Varigo Shipper Like Me Are Hungry For Hugo To Wear A Green Dress

I think I'm too far gone in this fandom. If you asked me who my favourite character was back when I only knew about the movie, I'd probably say Rapunzel or Pascal. Now if you ask me the same question I'll say the eternal library.

(Trying to rant, hope this makes sense lmao)

Honestly I think one of my absolute favorite things about Vat7k is everyone’s different interpretations of the characters.

Because Vat7k centers around an idea rather than an actual piece of media and is on the smaller side of fandoms, it not only means everyone gets a lot of creative freedom, but also that you *will* see *all* of that creative freedom being exercised cuz there’s only a handful of creators. You see the same people over and over again until you recognize who they are and what they usually put out and how they usually characterize everyone.

I LOOOVE seeing all the different fonts these characters come in. There’s so much to do with how Varian-Yong-Hugo-Nuru can be characterized and then therefore how they interact with eachother. I will see someone have the exact opposite interpretation of a character or dynamic than my own, and I’ll just be like “Not how I see it personally, but I completely see where you’re coming from and I love it”.

Some people focus more on the serious, dark, creepy parts of the story. Some people focus on more on the comedic, light, slice-of-life parts of the story. Some people lean as close to ‘canon’ as possible while some people headcanon everything to be as suited to their specific taste as they can. And there’s a lot of in-between with all of those, obviously.

I just think it’s all super fun and I haven’t really seen anyone bring this up before.

i imagine team radical has a group dynamic of two sheltered nobles (varian & nuru) and two travel experienced civilians (hugo & yong)

with my personal hc that yong, surprisingly enough, had his decent share of traveling cuz his family's firework business perhaps includes importing their goods to other kingdoms for celebration purposes and yong tags along in some, especially how in a lotta asian families bringing their kid along to learn the ropes of the business at a young age is quite common (also hence why his parents were probably okay with him traveling with varian)

and a part of me wants varian and nuru to have that bi/lesbian loser duo dynamic where if you let them execute smth together, they somehow manage to fumble the bag, like how long will it take two sheltered geniuses to do a simple unassuming task ? the answer may shock you... it's the overthinking of it all <3—and there are days it frustrates tf out of hugo to educate those two but there are days when he's feelin silly and tells yong to not say a word even tho the lil guy wanna inform them so they wont embarrass themselves

vat7k fans that insist Varian should always be the dom/top one and Hugo always be the sub/bottom one to the point they're shoving it as the "only correct way" to interpret their dynamic on everybody else's throat needs to stfu

it's okay for them to switch alternately who tops and who bottoms—they're scientists ffs, and if we're being for fuckin real rn they'd both totally be interested and 100% down to explore every options they have on the table

because at the end of the day, they're equals ffs—heck, them mutually switchin just further greatly elevates showcasin the level of trust and openness they're willing to give each other when they're being deeply intimate and vulnerable together

so i need that stubborn and entitled crowd to stfu, thanks

headcanon that Varian picks up on a few ingavarrian swears solely cuz he hears Hugo mutter them all the goddamn time. Does he know what it even really means in slang terms? Who knows—but it totally takes Hugo off guard to hear the other alchemist say it out loud directly at him one particular time when he was exceptionally pissed at his lil shit antics. He truly never fails to surprise the blond

I just read this it was absolutely amazing

never underestimate the power of positive feedback on an ao3 author.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/65079025

fanfic complete

This is just making me want to write a fic abt Hugo's backstory but I gotta wait until I finish the rest of Vat7k which will be like two different fics 🥲

Random idea that's been living in my head rent free and I needed to yap about it even a little: Hugo doesn't have wanted posters. Like at all. Donella made sure to get rid of all of them because dealing with her employee/son being wanted in like a million towns and kingdoms and whatever would just be a hassle. Donella did keep at least one of them, maybe Hugo's very first since he started working for her. So if in one of the trials (maybe the iron trial) Varian finds Hugo's wanted poster in Donella's base... I really wanna figure out what would happen

I really like analyzing Varigo, one thing I've noticed recently is how different their approach to romance (and human connections in general) really is, but also how they're pretty much the perfect foils in this regard.

Varian grew up sheltered away in their mansion. He didn't have much clue about socializing, so when Rapunzel came to him, he gives all of them proper respect (calling Rapunzel "Princess", Eugene "Flynn Rider", as in the full name). You could assume it's because of his dad; later when the two confronted each other, Varian called him "Sir". Probably because Quiring taught him to be respectful of others, and they both clearly take this social rule rather seriously.

So then Cassandra comes in and saves Varian, for apparently no selfish reasons. She likely just didn't want to have a child get crushed when she could've prevented it, but to Varian, this changes his view on people. Cassandra isn't just a distant figure to respect; instead, someone he could have a connection with. And this is where one of Varian's most essential traits come to light: when comfortable, he treats situations like an experiment. He immediately starts calling her by a nickname, "Cassie", to see how she would react. At the day of the expo, he keeps trying out different tactics, trying to essentially just get close to Cassandra. One could Interpret this romantically, but I personally like to think he just really wanted a friend. A lonely kid, seeing someone cool show any kind of affection for him immediately made him go "there could be something here! I need to find out!", and so he does. In his own, nerdy way.

Hugo, on the other hand. He, unlike Varian, grew up having to socialize all the time. Having to talk his way out of situations constantly, he learned to put up walls so that the most desirable results come out, benefiting him and his missions. When he weasels his way into the Team, he also calls them nicknames. In his case, it stems from a need to distance himself from people, so that he doesn't get attached. One slight exception though is Varian, as Hugo seemingly not only uses nicknames on him to keep up built-up walls, but to get a reaction out of him. This is very similar to how Varian approached Cassandra when he was younger. He's interested in Varian from early on, and he handles this in his good old Hugo fashion, because he finds Varian entertaining. Varian at first doesn't trust Hugo, but when he proves himself trustworthy, he gives in. He's willing to reach out, making Hugo more than a means to an end. Eventually, the two become friends! Then more than friends!

And then, their approaches change.

I'd like to think that it was Hugo, who fell first. Or at the very least, he's the first to realize it, and he HATES THIS. His flight or flight is activated, and he really wants to flee. He's the type to ignore his feelings, try to bury them. That's all he knows how to do, really. Especially because for what could be the first time in his life, he's actually falling for someone who is his friend. Someone who means a lot to him! He wouldn't want to ruin things, especially because he knows that betraying Variant will break the guy's heart, once he finds out. Therefore, the less pain, the better.

Varian is the exact opposite of this. It takes him a long time to figure out what he feels, and that it could be romantic (he didn't exactly have the history with romance before. The "puppy crush" on Cassandra could have easily been more of an obsession with the possibility of someone showing affection towards him). But once he realizes that there's a chance that the two could be a thing? He doesn't have to think hard about what his next step should be: he likes Hugo, and he's a scientist. Trial and error is practically in his blood at this point, so if there's even a small possibility of them getting together? That Hugo likes him back? Varian will do anything to find out how probable his theory is. And so, once again, he treats the situation like an experiment. Wasting no time, he tries to confess or bring up the idea as quickly as possible. And Hugo FREAKS OUT. He's not ready!

Varian's other big trait is his stubbornness. He's not satisfied with an uncertain answer. He wants to know Hugo's view on them, as clearly as possible. So he keeps poking around, trying to find an approach that brings out different reactions, different answers as to why Hugo would be scared of them being together. Again. Really similar to how he treated Cassandra at the expo back then. This is the only way he knows how, though. And he needs clear answers.

He gets one at the last trial. Boom. Heartbreak. This isn't about angst though, so I'll end it here.

I find them so interesting. How their upbringing influenced their view and approach to people, to friendship, to romance. To each other. They are both scientists, but one is more afraid of the results than the other.

So it all boils down to the importance of clear communication: another big theme in Vat7k, what with Ulla and Donella setting an example as what not to do.

I could ramble about these characters for ages, but yeah. This is my view on them, I loooove reading different Interpretations in fan fiction though!

“Guys disney is gonna make vat7k this time trust me bro-“ its been FIVE YEARS. LET THE MAN DIE.

Hello I am currently in class and bored out of my mind so here's how I think every tts/vat7k character would draw. Also I included my OCs cause they infect my brain

Rapunzel: Really good with both watercolour and acrylics (is it acrylics that she used? Idk historical accuracy is dead in this series and I don't know paint despite being an artist). She also occasionally uses coloured pencil. She sometimes does lineart, sometimes doesn't, and can draw pretty much anything! Also likes to draw designs for clothes or jewellery she can make.

Eugene: Cannot draw for shit, as seen in season 2, ep 4 (in what world was that a gopher, that was a dinosaur bud). Rapunzel does teach him often, and he is slowly but surely getting better! Whenever he draws himself, he makes himself look exaggeratedly handsome (which he is, but that's besides the point).

Cassandra: Also can't draw. Never really saw a reason to learn, but Rapunzel also insisted on teaching her.

Lance: Reeeally can't draw. Like worse than Eugene and Cass. He has fun though, and that's all that counts.

Varian: Good with sketching, but can't turn it into a finished piece to save his life. Great at capturing specific details in a persons face. He mostly draws blueprints and diagrams, but I once saw a headcanon where he draws team radical in the margins of his journal and I love that. He would def draw his friends and Ruddiger but he'd label them like diagrams because why not?

Angry: Can't draw. Tried and then ripped the paper.

Catalina: I really don't know. I feel bad for not knowing because I love her but I seriously can't figure it out.

Hugo: Self-taught, much like Rapunzel and Varian. He never grew up with many art supplies, so he learned to draw with charcoal, and grey lead pencils literally the size of his hand. He can also sorta culpt, and Rapunzel taught him watercolour, which he did like. He draws realism, but even more realistic than Varian. He only draws people close to him, such as Varian, Olivia, Donella, and Livvy (OC). Took this from a headcanon I found, but I don't remember who wrote it, sadly. Also he draws clothes to make, but he's not all that good at sewing.

Nuru: Can draw star charts, spell circles, and often tried to recreate/redesign old tapestries. She's not the best artist, but again, she has fun!

Yong: Draws straight on the paper with sharpies and highlighter. Eats the pencils.

OC time!!

Livvy: Would absolutely draw in a chibi style. Thinks Hugo's art is incredible (which it is), and Hugo would try to teach her some things! (I'm projecting here because I'm the artist of my family and my sister often gets me to teach her, and Hugo is literally me and my sister was a big inspiration for Livvy).

Melody: New dream kid #1, so she knows how to paint. Talented at drawing perspective.

Ryder: New dream kid #2, but this time he's a massive interior design freak.

Sofija: Varigo kid #1, and they both taught her how to draw. Despite how adorable and innocent she seems, she draws the most fucked up and gory stuff with a whimsical little smile on her face.

Niko: Varigo kid #2, but he prefers to write poetry rathet than create visual art.

Okay this was a lot but I'm done now :D This isn't EVERY character but no way I'm writing for every character (maybe in the future)