#happy international tuffstrid day

[despiteherself]

got all the right words caught up in my throat // modern au, post hicc/strid break up, astrid focused; check the tw as this was a heavy one!!

[spacenintendogs]

“I basically planned everything myself! You, missy, are going to have a fantastic birthday, starting with everyone cleaning Stormfly’s stable so you don’t have to”

“You’re going to clean Stormfly’s stable?”

“Everyone, excluding me, because I am the Official Birthday Day Planner, and I need to oversee that you’re having the best birthday possible”

“Thanks, Tuff,”

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL TUFFSTRID DAY!! @despiteherself

[despiteherself]

hi all, for the lead up to international tuffstrid day (27th sept) im gonna drop an unfinished fic on my ao3 every day. about to drop 10k angst to open this celebration up!!!! if you’d like to celebrate with me create anything tuffstrid any time this week (esp on the 27th) and let me know 💛 happy bisexuality awareness day

[despiteherself]

Happy international tuffstrid day

a/n - here’s a snippet of the modern conservation au (where the dragons still exist as just like, another lineage of normal species) started working on for rare pair microbang but ended up abandoning for something else. I have lots of ideas and if you wanna chat about it PLEASE do. !! the basic premise is the gang meets on a conservation program working to develop a research station on an island where a night fury was spotted for the first time in several hundred years.

Astrid’s just tired enough she nearly misses Gobber’s welcoming toothy grin in arrivals. Fishlegs’ tugs on her arm, directing to her to their supervisor and leggy brown girl slumped over the uncomfortable airport seats barely holding up a sign that says “BERK INDUSTRIES PTY LTD CONSERVATION EFFORT.” It’s the evening, Astrid’s in jeans and a jumper but this girl’s only in shorts and probably the lightest jumper Astrid’s ever seen. She’s beautiful, in an angular kind of way, like she wouldn’t look out of place crown perched on her head and a queenly cloak. She’s actually in banana print and slouching, but that barely ruins the effect.

“Astrid, Fishlegs!” Gobber says, gruff as he throws his arms around the both of them, drawing them in for one armed hugs. Astrid claps him on the back with her free hand, but begs out of it a second later. “Good to see you’re both here in one piece.”

“How many were you expecting?” Astrid says dryly, only half a joke because her sleepy mind processed the statement as literal. There’s a snort of laughter from the girl under Gobber’s bellow of a laugh, she’s perked up slightly, taking everything in with wide eyes and a vicious little smirk.

“It’s good to see you Gobber,” Fishlegs says, “the lab’s really quiet without you around.”

It really is, without Gobber yelling down the hall about research papers he thinks are ineffectual and bad policy making decisions after his reports have been ignored again. There’s a sort of peace to it, Astrid’s running distribution prediction models and mapping flight paths so it’s nice to not have someone calling out that students asking for help better have coffee or “Will someone look at this fucking conservation budget! Tell me I’m fucking dreaming.” It’s not the same though, Fishlegs’ isn’t into debating the way Gobber and Astrid do, loud and with sailor's mouths. Silent Sven, although a learned researcher and good co-supervisor, is not chatty at all nor understanding of Astrid’s idiosyncrasies and her long hours.

“Yeah,” she says, tucking her field guide up under her arm, “we missed you.”

“You two,” Gobber shakes his head, “you’re gonna make a grown man cry, unbelievable.” He laughs though, shakes it off with a tap to Fishlegs’ shoulder and turns back to the girl waiting at the seats. “This is Ruffnut, she’s one of the locals who saw the Night Fury. Ruffnut, this is Astrid and Fishlegs, my two star pupils.”

“Yo,” Ruffnut says mid head nod, attention on something over their shoulders. Astrid turns to see a boy, carrying a tray full of coffee cups, grin as bright as the sun. He looks like easy charm and recklessness, in the way pretty boys who know they are do.

“Finally,” Gobber helps himself to the mug with BLACK and the sugars in the spare cup holder. He’s half way through stirring his third sugar in before he looks back up. “Tuff, these are Astrid and Fishlegs, two of my conservation students. You two, this is Tuffnut, he saw the Night Fury too.”

“Hi,” Fishlegs says politely, holding out a hand and Tuffnut shakes it probably far to firmly. He offers the hand to Astrid and she looks at it for a moment before shaking too.

“You both look like you need coffees more,” He says, putting down the tray next to Ruffnut. He picks up his own drink, glancing at Ruffnut slurping happily at her own drink. “I can go get more, what do you drink?”

“You’re twins?” Fishlegs asks, the question bursting out like Fishlegs’ questions often do. Astrid expects an awkward hypothesis explanation, rambling coming to a self conscious halt as per usual but Ruffnut and Tuffnut both nod, easy as pie.

“I can get them, it’s fine.” Astrid says, actually responding. Tuffnut’s hand was warm and solid, and Astrid’s been on planes and in airports for the last nineteen or so hours she needs a break from people whilst she’s an irritable mess. She doesn’t actually know where to get coffees from but it’s an airport, it can’t be that hard.

She’s eight strides down the hallway before Tuffnut catches up, hands tucked in his pockets. Astrid glances at him, but doesn’t slow down and they sort of fall into step even though Astrid’s not trying to at all. He doesn’t speak until they’re in line at the closest coffee shop, pulling out a wallet that looks like it gave up on life several years ago. “I’ve got the travel expenses card,” he says and Astrid has one too, anyway.

“I have a travel expenses card, it’s fine.” She says, adjusting her field guide again. “You didn’t need to come with.”

“Sure,” He says. His capulation isn’t worth much when his tone is indulgent, and he doesn’t move from next to Astrid in the line. It’s like he’s going to say something, but the both of them stand in silence. Astrid eyes him, waiting for some kind of statement but nothing is forthcoming.

“What?” Astrid snaps, but before he can answer they’re first in line and being requested to order. “One large cappuccino with one sugar and a large latte thank you.”

“And one of those little open pastries,” Tuff adds, pointing at the last two sad danishes in the display cabinet.

The cashier looks at the sad pastries and bags both of them up saying “it’s on the house,” with a kind of wink Astrid’s learnt is flirty when she protests. Tuffnut pays, even though Astrid goes to get her purse out of her carry on luggage, citing ease of transaction. There’s several minutes of awkward silence, Tuffnut munching on his danish and Astrid gripping her bag straps too tight as flakes of pastry float to the floor.

“That’s unsanitary,” She says, even though germaphobia is more Fishlegs’ thing and really, the coffee shop will be swept when it’s closed or there’s a lull. Tuffnut shrugs, making no move to stop the mess from occuring.

“Did you want the other one?” Tuffnut offers the paper bag, the movement making the bag crunch and crackle annoyingly.

“No.” Astrid’s sharper than she intends, but not sorry for it. Tuffnut seems wholly unperturbed, although back at the lab that sort of tone would have sent other honours students scurrying.

“Your loss,” he says one bite in, “it’s better than the excuse for food Gobber thinks suffices if you don’t go get something specifically.”

“That man would eat salted leather if you put it on a plate like a sandwich.” Astrid remarks and mostly it’s sarcasm but Tuffnut chokes on the danish laughing. It startles Astrid so much her mouth pulls into a tiny smile, like they’re sharing an in joke. The moment’s ruined by two things; Tuffnut actually coughing up some pastry and the coffee order being called.

Astrid gets a cup of water as she picks up the coffees, swapping it for the paper bag before realising that’s what Tuffnut coughed up into. He drinks the water, thumping himself on the chest as Astrid disposes of the rest of half eaten pastry.

“I could have eaten the rest of that,” Tuffnut says mournfully. Astrid decides not to answer any of that, stepping out of the coffee shop area.

[despiteherself]

ASTRID MIX 3.4 

[picture source] [listen here]

side a. i. jump ☆ van halen ♦  ii. the power of love ☆ huey lewis and the news ♦  iii. how will i know ☆ whitney houston ♦  iv. can’t fight this feeling ☆ reo speedwagon ♦  v. danger zone ☆ kenny loggins ♦  vi. you spin me right round (like a record) ☆ dead or alive ♦  vii. physical ☆ oliva newton john ♦ viii. holding out for a hero ☆ bonnie tyler ♦   ix. relax ☆ frankie goes to hollywood ♦  x. nothing’s going to stop us now ☆ starship   

side b. xi. take on me ☆ a-ha ♦  xii. this time i know it’s for real ☆ donna summers ♦ xiii. causing a commotion ☆ madonna  ♦ xiv. kyrie ☆ mr. mister  ♦  xv. hip to be square  ☆ huey lewis and the news  ♦  xv.i. we built this city ☆ starship  ♦  xvii. heaven is a place on earth  ☆ belinda carlisle  ♦   xviii. africa ☆  toto  ♦  xix.  rhythm of the night  ☆ debarge  ♦  xx.  i wanna dance with somebody (who loves me) ☆ whitney houston  xxi. uptown girl  ☆ billy joel

"Hoff," Tuff says, fingers looped into the curve of Astrid's elbow. He tugs at her jean jacket, pulling slightly so she swivels in a half circle to face him.

"Yeah?" She hums, shifting half a step closer but Tuff drops his hand and shoves it into his windbreaker. His eyes flick up over her shoulder and Astrid glances back too. The rest of the gang are still walking, "I made you something." The words all come out in an exhale, as rushed as the stilted movement of his hand depositing a cassette case into Astrid's.

"Thanks," Astrid says, looking down at Tuff's messy hand writing all over the cover insert. The spine has ASTRID MIX 3.4 scribbled on it, which is even less informative than the rest of it.

"Astrid! Tuff! Hurry up!" Snotlout yells from metres and metres away up the path. Tuff flashes her a smile before striding to catch up and after another moment of staring down at the cassette Astrid pockets it and heads after him.

Once situated back in the group, Heather links arms with Astrid. She leans in, eyebrow raised and mouth curling into a question. “What was that about?”  “Nothing really,” Astrid says. The cassette’s probably full of a bunch of stupid recordings, or prank songs. Even if it’s what’s written on there, it seems kind of a joke anyway, a mixed collection of songs with no real pattern. 

“Hm,” Heather says, her tone completely unconvinced but she doesn’t push. If Astrid asks to borrow her walkman later, well Astrid is good at unconvinced expressions too. 

[spacenintendogs]

he did her hair for her bc she woke up with horrible bedhead. there was supposed to be a part 2 where she kisses his cheek to thank him but my hand gave out just imagine her kissing his cheek lol. @despiteherself i’m sorry it’s so sloppy and rushed (and that it’s ms paint lol) 

[despiteherself]

👀👀👀👀👀

[spacenintendogs]

Tuffnut has brought Astrid into the forests of New Berk to surprise her with something he found. Astrid normally isn't fond of surprises, but ends up thinking back during the trek and ends up receiving a far greater surprise than what Tuffnut had in store.

happy international tuffstrid day!! @despiteherself !!

[despiteherself]

Happy international tuffstrid day

[despiteherself]

happy international tuffstrid day

[despiteherself]

i can't believe it's finally the most wonderful day of the year

!!!!!!!!!!!! happy international Tuffstrid day y'all

[despiteherself]

I think my blog is set to a different time zone then my own so ???? but there IS a queue and a Great post I made for international tuffstrid day so. it's happening,,, happy international Tuffstrid day