Varian was born with strange powers. Despite Quirin doing everything he could to keep his son's abnormalities from the world, Varian's powers still showed, creating rocks whenever he grew too angry. One day, Quirin's worst fears were realized when a strange, malevolent woman broke into his house and kidnapped his son. For the next six years, Varian is kept locked in a tower with "Aunt" Gothel and foster sister, Rapunzel. Despite Gothel's abuse and threats, Varian waits for the day when he and his sister can escape. Then, one day, a strange man climbs through the tower window...
Light Of the Moon is a Tangled: The Series AU fanfic where Varian was born connected to the Moonstone in the same way that Rapunzel was connected to the Sundrop. Written by Zone Robotnik, it's part of their Hide The Moon Saga, and is available on Archive Of Our Own right here
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Tropes locked in this tower include:
- Abusive Parents: Gothel. Rapunzel remains largely oblivious to Gothel's abuse, but Varian is there to call her out if she goes too far.
- Adaptational Angst Upgrade: Along with the trauma he already had of losing his mother when he was a baby and people viewing him as dangerous, here Varian was also born with the powers of the Moonstone (making black rocks appear whenever he's angry). These powers are what alienate him from his village and what get him kidnapped by Gothel. He spends six years imprisoned in the tower, knowing that if he made Gothel too angry that she'd kill his father.
- Adaptational Upbringing Change: In canon, Varian was raised by his father, who he lived with before and at the start of the series. Here, while Varian lived the first eight years of his life with his father, he was abducted by Gothel and taken to the tower. He was raised by her for six years, and came to see Rapunzel as a sister. Unlike her, however, he's fully aware that he was kidnapped and is being kept from his family. He doesn't tell Rapunzel this because Gothel threatened to harm his entire village if he didn't cooperate.
- A Minor Kidroduction: The story starts when Varian's a baby, and the earliest chapters cover the first eight years of his life. A Time Skip follows Varian's abduction and being taken to the tower, with him being fourteen by the start of the film.
- Animal Companion: Pascal to Rapunzel and Varian. Later Maximus as well, although his role in the fic is much smaller than in the film or series.
- Baby Be Mine: A variant, as Gothel has a kid already and Varian's eight when she takes him. Still, she takes him from Quirin because she can understand Varian's powers while Quirin tries to keep them hidden.
- Big Damn Reunion: Rapunzel and her parents have one of these, along with Varian and Quirin.
- Big "NO!": In order to find where Varian is hiding in the house, Gothel tells him to come out or she'll kill his father. Cue Varian doing this trope, revealing his hiding place.
- Blessed with Suck: Varian's Moonstone powers have caused him nothing but trouble his whole life, and he laments at the end that he doesn't lose his powers by cutting his hair like Rapunzel did.
- Bratty Teenage Son: While Rapunzel is as far from this trope as can be, Varian weaponizes it in his subtle rebellion against Gothel, constantly snarking at her and making it clear that he does not buy her motherly act, nor is he at the tower willingly.
- Brother–Sister Team: Rapunzel and Varian spend six years as surrogate siblings. As such, by the time the two leave for Corona with Flynn, they are this trope in full force. Even though he never sees Gothel as his mother, he happily considers Rapunzel a sister.
- The Cameo: Cassandra shows up at the very end, with her being introduced as Rapunzel's lady-in-waiting.
- Cheerful Child:
- Rapunzel was this, even when she was twelve. Though considering her personality as an eighteen-year-old, this is hardly surprising.
- Varian was this when he was younger. As he grew older, however, his father locking him in the house (and his later attempts to help the village being met with fear/scorn/distrust) started to make him more cynical. After being kidnapped and threatened with the death of his father, he's no longer this trope (having become more of a snarker).
- Chekhov's Gag: The sight of five-year-old Varian telling two imprisoned teenage thieves that they make puppies look scary is funny. Later on, when he learns that those teens grew up to be the Stabbington brothers who remember him and his little taunt... that moment becomes less funny.
- Deadpan Snarker: Flynn and Varian are the two biggest snarkers in the fic.
- Defiant Captive: Varian, unlike Rapunzel, knows that he was stolen from his home, but is made to stay and say nothing about his past to Rapunzel (forced to pretend that he was an orphan Gothel took in) under threat of Gothel killing his father. Despite this, Varian stands strong against Gothel's abuse, encouraging Rapunzel to be creative and adventurous while snarking at Gothel every chance he gets.
- Didn't Think This Through: Rapunzel would fall for this trope a lot if not for Varian being there to either alleviate a worry or tell her why doing something would be a good idea.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: After the emotional abuse Gothel put her through her whole life, Rapunzel is finally safe with her parents. Varian gets this, too; he spent six years as a hostage who knew that his father would die if he tried to escape. Now, he's finally back with Quirin and can resume a semi-normal life.
- Failed a Spot Check: Despite Rapunzel standing right next to a mural depicting the lost princess as a baby (with the exact same eyes and hair color as her), Varian is the only one who can immediately tell it's her.
- Friendly Tickle Torture: When the kids explain their powers to one another, Varian tells Rapunzel that he makes black rocks appear whenever he gets angry. As an experiment, she subjects Varian to this trope. No rocks appear, but Gothel did have to yell at the two to go to bed.
- Friend to All Children: The King and Queen of Corona are very kind and friendly to any and all children they meet, with Queen Arianna even taking Varian to see the royal library while Quirin and the King meet.
- Faux Affably Evil: Gothel pretends to be a compassionate, patient, loving parent... but it doesn't take much for her true colors to shine through. She even tries to continue the act after revealing to both kids that she intends to hold them against their wills for the rest of their lives, then chaining them up and possibly attempting to drug them.
- Generation Xerox:
- Quirin internally acknowledges that Varian looks exactly like his mother, especially when he begins wearing her goggles and gloves.
- Subverted and lampshaded when Varian acknowledges that Gothel, despite claiming to be Rapunzel's mother, looks nothing like her.
- Get Out!: Gothel tells Varian to go to his room when he accidentally/intentionally pushes her Berserk Button.Varian: How about 'Auntie Gothel'?Gothel: Well, I suppose that might be alright.Varian: How about Grandmoth—Gothel: GO TO YOUR ROOM!
- Honorary Aunt: Varian refuses to call Gothel "Mother", so they compromise and he refers to her as "Aunt/Auntie Gothel".
- I Just Want to Be Normal: Unlike Rapunzel, Varian doesn't like his rock powers, as they are the reason why his father had to hide him throughout his early childhood and what got him kidnapped in the first place. He laments to his father at the end that his hair doesn't lose its power when it's cut.
- In Spite of a Nail: Varian is still a skilled alchemist, as Gothel allowed him to continue his work even after he was locked in the tower (although she limits the concoctions he can make, as she refuses to let him create anything explosive).
- Internal Reveal: His first night in the tower, Gothel (after being prompted) explains to Varian to origins of the Sundrop and Moonstone, saying that it's why he and Rapunzel have their powers and why she, the only being who knows the truth of the Stones, felt she had to take both of them.
- I Will Find You: Quirin spends the entire six years after Varian's abduction looking for him.
- I Will Punish Your Friend for Your Failure: Gothel keeps Varian under her thumb through this trope. If Varian tells Rapunzel (that they're both being held hostage for their powers) or attempts to escape, she will kill his father.
- The Kindnapper: While told largely from Varian's perspective, Gothel implies that she kidnapped him and Rapunzel because she honestly believes that she's the only one capable of understanding and either harnessing (Rapunzel) or controlling (Varian) their powers, as the rest of the world would likely damage or abuse those powers. Of course, this is Gothel, so it's just as likely that she made this story up to get Varian to trust her a little more. Varian doesn't buy it.
- Locked into Strangeness: Varian's teal hair streak. Here, he was born with it (as it has to do with his connection to the Moonstone).
- Mundane Made Awesome: Going outside is this for Rapunzel, who turns it into a musical number.
- Musical World Hypotheses: When Rapunzel sings to herself about leaving the tower for the first time, Flynn seems confused as to why she's singing. Varian simply comments that she does it a lot.
- Oh, Crap!: Varian when he realizes that the two teenage thieves he insulted when he was five grew up to be the Stabbington brothers and are out to capture him and Rapunzel.
- Parents as People: Quirin is a strict father who tries to keep his son from the world and restricts practically everything he has access to (other than alchemy, which he more or less encourages as it keeps his son's rock powers under control). But this comes from a justified fear that the world around them will hate and fear Varian for his abilities.
- The Power of Trust: When Eugene accepts Rapunzel's and Varian's powers and promises them that he's trustworthy (sharing the secrets of his past and revealing he's not the mastermind thief/adventurer some people think). This is when he truly befriends the siblings.
- Pragmatic Villainy: Gothel allows Varian to continue to do alchemy because it gives him something to do other than be mad about being held captive. She forbids him to make anything explosive, though (mostly because his failed experiments cause enough explosions).
- Rock Beats Laser: Varian brags that nothing can break out of his goo, and that the only way to remove it is with his counteragent. Mother Gothel proves him wrong when she digs Eugene's satchel out with a pickax.
- Sadly Mythtaken: Varian, because of Eugene's fake name, believes that the man who climbed into their tower is the legendary Flynnigan Ride and is more than capable of helping them get to the Lantern Festival and back before Gothel returns. When Eugene admits that he's not the man from the books, Varian understands.
- Shipper on Deck: Varian fully supports Eugene and Rapunzel's relationship.
- Silent Snarker: Pascal and Maximus, full stop.
- Tempting Fate: When Rapunzel tells Flynn that he'll get his satchel back after he takes them to see the lanterns, he asks what's stopping him from just taking it from them. Cue Varian encasing the satchel in goo, something only he knows how to remove.
- Took a Level in Cynic: Varian, due to being kidnapped and held hostage for six years, isn't the optimistic
Adorkable kid Rapunzel meets in Season 1. He's much more of a snarker who can match wits with the best of them. Downplayed in that he's still a bit of an optimist, but its a side of himself he only shows around those he completely trusts (namely Rapunzel).
