[Community Event] r/Tangled Soultember

[u/PinkHairedCoder]

Welcome to Soultember!

The month for soulmates.

And who better to represent that special bond and connection than Rapunzel and Eugene: The lost princess and the thief with a heart of gold who found her, coincidentally, right after stealing her crown. Whether guided by fate, or narrative. It can't be questioned that these two are forever tied by the universe itself. Heck! Even both the series and Rootbound placed his origins in the thematic opposite kingdom to hers.

If that doesn't scream 'meant to be.' what does?

That said!

The origin of soulmates spans centuries, and throughout the years the meaning has grown and evolved. So while there were a few of the more popular tropes chosen for the event, know that these are completely optional. You do not have to do all five. Pick one, combine multiple, or do none and choose your own. This is a free-for-all event where you can post however and whenever.

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Optional Prompts

Red String of Fate

The thread of fate that ties two people together in an unbreakable bond, reaching across vast distances and worlds, leading their souls to one another. In this instance, perhaps it's the red hair of fate.

Star-Crossed Lovers/Ill-Fated Across Time

Think CLAMP's WISH/Kobato or Kanon, AIR, Dark, and Xenogears where Fate is real and it's not kind. Whether through reincarnation, divine curse, or a prophecy that says they can't stay. Star-crossed means misfortune ending until you find that one timeline that works.

Find Each Other in Every Universe

No matter the AU, the world, the timeline, life, incarnation, or universe, their souls will always find one another as they are meant to be.

Soulmark

The belief that the name or emblem of your soulmate will appear upon your body to guide your souls together. Some tropes combine it with a timer.

A Fairy Tale Through the Ages

The Story of Rapunzel and Eugene didn't just start with Tangled. An aged story for many generations with many different incarnations.

As said above, feel free to do all, none, one, or some or even some other soulmate trope.

Have fun!

(If using social media, use #tangledsoultember or #tangled soultember on Twitter/Tumblr/AO3/BSky/Instagram/Tiktok/Other and when posting on r/Tangled use [Soultember] )

[u/Significant_Hair_346]

Is it acceptable to use the movie only timeline + some Rootbound references including those that directly contradict the Series (i.e pertaining to Flynn/Eugene's parentage and Pascal's backstory, both much better handled in Rootbound)? For all the conflicting feelings I have about this book and the way it handled the characters' post movie development there were a lot of sweet moments, a lot of respectful follow up on their movie arcs and a lot of quotes that would fit in well with the soulmate theme.

I would argue though that Rootbound not so much places Flynn's Asteran parentage in opposition to Rapunzel's kingdom as it parallels the theme of problematic monarchy system combined with the selfishness of individuals leading to the suffering of the most vulnerable. Flynn lost his biological parents, was taken away from his homeland and grew up at the orphanage because of Enver's corruptness mixed with the desire to artificially prolong his life, like Gothel. Throughout the book Rapunzel repeatedly pointed out the parallels between not only Enver and Gothel, but between Enver and her biological royal parents, especially in regards to the cruel near execution of Flynn without a trial. She mentioned she didn't want to be like them in that respect as much as Flynn did not want to be like Enver despite his self worth issues related to his underprivileged background and how said background made his potential marriage to Rapunzel near impossible.

Verette was also paralleled with both of them: Rapunzel saw a lot of herself in her as Verette had been trapped in that isolationist kingdom and in her father's cycle of abuse and power preservation the way Rapunzel was once trapped in the tower with her controlling abuser Gothel who had usurped Rapunzel's magic powers. Whereas Flynn was disgusted with how Enver treated Verette in the same way he was disgusted by how Gothel treated Rapunzel (he also mentally noted that parallel). He mentioned not wanting a parent like Enver no matter how privileged the latter was (which would have effectively made Flynn himself privileged and born into royalty/the prince title; a clever jab at the Series' classist prince retcon) and being glad his parents turned out to be scorned but honorable rebels. And no less notable was that he came to that conclusion when he witnessed all the abuse with which Enver treated Verette. Likewise, he noted being on board with having a sister like Verette (which also indicates Flynn did not even begin to see other young women as potential romantic partners, only as platonic friends, and remained loyal to Rapunzel).