#httyd posts that always matter

[howtodrawyourdragon]

Been thinking a lot as of late about the fandom take that Hiccup actually should hold a grudge against his village for the way he was treated. This is the "hold a grudge" website, so I'm not surprised and neither is this post about telling you that you're wrong to feel this way. If I was raised the way Hiccup was, outcasted to the point that I start to make friends with the enemy, I would be angry, too!

But holding a grudge just isn't in Hiccup's nature. And I think there is no bigger proof than his incredibly deep bond with Toothless.

Because even ignoring Httyd 2 for a moment, the first movie also hints at Valka dying to dragons.

The dragon raids are the only mentioned outside threat before they learn about the Red Death. And with Stoick gifting Hiccup a helmet made of his mother's breast plate (which are not supposed to be boob-shaped, believe it or not) when he thinks his son does surprisingly well in dragon training, that could be another one of those hints.

Hiccup will be facing dragons after training instead of being hidden in the forge for his own safety (while helping to contribute like the other teens) so it makes sense to me that Valka's death was always meant to be at the claws of dragons and Stoick is trying to prevent that now that it's become a reality that Hiccup might actually face dragons in the very near future.

There is no other threat spoken about in the first movie. Hiccup's mother was always killed by dragons. She's missing from his life because Toothless' kind took him away from her. If Hiccup were to be angry at his village for the way he was treated, he should also be angry at dragons for taking away the one person who could've been unconditionally on his side. Like mothers are supposed to be.

But Hiccup isn't angry at dragons. As a matter of fact, when he gets up close to one, has one completely at his mercy, he doesn't hate Toothless. And this is before he even realizes that there's more to them than fire breathing, home-destroying, food-stealing, man-eating creatures from Hell.

Instead of being angry, he sees Toothless for who he is. A living being just as complex as he is. Capable of fear, of curiosity, of forgiveness, of remorse, of love. And Hiccup wasn't kept from seeing this because anger for having his mother taken from him didn't blind him.

The same can be said about Mildew, who gets the dragons in trouble again and again. But at the end of RoB, Hiccup still decides to put his trust in him to get them both (and Toothless) home.

And Dagur, who started a whole war over being betrayed by Hiccup, which gives him a grudge for three whole years that leaves him filled with revenge until Viggo gives him a sudden change of perspective that leads to months of introspection. It takes a little while, but Hiccup doesn't just accept him as a friend, but accepts Dagur's offer to be found brothers.

He should hold a grudge against Heather. Who played on his kindness to get Alvin the Book of Dragons and then seemingly played him again in RttE, when he lets her stay on Dragon's Edge and the very next time they see her, she's working for the Hunters. Who come into their lives by leaving Astrid to die stranded in the middle of the ocean and abducting Stormfly. With only Astrid learning that Heather is actually spying on them with Hiccup not learning about this fact until much later. (Something very clearly hurts him, but even being left out of the loop he forgives Astrid and Heather for.)

Alvin canonically held Hiccup and Toothless captive for days, barely giving Toothless any food or water. Hiccup literally states that in the first episode of DoB.

And while they don't show it in the show itself, in the very first episode afterwards, Hiccup is trying to prepare his 14 and 15 year old friends for interrogation. Clearly something in that two-parter spooked him enough to do something as drastic as this.

But at the end of DoB, Hiccup still chooses trust Alvin to help rescue Stoick and get Outcast Island back from Dagur. An alliance was forged. One strong enough that when Stoick gets gravely injured in RttE, Alvin can be trusted to come in and help out around Berk.

The closest Hiccup comes to holding a grudge is with Viggo. The first person to ever make Hiccup feel like an idiot, make him feel frustrated that he can't get immediately out on top like he did with all his previous villains. He spends literal months trying to find Viggo just to get back at him, dragging all his friends and his dragons down with him. But even that doesn't last.

Not with both Dagur as well as Stoick advising him against harboring feelings of vengeance. Dagur warns Hiccup against how the need for vengeance can change a person. Stoick warns Hiccup that revenge can lead to an endless cycle of violence, explicitly telling his son that he's telling him this out of experience. They don't want Hiccup to be lead astray and hurt by holding and acting on grudges.

There is the potential for Drago, which the comics did try to get into until a certain comic got cancelled and left us with that story unresolved. For newer fans who don't yet know this; Hiccup was actually meant to experience a downward spiral in the comics that take place after Httyd 2. Except the comic that would've concluded this storyline got canceled around the time of THW's release. Probably because THW confirms that Drago is dead while the canceled comic actually had Hiccup face Drago again, the man in hiding after his defeat. Release The Fire Tides!

This entire post just to say... A grudge would've been justified, but Hiccup just doesn't have it in him to hold onto one. Certainly not forever.

[astridhoff03]

A Loveletter to the How to train your Dragon-Trilogy

I love this trilogy so much because it is a safe place for me, this world is a safe place, these characters are a safe place. I am eighteen years old and still doubting myself sometimes. Growing up is not easy and this trilogy shows us that perfectly. It thought us that letting go isn’t a weakness, it’s a strength. It thaught us to do things your own way, to discover yourself and your strengths. It thaught us that true friendship will never end. That true love can exist in our worlds, it doesn’t matter if it’s romantic love or love between friends. Love is Love. Since the first movie we witness how Hiccup finds his own way and comes into his own, to become a Chief, a friend, a soldier, a husband and a father. His whole story touches me so deeply because I see myself in him, this is also why I love the whole trilogy and the shows and short films equally. They tell his story. I believe there is a Hiccup in every one of us. This whole Franchise has just giving me a feeling of pure joy and it feels like Home for me. After seeing all these movies and shows after a so long (and seeing them a hundred times) it was like coming home, that a part of me will always feel joy when I think about httyd. I am dealing with Depression so for me it’s like a little saving grace when I see or hear something httyd releated. It became part of my life again and I am so grateful that it is. It’s for me at least one of the best stories in cinematic history that were ever told. I don’t care if there is now Sipder Verse, for me httyd will always have the status as a superior trilogy, that I love to revisit and think about. It isn’t just a trilogy of movies or a simple TV-Show to a movie, it’s a journey about growing up. I have a lot love for this trilogy because I basically grew up with it alongside the Trilogies Madagascar, Shrek and Kung Fu Panda. I have so much love for this franchise in general, I just really enjoy it for what it is: a magnificent story about a boy and his dragon, who became best friends and will forever friends even if millions of miles parted them. Hiccup and Toothless will always love each other even if they are separated for their own safety, they grow together and they will always remember one another and the beautiful memories they share. There will always be something that connects them. IT’S YOU AND ME, BUD. ALWAYS. This why I love all of The movies and shows (tolerate T9R now to some degree) and it’s sometimes hard for me to see, when people hate on this movies and shows. Especially on the hidden world. I know not everyone likes it but they have to understand it’s hard to see for someone who loves it. I heard from some people that the hate in the fandom kinda destroyed their existence with httyd. I personally don’t want that because httyd appeals to some many and means to so many others so much. It kinda makes me sad to see, because httyd gives me one of the best feelings of enjoyment and inspiration that I never felt before. I know I can’t change some minds, but I just want to say all this, because everyone deserves understanding and respect. I know I posted in the past some hatred stuff against T9R and I regret everything of it, because I can now understand and feel with these people.

Last but not least I hope this franchise will again bring some more people together and the same happiness I feel with it. In some kind of way we share all the same love. We love the httyd franchise. ❤️‍🔥

Never let the dragon flames burn out in your heart, it will always be there in good and bad times. We have all THE HEART OF A CHIEF, AND THE SOUL OF A DRAGON.

[noctusfury]

Is There a Dragon Flyer "Elite"? (RTTE Headcanon/Theory)

Hello, everyone! Welcome to another HTTYD post! Sorry for the hiatus, but I'm back with another article of lore on the Dragon Flyers. Please enjoy!

This article is a continuation of my previous post on this topic (here) about dragonskin uses. And this will start my other articles about Hierarchy and Ranks.

Today's topic will discuss if these skins provide an established hierarchy of elitism in these Flyers (and Hunters) — particularly the Malevolent Twelve, a squadron of Flyers personally led and taught by Krogan who defeated the Dragon Riders in Season 5's episodes "Dawn of Destruction" and "Wings of War".

This is probably just me, but I have a headcanon that there's an elite among the Dragon Flyers under Krogan's command. Of course, naturally, there'll always be an elite group — "veterans," in other words — in every organization or unit. Doesn't matter if it's a small unit, a military or business organization, or anything else. The same with the Dragon Hunters and the Dragon Flyers.

In fact, Viggo even talked to Ryker about moving the "elite guard" (of Hunters or more possibly the Grimborn Family's personal guards) to prepare for the Riders' attack on their secret base in Season 4's episode "Twintuition".

But back to the Flyers. I've noticed something very interesting. As you know from both the picture earlier above (the top photo), and down below, you'll see that the only Flyers that are often seen with Krogan are these guys. Particularly this guy below that's standing next to Krogan in Season 6's episode "Chain of Command".

Of course, since this is DreamWorks Dragons, and since there isn't any rhyme or reason when it comes to the minion character design, I may be just imagining things and that them being near Krogan is just a coincidence.

However, as I've stated in my previous article, when it comes to the Flyers with the Zippleback skins and the gold dragonskins, respectively, they look to be more seasoned and ruthless compared to the Flyers with the poorly tanned Nightmare skins (or whatever those skins are), who often look nervous or act like they just graduated from Dragon Flyer Cadet Academy. 😂

In the Season 6 episode "Darkest Night", one of Stoick's main attackers is this guy in a gold-dragon-skin outfit, and also the Flyer with a similar outfit but different dragon (compare to the Flyer above) who tag-team to grievously wound Stoick.

(You'll find him again in later photos)

It's possible that these two were part of the "Deadly Dozen" from Dawn of Destruction and Wings of War, since it's likely that Krogan or Johann would've sent some of their best Flyers to take out an important figure, especially since Johann would've known about Stoick's legendary martial prowess and would've most likely not wanted to take any chances. Taking out Stoick would've stalled Berk's capability to continue their fight against the Hunters.

in "Dawn of Destruction", this Gold-skin Flyer was able keep up with Astrid and was able to hit her if it hadn't been for Hiccup's trap.

And let us not forget the infamous Mr. "Murderous Pile of Yak Dung", the Gold-skin Flyer that the Gang captured and interrogated in the Season 6 episode "Guardians of Vanaheim". Even while held captive, "Yak-dung" not only tries to recruit the Twins and use them to help him escape, but takes his chance to break free and steal the Dragon Eye Lens that Fishlegs and the Twins were turning Osvald's hut upside-down and inside-out to find, before leaving to escape the island. That is, if he hadn't fatally run into a pack of very hungry Grim Gnashers. RIP. His sacrifice will be remembered. 💀

"Krogan's Best"

In the Season 5 episode "Dawn of Destruction", we are met with a squadron of 12 Flyers who commence a surprise early-morning raid on the Dragon Riders' main base and quickly neutralize the Riders and forcing them to make a tactical retreat.

These Flyers are well-trained, well-armed, and well-coordinated, able to work together to out-maneuver the Riders and corner them. It's obvious that Krogan trained them in air-to-air combat for this very purpose.

In this very same episode, Ruffnut and Tuffnut even commented after nearly getting roasted by a passing Flyer protecting his wingman's six:

|| Tuffnut: Hey, not for nothing, but these guys are pretty good! || || Ruffnut: They're are kicking our butts! ||

And Snotlout even warns Hiccup that:

|| Those Flyers are all over the place and well-trained. ||

In "Wings of War, Part 1", after getting harassed and pursued by those Flyers from Caldera Cay (DOTW's home), Snotlout and Tuffnut say this about the Flyers:

|| Snotlout: Whoa! Oh, man, those guys are good! || || Tuffnut: I'd like to train with their trainer. ||

In the same episode, talking about that particular team of Flyers — whom I'd like to call "Krogan's Disciples" and "The Malevolent Twelve" or "The Deadly Dozen" — that were chasing the Gang from Dragon's Edge, Krogan himself told Viggo:

||"Those are 12 of my most fearless and gifted warriors. I doubt they'll have much of an issue."||

The Flyers which made up those 12 elites are those with Zippleback and the gold-scaled dragonskins. So it's very much possible that these skins are only given to elites, of a sort.

Furthermore, most of the Flyers I saw in those shots had Nightmare dragonskin skirts (kilts? lol). The Flyers with the gold-scaled dragonskin shirts seem to have vambraces made of Gronkle dragonskin, based on the coloring. Don't quote me on that, since I could be wrong. Since these dragons are hard to kill, that would definitely make them skilled dragon slayers.

Also, speaking of which, there was at least ONE Flyer amongst the "Deadly Dozen," wearing Nightmare(?) skins and a Nadder wing skirt, and flying a green Singetail. You can find him if you squint in "Wings of War, Part 1".

I've edited the shots to make them more easier to see, but please forgive me for the blurry close-up shots. Nothing I can do to prevent that unless somebody has a better photo editing software than I do (I use Canva).

You see him again, here, with the others when they hit the fog bank, which covers the length of the Inner Isles.

(That alone makes me wanna do an article that goes in depth into the reason the Inner Isles in Berk seem to have a different climate from the rest of the archipelago.)

Here's a clearer shot from "Chain of Command", in S6. Considering that he's wearing the same garb and riding the same colored Singetail, he could be the same guy. However, with DreamWorks Dragons being DreamWorks Dragons, who enjoy making clones of the minions, we can only guess. 🤷‍♂️

Not gonna lie, though: that's a really nice getup. 👀

Flyer Leader: Krogan's Right-Hand!

In several episodes, but most memorably in "Family Matters," one notable Flyer stands out from the others: the Flyer Leader.

As far as elites go, he's probably as far up as one can go outside of Krogan's position as Headmaster of the "Flyer Warthunder". He's his right-hand man. His leftenant/lieutenant. His chief subordinate.

Sadly, we don't know anything about his past or about his history with Krogan and the Flyers. 😔 (I should just go and write a fanfic and create my own lore for the Flyer Leader at this point. 🤩) However, at some point, after passing his training as a Flyer, I assume he became a direct disciple under Krogan in the same way Krogan was under Drago, and he was competent enough to be entrusted with various administrative and martial tasks and to lead warthunders out for certain missions whenever Krogan either wasn't available or couldn't be bothered to do it himself.

As seen in every episode he's been in, the Flyer Leader is shown to be a capable and reliable man to whom Krogan can leave things without much thought. This is amazing considering Krogan isn't the type who shares power with anyone but himself — as evidenced by his treatment towards Viggo and Johann. Though it probably helps that, so far as we know, the Flyer Leader isn't interested in more power and authority and is content being the Chief Lieutenant. (Though it would be pretty interesting if he is capable due to his ambition to aim higher and eventually replace Krogan as Chief of the Flyers.)

Anyway, the Flyer Leader is, aside from Krogan, the head honcho of the Flyers, and, as such, has much field command whenever Krogan's not around. He's Krogan's representative, almost (if Krogan was interested in allowing that).

The fact that Krogan was confident enough to entrust the all-important task of protecting the Singetail Rookery from any intruders once again proves, in my opinion, how adept the Flyer Leader is and how much Krogan trusts him enough to leave this vital facility to him.

And he's not stupid. Even when the Riders were able to free the Singetails captured in Deathsong amber, the Singetails, in order to protect the eggs, didn't leave as expected, unexpectedly giving the Flyer Leader extra pieces to drive the Riders into a corner. And instead of attacking them, knowing that doing so in cramped quarters and risking attacks from the Singetails due to the rookery being in the cave labyrinth, he instead orders word to be sent to Krogan about the incident and to focus everything he has onto the cave entrance and pin the Riders there until help arrives.

Little did he know that the Riders (thanks to Fishlegs impromptu problem solving) did something completely unexpected and did something that no-one could've thought that they would dare to do: lure a Cavern Crasher — an egg-eating dragon — into the Singetail Rookery and cause a disturbance that would cause a panic, allowing them to escape.

Honestly, if they hadn't done that, I think he would've been able to either capture them or kill them. The Riders themselves, before Fishlegs came with his crazy plan, were beginning to doubt they'd be able to break out before reinforcements arrived.

He is sadly left behind in a cocoon of amber. How tragic. 😔🙏🏻😂

I kinda find it ironic how he lost because of plot armor. I mean, when you watch the episode, you notice that he was given everything he needed to make sure that the Rookery stayed in their hands: About 100 or so Hunter grunts to do the patrols, guard-duty, and menial tasks such as taking care of the dragons; a squadron of Dragon Flyers, assumedly all elites from his own squad (so probably between 4-8 Flyers, certainly no more than 12); no more than 5 or so catapults and ballistae; presumedly several trap devices like net ballistae or whatever; and I'm assuming he has a reserve force of men at hand to rotate shifts and replace any troops that are injured, killed, or absent. So around 100-200 men, give or take a hundred. This is a LARGE GROUP to be commanding and organizing.

I don't care what the episode showed, you'd need that much personnel, if not more, just to do patrols, manage the dragons, man the catapults and traps, etc, etc, AND have a reserve to use to rotate shifts — this is an important base, after all! It's a BIG JOB!

That being said, I could be overestimating the numbers here a bit based on my assumption that they'd need that much personnel to deal with the Riders AND any Singetails they capture and guarding the two Deathsongs and Singetail eggs as well. With that being the case, I will minus this and assume that he has, at minimum, no less than 100 men, split into companies of 50 men so that they can rotate around the clock.

Regardless of the actual numbers, the fact that he was given a lot of resources, and still lost due to an unexpected wild card the Riders played on him is just bad luck.

Personally, I don't think that Krogan would let him live for having failed his expectations and mission so thoroughly. They basically lost their source of Singetails and the island is now useless and can't be used further.

However, that being said, perhaps after hearing the explanation, and not wanting to lose a valuable fighter, he could've just let him live but demoted him, since after this, we no longer see him again, and Krogan takes over direct command in the finale episode.

Or heck, maybe the Flyer Leader deserted, knowing what his fate would be, and didn't want to be there for Krogan to find.

I'm considering the possibility that losing his Singetail Rookery didn't waylay Krogan that much, since he had a bunch of Flyers scout out and attack the Sentinals and the Riders for the next two episodes. And in the final two, it appears that Krogan came with a force no greater than 50 Flyers, including himself. I don't know if he already had this force gathered up some time before "Family Matters," or if he had another Rookery(ies) besides the one handled by the Flyer Leader.

If that's the case, then it could be likely that Honcho is doing swell but demoted. But since we know that Krogan dislikes failure, much like Drago does and — like master, like apprentice — punishes his failure with DEATH.

For more on the Flyer Leader and his possible fate after "Family Matters", click the link to my old article here.

What's also interesting is that the Flyer Leader is also the one who led that certain "Elite Dozen" team that pursued the Gang in "Dawn of Destruction" and "Wings of War, Parts 1 and 2" as well.

Personally, I love this character, and I personally wish he showed up in more episodes. He was quite the competent minor villain who was able to corner and pressure the Riders more than a few times. (He certainly did a better job than Savage and Vorg did.😤)

Conclusion:

So I conclude this article by stating that I believe that those 12 Flyers — and any other Flyers with the same garb — are elites due to the garb they wear and experience in combat. They're also, presumedly, among the most fanatical and ruthless of Krogan's Flyers (though the same could be said for all of the Flyers, as a whole). Plus, they were the ones who gave the Gang the most trouble with their excellent training, coordination, and teamwork.

What do you guys think? What are your thoughts on this? I'm curious.

Anyway, thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this article! See you in the next one!

Long Live the Night!

— Noctus Fury

[partywithoutsmiling]

Here's a fun idea you said that if he wanted to branch could make his own tribe. well what if he did, where do you think the tribe would live? I'm thinking something like the lash caves from minecraft because underground, and what if that was hundreds of years ago? What do you think folk trolls would evolve to look like? What about their culture? Would the leader position be passed down through bloodline or successes? What would their leader even be called? I feel like it has to be chief. Aaaahahahhah this ideas so funnnnn

Hi!

Sorry for late answer, I had a late shift at work, and that didn't leave me with much energy to do anything but have midnight dinner and then sleep XD

The thing about Branch, and his Folk String- yes, he could form his own Tribe and his own genre of music, but I am unsure if he would. Not at least while he travels, and while the events of the first and second movie are taking place.

First it comes down to the fact that he has no idea that the Strings exists and what they even are- and that knowledge would probably change somewhere around when World Tour happens. Even as he travels through the other territories, the topic of Strings just... doesn't come up, so he has no idea what power he holds in his hands (paws XD).

He also just still feels very connected to his own Tribe, no matter how badly they treated him. Especially after he realizes that Poppy actually missed him and was devastated to see him gone. (And sorry to say but my Branch will always be a bit of a simp for her, he is a lost cause in that)

BUT, all that said, entertaining the possibility of him forming his own Tribe...

Him straying underground once more would be very in character- especially as apparently Rock Trolls are subterranean people, in that most of their dwellings are underground and I do headcanon Branch as having a rock troll blood. So he would have never felt comfortable high in the trees like a full blood Pop Troll, but he also wouldnt want to be without any access to sunlight or plantlife.

The Lush Caves are a good idea certainly- and I raise you the possibility of their dwelling be more like the Hidden World from HTTYD XD

Not to the full fantastical extent as in the movies- but with the definition on whimsy and calm, some bioluminescence and giant crystals would be a great conversation piece XD

Chief being the title of the leader also fits- that, or more specifically Chieftain. Branch definitelly doesnt think of himself as coming from line of kings and queens (He is wrong about that in my headcanon buuut that's for another post XD), and so he would never think to use those titles. I think the position would be hereditary- but definitelly not going to the 'firstborn of the firstborn', but based on suitability. Culturaly, I think that would also be most familiar to any troll who who migrates from the large Tribes, where the leadership is definitelly a hereditary position (I think even Country Trolls, despite the Fandom calling Delta Dawn a mayor, do regard her as their queen).

Now for the fun part, the physical changes XD

Honestly that by itself requires a whole another post, since this need to encompass all of the Trolls tribe by tribe, but let me sum it up based on the Major Genres:

Pop: - Colourful little menaces as we know them from the movies XD - Largely arboreal- that means long tails that compensates for balance, and paws with retractable claws used for gripping onto tree bark - All trolls- apart from Classical and Techno- are in possession of fur, or (as one AO3 fanfic writer called it) in possession of 'flocking' XD - Pop Trolls grow thicker pelt in winter and shed it with the coming summer- but in general, it still grows rather fast for some so those trolls took to shaving it down to keep it need (Poppy is one such with unlucky ancient genes when it comes to that) - Before they evolved to use their Hair to the exten they do now, they largely counted on their own agility and ability to jump from branch to branch, and chipped away burrows into the trees - so powerful leg and arm muscles, and comparativelly amazing strenght for beings so small -They definitelly used to be taller than any non-funk trolls, slightly shorter than Biggie, but with the Pop String creation, their hair abilities and the selective survival of the smallest (after all, smaller trolls hid from Bergens' better), they've been getting on average shorter - They do have small hint of fangs, but are largely leaning towards non-meaty diet, though still very much omnivorous

Country: - Centaur-ish; I know movie depicted them with horse bodies, but I headcanon them more in the way unicorns are in old medieval illustrations, ie Artiodactyls - Long tail hair, almost as luscious as their own hair - Pointier ears, clear fangs on top of their large front teeth (since meat seems to be large part of their diet), but not really paws and claws; I would say they are the most carnivorous of all the trolls, raising livestock both for milk but specifically for meat - (diving into the territory of evolution, if they were hunters of prey, they probably chased them and kicked them to death XD) - All in all, not that different from how movie showed them

Classical: - More fairy-like/Hummingbird-like than in the movies - Definitelly still smaller and glittery, but with the idea their skin is not actually glitter like with Glitter Trolls, but either some kind of scale like feathers, or more durable version of the scales like butterflies have on their wings -Two pairs of wings instead of one, and definitelly beating faster to keep them up in the air - No tail- a rarity out of all the Trolls- and their hair is more like bird feathers/crest, in that it can puff up or lay flatter depending on situation - Most likely nectarivous and herbivorous? Making something like 'honey' from their farming efforts XD - The gemstone in their belly is an accessory and not something they all grow naturally- meant to show the troll is grown and ready to join the Orchestra XD

Techno: - Not much to change there- I just imagine their neon and digital looks came much later after decades/centuries being influenced by their string, they used look a little bit down to earth before that - Omnivorous, with crustaceans and molluscs making up for the majority of their animal protein- and probably necessary source of compound their bodies need to be bioluminescent

Rock: - Being looks wise the most similar to Pop Trolls, there was probably some speculation they both came from the very first same ancestor- before the Strings were created - Their flocking/fur is thinner and sleeker, and they don't grow a thick undercoat in winter, but similar to Pop trolls they have paws with claws- only theirs are not retractable - Their tail is also shorter and not as luscious in fur, used more for display than for balancing - Pointier ears for sure, more visible fangs; as mentioned, I think they are supposed to be subterranean? So most of their dwellings is underground- probably to avoid the volcanic ash on top- but I imagine living so close to the sea, they are largely focused on fishing (their angler ships suggests that they have no issue going underwater), probably hunting whatever critter lives in the cavern bellow, and maybe they are using the advantage of volcanic soil to grow some hardier crops? - Living underground with no direct sunlight for days probably gave them killer nightvision while their colours dulled to make hiding in the caves easier

That said, Branch is half and half. Despite his ear deformity, I would imagine they would always be a little pointier than on any other Pop Troll, and he cannot retract his claws (and thus took to filing them down to keep them blunt for safety sake- still sharp enough to help him climb, not sharp enough to hurt) Even if he grew up with his true colours, I'd imagine they would dull as he grew older, going vibrant only if he indulged in the poppiest of songs (or if he performed on stage) He has the tail and the luscious tail-hair of a Pop troll, but his flocking never grows a thick undercoat so he is almost always chilled to the bone in winter, forced to wear padded clothing to keep warm

With the Folk String coming from him, and representing him.... I imagine some of these things would change He'd grow hardier- more temperature tolerant at least- and similar to Rock Trolls, his night vision would grow better. Would any potential Folk Trolls change the same? Maybe? Perhaps more bioluminesce similar to that of Techno Trolls, while their general basic colouring grows more grounded- more into muted pastels and leaning towards greens/aquamarine tones

Culture is hard to pinpoint, as it would be evolving from various established cultures of all the other Major and Minor tribes; who knows what hodge podge it would end up as XD

My mind is full of various headcanons pft- ones that are blanket for all my AUs and ones that are just part of that one specific one- so be on lookout for more regarding that

[howtowhumpyourhiccup]

He Tried

@httyd-whump-week

Summary: Httyd Whump Week 2024 Day 3. Set in a Sci-fi AU. Set in the same universe as A Calling For A Healing. All Tuffnut wanted to do was protect Hiccup. That's all he wanted.

Warnings: Medical stuff, Chronic illness

Rating: Teens and Up

Dead Dove: No

Words: 718

Prompt: Tuffnut

Fandom: How to Train Your Dragon

Characters: Hiccup, Tuffnut, Ruffnut

Pairing: /

Author's Notes: Was supposed to post this one yesterday, but I had a thing after work, so I had to post it today.

Somehow revolved all of this week's whumps around Hiccup, too. 😭

Enjoy!

-XOXOX-

All things considered, Hiccup has a big mouth and they love that about him. The world is against him in the most literal sense, he could get out of bed wrong and break something. Despite this, he speaks his mind and he does so bluntly. It doesn’t mean he isn’t afraid and his condition doesn’t mean others are going to care.

When he makes an unfortunate comment at school about a jock-type guy’s intelligence in front of their respective friend groups after Hiccup confronts him in the inner courtyard about stealing Fishlegs’ work and basically calls him an idiot, he simply couldn’t swallow that.

“You’ll pay for that!”

Tuffnut sees it coming and he does what any one of their friends would do for Hiccup; he jumps between him and the jock. Whether to catch the punch with his hand or his face, it doesn’t matter. What was important is that Hiccup doesn’t get a scratch on him.

The jock’s fist connects with his nose and for a brief moment this is it; the moment all of his and his sister’s violence towards each other has led to. Pain explodes in his nose, something cracks, but he can take it. So long as his friend stays unharmed, he can take it just fine.

And then he’s thrown backwards, right into Hiccup.

There are screams of horror as they both fall to the ground, Tuffnut on top of Hiccup. He can practically feel the crunching of his bones. He gets off him and up on his knees as fast he can. Astrid is already by her knees at Hiccup’s side, Snotlout, Fishlegs and Heather surround him. The jock who lashed out, realizing what he did, quickly makes a run for it and his friends chase after him. Meanwhile Ruffnut, though she worries for their friend, too, kneels by her brother and rests her hands on his shoulders.

Hiccup lies gasping on the ground, holding his right arm to his chest, the same arm that was broken only a few months ago.

“Hold still, okay?” Astrid is calm, this isn’t the first injury she has to help him through, her hands on him in places she assumes aren’t hurt. Who knows the kinds of injuries he has now. Broken ribs? A fractured skull? A broken spine? He has had all these injuries at least once before and his RBDD has been attacking at least two of those, despite continuous treatments to slow the process.

Heather has left by now to get a teacher, they aren’t even allowed to move him until the paramedics come to stabilize him first, hence why Astrid is such a champion at keeping him calm. It’s a horrific condition and it has already cost him his leg. One day, it’s going to cost him his life.

Tuffnut sniffs, only then realizing that his nose is bleeding and has been dripping red on his shirt and the ground this entire time. He wipes it away, becoming aware of the burning and throbbing of his nose.

“Bro, your nose is crooked,” Ruffnut remarks, but he barely even notices, too preoccupied with other things.

All he wanted was to help, do his part in protecting their friend like Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Heather and even Dagur have done. They never think he’s capable, sometimes even distrust his and his sister’s presence around him because of just how fragile Hiccup’s condition makes him. He didn’t even want to prove anyone wrong, he just wanted to do good for a good friend. Hiccup is always helping him out whenever he can, so why can’t Tuffnut return the favor?

It takes an agonizingly long time for help to come, a professor and even the principal now hovering around as paramedics stabilize Hiccup enough for transport. He has his own medical team at the local hospital that he visits at least once a month minimum, so even the paramedics are familiar with him and his situation.

Tuffnut sits forgotten on a bench, still watching from a distance, with guilt eating away at him and his nosebleed only just starting to slow. He has wasted at least part of a whole tissue box by now. Eventually, they take him away on a stretcher and Tuffnut wonders how he could ever make this up to him.

[kingofthewilderwest]

I feel like I’ve been hyperfixating on HTTYD too much for a long time that it doesn’t feel as fun falling in love with it as it used to be. Any advice on how to deal with that?

I'm sorry that it's taken me weeks to respond to you. I've been thinking about you and what you've said, and I've wanted to say the right thing to you. This probably still isn't the right thing (too wordy, my norm), but I hope the word dump finds you or others well.

This one's hard. I think we tackle hyperfixations differently. Personally, while bittersweet, I think a person shouldn't force themselves into a position that is no longer natural. I should be enthusiastic about something because I'm enthusiastic about something, not because I'm used to being enthusiastic about something. There is so much to be joyous about in the world, and I'm confident I'll find something to scream about - even if the target of what I scream about changes. Since I started this blog in 2014, I've charged through deep passions in probably 12-20 things, and re-returned to some things 2-3 times (not all of which I posted about, but all of which took me for a good ride).

This blog, in some ways, is an artifact of me trying to be enthusiastic about something because I felt expected to be enthusiastic about something. I'm historically not accustomed to retaining something- I like to come in, come out, come back in! Sometimes that 'trying' works, and retaining a sense of community with fandom perpetuates the joy. Other times, it can feel like a chore or like a disappointment. Where are you in the mix? I hella understand craving an old joy and not wanting to let it go, yearning for it badly, but if it's drawing from an empty well, no matter how many times you lower the bucket, you won't get the water to fill your thirst.

I know some people stick to very few hyperfixations for life. Other people, like me, bounce around. If you have wandering eyes, I say let them. HTTYD won't leave. HTTYD will be part of your heart and poke at you when you need it to most. It will always be right around the corner for you to keep returning to, again and again, when your actual impulse drives it, rather than you forcing today's feelings to be the same as yesterday.

On the contrary, if you still are finding joy - just not as much as before - that can be perfectly healthy and you can still maintain a pleasurable deep interest in it. I think many of us have a honeymoon period that ends. But if friends say the right keywords, or a new trailer comes out, or you run across meta that sparks at your strongest opinions, you find that energy rush anew. And a settled love, while not as much of a rush as the honeymoon period, can be extremely fun, too. I'm at a settled love for most of my fandoms - it's not going to make me fly out of my seat anymore, but by golly, a calm love is pretty dang fun, too, right? If you can find joy in the calm love, contentment, all the power to you, and I think that's where settling into HTTYD long-term works best.

There are ways to keep things feeling fresh, pending on personal interests: fanfiction, fanart, community conversations, or, my personal favorite, delving into increasingly obscure lore and sources - ergo always something new to educate myself on and be surprised on. But ultimately, I think it's gonna come down to taking actions that mirror what your gut's already telling you.

This isn't intended to sound in any way defeatist, but hopeful for any path you take. Maybe this isn't the answer you expected, but I believe you can find a fun ride. Period. Anywhere it's best to take you. XD

[nightdreamdraws]

Hihihihi!!

I've commented on a few of your videos, both normal and httyd, but because of my fear of being perceived, I've usually kept them pretty mild.

So I thought I would come on here and politely scream at you about how much I love your art,

EBWKHEEKKWKEBEK everytime you update/post whatever I immediately feel better no matter what because your art is always so pretty and fills me with such joy! Your current httyd×hc series is SOO much fun, and something I've always kinda thought about, but never thought I would see, let alone done so beautifully! Your ability to composs a scene with so much emotion, and story in just a single DRAWING. Is. Completely. INSANE. And that's not even mentioning your ANIMATICS. Because, HOLYSHIT. Your "The Moon Will Sing" PMV is a NATIONAL TREASURE. That is. Just. Omg. AURGH it's so good I can't even TALK ABOUT IT because just THINKING about it makes me go INSANE!!! INSANEEE!! RAHHHH!

Anyway, just thought that since I can say basically whatever I want anonymously without the fear of people actually seeing me, why not come and give one of my favorite artists some WELL DESERVED praise. Your cherrifire art? Beautiful. The designs. Ommf, delicious. Your hermitcraft/life series art? Can't even explain how good it is. Ddvau fanart? Love it so much. Your httyd crossover art? EEEEEEEEEEEEHEHEHE IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY. I LOVE IT ALL SO MUCH. EVERYTHING. AMAZING. BEAUTIFUL. ARGGGGGHHHHH.

...welp, I got a little carried away lol. I hope you don't mind this long "ask" (and that it's actually coherent)! Hope you get lots of nice sleep tonight, and remember to eat and drink as well! (Also.. maybe. Maybee? Could we perhaps get a hint as to who the next hermit will be? Mayhaps? No pressure ofc) <3

AWW THANK YOU SO MUCH ANON!! This probably takes the cake for one of the sweetest messages i've ever received omg thank you so much 😭💙 I am so so happy that you're enjoying my content! I am having such a blast coming up with ideas and drawing silly block people and dragons for you guys 🥹 everyone's support has been so overwhelmingly positive and i'm so thankful for you guys even giving me the opportunity to share my art with a large audience. you guys are awesome <3 i'm also so so glad you love my art style! i've had so many comments and compliments about it, and it has given me the confidence and motivation to keep doing what i'm doing, as i have been pretty insecure about my art style in the past which prevented me from posting my art for years haha. thank you guys for helping me to feel comfortable with my abilities and give me the motivation to keep improving from here! I'm so excited to make more! anyway i should probably stop yapping, cause i may or may not have an angry goat and his dragon to draw 👀 but thank you again anon for the very very sweet message and support 🫶 i wish all the same to you :)

[toasts-httyd-hyperfixation]

Hey, i hope you're well! I just wanted to ask - do you know anything about a httyd books discord? I'm sure I saw one mentioned somewhere and I think it was on your blog (though I may be totally mistaken) - I would really love to join one, so wanted to ask around!! :))

Hey, sorry for the late response, i saw this shortly after you sent it and then just kept forgetting to answer lol Anyways the answer is yes, i do know about a httyd books discord 2 of them in fact 1 because im in it and the other because, well

i made it So the first httyd books discord is run by a person names Star She's very nice, and its a fairly calm chat Heres a post she has linking to it or at least I believe that link still works

Anyways

I would liken it to being in like, an afterschool club, where you have a theme for it, but its also just for chilling and hanging out

People are nice, its chill, you can vibe Then theres mine, which i made because i was too anxious and awkward to talk in the aforementioned chat, which is also why im pretty much never active there, RIP I would describe it as "if Tumblr were only httyd book themed"

If the first discord is a casual afterschool club, mine got banned after someone set something on fire, and now we meet under the bleachers at an old abandoned baseball field

Mine's a little messy, leans more heavily towards general fandom stuff, fanart, memes, 1001 AUs, both actually insightful conversation and shitpost type content so ya know theres no general chat for non-httyd convo, or for the movies for that matter, because quite frankly the movies have enough space already, tho we do still talk about it occasionally

All in all, its pretty casual i think, you can talk and share as much or as little as you want, theres not really any rules besides like Be respectful to everyone and in general try to keep things httyd book related (not that that always happens, sometimes youre talking and you end up going off on a ramble about like, piranha or something, its cool, no worries)

anyways uh

idk what else to say about it, ive really enjoyed the time ive spent there, its been cool, had a lot of fun, everyones real nice and ive made some great friends (shoutout to them, love y'all 🫶) so yeah

Come hang out if you want, i love seeing new people join, we're all mildly insane there, its fine, dont worry about it

[amalgamorph]

Fanfic writer interview, tagged by @anxiescape

What fandoms do you write in?

Um... actively? Or in general? Cuz one answer is I write in 28 different fandoms and the other is I write in maybe 3 or 4. Hmmmm, I'll go with actively.

I am currently writing in Danny Phantom, Percy Jackson, Lego Monkie Kid, and a bit of Honkai Star Rail. None of my HSR stuff has been posted yet. I'll get around to it eventually. Maybe. 😅

(In case anyone was wondering, I have also written stuff in DC Batman, Dinotrux, Dragon Prince, Eon Kid, Fablehaven, HTTYD, Luca, Mass Effect, Miraculous Ladybug, MLP:FiM, Ninjago, Ratchet and Clank, Skylanders, Sonic the Hedgehog, Star Trek, Stardew Valley, Steven Universe, Tales of Arcadia [more specifically 3Below and Trollhunters], the Smurfs, TMNT [2012 mainly], Transformers Prime, Dreamworks Trolls, Voltron, Wakfu, and Zootopia. Nothing is posted, so there's nothing to see. Yet. 👀)

How many words have you published in 2024?

Ummm, lemme go look... 21,709 words?! Dang that's more than I would have guessed. 😅

What are your top three fics you’ve written this year?

Bootstrap Paradox, The Apprentice of Thanatos, and... I think that's it. 😅 I haven't had much time to sit and write this year (well, 2024. 2025 is just starting).

What was your biggest pit of despair moment?

That my fics aren't good enough like so many other writers. It's still something I'm struggling with right now actually. Thankfully I have some amazing friends that are helping me work through it!

What have you learned?

That said is sometimes the best word for a situation. And that no matter how many times you explain something, some readers are going to misinterpret what you wrote and there is no changing their minds. Don't try and change your story because of those people, you'll only make yourself unhappy.

Did you beta any fics?

All of @anxiescape's stuff! (they have amazing stories in the works!)

What three fics have you read this year that you love?

Who's Your DEAD-y? by DoodlebugWritesStuff

Collapsing Stars by Greetings_Im_Leo

Fire Lilies by Anxiescape

What ideas are percolating for next year?

Always! I definitely hope to have more of Bootstrap Paradox and The Apprentice of Thanatos posted this year. Maybe I'll start posting some of my other stuff, but we'll see on that one.

Tagging if they want @enbydemirainbowbigfoot and anyone else who wants to join in!

[leihaddock]

What the hell is this blog?

I'm Lei, 20's, he/him, I'm hella trans and hella gay. I speak 5 languages and as of writing this I'm thinking in Romanian. ME(S)T for me so if I'm posting stuff at what for me is 2am or something, feel free to shout at me. In general, feel free to dm me at any point just to chat or send asks and every social interaction you can imagine

I'm... well mildly fandom obsessed. I'm not gonna list all of them because we'd be here all day but take a few:

I grew up on HTTYD and if you were in the fandom's Insta art space around 2019 you might've seen some of my art. The page is still up but I'm tempted to delete it due to current... everything

I'm mildly (read: wildly) into Pokémon and own far too many of the games and manga. So you're gonna find some of that on here too

Hmm, what else to add? Oh, of course: 90% of the content on this blog has been Stucky stuff as of writing this. I love them, your honour. Doesn't help that I know I'm trans for the same reason I know what the most common asthma medication in the US was in the 1940s. I'm sure you can connect the dots. In general, this ship has taught me far too much and the fandom is amazing so I'm here to stay this time

A couple more things (more TBA if needed):

I am very bad at tagging and I don't tag nsfw. So if you're a minor, maybe stay away? If you see dick or whatever, no matter your age, that's on you lol

Bigots of any flavour are not welcome here. Black Lives Matter, queer rights are human rights and all the other catch phrases I can't remember off the top of my head. I'm staunchly pro choice and pro women's rights. If you're a Dump supporter or otherwise a fascist, kindly fuck off. Also, obviously, FUCK NAZIS

You can find me under this same username on Bluesky and AO3 (and other platforms), so yeah I'm the one (positively) shouting at you in the comments

Under the cut I'm adding some of my all time favourite fics (that are in English). If you read them, I kindly ask you to leave a comment because the authors did an amazing job and deserve it

Make sure to always read the description and the tags. Some of these are quite dark and/or sad. Some are explicit (though none are PWP). They're in a random order. And yes I know I could imbed the links but this is neater if you ask me Keeper of Memory by PyrophobicDragon

No One is Perfect, Not Even a Superhero by ohstars

introducing mister and mister united states by ara_the_jedi (orphan_account)

Stucky Shares Custody of Peter Parker by rWolfWrites

In His Right Mind by MoreThanAFeeling (Daretodream66)

Fight Me by Mystrana

@sgtbarnes1917 and @cptrogers1918 by BayleyWinchester

Captain America Has a Fella by PR Zed (przed)

there and back again, ink on canvas by plincess_cho

People Like Us by AK_Qhyrstol

Loss of Life by ThatOneGreyGhost

Fierce by leveragehunters (Monkeygreen)

The Limits of Duty by LeeHan

Technicolor Masterpiece by CherriOnTop

if I'm gonna get back to you someday by napricot

I [Heart] You by writeonclara

young hearts, out our minds by junko (orphan_account)

We Set a Precedent, and Now I’m Living With It by Voylitscope_speed

Falling With The Landslide by BlueMatroshka

The thing that drives the wolves away by caughtinanocean

Cake Walk by RockSaltAndRoll, Shortsighted_Owl

James Barnes Has a Life by rox_fanfics

The Storm by SilverRowan_Ivy630951

The Ding Dong War by icewhisper

There Are Moments That The Words Don't Reach by CharlieBILlions

The Best Is Yet To Come by postmodernmulticoloredcloak

Learn Me Hard Oh, Learn Me Right by AHM1121 

The Man Out of Time by gleeksfreaksandwannabes

merry crisis by galwednesday, silentwalrus

We Provide...Beverages by leveragehunters (Monkeygreen)

A Nativity of Oranges by BlueSimplicity

The Trials and Tribulations of the Watermelon Werewolf by BlueSimplicity

#TweetMeDaddy by Senforza

Skin by Parrannnah

Let Your Heart Be Light by JJK, Rosesnfeathers

It’s Always Been You by estrellami

How to Woo the Winter Soldier by writeonclara

Phantasm by Yeetmeaway

The Waking Wolf by Liron

The Blessings of Cursed Love by SilverRowan_Ivy630951

Fluff by MoreThanSlightly (cadignan) More TBA but I think for now this is already plenty

[spoopyspectralassassin]

‼️Line art by @lumiidragon, please go check her out because she makes awesome art!‼️

(Also my furies having bright colours on them was inspired by lumii)

I’m gonna post the four pages of these individually cuz it’ll be 4 shorter posts instead of one huge post haha.

These are all of the night/light/night-light furies in my httyd/yugioh AU. Any that don’t have subtitles are unrelated to one another

Ebony: Ebony is a titan night fury who was cursed/blessed (depending on how you look at it) by a witch to make him immortal, he can be injured or sick but he will never die. Legends say that he is already thousands of years old which some people believe to be impossible. (That little bit of information is based off of the Face of Boe from doctor who lol). He is devoted to protecting Nico and West and is the guardian protector of Crash Town

Toothless: Toothless is Isaac’s loyal companion and longest known family. The two bonded as lonely nine year olds and ran away together, crash landing in Satellite resulting in Toothless losing his right tail fin. They met Yusei who helped them make a new tail out of scrap which managed to miraculously survive until they reunited with him a few years later at 14 years old. He is named after the movie version of Toothless because Isaac is a huge fan of those movies (which are based on factual Viking history in this universe rather than being purely fictional, but are still also made up stories). He is a fun loving, borderline puppy dog most of the time but if you attempt to hurt anyone he cares about you will find yourself facing a freezing glare that could put a flightmare’s paralysing breath or a speed stinger’s sting to shame

The colour siblings:

Ivory: Ivory is the eldest sibling. Her and her siblings pride themselves as protectors and will always fight to protect those that they care about. She is the most mature of her siblings as well as being the eldest, but she enjoys playing with other dragons and relaxing in tree shade on warm days. On colder days she will build small campfires for her siblings or her friends

Lavender: Lavender is the second oldest sibling. She is very friendly but will always be the first to jump in to protecting others. When she’s not defending others, she likes irritating her siblings and being a general menace to her friends. On warm days she goes swimming with Copper and on cold days she sits by them listening campfire with Sage

Copper: Copper is the youngest sibling of the group, but the most serious. He can often be seen observing from high points in trees diligently to ensure that no one in his care can possibly be snuck up on. He enjoys his sister’s pranks because he usually stays out of her way, but will get very grumpy if he is the target of her tomfoolery. When he’s not playing his role of protector, he can be found swimming or laying in the sun. On colder days, he prefers to snuggle with his siblings

Sage: Sage is the third oldest sibling. He’s probably the worst fighter of his group, but he tries his best and is very good at keeping his siblings out of trouble. He’s the most capable of taking a hit so he offers himself as the target and distracts the enemies while the other three fight them off. When he’s not on duty, Sage will join his sister underneath tree shade or sometimes he’ll sit and keep his brother company while he’s observing their surroundings. On colder days, Sage helps Ivory collect wood for her campfires and loves snuggling with the other two beside them.

Ankh and Kisara’s family:

Huey: Huey is the adoptive son of Ankh and Kisara, and Lily’s adopted brother. He was found as an abandoned egg and raised alongside Lily. He is younger than her by two days and she know that they aren’t related by blood but she does not care (that sort of thing is never considered in this AU by humans/dragons/aliens, family is family no matter whether they’re related by blood or not). Huey, just like Lily, is a cheeky little prankster who works with his big sister to irritate others and to then try and escape consequences by being as cute as they can

Lily: Lily is Ankh and Kisara’s daughter. She is a little menace who often tries to use her big shiny eyes to avoid the consequences of her actions. If that doesn’t work, she blames Huey and flees, leading to terrible sibling squabbles. Their main target is their poor uncle, who falls for their pranks far too often due to being very trusting. Lily loves to terrorise everyone, and often gets away with it because everyone thinks she’s adorable

Argyle: The younger sibling of Ankh, he is Lily and Huey’s uncle despite only being about a month or two older than them. Argyle’s parents trusted him to be looked after by his elder brother because they wanted him to be closer to other dragon cubs since they prefer to keep to themselves. He is very trusting but he’s started being very wary whenever his niece and nephew suddenly start giving him attention

The green trio:

Leah: Eldest sibling of the three, she’s very calm but is also not immune to her sister’s ideas of terrorising their poor brother. She’s quite intelligent and enjoys listening to stories whenever anyone tells them. Often times, when she’s not pranking Caspar, she can be found following people around or joining older dragons in their activities

Gwen: The youngest sibling, Gwen is the leader of the “terrorise Caspar” team, which usually consists of just her and Leah but sometimes Huey and Lily or other cubs join them. She’s cunning and always knows the best way to grind her poor brother’s gears. She loves the fact that he is very reactive to all of her pranks

Caspar: The middle child of his triad. He loves his sisters and all of their friends but sometimes he wishes they’d leave him alone so he can do his own thing. Most of the time his “own thing” is just napping or climbing trees. He admires Copper greatly and has been found several times sitting with him helping him to observe and watch out for any potential threats. He doesn’t mind his sisters’ pranks most of the time but he can’t help but react in a big way when they manage to scare him good

The blue twins:

Azure: The elder twin. Her face may look a little more serious than her sister’s but she’s a huge love bug who adores snuggling with people and does her very best to teach cubs and protect children. Some children often think she and her sister are superheroes because of the way that their blue patterns are. She plays into this, making herself the official protector of all younglings in her vicinity

Bora: The younger twin. Bora is a goofball who definitely doesn’t have a poker face when it comes to showing how overjoyed he is to see you. He loves everyone and will stay as close as he can to other people and dragons. If you ever find him on his own, he probably initiated a game of hide and seek due to the fact that it is his favourite game. His tracking is surprisingly good for a dragon who isn’t part of the tracker class and he loves to show it off by being the seeker and finding everyone as fast as he can

Mates:

Ankh: Ankh is Atem’s loyal companion. He adores his baby brother and is an incredibly devoted father. This often scary looking dragon melts into a large fury puddle whenever he’s with his mate and his cubs. He tries to keep a tough outer image but it’s obvious from the way he interacts with his family that he has a heart that’s about as golden as his eyes. A tough fighter, he trains his daughter to be a fighter as she grows older because she asks him to. His intentions are good but his daughter continues to be a menace and uses what he teacher her to terrorise other dragons, much to his shock. Kisara often reminds him that he was the exact same way at her age

Kisara: Kaiba’s fourth blue eyes white dragon, Kisara is named to honour the girl whose soul monster the BEWD was (obviously hehe). She’s tough but she is also a very affectionate mother who will always put her cubs’ health before her own. She absolutely adores Argyle and is overjoyed to have him around her cubs since he is much more level headed than Ankh and will be a good influence on them. Kisara is wary of strangers but will defend the people she trusts and loves to her last breath

[howtodrawyourdragon]

Whenever I see a post about Chief Hiccup (or watch Httyd 2, for that matter) I'm always reminded of how Stoick did not want his son to become chief the way he did.

Maybe it's because Stoick saw his reluctance to succeed him, maybe it's something Stoick went through himself when he became chief and he wanted to spare his son the pain, but he had a plan. He was going to retire. Step down and let Hiccup take over in his stead. That way, his father could ease him into this insanely big responsibility, could be there to guide him, help him with the tough stuff he knows Hiccup might have trouble with.

Except, then he dies at Drago's hands. And Hiccup ends up thrusted into a position a feared to be in. And yeah, he does it mostly alone, just as his father did before him, which is exactly what Stoick was hoping to avoid.

[reviewinghiccup]

DEFENDERS OF BERK | HTTYD SERIES | BREAKING DOWN HICCUP

Blog Post Series: Breaking Down Hiccup

Title: Live and Let Fly

Ep/Season: Episode 1, Season 2 (Defenders of Berk)

Premise:

Picking up from where we left off, Hiccup & gang are wary of the threats Alvin now brings. Unfortunately, a sudden ban on flying has stifled plans to train and prepare for the impending Outcast assault. Hiccup must deal w (1) his troops, 2) restless dragons & (3) overprotective father.

CHARACTER ANALYSIS

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III

DoB’s first episode pushes Hiccup into a different league. He is not just a dragon trainer anymore, but a soldier. He knows that his team needs to level up on training and prepare for battle. Which means, everyone has to improve.

However, Stoick sits on the fence in allowing Hiccup back out on the field following his kidnapping. He decides that it’s safer for Hiccup to be out of sight and out of mind.

That doesn’t sit well w Hiccup at all, because if Hiccup knows anything, is that his strength is maximise w Toothless than without and Berk’s advantage is it’s dragons.

No one is happy about the ban, and the dragons grow restless. Understandably so.

The new set of Berk’s warriors are trained to fight w dragons.

Cleverly, our hero is aware, that it isn’t enough to be on the backs of dragons. They need their own hand held devices and shields.

I love that this is the episode they introduce his shield and this shield plays a significant role in the many shows to come.

The humour behind the fragile calibration setting the shield off was a favourite in the episode. I’m all here for awkward encounters!

I love Hiccup’s design for his gadgets aiding him in battle. We get that physically he has limitations, but he supplements those short comings w weapons showcasing his innovative side.

I also like how his first “weapon” or battle armour is a shield. It shows that Hiccup is always on the defensive never offensive, because as much as he can help it, he doesn’t want to fight.

THEME & MESSAGE

DRAGON FLIGHT CLUB

The team decides to take matters into their own hands. After all, how are they going to defeat Alvin if they don’t study counterattacks on the captured dragons stored in Alvin’s dungeons.

And so, they assemble the secret society, Dragon Flight Club, to train under the cover of night.

I have to point out that Hiccup looks super cute here. This pose made me crush hard on Hiccup when I watched it back then. Such authority, w a dash of nonchalance.

GROWING PAINS

I think one of the hardest things for Stoick is to let Hiccup go. He is his only son. The child from his only love. He can’t lose Hiccup. Not again. (Anyone feeling Rhaenyra vibes here? Yes/No?)

But it’s impossible to cage Hiccup in general. The boy has always been made to fly. And hard as it is for any parent to let their kids go, Stoick is no exception.

Instead of fighting against Hiccup, Stoick needed to learn, that together, they are powerful. Signified by the combined blast of Thornado’s roar and Toothless’ plasma.

Together they will defeat Berk’s enemies. And together they will defend their village.

Hiccup is a little more mature in this season than the last. We’ve seen him grow as a member of Berk’s council. Now, we will watch him grow in another aspect for his people. A defender.

Favourite Moment:

I find it hilarious how this entire conversation means that this scenario HAS HAPPENED MORE THAN ONCE.

[a-silver-dragoness]

*sigh* I always feel like a negative nancy when it comes to the Light Fury species. It's just... I'm insanely passionate about them and I love how sparkly and feminine they are. They are my favorite species in HTTYD after all. I feel an intense desire to defend them when I see someone make a post saying how horrible the design is, or how it's sexist, or the infinite redesigns that make them look like Toothless. It's just... extremely upsetting. I don't really consider myself a part of the fandom either, I've only watched the movies and a couple of seasons of RTTE, and I don't feel attached to Toothless and Hiccup the way some people are. I like THW Toothless design the most, but I know for some people HTTYD 1 Toothless is the only Toothless.

I am attached to the Light Fury species like a male Anglerfish is to a female, that's how deep my passion goes. Like it's weird, but they're family to me.

But I guess that's how I feel about all dragons? Doesn't matter what type of dragon they are, or where they're from, I feel like all dragons are my family. It doesn't matter if you're a tiny floofy amphithere, or a titanic feathered wyvern, we are family, and if ANYONE disrespects you or gives you a hard time, I will BURN them.

Anyways, here's how I see male and female Light Furies. No sexual dimorphism. Nice and simple.

[tenebrius-excellium]

Hello there! I saw your posts about the httyd books and the conversations others had there, so I don't want to repeat their same points. I just wanted to provide some encouragment for you personally, because it seems like your interpretation of the books was due to less-than-hopeful feelings about our world.

Hiccup of the books has faith in his gods. He knows they have laid out a fate for him and he has faith that his personal fight for progress is in line with the fate they've decided. Think of the Lost Things finding him as if by magnetic attraction! You could argue that that's all due to his good choices, but that is the same thing as divine intervention if the gods have planned that fate for him. So Cressida DID write them into the story as Hiccup's faith.

Humans trying to find one final moral authority to deflect judgment to has always led to more social suffering, not more peace. And divine intervention cannot reverse global warming or stop deforestation or unpollute our waterways. At least not by any god directly reaching out a hand and righting it all. One could say that God has already intervened by giving us all the tools we need in order to fix the mistakes we've made. All the science and empathy is there, we have been taught about respect and how to spread faith and ideas. Now we need to use those tools to extend that respect to our fellow species (and to ourselves, since we are the victims of toxins and pollutants as well) and stoke each other's will to continue the work. Ecological evangelizing, if you will, alongside our social progress. And that's where Hiccup's call to action comes in! Cressida's goal is for every child reading to feel galvanized, to realize that since they are just like Hiccup, who changed the entire viking world, then they are not useless in this matter either! If he waited for the Norse gods to save him and the vikings and dragons directly, that would be a hopeless message for today's children. That they are helpless and small, that only an all-powerful god is powerful enough to save our society, all while ignoring and wasting their own potential that God created them with… I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

I'm not trying to be offensive or mean at all, it just concerned me to see your feelings about the end of the series, which is intended to be a peaceful and hopeful ending, and that you felt our only hope in real life is surrendering to divine intervention. I am religious too, and nobody can know what form divine intervention takes. Maybe God is whispering in all of our ears, encouraging us to not only care but to act, to inspire each other, to ignore the evil voice of complacency and defeatism, and to try to make a difference against any odds. Maybe He was whispering to Cressida when she wrote Hiccup's call to action, and maybe He whispered to me when I saw your post. We have no way to know! But I do know that religion has been co-opted by those causing the most harm in our society for their own gain, so those abused religious structures cannot be now used as a solution or rulebook. Our solution must be the pure core of religion: Faith. Faith that we have been given the tools, faith that mankind can continue to progress, and faith in our own abilities to act, just as Hiccup has faith. The nice thing about faith is that it is the same by any name, regardless of which (if any) religion is attached. They say that hope is the basis for faith, and I hope you come to see these books as inspirationally as I see them someday, even if that's not the case now, and that your springtime is filled with renewed faith. Look around for the dragons, they are there!

Hi. So this ask catches me at an interesting point in my life, where - as funny as the timing is - I am finding my faith in God again. I fell into a crisis when I misinterpreted something that humans did to me - the way I grew up, to be precise - as "God's will" and I had to relearn that. Not all of that was God's will and it's mad to think about just how much stuff is allowed to go on for a really long time under the reality that is called free will. Bad empires will last for centuries if people don't stand up for what is good and right. And so, in a way, yes you are very correct when you say that it is our actions that change the world for the better. Cuz bad empires topple through the cry for change from their inhabitants, and by them standing up for what they believe.

To a degree.

Ultimately though, it is not our activism that saves the world - it is the LORD changing hearts. Especially when you look at Christianity (religion can obviously mean a lot of things), the obvious point that humans have not been able to earn heaven on earth through their deeds remains. It is God who makes the final sacrifice, God who turns to live in each and everyone of us if we offer our hearts to be softened to change according to His perfect will, not ours.

If activism could save the world, if our efforts and tries could make the final difference, we would have reached the state of heaven by now, because that is literally what everyone yearns for in one form or another. Even extremists believe that terror will bring peace if they just eliminate everyone who has "bad" thoughts.

Humans are capable of doing INCREDIBLE things, and it's fantastic that the Httyd books show just how far a single boy can get the kingdoms of an entire archipelago if he has good friends and parents who listen to reason. But those people were already open for change because deep down, they knew what was right, they just lacked the revelation or the tools to act on it. If I remember correctly, people joined the companions of the Dragonmark for vastly different reasons. Hiccup had the conviction to treat dragons right from the start. Some other people were blind or complacent but joined the revolution fairly quickly when Hiccup opened their eyes to the dragons' suffering. Some tribes joined later merely out of fear of Alvin - not because of personal conviction, but because if the world as they knew and liked it was going to change anyway, the Dragonmark was the lesser of two evils. And Snotlout had to overcome his massive jealousy before he finally joined the good side.

So you see, people couldn't be coerced into being good by Hiccup saying certain stuff or by doing certain things to them/for them. There were a couple rousing speeches, sure, but each of the people had to come to the conclusion for themselves that enslaving dragons was not alright anymore.

And it's true that the King's Things seemed to find Hiccup via a sort of magical attraction, confirming him as the right fit for a king.

But what prevailed for me was Furious' lament that future times were going to change for the worse again no matter what Hiccup achieved in the present. That he already saw Hiccup's era pass into oblivion again before his eyes, as people would slowly grow greedy,...and selfish..., and complacent towards evil again.

The 12 Httyd books defeated Alvin, (and Excellinor of course), but not evil. And it is the failure to defeat evil which Furious mourns as he cannot even enjoy the present victory over the temporary injustice that had transpired. Furious and the Wodensfang and Hiccup are old souls. They look past the fleeting things and long for something lasting and eternal. However, they are locked within the confines of their time, where Evil has not yet fully been defeated by Good, and THAT'S what the real conflict is at the end of Book 12.

And THAT'S what doesn't get resolved and THAT'S what I'm criticizing.

That the ultimate main characters' goal is to create paradise but the books end on the notion that 'we're not there yet' and it's our actions that need to achieve it. We just didn't 'do' enough yet. No. Ultimately, it is not humanity that will save the world. We contribute by doing good, yes, but even Hiccup wasn't able to change Alvin's or Excellinor's mind. Some evil can't be defeated by human reasoning. And it is foolish to me that the books did not arrive at that conclusion, but remained in the pessimistic belief that 'we (or future generations) just need to try harder'. No. This creates panic, and more fear - the belief that the way the world ends is entirely up to us! What an impossible load to carry! What a crushing weight on our shoulders! It's not to be done: History has already shown it.

So to me, the books either need to be about defeating Alvin - but then the dragons could have happily stayed, because that goal was achieved in all its fullness - or they need to be about defeating Evil, which would have required to introduce a kind of final judge.

Instead, Book 12 ended with the worst possible take - at least for me: Between the two lines.

Humanity isn't going to get better on its own. Not without the help of a God who lives in each of us, whispering to us about what is right and prompting us with a supernatural conscience. Not without a God who works on our character if we let him, because we aren't even aware ourselves if the things we do are good or bad half the time. Not without a God who took the ultimate punishment for everything bad that happens in the world, so that we can stop punishing and getting revenge on each other because the price has already been paid.

So that...that's my take on it all. I'm happy that the books seem to have shown a great deal of many people what they can do to make the world a better place. And that taking action is not only possible, but extremely powerful if we choose it. It may have ripped some people out of an extremely nihilist and defeatist mindset by giving encouragement on the fact that what you do in life DOES make a difference. I'm happy for everyone in the book fandom who read this story as a child and it made them taller.

But my point stands that if this causes you to take all the world's responsibility on your shoulders - if you think that it's YOU who has to save us - if you think that if you just do more, you're a better person - and if this spirals you into the panic that one of your mistakes might make the entire world crash, ... then I'd say nope. That's not a good mindset to live in. And the books should have ended on a clearer page of which villain they wanted to conquer.

Thank you for sending this ask, I've loved the deep discussion.

Love

Reddie

[lightasthesun]

shuffle your favorite playlist and post the first five songs that come up. then copy/paste this ask to your favorite mutuals <3

HI CJ thanks for the ask!

I will shuffle my codywan playlist so you also get something out of this :)

1. For the dancing and the dreaming by Jonathan Young (yes. it's THAT song from httyd 2 because after the war super soft domestic and forever pining codywan feels like this)

2. happiness by Taylor Swift (There'll be happiness after you but there was happiness because of you/HAUNTED BY THE LOOK IN MY EYES, THAT WOULD'VE LOVED YOU FOR A LIFETIME)

3. Hiding place by Miranda Frigon (no words needed.)

4. Crash by Sum 41 (it was inevitable.)

5. White flag by Dido (there will be love no matter what. always.)

my tumblr is being a terror and somehow I can't send asks so I'll just tag some lovely people here:)

@thenegoteator @katierosefun @dontbelasagnax @razzbberry @frostbitebakery @such-geekiness