#F:SaF

[kira-ani-mcgrath]

It's canon that Hans is ambidextrous, or at least far better than the average person at using his non-dominant hand.

As I was going through his first scene in Frozen, I noticed that Hans almost exclusively uses his left hand, even though he is right-handed (as far as we know). My observation got me curious about every scene he appears in, so here's all my notes under the cut.

This also made me think of the glove theory (TL;DR: one glove off only reveals half one's true self, and, more specifically, under the left glove is fear and trauma, under the right glove is confidence and power) which has actually morphed into a side-of-the-body motif for Hans in my fics. So it's interesting to go through his hand gestures with that in mind. Makes for some fun morsels to chew on.

The first scene Anna and Hans meet:

He offers his left hand to help her stand up

He bends his left arm when half-bowing (his right arm stays straight)

He goes down on his right knee with his right hand in the boat while his left arm is draped over his raised left knee

He catches Anna with his left hand/arm and braces with his right

His left arm stays up when Anna lands on top of him, then hovers over her back

His left hand takes Anna's as he helps her stand again (his right briefly helps by supporting her left elbow)

Anna passes him on his left side (and he turns to stay facing her as she does)

He lifts his left hand in goodbye

He raises the boat off of him with his left hand

In the chapel, Hans again waves to Anna with his left hand, although he looks quite uncomfortably pinned between a larger man on his right and the man sleeping on his left shoulder, so it's possible he just couldn't move his right arm.

When Hans catches Anna in the ballroom ("Glad I caught you"), it's with his right hand (the left is holding a champagne glass, which he places on a passing waiter's tray).

Montage bits:

When Anna bumps Hans' nose with her left hand, he lifts his right hand to it to check for blood

Hans playfully bumps Anna with his right shoulder (which she returns with more force). Right after that, he asks about her white hair and points to it with his left hand.

Setup and singing of Love is an Open Door:

He eats the krumcake with his left hand, his right beneath it to catch any crumbs

When Hans tells Anna he would never shut her out, he takes her left hand in his right hand

"I've been searching my whole life" He gestures to himself with his right hand. "to find my own place" Right hand still on his chest, he gestures to Arendelle with his left.

Brushes Anna's cheek with his right hand

Leads with his right side to tip the chair and join Anna on the table (left foot on the edge of the seat, right foot on the top of the back, right arm extended, Anna yanks him forward)

Anna is on Hans' left side during sock sliding, so it's his left hand he uses to stabilize her [he's also ahead of her, but when the scene cuts to them hiding from the guard, Anna is ahead of him, and he swings behind the door with his right hand]. Anna then grabs him by the right hand to lead him away.

Stargazing, Anna is on Hans' left side. She grabs his left arm when she says, "Sandwiches!"

"Jinx!" is with the right hands, "Jinx again!" with the left

Hans uses his right hand to take Anna's left before they begin dancing atop the lighthouse

On top of the waterfall, Hans' left hand is holding Anna's right, and he uses this hand to spin her

Hans takes Anna's left hand in both of his when he proposes

When searching the ballroom for Elsa:

Anna is leading Hans by his right hand. This is the hand/arm she holds when they find Elsa.

When they ask for Elsa's blessing, they each put the opposite hand on the other's arm.

Hans keeps his left hand over Anna's left hand while it's on his right arm.

They drop to holding hands (Anna's left, Hans' right), then Hans takes Anna's right hand with his left after she grabs his shoulder as she talks.

Anna lifts both hands away simultaneously in excitement, but drops them back into Hans' hands.

She drops Hans' left hand when Elsa throws water on her fire, but keeps hold of Hans' right and then moves both hands to his elbow.

Hans lifts his left hand in gesture when he tries to talk to Elsa. When she shuts him down, he moves his left hand to hold Anna's right hand (both her hands are still on his arm, her right hand on top and her left hand behind).

Anna then leaves Hans to go after Elsa, resulting in her accidentally removing Elsa's left glove.

When Hans gets closer to Elsa's ice spikes, he's slightly leading with his right side in a cautious approach. [Interesting aside, he's initially looking at Elsa, but as he creeps closer, he looks to Anna, and keeps his eyes there until the camera cuts to the closeup of his face where he raises his eyes from the floor/spikes to Elsa's face. Also, after Elsa flees, everyone stares after her, but Hans' focus quickly shifts to Anna.]

When Hans catches up to Anna at the edge of the fjord, he puts his right hand on Anna's right shoulder and his left somewhere on her upper back/behind her left shoulder. As he watches the fjord freeze, his right hand lifts and withdraws, leaving his left hand on Anna's left shoulder.

While Hans and Anna are making their way through the castle courtyard:

Hans reaches after Anna with his left hand when he asks her if she knew.

When Hans supports that Anna's completely ordinary, he puts his left hand on her left shoulder, and lifts his right as he adds "In the best way."

When the Duke gets confrontational, Hans gestures with his right hand as he's contradicting him.

When Hans tells Anna it's too dangerous, he has his left hand on her right shoulder.

When she pulls away, he reaches for her with his right hand, but ends up taking her right hand in his left.

When Anna says she needs him to take care of Arendelle, her right hand is still in his left, and he lifts it and places his right hand over top hers.

Anna pulls away from him, his hands still linger after her, his right slightly longer than his left.

He takes the reins of Anna's horse in his left hand, dropping them when she rides off.

Hans in the winter coat, passing out cloaks:

He walks into the square from the left side of the scene, the passage to the castle gates

Holds a stack of three folded cloaks in his right hand while gesturing with his left

Takes the woman's right hand in his left; when she takes a cloak, he returns his hand to support the stack

Puts his right hand on a guard's shoulder as he hands off the two cloaks in his left hand

When the Duke raves at him and he decides to fire back, he points with his right hand

He turns his right side to look behind him at Anna's horse returning

He has both hands up trying to calm the horse

He grabs the reins with his left hand, then reaches for the snout with his right. As he gets the horse to calm down, he strokes the muzzle with his right.

After the cutaway, his hand has dropped out of the frame, and on the full-body shot, he has transferred the reins to his right hand

He raises his left hand as he calls for volunteers

At Elsa's ice palace:

He dismounts Sitron over the left side, keeping the reins in his left as he does

He switches the reins to his right hand as he turns to face the search party with, "Do you understand?"

He leads Sitron forward with the reins in his right hand

Hans drops the reins when Marshmallow awakens, backing away with his left arm more forward and his right more behind

He draws his sword with his right hand from the scabbard that hangs on his left side

After ducking a swing from Marshmallow, he leaps back and grips the hilt with both hands

The next time he's back in-scene, it's right-hand only on the sword and he holds out his left arm out. It's difficult to tell if it's just for balance as he adjusts his feet or if he's trying to prevent the Arendelle guard from getting too close to Marshmallow.

He leaps and rolls to the left to avoid Marshmallow's swing

[Scene cuts to the Weselton guards and Elsa before back to Hans]

He rolls to the left to avoid a stomp, losing his sword, which he grabs with his left hand

He uses both hands to slice Marshmallow's leg

As Marshmallow goes off-balance, Hans motions the guards forward with his left hand as he yells, "Come on!"

Hans grabs onto the staircase with his left hand, holding his sword in his right. He tosses the sword up onto the stairs, grabs the edge right next to where his left hand is gripping, then his left hand grabs the railing lattice, followed by his right grabbing the now-extended guard's hand. The guards reach down to help him up, and he raises his left to grip the railing as they pull him up by his right arm.

[Scene cuts back to Elsa and the Weselton guards]

Hans leads the group into the room, his sword in his scabbard while the rest of the party has their swords drawn

He throws out both arms to stop the group

He pleads with Elsa, his left hand extended forward toward her and his right to the side

When he redirects the crossbow, his left hand is on the guard's wrist and his right on the bow

Hans and Elsa in the dungeon:

Hans enters, leading with his left side and holding the lantern aloft with his left hand before setting it on the bench

He closes the door with his right hand

His right hand rubs his left upper arm from the cold before his left arm folds into his right, his left hand tucked beneath his right elbow

He untucks his left hand to rub his right arm, then tucks it back under the right elbow

In the library:

Gestures with his left hand and looks over his left shoulder as he says he's going to look for Anna

Gestures with his right fist when he says "If anything happens to her-"

Hans reaches for Anna with both arms, his right slightly more forward than his left

Pulls Anna to him, his right hand on her lower back and his left hand grasping her right shoulder

His left hand slips from her shoulder as she wraps her hands around his neck, then returns there as she lowers her arms again

His left hand continues to hold her shoulder as supports her weight she crumples in pain

He uses his left arm to go under her knees and carry her to the couch

His right hand strokes her cheek and tilts her chin up

His right hand pushes off his right knee as he stands upright

He closes the curtain with his right hand

He removes his right glove with his left hand, and gives a small gesture with the now-bare hand

Licks his right index finger and extinguishes the candle's flame between his index finger and thumb, his left hand holding his right glove

Makes a small gesture with his right hand, the left appears to mirror it but can't fully due to holding the glove

Gestures again with the right hand, the left is hidden behind his torso due to the camera angle

Switches his glove to the right hand as he says "But you"

Raises both hands in a sort of shrug as he says "You were so desperate"

Picks up the pitcher of water with his left hand, turns slightly to the left and looks over his left shoulder as he says "-just like that."

Walks to the fireplace, then turns slightly to the right and looks over his right shoulder and gestures with his right hand

Pours the water with his left hand as he says he would have had to stage an accident for Elsa

Finishes pouring the water with his left hand, gestures with his right as he says "-and you were dumb enough-"

Places the pitcher on the table and immediately puts his right glove back into his left hand

Shrugs slightly with both shoulders then puts both hands behind his back as he says "-kill Elsa-"

Goes down on his left knee with his left hand (holding the right glove) on his left thigh, his right knee raised and supporting his right elbow [the opposite of his kneel in the rowboat]

Lifts Anna's chin with his right hand

Braces his right hand on his right thigh as he stands

Puts his right glove back on

Opens the right-side door with his right hand

Holds the edge of the open door with his right hand before using that hand to pull the door closed behind him

In the council chamber:

Pushes the right-side door open with his right hand

Braces himself on the handle of the door with his right hand

The Duke puts his right hand on Hans' left shoulder as Hans gestures with his right hand to the dignitary offering Hans his own seat

Hans braces himself with his right hand on the arm of the chair as he sits down. His left elbow comes to rest on the other arm of the chair.

His right arm slips forward as he says Anna died in his arms

When the camera angle shifts, his left hand grips the raised part of the left chair arm. His right arm is more forward, the elbow resting presumably on the raised part of the right chair arm.

In the dungeon:

Hans reaches for the Arendelle guard's shoulder with his right hand and pulls him aside

He pushes aside another guard with his left arm

He steps through the gap and over the fallen debris leading with his left leg

On the frozen fjord:

Hans is leading with his left side, his left hand raised above his head and his right near his waist

He uses his left hand to amplify his call to Elsa

Both hands hover near his waist, his left side still more forward than his right

Talking to Elsa, his left hand is higher than his right and near his heart

As Elsa collapses on the fjord, his right arm looks slightly more forward than his left

[Cuts to Anna and Kristoff, cuts back to Hans and Elsa]

Hans has his sword in his right hand, his left hand balled in a fist

He adjusts his grip on the sword with just his right hand, his left hand still in a fist

[Cuts to Anna and Kristoff, cuts back to Hans and Elsa]

Hans has his sword raised in his right hand, his left hand is raised mid-chest and now open but with his fingers curled

Left hand re-closes into a fist as Hans begins the downswing

When flying back, his left side is more back than his right, and as he lands his right arm is up in the air

He lands on his left side, judging from the way his right arm appears to drape over his torso and the direction of the soles of his boots

After the thaw:

He grips the rail with his right hand (his left is hidden), his right knee raised and his left shin parallel to the deck

His left hand and forearm comes into view as he continues trying to stand up. His left leg appears to falter, which would make sense since he seemed to land on his left side out on the ice.

His left hand and forearm braces against the rail as his right hand rubs his chin (his left knee is still lower than his right)

[Cuts to the group, then back to Hans]

Still bracing with his left arm and holding his chin with his right as he sees Anna, his right hand falls away from his face

He stands, pushing off the rail with his left hand and bracing his right hand on his right knee

He makes a small gesture with his right hand as he walks the two steps to her, leading with his left leg. Both arms remain at his sides.

When Anna punches Hans, his left hand flies up first and higher than his right, then goes downward/overboard first. His left leg goes up higher than his right.

As he falls into the water, both arms are up and back, but his left leg is down toward the water and right leg is back like his arms

The ship brig:

When Hans enters the frame, his left side is angled toward the floor. It's his left side that hits the floor. His left hand is in a fist as his left arm is pinned, his right hand is open as his right arm flails.

He momentarily braces his right hand against the floor

He uses both hands to push the bucket off his head, then pushes himself up off the floor with both hands/arms

He sits up, his right leg raised, and lifts his right hand to his head. His left leg is bent at the knee but parallel to the floor, his left palm against the floor.

Frozen Fever cameo:

Hans has his right hand on the back of the shovel handle, and his left hand in the middle of the handle

He looks back over his right shoulder

His left hand releases the shovel handle a fraction of a second before his right hand does

Once the snowball hits, we can see both his legs, but only his left hand, not his right. Even when half the snowball breaks off and falls to the ground, we still can only see his left hand.

Bonus: That Hans animation test/promo where he's doing swordplay with his left hand even though his scabbard is also on his left side (it goes on the opposite side of the hand you would draw the sword with, which is typically going to be the one you're better at using for swordplay).

Parting thought: If you want to add an extra twist to this, you could also headcanon that Hans is actually left-handed, but has trained to use his right hand, probably since childhood. (He could have been forced to do so because of family/royal/cultural reasons, an injury, an illness, etc., or he could have taken it upon himself because everyone else in his family was right-handed and he wanted to measure up as best he could, or a combination of both because he was mercilessly teased for it.) And, if you'd like to take that a step further, the result is him being dominantly right-handed when doing anything that requires either a certain mask (confidence, or at least not letting his true feelings show) or his royal education (socializing, leadership, sword fighting, etc.)... which is most of the time, but slipping up and using his left hand when he's more genuine or worried/stressed (whether he actually shows it in his face/voice or not), and/or when he's sure he's alone.

[kira-ani-mcgrath]

"Finally regulating himself, he studied the damage. It didn’t appear particularly devastating and would likely heal in less than a week."

A fabulous commission by the wonderful @secretsivekept featuring Hans in a scene from Chapter 24 of Frozen: Sacrifice and Forgiveness!

Longer excerpt below the cut.

Returning to the table, he sat in the chair and propped the mirror up against the front of the wash bowl. He glanced at his reflection as he moistened his hands. Pale from illness and a lack of sun, his freckles and scar stood out more than usual. His appearance was even more gaunt than he’d envisioned, and the dark half-circles beneath his eyes would make one think he’d just spent three days wide-awake rather than languishing in a sickly stupor.

I look utterly exhausted.

He lathered his face, then perched the razor at the base of the foam under his jaw and swiped up. Carefully, bottom-to-top, meticulously, right-to-left.

The methodical habit did little to soothe his suffering. Everything was making him queasy: the sight of the books that poked out from behind the mirror no matter his angle; the smell of the clothes which somehow clung to his nostrils even though the garments were stored in tightly-cinched sacks; the recollections that repeated without permission, taunting him with a way of life long gone.

He paused part-way through the procedure as a section of skin began to tingle. Did I irritate it? However, he had only finished half of the affected area. He briefly considered the soap as the source, but dismissed that notion — it was the same soap he’d used for months, and the rest of his face was all right. He shrugged off the annoyance and resumed his routine.

‘I know your heart.’

His arm involuntarily jerked and pressed far too harshly in the midst of his pass. He bit down a curse word as he dropped the razor. Snatching up his small towel, he applied pressure to the wound, wordlessly berating himself for his carelessness.

For some moments, there was only a suffocating stillness occasionally interrupted by a rustling page. Finally regulating himself, he studied the damage. It didn’t appear particularly devastating and would likely heal in less than a week. He dabbed the cut, the stinging subsiding. Even if it left a scar, it would blend into his old one anyway.

[frozen-tol]

A lovely commission of Natalia and Hans by the talented @itty-bitties-posts.

The drawing ended up fitting Frozen: Threads of Legacies better than my other Frozen fan-works (Frozen: Sacrifice and Forgiveness and Frozen: Fire and Fury). In F:ToL (much of which is the Rovero and Westergaard backstory alluded to in Frozen 2: Legends and Legacies), Hans and Natalia meet as royal teens, before the events of Frozen (vs. F:SaF and F:FaF, where they meet post- Frozen Fever and long after the Roveros gave up their wealth and monarchy).

[kira-ani-mcgrath]

(7 hrs 6 min - 9 hrs 2 min)

Instead of writing I took a screenshot of Firefox mobile's estimate of how long it would take to read what I've posted so far.

[kira-ani-mcgrath]

TFW a minor point in your OC backstory inadvertently solves a canon plot hole.

[kira-ani-mcgrath]

Just a quick link drop for the latest chapter of F:SaF. Only took me three years after chapter 23 was posted, no big deal.

[kira-ani-mcgrath]

Five days short of exactly three years since Chapter 23 went up, I've finally added Chapter 24 to Frozen: Sacrifice and Forgiveness on AO3 and FF.net.

Bedtime now.

[kira-ani-mcgrath]

Well then...

When reading fanfic keep in mind that for professional literature: 

Short story: under 7,500

Novelette: between 7,500 and 17,500

Novella: between 17,500 and 40,000

Novel: over 40,000

Fics over 40k are literally a novel written and shared for free.  If you have written a 40k+ fic, you have literally written a novel.

[kira-ani-mcgrath]

Oh. Wow. FF.net changed their email notification settings.

At the top of my account pages, the following notification appears: "Email Alerts are now only active if Email Opt-in is enabled in account settings."

I go to the aforementioned settings, and indeed my email notifications are set to "No" with the following note: "Setting will be auto reset to no/disabled after 6 months."

They must be intentionally trying to tank the site traffic.

[kira-ani-mcgrath]

Good news: I actually worked on F:SaF last night.

Bad news: It was Chapter 25 when the next chapter that needs posted is 24.

Good news: Ch 24 is essentially done.

Bad news: Ch 24 needs edited.

Good? news: I intend to post both 24 & 25 together because of where 24 ends.

Bad news: 25 is still only 1/4-1/3 of the way done. :')

[Edited because I am a moron who can't remember my own chapter numbers.]

[kira-ani-mcgrath]

12?

Hans and Pierre in a silly summary of Chapter 12 from Frozen: Sacrifice and Forgiveness for this ask game. Thanks for sending in a number, @manda-kat!

[kira-ani-mcgrath]

I love that my fanfic series is (and is going to be) a mix of both of these.

Found family is currently a very emphasized (and entirely valid!) trope, but something I’d like to also see more of is what I’m tentatively calling recovered family. Coming to better appreciate and see the value in the family that you do have, a family coming back together and working to rebuild those fractured relationships, that sort of thing.

[kira-ani-mcgrath]

My adorable commission(s) of Natalia and Hans from @danvama! She did two versions of Hans for me, so I made some slight edits to Natalia in the top image for depictions of two different (yet similar) scenes in my fanfic series, Frozen: Step into the Dawn. The first is from Frozen: Sacrifice and Forgiveness Chapter 9 (link in the source field), and the second will occur in Frozen: Past the Present Time.

[kira-ani-mcgrath]

Hm. I didn't realize Chapter 24 is essentially done save for my usual editing. Not sure when I'll have time to do that, but it was a nice surprise. Thanks, terrible memory of mine.

[kira-ani-mcgrath]

This is the best metaphor I've ever seen. 😢

[kira-ani-mcgrath]

Chapter 22 is done! ... In that it is fully written with no gaps. I still have to tweak things, but the hard part is done. Yay~!