Oh Damn, I Just Thought They Paused Production. That's Actually Kinda Funny. The Live Action Remake Reign

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

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

REBLOG IF YOU ARE HELLA BORED AND WOULDN’T MIND SOME CURIOUS ANONS.

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!

Obviously Donella and Cyrus are the two main people Hugo worked with, basically being his family, but I feel like some other soldiers would be pretty good friends with Hugo and they alongside sometimes Cyrus (though he's got a bit more of an important job than regular soldiers) would teach Hugo things Donella couldn't if she was to busy, like how to cook or sew

Not saying Donella wouldn't do this, but I can imagine her being at least a little neglectful of Hugo, and some soldiers might take pity on him

Can't wait until I start properly planning vat7k and then suddenly everything will make sense and not be a jumble of plot holes in my brain

Can't wait until I start properly planning vat7k and then suddenly everything will make sense and not be a jumble of plot holes in my brain

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.

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

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