Rapunzel

Name: Angie
DW username: picarats
E-Mail: kismesis [ at ] gmail [ dot ] com
IM: hintcoin (AIM)

Other Characters: N/A

Character Name: Rapunzel
Series: Tangled
Timeline: Right after leaving the tower with Flynn.
Canon Resource Link: http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Tangled
Character Background:

To understand where Rapunzel fits into everything, we first must look to a time long, long before the events of the film occur--when a single drop of sunlight fell from the skies and grew a magic, golden flower that came to be coveted by Mother Gothel. She used the flower's magical properties to keep herself looking young. Now, fast forward a couple hundred years to a young King and Queen who are expecting a baby. Tragedy hits them when the queen grows ill, and the city begins searching for the golden flower to heal the queen.

They manage to find the flower, and all is well! For a time. The queen gives birth to Rapunzel, a happy baby with beautiful golden hair. Mother Gothel sneaks into Rapunzel's nursery to try and steal a lock of hair, only to discover that once Rapunzel's hair is cut, it loses it's power. So the old woman does the expected thing and steals Rapunzel, taking her to a tower in the middle of the woods to raise her as her own. Rapunzel grows up without ever knowing who she really is, thinking Mother Gothel is really her mother, and that the world outside is a horrible place filled with ruffians and thugs who are after her hair. All in all, she grows up to be naive, without any real understanding of how things work out in the real world.

Things probably would have stayed this way if it weren't for the floating lanterns the people of her birthplace sent up each year on her birthday. Because those lights mean something to her, as they seem to be meant just for her, and she wants desperately to go see them. So she asks Mother Gothel if she can go--only to be denied. Aw shucks. Well! Once Flynn Rider makes his way up her tower to hide, Rapunzel knocks him out out of fear, locking him up in her closet. Rapunzel hopes to use him to prove to her "mother" that she's able to take care of herself, but once Gothel freaks out, she comes up with a new plan--to use Flynn as a guide, to get her to the lanterns and back before her mother returns. After Flynn tries, rather unsuccessfully, to woo her into letting him go, she offers him a deal he can't really refuse--because man, does he want that crown he stole!--and promises him he'll get it back when they return to the tower safe and sound. She makes it very clear that she doesn't break her promises, and he agrees to her terms.

This results in...a roadtrip! Of sorts. It's not cross-country or anything, but they do do a lot of stuff along the way. Because Flynn quickly realizes that not only does Rapunzel not understand the real world, but she feels terrible for tricking Mother Gothel. If only he could just convince her that the road trip was a bad idea, and that all those things her mother told her were true...

Which is Rapunzel's canon-point. I'll give a brief synopsis of what happens after this, though. Flynn hatches a plan to get Rapunzel to give up, which leads them to the Snuggly duckling. The Snuggly duckling, despite it's name, is a gathering place for burly men and thugs, though Rapunzel convinces them to let Flynn go because everyone has a dream they should follow, and Flynn was her ticket to realizing hers. Then they get chased by palace guards, Mother Gothel realizes Rapunzel is gone and comes after them too, using the Stabbington Brothers as her lackeys...all leading up to Rapunzel finally seeing the floating lanterns, and realizing that she really likes Flynn, and that despite his reputation he's a pretty swell guy who wont leave her.

Flynn goes to make amends with the Stabbington Brothers, but oh snap! They tie him to a boat and send him adrift, making Rapunzel think he's left her behind! Gothel knocks out the Stabbington Brothers "saving the day" and Rapunzel goes back to the tower with her. Flynn escapes prison, realizing Rapunzel's in danger. Meanwhile, Rapunzel realizes she's the lost princess and tries to leave Gothel...when Flynn gets there, Rapunzel is chained up and he gets stabbed by Gothel. Rapunzel begs to save him, and just before she's able to heal his wounds, he cuts her hair. The spell broken, Gothel starts aging rapidly, tripping on Rapunzel's hair and falling from the tower window, turning to dust below.

Flynn dies, but is brought back to life as it's revealed that even though the magic left her hair, Rapunzel still has some of the flower's magic within her. And so, they return to the Palace to reunite Rapunzel with her real parents, and live happily ever after.

Abilities/Special Powers: Her hair has healing properties. It's pretty rad.
Third-Person Sample:

Her breathing is fast, quiet, panicked. One minute she'd been rolling in the grass--The grass! for the first time in her life she'd been able to feel it between her toes--and now she was...here. Sopping wet in what appeared to be a strange pool of water inside a building, the taste chlorine sticking uncomfortably to the top of her mouth as she struggles towards the edge of the pool, pulling herself from the water before sitting herself at the edge as she starts the chore of pulling her hair out after her. She takes this time to look at her surroundings--quietly glad she seemed to be the only one there, as she didn't really have her frying pan with her, and she wasn't really sure how she would fight off a thug without it.

Now, she wasn't really sure where here was, but she did know it was different, and despite the worries she had, it was kind of exciting, too. So once her hair's out of the pool, she gathers as much of it up as she can and makes her way towards what appears to be the exit. She's never heard of this kind of thing happening before. In a book, maybe, but with the way Mother Gothel had made the world sound...well, it seemed like only bad things ever happened out there, and this didn't really seem bad. Just a little odd.

She finds herself wondering if there are other people in this strange, new place.

She hopes that they aren't greedy ruffians if there are. She hopes that they're all helpful, instead. That maybe they would be willing to point her towards the floating lanterns, so she could make it there in time to see them. Because from what she could see, this place wasn't just huge, but it was beautiful as well. Nothing like the dreary stone walls of her tower, painted over in bright, vibrant colors. Painted with suns and stars and dancing that didn't do enough to hide where she was: trapped. No, wherever this place was, it had high ceilings and bright windows that looked to the outside. It was beautiful, and she would hate to find such a darkness hidden within.

First-Person Sample:

So, I've been thinking. I know we're all brought in from different worlds, and that our time here is short, but--I think it would be nice, if we all got together and made something that lasted, you know? Like a mural. We could all paint something, and then even if we disappear, we'll still have a piece of us here. And that way, our friends will be able to have something to remember us by, too.

[ ... ]

I know I haven't been here very long, but I think it would be nice. And who knows, it might be a lot of fun!