#the outsiders httyd au

[bookishswordfish]

I am BURNING with the need to elaborate, so I’ll start with Who’s Who:

- Ponyboy would be Hiccup, obviously

BUT I’ll explain anyway. A boy who is misunderstood by the parental figure in his life and wants more than the violence he’s been raised with. Who am I describing, Ponyboy or Hiccup? I dunno, you tell me

- and Darry is Stoick, again, obviously

Both Darry and Stoick are the leaders of their community/gang. Darry butts heads with Ponyboy in the same way Stoick and Hiccup do, which causes immense strain on their relationship

- Soda and Steve are Ruffnut and Tuffnut (no, they’re not siblings. Soda is still related to Pony and Darry)

They are best friends and can totally read each other’s mind. I personally headcanon that Steve and Soda get up to some WILD shit in their free time, just like the twins. I think they would also be the only two who would be in sync enough to ride a zippleback (yes, the dragons still correlate with each character. This is important later on for some of my choices)

- Two-Bit is so Gobber to me it hurts

I am a Darry/Two-Bit Best Friends Truther. Two-Bit and Ponyboy’s relationship is also something so special to me, and I really do think it mirrors Gobber’s and Hiccup’s. Both Two-Bit and Gobber look out for Pony and Hiccup, respectively. They duos also hang out with each other (Pony and Two-Bit spending the day together after Pony got back from Windrixville and Hiccup working at Gobber’s forge). Gobber is also the wise-cracker of the bunch, like Two-Bit

- Johnny is Astrid (NOT AS THE LOVE INTEREST. In this house, under MY roof, we ship Purly)

Astrid has the respect of Berk like Johnny has the respect of the gang. Both are really tough (and they’re both complete softies once you get to know them). Astrid is also the first person to truly get Hiccup, and that’s a defining aspect of Ponyboy and Johnny’s relationship. They get each other. Johnny would understand Pony’s love for dragons the same way he understands Pony’s love for sunsets and movies. They way Astrid understands Hiccup and his love for dragons

- Curly is Snotlout

Doing stupid shit and getting into trouble because of it. Again, who am I describing, Curly or Snotlout. (This characterization and Tim’s also just work out really nicely)

- and Randy is Fishlegs cause I say so

Randy, who understands why the Soc’s and the greasers fight very clearly. Fishlegs, who knows just as much, if not more, about dragons than Hiccup.

Now getting into the TV shows and later movies:

- Tim is Spitelout

Him and Darry are friends, but a little to the left of not quite. Also, Spitelout has his own kind of sway amongst the people of Berk, which reflects how Tim is the leader of the Shepard gang

- Paul is Alvin

The Lore between Paul and Darry fits SO WELL with Alvin and Stoick’s backstory

- Bob is Gustav because he’s kind of a shit

Bob wants to fit in with The Cool Kids TM. I also just think it would be funny

- Cherry is gonna be Heather

Cherry and Heather are both badasses and they both connect with Ponyboy/Hiccup on their shared love for something other people hate or scoff at. she and Dagur also both have red hair and green eyes

- Dallas is the one and only Eret, son of Eret

Eret and Dally are both men who have been hardened to the world, but still manage to do the right thing. They both come from far off lands and have a good relationship Astrid/Johnny

- and Angela is Valka

I had to throw some Shepard family angst in SOMEWHERE

- I have no idea where to put Marcia and it is KILLING ME

For the purposes of this AU, the greaser/Soc divide doesn’t exist. I also based these characterizations more on shared character arc/personality, as well as Outsiders relationships, than HTTYD relationships

please PLEASE ask me more questions about this, I have so many more Thoughts but this post is long as fuck already

And to close, a meme that fits this AU, for your troubles:

Just thought of an Outsiders How to Train Your Dragon AU……I have SO many Thoughts

[wickedcriminal]

After the Red Death

part 2

[bet-on-me-13]

Httyd AU

So! Ghosts are nowhere near an Unknown Threat.

In fact, Ghosts and Creatures of the Realms have been attacking the Human World, preforming Raids on Amity Park, and stealing valuable objects and human food for just as long as they have been around. And they have been around for a while.

They first came into the Human Realm centuries ago, and so far Humans have been able to adapt.

Ghost Hunters are some of the most respected members of the Community. There are many different groups of them, and of these Groups the Fenton Family has always been one of the most famous and well credited of the lot.

They have been Hunting Ghosts since the days of their Ancestor, Jackson Fenton-Nightingale, who was the first of their lineage to change from Witch Hunting to Ghost Hunting.

In the modern age, Jack Fenton and his wife Maddie Fenton are some of the most respected Hunters in Amity. They have captured and killed more Ghosts and Realms-Beasts than anybody in the History of their Family. They have pioneered the new age of Ecto-Tech, bringing better and more effective weapons to the masses. They have singlehandedly managed to contain the Ghost Threat to the State of Illinois, and Amity Park in general. They are truly some of the Greatest Heroes of the Era.

The same cannot be said for their son.

Daniel Fenton has always been, well, Lacking, when compared to his Family.

He didn't inherit his Father's natural Musculature, nor his Mothers Prowess in Martial Arts, and while he is definitely an extremely intelligent boy, he does not measure up to the Intellect that the other members of his Family often achieve.

Even his sister, Jasmine Fenton, shows more promise than he does, and she isn't even a Ghost Hunter. Instead she devoted her life to becoming a therapist who can help those who have been affected by Ghost Attacks.

But Danny? He has never really showed much promise. He is definitely eager to prove himself to his Parents, but he never manages to help out in the field. Most of the time he even makes it worse.

And for Danny? It's infuriating! He has spent all his life trying to live up to the legend of his Family, trying to become a worthy Son. But he never succeeds.

He has made Tons of Inventions to help defeat Ghosts, but they were all thrown out because they were Non-Lethal. They always said that any Ecto-Weapon worth the materials it's made out of should end the Ghost before it has a chance to escape, so capturing them without killing them would be worthless.

But he wants to prove that his efforts are not in vain, if not to his family, than to himself.

So one night, as a particularly nasty Ghost Attack is going on, he rushes outside with a Weapon of his own Design. It was a Stun Gun, designed to hit the Ghost with a Beam of Pure Paralyzing Energy that would render it Immobile for hours. It was slightly large and bulky, but it still worked. At least, theoretically it did. He hadn't had a chance to test the Stun Gun yet, hence his little adventure.

He ran to the edge of Town, and tried to find a Ghost worth capturing.

Blobs? No, they've been caught before. Catching one wouldn't earn him any praise.

Skeleton? Those are a single tier up from Blobs, and not by much at all. Definitely not.

Ecto-Pus? Maybe, but it wouldn't be too useful for learning anything since it can't speak.

Spirits? They are the manifestations of Human Emotion, stronger than most other types of Ghosts, and they are suspected to be Intelligent. That's a good choice, it would probably be the best choice.

But there was one better. An Ancient.

The Ancients were the Ghosts that had been around for Centuries, possibly Millenia. They are Ghosts that are so Old, they have developed true Intelligence. Nobody had ever managed to kill an Ancient, they were too strong. The Ancients are the most Deadly, most Powerful, most Dangerous of all Ghosts.

If Danny managed to Capture one? He would skyrocket to Fame! He would be able to sit at the Lunch Table with the A-Listers, the town would stop seeing him as a disappointment, and his Parents would be so Proud of him! They might even come out of the Lab outside of Ghost Attacks to spend time with him!

So, he sat at the edge of town, watching the Portal that had opened up about a Mile outside of the City. He needed to be ready, in case an Ancient showed up.

Hours passed, and he was getting sleepy, when it happened.

"Ancient!"

The scream of warning came from his Radio, tapped into the Ghost Watch Channel used to keep track of Ghost Movements during attacks.

He looked at the Invasion Portal, and saw it. It was Humanoid, about 7 ft Tall, wearing Dark Plated Armor, with a Flaming Green Sword at its hip. Trying to stare into it's Face felt like staring into an Abyssal Void, with 2 pinpricks of Red denoting where its Eyes would be. The same Red Eyes all Ghosts had.

"Retreat! Retreat! The Fright Knight has emerged from the Invasion Portal!" Came the warning from his Radio. In the distance to his right, he could see the few Hunters who had been keeping watch on the Portal run to the safety of the Town.

Shaking off his fear, Danny rushed to his Target.

The Fright Knight was the most Feared of the Ancients, nobody had ever survived an encounter with it. There were even Rumors that it was the Leader of the Ghost Attacks, the coordinator.

And Danny knew that his Stun Gun wouldn't be enough to beat it. Not yet anyways.

So, instead of running directly to the Fright Knight, he ran to the small Open-Air Worksite that held his Parents' most Ambitious Creation. An Artificial Ghost Portal.

Years ago, his Parents had realized something. They couldn't stop the Invasion, because the Ghosts could never be cut off at the source. The Portal they used to enter the Human Realm was always a Natural One, it always closed after a few hours, so they had no chance of entering the "Ghost Zone" without immediately getting cut off from the Human World. Thus, they couldn't exterminate the Ghosts at the Source.

But what if they had a Stable Portal?

Then, the Humans could invade the Ghost Zone instead of the Ghosts invading the Human Realm. They would get an Edge in the Centuries old War.

But the Portal didn't work yet. They had been working on it for years at this point, but they had had absolutely no luck in making it functional. As an unintended consequence however, they realized that the Portal Frame was capable of generating Large Amounts of Energy, and it soon became the towns most Powerful Power Plant. It basically powered every home in the City, and powered the Shields that were put up above the Civilain Shelters during Ghost Attacks.

And Danny needed it.

His Stun Gun wasn't powerful enough to defeat the Fright Knight yet, but if he retrofitted it to draw on the immense power of the Portal Frame, it might be enough.

He rushed into the Open-Air Pavillion thay housed his Parents Portal Frame. It was an Immense Creation, semi-circular in shape but large enough that an entire Army could be comfortably Marxhed through.

He ran right to the center of the Device, pulling open a Panel in the middle of the Floor and fiddling around with the Wires for a minute.

It only took a short while before he had the Energy of the Portal Frame retrofitted to power his Stun Gun.

He raised the Weapon, and carefully aimed at the Fright Knight, still walking towards the Town.

He pulled the Trigger. And Everything went wrong.

The Gun didn't fire. Instead, he felt a rumble come from the Machine he was standing on, as lights began to light up on the edges of the Portal Frame. Somehow, he had accidentally rigged the Portal to attempt its activation Sequence when he tried to fire his Weapon.

Obviously, the Ring of activating lights had attracted the attention of the Fright Knight, and it had begun to move in bis direction.

In a panic he tried to fix his mistake. He moved around a few more wires, and tried again, and more lights turned on. He tried again, and suddenly a high pitched sound began to play around him.

He tried one more time, and help his heart leap with joy as his gun finally began to power up. He looked up to see where the Fright Knight was, and felt his elation drop in an instant when he noticed that it had already entered the Outdoor Lab Space.

The next few seconds felt like they took hours. He felt his heart stop as the Fright Knight began to rush forward. It was about to reach him.

Then, his Gun pinged to tell him they it was ready, and he pulled the trigger.

The world around him erupted in green Light as the beam from his Stun Gun fired out with much more force than it was ever intended to handle. The Beam of Light was so wide that it completely encompassed the Towering Fright Knight's form.

But at the same time as the Gun fired, the Portal finished it's attempted activation sequence. And the World turned green for a different reason.

Danny felt billions of volts run through his Body as the Portal activated, his screams being drowned out by the sound of Reality fraying at the seams as the Portal attempted to push through it.

But ultimately the Portal failed. It turned off, just as it was about to break through to the other side. The sudden burst of energy also seemed to affect the Stun Gun, as it blew up at the same moment the Portal turned off.

Danny was launched out of the Portal Frame, landing in the center of his Parents Outdoors Lab, unconscious.

It took nearly an hour before his Parents arrived, looking to investigate the sudden Portal Activation and Explosion. Whatever had happened caused a blackout throughout the entire Town, shutting off Ghost Shields and inciting panic throughout the City, meaning they had to wait hours before they could investigate.

They found Danny laying unconscious in their Lab, and called for someone to help him as they worked on getting Power back to the Town.

When he woke up, Danny was Reprimanded for his actions that night. Nobody believed him when he said that he had beaten the Fright Knight, and since communication went down with the Power, Nobody could confirm that the Fright Knight had actually been pushed back. It was far more likely that nobody had seen it after it entered the town, and it had left with the others when the Portal began to close.

But Danny knew what had happened, so the first chance he got, he escaped out into the woods surrounding Amity Park and began searching for his Target.

It took hours of searching, but eventually he found the Fright Knight, laying on it's side in the dirt.

Danny was elated at first, he had captured am Ancient! But then he took a closer look. He didn't know why, but for some reason he felt odd about the Ghost. He felt confusion, but not his own. Relief, but coming from somewhere else. Hope, but coming from Him. The Fright Knight.

In that moment, he didn't know why, but instead of dragging him back to the City or further restraining him, Danny pulled the Knight up into a sitting position, feeling it would be more comfortable like that.

He turned around for a moment to see if anybody was around, but when he turned back he was met with a terrifying sight. The Fright Knight was standing up, towering over Danny. He looked up to see it's face, and saw that it was glaring at him with an unrestrained rage.

Danny cried out when he was pushed to the ground, landing against a Rock, looking up in terror. The Knight took out his Sword, and before Danny could cry out in fear, it plunged the Sword down.

Into the Boulder next to Danny's head.

When he finally opened his eyes, the Knight was gone, leaving only the cracked rock next to his head and a sense of lingering terror.

In that moment, Danny only felt on things register in his Mind.

Where it's eyes always Green?

...

This got a little out of hand, but I hope you liked it.

The idea is that Ghosts have been attacking the Human Realm for Centuries, raiding the Villages to steal valuables and Human Food, terrorizing the world for years.

Hunters like the Fentons managed to contain them in Illinois, more specifically Amity Park.

Danny is Hiccup in this. He is the wimpy weak little kid that nobody respects because he doesn't live up to his Family Legend.

Fright Knight is Toothless, but instead of helping Danny learn how to ride Dragon, he helps him learn to use his newly found Ghost Powers. (Because I included the Portal scene for a reason, he became a Halfa and seeks out Frighty when he realizes hat he had Ghost Powers. He's kind of the only option after all)

If you didn't guess it, Pariah Dark is the Queen Dragon. He used his power as Ghost King to control every Ghost in the Zone, forcing them to raid the Human World and bring him offerings. He isn't obsessed with taking over the world, he is obsessed with being seen as a God, and Gods need to get Offerings.

When Danny hit Frighty with the Stun Gun, he knocked the Mind Control out of him and Frighty was freed.

From then on it would follow some similar story beats to Httyd, but also different.

Maybe the other Movie's could introduce other Characters? Maybe Freakshow is Viggo from the 2nd Movie?, or Vlad is Grimmle from the 3rd Movie? The Plots could fit as well.

If you want it to be DpxDc, you could say that the JLA thought the situation in Amity was handled and didn't think they needed to assist.

When they learn how bad it actually was they are freaked out. Especially since this was a Centuries Old Conflict that has been happening since before America was even founded.

What do you think?

[smellybead]

Some sketches from my Ninjago httyd au!!

Some of these are oldish

Bonus acronix ^^ (not from the au!)

[saturnniidae]

I'm pretty sure that's just a semi-popular head canon based off the various locations where vikings were. Like, it could technically be anywhere from the general areas of norway to scotland to greenland, etc.

Honestly, other than Hiccup saying 'Icelandic cod' I'm pretty there's like no confirmation of any real world locations in the movie's universe. Especially considering the time period is just vaguely 'viking age' which was like anywhere from 800 - 1050 AD (this is from memory, don't quote me on that), though I think once they did put a year in one of the 'viking-dragon games' vignettes they did for the 2010 Olympics, can't remember what it was though (also those probably aren't really canon).

Anyways, this plus the substantial historical inaccuracies is why there's so many popular headcanons about it. I supposed httyd could even be considered high fantasy in the sense it might just take place in its own, illogical and made up world (rather than just in the past + dragons) for all we know.

so like. berk is canonically in norway isn't it?

like it's not any other nordic country it's specifically norway, right?

[oncewhenalongtimeago]

I want to shut Hiccup up with a kiss when he's upset about something.

End of the statement

Thistle, Scout and Scottish Bluebells pt 3

Pairing: Grumpy!Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III x Modern!Fem!Reader

Words: 1,942

You need some cheering up.

Tags:  httyd 1, aged up, au, time travel, bitter reader, bitter hiccup, cheery reader

<Previous -

You stared down into a shallow bucket, eyeing the slimy, slightly smelly body of a small fish as it bobbed with each one of your steps. It looked almost sick, nearly scraps, made slightly warm by the rising sun’s heat. It also smelt; its scales were flaking and somewhat muddy-looking, though you knew it was mostly clean- cosmetically, of course. For you, parasites were a constant worry.

  Your hands, now much more calloused than they ever had been, clutched at the thin, metal bucket’s handle. One of your sleeves had gotten stuck there as you trudged your way back from the docks and the one measly fish stand there. Getting it untangled was proving to be quite the task.

It was an old world that you’d been sent to, with untamed mountains and riled seas. It was unpredictable and dangerous, just as emotionless as every facet of it raged and roared. Each toil was made herculean, long and arduous not just by the times but by the sheer might and mystery of everything.

There was safety even in the dangers of the modern world, because at least the dangers were known, if not expected. More explored, less left up to the imagination- the untamed world was cruel, the might and anger of the ancient man even moreso.

As interesting as the loðinn-something-or-others were -or the Hairy Hooligans, as it was- they were a cagey, brutish people, even starved, or perhaps especially because they had been starved. 

The inhabitants of Berk were sparse and few in between, plagued by famine. What Vikings hadn’t been picked off by the dragons had been killed by the outcasts and thrown into the very literal fires by their very own brothers-in-arms.

Now, most of the huts were empty, some with the wood obviously burnt and rotting everything from the inside out.

You leaned over your knees, sitting on an old, unbalanced stool.

Their names were all stupid, anal- fitting, for a guy like Hiccup, but perhaps you were biased.

You heard the sound of shuffling leaves and dirt from outside right before the front door of the shack was pushed open, creaking and scraping against the dirt floor.

You knew who it was, marching inwards with semi-soft steps, muttering darkly to himself. You weren’t sure you’d ever heard him so stormy. It made you apprehensive, a tight grimace pulling at the corners of your mouth. 

You listened as the sound of footfall migrated from soft ground to harder ground. You were even able to make out a stray ”-eta-leg-” something, which might have had something to do with fish. You almost thought to ask, but he was quite typically very apathetic towards most of your colloquialisms. 

There was a pause. “...What are you doing?”

“Making, ah, dinner.” You said, glaring up at him defiantly, your hands falling downwards.

“...Right.” he said, eyeing the sloshing water-bucket.

You grimaced. He could probably smell it- so deep in the woods, the hollowness of salt against the bark, mulch and scattered leaves was probably strong. Bringing water along was also perhaps not so good for the dead fish. Damp things rotted faster and made already smelly things that much worse.

How else were you going to boil out salt, if not with seawater? You weren’t sure if it was going to work but now was more of a time than any to try.

He grunted as he slung the heavy pack of whose-whatsit off his shoulder and dropped it heavily onto the ground, lanky shoulders flagging as he then dropped himself onto the wooden one-blanket-ed frame of his own bed.

He would sleep, maybe, until the next day. You weren’t very versed on his schedule. To you, it seemed to be odd and erratic. He didn’t do much besides slog his way to the forge and back and be an ass.

It wasn’t as if there really was a reason to go into town.

“The arena.” You announced, after a moment of hesitation, into the dark silence.

You’d been into the forge maybe once, leafing through haphazard papers like office files, parchment mostly blank and slightly scribbled over, hard to read in the darkness. Desperate. Hurried.

It wasn’t too different from the one in the woods but there were a few more stall doors and also it was surrounded by huts, which, in a way, made it all the more eerie.

 Out the forge window, briefly, you’d spotted a man, handlebar mustache, not unlike the kind you’d expect on the face of a biker with prickly cactus-looking scruff littering the round dip of his chin. 

You shifted, minding slightly dry, already wilted plants. They had been hastily shoved into your pockets. Modern seams had torn quickly, forcing you into shambled hand-me-downs. 

Hiccup grunted.

You huffed, looking up at him from downturned eyelids. You spoke, “You’re bringing me there.”

He walked past you and stopped just before his bed on the far side of the shack behind, much too long at the legs and the wooden supports at its base much too far apart. He also lacked anything to cover the holes between them, meaning that if you laid at the wrong angle, your bent elbows would dip between the boards. He grunted again, slinging one arm over his face irritatedly, “Do it yourself.”

You smothered a brief spike of irritation, forcing down a scowl. Do it yourself.

Soft highlights made up of the waning sun-glow bounced off nearly imperceptible hairs on the back of his hand. You kept quiet for a moment longer, deep in rumination. It was quite odd to notice something like that- most particularly because you wanted to pick all of them off and then punch him over the head.

Since the beginning, you’d been forced to learn how to cobble up your own dinner, your own bedding and everything else. He hadn’t helped, not really. Everything you had was your own doing, besides maybe the odd repair shack repair or so.

You really only existed under the same roof. If he tried to kick you out, well…

The only thing that had held you together was the idea that maybe, if he hadn’t been born and raised there, or if he hadn’t become so jaded and heavily disillusioned, he might have been good company, or maybe that was just pity talking. You didn’t know much about him, nor had you seen anything clever or brave and bright come from him yet. 

Optimism was a hard thing to carry, and in times like thesis, where you had nothing more than frustration to buzz at the tips of your fingers and an empty belly, you found that all your faux goodwill was crumbling. You felt it deep in your chest, nestled right where all your spine’s nerves speared into your heart.

Saying ‘it felt like a dream,’ had never carried the right connotations- it couldn’t fully encompass all of the things you felt or the way you needed what you were sure wasn’t even real; a place where hard ground was limited to the outside, where you had a soft mattress to cater to the line of your back, the way bumpy asphalt felt beneath your sneakers or the way an old, hot car bounced over ancient potholes in abandoned roads- something deep in you reached for it, and yet all of those solid things passed through your fingers like hot smoke.

Your real life now was much colder. You hadn’t known who he was at first, or even for weeks after. If you had been told about any of this beforehand, you might have expected him to look like a cartoon, but with the uneven stubble at his chin and the not nearly as aesthetic a shape to his face, he really was just a man.

You opened your mouth to speak as he turned away, showing his back to you as he faced the wall, but then you caught yourself. You were going to call a name, any name, but he didn’t like those, not really- he was quite snappish when it came to those, in fact.

Names were tricky things, of course.

You felt that you were walking a thin line, at times; balancing over a tightrope a million miles up from the ground like you’d been thrust into some stupid, old, gaudy cartoon. Which, you had been, and it was just as inane as you imagined.

Instead you listened to the sound of white noise and fabric-on-fabric as the slow rumbling of the forest faded into something that was almost silence. You heard yourself as you breathed and the bucket and the legs of your chair rattled under you. You heard your feet digging and making low noise against dirt.

You ignored a very pointed rock of the bed frame as he shifted. 

 You made a lot of noise, to say the least. You didn’t care, though you could practically feel the air grow stiffer as you struggled.

Finally, with a hard jerk, you were able to tug your sleeve out from the handle and the bucket. You could hear the sound of fabric tearing as you sat back just above the sound of shifting over the threadbare sheet behind you.

Feeling wholly satisfied with yourself, you grabbed the tail end of the fish, pulling it off the bucket with a splash. You pulled it into the air, listening to the sound of water sloshing as it settled, water sliding off bumpy skin in rivulets.

It was nasty- it felt nasty, as most fish did, and as if you could drop it at almost any moment. 

There was a small spit set up in the middle of the room like a rig, a shoddy smoke hole framed above it in the roof. As you shifted towards it, by accident, you kicked over your bucket, cursing under your breath

Your hands shot back down to the corners of your stool, calloused palms scraping against wood and scale, fish still clutched unpleasantly in one hand, wetting the edge of your sleeve as it rolled itself back down.

There was a heavy thump behind you, the sound of boot meeting ground and the loud, frustrated creaking of wood. It startled you as you stood and whipped around, your grip loosening- the fish flew out of your hand with  what was probably a lot more force than you expected, meeting Hiccup nearly lip-to-lip. 

Stubborn coughed and spat, fish slime glistening against the lower half of his face, “Can you- stop?”

You weren’t sure of any of the things that made up his voice and those rolling tones. Was it Scottish or Gaelic something, Norwegian, Danish or having something to do with the Swedes? Or was it a mix of all of the above?

All of their vowels were deep and hitting a sort of hard to reach tenor, Hiccup’s voice especially grated with all the nasal and grumpy worn-ness of all the burden of having to live in such an old time. 

Compared to the voices of everyone else, his was sort of high. It was not what you expected, watching an animated face through a gaudy screen. 

The berth of everything you lived through now made everything you’d known seem so much bigger. It made you sad… And angry. To say it lightly, you didn’t feel pity for… A lot of people. 

Seeing him choke on salt water and slime -If he’d ever made out with Astrid, whoever she was, here-  there was a joke to be made there, something about ‘macking on’ and mackerel. It made you happy.

“No.” You said, voice sounding not-very-dead or particularly serious.

[qwardivior]

AUtober Day 2!— High Fantasy AU

In which Tanjirou accidentally hatches a dragon out of an egg, it protects the bakery, and he makes a friend along the way. (Oh and people seeking glory come and try to slay her sometimes too)

So I’m gonna ramble about this au a little!

Basically it’s based off of that one story about the farmer who accidentally hatched the dragon egg but is trying to live normally anyway and a little bit of httyd. In this au Tanjirou lives at the bakery just outside of their small town in the mountains, and one day he hatches a dragon egg instead of a chick. Completely clueless on what to do with it, he just keeps it and raises it like a pet. All is fine until it gets bigger, and then problems start to arise. The dragon is really overprotective of him, especially since he raised her and everything. He finds a friend in Muichirou though some winters later, after rescuing him from freezing to death in the snow. He sticks around and helps him with the bakery. He strangely can’t remember why he’s there, and all he knows is that he wants to stay there, and not go back to where he came from. Hmmm, strange

Oh yeah, and the dragon may or may not be causing more tensions between Tanjirou’s home kingdom and the neighboring one , and his family is fine and he’s alone in the bakery for… reasons….

@autober

[mikimakiboo]

The people have spoken

Well, here's my boy :D

His name is Toxicity ! Pictures and lore under the cut because it's long lmao

Also if you have any questions about him please don't hesitate to send asks I'll be happy to answer 👉🏻👈🏻

Fun fact: I created him because I wanted to ship Hate with someone but I didn't want it to be with Nightmare, and since I couldn't find anyone I ended up making a whole ass oc (so yeah Toxicity is shipped with Hate lmao)

Hate is by : @/6chimeraqueen9 (I think ??)

He's a tall demon-like skeleton (approximately 1m80) with green wings (his wings look like the Lightfury's wings in HTTYD except they're green instead of white), a green tail and an emerald horn

His magic allows him to make people toxic towards their partner/family/friends/anyone but he doesn't use it often, when he makes someone toxic it usually means that the person they are toxic with was a jerk and deserved to be treated like shit in his opinion

He also has a passion for chemistry and biology and he can make lots of different potions, using his magic as components to vary the results and make anything he wants

He also cannot use his magic to fight as it is not made for that, so instead he learnt how to build bombs and use firearms (here's him with a gun as a shitpost lmao)

He is usually pretty stoic and doesn't show much his emotions, he actually has troubles expressing his feelings and needs time in order to put them into words, so he'll usually stay silent and will tend to bottle it up (same with love, he'll show it through act of services, quality time or gift giving instead of verbally)

One good way to determine what he's feeling tho is by looking at his tail because it will wag or move according to his mood

Noowwwwww his backstory:

He was born between two wars in an isolated universe where peace was an abstract concept, at a time where no one trusted each other because anyone could be a spie, so everyone was either ready to fight anyone in their way or manipulative to either get people on their side or not be suspicious

The ambient toxicity mixed with some left-over magic from the previous war ended up creating a child around six years old (similar as to how Paperjam was born from the mix of Error's and Ink's magic, instead in that case it's magic residues and toxic atmosphere)

He roamed around at first, trying to find someone who could guide him and teach him how things worked, but due to his aura (that he couldn't control yet) he was only met with aggressiveness and ended up having to learn everything by himself (all while living outside since he didn't have any family)

He was a teen when the second war started, so too young to be enrolled in it, and stayed in the city instead

By that time he had learnt to control his aura, but with the war it amplified his magic and as a result he had to wear gloves as to not influence people by touching them by accident (which happened frequently)

His universe ended up collapsing on itself due to its instability (multiple wars, emotional unbalance, ...) but he luckily managed to escape, becoming an out-code (he was a young adult, around 20yo at that time)

Since he didn't have anything else to do and nowhere to go he started traveling the multiverse until he settled in a calm surface AU in which he discovered his passion for chemistry and biology and started studying it

He still travels during his free time and met other out-codes like that, some of which he became friend with as well as universes he likes to visit sometimes (he met Hate during one of his trips)

He still has an apprehension of physical contacts when he is not wearing his gloves so he mostly never takes them off (except for laundry or cleaning himself and sleeping, of course)

He also has troubles opening up to someone or trusting others as he grew up mostly alone and didn't have anyone in his AU since they were all suspicious of everyone

Also the hole in his tail is actually an injury, he got stabbed when he was a kid as he was trying to steal food and it didn't heal properly so it made a hole (that's why he doesn't have it in the last pic)

And obviously he learnt how to build bombs and use firearms in his AU, firearms he learnt by watching the soldiers and training in the forest, and bombs he learnt by disassembling those that didn't blow up and looking at how they were made in the factories (mostly by sneaking inside or looking through the windows)

Then it was a lot of practice and he is now able to create little portable bombs and use firearms

So yeah that's my baby :D

[headfullof-ideas]

thought I just had about my HTTYD/The Deep AU. I’m still working out how to tie in plot lines from The Deep into the story, since the vast majority of the first part of the story follows the HTTYD timeline, and this story takes place in the HTTYD universe, so I’ve only just started thinking about characters outside of the Nektons and a little bit the Dark Orca pirates. HOWEVER.

All I can think of for Alpheus is him hearing his long thought dead little cousin just turned up alive, and he’s ready to show up dramatically to introduce himself, as one does. He’s not sure why Fontaine seems so eager for his reaction to her little brother, especially after vehemently arguing with him through letters about Alpheus meeting her long lost baby brother to begin with (Alpheus asked more as a courtesy or gesture of manners, he was going to meet Ant regardless of what Fontaine said). He swaggers on to the Nektons home, ready to make an impression as the dramatic, somewhat redeemed by this point, and awe-inspiring, cool older cousin to his newest little cousin, because before Ant he had Fontaine, who was never impressed with him at all.

Alpheus is totally ready to be the coolest, most dramatic guy ever…and promptly freaks out upon meeting his little cousin because why is there a Night Fury in the house-

[revive-the-fandom]

Hey! Saw your essay about the inconsistencies. Ah ye. When contrasting the Httyd movies with the shows, I like to not take it all that seriously. "But the shows are canon!!!!!" the shows are a beautiful and meaningful AU of the movies and vice versa; I've fared wonderfully treating them like that. Keeping the good parts for inspo and tossing the rest tbh.

E.g. I'm keeping Dagur and Viggo and the Fireworms for canon. Maybe there was an outpost called Dragon's Edge once, but I like to think to myself that Hiccup merely used it as a weekend base camp / storehouse for further explorations rather than actually living there for extended periods of time. He had to make all his Httyd2 improvements on Berk somehow within those five years lol. He would have had to abandon Dragon's Edge wayyy earlier to be able to have a constant presence on his home island that would earn him the village's support and Stoick's eye regarding Chieftainship. I'm definitely keeping the volcano eruption though. Also the Buffalord, the amazing Season 4 Hiccstrid kiss, the Night Terrors and Chicken. And of course the gang becoming better friends.

...On the other hand I'm definitely treating Heather, Mala, the Wingmaidens and all the dragons I don't personally like as vivid fever dreams lol. I'm also ignoring the comics. Had Hiccup truly encountered Viggo and gone through all of that Rtte character development canonically, he wouldn't have acted as naive as he did in Httyd2... Viggo already taught him better than that.

Those are just my two cents, they are also helping me embrace such things as Homecoming etc.

If you could build your canon however you liked, what would you keep? :)

I don't know if you meant it like this but I do want to clarify that I adore the first 2 movies, GotNF, LotB, RoB, DoB, and RttE. And I like elements of Httyd 3 and Homecoming, but not them in general.

(I have no intention of reading the comics - they don't interest me).

Criticising stuff I like, and pulling it apart to see how it ticks is literally my biggest hobby, so, no problems enjoying it there.

I would honestly keep most of it, so here's a list of some of what I'd remove instead:

The inconsistencies between httyd 1 ending and RoB opening - mostly to do with the dragons' integration into Berk and the new infrastructure for the dragons.

Stoick's inconsistent and easily swayed opinion on the dragons - he would never allow them to be banished from Berk unless he was physically forced to. They saved Hiccup's life, they pretty much are Hiccup's life, and he would never dishonour Valka's memory by going against her ideals (esp since her son basically redeemed her weirdness by proving her right 15 years later).

Gothi's role - she shouldn't be the only healer on Berk, she shouldn't even be a healer. They made new characters for Mulch, Bucket, Mildew, Johann, Silent Sven, Alvin, Savage, Dagur and Heather (and most of those are males) so just kick one of those out and build a new healer for Berk (bonus points if its a relation of one of the Riders e.g. a Thorston).

Johann's villain arc - I've talked about this a lot already so I won't repeat myself but this was an atrocious direction to take.

Viggo's redemption happening off screen

Dagur's redemption happening off screen

the Hunters having exactly the same ships as Drago (who comes from outside the archipelago & is designed with a different aesthetic than the vikings)

inconsistencies with the Hunter's Lore

Ryker being forgotten - the brother of ur main villain???? hello?

Krogan being so inconsistent...

Where are the women warriors???

Defenders of the Wing Lore Inconsistencies

Mala's whole personality - during the trial episode and marriage episodes especially

nearly every woman has a love interest

Dagur x Mala (not necessarily the ship - fandom adds depth to it tbh - but just how the show itself handles it)

Throk x Ruffnut (it's fine its just boring and doesn't add anything)

Gruffnut. the man annoys me - his design is lazy, his voice is annoying, he has an intruiging opportunity to add depth to the thorstons but is never utilised

Agnut. same as above

Astrid being in love with Hiccup but only in a conventional "im a woman and I will get jealous at any opportunity" kind of way

Gustav's lack of character development

the A team should not include those characters. Bucket and Mulch are farmers WHAT are they doing here. Gothi is old as fuck and she's got important shit to be doing (like apparently being the ONLY healer on Berk - srsly what r u gonna do when she dies?). Spitelout is on the Berk Council and is one of the main leaders of their military, why would he want to be bossed around by a 19 yro. the only one who makes sense is Gustav.

why does Astrid have to build the A team at all?? shouldn't Stoick or the entire military force of Berk teach themselves to use dragons to fight off invaders????

Astrid being so inconsistent with her suspicions and cautions.

Astrid randomly deciding to be Mother to dragons like Garf and throwing away all her military training and paranoia to bring said dragons on actual military operations??? like just say you needed a conflict and picked The Woman to throw under the bus.

Heather's (and Oswald's) mild backstory inconsistency.

Heather being a femme fatale.

Posing for the camera

The Wingmaidens - they're an obvious scramble to add female characters but they fall short on believability and worldbuilding.

The Bewilderbeast beneath Beserker Island. I don't like how... fucky.. this makes the plot. We didn't need this, we could have just ended on Johann & Krogan heading towards Valka's mountain, which could explain why Hiccup was still exploring the archipelago in httyd 2. then we could have done a post-credits-esque scene with Valka decimating Johann and Krogan. boom, vibes preserved, plotholes kind of prevented.

ok theres probably a lot more but this was all i could think of. Ik it looks like a lot but most of it is just tweaking canon. the majority of RoB, DoB, and RttE are wonderful. otherwise I wouldn't give half of a shit about them.

[tanema123]

HTTYD AU

Lucifer: This is the girl you want to date? *Points at the dragon raised, possibly slightly feral, Vaggie eating a raw fish with her sisters*

Charlie: *With the most smitten, and lovestruck look* Yeah, isn't she amazing.

I wish I could implement this... Damn my au ideas. Maybe as an alternative.

There is plot hole because of which I simply can't implement this, no Mather how much I try.... But I may draw it for you if you want. Outside of au.

I did it.

[wickedcriminal]

in your half brothers au, what does Camicazi think of Elder and astrid and vice versa?

Camicazi LOVES Elder and Astrid and the dragon riders because she finds it REALLY FUN to mess with them <3 Astrid found her annoying at first but after a while she just became impressed by her kleptomaniac tendencies.

Astrid and Camicazi are especially good friends during Race to the Edge, where Camicazi proves to be an invaluable asset to taking on Viggo and the dragon hunters.

Meanwhile Elder is amicable toward her most days— but finds her to be a really bad influence on Younger ☠️☠️

Just you wait, Elder. It's going to get so much worse 😔👊

[saturnniidae]

Httyd modern au but having fun with it because Berk can still exist similarly to canon. It could be a self governing island or even archipelago (officially called the Berkian Isles or smth but it's inhabitants call it the Barbaric Archipelago out of tradition. No one outside of the area calls it that.) somewhere in the large area between Iceland and Norway. I think they should also have their own language, as a treat.

Also they can still have weird names!! Maybe it's a dying tradition that only some families still do or perhaps they have their 'Berk Names' then similar but 'normal' versions. They're just Very, very traditional and have a weird history.

[thequeenofthedisneyverse]

WOAH ME SENDING AN ASK WHAT UH…Anyway for some stupid reason I didn’t see you tag me in the dragonoid post until a week later I AM SO SORRY???

Erm 🤓☝️ I would love to help with it, I love world building so much you don’t understand. And this au has a really cool start, any more lore or do you need like. Prompts or whatever 🌚

Girl I mostly need help with lore (and maybe design ideas, I don't mind prompts eigther) but here's some other stuff I got so far

For now, we'll call baby dragonoid's "Hatchlings". They stay with the name "hatchling" until they are about the equivalent of 10 years old.

I can't think of a dragon equivalent title to tween or teen so if you come up with anything. Edit (idea given to me by evostar): Tweens/teens are called Dweeps!

Diet mostly consists of fish (like regular dragons). I think fruit, other types of meat, and vegetables too?? I'm not sure.

Elders that are the equivalent of 40-50 years of age guard the edges in case any humans stumble upon the Encanto.

Also, dragonoid's that are Alma's age are deathly afraid of the outside world. So, the rule of never going beyond the barrier is HEAVILY MANDATORY.

DO NOT TOUCH THE EGGS!!! If you aren't a relative or close family friend, you will get a limb torn off.

Hatchlings are very curious and hardheaded; they only learn after the accident to not do it again (hopefully). Same for tweens and teens, but not to an extreme extent. Hatchlings also have a lot of energy.

Nests/Homes are always adorned with jewelry and anything shiny.

No shoes. Their feet are as stuff as leather so there's no need to wear them.

Teeth are as sharp as knives, it's a miracle tongues aren't bitten by accident on the daily.

shops, vendors, and "restaurants" do exist in Encanto it just looks different a little different.

The fashion is well...raggy per say?

Examples:

They can make their clothes look close to human standards, but they simply don't want to conform to that for petty reasons. And I just love this kind of fashion, so I wanted to put it in here.

Odd patterns, random jewelry, embroidery, patches, etc. Plus, certain patches or scraps of fabric are passed down from generation to generation.

Madrigals!

I've decided, they do have gifts!

Alma wears a headpiece jewelry on her head that belonged to Pedro. She's rarely, if ever, seen with it off. Example:

Also, male dragonoid's where whatever they want. Earrings, necklaces, rings, etc.

Ceremonies still exist, but like in beach town au, the very fact that you are alive is very important. Especially to a dragonoid seeing as they were wiped out very easily.

All of them are close in this au, no pressure. Isabela is the very definition of wild and so are the other grandkids.

As hatchlings (baby - 4), they bit everything in sight for teething reasons. Even their parents but it doesn't hurt at all. But to a human, the pain would be like if a piranha latched onto you.

Mirabel doesn't have a gift (I'm sorry Miraboo butcha don't), and her wings are smaller than the others. So, she mostly has to walk, crawl, climb, and run wherever she needs to go.

Which isn't an issue really, her body is already equipped with the biology to do all four, but it does get tedious.

Pepa doesn't breathe fire, she blasts lightning out of her instead. Think toothless.

Also, I'm not sure what dragon type they should be related too. Each dragonoid is related to some type of dragon but I can't decide theirs'. (But I think the triplets should be a mix between Alma and Pedro, the yellow kids should be a mix of Pepa and Felix, same for the blue couple and their kids.)

One more thing, Dragonoids' are taller than the average humans but much smaller than original dragons (BUT it depends on the type of dragon). I hope that makes since.

I'll have to look up the different types of dragons from HTTYD for some more info.

Also, @evostar

srry, forgot to tag you @thefourchimes

[howtowhumpyourhiccup]

Blame

Summary: Httyd Whump Week 2024 Day 7. Set in a Modern AU, Sci-fi AU. Mind Full AU. Hiccup isn't entirely surprised when he wakes up again, his life saved. Unfortunately for him, his mother is done with him.

Warnings: Mind Control, Child Abuse

Rating: Mature

Dead Dove: No

Words: 638

Prompt: Free Day

Fandom: How to Train Your Dragon

Characters: Hiccup, Toothless, Valka

Pairing: /

Author's Notes: Had this one left over from the Augusnippets challenge and I'm glad I finally get to post it. I'm still not done with this idea yet!

Enjoy!

-XOXOX-

Hiccup is only mildly surprised when he wakes up again after taking nearly an entire box worth of painkillers. Of course, it wouldn’t work. Of course, they stopped him. Even this, he couldn’t choose.

He’s lying on a bed in the medical bay, hooked up to a heart monitor, an IV, the usual. If he’d been allowed to feel, his body would probably feel awful after what he put it through. One probably wouldn’t be able to tell from looking at his face either. His stare remains the same.

There are sounds next to him and sluggishly he turns his head to find his mother getting up from a chair. Strange, she doesn’t tend to sit next to him when he has disappointed her.

“Do you realize what you tried to do?” She asks in the most frighteningly calm voice. There are Wingmaidens standing near the door, Atali is one of them. There is Nadia, Dina, still no sign of Minden, which gives him comfort. It means Astrid is safe, right?

To outsiders it would look like Valka’s question goes unanswered, but they know that isn’t the truth. Hiccup can’t talk, can’t properly write, can’t learn sign language either, so their entire communication is done through their link. And he tells her that he knows exactly what he did.

He was taking her toy away from her.

“I… know…” Just in case the Wingmaidens also needed to know. He feels a spike in his constantly present migraine. At least Toothless’ relief that he’s okay is poured into him. Hiccup can feel the fear he felt, his every thought telling him that he’s not mad, that he doesn’t blame him.

Valka sighs almost in resignation. First his betrayal and now this. She leans forward and grabs hold of the railings of the bed. There is not a single change in her son’s expression as he looks up at her, not that she should expect one. But when she finds no remorse on his end, she knows that it’s over. She lost his loyalty the second she made him and Toothless kill that man.

While he was running, while he was unarmed, while he was scared.

Hiccup won’t allow her to manipulate him again.

“It’s not your fault,” his mother is truthful as she tells him. “I never should’ve trusted you to begin with.”

Then she reaches a hand out and strokes his cheek, which he can’t even feel. It would’ve been a motherly gesture if it didn’t have such a possessive context.

“But there is still potential inside of you and I can’t let that go to waste. I’ll have to start over, but I’ll give yo u the rest you want,” in their shared “hivemind” Hiccup can tell exactly what she means to do and a bout of panic wells up. He’s not certain if it’s his own or Toothless’, who can follow this entire exchange.

Valka pulls that tiny remote from her pocket, the one that stopped his breathing before and it makes him wonder for just how long she’s been walking around with that thing. Did she pull it out for the first time when she realized he was breaking Astrid out? Did she have it as a precaution ever since he dealt so badly with that man’s death? Since his return? Or has it been there all along?

She presses a button in his view, she holds it up just for his benefit.

And suddenly he’s blacking out. A tiredness so overwhelming washes over him, it’s so strong that he falls asleep almost immediately, his eyes are slipping closed.

His last thoughts go out to his dragon, to the closest people he’s had to friends in his entire 20 years of life, and his father. Who he never got to see again, not even once.

[oncewhenalongtimeago]

Thistle, Scout and Scottish Bluebells pt 2

Pairing: Grumpy!Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III x Modern!Fem!Reader

Words: 2,036

If troubles are anything, they are hard to lay to rest.

Tags:  httyd 1, aged up, au, time travel, Hiccup’s POV, mixed flashbacks, angst

<Previous - Next>

The sound of uneven footsteps rested like a heavy weight at the bottom of his sternum, worsening already pained aches and furrowing his brows so deep he thought they might pull like a leg in a rainy day, after running measures, a slightly more toned and a completely imaginary contrast to the now near-constant ringing in his ears, mimicking the way a thick hammer sounded clashing against metal.

Cracks lay like gashes in the stone, deep like the strike of lightning… like the way a knife’s blade carved lines in wood.

Formerly bulky shoulders flagged, laying haphazard across rumpled cross. A crooked jaw lay half-open as a previously jolly man was rendered pale and nearly lifeless by sickness and infection. 

He relished in the cool shadow of the Arena’s overpass entrance for the moment it took to walk underneath, wincing slightly as he came to a stop just at where hard light drew a solid line over uneven stone. 

He sat, shoulders hunched and hands clenched, sitting over a rickety chair, chanting desperate apologies as he listened to the rages of battle outside and to the final-screaming battle-calls of the warriors outside, lost to the night.

For a moment, running his hand along the border between open grated frame and the outside world, he reveled in the contrast between his own freckled, scarred knuckles and the cool, mottled surface of the arena’s colorless walls.

He weighed a rolled-up, wrinkled notice in his other hand before letting them both drop to his sides.

The Chief’s hut was far from the safest place on Berk. Tonight, for him most of all. A cold sweat ran down his shoulders, his jaw, his back.

He’d much rather be wasting away, wearing his wrists brittle in the forge. He yearned for that place just as much he hated it, walls plugged and nailed shut with smoke and soot filling the air with a thick film.

After all this time, he very much preferred to be left on his own. Being back here brought back memories he’d much rather leave forgotten.

He stared forwards.

They hadn’t noticed him yet. 

They were all on the opposite side of the basin, where above, mounted along the rim of the arena, a cage that was once strong and well-taken care of was now crumbling in places, slightly bent and moved out of sorts. 

 Some cage doors were obviously offset and heavily dented, the logs used to lock them shut old and almost rotting, the pulley system levers and cogs and great draw-hinges attached to the sides and frame all old and slightly rusty and in need of oiling.

He stood, hand at his sides. 

It would need to be taken apart and scrubbed raw, resealed and a new log mounted or perhaps replaced by more metal and held aloft by chains instead of rope. The already frayed ropes were probably not enough to hold its weight, half-snapped and dangerous. A head and a half thick, he remembered, was the proper measurement for the right… log.

The sun lay heavily across his shoulders, as if he was being burned over a spit, sparks flying from his heart and dropping from his half-open mouth as he looked around with a smile. 

Every individual man made up one part of a whole, ripped sleeves, marching up thin ladders, boasting half-empty mugs and wives and a child running about.

A repair like this used to be a group event- throngs of Vikings gathering together, bumping shoulders and bolstering themselves up high, wielding hammers and hardy conversation like wooden play-swords. It was painstaking work made easy.

It was as if he didn’t exist- as if he was not so much an individual as one part of the merry-making, the festivities, the joy, even if there was no real holiday, even as he stood and watched. It was as if he wasn’t who he was; a runt, trouble… him.

…And it was the best feeling ever.

On his lonesome, with a ladder and a pulley, it might be managed. 

It was all work he wasn’t going to do.

He took his time, lingering for a moment, judging. 

 He had better things to be doing.

“I-I think my invite was lost…” Fishlegs said, palms spasming, balled in front of him as if searching for papers and things that might as well never have been there. 

He was different from the last time he’d seen him, though he was still a man just as large as he was tall, with a timid lilt to his shoulders that seemed quite unbefitting. His voice was just as squeaky as it was deep. The arena did a great deal to make it echo, just as it did the sound of patchy boots shuffling against uneven stone floors. 

“I got it.” He said curtly, waving the notice in one hand, feeling his already rolled-up sleeve scrunch against his elbow. His voice, still slightly nasal for a man of his age, echoed slightly.

It was immediate- as soon as He spoke, it was as if time itself stopped. There were no breezes or motions besides a jerk or two in his direction, the eternal dancing of hearts and bodies and nature coming to a pause.

Something bucked and festered in his chest. He knew what the feeling wasn’t- hope, camaraderie, acceptance. It was more bitter, drenched in shame and long-held resentment. It had been his one constant companion all these years.

 There were a set of two starved, wiry twins. They used to look nearly identical- now the male brother-half donned a mask of burnt skin and clumped hair on one side. Though his sleeves carried many holes and singes and stains from his time working in the forge, theirs was almost worse, covered in Nightmare-length, sticked claw marks and large, frayed, burnt patches.

There was a thicker, though somewhat short man there, too, standing besides a woman. He was just as scarred as he was stocky. His cousin. 

“Oh, great,” Snotlout snorted, squaring his shoulders even more so as he stepped forwards, studded belt-sash shifting over his chest. 

He glowered at the lot, his shoulders tall, cool air running invisible blades up and down his arms, standing all his hairs and giving way to prickled gooseflesh. He felt the grit of his jaw as he bit down on already gently clenched teeth.

“What are you doing here, Useless?” The woman asked, moving forwards when no one else would. She had a long, jagged scar running from just above her right eye to the curve of her jaw. Her voice wasn’t condescending, wielding Usless’s moniker more as if it was a simple factual statement than an insult, though he knew there lay plenty of bad blood between them.

Of course, it was his official title, now. That was unhelpable- as unavoidable as a blade held to his neck and a heavy, hairy hand lifting him by the scruff of his shirt, nearly choking him breathless.

Astrid Hofferson was her name.

Gobber was there too, thick cheeks now hollow, highlighting high cheekbones and a crooked jaw. A hunch that had always been there was now so severe he looked as if he might keel over at any moment, an ailing arm clutching at the top of a very short talking staff. His clothes hung thinly from his shoulders, moving in a way that, despite their solid color, made them seem so thin that they could have almost been transparent.

He was a shadow of a man- something dead walking. He turned his eyes away from Gobber just as he refused to cower as the Hofferson woman approached.

She stopped before him as he shoved down something a little bit like irritation, betrayal… grief.

He wheezed, crouching prone along the floor, his hands covering his head as thick smoke packed his lungs, making it harder to breathe. His chests ached, stinging and searing in lines, dull pain raging like storming waters just above his heart-

In the lilt of her brow, the intensity of her eye, the line of her mouth, the subtle scarring clawed into the side of her face and long since scabbed over, framed by dragon-skull shoulder pads and a hefty, patchy fur hood he saw what she thought just as clearly as she had said it all those years ago. 

He couldn’t think, the world muffled past the uncontrolled crackling of dragon fire, clanging shields and swords, yelling and roaring, deep claws scraping against solid stone.

In a look he almost returned, he could feel it aimed right back to her. The sentiments, he could have mistaken it for the sun singing against his skin’s hairs, what with all the concentrated heat and the nearly sense-rending prickling of the hairs on his neck. It was anger, mostly. Really, it would be better for them all -him most especially- if he was left alone.

Where there once lay a special portion of his mind for mooning and yearning and other rash teenaged things there now lingered something mean and hollow.

Are you ashamed?

Awnry ringing was made more intense by the sudden, hollow whistling through the spaces between bars and over hollow basin.

“‘Iccup!” A hand reached towards him, cloth strips wrapped heavily around it, thick, through green smog.

He couldn’t move- his limbs clenched and spasmed, still reeling from the force of the dragon’s blow. There was a ringing, sharp and never ending, spearing through his ears and filling all empty spaces between noises, uplifting and entwining with the sound of screeching metal and heavy body rushing through sickly-smelling gasses.

His finger, his elbow, his knees all pulling in- he forced up his head as if working endlessly against the rusted, stuffed hinges of his neck just in time to catch a glimpse of him.

His face, bearded braids trailing slightly behind, rushing towards him, jaw open- It was action, both fast and frozen enough to almost be one of the many great, carved murals in the hall.

He’d remember it forever. He wasn’t fearful. He’d never really been, but in that moment, like the rapidly foaming top of a large, cresting wave, doom rose in his guts, ravaging through his middle and tearing his insides to shreds.

He was no warrior, battle-scarred or otherwise. Despite his stature, his frame was lean and he was worn. Though his chin was heavily scruffed, he was not bearded or thick. He was stubborn, though, and he was angry.

She knew who he was and made sure he knew it too. Even after- standing at stall windows, making mild conversation, forcing words out past hard hearts- to search for some kind of acknowledgement from someone who mattered, even if it was just a greeting, to know that he was real, he was here, he was worth something. All of that had long since been put to rest- killed, slain like a hapless animal. She made sure of that.

“I don’t know what you want.” 

The world was still and bright outside, the shadow of the forge’s window covering him like an old blanket. He leaned back as she jabbed him in the chest. She was angry, her brows furrowed, leaning aggressively forwards-

He looked down on her.

”-Useless is your name, now After what you did in the arena? I don’t want to talk to you, see you or hear you. You sharpen my weapon and that. Is. It.”

He needed a drink. The taste of ale was phantom-strong on his tongue. It was a taste he’d become more familiar with in his late teens during times spent bitter and alone, but ale meant going up to the hall and he wasn’t soft on people.

That was where they gathered, mostly- those who had been left behind. Many abandoned their own homes for the safety and refuge of company and large, frigid hall walls, setting up old blankets and clumsy tents in abandoned, dusty corners.

Without looking away, he tossed the missive behind one crumbling barricade, propped up against the smooth arena walls.

He made sure to hold her gaze for one more long, hard moment before turning and waving an arm absently behind him, “I was just leaving.”