possible knights . Thus each of them have to go through struggles that prove they’re all still worthy and even possibly “pure of heart” even if they’re not specifically the “chosen ones”.

Cass, as the antagonist, could have been pretending to support/escort Rapunzel, and then stolen the moonstone when it was vulnerable and ready for Rapunzel to neutralize it, like in the series.

And the others can still “prove” themselves/have an active role in the story/find something that makes them happy by showing they don’t have to be the “chosen one” to be worthy or valuable-in Varian’s example, he would eventually happy knowing that he wasn’t the chosen one, and he would settle still for being this really skilled warrior who knew alchemy instead. Just because he didn’t end up getting the thing that everyone told him to want or that he wanted himself for whatever reason didn’t mean that all he was or everything else he had become was invalid.

If there is to be a redemption for Cass, one could have Cass gradually learning to accept that she couldn’t have that position of the “chosen one” and settle for some other position befitting her better…proving she didn’t have to be a “chosen one” to be valuable or have her efforts be worth it.

And finally, for all of the characters to realize there was no “chosen one” to begin with. Rapunzel happening to have magical hair had been a miracle…an accident…but there was no prophecy, no foretold destiny, no chosen one. They had all played a part in this story-different parts, but parts that fit their needs or their characters, and fulfilled their arcs.

And when Raps finally loses her hair, she’d be afraid of being “ordinary” but then she realizes that no one and nothing is actually ‘ordinary" in the strict sense of the word, and if the people she had met could be so “special” and spectacular without born magic abilities, then so could she.

Sad to say that I'm back in college, which means no more social life for another (and hopefully last) year.

My friends still aren’t watching Tangled - A Villain!Varian edition

Yooo this is stunning !! I’m glad you’re back, can’t wait to see more amazing art !

Well I’m all caught up on Owl House

French Varian

Plus est en vous

This One Shot is part of my Impersonator!AU, which is Varian-centric and whose basic plot is this : everything is the same as in the show except that Cassandra refuses to team up with Zhan Tiri. There are not a few changes, mainly that Cassandra gets her redemption faster (because she isn’t manipulated by Zhan Tiri in staying angry at Raps) and that Zhan Tiri has to find another way to get the Ultimate Power. This takes place during the finale, and yes the title is both an indication and a pun. I hope you’ll like it ! Trigger Warnings for possession and threats to use violence (which of course remain threats, no violence shown here) -----

Rapunzel was silent as she walked down the corridor, letting her steps guide her through the castle. Her mother whom she just left had told her that king Edmund was on his way and would reach Corona in a matter of hours. Hours, and he would take the Moonstone back to the Dark Kingdom it should never have left in the first place. She should feel relieved. After all these months of trying to get through to Cassandra, things were finally about to get back to normal : Rapunzel and her friends -her family- right by her side, having their happily ever after at long last. She should feel relieved, yet she wasn’t. She couldn’t help the bad feeling gnawing at her insides, warning her to be on her guard, whispering that there was more coming. And there was. When Cassandra handed her the Moonstone, she told her about that mysterious ghost girl who had appeared to her. The warrior had of course been wary, refusing to listen to the spectre and feeling that there may be more going on than what she was letting on. Truthfully, Cassandra had hesitated to turn to the ghost, but her suspicion had been too strong; she didn’t know who she was, but that girl gave her the same impression that the servants of Zhan Tiri had -something ancient and powerful-. Cassandra had sent her away and the ghost had no choice but to do as told : before she disappeared however, she had made the threat to get her hands on the Ultimate power one way or the other. Rapunzel was no fool : she knew that threat was not to be taken lightly. That ghost girl, whoever she was, had almost gotten through to Cassandra of all people. Although she had fortunately not revealed herself for now, Rapunzel knew it was just a matter of time. She had to be lurking around, watching them at any time, waiting for them to make even the slightest misstep : and when one of them irremediably would, spiraling into dangerous thoughts, indulging in the wrong feeling for a little too long, then she would be there. No one was safe. No one but Edmund could be fully trusted, King Edmund who had already endured the Moonstone’s tricks for decades. That was why the princess had not taken any risk- she couldn’t take any risk, not with magic that could quite literally destroy the world as they knew it. Ever since Cassandra had given the Moonstone back, it had been locked away in a chest- a piece of ancient Corona metallurgy whose only key was guarded at all time by Rapunzel, and Rapunzel only. But the princess was only one person, and so it had been decided that a tag-team of sort would be formed so as to have at least one person watching over the chest at all time. Rapunzel had of course chosen people she trusted with her life : Eugene, Lance, Varian and Cassandra. She had gotten a lot of reproaches for this choice, but the princess had stood her ground : they were all redeemed, good people who wanted to do what was right- to protect the world. All of them were. A faint sizzling sound caught her attention, so subtle she almost missed it, soon followed by the muffled sound of glass breaking. But- there wasn’t anyone else in the empty corridors, just like there was no glass nor fire. In the span of a second, Rapunzel became extremely aware of her surroundings. Without her noticing it, her steps had led her near the royal vault, where no one was ever wandering and where the Moonstone had been hidden for that exact reason. Rapunzel didn’t think. She couldn’t think as she ran to the vault’s door and threw it open. Someone had to be in there, one of her friends as they had intended and surely they were the cause of that sound although there was no glass or fire in the vault, nothing but a chest and someone watching over it- There was indeed someone in here. There was one of her friends. That’s what she should think. That’s what she would think, if the chest was closed. Instead, the chest was wide open, its lock completely melted; if Rapunzel had to guess, she’d say it was because of whatever had been inside the small vial, now mere shards of glass on the floor. The room was bathed in a soft blue glow, illuminating the walls, the ceiling and the face of the person towering over the chest- over the opal. Varian. For a second, Rapunzel thought she was mistaken. The room was oddly dark, except for the blue glow : surely this wasn’t her friend, it had to be someone else, and even if that would be far more alarming it would be better in a way. Everything would be better than seeing Varian’s blue eyes staring at the opal gently floating in front of him, seemingly mesmerized. But then she heard Pascal croak in her ear, and she knew this was reality. This was actually happening -being betrayed, the Moonstone getting stolen- and she had to do something. She had to protect the Moonstone and stop Varian now before it was too late. She shared a look with Pascal, and the chameleon on her shoulder immediately understood, going invisible before climbing down. With that out of her mind, Rapunzel took a deep breath, air finally filling her lungs again : as she exhaled, evacuating both air and bad thoughts, Varian turned his attention towards her, finally noticing her presence. "Varian. What are you doing ?" The moment their eyes met, the moment she spoke these words, a race against time started. The clock was ticking now, and it was up to Rapunzel to buy as much time as she possibly could in order to avoid the worst case scenario. "Nothing to worry about, princess : simply what I must." Varian's voice was calm, too calm in a situation like this, and Rapunzel hated it. She wanted him to be scared, to be regretful, to be sorrowful : she wanted a proof that he was acting against his will, that he didn't want to betray her once again. She wanted to trust him. So she did. "Varian, you don’t have to do anything. Whatever this ghost girl has told you, it's all lies : she's only using you as a tool.” Chancing a small step forward, she extended her hand, “Please, let me help you." She had been expecting many responses -denial, lashing out, pleading-, but the chuckle that escaped Varian was not one of them. The sound of it wasn't malicious or condescending, but genuinely amused instead : it reminded the princess of the afternoons they would spend together, exchanging jokes and funny memories. "Oh no- you've got it all wrong, princess. Well, except for one point," He replied with a smirk, "I am afraid I have indeed been using him as a tool." Rapunzel's brain stopped completely. Him ? What...? All this time, she had been afraid the ghost would use one of them to reach the Moonstone. All this time, the princess had been so sure their enemy was trying to divide and conquer. She had never thought she would only conquer, never thought she would use one of her friends that way. But as realization crashed into her, Rapunzel had to face the horrible truth that the person right in front of her had not betrayed her, for the sole reason that they had never been her friend. "Who- are you ?" She whispered, her voice gone because of the shock. This- this couldn't be. Varian was- he was- "What have you done to him ?" "Don't look at me that way. I needed a body, and your little friend here appeared to be needing some sort of break. It is an arrangement, if you please." 'Varian' replied, and Rapunzel wasn't sure if she was more horrified by the fact that a child -her friend- was being possessed or by the casualty with which the ghost had told her the news. "As for my name, it would be rather difficult to provide you with an answer : you see, I was given many names throughout the centuries, tales or even forms I have taken." She waved Varian's hand -no, her hand because Varian was no longer in control of his own body, if he was even there- with a knowing smile. "A warlock. A demon. Even a blizzard. But I think most of your kind knows me as-" "Zhan Tiri." Rapunzel whispered. "Indeed." The demon replied with glee, as if Rapunzel's heart wasn't sinking in her chest, as if her whole worldview wasn't being shattered. Zhan Tiri was real- she was there. She had taken over Varian's body, and was using her friend to take the Ultimate Power for herself. What was she supposed to do...? "Now, if you'll excuse me-" Rapunzel felt her heart stop as the demon outstretched her arm, reaching for the floating opal. At that exact moment, Pascal reappeared next to the chest, sending his tongue right into Zhan Tiri's left eye : the demon stumbled back, more surprised than actually hurt, and Rapunzel didn't waste a second. Throwing her air, she caught one of Zhan Tiri’s wrist, restraining her and keeping her from going anywhere near the Moonstone. The demon was however quick to respond, grabbing one of her alchemy ball and throwing it at the princess. Rapunzel heard Pascal shriek in fear but she was quick to step aside, avoiding the pink goo as it expanded on the floor. When she brought her eyes back to the demon however, it was to see that Zhan Tiri had managed to get ahold of Pascal during their short fight, holding the chameleon with her free hand. "I advise you stand down, Sundrop." The demon laughed, and Rapunzel quickly thought of her options. She was all alone with a demon who was possessing one of her friends and wouldn't hesitate to hurt the other; no one ever went to the vault and the next shift, which was Cassandra's, wasn't before another ten minutes. Could she hold on that long without getting any of her friends hurt ? As if she had read her mind, Zhan Tiri's grip on Pascal tightened, urging the princess to make her choice. "Well ? What will it be, Sundrop ?" Rapunzel watched in horror as Pascal let out small croaks of pain and terror in Zhan Tiri's vicious grip, the demon threatening to hit him on the sharp side of the chest. "Let him go, please !!" Rapunzel blurted out, unable to stand the thought of her best friend getting severely hurt, or worse. "Let both of them go." Zhan Tiri only loosened a bit her grip on Pascal, eyeing Rapunzel in an insistent and impatient kind of way. With a defeated sigh, the princess released the demon's wrist : the latter immediately opened her hand, freeing the chameleon who ran out of reach of Zhan Tiri. "And Varian ?" The princess insisted, staring at the demon as she waited for her to complete her part of the deal. She couldn't really attack her as long as she was hiding under Varian's skin like a human shield, but once he was free she could- "I can't let the alchemist go for now, I'm afraid : as long as I don't have a body of my own, I will need to use his. I have been doing so for some time now after all, and I don't see the point in fixing something that isn't broken." The demon raised one of her hands to her head, brushing the raven bangs back in place as if she was merely taking care of something that was hers; Rapunzel was fuming, feeling an unfamiliar, unbridled anger surge through her, making her see red. "No- you can't just-" She cried in anger, gripping her hair more firmly : she wanted to fight, had to fight, but- could she do so without hurting Varian ? "Give him back !!" "Oh, don't worry your Heigness," In a smooth gesture, Zhan Tiri took Varian's goggles off of her head and let them fall to the ground, a gleeful smirk appearing at her lips at the sound of the lens breaking on impact. Finally, with all of her enemies rendered powerless, the demon could get rid of her disguise : no more pretending to be this pathetic alchemist. She would show them all who she really was, and they would fear her. "Your friend won't suffer nearly as much as the rest of Corona." Zhan Tiri finished, outstretching her arm and closing her hand around the Moonstone; Rapunzel let out a cry of terror as power exploded, filling the room before everything was drowned in a sea of blue and white.

Finally in summer holidays, I’m gonna make the most of these two months

an animation practice from a bit ago that I never posted