#tts frederic

-has comedic moments consisting off “putting a tailor in the stockades for a minor mistake” and “stealing his rival’s pet”

-was startled at his own rules, needing nigel to remind him of them

-tried to exile someone for theft

-kept medicine in a vault (while believing it still had power) after he no longer needed it

-ignored a crisis in his kingdom because of guilt and a desire to shelter a young adult

-sent guards to steal from and silence a fourteen-year-old

-lies to, belittles, and puts said young adult in a tower just like her former abuser did (“former” as in the first one, because poor rapunzel has had several)

-said “i promise i will do everything i can to get him help”, inclining that he realizes varian has had a mental breakdown and could benefit from care, and then breaks that promise

-sticks the aforementioned fourteen-year-old in an eight-by-eight cell with a grown man (no therapy mentioned, not even in passing)

-is such a horrible ruler that his people believed he’d order them to mine, and has spread such effective propaganda that they refuse to defy him

-is only mildly tolerable after his memory has been erased

-overrides his wife, constantly, to the point where she hardly offers opinions on anything

This is for a weird-ass story that I came up with in my head where a 18-year-old Varian is experimenting in his lab during a dark stormy night and then he gets up to go get sm. But his experiment is fucked up by some dark entity or some shit so when Varian gets back and puts something else in, he goes unconscious and travels to a fucked up version of Corona...and gets traumatized. A lot. You'll know what happened once you read below the cut. It's like the story Eugene told but majorly fucked up.

This moment really struck me at the time.

But perhaps the reason it struck me is a bit different. Because it actually has more to do with the fandom.

See, when it comes to the fandoms opinion on these two characters, I see a lot of:

a) Hate for Frederic because of the mistakes he made

b) Hate for Cassandra because, "she shouldn't have gotten angry, she had a dad who loves her!"

Like, people celebrate captain for taking Cassandra in, nobody judged him for being protective of Cassandra and getting in the way of her dreams. For not listening to her, for not being emotionally there for her, for lying to her. His mistakes are forgiven.

Frederic on the other hand, does not get that same treatment. Despite the fact the show does an amazing job of showing just how scared Frederic is for his daughter (the snuggly duckling episode for example where you see him worrying just because Rapunzel hasn't come back after a storm).

So, what's the difference between these two situations?

My best guess: adoption.

Media and society often act like the selfness act of taking on a child that is not your own excuses you of any mistakes you make after that. He gave you a home after all, isn't that enough?

I know this is something engrained at a society level by the way, I'm not judging anybody as an individual for not realizing this.

But it really is unfair on both characters. Of course Frederic made mistakes but he ultimately loved his daughter, that doesn't mean Rapunzel didn't have a right to be angry at him.

And of course Captain loved Cassandra, that doesn't mean he was a good parent and Cassandra is allowed to be upset by the mistakes that were made.

She deserved a parent, she got captain, and she doesn't owe captain any more gratefulness than a none-adopted child does.

You woul't say to a child, hey, stop judging your parents, they could have just abandoned you as a child!

So don't tell an adopted child, hey, stop judging your parent, they could have not adopted you!

Anyway, there was a bit of a rant/ramble. I love all of these characters, I think flawed characters are great.

Honestly, all of Frederic’s shortcomings are too easily explained away because the show uses Varian as a scapegoat. Frederic hiding the knowledge of the black rocks until they are literally starting to destroy the captial? Somehow he convinces the angry townspeople to turn against the one person actually working on stopping the rocks. Frederic sending disguised guards to harass Varian in his already destroyed home? Completely overlooked in favor of Rapunzel just being angry about being lied to. Even Rapunzel uses Varian as an excuse to lesson Frederic’s actions when Frederic even dared to try to take responsibility for his mistakes.

Varian didn’t cause the rift between Frederic and Rapunzel. It was Frederic’s lies that caused that rift. It’s Rapunzel’s inaction until she literally couldn’t not ignore the black rocks that’s part of the problem. The townspeoples’ rage about the black rocks destroying their homes and livelihoods shouldn’t have been “solved” by directing that anger on a single teen. Frederic was WAY more responsible for the conflict in S1 than Varian was. All Varian did was allow his sorrow turn into rage, borned from the desperation that was forged by Frederic and Rapunzel actions and inaction.

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Rapunzel: shouting from her tower balcony “Help! Help! Someone call CPS! Oh sun, the walls are closing in again. Eugene, hurry up!”

Frederic: “At first Rapunzel wasn’t very happy about it. But now she loves it! And our relationship is stronger than ever before.”

Rapunzel: “Dad I swear. When I get out of here, I’ll make you wish I’ve never come back!”

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Varian: banging on storage room door “Dad? Are you there? The door fell closed and I can’t get it open anymore. I think it’s stuck. Hello? Please let me out! It’s so dark in here...”

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Meanwhile outside of Corona

Cassandra: feels a foreboding shiver run down her spine “Does anyone else hear boss music?”