#& that's just kinda the events of the first movie & riders of berk!!!!

[spacenintendogs]

Hi rose youre one of my favorite humans and id like to ask you if you want to infodump about your modern au

To give you smt specific, maybe the Snotlout and Hiccup cousin dynamic?

HI MONA U ARE ONE OF MY FAVORITE HUMANS!!!!

i can absolutely talk abt hiccup & snotlout for my modern au 😭 they are soooo important 2 me....

hiccup & snotlout are cousins through their moms being sisters!! (also gustav's mom is their sister too!! they r all cousins!!)

they were close as kids, as was the rest of the gang, & they would play vikings & dragons!! it's how they all came up with their nicknames for each other (save for astrid!)

snotlout's legal name is gary, hiccup's legal name is hirschel!

middle school, closer to high school, was where a shift occured. both hiccup & snotlout want to be accepted so badly, but act on it differently.

hiccup wants acceptance from stoick, his family in general, & wants to reconnect with the gang in general but he's also kinda the weird loner kid who does his own thing & is seen as weird bc he tries to be someone he isn't.

snotlout has achieved "acceptance" by doing what his father wants to a T, even getting cooler & older friends in high school like dagur :) snotlout is in a completely different world than hiccup & the rest of the gang. acts super dudebro jock & still goes out of his way to pester astrid abt dating him but also is more of a bully to the others & hiccup when in public. (don't worry this only lasts until their second year of high school) but it's basically more a mix of how he is in the books & the dreamworks franchise.

however, once they're at a family event with no one BUT family... hiccup & snotlout hang out.

the haddocks have a cool finished basement in their house that eventually becomes the gang's spot outside of the sanctuary but before that, it's hiccup & snotlout's. they don't talk abt school. they never bring up snotlout's shitty behavior. they never bring up hiccup's lack of friends. they go downstairs, boot up a game, & play & act like nothing's changed.

they both in their own minds see how they are at school to be necessary. they're aware of each other's parents & probably know each other better than anyone.

snotlout following hiccup to the sanctuary & finds hiccup & astrid with toothless (the supposed last night fury hiccup has been trying to keep hidden out of fear of the media finding out & toothless gets taken away) that they finally blow up & everything is aired out.

astrid is in this too, bc it's not just hiccup that snotlout stopped being friends with.

this is the turning point where snotlout goes to school, sees hiccup & astrid now sitting together at lunch, and the rest of the gang hesitantly joining them. snotlout looks at his own table & realizes how afraid he is of dagur & his posse. this fear is why snotlout hesitates to go back to hiccup & the gang

there's a second mini blow up at a family-friend get together where the gang are all in hiccup's basement & snotlout is sent down there by his parents to join them (he's been extra avoiding hiccup & the gang lately). he goes down & hiccup just calmly asks snotlout to join them & gives him a game controller, like when it was just the two of them.

snotlout sits & they all play & have a blast.

snotlout's braver at school & even walks in with hiccup first thing in the morning. dagur doesn't give a shit obv & just adds snotlout to his list of targets since he's openly hanging out with hiccup now. a new problem snotlout's not quite had to deal with but he at least has reconnected with his old friend group.

he's not afraid of them.

plus, hiccup takes him to the sanctuary & he ends up getting his own dragon??? like c'mon!! hookfang is SO cool???

they never say it out loud, but hiccup & snotlout understand each other better than anyone, even though it comes with grating on each other's nerves. plus them kinda being openly friends again has new issues between them since snotlout is snotlout & hiccup is hiccup (think like, thawfest, the entirety of their relationship in riders of berk in general) but by the time they're graduating high school?

they can't imagine not being best friends with each other & the rest of the gang :)

[reviewinghiccup]

I really love this blog and I know its focus is to analyze Hiccup’s character from what we are given from the films and shows but do you think he felt some sort of resentment towards the other teens, the village, and even Stoick shortly after the events of the first movie? I don’t recall seeing anything like this from Hiccup (correct me if I’m wrong) since it’s just in his nature to be very selfless and forgiving. However, I’m sure that with the lost of his leg and the people suddenly treating him with respect (aside from Stoick, I don’t think we’ve seen any other character formally apologizing for treating him so poorly before), it must have been a very difficult time for him to adjust to, both physically and emotionally. I might be missing a lot things as I write this but I’m sure Hiccup has plenty of scars under the surface that will take lots of time to heal. I’d love to know what are your thoughts about this, thanks!

Wow, that's a really interesting question. @per4mancecheck noted in my post that the reason Hiccup was able to sympathise w Astrid in the episode Blindsided [Episode 11, Season 4 (Race to the Edge)] is because of his own disability. And that got me thinking about what it was possibly like when he woke up and saw his leg missing.

We know that at the end of the 1st movie, he sorta just accepts it. I reckon that was more a pacing issue and the show had to finish on a congratulatory note. It would be a bit too heavy perhaps to go into his disability thereafter. But the shows don't go into it much either. And from what I know and recall of the episodes thus far, no one has apologised for their mistreatment towards him or that he lost his leg. At least not verbally and not written into the shows.

I have a few theories:

(1) THE PRIDE OF BATTLE SCARS

Maybe it wasn't something he dwelled on, because to lose a leg was better than to lose a life. It could be Hiccup was a glass half full kinda person and he was just glad to be alive.

We know from the franchise that the Vikings take glory in battle scars. And they love a good story that comes with it. And losing a leg battling the Red Death is a damn good one.

I also think Hiccup isn't someone who dwells on things, because in HTTYD 2, it didn't take him long to forgive his mother who left him motherless to rescue dragons. He was just happy to have her back again (like Stoick). No resentment towards her or the dragons. Or even Toothless who killed Stoick. It's like his level of understanding reaches undefinable strides. [Granted he was angry, but not for long. He just gets it.]

A) IT WAS NORMAL TO LOSE A LIMB

Further, it is possible that it wasn't something to think about because it was normal for them to lose a limb back then. Many of them have or know someone who has lost a limb (or their minds). When its normalised, the sting of stigma is neutralised.

B) THE FIGHTING SPIRIT

Its that fighting spirit, that even though they suffer from some sort of physical impediment, that isn't going to stop them from fighting Outcasts / Berserkers or serving the community.

Hiccup must've also been used to "coming short" if you get me. And in a way, he supplements his short comings w gadgets. Like the shield, Inferno/Dragon Blade and lots of training.

(2) THE NO HARD FEELINGS CULTURE

Most of the people around him are pretty unapologetic. They're Vikings. It might be in their constitution to not apologise, with words. Maybe they might w actions. We know in the series "When Lightning Strikes" [Episode 13, Season 1 (Riders of Berk)] when the town mistakenly accused Toothless for the fierce lightning storms, they apologised to him by giving loads of peace offerings. Maybe they did the same with Hiccup and we didn't see it because the episodes only began after he was able to walk on the peg-leg, which could've taken some time.

A) ACTIONS SPOKE LOUDER

For example, when he wakes up, dragons could roam freely. They didn't fight dragons anymore. They believed him. I also like to think, their image of him had taken a drastic turn for the better. He gained a lot of respect and that could mean more to him than an apology. Especially since he's the son of the chief and heir to the title. He needs that respect.

B) SORRY, NOT SORRY

In certain cultures, to say sorry might mean nothing much to them. My cousin is half Chinese, and her mother is not much of a "saying sorry" to fix things type. She might, make your favourite meal or buy a snack you like to make up for it and my cousins accepts that as an apology. Live and let live? Yannow?

But as for Snotlout and Tuff/Ruff (can't recall which) I don't think they would've said sorry or even knew they did something wrong. Either because they were too proud to realise (Snotlout) or too dense to notice (the Twins). In fact, they do make fun of him for it.

BUT HAVING SAID THAT...

I believe you have a solid point. Regardless of what society you live in and what type of person you are, when you lose a limb it is counted as a great loss. Especially, if you could've saved it if the people around you had listened. In a natural sense, I'm sure he must've been at least angry. Life without a limb is tough.

Because of his metal leg, he attracts lightning during a storm when flying Toothless. Sometimes during an adventure, he might lose his leg or an enemy might take it away from him to impede him. I mean, it is weakness in the strictest sense, cumbersome if anything else. But I don't think he held it against the other teens on the island for long because whatever he did during the show for them came from a position of genuine friendship.

Emotion wise though, I too wonder if he has completely healed. You see, Hiccup is very attached to Toothless. Toothless is like an extension of himself. He serves like an emotional support animal. The Dragon Academy, Alvin, Dagur, the Grimborn brothers, etc. they also serve as distractions. When he hyper-fixates on these things, he doesn't seem so interested in his own personal issues. That's probably where the phrase "an idle mind is the devil's playground" came from. And why adults asks us to keep busy, cause when you don't your thoughts could run wild.

That may explain why in HTTYD: The Hidden World, Astrid said "but he thinks he is nothing without Toothless." Because for the longest time, Toothless has made things easier for him. Instead of just walking, Hiccup can now fly.

This statement might be an indication that Hiccup hadn't fully resolved his internal conflict and insecurity. I mean, how many of us young adults have issues that date back to childhood?

I think the internal struggle branches out in the final movie because of the loss of his father. That could be why he wasn't ready for marriage, as Astrid knew the case to be. Because before he can transition into a new position, he needed to first know who he is, independent of Toothless. Leg or no leg.

He also needed to believe in the strength he now had with Astrid. And maybe even why it had to be with just Astrid.

I think he must've carried some sort of scar, that only letting go of Toothless could heal. Because, while Toothless resembled strength and adventure, he also signified dependence. And the only way to know you have recovered completely is to let go of your crutch.

I may be overstepping here, but this is just my two-cents.

Thank you so much for asking this question. I had a wonderful time answering it. Gave me a chance to think about things I haven't yet given enough consideration. Above all, I really hope this answer helps.

[dianagj-art]

i love your fem! hiccup art!!! could you talk more about the betrothal au?? (specifically hiccup and asher)

THANK YOU!! And YES!! What haven't I got to say about these two idiots

Basically the two had have a crush on eachother since they were young teens, so like on the first httyd movie events. None said anything. Asher was the one who tried to mave a move later on (aka. The kiss at the end of the movie, the kiss on Snoggletog, and the kiss on one of the riders of Berk/defenders of Berk episode, I don't remember whitch one) but Hiccup never did anything else but blush bc basically she just thought Asher was being cocky. He was not.

As time passed and they grew to be friends, their crushes got kinda forgoten until rtte events. Asher is the first one to relize his feelings, Hiccup is too oblivious to notice her own feelings. And Asher is now trapped in your typical "I don't want to say anything bc it would ruin our friendship" situation, except he does tries a few times pre-events of the fanfic. But Hiccup either gets distracted by a dragon or just Asher's words goes over her head and doesn't get is an actual confession.

For the games, Berkians are going to introduce Dragon Racing to the other tribes atending, and to a new-ish way to play it, where instead of 5 dragons it's 5 teams playing, so it's more riders on the sky, more dangerous, and also more fun. The gang were going to compete, and Asher had already made up his mind to tell Hiccup how he feels and ask her out after they win.

But this never happens, bc since her hand is being "offered" on the games, she is not allowed to play. And she tells her friends she is not going to participate in any game and gives no other explanation. Its not until Stoick anounces that her hand is being played for that they know why she had been acting strange the last few days.

And Asher enters in a panic. A few of other Hooligans apoint themselves for her hand, (from a group that's a few years older than them), they had already been told that the other tribes are bringing their own suitors and my boy Asher raises up to win her hand too. (that's pretty much how the fic starts)

But Hiccup is too mad with the whole situation to notice "huh, maybe those things he had said where we are alone had a deeper meanng to it" or "wait, he likes me?" and instead just thinks that every single person that is going to play for her hand is just an oportunist who wants an status bust. After all, she is the next chief of Berk, and whoever maries her, will get that title too.

And some of them are doind it just for the status it'll give them, but some other are acutally people who like her. But we are not talking about them.

With Asher, things are a little more complicated, and her anger goes stronger. Because he is her friend and how dares him doing this??? To her!!! He knewher feelings to an agranged maridge like this!! All the gang did! And now he's doing one of the things she spites the most!!!

Anyways Hiccup is pissed, Asher thinks he fucked up and she'll be mad with him for life.

Things happen and Hiccup, the other heirs of the tribes, the gang and the rest of the suitors are strandled alone on a broken ship, without dragons, on the Ship Graveyard. All courtesy of Viggo.

As they try to get out of there and have their dragons back, Hiccup finally gets to actually spend time with the suitors and to know them. She realices she was wrong about some of them, and even when the time was short, she got to know A LOT about them.

Then the adults show up, and they gater to make a better plan to get the dragons. Hiccup and Stoick have a talk alone, Hiccup tells him some of the boys aren't actually so bad and spends some time just talking about them, some good things some bad things then…

Hiccup rants about how in the last day he keept her focused on what was important, and supported her on her desitions, but didn't shy away to argue. But when everyone started to see who was in charge (since the other heirs of the other tribes were also there) he stood at her side with no hessitation, even when she was the younger of the heirs and with less training.

And with that is when realization finaly hits her. "It has to be Asher" she tells Stoick and he tries to calm her, bc now she is ranting on how good Asher could be for the "spot" but also bc she starts to realice Asher probably had feelings for her since before. And she gets very insistent on why it has to be him

And the rest is a surprise for when i actually get to write the fic :3

[kingofthewilderwest]

it kinda bugs me how they cant make httyd3 longer just so they can emphasize the story in a deeper meaning, like your post abt it being disproportionate. httyd3 had a LOT more plot than httyd2 and we can already see how it has to cramp so much and why that makes D2's pace felt pretty fast. the structure of the story is actually well planned.. perfect, to be exact! but the execution like putting pauses, necessary humor, longer dialogue, is whats needed to make it um, understandable? im not sure..

this isnt meant to judge the movie as bad though! but its a question ive been asking why they cant do it longer, for that sake. is it the budget? was Dean really certain the script is okay? or is it meant to be like this so people can interpret the movie their way? (oof that one is confusing).. i dont know, i want to ask about your thoughts on that >

From this.

It’s an interesting conversation for sure! I believe that THW doesn’t have to be longer to be extremely successful in the ideas it needs to convey! The core ideas being:

Toothless cannot be a wild dragon and strong alpha leader with humans. Other dragons probably deserve the respect of needing wild dragon needs, too.

Humans like Grimmel are extremely dangerous to dragons and will continue to arise, so dragons need to go to an area separate from humans to live in optimal peace.

Hiccup and Toothless’ powerful friendship will separate (insofar as physical location) due to the first two points

I know you’re not the only person I’ve talked to who wanted a longer time because you feel like certain elements were cramped, needed more breathing room, or that dangerous plot points didn’t get enough sense of weight. More time would presumably give that flow and sense of scale and danger. Now, it’s true that more time would give us more content to develop these things. That said, I believe solutions aren’t always “add more.” Creating good art isn’t about adding new things; it’s about knowing when to take away or alter, and how to make every second of your creation count optimally.

I remember when I was doing my music composition degree, my instructors hammered into me what would make a good final piece: the editing process of deleting measures - even measures that were really good! - because they didn’t fit what the final product needed. It’s painful to delete, but ultimately, it’s freeing; instead of making a music piece more cluttered to put all possible good ideas in, I can make it less cluttered, more manageable, more beautiful, more meaningful, and more effective to audiences. A better overall piece isn’t putting in every good idea I have; it’s leaving the piece with the beautiful ideas it needs.

I suggest The Hidden World doesn’t need added materials so much as it needs refining what’s already there.

Budget, production green lighting, and carefulness to the script all seem to have been done. HTTYD 3 was given a longer production time than originally planned. They pushed back the date exactly so they could make their best product. Interviews with people like DeBlois and Spielberg (who read several definitions of the script) talk about how much the script was transformed and bettered through its drafts. They did enough tweaking and care to rework the script. As for budget, the movie was 129 million USD, which sure was the cheapest of the HTTYD trilogy to create, but it’s about on par with what DreamWorks has spent on other movies like Home and Trolls - it’s not like there was skimping - and it’s all about making your money count, which I think this glorious, top notch animation quality film effectively did. So from what I’ve heard, I think production ran fine and we can’t question THW there.

I think most of THW’s problems can be solved simply by tweaking how scenes go down, taking a few small elements out, and adding a few small elements in. It doesn’t need time changes; it needs internal modifications to what’s already there. What I propose wouldn’t change much of the movie’s length - though maybe I we could add 5-8 minutes for things like a longer climax.

1. To Feel Less “Cluttered” or “Rushed”

The movie didn’t feel rushed to me or too cluttered, but it’s cluttered. You’re right. In addition to creating less clutter, my suggested tweaks will clear up time THW can spend elsewhere, streamline THW into fewer palatable essential ideas, and give a slight tone makeover that will add more sense of danger and conflict that THW needs.

Fewer humor side gags with minor characters (and less time spent on them). The gang’s antics are fun additions, yes, but that doesn’t mean they’re central to what the plot needs. Spending too much time with them adds clutter and takes away from plot-central, tone-central material. There’s a huge gaggle of gags in THW, more than any movie needs in a less-than-two-hour-long run time. Do we need all these to give THW its comic relief? Don’t get me wrong - I loved the humor - but time needs to be prioritized, and the movie will be improved once “less is more.”

Less time with Tuffnut’s pep talks. This goes with my first point. This comedic gag was lengthy in particular. It’s in part because it connects to the idea of Hiccstrid marrying, which THW does make more central in its themes. However, I also propose:

Spend less time (or delete) the will-they won’t-they marry Hiccstrid plot. THW intends to parallel Hiccup and Toothless maturing into adulthood, including their romantic connections. However, a will-they won’t-they marry subplot in Hiccstrid isn’t needed to create that parallel. Not to mention: it can be uncomfortable to have this undertone of romance as “required” adulthood maturation, and the fact that Hiccstrid are so close and intimate makes it feel “off” that they’re so uncomfortable talking about marriage. Spend less time here, simply make fans aware they’re going to marry in the future but not today, and return to the main relationships THW needs to pay attention to: that of Hicctooth and Nightlight. 

2. To Make Grimmel a Greater Sense of Threat

One of the central points is that Grimmel is extremely dangerous and represents one of many humans that’ll continue to be a threat to dragons. While Grimmel can be overcome, Hiccup will need to interact with Grimmel in such a way he can understand that dragons and humans cannot coexist in today’s civilization without continuing to risk danger, and that it’s best for everyone to live happily in two separate civilizations. It’s not being defeated by the enemy’s oppression, but taking a brilliant countermeasure to give humans and dragons both a better existence.

Making Grimmel feel like a greater sense of threat, and helping audience members understand what Grimmel represents overarchingly of humanity’s current antagonistic state, will help us and Hiccup process why a separation is best. This can be done by:

Show Grimmel’s impact on human society. All we’d have to do is change what his base looks like: it could be located in an area taken over from another human civilization, showing his army’s power and place in this world over humans.

Greater weight placed on Berk’s exodus. The Hooligans lost their home, but it’s played too lightly. It’s not written optimally as an emotionally impacting or destabilizing moment, which decreases the sense of threat Grimmel has. Instead of having the Hooligans excited to find New Berk, show them grieving. They can butt against Hiccup’s ideas of finding the Hidden World, but instead in a way where they’re frustrated at his naive solution and hurt at what they left behind. This isn’t adding time to THW; this is tweaking phraseology and presenting an event differently.

Change how Berk is abandoned. To make the attack feel more dire, threatening, either: 1. Have the Hooligans more reluctant and grumpy to leave in the town meeting, and not play the leaving scene so lightly, or 2. Have Grimmel chase them out of Berk so they have to flee then and there. This might even reduce time! 

Show Grimmel’s power over dragons. We could have a few-second-long flashback of him standing over a field of dead Night Fury bodies, or have his place cloaked in dragon skins or skulls. 

Show Grimmel’s power as a warlord. Grimmel acts in almost a solo fashion, despite cooperating with warlords and having an army. It doesn’t give us a good sense of scale. Show his interactions better with the whole of his forces to make him feel more dangerous, and for humanity as a whole to feel more like a threat against dragons. For example, in the scenes where he’s trying to trap the dragon riders, show him commanding more people.

Show Grimmel’s impact on the dragon (and/or human worlds) through landscape. What if, as the Hairy Hooligans try to find a new place to stay, they fly over several islands that have been destroyed by Grimmel’s forces? Either human civilizations, or homes once havens to dragons, with characters making comment they “hope” people got away. And what if, when Grimmel takes their dragons near the end of THW, it’s again through more violence and a raid and fire and destruction? 

Conversations more clearly talk about Grimmel’s dangers over dragons and humans, and how he’s one of many people that’ll arise. This idea is embedded in THW dialogue, but not clearly enough to fully grasp its weight, especially not in the sense we see characters grasp this. Have Hiccup and Astrid and Valka or something talk about how widely destructive Grimmel is, how even once he’s gone another man like him will take his place, and that while they may continue to fight and win for human and dragonkind, it’s ultimately not the right move to make for everyone to live safest and alive. A conversation laying this out makes a world of difference in our understanding of what dangers are going down and why we need to come to the solution THW concludes with. Again, this isn’t adding time; it’s changing phraseology. 

Add a few minutes to the climax. Make the final fight with Grimmel obviously the final fight, the threat bigger, the action more intense.

Perhaps show that Berk’s done good work changing the world by their choices. Even though Berk ultimately decides to let the dragons go, they are meant to be the voice of peace that changes their world. The good guys can’t resign to letting themselves live under the thumb of bad guys’ choices. Show that they’ve made a difference - Grimmel and his armies are gone and the world is regrowing (no more torched landscape, if we add that element in) - but that it’s still going to help their world by letting dragons go, too… for this generation, at least.

3. To Make Hiccup and Toothless’ Parting Jive Better

Hiccup and Toothless separate out of need - they can’t live in the same place for the better of both their kinds. However, since the movie spends so much time on Toothless chasing after the Light Fury, we don’t get that full sense of need. I propose:

Open THW with a clear Hicctooth sappy bonding moment. We need things like “Forbidden Friendship” and “Where No One Goes” to feel the power of Hicctooth’s love. Give us that starting sense in THW of how close they are before adding in the complications. It can even be done by tweaking how the opening fight scene goes down.

Show dragons profiting by living with humans, but it also being Complicated with their wild side. We need to acknowledge that the relationship between humans and dragons has done the dragons good, too! Otherwise it might feel incongruous with the rest of the franchise.

Show dragons being unfit in the urban area through their own restlessness. The movie tries to show this with Moosie Boi being too big for Berk, and Berk being so crowded with dragons Gobber finds the soup unsanitary. But if we see Stormfly restless and want to leave for the Hidden World, too, wouldn’t this say something more about where dragons are pulled to and belong?

Less time spent on Toothless investigating the Night Fury. You can’t cut this down too much or we’ll feel like rushing, but since THW focuses so much on just Toothless and the Light Fury’s connection rather than an overarching problem for dragons, it’s hard to feel the full-scale issues of the problem. Making it just him and her feels more like a hook up love story than “dragons and humans are incompatible for their needs.”

Change Toothless’ body language. Show more emotional division in Toothless about his conflicting options. Show him hesitant to leave Hiccup and the two interact over that. Show him lonely away from his kind when with Hooligans. Show him feeling that loneliness met - that deep emotional need of being with his own species - when he’d thought was lost to him (rather than focusing on it being a romantic hookup interest). This doesn’t take more time; it tweaks what was already given on screen.

Change Toothless’ emotions with the Light Fury to feel more like loneliness being met than horny boi practicing kissing with a rock. This does a better job of showing that Toothless has a deep need that needs to be met as a wild animal and as a social draconic species.

Change conversations Hiccup has with humans about Toothless’ struggle. Maybe have Hiccup processing less with people and more by himself or with Toothless. Don’t write the conversations with people be about “Toothless has a girlfriend” and “of course he left.” Discuss instead how Night Furies are social creatures and Toothless hasn’t been with his kind in six years - that’s a huge hole in his heart being filled. Validate the deep connection Hiccup and Toothless have, while simultaneously acknowledging the struggle of this moment now. The movie shows that the Light Fury can never be domesticated, so I think that’s fine, but maybe one line from Astrid saying, “I don’t think she’ll come to live with us,” would be enough to help other audience members pick that up too.

More time spent on all dragons being in danger, and Toothless as an alpha unable to protect them with Hairy Hooligans. The story doesn’t show Toothless being much of an alpha - intentional - until he reaches the Hidden World and it clicks. But I suggest it’d be more effective to pull this out more than having an issue with Moose Boi taking up too much space in Berk, and Berk being so crowded Gobber has a dragon in his soup.

Put more of a deal on Toothless being an alpha. You can say that Toothless didn’t understand or use his role as alpha when with humans, but I think showing more sense of conflict, and of an alpha needing to be wild to protect his own, would be useful. Make this an issue for all dragons. The alpha status being used as a blackmail device against Toothless to keep the Light Fury alive could be replaced with us seeing the full species of dragonkind being unable to be protected by an alpha apart from his own people. More needs to be done than dragons bowing to him in one scene to understand what the alpha does for his society.

Show Toothless with more Light Furies. The Light Fury being his singular focus is great. But what about, in the Hidden World, Hiccup and Astrid watch Toothless interacting with a whole group of Night Furies, and he’s clearly in a situation that was Made For Him?

THW already has great content in there - Toothless and the Light Fury interacting, Hiccup crying when he realizes Toothless is fit in the Hidden World, Hiccup freaking out and Astrid comforting him when he feels a low, and Hiccup and Toothless parting ways touchingly at the end.

With these proposed tweaks, we get Toothless and Hiccup’s relationship being addressed deeply from the angle of both friends. We understand what both Toothless and Hiccup emotionally feel, and palatably sense how both love the other. We get a sense that Toothless is attracted to the Light Fury and might want to mate, but that she’s also calling him into a wild life and reminding him that he’s been alone, separated from his kind. We get a sense that it’s not just Toothless, but all dragons who might be called back to the Hidden World. We get a sense that it’s not just Toothless, but his whole role as alpha affecting the entirety of dragonkind.

And once we add in a greater sense of Grimmel being dangerous, and that more humans like him will continue to rise up, we can understand why Berk would release all their dragons. It’s not that dragons hate living with humans - THW can make that clear - and it’s not that dragons haven’t been profited by living with humans. But in the current call, the current situation, it’s best to go to the Hidden World.

I’m mostly tweaking how scenes go down, changing lines and reactions rather than adding material. Feel free to propose a longer movie! For me, THW already has enough space to share its message. Maybe it needed to be a few minutes longer, but I suppose my own sense is that they had enough time to budget in this material, make a smooth-flowing movie with all the material they needed to present, and come away with an astounding storyline.

Like you, this isn’t meant to judge the movie as bad! It isn’t bad! It’s downright wonderful in many aspects. I’m so happy I’ve seen it and can scream over it! Simply, if I were in charge of tweaking the script, these are the first alterations I’d make, and I think it would make THW even better.

[allnewalldifferentwildspider]

Badass Blondes & Dorky Brunettes #02

Astrid Hofferson & Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (Dreamworks’ Dragons Franchise)

“I rely on you.”

Since we started off with a Disney couple I guess it would be fun to do a Dreamworks couple next. I didn’t see the first Dragons movie in theaters. I rented the movie on DVD and got really into it. Then I showed it to my siblings and they surprisingly liked it as much as I did. They didn’t keep up with the franchise but I did. I saw the second movie in theaters and tried my best to keep up with the show when it was on Cartoon Network. I bet a few of you didn’t know that. Yeah, the How To Train Your Dragon TV show started on Cartoon Network. I tried to keep up with it but they kept changing its time slot. A sigh of relief when they moved the show to Netflix.

This one is more straight forward with Astrid being an action girl and Hiccup being the smart nice guy. While he always found her attractive, nothing happened until after Hiccup began to bond with Toothless. Dragons became a part of Berk life thanks to Hiccup, and Astrid quickly adapted. As dragons became more of a necessity, Hiccup and Astrid found their place as dragon riders and defenders of Berk. Their adventures brought them closer until finally becoming a steady couple...unless you watched the second movie first in which case SPOILER ALERT. Ah who cares?

The Badass Blonde

The only thing Astrid loves more than her ax is using it. Astrid’s policy of ‘kick ass, ask questions whenever’ has been prevalent since the first movie. She was so eager to become a dragon slayer and take up the fight. She had a natural talent for it. 

As the years went on, Astrid went from would be dragon slayer to dragon rider. Her attitude towards diligence and practice didn’t change. She trains herself and her dragon for any combat situation. You see her keeping herself in shape for whatever may come. Even after she matured out of punching everything, Astrid is still one the top fighters in Berk.

Astrid’s ability is second to her character. She’s reliable, competent, and a responsible. Its these qualities that made her so invaluable to Hiccup and Berk. Her temper is still there, but nobody’s perfect. Plus if she is mad at you, it’s probably your own fault.

The Dorky Brunette

He’s skinny, a wise-ass, and a whiner. He’s sensitive and considerate of others (which is not a good thing?). He over-analyzes everything, and nobody really likes him that much. I feel like I’m describing myself growing up. Hiccup wasn’t what anybody would call viking material. It was so bad at the beginning that they just tried to keep him indoors so he wouldn’t get in the way of the real vikings.

Thanks to the magic of story progression and character development, Hiccup has grown into tactician and leader. His engineering skills created things no viking could dream of. Academics isn’t exactly high on the viking priorities list. 

Hiccup prefers strategy and talking over violence. He isn’t the most charismatic guy in the world but he can be persuasive. He’s still kinda skinny though.

Their Relationship (Canon)

Being the chief’s son, Hiccup was bound to take a leadership role sooner or later. He can’t do everything himself which is where Astrid comes in. Hiccup thinks of a plan. Astrid gets it going. Their relationship was rocky at first. Astrid was the top on dragon training. Hiccup was not. It wasn’t until Astrid found out about Toothless that she began to see him in a different light. Hiccup, not Toothless. Well him too, I guess, but that’s not what we’re here to talk about.

She gave him more of a chance. She acted friendlier to him in the Cartoon Network show compared to the movie where everyone tended to dismiss him. She saw that his ideas had merit to them. Hiccup wasn’t guessing. He was the man with the plan. He still wanted to know her opinion though. 

Hiccup is also sensitive, not only to himself but others too. He tries to be considerate of others which is another un-vikinglike trait. He always had a crush on Astrid but didn’t treat her like a prize to be won. The difference between the way Hiccup behaved as opposed to guys like Snotlout is another reason why Astrid gravitated more towards Hiccup. Astrid knows she’s pretty, but she doesn’t like being treated like that’s her only quality.

When they finally pulled the trigger and became a couple they actually kept it a secret for a little bit. That little bubble where it’s just the two of them and nothing else was too tempting to let go of, even for a little while. It didn’t last too long until everyone found out. Their relationship was actually well received much to their surprise. Thankfully the series didn’t end there. The Netflix show is still going and they’re still a couple. The tactician and the warrior together against whoever’s dumb enough to try.

Their Relationship (Fanon)

There difference between the way their relationship plays out on screen and on the interwebs can be boiled down to PDA. After the first movie came out there was a lot of fan art of the characters going to festivals, dances, or other events where they had to dress up together. Then the second movie had fan art of the two snuggling or kissing each other on the cheek. Things like that. More little sweet things that you didn’t get to see a whole lot of in the movies. Now that the show has them being a couple, you get to see them behave like that a little more. Now it’s just all about gifs and screencaps.

Fan Art by chromosomefarm

I have to mention however that another aspect of fanon material is that the fans like to portray the couple as having a very...active physical relationship. I bring it up because it is very common headcanon. Even Craig Ferguson, the voice of Gobber, has joked about it.

Theme Song

“Stay” by Eyeshine

This was really hard. I didn’t get any good suggestions so I just went with the first song on my music player that seemed to match. And some parts really do. They’ll stay by each others’ side no matter what.

Thanks for reading. If you like this post follow me or follow the tag badass blondes and dorky brunettes as write some more about a few of my favorite fictional couples.

[mylittlesparklingshadows]

So I spent the bulk of my Sunday catching up on Persona 5 and a couple of tv shows.

I’ve been watching The Librarians Season 4 for one or two eps a day since last week, only got to finish the rest of the season yesterday.

Here goes my random thoughts and commentaries in mixed vernacular. 

Persona 5: Finally the last member has joined my ragtime band of thieves, Goro Akechi. The detective with the ancient name. He looks like a prince but cunning like a fox. I have mixed feelings with this guy... I don’t like him but I can’t hate him either haha. Makatawa lng ko sa iyang reason on why he’s obsessed with justice. Dili daw kay for justice’s sake, or for the society churva. Self-gratification diay iyang peg, for personal reasons. Lolz. My current mission is to infiltrate Detective Sae’s palace which is a casino to changer her cognition about arresting the Phantom Thieves. (That explains the events in the beginning of the game) I feel like I’m 3/4′s already in the game, so I hafta strengthen my party and personas. I spent like two hours wandering Mementos, layo kaau ang next rest area mao nadugay ko. 

Dragons: Riders of Berk: Srsly... where was this show all my life??? It’s one of the best animated series I’ve seen, next to Avatar:TLA and Voltron Legendary Defender. I’m so glad I decided to try this show. Still halfway on season 1 tho... can’t wait to watch the next eps!!!

The Librarians and the Silver Screen: This gotta be my fave ep of this season, rather, the first ep that gave me an “Aha!” moment in season 4. I just love the concept of being stuck in a movie and you gotta play the characters in that movie to get out alive. I can’t remember being amused so much in a Librarian’s episode, I was chuckling all the time. I love the witty banter, the cinematography mimicking the old movies. Jake Stone is at his highest element... singing a country song in cowboy attire at a bonfire on a moonlit night. Perfection!

The Librarians and the Bleeding Crown: I like Darrington Dare. I wish he has his own Librarians spinoff minisode. Flynn looks so cute fanboying over his fave Librarian. Pero walay challenge ang nemesis, sa tinuod lng nagkatawa ko sa ilang away, more comedy than the ultimate battle between good and evil lolz. However, the seeds of doubt has been sown... that there can only be one Librarian. NOOOOO.

The Librarians and the Grave of Time: This ep was all over the place, there’s so much happening and it’s poorly executed. This was an important ep, since it shows that Nicole MIGHT not be a bad person, that despite her immortality, she still has her humanity intact. However everything just feels too rushed.

The Librarians and the Disenchanted Forest: The first half of this ep was good. But went corny by the end. I’ve always wanted to go on a summer camp like what they do in America (we do it differently in my country), it just looks so fun in the movies and books y’know! The romance is also half baked. But I still get kilig sa da moves ni Jake. What a dreamy guy. *le sigh* Pero bitaw, korneh man tong the first tree/zero seed churva oie haha. 

The Librarians and the Hidden Sanctuary: Cassandra goes on hiatus after having a traumatic experience in one of the gangs mission. Like the previous ep, the first half was okay. Pero laughable jud ang fairy villain, I thought naa pay mas mu-maot sa BRATZ, ikaw na te. But the moral of the story is, quoting another reviewer, “Life without risks or without a sense of danger is no life at all.”  

The Librarians and A Town called Feud: Arguments are a common sight in this show. Each character has his/her own strengths and weaknesses, and when you put them together in a group, dili jud malikayan ang competition, esp. when all of them are experts and geniuses in their own right. Natural na mag.away, naay competition, but when it comes down to it, you hafta understand that you are ONE of the group. Jake and Ezekiel looked so cool being all manly, pointing guns at each other tho, nakulbaan ghapon ko kadjut haha. But I never expected a supernatural element in this show... ghosts anyone?

The Librarians and Some Dude Named Jeff: What a fun episode! Like a love-letter to the fandom, not just to the TL fandom, but to geeks/nerds like myself. What must it feel like to meet your fave character in real-life, and get to have an adventure with them, even just once? Dream come true! Anyways, I love Jenkins, and his actor John Larouquette. He can absolutely do a one-man Librarian este Custodian show. The booby traps are kinda absurd esp. that DDR trap haha, but still, it’s Jenkin’s dancin everyone!!! 

The Librarians and the Trial of One: This ep literally had me SHOOKETH. I miss Jenkins. I miss the Librarians. I hate the Library. I hate Nicole. BUT WELL DONE, SHOW!

The Librarians and the Echoes of Memory: I didn’t like how it ended... like they were too kind on Nicole after all she has done. But I guess that’s the lesson. FORGIVENESS. And second chances. I guess there won’t be another season soon? Arghh I’m drained. I bingewatched the last 4 eps in one sitting y’know!