haven application.

[panhandled]

Name: Megan
Contact Info: mercurialfelines or flufflekittens@gmail.com!
Other Characters Played: n/a
Requested apartment: With Rapunzel, preferably!

Character Name: Eugene Fitzherbert aka "Flynn Rider"
Canon: Tangled
Canon Point: After being tricked by the Stabbington brothers and arrested by the Corona guards.
Background/History: Wiki link!
Personality:

Eugene Fitzherbert is an orphan. As a child he had nothing to his name, not a family or a home or wealth. This is far from the most important thing about him, but it does inform some of his actions. All he did have were quick-wits, charm, the Tales of Flynnigan Rider (an adventure book he used to read to the other children in his orphanage, which displays some of the hidden compassion in his nature), and a desire for more. He took on the identity of his swashbuckling hero, styling himself Flynn Rider, although unlike the hero Flynnigan, Flynn was a thief. Arrogant, selfish, cocky, and primarily concerned with money. For the first half of the movie, Flynn cares only about regaining the stolen tiara from Rapunzel so he can be on his way. His dream was to have a private island, be alone, and have enormous piles of money surrounding him. Later he admits that Flynnigan Rider sounded like the best thing to a kid with nothing because he seemed to have everything, and he wanted to be able to do the things he hadn't been able to, growing up. Still, he also did just want an island with enormous piles of money, he even said so in the song "I Have A Dream". In other words, kind of a douchebag. A handsome, clever douchebag.

But it becomes clear over time that douchebag Flynn is more than his facade, the clarity beginning once he admits to Rapunzel that his real name is Eugene Fitzherbert. This admission comes when they both think they're going to die. Before his (presumed) death, Flynn - that is, Eugene - says that at least one person should know it. And when Rapunzel says she likes that name, it gets a genuine smile out of Eugene. They don't die, then, but that step of admitting his real name to Rapunzel is a huge one for Eugene's character development. He had never told it to anyone since leaving the orphanage and changing his name to that of his childhood hero. Admitting his name as Eugene Fitzherbert begins to unlock his good-hearted, compassionate side that was buried beneath selfishness and greed. Over the course of his time with Rapunzel, the facade fade-- from him beginning to legitimately care about her enjoying her birthday and about her achieving her dream to see the lanterns up close, to going so far as to find them a boat so she would have the very best view of the lanterns possible. Flynn Rider wouldn't have bothered with such a touchy-feely thing. The thief had only tried to get Rapunzel to change her mind and go home and return the stolen tiara, going so far as to take her to a known den of rogues to try to frighten her out of pursuing her dream and allowing him to much more quickly accomplish his. Eugene Fitzherbert "saw the light", so to speak, and realized that there are more important things than money and being alone-- like being with someone he cares about. He even spends the entire day with her leading up to the lanterns unprompted, and without complaint. The "without complaint" part is rare for him, in the movie.

Eugene is the straight-man, a common-sense deadpan normal guy in a world where girls have magical healing hair, horses battle runaway thieves with swords (the hell, Max), and ruffians sing about cutesy dreams after being given heartfelt speeches from lost princesses. Despite being an orphaned thief with a false identity, he is possibly the sanest person in the entire film (maybe the entire kingdom). While he puts on dramatic airs when he first meets Rapunzel ("I know not who you are, nor how I came to find you, but may I just say... Hi. How ya doin'?") he reverts to a deadpan when Rapunzel tries to be just as dramatic with him ("Something brought you here, Flynn Rider. Call it what you will... fate... destiny..." "A horse."); he states that he doesn't sing when the ruffians try to get him to sing about his dream, though he does so once he's at sword-point because he's practical in his core and doesn't like being stabbed; his reactions to pretty much everything Rapunzel does in between the deal they make and until they nearly drown is literally to just stare blankly and irritably at her and to occasionally try to convince her to turn the hell around, give him the tiara, and then part ways amicably.

Not that having common sense stopped him from, y'know, backstabbing guys called the Stabbington brothers or from climbing a random tower he stumbles upon, but.

With a healthy dose of deadpan common sense often comes with an equal helping of sass. Eugene is more than a little prone to sarcasm, or at the very least has a habit of not responding with more than an ounce of seriousness at any time, save a few more unfortunate moments (such as when he figures out Rapunzel is in danger, or when he's been stabbed-- though both are beyond his canon point). He does also manage seriousness when he's speaking to Rapunzel sometimes in things other than unfortunate moments, such as when he talks to her about being trapped in her tower, or tells her the story of poor orphan boy Eugene Fitzherbert, or when he tells her that the good things about dreams is that when you realize one, you get to find another one. These moments of seriousness and compassion are very real, but they are also things that nearly have to be earned. No one had ever gotten close enough to win them from him before he met Rapunzel. In general, Eugene is not always the most serious of people. He is lighthearted and good-natured (when not in a grumpy mood due to tiny blondes blackmailing him), just as he is clever and of quick wit. He is a laid-back man at heart, never quick to anger (frustrate, maybe) or be otherwise upset. For all his faults, Eugene is a level-headed man and good under pressure. Maybe not fantastic when faced with pure absurdity (see: her hair glows AND EVEN HEALS, how can you not freak out about that).

There are two types of heroics-- the swashbuckling, arrogant heroes who are nothing more than that in name, and then there are heroes that do things to help people. Eugene aspired to be the former, as Flynn Rider. The adventurous, lovable rogue-type (though "lovable" didn't seem to work out since it appears no one liked him, at least at the time when he and Rapunzel were cornered in a canyon). By the end, however, he evolves into an actual hero as he races to save Rapunzel and then to free Rapunzel of her obligation to heal him or keep Mother Gothel young by slicing off her healing hair as he lay dying (which could be also considered a final "fuck you" to the woman who mistreated Rapunzel and then stabbed him)-- these events occur after his canon-point, but it's clear that he has the potential for greatness. Such as giving up the tiara, the thing that had been his motivation for accompanying Rapunzel in the first place (which backfired badly, but the thought was nice). That is something that has happened at his canon-point. Eugene actually decided to give up the thing that had been his motivation for the entire film up to that point, trying to return it to the Stabbington brothers so he could return to Rapunzel and live out his new dream (though obviously this didn't actually work). See, Flynn Rider would have only saved his own skin and ran off for riches; Eugene Fitzherbert fell in love with a girl and did everything in his power to save her and her freedom.

But it should be said that Flynn isn't just some alter ego with nothing in common with Eugene, they are one man in the same. While it took becoming Eugene again to bring out more of his good side, he is still very much the narcissistic and flirtatious young adventurer with a clever wit and a rebellious nature. The difference is just in how they're utilized. It's not a case of good vs evil; even at his worst, Flynn was more cocky little shit than anything else (and so is Eugene, of course). Flynn Rider was everything Eugene dreamed of being, until he realized there are better dreams. But he did realize it, and so Eugene Fitzherbert is both the narcissistic and flirtatious adventurer with a penchant for sarcasm and the good-hearted young man willing to give up his past for the sake of his future and a girl with golden hair. He's grown up a bit.

Abilities/Powers:

Eugene has no magical powers to speak of, but he is a talented thief. Agile and quick-witted, Eugene was able to climb atop a castle and steal one of the kingdom's most precious object right behind the backs of the guards (then sassed them); he was also able to grab his satchel off of another person while climbing over them to safety without them noticing; he climbs Rapunzel's tower using only arrows and upper body strength. He also managed to evade brain damage even though he gets hit with a heavy frying pan enough to knock him out several times within about ten minutes... He knows horseback riding, fencing, and claims to have "superhuman good looks" (but that is just him being him, though he is handsome).

Items/Weapons: His satchel, with a wrong-nosed wanted poster of him (writing vanished, of course), and the stolen tiara inside.

Sample Entry: Here!
Sample Entry Two: Here!