I Still REALLY Need To Read It (I'll Get Around To It Eventually)

tell me your favorite fics

AN EXCELLENT QUESTION! Tbh I'm... idk I wouldn't call it picky, but I have a very specific taste in fic 😋😋 while at the same time I'll read basically anything?? I can definitely list out some of my absolute faves though! (Though these aren't all of them of course, we'd be here all day)

I'll continue under a cut to keep it from getting long!

For Gen Fics:

Gotta start with the OG, Darkness Exists to Make the Light Truly Count by aquaquadrant, this was the first TTS fic I read where I went "yeah this FUCKS". Unfinished and probably abandoned, unfortunately, but damn the stuff that's there is so good it makes me feral

Then I love Labrynths of the Heart by izabellwit, which I binge read in one night, staying up until about 5am to finish because holy SHIT it's so good it makes me insane!! It's funny because I didn't actually meet iza until about a year (?) later but damn was I a fan since day one lmaooo

OH and Return to Me by arcticpersephone owns my whole ass rn, it makes me absolutely bonkers every time there's an update!! The characterization of Varian and Rapunzel especially make me INSANE

There's also Chemiluminescence by ScottyFree, which was a bit of a sleeper hit for me, I knew I was going to like it I just didn't anticipate how much it FUCKS--I really enjoy the uncle Hector content lmao

For a platonic soulmate fix (because I am soulmate trash in all ways) I really loved Tell me, is something wrong by AngstingQueen. It's a really great integration of soulmates into the TTS canon and its GOOD FOOD

THEN we've got Frea the Huts O’ Your Tenant Folk by SiryyGray which just. It fucks. It fucks severely. I loved watching the mystery of it expand and adapt and it drove me BONKERS

Also a recent addition, but The Third Amber by Samuri_Jill is REALLY GOOD I love the apple dad content, it really goes into Varian and Quirin’s relationship and I'm kind of obsessed with it

OKAY I THINK THATS ENOUGH GEN LMAO

For Varigo Fics

FIRST UP is if i hated you (and i really, really do) by miss battybatzgirl, because holy SHIT. Holy shit. Her interpretation of varigo drives me feral, just batshit bonkers, literally anything by her makes me foam at the mouth

THEN we have one iced grande triple espresso by ashdoesfandom aka THE FUNNIEST MF IVE EVER MET!! Seriously, all of ashs fics have such an amazing sense of humor to them, it makes me weep because I can't handle it lololol

This one might be biased since they gifted it to me, but We’re Just Ships Passing in the Night, But I Want You Forever by Cayenneavocado is GOOD. IT FUCKS. It's that perfect blend of drama and lighthearted shenanigans that does me in, every time I stg

Then I'd recommend You Say Jump by bean_reads_fanfic! I loved ella enchanted as a kid, so seeing how that concept plays out in the TTS universe was SO FUN! (Also I know this is you but honestly its a good fic so shhhh)

Also!! Varian Stone and the Vanishing Bandit by Hybrix_Hijinx owned my entire ass while it was posting, I've never listened to Juno Stone so it was totally fresh to me and I LOVED IT

AND FINALLY

(Like the moon) I'll sway the tide and lead you astray by chamiryokuroi and ThatOneGirlBehindYou is FANTASTIC if you're willing to be a bit of a multishipper and stray from varigo 😂 in my defense it pre-dates varigo by quite a bit, and it's *so fucking good* not enough people have read this and it's a damn shame

Thank you for the ask!! This was a lovely trip down memory lane lol, lotta stuff I have to reread on this list, it's been too long ❤️❤️

I was born with blonde hair, but by this point it's turned to a light-ish brown that only looks golden and/or red in some lighting, so I just project onto Hugo and give him my exact hair colour. Still figuring out whether or not he'd continue dyeing it well into the future.

As for Donella, I think it'd be fun if she was the only natural blonde in the series. I imagine her in flashbacks to have sorta dirty blonde hair, but ofc eventually it turned grey.

I know everyone under the sun head cannons that Hugo bleaches his hair and even though it would totally be in character and make sense goddamit this series is FULL OF GINGERS LET US HAVE AT LEAST ONE NATURAL BLONDE

Plus, I think it’d be even more gay of him if he just drew in his eyebrows instead

NO!!!! NO!!!!! I REFUSE!!! ITS SO FUNNY IF THERES LITERALLY NOT ONE NATURAL BLONDE IN THIS SERIES. AS A NATURAL BLONDE I SUPPORT IT. HE 100% BLEACHES THAT SHIT IDGAF. HOW IS THAT NOT GAY ENOUGH ALREADY

Also what do you MEANN this series is full of gingers theres literally only like. Ulla and catalina (I ALMOST FORGOT HER IM SORRY CATALINA I LOVE YOU) and the stabbingtons and idk fucking. Feldspar???? I guess???? LMFAOO

And dont you dare tell me “Uhhhm Actually ullas family-“ UHMMM ACTUALLY WE DONT KNOW IF THEY’RE EVEN GINGER. THE ONE DRAWING WE HAVE OF THEM ISN’T EVEN COLORED. YOU GUYS ALL MADE THAT UP. ALSO THEY AREN’T REAL

It also doesn’t even matter frankly bc i don’t even think he’s ginger i think hes more like,, a very reddish brunette?? Like auburn kinda?? I honestly just use such warm colors my brunettes are already kinda reddish, so when i try to add More to hugo’s it just ends up looking red 😭 But its also funny for him to be a ginger because its just another thing to bully him for so i’ll gladly accept that too. Could go either way i guess. Up for interpretation

Hey, I got you ice cream with no cream. It's ice and gay water put in a blender. Enjoy!!

*tastes it and gives anon a nod of approval* not bad kid, add some berries or some shit and it makes a pretty decent sorbet. As long as I don't get drunk from it lol.

Im still gonna keep eating ice cream though >:3

Blonde bitch out!💅✨️🏳️‍🌈

I hate this so much I'm so using this for future fanfics thanks!!

Am I the only one who finds it odd that Rapunzel not only resembles Hugo but also Ulla? Not just in appearance or personality, but all three are people Varian grew to love (in different ways) who, in one way or another, ended up hurting him. It's as if the poor guy were cursed...

did you guys know there's a YouTube tutorial for how to draw Hugo?!

WE CAN FINALLY DRAW THE INFAMOUS UNDERCUT PEOPLE!!! WE'RE SAVED!!!

bitches be like "i love writing fanfiction" and then constantly second guess themselves because what if they're not good enough what if it's cringe what if no one likes it what if people laugh when they see it what if i mischaracterized someone what if i didn't tag it properly what if what if what if

Like me personally I think we should allow Nuru to be fragile every once in a while because she’s literally just a girl. Not in the barely-disguised-misogyny way but in the was that she’s LITERALLY just a girl, she’s like sixteen, she’s a child, and she already spent her entire life cosplaying Atlas and having to be strong for her people, allowing her her emotions is not a terrible awful crime and it does not make her any less capable. If Varian and Hugo can be allowed their emotional complexities and hundreds of thousands of breakdowns and still be capable and ass-kicking then guess what, so does Nuru

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!

Is it just me or did everyone's profile picture disappear after the maintenance?

Need to learn how to draw ruffles better and then I'm def doing this

Someone should draw a shy, flustered Hugo in this dress

Not me though, I can't draw ruffles ro save my life