suspicioustoads

[suspicioustoads]

Stoick's Body Language Toward Hiccup in the First HTTYD Movie

An enormous percentage of communication occurs non-verbally. This explains why text messages or even phone calls cannot compare to a real live interaction with another person. And it explains why watching the body language in well-done live action or animated movies denotes just as much about characters as their words.

The relationship dynamics between Stoick and Hiccup, one of the greatest elements of the first movie, as well as one of the continuing great elements of the second, is depicted profoundly through the use of body language.  Sentences such as, “Stop being all of this,” “You’re not my son,” and “For once in your life, would you please just listen to me?” certainly carry extraordinary power – but so also do Hiccup’s cringes and Stoick’s frowns.

Hiccup spends almost every scene with his father cringing and wincing. Stoick’s body language, however, changes throughout the film, and definitely brings into perspective his changing attitude toward his son. Stoick’s body language shows his ever-morphing view of Hiccup first as a disappointment, then as an unexpected triumph, then as a traitor, and lastly, as an appreciated gem. The trajectory from rough to gentle body movements especially highlights Stoick’s changed perspective and ability to appreciate his son’s unique characteristics.

Always Looming

There are six major scenes where Hiccup and Stoick have personal conversations with each other: the opening scene following the dragon attack, the house scene where Stoick decides Hiccup is going to Dragon Training, the breast-hat scene, the subsequent disowning, Hiccup’s near-drowning, and the final concluding scene on Berk. In fifty percent of these, Stoick towers menacingly over his own son, causing Hiccup to cringe and hunker down very uncomfortably to suffer through chastising. Even other brief scenes, such as when Stoick grabs Hiccup and holds him up in the opening dragon fight, show Hiccup cringing and Stoick yelling.

It is true that part of the reason Stoick looms is because he is seven foot two inches tall, whereas Hiccup is about five foot one. Yet a giant’s presence alone does not make that tall figure so intimidating. In the case of Stoick, though, he constantly leans forward toward Hiccup to glare him in the eye, using his height to appear stern, almost threatening. He stands tall, usually a clear distance away from his own son, and stares down with furrowed eyebrows, squared shoulders, stiff arms, and tightened lips. It gives him a greater sense of authority, and makes him all the more intimidating as he rebukes his son for his actions. Stoick’s body language would make any receptor cringe - and even when he is not glaring down at Hiccup, his son appears to be expecting it.

This appears to be a prevalent facet of their interactions with one another in the first half of the film. If you will notice, even when Stoick uses intimidation as a joke before he congratulates Hiccup on doing well with Dragon Training, Hiccup seems far more accustomed to Stoick’s less pleasant demeanor than his father’s cheeriness – which suggests what type of interaction Hiccup normally experiences with dad.

Physical Contact in the First Half of the Film

As if looming is not bad enough, Stoick’s use of physical contact with Hiccup in the first half of the film is horrendous. The first time we see Stoick touch Hiccup is to yank his son away from a dragon blast - which is all well and good - except that Stoick then proceeds to hold him out off the ground a little bit of a ways from him with one hand, point at the boy with the other hand, and turn his face away to ask someone else, “What is he doing outside?” And when he turns to Hiccup to tell the boy, “Get inside!” he first yanks him in close to stare him in the eye, then roughly shoves the teen away.

  Right after the dragon attack is no better. However, instead of shoving Hiccup, this time he drags the boy a great distance in front of the entire village, not once looking at his son, but just stomping with the boy floundering under his grasp. Given the circumstances of having to save his son twice during the dragon attack, plus needing to deal with the wreckage his son inadvertently caused from disobedience, certainly explains Stoick’s furious reaction. Still, that use of body language and physical contact also is incredibly, incredibly painful.

And even when Stoick is calmer, he never affectionately touches his son. He hardly even touches Hiccup period. Rather, he always seems to stand a bit of a distance away. That might be contextual circumstance, but it certainly creates a noticeable visual barrier between the boy and his father. The closest we come to a friendly touch from Stoick is when he decides that Hiccup will begin dragon training. He plops his axe into Hiccup’s arms, fixes his hold on the axe, and then straightens the boy to try to make him stand properly like a Viking. Even that shows Stoick’s regard toward Hiccup; he definitely wants his son to have “extra guts and glory on the side”, not stand there like a wimp. 

All in all, then, for the first half of the film, the only times Stoick touches Hiccup are to save his life, hold him away and yell at/about him, shove him, drag him, and correct his posture to look like a “better” Viking. And through this you can see that, while Stoick certainly cares about how his son is doing, he is incredibly disappointed and frustrated that Hiccup differs from him. There is no seen emotional support coming from him regarding his son’s struggles. 

Unfortunately, we know from Stoick’s conversation with Gobber that he genuinely cares about his son - he just does not know how to handle him. And thus all his body language comes off incorrectly, only worsening situations between himself and Hiccup.

Eye Contact

Stoick oscillates between never looking at his son – such as when he drags Hiccup away from his mess at the start of the film – or staring too intently at him. If even the eye contact between father and son is dysfunctional, of course there is no way the two of them can connect, listen to one another, and understand each other. The first time the eye contact between the two actually is casual and normal is none other than the final scene of the movie. All other times consist of either cumbersome conversations, uncomfortably confrontations, or incredibly intent remarks.

Doing Well in the Dragon Ring

Upon learning Hiccup is succeeding in Dragon Training, Stoick shifts from being an awkward, frustrated, disappointed dad into an awkward, overly excited father. When he visits Hiccup in the shop, Stoick overflows with energy.

We cannot extrapolate exactly how Stoick and Hiccup interacted during more pleasant moments, but one line within this scene suggests that they rarely have any positive memorable interactions – “With you doing so well in the ring, we finally have something to talk about.” This shows that, for all Stoick loves his son, the two of them are so divided they cannot talk to each other at all. In fact, in one of the deleted scenes, when Stoick was about to sail away on a dragon hunt, Gobber had to stand as an intermediary between Stoick and Hiccup and phrase what the other was thinking but not saying.

All this suggests that father and son almost never have uplifting father and son interactions. Hiccup probably feels startled and uncomfortable because he is not used to seeing his father direct such positive energy toward him - in fact, his first sentence to Stoick is, “Gobber isn’t here” - which could not only indicate Hiccup does not want Stoick to see his Night Fury drawings, but that Stoick’s usually visits the smithy specifically for Gobber, not his son.

And Stoick is ecstatic about finally being able to relate to his son. We see the first “friendly” instance of physical interaction, but even that, I feel, represents how Stoick and Hiccup do not yet understand each other. Stoick, excited, hits Hiccup across the shoulder so hard his son tumbles backwards and falls. It is a violent (if well-intended) hit, just as the sport of killing dragons is violent. It might be a friendly gesture, but it also is just as rough as Stoick yanking Hiccup off his feet or pulling his unwilling son across the village.

It is interesting that for all Stoick hunkers down and excitedly tries to relate to his son in this scene, we still see father and son still are physically distanced from another. If there were any time in the first half of the movie for them to be proximally close, it would be now. Yet it never happens. Stoick, even scooting forward in his chair and leaning in eagerly to talk to Hiccup about killing dragons, still is very far from his son. The two of them are trying, but even their relatively large distance from each other shows that no connections truly have yet been made.

The last thing to note about this interaction (see the gif above) is the awkwardness at the end of the conversation. It is the awkwardness of a failed friendly interaction, and it is the awkwardness of a father completely incapable of dealing with his son on a personal level. Stoick’s eye contact shoots everywhere to all corners of the room, barely resting on his son, and cumbersomely staggers out the door and knocks into some weapons Gobber has left right outside.

After the Kill Ring

Hiccup and Stoick are at their worst following the Kill Ring scene, and every second of their interactions together manifests Stoick’s raw emotions. Stoick is so pent up with shock and rage that he cannot stand still like he does in other scenes. Rather, he constantly agitatedly paces – again, this avoids eye contact with Hiccup – and when he does turn toward his son, it is to advance forward almost as though he were attacking his dragon enemies. Hiccup continuously backs away from his own father, but Stoick keeps pressing forward, eyes bulging, intently staring, pushing for more information regarding the dragons, retaliating against his son’s inexcusable actions. This shows two things simultaneously: Stoick’s determination to end the dragon species, as well as his fury against Hiccup.

Three times, Stoick and Hiccup touch each other during the scene. The first is when Stoick throws or shoves Hiccup into the hall, the boy staggering as his father shuts the door behind him for a serious private conversation.

The second instance, Stoick shoves Hiccup aside and marches, turning his back, away from him.

The third, Hiccup again runs to grab his father’s arm to try to be heard, but Stoick throws Hiccup off his arm so hard that his son flies backward and falls down.

And Stoick, still tight and rigid, towers at his worst, staring down at the boy on the ground and pronouncing, “You’re not a Viking. You’re not my son.”

At the worst of his relationship with Hiccup, Stoick stands the furthest away, shows the roughest physical contact, and looms with the greatest difference of height between them. The spatial symbolism is an enormous representation of the emotional distance between father and rejected son.  The action of literally turning his back against Hiccup and shoving him aside applies both physically and emotionally.

True Tenderness

Stoick saves Hiccup for the third time this movie when he grabs the boy before he drowns. And then he again touches Hiccup before his son flies off on Toothless toward the Red Death. At this moment, Stoick speaks his apology, and here he is far more gentle in his physical contact. His grasp on Hiccup looks firm, but something Hiccup could pull out of if he wants to, and then Stoick gently places his other hand on top. As he apologizes and tells Hiccup he is proud of his son, his body language matches. He recognizes his son’s strengths and can support him – both verbally and through his hand’s unprecedentedly soft touch.

And I find nothing more sweet than when Stoick approaches Hiccup in the battle’s aftermath and cradles his son in his arms. He repeatedly worriedly strokes Hiccup’s hair multiple times before he pulls his son up to his chest to listen for a heartbeat. There is so much fear and care in those frantic, repetitive actions. And the gentleness Stoick shows holding Hiccup remarkably contrasts with his earlier, consistent roughness. His love comes to the forefront visibly now that he respects and appreciates his son’s personal strengths.

Then there is the final scene. Stoick finally demonstrates true tenderness through physical actions. Although he has always cared about Hiccup, he has never been able to express it or know how to handle his unique son, resulting in awkward body language. But here, helping Hiccup limp down stairs, he is comfortably right at his son’s shoulder. It is a change - it surprises Hiccup - but it demonstrates powerfully nonverbally that his disposition toward his son has monumentally changed. Here is the tenderness, the support, and the appreciation for his son that has been tactile-y lacking the entire movie. The two are close, side-by-side, the touch kind rather than rough, gentle and supportive rather than cold and rebuking.

And even when Hiccup turns to talk to other individuals, Stoick remains firmly by Hiccup’s side, a lot closer than he has stood to his son at any other point in the film. And his height is no longer intimidating – he is a supporting, rather than frightening, tree protecting his only child.

Brief Comments Regarding the Second Movie

Stoick is very tactile within the second movie toward the “Pride of Berk,” and also with his wife, Valka. He tucks Hiccup under his shoulders multiple times, all of it very casual, and given Hiccup’s reaction, he is used to this. This demonstrates that Stoick probably actually demonstrates a lot of affection naturally through touch, and retrospectively makes the lack of physical interactions between his teenaged son and himself from HTTYD 1 all the more awkward and broken. It also demonstrates just how well he has connected to his son - although Stoick still sometimes misinterprets his son or disagrees with him, the relationship is undeniably strong and full of love.

Truly the relationship between Hiccup and Stoick is powerful in so many senses - as a narrative, as a depiction of familial love, as a story of personal growth on both sides of the relationship. The body language is so well done in both movies depicting the complexities of this father-son bond. Which is why, as I see it, it is so unforgettable.

[suspicioustoads]

[suspicioustoads]

As it turns out people come with a finite amount of bones. This is greatly disappointing.

[suspicioustoads]

Zoozve, my beloved

[suspicioustoads]

Bones, you say?

I got that temporary sadness in me

[suspicioustoads]

Today I was reminded of a work incident from a few years ago, so let me tell you about the Infamous Shit Circle.

It's 2020. I've recently returned home from college after the dorms were shut down due to pandemic reasons and needed a job to financially and emotionally sustain myself. I ended up working at a provincial park campground (while this was arguably the worst job I've worked, it was also the most beautiful place I've worked at. We take our wins where we get them).

The world is pretty insane and where does everyone escape to when they want to pretend everything is fine? They get lost in the woods for an undetermined amount of time.

Aka they go camping.

When I say everyone was looking for an escape, I mean *everyone.* Anyone with a tent and a dream was out there, especially the highschoolers. Specifically, the highschoolers who weren't allowed to party like usual (again, pandemic restrictions) but needed some sort of outlet. Partying in the woods was that outlet. Technically the campground shouldn't have allowed this but frankly, my bosses didn't care and I wasn't paid enough to rock that particular boat. Nor was I paid enough to deal with the outcome of their parties.

Picture this. You're driving the little gator loaded with cleaning supplies up to campground loop C. It's the most "in the woods" area you can get, furthest away from the lodge and campground spots are far enough away from each other you could reasonably not see or talk to anyone else for your whole stay and that'd be normal.

The first thing that hits you is the smell.

It's the woods, campground outhouses are nearby, sometimes you'll just catch a wiff of feces but this? This is bad. This is worse than bad. This is offensive. This is a violation of the Genova Convention.

(Fun fact! When you smell something, it's because you're smelling the particles of that something in the air, which is now in your nose, triggering all those lovely olfactory senses.)

You hope to god that this stench is just the result of an animal's stomach ache, a freshly emptied RV waste tank, but you know it isn't.

Then you see the toilet paper.

Streams of toilet paper trail up the road, dangling from trees like poorly hung streamers at a 5 year old's birthday party.

All leading up to one campground you'd already heard about this morning. The campground that'd been cause of multiple complaints throughout the night. A group of 18 to 20 somethings, responsible for excessive noise, disrupting campground neighbors, making a mess of the place, all things that you'd come to expect from party hard campers. You wonder what those noise complaints specified, but now you don't really want to know.

You pull into the campsite and for the first time all summer, you geniunely consider quitting on the spot.

In the middle of the campsite is an almost perfect circle of Human Feces. It's like a group of people got into a circle, popped a squat, and collectively experienced the Sugar Free Haribo Gummy Bears Colon Cleanse.

It got worse. There was more shit outside the campsite, creating a nice little border. More toilet paper hung from the trees, some of it clearly used. Empty beer cans, food wrappers, and other garbage was strewn through the trees.

So what do you do? What do you do after witnessing the aftermath of a remarkably shitty party?

You drive back to the shop and get the big shovel.

[suspicioustoads]

When I was in Italy, I saw the cutest little ice cream truck (or vespa?) I knew then and there that I had to draw it with Kiki delivering ice cream (made of fish) to the kitty cats! High res image and art videos on my Patreon~

[suspicioustoads]

hope is a skill

[suspicioustoads]

Stay around, if not for the hope of a better future than out of spite to create a better future.

It's OK if you’re not OK right now. I’m certainly not. Mothman isn’t. We’re devastated. There’s a hollow crater in my chest where my heart ought to be. I’m sick with worry. But I can’t let it consume me. So we’re going to allow ourselves to grieve and then find actionable ways to counter what lies ahead.

That will look different for everyone, but one thing that will be universally required in the days and years ahead is compassion and an unshakable commitment to kindness.

We will help each other through this. We will find ways to help other people. We will protect the people we love and even those we don’t to the best of our abilities. Because that’s the only option we have.

We will do it angry, we will do it sad, we will do it terrified. But we will do it.

Please be gentle with yourself. Please don’t do anything to harm yourself. The world needs your light. It needs your anger and your hope. It needs you.

[suspicioustoads]

holy SHIT that's genius

really helpful technique ^ once you know how to divide by halves and thirds it makes drawing evenly spaced things in perspective waaay easier:

[suspicioustoads]

there are places you haven't been where you already belong

[suspicioustoads]

Blood is thicker than water

[suspicioustoads]

How fleeting are all human passions compared with the massive continuity of toads.

Still got bogs? Still got flies to munch? We're good then.

[suspicioustoads]

Coming here from Pinterest to tell you that we all fucking love you over there

One of you fuckers needs to come over here and buy my god damn watch

[suspicioustoads]

Check out my ongoing comic Crow Time. It has crows, and also neat pantheons of epic beasties.

[suspicioustoads]

I’ve learned I like water bottles that look a little bit like nipples

I’m not straight, by the way

[suspicioustoads]

Your bones are wet. Want me to dry them for you?