Yeah but Crush Phase! Varian is something that needs to be studied, kids, let’s talk about it. (The crush here is Violet.)
“Varian would be way too shy to-“ No he wouldn’t, babe. He’ll take his chances.
Varian is so obvious with his feelings, and you can’t even blame him because he has more courage than most of us with crushes. When he’s shooting his shot, he is shooting his shot and will not pass up any opportunities when his crush is around. Now I’m not saying that he doesn’t feel shy around them at all, because just about anyone with a crush would. But bro knows what he wants and understands that if he doesn’t try, someone else is going to snatch them up. And we all know he’s going to keep trying. Varian doesn’t hesitate, he just goes for it. Any and every opportunity to talk to them and involve them.
Like imagine sweet Varian handing Violet a fresh bouquet of flowers while having a swarm of bees attacking him.
Or like. I firmly believe he can play basketball, and will usually make the hoops. But he’ll be like “This one’s for you, Vi!” and then miss completely simply because she’s there. Basketball games, he’s doing his thing until he sees Violet watching and then suddenly he’s benched because he kept fucking it up for the team.
He’ll name an invention V.I.O.L.E.T. but don’t ask him what it abbreviates because he just wanted an excuse to name the whole thing after her.
He tries leaning on a wall like “Hey Vi 😎” but falls over because he wasn’t close enough
He could see her down the damn street and will be like “Hey Violet!” waving really big with his dorky smile.
Hanging with his friends and seeing her, he’s like “She’s so cool. Guys I need to be cool.” And is just a mess.
Varian isn’t too shy to do shit, he’s going for it!
Sometimes it feels like the fandom has forgotten what Varian is actually like. He can be assertive/proactive and is very goal driven. The character will go above and beyond to prove his worth to others when he wants their approval/respect. Validation is very important to him. Though this also leaves him susceptible to abuse if anyone decides to take advantage of this for personal gain. It's like his confidence is a little feigned? But this glimpse of his insecurity is what makes him endearing. This is why he fumbles so hard when he tries to show off. On the subject of romantic feelings. He doesn't have to perfectly understand his own or other character's feelings. He probably learned a lot about romance from the media that he consumes. Which is likely incredibly idealized. This doesn't make him oblivious. He can be contradictory or selfish from time to time, but he is still somewhat self aware when he does mess up. However he does have some admirable qualities that would help him forge a healthy relationship with someone. The series proved that Varian has some respect for personal boundaries. When Cassandra asked him to not call her Cassie he never did it again even after receiving permission to do so. I do understand why Varian gets portrayed the way that he does in some fanworks. Shyness is a personality trait that is normally attributed to cute dorky characters. Though I can absolutely see Varian being shy or uncertain from time to time. It's hard to see it preventing him from taking action. Since those who don't take risks accomplish nothing. He'd rather try and fail than not try at all. That is the mindset of a scientist.
THIS. THANK YOU.
