#Hoping to post better animations this year >:)

[bibliophilesince2003]

How To Train Your Dragon (Live-Action) In-Depth Review

The live-action impressed me.

In case you have any doubts about whether my opinion is worthy or not, let me "prove" I'm a huge fan of the franchise. Roughly 12 years ago, my siblings and I huddled behind a laptop to watch one of the many family-friendly movies our kind contractor had given us to watch while the house was being renovated on. One of those was the first How to Train Your Dragon movie. It had come out a few years before that, but we had never heard of it before. We were absolutely sucked in, loving every minute of it. I've seen the second and third movies. As teenagers, my siblings and I watched Race to the Edge. Several times over, actually. We quite literally grew up with Hiccup and Toothless.

I don't like remakes. In fact, I avoid them like the plague.

Before watching the live-action, I was extremely nervous. Besides the questionable casting choices, I didn't think it would give me the same emotions I had felt when watching How To Train Your Dragon for the first time 12 years ago.

I was right. It didn't.

Don't expect it to be better than the original. Nothing could ever improve what's already been done. So... I understand people not wanting to watch it, or at least not over and over again. Personally, I want my future kids to watch the original movies and shows before they're even aware the live-action exists.

Here's the catch. Just because the live-action doesn't beat the original doesn't mean the live-action isn't worth at least a little bit of hype. Predictable but nostalgic? Yes. What I didn't expect was the live-action's ability to capture my attention and give me new emotions. I felt as though I were in the world, which may seem obvious. That is one thing that live-action can surpass animation in, admittedly. It gave me a different perspective, and the realness of it was both exciting and thrilling, especially as an adult.

That's as general as I can get, but I'm not done yet! The rest of this post will be hidden for those who do not want to be spoiled. If you've seen the movie already or simply don't care, read on!

Casting

The live-action Hiccup (Mason) was nearly perfect, in my eyes. He nailed the timidness and compassion of young Hiccup and his relationship and interactions with Stoick, Gobber, and the others. Now, I do wish he were more sarcastic. Next to the twins, Hiccup is known for his humor. When Mason joked, it was rushed. Sarcasm is supposed to be natural and dry, making the audience laugh abruptly. Additionally, I hope we see him become the leader we all know and love, especially as Astrid and the others lean on him more.

I was most concerned for Astrid. I still prefer her blond look, but I'm biased. I'm blond, and I don't see very many positive blond characters in movies, shows, or books. Any time a character's look is altered in a remake, that actor or actress has to work twice as hard to be an accurate representation of the character. A person who looks and acts how they're supposed to will always be more satisfying, but personality is most important. If they look like a different person, they must convince the audience otherwise. It's not an easy thing to do, and it usually backfires. The live-action Astrid (Nico) surprised me in a good way. She's a bit of a bully and she's serious. Granted, I wish Nico had a little more energy or drama, as that would have made for an amazing transformation, as it is in the original movies and shows. However, if she's really focused on her goals of being a dependable warrior, the serious demeanor is more realistic. I can only hope that she gains a softer spirit later on. I loved seeing Astrid keep her bold energy but become more feminine in the original movies and shows, and I can only hope that live-action Astrid will be the same. We can't really know until the live-action for the second movie comes out. After all, the more her relationship with Hiccup grows, the more she will depend on him to lead while remaining comfortable in her own skin, not having to prove herself but simply being the Astrid we all know and love.

The live-action Fishlegs (Julian) had very few lines. Sometimes, it was hard to understand him. Julian spouted off facts perfectly, rambling on whether others listened to him or not. Fishlegs is also known to be compassionate but skittish. It's too soon to judge whether or not Julian will achieve those personality traits, but I'm hopeful.

The live-action Snotlout (Gabriel) is perfect. Nothing needs to change. The minute he started talking, I had a huge smile on my face, even though he had just insulted Hiccup. Gabriel brings arrogance and quick insults to the table so naturally that you'll forget you're watching the live-action. Gabriel, thank you. You are setting a wonderful example.

The live-action Tuffnut and Ruffnut (Harry and Bronwyn) are beyond disappointing. I'm sorry, but it's true. They don't look like twins. When Ruffnut said "our mother can't even tell us apart" I wanted to laugh and groan simultaneously. Respectfully, is their mother blind? Beyond that, they simply weren't funny, and that's what they're known for! I could barely catch what they were saying, and it was very unnatural. As someone with siblings myself, sibling humor means bouncing comments off one another extremely quickly. Adding to the chaos, in other words. Insulting each other, at times. Exaggerating and being loud, in the right circumstances. Tuffnut and Ruffnut were hardly together. In fact, the emphasis seemed to be on Ruffnut trying to team up with Astrid because they're the main female characters. What happened to the iconic twin tuition? What happened to their inseparable sibling bond? What happened to their quick, unhinged comments?

Gerard Butler. Brilliant. You could literally tell he was the most experienced actor in the entire cast. Absolute king.

The live-action Gobber (Nick) did pretty well. Honestly, my brain is going fuzzy because I can't stop thinking about how the twins deserved so much better.

Creativity

The live-action was practically a copy-and-paste version of the original. Honestly, if you're going to do a remake, especially a remake of a movie near and dear to so many people's hearts, that's the way to do it. Again, I don't normally like remakes. I still hope we'll finally get good, original ideas in the future.

They added a few things, but it didn't change the overall plot. I wish they had included the scene of Hiccup figuring out dragons aren't fireproof on the inside with the Terrible Terror, but it does make their fight with the Red Death more thrilling. Without that scene, the live-action Hiccup had to think quickly in the heat of battle, which abruptly demonstrate signs of bravery, which will only improve over time.

Animation

Toothless' design is nearly perfect. I think a lot of people expect a smooth, narrow look, but considering the fact that they are scaly, large, powerful creatures... I can see why they had to animate Toothless slightly differently to "fit" the realistic setting. Sure, Toothless is a bit slower, but dragons aren't feathers. Additionally, it's a cinematic fact that people usually appreciate slower fighting/flying scenes, as they are less grading on the eyes. Because Toothless is so young in the first movie, I can accept him being clumsier. Who knows? In the future, maybe he'll gain more speed.

Stormfly is very different but vibrant in color and more dragon-like. In the original, the Nadder's head is comically round. The live-action Nadder fits in its setting without taking away the important details.

Meatlug and Barf and Belch are good.

Hookfang? Oh. My. Gosh. I loved the design! The eyes are, well, in a better spot. It honestly makes the live-action Monstrous Nightmare more terrifying, and it's supposed to be an aggressive, powerful dragon. When Hiccup says "only the best vikings go after those" and you see the live-action Monstrous Nightmare face coming into view, bursting into flames? Yeah, I believe you now, Hiccup. Original Hookfang, I love you, but your crab eyes aren't scary.

The only scene that seemed choppy animation-wise was the scene with Hiccup and Toothless falling as Hiccup is learning to fly with him. The silence was a nice touch. However, when Hiccup fell, his body and limbs were flailing around at unnatural angles and he was falling very quickly very abruptly. Now, I had watched the new Mission Impossible movie the week before, and I've watched all the Mission Impossible movies before that, so I understand that there will be flaws in animation. However, it just seemed like an unrealistic fall compared to "real" falls I've seen in movies.

Also, the scene when Hiccup and Toothless crashed into the dandelion field? If I remember correctly, Toothless partially landed on his back. It looked as though Hiccup had or should have broken his back. In animation, it's easier to accept the unrealistic falls, jumps, and other movements. I feel like this particular scene could have been improved somewhat; I think Toothless would have been perfectly willing to take the brunt of an impact like that. The animators also could have made it less awkward and more believable.

Well, that's all! I'm genuinely curious if others share the same thoughts as me. After all, most of the reviews I see are "it was perfect" or "I don't care and I'm not going to watch it." I think both are extremes; no movie is perfect, I can usually find at least one or two errors, but I won't be entirely negative without seeing something for myself.

I'm so glad I did!

[aventurineswife]

Thank you for this SAHSRAU request

How would everyone react when they see the Full Destructive power of the Mech that the Creator is Piloting when they go Drill for Drill against an all powerful being that can do the same things that the Creator can do

(Tried to post one that I had but Damn it Tumblr can't handle it 😭)

Before seeing the Creator throw Straight hands against same being who can do the same things

(Damn Anti spiral is getting his ass beat ⁠(⁠゜•⁠゜⁠) )

YES. Oh yes.

SAHSRAU characters already see you as their untouchable divine programmer—but now you roll up in a divine mech suit that you coded yourself, and it’s not just pretty effects. It’s raw destruction, a cosmic drill-for-drill clash against a mirror entity—a false god with the same power set.

Your mech—this towering, luminous construct—rips through the space-time seam, glitching between animation frames, shimmering with debugging code, corrupted geometry phasing around its limbs. And when you go toe-to-toe with a false being that mirrors your power? Drill colliding with drill?

It’s like watching Armageddon written in code.

The sky tears open.

Reality flickers like bad data.

And your followers?

They stop breathing.

Dan Heng

Silent. His breath hitches. His eyes track every move, analyzing, memorizing.

“That power… that control… and they built it themself.”

But what truly shakes him is seeing you step out of the mech—injured, drained, but furious. You throw your hood back, eyes glowing with glitch-light—and then throw a bare-knuckle punch into the false god’s face. And it lands.

Dan Heng doesn’t know whether to kneel or follow you into battle.

Kafka

“Oh.”

Her voice is a whisper. Reverent. Almost… turned on.

“That’s them. That’s our Creator.”

She watches you spiral through data projectiles and rip a drill out of thin air like you're dragging it from another game engine. When you dropkick your copy through a terrain patch and keep fighting with bare fists, she doesn’t cheer. She smiles.

She's never believed in gods.

Until you chose violence with style.

Silver Wolf

Screaming. Shaking. Crying. Hacking the UI in real-time to get a better angle.

“HOLY CRAP—THEIR HITBOX IS UNDEFINED—

THAT’S A CUSTOM MOVESET.

THE CREATOR HARD-CODED A COUNTER-MOVE TO THEIR OWN ABILITIES.”

She’s bouncing in her chair, glitching with actual tears, watching you override the very engine the fight’s happening in. When you glitch-punch your clone so hard its form reverts to wireframe?

She stares at the screen and whispers, “I want to marry them.”

Blade

He stands. Slowly. Every inch of him is vibrating. Rage, awe, maybe even hope.

You’re bleeding. You’re exhausted. But you refuse to stop. You refuse to lose. You punch and claw and override and fight with everything you have—not for godhood, but for truth.

He sees himself in your refusal to break. And for the first time in years, Blade says softly:

“You are real.”

Welt

He’s quiet. But his expression is shaken—like someone who just witnessed a prophecy fulfilled.

“They… rewrote their own limits. In real-time.”

Watching you defy logic itself—fighting another being with your same broken capabilities and winning anyway—Welt realizes something chilling:

If you can do that… then you’re not just god.

You’re beyond the Aeons.

March 7th

Tears streak down her face. Her camera dangles from her neck, forgotten.

“I knew they were cool but—LOOK AT THEM!!!”

She’s clutching Pom-Pom and screaming encouragement, gasping as you suplex your own copy through the HUD. She doesn’t care about perfection—just that you’re fighting.

And when you emerge from the rubble, scarred and triumphant?

She shouts, “THAT’S MY CREATOR!!”

Herta

The woman who once dismissed you as a curiosity?

Now she’s trembling.

She’s watching you manipulate systems she created. Rewrite physics she helped govern. Win a fight where you shouldn’t have won.

“Impossible…”

“No. It’s inevitable. They’re the one.”

This is the moment the SAHSRAU characters realizes:

You didn’t just log into their world.

You reformatted it with your fists.

You didn’t win because you were stronger.

You won because you believed in your own design more than the imposter did.

And now?

They don’t just revere you.

They stand behind you, ready for the next battle—because they know:

If the Creator can throw hands with a god,

then maybe… they can change the system too.

[cheatsylu]

Basic giggling Four gif C:

[hamandeggbun]

I hope this isn't weird but I've been reading this by @batmanisagatewaydrug and I had like the sudden, strongest urge to make art properly for the first time in ages, so uhhhh have some Jessie (or Jess? Can I call her Jess because I love her?) who is a terrible wet cat of a woman!

I wanted to get this done fast and human anatomy is not my forte so I traced a picture of Natalie in the City, who's a fashion blogger and has some cute fits, though no supervillain ones as far as I'm aware :3

[miss-cigarettes]

HAPPY NEW YEAR MY DEAR FRIENDS!!! ₊⋆｡‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧｡⋆ฅ(Wω눈ฅ)

[bepomepo33]

SKETCHES

[th3-c0ll3ct3r]

My Tumblr followers. If and when you see this. Just don't look at twitter man

This year is cooked

Sorry for the vent but omg this year man THIS YEAR UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH (read tags for context)

[b4kuch1n]

frog documentation. frogcumentation

I think I mentioned a while back I'd post nibling frog momence after the gift's done given. which happened on the 2nd this month I just forgot lmao. anyways we can do it now. I used the boigameista pattern scaled up to four pieces of A4 print paper and decided to double deck it to a two layer thing, not unlike a pillow, for ease of washin. because it was gonna be gifted to a one year old child

took a long time and made a number of mistakes bc hand sewing makes me worse as a person but this guy was done in time for the birthday occasion and that's what matters. chose non-fuzzy fabrics for it because we live in a dense city in the tropics and from personal experience if I hug something made of fur I would explode. the original plan included felt patterns on its back for bonus textures for baby but that wouldn't stretch well along with the rest of the thing so had to hold that back. eventually we got this

zipper across its ass, the coat type of zipper bc I miscalculated when ordering. but it did have a shape and that's all that matters to me. will be a fun game for the baby to grow up and be severely misinformed about what a frog looks like

happy extremely late birthday to this thing also

[sskk-manifesto]

(｡･ω･｡)ﾉ♡

[always-a-slut-4-ghouls]

On tumblr when you post you’re just playing Russian roulette with your post getting attention, but it’ll probably get ignored.

On Reddit any comment you make outside of some very niche community will immediately have someone downvoting you and calling you like, three different insults. Then they will wonder why you only log in every couple months. Like, it’s a very helpful website when you have a question for another community you’re in, but you’ll also get someone being immediately hostile when you make an innocuous post on a garden subreddit 😑

At least on tumblr people have to actually seek out your random ass text posts and go out of their way to start shit, and you don’t have the up and down vote system that feels like playing with my self confidence and worth issues.

Both websites are toxic part of the time (what social media isn’t?) and both are actually more useful for weird people, but holy shit does Reddit feel more aggressive about shit. Maybe it’s just the devil you know, but at least on this mess of a website half your hate will be for the most random shit and misunderstandings that people have to seek out finding if your blog is a normal size. Reddit is either posting on a dead sub or getting immediately thrown to the, well, sharks and wolves aren’t actually super aggressive towards humans under normal circumstances, so something else that could tear you apart instantly for just existing in the same space as them.

[loverboybrightsideghost]

if the lorax came out today do you think people would be sexualizing old onceler

[deviousdiesel]

.

[rat-rosemary]

I used to follow Rio Romeo since before they got their concussion and I remembered they fucking hated the idea of anyone making their butch songs straight in any way

Except crumb. They get a pass with their tragic little guy

[lesbianlaura]

if u notice that i've been online here all the time lately ur right 🫡

[papayadays]

book girls belong to biker boys? - ln4

⋆˚✿˖°a/n: i was inspired by lando's biker outfit on media, and inspiration just struck (i swear i will get back on so close to what) ⋆˚✿˖° where a close run-in leads to something else or the one where you almost get run over by lando norris ⋆˚✿˖° faceclaim: alisha newton :)

liked by mclaren and others f1 lando arriving to the paddock in style! the mclaren driver pulled up to media day on a moped in principality

user5 someone sedate me

user6 monaco weekend let’s go lando!

user7 omg biker lando??? he looks so good

user8 hold on @/bookiemonster is this the guy who almost hit you?

bookiemonster wtf that’s him he’s a driver??? brb jumping off a cliff

user9 lando almost hit someone 😭

liked by mclaren and others bookiemonster “i would rather die of passion than boredom” - vincent van gogh (book rec of the day: this is how you lose the time war by amal el-mohtar and max gladstone)

bff forever in your debt 💞

bookiemonster anything for you

mclaren glad to have you with us! liked by author

user13 wait WHAT?? who is she and how did she get garage passes?

user14 living my dream fr

user15 great. for. you. 😭

user16 pity invite??

user17 stay mad @/user16

user18 OMG THE BOOK REC?? I LOVE TIHYLTTW it’s so so beautiful

[lando is now following you!]

bookiemonster posted to their story!

caption: front wing all by itself hehe fp1 & fp2 done

bff replied: WTF WHEN DID YOU PICK UP ON F1 JARGON?? bff replied: I’VE BEEN TRYING TO TEACH YOU bff replied: IT’S A LANDMARK DAY

lando replied: yep! you’re a fast learner

bookiemonster added to their story!

caption: at least they have good bookstores and pretty streets here

bff replied: gorg as always 😍

lando replied: no photo creds? do you hate me or something?

liked by bff and others bookiemonster “i hope it’s love” - richard siken

bff when you told me you were going out, you neglected to say that it was a DATE

bookiemonster sorry! it was just a quiet date and i needed to just process it forgive me 🥺

bff forgiven but tell me all about it asap

user19 how could you do this? think about your book boyfriends

bookiemonster they’ll forever have a special place in my heart, i haven’t forgotten my roots 😔

user20 THE RICHARD SIKEN QUOTE oh my heart

user21 calling me single in literature is a violation 😭

user22 i hope he knows enough literature to match her freak

bookiemonster 😅 about that…

user23 top 10 anime betrayals

user24 he better treat her right

liked by mclaren and others lando cya tomorrow for quali, monaco

user25 lando using commas in places i don’t even remember to put them 😭

user26 a changed man

mclaren is it time to hire you for the photography team?

user27 mclaren jesus 💀

user28 this is lando.jpg type post

user29 pic is gorg just like lando 😍

user30 who else is hyped for qualifying?

bookiemonster added to their private story!

caption: hope you get pole or whatever

bff replied: posting him already? bff replied: ooh girl you are so down bad for him

lando replied: hey look that’s me! thanks for the luck

liked by mclaren and others bookiemonster “there is no dishonor in losing the race. there is only dishonor in not racing because you are afraid to lose.” - the art of racing in the rain by garth stein (which is my book rec of the day!)

bff i am so glad i dragged you here with me

bookiemonster i too, am very glad i went with you

mclaren our own garage literature scholar 🧡 liked by author

user31 oh so she’s close close w the team

user32 omg the movie for the art of racing in the rain was so good 🥹 yet another banger rec

user33 not her pretending to become a fan for clout

user34 sybau :)

user35 so here for her f1 x literature crossover

user36 imagine if she starts matching f1 moments to poetry? i would perish

user37 RIGHT? like emily dickinson with half the grid?

user38 did not expect her to get into sport this year let alone f1

liked by mclaren and others lando monaco pole. bam.

user39 LANDO POLE WE USED TO PRAY FOR TIMES LIKE THIS

mclaren mega lap!! 👏

user40 new track record is insane

bookiemonster “bam”? just like how you almost hit me with your moped?

user41 HELP that was a violation

lando you’ve been waiting to say something like that, huh?

bookiemonster can neither confirm nor deny

user42 i know my goat!!

user43 lando nation we never left

liked by others f1gossip lando wanted to impressive a “pretty girl” with his pole 👀

user44 HELLO?? what kind of bombshell is this

user45 fr like casually dropping this in a post quali interview is crazy

user46 that should be me 😔

user47 guys be so fr it’s just another model like “pretty girl” is so shallow

user48 is that supposed to be a revelation? lmao they always date models

user49 he’s so happy when he’s mentioning his parents and the girl 🥹

user50 idk which insta model he’s hooking up w atp my driver got pole

liked by bookiemonster and others lando “let me name the stars for you” - richard siken

bookiemonster 🫶 liked by author

user51 he’s officially down bad

user52 past down bad

user53 she’s so gorgeous omg 🤭

user54 he’s quoting richard siken it’s over

user55 WAITTTT SO THEY WERE SOFT LAUNCHING EACH OTHER

user56 you’re so right how did we not see this?

user57 new otp alert!!

liked by lando and others bookiemonster “you’re in a car with a beautiful boy, and you’re trying not to tell him that you love him” - richard siken

lando 💘💘💘 liked by author

user58 he’s in his loverboy era

user59 stopppp their matching posts are so cute

user60 god i’ve seen what you’ve done for others

user61 is no one talking abt how beautiful their richard siken quotes are?

user62 no real because why are they calling me single and kicking me in the gut

user63 oh how i wish to quote poetry with someone i loved

user64 and to think it all started with lando almost running her over

user65 😭😭

[fandom]

Top 24 of 2024

Well, well, well, look what we have here. If it isn’t 52 weeks’ worth of data drawn from the exemplary original posts you’ve been producing day in, day out, combined with the likes, reblogs, and search data—all of it weighed, ranked, and presented here for your viewing pleasure. In news that will come as a shock to no one at all, 2024 was the year of Artists on Tumblr. But quite right, too, as just a cursory scroll through the fanart, illustrations, digital pieces, paintings, textiles, and more will attest. It’s a goldmine. But this ain’t just any goldmine, this is your goldmine, and we’ve got abundant gratitude for the wonderful work you’ve shared this last year. 

Dungeon Meshi won hearts and minds with its cozy feel, its cookery, its cast of eclectic, likable characters, and a delightfully off-center vibe. Farcille made for the sapphic love story we didn’t know we needed—and the inspiration for endless, exquisite fanart. There was much appreciation for season one, and excitement abounds for season two. But there were endings as well as beginnings, sadly, as the much-loved Jujutsu Kaisen brought six years of sublime storytelling to a close with Chapter 271. Good faced Evil, a nephew faced an uncle, and some really liked it, and others really did not. Discourse ensued, as discourse is wont to do. 

Television! And lots of it! 2024 was the year in which animation ruled supreme with an embarrassment of riches to plunder. Gravity Falls and The Book of Bill became your fall fixations and simply refused to stop trending for seemingly an age (a Good Thing). Bill Cipher and Stanford Pines both made the Top 24 in their own right as you shipped them to high hell, with Billford coming top of Ships for 2024. Speaking of Hell, Hazbin Hotel was the new kid on the block. And, after a five-year wait, the new kid charmed—it was filthier, funnier, raunchier, and more heartfelt than you could have hoped for. 

When it comes to hope, the times continue to be challenging, and the news can threaten to overwhelm. 2024 was no different. But you all painted the dash every color of the rainbow, stood loud and proud, and supported your ever-growing community online and offline in the struggle for LGBTQIA+ rights. While folks continue to voice their distress and concern for the ongoing crisis in Palestine, they also fight the good fight with activism and fundraising efforts across the dash. These may be dark days, but you all work tirelessly for the greater good as only you know how.

Looking after oneself is vital in these trying times, and you’ve all done just that in your own inimitable fashion. Cats still rule Tumblr as bears still poop in woods, and everyone has taken essential time to peruse the dashboard’s plethora of cat GIFs, cat art, boopin’ cats, cats of yore, and so on. You’re keeping things similarly wholesome with some more Tumblr mainstays: cottagecore, and its sister aesthetic, naturecore, imagine a simpler, greener, and quieter time. A time where the breeze billows softly through the long grass and gently turns the blades of the windmill; a time where we, too, might poop in woods.

The only thing more important than looking after oneself is treating oneself, and what better way to do that than gaming? Baldur’s Gate 3 made a most impressive leap from #21 last year to #7 in 2024, as the need for sexy monsters and beautiful beasties becomes ever more imperative with each passing year. Pokémon may have dropped a little from five to 11, but these games and shows still hold a dear place in your hearts—as demonstrated by your bountiful and beautiful fanart.

Here are the 24 most-mentioned things on Tumblr in 2024.

Artists on Tumblr

Palestine

Dungeon Meshi

Gravity Falls

Hazbin Hotel

Baldur's Gate 3

Cats of Tumblr

Jujutsu Kaisen

The Batman Universe

Pokémon

One Piece

Good Omens

Marcille Donato | Dungeon Meshi

Laios Touden | Dungeon Meshi

Cottagecore

Hermitcraft

LGBTQIA+

Bill Cipher | Gravity Falls

Naturecore

Doctor Who

Percy Jackson

Falin Touden | Dungeon Meshi

Stanford Pines | Gravity Falls

Jason Todd | the DC universe

Feeling inspired? Want to create a dedicated place to discuss the things you love with the other people who love them? Create a Community here on Tumblr to do just that.