#i'll be completely toothless for a month or more

[buff-borf-bork]

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[sparkanonymous]

Dragons Rising: Season 2

I'm a little bit more nervous to watch season 2; I like watching things that make me feel happy, and from the brief spoilers I've gotten about this season, this is probably gonna be more sad than anything... But I'll try.

I will be continuing to work on the two pieces I was working on before, so check the bottom of this post if you want to see my progress! (This goes for my season 1 notes post, too, by the way.)

⚠️ Spoilers for episodes 1-5!

Divider by cafekitsune

Episode 1: The Blood Moon

New Jordana look, huh? I don't really like it right now, but I can grow to get used to it.

So are the lines on her face just... permanent?

Good to know Raz has night vision.

Jordana is clearly scared about all of this... I wonder how long it will take for her to switch sides.

The bad guys always seem too distracted, intentionally taking their time to get to their targets. I kinda understand why it was that way for the little phone video in the beginning of the episode, since it's such a cramped space to work with and the movements might cause motion sickness. But with every other fight? No.

Wow, Ryu grew up quite fast.

Fugidove? In 2024?

Holy fuck, the news reporter remembered Pixal? Most of the ninja didn't even remember her. Actually, practically nobody in Ninjago city. He's either a super fan, or the writers completely forgot that fact for this season.

Is Intelligent George a parody on someone? I can't tell.

Did Sora really have to spell that out? Did they just... not think that that people watching the second season had already watched the first? I feel like spelling it out like that will make people not want to go back and rewatch the first season to see what they missed.

Also, with how much bigger Ryu is, I would've thought more time had passed. The way Sora had said that line makes it sound like she just unlocked her true potential instead of it being like... a few months ago or something.

Okay, so now we're on the "Arin really wants elemental powers" thing. He seemed mostly fine with that last season. What changed?

Arin, if you're looking for someone to be talking about those still lost in the merge, why the hell would you watch a Youtuber who only wants to talk about the ninja to sell merch? There are plenty of people that you could talk to; the people you're currently around would be far better to talk to about this. I know that they don't have the solution right now, but they are far more likely to come up with one before a fucking Youtuber.

Sora and Arin are such good friends. Even if their interests are completely different, they still partake in the other's activities, especially when the other is looking blue.

Poor Frohicky, lol

Zane would have already heard and figured out these figures of speech back in like... season 1 or 2. But he's still cute. I like that Kai and Zane are playing the video game together.

The layout of this game makes me think of the TMNT arcade game. Nice touch.

Hm... so Lloyd's getting more visions... or he's having a nightmare... or both?

So... Zane and Sora are gonna get taken down. Is Arin going to rebel, betray them? Beatrix is clearly coming back, which I figured would happen after she disappeared into that merge-quake at the end of last season.

Wu watching over his nephew is nice, but... where's Garmadon? Sure, Wu is probably more iconic and a better teacher, but Garmadon is Lloyd's father. I want to see him again... would he have the same golden glow that Wu's ghost does, or would he have a purple glow or be a purple void?

Also, where's Nya? I don't think I've seen her at all this episode.

Why is Arin's voice so soft now? It's like he's constantly whispering into the mic?

Kreel not even denying that she tried to make their mech explode back in episode 1 lol

Wait is the junkyard ghost Wu?

Wow, that was a small investigation montage.

I like Ryu's teenage model over the baby one, but he reminds me a little too much of Toothless.

That old lady shaming those throwing away a good dragon... but not taking the dragon? Oh, come on; she would've totally tried to take Ryu back home with her. It's an old lady thing.

Oh my god, Arin stop self-pitying; this is not the time.

Arin, they will be proud of you; you're a ninja.

Lloyd's gonna have a heart attack.

Woah, the camera during this fight is really wobbly. It actually feels like Arin, Sora, and Ryu are in danger.

The actual panic in Lloyd's voice.

Give me the smoke guy's name. I need it. He's really cool.

Episode 2: Shattered Dreams

Wait, the writers of destiny are still a thing? I would've thought that they would have disbanded after it was proven that writing the future didn't actually mean anything.

Their idea of fun is bagels? Yeah, I can see it.

Wait, so their entire religion isn't completely founded on made up bullshit?

Lloyd, why would you drink that?

Sora, you sound like Raven Queen.

Arin, that's robot-ist. In front of Zane? Really?

Y'all are in broad daylight. So much for being ninja.

Everybody judging Sora's graffiti, including Zane lmao

Hitting Zane in the head with a non-magic teapot lmfao

The Gong of Shattering is such a terrible name.

Poor Arin, lol

Oh, no. This is Arin's undoing. He's gonna hit the gong in order to try and get an elemental power, he'll turn evil, and then fight beside Raz. I'm calling it now!

I really enjoy Percival's character now. He's learning, he's helping out, and he seems to be kinder than when he was under Beatrix's rule. I think the rebellion was good for him.

The Master Writer was so scared, he didn't even try to run. Wow. Anyone will let the bad guys overthrow them, huh.

Euphrasia should seriously train with the other ninja; she's far too weak to be looking after a kingdom alone. (Yes, I know that they're making all the ninja really bad at fighting to make it look like the smoke ninja is way stronger than them, but still.)

It's not called the Blood Moon for anything good. Is it ever?

You're supposed to be sneaky; that glowing green spinjitzu is not sneaky in any way.

Why did Euphrasia have to say that? She could have looked relieved instead of saying that terribly said "Thank goodness your okay!"

Zane, that doesn't answer shit. A written language can't look evil. That's the dumbest shit I've ever heard.

Should Euphrasia even be here to save the Master Writer? She's using a crutch. Actually, does literally everybody have to be here for this? Bigger groups are hard to be stealthy with, and most of them aren't really being useful. They should've picked three to go in while everyone else stays behind as back up.

So Raz was the reason the worms turned evil last season. Hm...

I'm still not over it. Why is Ryu here? It should've been Lloyd, Arin, and Zane; Lloyd because he needs to confirm his visions, Arin because he's really foreshadowing something, and Zane to confirm the stupid language thing. Euphrasia would've been a good choice to bring if she wasn't using a crutch. Everyone else is just... here for no fucking reason except to just listen to the Master Writer. They're not really hiding, so any of the wolf-masked characters could easily find them. They didn't bother animating anyone except Lloyd and Arin going up the wall; they all just kinda teleported. This is bothering me so bad. (Not everyone has to be here to listen. The three that would've gone could've spread the information off screen so it didn't become too repetitive.)

See, I fucking told you. Now Lloyd's having another panic attack.

Why did the gong only affect the wolf-masks? Is the detail I missed that they have to be wearing the wolf mask to be affected by the gong? That seems dumb.

Lmao Kai

Woah, Zane glitching.

Episode 3: Beyond the Phantasm Cave

Wait, where did Kai's mech come from?

Of course when Lloyd asks for an answer, the source dragons come.

Wow, that source dragon from season 1 is so convincing, he convinced the other source dragons within seconds.

Why wouldn't Sora believe Lloyd after all of this?

Aw, Kai checking on Wyldfyre.

Nya, you trained under Wu for how long? You would know that, yes. He would bring you guys somewhere based on half-understood dreams.

Why is Zane always the one to keep an eye on the ship? Ugh.

"Now it sounds like the rotor sneezed!" Lmao Lloyd

It's sweet that Sora and Arin are talking to each other about fond memories, but... why? This came out of nowhere, and they just arrived at their destination. The writing here feels a little clunky.

Aw, now they all have grappling hooks.

Wow it sure took those snake things a while to come out to try and kill them.

Uh oh, Kai's powers not working very well...

Is this like the future telling ice thing in the original series?

Sora that is quite clearly static. How the hell did you think that was Kai?

Oh man, it's all their worst fears...

Oh, shit... The Jaya thing I've seen fanart for.

Poor fucking Nya... this is foreshadowing.

They have airjitzu. They could take the jump a lot more carefully.

Episode 4: Force From The East

Ooh, finally! Back to Cole.

God, Geo and Cole are so fruity.

That was a mouthful of exposition. They could've had a mini flashback of that moment from last season when Cole left and followed Wu. Sure, Geo didn't see that, but this show has never shied away from showing other character's perspectives during flashback sequences told by another character.

Geo being worried about Cole.

They're such an artistic family.

Bonzle is gonna make Geo panic.

Kai and Nya working together is sweet.

Me, too, Arin. Me, too.

The dragon speaking English instead of using telepathy or whatever.

"Should we... ask them what they want?" "Sure. What do you want?" *Gets obliterated* Lmao

Geo's so silly.

Finally; Cole comes to the rescue!

Bonzle's hiding something... I'm not sure what just yet. But she knew that they could leave when they previously couldn't.

Why does Zane have a Frohicky plushie? I'm so confused.

Why isn't Cole surprised to see Zane?

"- why do you have a frog-man-doll?" "It is a long and barely comprehensible story." I love them.

So that's why I thought the Glacier reunion was so... weird and terrible. They're in the middle of a chase scene.

I like how Zane tries to decipher what the problem is by examining his face... I'm so normal about this pairing, I swear.

I like how this episode is split into the stuff that Lloyd and crew were doing and Cole and family were doing, but I focus on just the Cole and family stuff. Mostly just Cole and Geo. They're family is really sweet and care about one another so deeply. Fritz and Spitz need more to do, though; they're kinda just... kids in the middle of everything, but they seem to be as strong and fast as the rest of their family, so... idk

Episode 5: The Spell at the Waterfall

Ah, the Zane and Frohicky side of the plot.

I understand what Frohicky is trying to accomplish, but Zane has already gone to him if he has a problem with the things he's doing. That's just the kind of guy Zane is. This tactic might have worked better with Kai or Lloyd.

Zane whacking the bad guy with the stupid fucking doll lmao

Why wouldn't Bonzle have told them earlier? Lmao what a mouthful.

Oh, so that kinda makes sense... kinda. For Bonzle to know when the could leave. But she would've sensed that opening a long time ago, and probably would have looked more worried throughout the beginning of last episode.

See? The entire Cole and Geo family is artistic.

Bonzle met Master Wu?!

Kai and Nya are so epic.

So, wait. i thought Wu would have taken her to meet the ninja, but I guess not?

Aw, Cole and Geo getting emotional about Bonzle's story.

"This reminds of the old days. Count me in." "That's what I'm talking about." Ugh... I love them too much...

So is one of the source dragons helping Raz? Or am I going crazy?

Of course, there are some critics I have. But I'm liking this so far, even with how often Lloyd was getting panicked and the amount of foreshadowing to future episodes I was getting. Still a little nervous about what's coming, though...

Current Progress:

[the-darkness-does-not-bargain]

Making this its own post for organizational porpoises. Based on this sci-fi au idea.

Beatrice watched the massive metal exo-suit clomp toward her across the hangar floor.  Each step was accompanied by a heavy thud and a squeak, courtesy of residual moisture left over from the spray-down in the disinfectant chamber.

When the girl inside the suit noticed her standing there, one of its thickly plated arms rose in a clumsy but enthusiastic wave, nearly knocking over a courier bot in the process.

"Hey, Bea!  Did you see us out there?"  The exo-suit's voice modulator added a mechanical pitch shift to the words, but it did nothing to disguise their exuberance.

"I did," she said, smiling despite herself.  "Your team did well redirecting that asteroid.  Captain Superion will be pleased."

The clomping, clanging legs finally came to a stop in front of her.  "But did you see us?" Ava asked again.  "How cool we were?  We were definitely the most badass team out there.  Cam and I were strapping those charges down like it was our job!"

"It was your job," Beatrice points out, earning a heavily digitized huff.

"You know what I mean!  And Lilith was a real smooth operator.  She was bouncing from hotspot to hotspot so quickly, you'd think she was trying to set a record…  Don't tell her I said that though.  She doesn’t need more fuel for her ego."

"My lips are sealed," Beatrice said, grinning.  "Are you ready to get out?"

"If you're ready to catch me!"

Her smile reversed itself in less than a second.  "Ava, I swear, if you try to dump yourself out of that suit—"

"Huh?  What's that, Bea?" Ava cut her off gleefully.  "Couldn't hear you over the disengage protocol prompt.  Here I go!"

"Ava, no!"  Beatrice rushed forward as the front of the suit opened up, the armored plates pulling away to reveal its interior.  It took her one second too long to notice the giggling coming from the pilot still secured in her harness, but she couldn’t avoid noticing the 1000 terra-watt smile on her face.  "Ava…"

"You should've seen your face!"  The younger girl crowed with delight.  "Bea, you moved so fast!  You should be the one hopping around on asteroids!"

Beatrice’s shoulders slumped with newfound mental exhaustion.  "I couldn't possibly pick a job more stressful than my current one," she grumbled, scowling when Ava just continued to laugh.  "I will leave you in there," she threatened, though it was a toothless one.

"No, you won't," Ava countered easily.  "If you do, I'll just whine until you come back out of sheer annoyance."

"Your resemblance to Jonesy grows more unnerving by the day."

Ava simply smirked.  "Are you saying I'm as cute as a kitten, Bea?"

"You're certainly as lazy," Beatrice responded, sidestepping that comment with considerably more ease than she would have six months ago.

Ava pouted.  "Bea, I give you the perfect opening to call me cute and that's what you do with it?  You dork."

Bea rolled her eyes.  "I'm sure you'll give me other opportunities.  Are you ready to get out or not?"

Ava huffed.  "Yeah, I guess.  This thing is getting kinda warm."  She shut her eyes momentarily to command the safety harnesses to unlock before giving the final disengage order to the suit's neural interface.  Beatrice positioned herself strategically to brace her body against Ava's when she started to slump out.  Protocol called for at least two technicians to help any mobility-impaired pilots out of their exo-suit, but Ava was small enough that Beatrice had no trouble maneuvering her by herself.  She carefully pivoted around while keeping Ava’s upper body secure in her arms, letting the pilot rest her chin on her shoulder as they moved.

The wheelchair waited just behind them, arm and foot rests pulled to the side in anticipation of its occupant.  Beatrice lowered her onto the seat and helped her rest against the cushioned back.  The chair, as with every product developed by the Arq-Tech Corporation, was designed to be ergonomically sound.  It provided complete back and limb support with adjustable settings, and its neural interface had a sensor to detect the presence of its user if they couldn’t move their hands to put it on manually.  Beatrice watched the interface band close around Ava’s head and light up as it synced with her brain's electrical activity.

"Thanks, Bea!" Ava said brightly, directing her chair to spin her in a little circle.  "Another mission knocked out of the star system!  Now I'm starving!  When do you clock out?"

"As soon as the last of the teams make it back, I'll be finished."  Beatrice’s eyes traced over the side of Ava’s chair, catching on the barest bit of a sticker tucked under the girl’s hand.  The sticker, one of an entire set plastered across the device, depicted a cartoon dog whose name Beatrice could not remember no matter how many times Ava told her.  The young pilot loved nothing so much as a new decoration for her wheelchair.  Beatrice’s favorite, however, was not one Ava had chosen, but one that Mary snuck onto the back of the device one night in the canteen.  It was a sign that read “If found, return to Squad Oscar Charlie Sierra”, accompanied by a drawing of a fluffy, grease-covered puppy with big, sad eyes laying underneath the words.  It had been placed over a month ago, and Beatrice was fairly certain Ava still didn’t know it was there.

“Cool!  I still have to shower, but then I’ll see you at dinner?”  Her hopeful smile was a merciless, precision-targeted attack against Beatrice’s mental fortitude.  Captain Superion and the United Earth Fleet could only dream of missile technology so dangerously effective.

“Of course, Ava,” she said gently.  “Save me a seat.”

“You bet!”  With another excited spin of her chair, Ava beamed at Beatrice in farewell before racing down the thoroughfare as fast as the wheels could carry her.  Only once she disappeared through the hangar bay doors did Beatrice feel like her heart could finally settle.

[dragonmasterhiccup]

“Mm, that’s good, and… completely understandable, she’s probably starting to lose her mind.”

Danny chuckled lightly. “Okay, you’re right, she is a pretty cute baby, but she looks more like Astrid, well her eyes at least,” she said, shrugging.

She burst out laughing. “Being a dad is literally a one way ticket to being called old! It’s over for you Hiccup! I’ll be preparing your send off boat and my speech to go with it; “Hiccup was pretty basic; an okay brother and a decent husband and father,” how does that sound?”

She smirked. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll get her to call you ‘old man.’”

“Hiccup, be so for real right now, she probably doesn’t even know that she’s alive, she hasn’t even gained her consciousness yet.”

“Um, it’s been pretty good, actually. As far as I know, everything’s going smoothly. Gobber did teach me how to make a saddle, and some other tools; swords, axes, all that. But yeah, it’s good. See? Just because you take some time off doesn’t mean everything is going to fall apart,” she teased.

Looking at Hiccup and Zephyr, she thought for a moment, debating on whether or not she should ask her question. In the end, she decided it’d be okay, the worst he could say was no, right? “Hey, so uh… do you think I might be able to hold her? I totally get it if you don’t want me to! I was just, I was just asking, is all,” she said, her voice a slight bit nervous.

While yes, the worst he could say was no, that ‘no’ could potentially mean that he didn’t trust her with his daughter, and that would be more than a little upsetting. Though it could also just mean that he didn’t want to let her go, which come on, why would he?

He nodded solemnly. "She was, I think today will help her a lot, especially since I have to get back to being Chief again soon."

Grinning, he looked down at Zephyr again. "She really does! Although, she does have my hair."

Hiccup laughed as well. "In that case, I guess it really is over for me, huh? Well, hopefully I have a few good years left in me, then, right?" Shaking his head, he sighed. "No, there won't be any send off for me anytime soon, not if I can help it."

Comically covering his daughter's ears, he playfully glared at Danny. "Ah, no, you will do no such thing!"

"Zeph is conscious enough to know who Astrid and I are, and that's enough for me."

Raising his eyebrows, he asked, "Wow, axes and swords? I'll have to stop by, see your handiwork. I have to thank you for your help these last couple months, with flying Toothless and helping Gobber. I really appreciate it."

Zephyr was perfectly content, watching Hiccup as he talked with Danny.

At Danny's question, a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, and he nodded, standing up and bringing Zephyr over.

"Just make sure to support her head."

Gently lowering his daughter into his sister's arms, he made sure Zeph was comfortable and Danny was okay before he sat back down.

[bananabraces]

first date ever tomorrow!!

hii guys so alot happened today. like alot of big changes that seem calm now but will completely change the course of my life for years to come. soo one i finally align w my username, i got braces!!! they're actually really cute i got bubblegum pink and they didn't hurt much they only put wires on my bottom row of teeth bc they're gonna be doing extraction on the top teeth so they can't string them together yet yk but it was actually pretty painless. the feeling of the metal is really uncomfortable in my mouth though like the bite blocks they had to put i can VERY MUCH feel it's not like an actual inserted thing they just put some kind of solution or like glue where my back teeth touch so that they wouldn't grind against the brackets on my teeth and break them. so overall the braces experience thus far has been an 8/10 -2 points bc of the discomfort. i'm really excited for my teeth to start shifting though bc i've always had really crappy teeth ever since my permanent ones started coming in my overbite is 10mm long and just alot else is wrong w my teeth like in 5th grade i got called toothless by the whole grade almost bc it was so bad and it was like a known joke in my class that i had no teeth. and i have never been able to smile properly bc of like my jaw and it also looks recessed and sunken in cuz my bite and ive always put my hand over my mouth when i smile or laugh bc of this, so basically what i'm saying is it's always been a struggle with me as well as my family. i'm really really excited to have straight teeth. in a way it kind of makes me feel more connected to my dad and sam bc they got braces too. idk how to explain it.

but ANYWAYS that was like an entire entry on its own but that's not all the news (please ignore how my keyboard puts apostrophes on some words and not others it's bugging me too but i can't fix it rn so whatever). i am FINALLYYYY going on a date w and getting asked out by gp tomorrow after 11 months of waiting. it's so hard to summarize all our lore and just how badly i've wanted and wished for this but just know like i've had to sit through months of him dating someone else knowing i missed my chance and had to confess knowing we'd most likely just stay as friends no matter what i said and had to accept that unsent love letters countless diary entries a spotify playlist late night calls and conversations and endless yapping to my bsf is all it would ever be. but now it's not like that. and that's not why i'm nervous btw if i haven't said i'm nervous i am but not bc of that i'm really excited to date gp and get to know him as a bf i'm just a little scared for the actual date bc we haven't talked alot recently. it's been better these last 2 days and i've sent him stuff occasionally and we have a streak buttttt that's kinda all it's been this summer. but yk we saw eachother everyday for 1 year and were hecka close so i'm also looking forward to it and i doubt it'll be THAT bad. plus we're seeing my fav movie (eva it's all yours dw i just like it alot)!!! i was coraline for halloween 2022 and went to the museum and i've watched it countless times so. i think that'll make me more comfy in a way plus then i'll have alot more to discuss w him afterwards. he said he'd pay but i'm bringing a wallet full of money anyways bc i'm atleast offering to even if he says no and even then i'll probably ask to split it or pay for the food afterwards. anyways he's really so sweet and amazing and smart and handsome and funny and i'm reallyyyy excited to see him 🤗🤗 so hopefully it'll go good i think it will. and i'm gonna ask my dad and mom and bsf for some advice bc they have an honest view and my parents have experience w dating and eva w the actual guy having been 10 yr childhood bsfs. so yeah. i'm feeling alot better but goshhh BOYFRIEND. HES GONNA BE MY BKYFRIEND!!!! im gonna walk into school and be liek i have a real life living human br with human skin and lungs and life who breaths air and is also real and here and a bf my bf. like whay.

on the same noeeeeteeee im dividing ts so it's easier to read i'm SO excited for 8th grade. my clothes and stuff going in r sooo cute and ill have a bf and im joining sports and possibly riding the bus (some dyas) so itll be really sigma. also there's alot.of.stuff only 8th graders could do at my scuool so ill be like an ALPBQHA GRRR u know. sorry that was bad but like im not even j trying to be funny out school is the timberwilves. the halls in our school are marked by saying like "___ grade pack!" like 😅😅😅😆😆😆 no!!! actualy!!!! no!!!!!

anyways that's ittt just had to drop a lil update hopefully it ACTUALLY UOLOADS THIS TIME AND JF IT DOESNT IT ATLEAST SAVES TO MY DRAFTS. tmblr fix ur site. okayy bye chat thanks formlistening 💫

[anxious-ace]

Big four/spirit au headcannons/ideas:

Since all of the movies (besides most of Jack's) take place way before the modern era, they would all be dead by now so this is what is basically a modern AU but the big four are ghosts/spirits

(Jack's death is the same as in the movie)

Hiccup would've probably had either:

a flying suit/pair of wings malfunction while flying along side toothless and fell or hit his head

Contracted some disease and since medicine wasn't really around, he would've subcame to the illness

Or been caught in a fire caused by a dragon (Toothless would've died protecting him)

(I don't know which to go with but you get the idea)

Merida would've been shot, mauled by a bear or poisoned by the witch lady

(Again I don't know)

Now for 'Punzel's death, I honestly have no idea because Gothel died at the end of the movie so she wouldn't have been the cause

Maybe she and Eugene were executed because a criminal married a princess (I don't fucking know)

Jack met the other three back when they were children (they were his first believers but Jamie was the first after the three of them grew up and later died)

I mean after the three of them grew up and they stopped believing, he didn't disappear completely (because not that many people believed in him to begin with so them not believing anymore didn't have as much as an impact on him as say, people not believing in Santa anymore)

(The more believers, the harsher the consequences of them not being believed in anymore, like what started to happen to Tooth and her feathers after Pitch stole the teeth)

(Her feathers started falling off if you remember)

Moving on, after the three of them died and were resurrected, they saw Jack at the pond where he and his sister died

(I headcannon that after Jack fell in, his sister tried to fish him out with the very staff that he used to save her and ended up falling in after him)

Jack was the first one to realize that the three of them had died and that they could see him again because of it

So he starts explaining the situation and how spirits work (they don't need to eat or sleep for a certain period of time instead of doing so everyday, spirits can see and hear each other but in order for mortals to do the same they need to believe in them, the man in the moon revived them, in order to be a guardian you have to get chosen by him, etc.)

This was before he became a guardian, he is now trying to get people to believe in the three of them as well

(They met and he explained it before he became a guardian)

I don't know what they would be the guardians of (if they are chosen to be guardians) but I know that they're are not the other seasons

Like there could a nature guardian but I think that's either mother nature or Jack's sister (spirit of fall)

I'll have to figure this out later

Berk, Corana (that name would not fly today) and wherever the fuck Merida's from (found it, it's DunBroch) still kinda exist

Like the country still exists but it's now modern and industrialized

(They even have museums talking about the country's past and the three of them, because monarchs)

Jack already got their memories from the Tooth palace for them and showed them what to do

He also told them about Pitch and his fellow guardians just in case

They were just sitting around a campfire type deal and having this discussion

Hiccup was the first one to recognize him (because of the 9 months of snow and the 3 months of hail that Berk gets)

Jack basically said that "That's what happens when you live in a jackass spot and decide to kill dragons for a living."

Hiccup knew it wasn't about him, it was about the country as a whole

Jack was at the Hiccstrid wedding as well as Eugene and 'Punzel's wedding

He was also there when Merida was about to be wed off

The four of them would go on adventures before Jack had to go do guardian work (I still don't know what it means)

I guess (since I headcannon him to know basically every living and dead language) he translates letters that kids send Santa into English (or another language he knows)

The other three were at the guardian oath ceremony (or whatever the hell it was) for Jack as a thank you for everything he did

He was like, "your old ass houses are like gone now so where the hell are you guys going to live?" at some point

He had realized that because of modernization, their houses and cultures were basically gone by the time he became a guardian

They live in the frozen forest that Jack had made (he added more houses with enough space for their families)

(mostly Hiccup's kids and Toothless)

He will ask Jack to baby-sit for him the most (mostly because he can tire them out by making snow)

Merida will also ask Jack to baby-sit her brothers for the same reason

Katherine/mother goose is the only one who knows every single language that Jack does, everyone else just knows some of the same languages

She and Jack also do "misle-foe" where instead of kissing, you fight whoever is under the mistletoe with you

This is a bit of a tradition between them

She has suplexed him before

Toothless only likes the others because they can cook and they know Hiccup

He almost attacked Jack because he caused a snowball fight and was distracted

Jack made a frozen bow and arrow

(The arrows freeze whatever they hit and the bow is wood with fern patterns made out of ice)

He saw Merida's bow and thought that he could do better

Spirits can touch mortal items and can use them really well (like phones)

The guardians have pins on their clothes/bag they can press that sends a distress signal (they each have a little icon that will show up on North's globe whenever they hit it, it even shows roughly where they are)

They can even talk through them

North will call the other Guardians to the workshop so they can help the one who needs help

North made them so it makes sense

Jack is the only one in the big four who is still looking for their family (mainly his parents and Jackovich)

The only relative he found was his sister because they died the same day just minutes apart

Tooth already knew because she had the memories stored at the palace before Pitch stole them

The rest of the guardians had to figure it all out the hard way whenever Jack had a panic attack

Tooth and her fairies the only ones who can access a person's memories that aren't their own

Like they can see what memory the person is being shown

(So baby tooth saw the memory of Jack falling into the pond)

Out of the big four, Jack and Hiccup butt heads alot because Jack wants to find the fastest solution and Hiccup wants to find the solution that will work and not get them jailed or kidnapped

Merida loves being able to fly a dragon, Jack only likes when he's not to close to the water and Punzel loves it

So the girls love it and it's a situational thing in Jack's case

Jack and Eugene steal artifacts from museums and return to the rightful owners together

Hiccup and Toothless are the getaway more times than not

Jack stole his family's, Hiccup's, Merida's, Valka's, Eugene's, Astrid's, 'Punzel's, Jim's and Dimitri's memories from the tooth palace

(Tooth fairy still doesn't know)

I think I already said this but Jack's powers affect his body temperature, that means he gets sick from using his powers too much

"Usually when someone gets sick they feel warm, not me though, I get colder and you can even see ice forming on my face in extreme cases."

Jack and Hiccup will just make their kids have a play date that Eugene and 'Punzel will watch over

It's so if the guys have to do something, one person is watching the kids instead of both spouses having to watch their respective offspring

Hiccup's kids (I just learned that the daughter is named Zephyr and the son is named Nuffink) and Elna love it, Merida's brothers (Hamish, Hubert and Harris) have been thrown into the mix too

Jack makes so many "Nuff said" jokes its insane

Since Jack picked his name himself (yes I'm mixing book and movie lore together), he can't really mock them without being a hypocrite

Jack is known as "The Winter Bandit" in Berk and even has his own get-up

It's like Heather's hood and mask deal but with goggles to protect his eyes as well

Hiccup made him a holster type deal for his staff that has a section for the arrows and he has a holster for his knife and snow bombs attached to a belt for security

Yes the snow bombs were made by Jack, Hiccup said no and Jack did it anyway

Jack has introduced the guardians to the other three (Hiccup, Rapunzel and Merida), North and Hiccup bonded over inventions, Bunny was skeptical about them, Sandman was out creating dreams and Tooth was busy fangirling over Hiccup (Jack didn't really care about that last part because he was finally free)

Jamie and his friends formed what is known as the "Frost Fleet" when they were kids

They still hang out whenever they don't have work and Sophie is out of school

Jamie has a Huskey puppy named Aspen that Jack absolutely loves

(Yes he still visits him and the rest of the fleet)

Ulises has asked Jack and Elna to get rid of the cat they found to no avail

They named her Snowball

Because he's the spirit of summer, whenever Jack gets sick, he will use his powers to keep him warm

(I might make a joke that Ulises and Jack make Shoto when mashed together)

THEM DRESSING UP AS THE HEAT AND SNOW MISERS!!!!

Jack has sang snow miser's part at least a dozen times

I think Eugene is only straight person in the friend group

Jack is a demisexual gay trans guy, Hiccup is bisexual, Rapunzel is pansexual, Merida and Jim are asexual (Merida is aroace) and Dimitri is graysexual

[alloftheimaginess]

Forever

Requested on wattpad

Warnings: mentions of cancer, death and shitty writing

Also excuse the sad imagines I’ll be posting. They are helping me with my grieving process

"Mommy I need you to record me" Phoebe says as soon as I walk off set.

"What's happening?" I ask going over to her and she smiles at my costume.

“I like your costume” she says and I smile at her.

"But I want you to record me doing something" she says and I nod pulling my phone out.

"Okay I'm recording. What are you going to do?" I ask recording her as we move to outside where the filming isn’t taking place.

"Tom taught me how to cartwheel and it was super cool because he was in his Spider-Man costume" she says grinning at the camera.

"Show me, I want to see it" I say and she nods and she runs back a little and she does it halfway and I cheer.

"That was amazing bee" I say cheering her on and she bows.

"Thank you, thank you" she says blowing kisses and she runs up to the camera smiling a big toothless smile and she makes a face before covering the camera.

"We got you something bee" I say and she looks up from her homework.

"What is it?" She asks.

"A gift" I say and Chris hands her the box.

"What is this?" She asks shaking it.

"It's a surprise for you" he says.

"But it's not my birthday, that was last month and Christmas isn't for another month" she says.

"We know but we wanted to surprise you" I say and she nods.

"Okay" she says unwrapping it and she takes the top off and she starts screaming as she climbs on her knees in the seat to get a better look inside the box and she pulls out the ultrasound.

"You have a baby?" She asks.

"Yeah we do" I say and she jumps up and down with excitement on her knees as she pulls the other stuff out the box.

"It's so tiny and cute" she says cuddling the onesie.

"Do you know what it is?" She asks.

"Not yet, we are going to figure that out soon. Uncle Scott and auntie Sn are throwing a reveal party" I say and she holds the ultrasound up squealing.

"I can't wait to give this baby all my love" she says.

"What about us?" Chris asks and she looks up from looking closely at the ultrasound.

"I don't have enough to love all three of you so I'll love you both until the baby gets here. It's not that hard to understand daddy" she says with a duh tone and he laughs.

"I guess it's the only logical thing to do, foolish me" he says and I laugh as she kisses the ultrasound.

"Last session" I say and she grins at my phone as I record her.

"I'm going to beat cancers booty" she says and I laugh.

"Yes you are, you're my little superhero" I say.

"I want to be the Hulk" she says.

"The Hulk?" I ask and she grins even wider nodding.

"Yes. He doesn't have to wear clothes and no one complains when he doesn't, nothing scares him and he can't die. Also uncle Mark is cute" she says giggling and I laugh.

"Totally agree with you there" I say.

"Plus who wouldn't want to be green?" She asks.

"I wouldn't want to be green" I say.

"Yeah because you're boring" she says and I gasp holding my chest.

"You wound me" I say.

"I'm just kidding mommy you're not boring. You just don't understand the Hulk" she says laughing and Chris walks in looking down at his phone.

"Daddy!" She yells and he jumps causing her to laugh even harder.

"What's up bug?" He asks turning to face her as he puts his phone away.

"If you had to be any other superhero that's not Captain America who would you be?" She asks.

"Ooh maybe Iron man" he says and she nods.

"Who did mommy pick?" He asks.

"She didn't. I did though" she says.

"You'd be the Hulk because he doesn't have to wear clothes, huh?" He asks and I laugh shaking my head.

"That was her exact answer" I say and he laughs unpacking her lunch.

"Let me in or else I'll beat down your door, then two strangers who had been two silhouettes on the shade said to my shock you're on the wrong block" she sings.

"Silhouette" I sing.

"Silhouette" she sings super high and she instantly starts cracking up.

"Silhouette" I sing and she doubles over from laughter.

"Silhouette" she sings through her giggles, gasping for air and I start laughing with her.

"I appreciate your dedication to this performance" I say and she leans on me trying to calm down.

"The show must go on" she says in giggles and I smile at her and she leans on my arm trying to completely calm down.

"Merry Christmas, merry Christmas, merry Christmas" she sings over and over as she dances through the house and she drops a gift in my lap and I look up and she drops one on Chris.

"What's this?" He asks.

"A gift for you" she says.

"Uncle Scotty helped me get them so open them" she says and I rip the paper off and it's a jewelry box and I open it and it's a heart necklace.

"It has all of our initials including the baby’s. Right there" she says and I smile at it.

"It's beautiful" I say and I hug her and she hugs me back kissing my head.

"I love it" I say.

"Okay it's my turn" Chris says and she pulls away from me and he opens his and it's a watch.

"It's us" she says tapping the watch.

"I'm going to wear this everywhere" he says.

"Good. Never take it off" she says.

"Never" he says and they pinkie promise.

"What is it? What is it?" She asks and I laugh as Chris and I stand beside her and he starts to hand her the string.

"As soon as you pull this string we'll fi-" she snatches the string from him and pulls it before he can finish telling her and everyone's laughs turn to cheers as pink confetti and powder falls over us and she starts squealing as she jumps around.

"It's a girl!" She screams running around us and he kisses me and I kiss him back.

"We're having another girl, you're officially outnumbered" I say and he laughs as Phoebe continues to scream.

"I think we both are" he says kissing me again and Phoebe jumps and he picks her up and she wraps her arms around my head pulling me close.

"I'm so excited" she says out of breath and I laugh.

"I couldn't tell" I say and she leans her cheek on Chris’ cheek.

"I'm getting a baby sister. I can't wait to meet her" she says trying to catch her breath.

"Hey bee how about we go get some of the powder on auntie Cobie and uncle Taran" I say and she quickly nods and Chris sets her down and she bends down picking some up off the ground and she runs off over to where they are standing.

"I wanna be where the people are. I wanna see, wanna see em dancing" Phoebe sings laid back as she's cuddled up with Chris and the baby as we watch the little mermaid after coming home from bringing the baby home from the hospital.

"Walking around on those what do you call 'em? Oh, feet" she sings.

"Flipping your fins you don't get too far, legs are required for jumping, dancing, strolling along down a- what's that word again?" Chris sings.

"Street" Phoebe sings loudly and I smile at them.

"Up where they walk, up where they run up where they stay all day in the sun, wondering free. Wish I could be part of that world" she sings quietly grabbing the baby's hand.

"What would I give if I could live out of these waters? What would I pay to spend a day warm on the sand?" She sings laying her cheek against Chris' as she watches the movie with tears in her eyes.

"You can try. Oh but I-I love you means you're never ever ever getting rid of me" she sings dancing in place.

"Ready for your check?" I ask.

"Not quite. Pie for everybody. I grew up an only child in the suburb of the city. I spent my days alone, my only friend was a stray kit-"

"Are we going to sing show tunes all day or are we going to get dressed so we can leave?" Chris asks cutting her off and she turns around.

"Daddy you're ruining the video so if you aren't going to sing get out the way" she says trying to push him out the shot and he plants his feet and she starts groaning.

"But I love you means you're never ever ever getting rid of me" he says and she starts giggling.

"Daddy stoppp" she says using her back to add pressure to his leg to move him and she starts to slip and he catches her by her arms and she laughs.

"Okay, I'll move. I wanted to see your mom anyway" he says walking over and kissing me.

"Where's my kiss?" She asks.

"You didn’t want one. All you wanted was for me to get out the way and leave you alone" he says.

"You don't have to leave" she says and he picks her up and she kisses him.

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Bee, happy birthday to you” everyone sings as Chris walks the cake into the living room where everyone is and she holds Ainsley at the table.

“Come on chunky monkey we have to make a wish and blow out the candles” she says keeping Ainsley from touching the flames as she quickly makes a wish and blows out the candles.

“What did you wish for?” I ask and she looks up at me.

“A million more birthdays like this” she says smiling and I rub her cheek with my thumb and her smile grows.

“Can I cut the cake?” She asks.

“Yeah, the first piece. Daddy will help” I say.

“Yay” she says and I grab Ainsley.

“Bye chunky monkey, I’ll cut you a slice first” she says rubbing her hands together excitedly causing everyone to laugh.

“Chunky monkey can’t have cake yet” Chris says.

“But daddy today is chunky monkeys sixth month birthday and my seventh birthday so she should be able to have cake” she says pulling on her best puppy dog eyes.

“She got you there. Try to say no to that little face” I say and he groans.

“Fine, a little piece” he says.

“Do you hear that chunky monkey, daddy is going to let us eat all the cake” she says playing with leg and he helps her cut the first slice.

Yn and Chris Evan share videos of their seven year old just days after she passes away from cancer letting everyone know that Phoebe’s or Bee’s (as everyone in her life called her) spirit will live on forever.

[geoffreytoday]

Giving Toothless her medication in liquid format has been nothing short of a nightmare. Attempts to mix it in with things she likes either failed immediately, or worked once or twice. I wasted so many doses in failed attempts to mix her meds in with food.

Catching her to give the medication directly was even worse. Not only would she struggle violently, but catching her in the first place to giver her the meds was an ordeal, which stressed the both of us out. Not great when the medication is specifically meant to reduce her anxiety.

Today, I finally got her medication changed into pill form (I tried last week, but they couldn't get it done before today). I am much relieved to report that the pill, inside a pill pocket treat, was super easy to give, and took all of 5 seconds. No more chasing, no more mixing into wet foods which make me gag and make Toothless pukey (Toothless has never tolerated wet food well). My anxiety over the medication has been huge, so I'm very happy to have that finally sorted out.

The couch and floor were deep cleaned today, which I'm also happy to have taken care of. I had to sequester myself and the cats in the basement, since the procedure required the front door to be left open to accommodate hoses and such. This played into my plans nicely, since I've been trying to get Toothless reacclimated to the basement for a while now.

It's weird, for years the basement has been where my cats hang out most of the time. They usually spend the morning and into the early afternoon in the basement, then wander up to the living room for the rest of the day. Then last month Toothless just stopped going into the basement entirely. No idea why. It's a big problem though, since the basement is where the litter boxes live.

I've spent the entire day down here with the cats. Toothless was not happy at first, but she settled down pretty quick. I think mostly she just didn't like not being able to leave. My plan is to stay down here till bedtime, which will give the couch and floor a chance to air dry completely. Then I'll go re-tarp the couch, get everything back to it's usual layout, and bring the litter box back up (I brought the box that's been in the front hall to the basement so there'd be enough boxes for both cats).

Tomorrow, I'll spend the day in the basement again, this time without trapping the cats down here. Hopefully Toothless will come down of her own volition. Fingers crossed.

[wolfie-dragon-rider]

Blind Spots 19: Blind Love

A/N: It has taken a long time. It has been nearly 3 years since I started posting Blind Spots. I've had long gaps in my posting schedule for this story in that time. There were months where I just burned out on Blind Spots, was completely sick of it, or unsure of how to continue. But I made a promise that I would finish it, and today I fulfil that promise. Here it is, at long last, the wedding chapter. Over 10 thousand words long, but I like to think it's the culmination of Hiccup and Astrid's journey in this verse. I hope you agree. More thoughts at the bottom, but please read it first!

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"Ready to go over the final preparations for the wedding? Just a week to go now," Stoick asked his son, who didn't really look ready. Still, Hiccup nodded.

"O-Okay," he said with trembling voice, hands clenched.

"You know, son, when I was getting married, I was terrified. But then I saw your mother in her wedding dress. She was beautiful, and the way she smiled at me… I just knew it was meant to be," Stoick said, sitting down next to Hiccup. The boy frowned underneath his blindfold.

"I don't think that'll happen to me, Dad. Remember I can't see Astrid, or her dress," he said, making Stoick chuckle.

"I keep forgetting. You're doing so well, Son. It just slips my mind sometimes. But that's what I wanted to talk to you about. I know you're not a traditional Viking, and you have different needs, so I managed to convince the council to let you pick one part of the wedding day to skip or change. Well, anything apart from saying the vows, of course!" he explained, before grabbing his copy of the wedding schedule.

"Okaaay," Hiccup said, looking apprehensive.

"Let's see… there's the bride run. Running is difficult for you, so we can change it. Maybe you two can ride on Stormfly and Toothless! You still want to get married at the cove, right? That means quite a long run, all the way to the Great Hall," he said. Hiccup's face brightened a bit.

"That would be nice to avoid. But what are the other options?"

"There's the sword ceremony. You're supposed to stab the pillar with your sword, to show your… virility. After that there's the feast, which traditionally includes the newlyweds dancing. After the feast you're supposed to carry Astrid over the doorstep into your new home, and after that is the public consummation. And then it's done!" Stoick said, finger running down the list and face heating up at the end.

Though not nearly as much as Hiccup's. He became as red as his blindfold, fingers grasping the edge of the table.

"P-Public consummation?" he stuttered. Sighing, Stoick put his hand on his son's shoulder.

"Yes. It's because you're the next chief. We need to make sure that, uhm, the Haddock line continues. And it won't be the entire village! Just me, and your mother, the Hoffersons, the Council, and Gothi," he said, trying not to think too much about having to witness his son doing… that. It had been bad enough with his own parents and Valka.

"Do you really think I would not… That Astrid and I don't love each other or something? Why do we have to prove- No, that's what I don't want to do. No public consummation!" Hiccup said loudly, pushing his father's hand away. Stoick flinched.

"But son, this is about more than just embarrassment! This is about legitimacy! And this offer… it's because you're blind, and have difficulty with things. But that shouldn't impact the consummation!"

"Of course it impacts it! I-I will never be able to see Astrid… in that state. And I can live with that. I accept that. But… But I can't stomach the thought of everyone else being able to see that. For once in my life I want to have something that I alone get to see. Especially the first time..." he said, turning away. Stoick felt ashamed, and sighed deeply.

"You're right. I hadn't thought of that. I'll… I guess it's okay if you just take her kransen off in front of the witnesses. Then we'll leave and you two can, well, get on with things in private," he said, putting his hand back on his son's shoulder. This time Hiccup left it there.

"Thanks, Dad," was all he said, but Stoick could tell it meant a lot to his son.

"Alright then. Let's rehearse some things. And see if the armor fits! We want every part to go perfectly! The entire village will be judging every second of it, so we don't want any bad omens or signs you're not meant to be!" Stoick laughed, remembering his own wedding where the sacrificial goat had escaped.

"Okay, let's do it!" Hiccup said with surprising enthusiasm. Normally the boy would do anything he could to avoid lessons in diplomacy and protocol. Ah, young love and what teenagers are willing to go through for it.

-------------------------------------

"Okay Astrid, I know you're tired of all the preparations, and I know I may have gone a little overboard with it all, but there's just one last thing we need to do," Kirsten said as she lead her daughter to an ornate chest. Astrid sighed, clearly tired.

"Ugh, fine. But I'm not gonna do any more sewing. I made enough banners," she muttered, though perking up when she saw the chest. Astrid had never been allowed to open or even touch it.

"No, I'll do the sewing on this one. It has to fit perfectly after all!" Kirsten said as she opened the box and pulled out a dress.

"What?" Astrid said flatly, confusion clear on her face.

"It's your wedding dress! Oh, you'll look so beautiful!" Kirsten cooed as she carefully unfolded the dress and brushed some dust off it. "Better wash it quickly as well!" she added with a chuckle, but her daughter didn't laugh. In fact, she stared at the frilly and intricately detailed dress with slight disgust.

"It's… interesting," she eventually said, and Kirsten's face fell.

"You don't like it?"

"I… It's not me. It's all frail and ridiculous and all these unnecessary gold thingies! Plus Hiccup won't be able to see it anyway! What's wrong with my armor? Or a simpler dress?" she said, fingering the silk. Kirsten sighed deeply.

"Astrid, this was my wedding dress. And my mother's before me, and her mother's before her. It's from when my family was nobility in Denmark. This is a countess's dress. This dress, and the other things in that chest, are all I have left of that. Of my family history. Our family history. This is part of your story just as much as Hiccup's chief armor is of his." Kirsten said, folding the dress carefully.

"And I know you'll become a Haddock, as I became a Hofferson, but that doesn't mean that it isn't family. Noble blood flows through your veins. You're just as much a ruler as Hiccup is. Don't you forget that. And don't let your children forget that either. Your father made you a warrior, but you're so much more than that," she finished, noticing that for once Astrid didn't flinch when she mentioned children. Maybe because she realized this was not a joke or teasing.

"I understand, Mother," Astrid eventually said. "But don't talk like I'll disappear forever after the wedding! I'll still be right here on Berk, just in our new house! I'll see you every day!"

Kirsten felt her eyes get wet, and she pulled her daughter into a hug. "I know. But it's still… You're getting married! You're all grown up and moving out and you're not my little girl anymore! Maybe one day, when your children get married, you'll understand," she said.

"I… I hope I'll be able to understand one day," Astrid said, the first time she actually admitted to her mother she might want children with Hiccup. They held each other tight for a few more moments, before Kirsten pulled back.

"So, let's get this dress fitted!" she said, pushing it into Astrid's hands before grabbing her tailoring kit.

-------------------------------------

Toothless warbled loudly, clearly confused by what was happening. Why was his nice calm cove filled with people and decorations? Why was his best friend so nervous, and wearing these weird shiny clothes?

Hiccup did his best to reassure him that everything was fine, that the people would leave soon, and that this was a happy day.

Honestly he was trying to convince himself as well. Hiccup's hands were shaking, nearly making him drop his sword. Today was the day. They'd be married in less than an hour. He was happy. He was ecstatic.

He was freaking terrified. What if something went wrong? What if he forgot his vows, or tripped, or did some stupid embarrassing thing?

Suddenly there was a hand on his shoulder, making him jump.

"Nervous?" Valka asked, and he nodded. Hiccup didn't really trust himself to speak. His stomach was bouncing in his chest, and he felt like he could fly and like he was going to throw up.

"It'll all be fine. I promise. You look so handsome. Oh, my son all grown up. I'm so glad we found each other, so I could see this day," his mother said as she fussed over him, brushing some dust off his shoulder and righting his blindfold.

"It's time," Stoick said, moving to Hiccup's other side. "We'd better get a move on, I don't trust these clouds. Bucket says it's gonna storm soon. I'd rather be inside for that."

Hiccup took a deep breath, before nodding. Just take steps. One foot at a time, until you reach Gothi. Just like Astrid was doing. Oh gods, just the thought of her made his stomach bounce even worse. But he still walked forward, flanked by his father and Toothless. Gasps erupted from the crowd when he left the tent and carefully walked to the center of the cove, right next to the lake. He suspected most of the gasps were for Astrid, however, approaching from the other end of the clearing.

Although he couldn't see her, Stormfly's heavy footsteps and the rustling of her dress reached his ears, and he couldn't help but smile. Astrid grabbed his hands and pulled him a little closer to her, and suddenly there was nothing but them. She was there, and she was beautiful and strong and amazing, and in just a few minutes she'd be his.

"Friends. Family. People I honestly don't really know but I'm sure are very important to the couple. We are here today to bind these two people in marriage," Gobber started as Gothi scribbled loudly in the sand. Hiccup wondered if the wind was blowing away her words.

"Our bright heir, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, and our greatest warrior, Astrid Hofferson, have decided to wed, so that the Norns will weave their threads as one in the great tapestry of fate. If anyone has any reason to object, speak now," Gobber said, and a silence followed. However, just as Gobber took another breath to continue speaking a chorus of ravens erupted from the trees. It sounded like dozens of them flew overhead, cawing and screaming loudly. The crowd gasped and whispered, and it felt like the sun wasn't shining as warmly as it did before. Toothless growled, and Hiccup reflexively put his hand on the dragon's head.

Angry ravens were a bad omen. Odin used ravens as his most trusted messengers, sending his very thoughts to Midgard on black-feathered wings. And if those birds were angry… No, Hiccup couldn't let himself think like that. They were just startled by something else. Maybe the weather. The wind was picking up, making the banners and tents rustle.

"Just get on with it and let them get married! They've waited long enough!" Camicazi shouted loudly, and he couldn't help but smile despite the worry. Her statement seemed to lift the bad mood, and the crowd chuckled as Gobber continued.

"Well then. Hiccup, you first. You know the oath, and you may add your own vows." Hiccup took a deep breath, remembering what he had memorized.

"Astrid… The past few years haven't always been easy. I, and my… disabilities haven't always been easy. But throughout all of that, you were there for me. You were my eyes when I couldn't see. My legs when I couldn't walk. My mind when I couldn't think. But above all, you are my light. The reason I come out of bed in the morning. And… And I never want that to end. That's why I, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock, vow to help and to hold you, to protect you from harm, to provide for you and respect your property. To be true to you, to never raise my hand against you. I vow to love you, as Odin loves Frigg. I will be your husband, if you will have me."

Hiccup shuddered as he finished, terrified and happy and in awe, all at the same time. It was happening.

"Very well. Astrid, your vows and oaths," Gobber said.

"Hiccup. You know I'm more a girl of actions than words. 'Why talk when you can cut it to pieces,' I used to think. But you make me stop and think about what I'm doing, and why I'm doing it. You opened my eyes, showed me a whole new world I could never have dreamed would be possible. In the past years we have discovered and done so much together, and I can't wait to see what we'll accomplish in the future. And that's why I, Astrid Hofferson, vow to help and to hold you, to aid you in battle and peacetime, to manage your home and finances, to be your voice if needed, and to bear you children. I vow to love you, as Frigg loves Odin. So I will be your wife, and accept your vow."

Hiccup didn't think he had ever smiled so wildly. He resisted the urge to duck his head, sure his face was so red from blushing the entire crowd could see it.

"Thus, as Odin and Frigg, you are now-" Gobber was interrupted by a loud clap of thunder. Little gasps echoed through the cove when lightning flashed across the sky.

"You are now husband and wife-" Rain started falling heavily, big cold drops pelting Hiccup like he was standing under a waterfall.

"Let's just speed this up. Exchange of the rings and swords!" Stoick shouted.

"Uh, right. Hiccup, your sword and ring," Gobber said. Hiccup hastily drew his sword and took his ring from his pocket. Carefully he placed the ring on the pommel and held it out to Astrid.

"I give you my family sword in safe-keeping, so that you may pass it on to our firstborn son when the time comes. As a symbol of this, I will bear this ring," he stated. Astrid slowly took the sword from him, taking the ring and putting it on his outstretched finger. There was mild applause, though Hiccup could barely hear it over the pouring rain.

"Okay. Astrid, your sword and ring," Gobber said, and Hiccup sensed her drawing her sword, putting her ring on the pommel, and holding it out to him.

"I give you my family sword in safe-keeping, so that you may pass it on to our firstborn daughter when the time comes. As a symbol of this and all our bonds, I will bear this ring," Astrid stated. Hiccup's fingers shook, from cold and nerves, as he tried to find the sword. Suddenly his palm brushed steel, and he jerked. Through some miracle he managed to grab the handle with his other hand, but when he fumbled for the ring he sensed a thin band of metal slip through his fingers and fall into the void below.

"No!" he shouted, dropping the sword and diving down, desperately searching for the ring in the muddy ground. The crowd whispered worriedly, and Hiccup's panic only grew.

"Hiccup. Here it is," Astrid kneeled next to him and gave him the ring. It was muddy and icy cold, but he knew he had to complete the ritual. So Hiccup awkwardly stood up and put it on her outstretched finger, then took Astrid's now dirty sword and put it in his sheath.

"It is done! They are bound, and so it's time to feast! As we all know, the bride and groom will race, along with the women and men respectively, to the Great Hall. The family of the couple's half who arrives last has to pay for the feast! So let's get to it!" Gobber shouted, and the audience eagerly stood up and prepared to head indoors as quickly as possible.

-------------------------------------

Astrid looked out into the rain, trying not to reveal the worry in her heart. Although the rain was slowly lightening, she could barely even see to the bottom of the stairs to the Great Hall.

"Come inside, Astrid! The men will be here soon, I'm sure! We don't want you getting sick!" her mother called, trying to shoo her into the warm Hall where the feast was being served. But Astrid shook her head. She had just taken vows that she would always support and protect Hiccup. She couldn't abandon her husband.

Husband. The word still felt strange, foreign, to her mind. But it also felt right, made her feel warm and glowing despite the rain running down her hair and soaking her dress. Kirsten had long since given up trying to keep it dry, instead just telling her not to get mud on it. The ring on her finger was freezing cold.

Camicazi was standing next to her, looking worried too. The girl looked out of place in her nice dress, though her hair was as untameable as ever. The rain made it even frizzier than usual.

Where were they? Hiccup couldn't run fast, but even if he had walked the entire way, he and the other men should be here by now. A shiver that wasn't just from the cold ran through her body, and she was about to run down and search for him when she heard Toothless croon. Eyes narrowing, she spotted the men at the bottom of the stairs, Hiccup sitting awkwardly on Toothless' back. His arms were around the dragon's neck, barely holding on without the saddle.

Her mother called after her, but Astrid didn't hesitate, running down the steps two at a time despite the delicate shoes she wore, hiking up her dress to avoid the mud. Camicazi was right behind her.

"What happened?" she asked when she reached them, seeing Hiccup being lifted off Toothless' back. A small gasp escaped her mouth when she saw her husband was covered in mud. From his hair to his fine trousers, his entire front was caked in brown gooey mud. Some of it seemed hastily wiped off, but he still looked like he had rolled through a yak pen. He avoided her gaze as Stoick put him down gently.

"He tripped over a rock and fell into a mud pool. Really bad luck," Tolfdir explained as Hiccup leaned heavily on Toothless, and only now did Astrid notice that he wasn't wearing his prosthetic. Stoick noticed her shock.

"The leg broke in his fall. Gobber is at the forge now, grabbing a spare. Once we have that, we can continue with the pillar ceremony. You should go inside for now, Astrid. As should most of you!" the chief said, raising his voice to address the countless men gawking at them.

"I'm not leaving him when he's hurt," Astrid simply said, grabbing his hand. Hiccup flinched, nearly falling when he jumped in surprise.

The people around her muttered as they retreated inside, out of the rain. Astrid couldn't ntot hear their whispers about bad omens and angry gods, about the marriage being cursed. It was just some bad weather, dammit! She wasn't going to let some rain and mud ruin her wedding day!

"You okay?" she softly asked Hiccup. He looked very small in that moment, pressed against Toothless like he wanted to hide under his wing. Before he could answer her, however, he shrieked.

"MOTHER!" Astrid shouted as Kirsten emptied a bucket of soapy water over Hiccup's head before starting to scrub him with a rough brush. Toothless jumped in alarm, but didn't interfere.

"I'm not letting him get any mud on your dress when you dance. He might be your husband, but that is still our dress, and it's worth a fortune!" the older woman said, scrubbing the mud off Hiccup's hands, leaving red irritated skin behind. Moments later even the parts she hadn't scrubbed yet, like his face, were turning bright red as well. At least there weren't that many people to witness Hiccup like this.

"He does need a clean up. It's a shame, he bathed just this morning," Stoick said. Thankfully the discussion ended when Gobber ran up, holding the spare leg. Hiccup eagerly took it and strapped it on without a word.

"All good now?" Stoick asked the now relatively clean Hiccup, who frowned.

"It's too short," he said, moving the prosthetic experimentally. "But it'll have to do, I guess."

"Hey, this might be the first time the groom lost his leg at a wedding. You just keep creating new legends!" Camicazi laughed, pushing Hiccup's shoulder lightly. Astrid smiled. It was good to have Cami here. She was always able to cheer up Hiccup in a way Astrid never truly could. Especially when he was this embarrassed and distant.

"Sure, I just... " Hiccup's voice trailed off, and his face dropped again. Astrid grabbed his hand, making him smile slightly again, and she gently nudged him towards the stairs.

"Together," she simply said, and he nodded. His back straightened, and the two of them walked up the stairs side by side. It went slowly, the stairs were slippery and Hiccup's kept tripping on his shorter prosthetic, but a minute later they were at the top, walking through the huge doors to applause.

"There they are! I was starting to think you guys had eloped!" Snotlout shouted, and Astrid rolled her eyes. But then her gaze fell on the large pillar at the center of the hall. The next part of the ceremony was coming.

"The time has come for Hiccup to prove his strength and skill with the sword," Stoick declared, handing Hiccup the family sword. He looked a little sick at the prospect, but still walked toward the pillar. All he had to do was stab the pillar with the razor-sharp weapon. The deeper it went in, the better he was able to 'provide' for her. Astrid knew very well the sword stabbing was a thinly veiled metaphor for marital activities, but resisted looking too annoyed at the crude comments echoing through the hall.

Hiccup took a deep sigh. He held the weapon in both hands at his side, pointing forward. To her horror, Astrid realized it wasn't actually pointing directly at the pillar, and she knew what was going to happen. Somehow she froze, not knowing if she should intervene or not.

A second later Hiccup unknowingly made the decision for her, charging forward… and missing the pillar with the sword. The rest of his body didn't, however, and a painful smack echoed around the room, followed by 'oooh's'.

"I'm feeling sorry for Astrid. Looks like that's not gonna be a nice night," Tuffnut said, and she glared at him, taking her eyes off Hiccup who was rubbing his arm where it hit the pillar.

"Or life," Ruffnut said with a laugh, and other bawdy jokes started flying. Hiccup seemed to shrink a bit, lowering the sword and dropping his head. And then Astrid couldn't take it anymore. She walked forward and grabbed his free hand.

"You're gonna do it again. Prove that you can use that sword," she said loud enough for the Hall to hear. That made them shut up.

Hiccup hesitated for a moment, but the air of anticipation in the room seemed to be too much and he nodded. She led him back to the center of the room and turned him gently so his raised sword faced the pillar exactly.

"Hah, looks like he needs his wife to wield his sword for him," Snotlout said, but Cami slapped him.

"Hiccup is doing a brave thing here. How many of you would do this? Any volunteers? Anyone who'd wear a blindfold and try to figure out where everything is?" Astrid asked while glaring around the room, daring anyone else to mock Hiccup.

No one did.

"Come on. You can do this. I believe in you," she whispered in his ear before drawing back. Hiccup looked like he wanted to say something, but then he stopped and faced forward again.

A deep breath, and then he was charging forward, sword at his hip. A loud thump echoed through the silent hall as the sword entered the wood, penetrating several inches.

"Woooo!" Cami shouted, and that was enough to break the ice, the hall erupting in cheers. Still, Astrid noticed the hushed discussions and dark looks from some of the older guests.

She ignored them, forcing a smile to her face and walking to Hiccup, who looked more cheerful now.

"Good job," she told him, but before he could reply Stoick's voice boomed.

"With my son's strength proven, it's time for feast and celebration! There's plenty of food and drink for everyone, so you won't have to hold back! But there's one more thing we need to do. The ceremonial drink of mead and blood, representing the happiness and the darkness in any married life, must be drunk by the couple to truly bind them together!"

-------------------------------------

Hiccup felt a little sick as he sat down at the head table, Astrid beside him. He knew the things that had happened today were just dumb accidents, unavoidable with his blindness. But he couldn't ignore the whispers, the talk of bad omens and angry gods and cursed marriages.

Hopefully the food and drink of the feast would distract the villagers and give him a few minutes to collect his thoughts and process the day's events. With him breaking his prosthetic and losing the ring he had barely even realized he was married now. Astrid was his wife. Well, she wouldn't truly be his wife until the consummation. Until then either of them could still back out. But she wouldn't do that. Hiccup was sure of that.

"Speech! Speech!" Camicazi started yelling, and the crowd joined in. Hiccup shrank back a bit, not seeing this coming, but when Astrid squeezed his hand he found the courage to stand up.

"Okay… I'm so glad you're all here today, though I never saw any of you," he started with a joke, hoping it would make the crowd forgive his awkwardness. He had actually prepared a sort of speech last week, but he couldn't remember a single word of it now.

Well, improvising worked out for him in the past.

"I know for many of you it was a long journey, only worth it for the promise of a plentiful feast with ale for everybody!" he continued, sensing Gothi walk up beside him with the goblet of ceremonial drink. The very scent of it made his stomach churn, the sweet mead and metallic blood mixing to something that rivalled Astrid's yaknog in foulness. But that was part of the struggle of married life, apparently.

"I know that it seemed unlikely in the past that this day would ever come for me, especially with such a wonderful woman as Astrid," he said, hearing her take a deep sip of the drink. After this speech it was his turn.

"Despite the foul weather, my heart feels warm and comforted that she is now my wife," he continued, gesturing to his left.

Hiccup's hand touched something unexpected while gesturing, something cold that tipped over before he even realized what was happening. There was a bang and a splash of liquid on his pants.

The deadly silence told Hiccup what he had just done. The speech forgotten, he dove down and tried to capture some of the drink in his hands, searching for drops flowing from the table. His hand came back wet, and he lapped up the nauseating essence as the room surely gazed at him in shock. Did this count as drinking? Were he and Astrid bonded or not?

"Is there any left?" Stoick whispered to Gothi behind his back, and Hiccup sensed the headshake. Oh gods. Oh gods.

"What now? What does it mean? Is the marriage valid or not now? Did he just insult the gods?" the Hall whispered. Hiccup sat back down with shaking hands, shivering when his wet pants touched the chair. He wished he could sink through the floor.

Kirsten pressed something in his arms, a piece of cloth, and whispered sharply at him.

"Clean it up. Now!"

Although his brain felt detached from what was happening, his hands moved to wipe the stain off the table. The stench remained.

"My friends, we see here that although Hiccup makes mistakes and messes up sometimes, he'll always make it right again. And that's the most important thing in married life!" Kirsten announced, and a sigh of relief swept through the Hall.

Sighing, Hiccup covered his face with his hands, immediately recoiling when the wetness stained his blindfold. Astrid took the cloth from him and quickly cleaned his hands and face while Stoick opened the feast.

Hiccup felt empty, like this wasn't really happening to him but to someone else. Like he was listening to one of Kirsten's stories. He could barely comprehend he was married.

He could barely comprehend how badly his wedding day was going.

"Hiccup! Hiccup!" Astrid's voice tore him from his thoughts, and he jolted.

"What?" he asked, realizing food was being served. Someone put a plate in front of him, probably specifically prepared for him because he couldn't easily grab his own food.

"Are you okay?" Astrid asked, and he honestly wasn't sure. He felt sick, but the emptiness in him made him want to eat as well. He took a quick sip of water to rinse his mouth of the foul taste of blood.

"I'm fine," he said without believing it. Astrid had been helping him all day, covering for his screw-ups and cleaning up his messes. She shouldn't have to deal with his insecurities as well. This was their special day, her special day, and he couldn't ruin it any more.

Astrid started to say something, but Cami walked over to congratulate them, interrupting her. Hiccup smiled and laughed at her jokes while feeling his plate with his fork, trying to figure out what was where. Cami left, but before he could take more than one bite a villager came up to offer congratulations as well.

The next hour was a constant train of congratulations, receiving small gifts, and awkward small talk as his stomach rumbled and his food grew cold. The guests seemed genuinely happy for them, though many talked about the many mishaps of the day, 'joking' that the gods weren't favoring them. Hiccup could almost sense Astrid's glare when they said such things, as the jokesters often left immediately after.

Music started, and Astrid grabbed his hand. He knew what that meant. The dancing was starting, with them having to go first. Reluctantly he stood up, abandoning his barely touched plate and following her to the center of the room.

"I know this is hard for you. Just ignore them, okay? This is our day. Just follow my steps," Astrid whispered in his ear as she pulled him closer, making him sway with the music. It had started with a slow song, so he managed to (mostly) avoid stepping on her toes, but then the music sped up to a popular party song. It was a jig, a song where everyone joined into one dance, switching partners and moving around in a set pattern.

Suddenly Astrid was gone, whisked away into the female line while Hiccup's arms were grabbed by men as they formed a line in turn. Hiccup managed to keep up for a few minutes as the lines moved back and forth as one, the men chasing the women and the women chasing the men in turns. Laughter was as much part of the music as the flutes were, and Kirsten shouted instructions and directions that were mostly ignored as the mood grew more gleeful.

Suddenly the lines broke up and Hiccup was whisked away again as the men and women ran past each other. For a moment he could hear Astrid's voice shout something at him, but he couldn't catch it as lines reformed, this time a mix of men and women. The lines formed circles and started rotating.. Hiccup just moved with the arms linked with his, happy he hadn't fallen yet on his bad prosthetic.

It was a common dance on Berk, always performed at parties, but Hiccup hadn't really joined in before, too socially awkward before everything that happened with Toothless, and too, well, unable to dance because of blindness and a bad leg to join after.

But at his wedding he could not avoid it. The groom and bride were at the center of the dance, designed to be basically tossed around, dancing with as many people as possible. So Hiccup let himself be lead as the circle he was in broke up and someone grabbed his hand and waist, making them twirl around until she was suddenly gone, replaced with another girl.

"Having fun, Hic? Doing pretty well," Cami shouted, barely audible over the loud music as she led him through a rapid spin.

"I'm surviving," he said with a chuckle, but before she could reply she was gone again, replaced with Fishlegs. It was a sudden change in pace, Fishlegs stepping hesitantly through the steps as they moved much slower than the people around them.

"Congratulations!" the other boy said. Hiccup could barely say a thanks back before his arms were grabbed again, the lines forming again as the chorus played.

The banging of dozens of boots stamping the floor as one made Hiccup's ears hurt. His prosthetic didn't quite join the rest, catching up as he was dragged forward and back by the people beside him.

Thankfully no one seemed angry at how out of sync he was, a heavy hand slapping him cheerfully on the back as the line broke again. He stumbled but managed to regain his footing as Kirsten took his hands and righted him.

"Try to keep up," she said with a laugh. If Hiccup had a moment to breath he would have told her he could never keep up with her. With a grace and ease he had never seen before she danced, her heels clacking on the floor way faster than his. Singing softly to the music she twirled around him, pinching his side and booping his nose. Before he could even process the silly gesture she flung him away again, right into arms he didn't recognize.

A giggling woman danced with him, slower than Kirsten had but still within the steps of the music. The song was speeding up, heading for the climax. The instruments grew louder by the second, everyone clapping along as they circled around him. Hiccup knew this would end with him and Astrid together again, so he prepared to catch her in his arms as soon as the song was over.

But as the final note played, accompanied by a big hoorah from the crowd, his dance partner hesitated, pushing him away a second too late when he was already taking another step. He stumbled, the too short prosthetic slipping on the stone floor. He flung his arms wildly in an instinctive attempt to regain his balance.

That was the exact moment when Astrid wrapped her arms around him, making them sway precariously before finding a stable position.

"My foot!" Astrid whispered sharply, as loud as she could without the crowd hearing, and he suddenly realized his prosthetic was planted firmly on her foot. He jumped back a bit, nearly making them fall as Astrid sighed in relief. The sound was drowned out by the cheers and applause from the crowd, and Hiccup couldn't help but smile. The first thing today that went (mostly) right.

"You okay? Can you walk?" he whispered as the crowd quieted down. Another song started, a much calmer tune meant for couples.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You did great!" she said, putting her hand on his waist as they started swaying to the music. He smiled and ducked his head.

"I don't know, I just let everyone toss me around. It's hard to focus when there's music distracting me," Hiccup said, and she giggled.

"Well then, you did a great job as a projectile. But seriously, I know you don't like to dance because of… everything, but I'm enjoying this," Astrid said, moving them a little faster.

"Me too," he simply said. The simple truth. It felt like the crowd had disappeared and all that mattered was this amazing woman in his arms.

They danced for a while, but eventually his leg just ached too much to continue. Astrid kept dancing, on her own and with others, as Hiccup sat down and tried to massage his leg as casually as possible.

"It's sad, isn't it? They're obviously happy together, but the gods don't approve. Surely the marriage will fall apart soon," a male voice Hiccup didn't recognize spoke, moving past his chair.

"I know! All these signs! The gods are making it clear it should stop! He's just gonna embarrass her more. You know what they say: the wedding day reflects the rest of the marriage," a woman replied loudly, apparently dancing with the other person. Hiccup wanted to speak up, let them know he was right there. But it was like an icy hand had grabbed his muscles and prevented him from moving.

"Hey Hiccup, dance with me," Ruffnut said, appearing from out of nowhere. Before he could even answer she had pulled him out of the chair and was dragging him to the dance floor. He went along with it, the cheerful song giving him energy.

"What an eventful day. Loki would be proud of all this chaos!" she said, and Hiccup wasn't sure if it was a compliment or not.

"I'm more worried about Thor and Freya," he chuckled, nearly stumbling when Ruffnut pulled him closer to her.

"You worry too much. Sure, all these old folk care what the boring gods think, but I'm pretty sure you're already in their good books. Remember how Astrid was Thor's messenger?" she asked, and Hiccup laughed.

"Haha, true, but… I don't want her reputation to be ruined by today," he said, voice growing quieter near the end.

"Pff, like that wasn't a risk for her from the moment she kissed you in public. Get it through your thick skull. You two are so freaking sweet together and you need to bang already. In fact... " Ruffnut said, letting him go as loud footsteps approached.

"It's time for the consummation, Hiccup," Stoick said. Astrid grabbed his hand in hers, and a shiver ran down his spine. He wanted to feel happy and excited, but somehow all he felt was dread, like he was making the biggest mistake of his life.

-------------------------------------

Astrid lost track of how many people she danced with after Hiccup, so many people wanting to talk. Boys and girls, men and women all took their chance to catch her alone quickly for everything from a heartfelt congratulations to condolences for her 'cursed marriage' to lewd tips for her wedding night.

And yet it felt like barely any time had passed at all when her mother nudged her and told her the sun had long since set and it was time for the feast to end for the night.

Time for her and Hiccup to go to their new house and spend the night together.

Spend their lives together.

Astrid wasn't sure how she felt. Excitement, nervousness, love, happiness, embarrassment all fought for dominance over her. But the moment she saw Hiccup dancing with Ruffnut a calmth settled on her. He was handsome despite his blindfold and awkward moves. Stoick walked up to him, no doubt telling him the time, and Astrid couldn't take being apart for one more moment. She grabbed his hand, a shiver going through her at the feeling of his warm fingers. In no time she'd feel so much more of him…

Hiccup looked nervous, but he seemed to steel himself when she squeezed his hand and drew a heart with a finger.

They descended the stairs together, followed by the witnesses: The council, their parents, and Gothi. Their dragons stayed in the hall. In the future Stormfly and Toothless would live in their new house, but for this night Hiccup and Astrid wanted to be alone. Astrid knew Hiccup had chosen the public consummation as the one thing he wanted changed, and she was very grateful for that. Her fears of all these people seeing her like that were verified by the jeers and lewd comments echoing from the top of the steps where the (mostly drunk) guests were.

Astrid couldn't help but think that for someone who grew up on an island with no men, Camicazi certainly seemed to have a lot of knowledge about their bodies.

Hiccup shivered, and she leant over as they took the last step.

"Don't worry, I'm sure it'll be great," she whispered in his ear. Hiccup gulped at the words, looking like he was going to throw up. "You're Hiccup the Dragon Conqueror, Capturer of Alvin, Tamer of the Night Fury! You can do this. You're my hero," she said, and that seemed to reassure him. He took a deep breath before straightening his back.

"You're the big strong hero," he whispered, and she jabbed him lightly with her elbow.

"No putting yourself down on our wedding day," Astrid chuckled before grabbing his hand again. Then they walked through the village, past Hiccup's old house to the little house built for them next to the hot spring. The old house was too small for them and Hiccup's parents, especially since perhaps in 9 months there'd be even more Haddocks.

Not to mention this new house was designed with Hiccup's disabilities in mind. Heavy furniture that wouldn't move easily when he couldn't see it, plenty of markers and defined places for tools and objects and cutlery. Their bedroom was on the ground floor so he wouldn't have to climb a staircase on a bad leg day. And, to Toothless' great delight, wider doors and open spaces for the dragons.

It wasn't very big, and they would probably have to expand it depending on future children, but to Astrid it was perfect.

They stopped a few steps from the entrance, where Hiccup was supposed to carry her over the threshold and into their new life. His hands were shaking again. They clenched into fists as the witnesses gathered round, some of the guests coming up to take a look as well.

"It's okay. You can do this. You trained, you're strong," she whispered, before adjusting her dress and moving into position. Hiccup took a deep breath and muttered something she couldn't hear, before putting his arms behind her back and legs. For a second Astrid was sure he would fall, but he managed to lift her up without losing his balance, carefully cradling her in his arms.

"I love you," he whispered, and she was glad it was so dark out so people wouldn't see how hard she blushed and smiled.

"I love you too," she said, and then he was taking a hesitant step. Hiccup swayed for a moment, but didn't drop her.

Slowly he walked to the open door. Astrid pretended she couldn't feel his arms shaking with exertion. The crowd seemed to relax as Hiccup came closer without dropping her. Just two more steps and they'd be through. Into their new home, their new life. One more step. Hiccup stopped when she whispered how close they were, turned a bit so her head wouldn't hit the frame. Then he stepped through the doorway.

The first foot, his right foot, went through fine, landing on the wooden floor inside.

The other foot went less well. Astrid didn't know what happened, if Hiccup had miscalculated how close he was to the threshold or if it was the misshapen prosthetic, but for some reason the fake foot caught on the slab. Astrid felt herself fall out of Hiccup's arms as he fell forward.

With a scream she hit the ground hard, her shoulder taking the worst of the impact. Before she could even process that, however, Hiccup fell on top of her. The sheathed sword on his side dug into her hip painfully. But that ache was forgotten when suddenly a pain like she had been struck by lightning shot up from her shin, making her groan.

Astrid pushed Hiccup off her, crying out when more pain raced through her body. She looked down to see blood stream from her ankle. A drop of blood dripped from Hiccup's prosthetic to the floor, and she realized he must have kicked her accidentally, probably when trying to scramble off her.

"Up, now! Sit in this chair and lift that dress! I'm not letting blood get all over it!" her mother shouted as Astrid still tried to reorient herself. Someone grabbed her shoulders and lifted her into a nearby chair as Kirsten held the dress up near her knees while shouting for bandages.

"What a mess. Do you think you'll be able to walk?" her father asked. Astrid wasn't sure. Now that the wound was being cleaned it didn't look that bad, and it certainly didn't feel like she couldn't move her foot. There was just a lot of blood. Finally she tore her gaze away from her leg to see Hiccup getting back on his feet with his parents' help. Outside the still-open door the guests and witnesses were whispering and talking. Astrid could catch snippets of their words.

There seemed to be two kinds of conversations happening. The men were making jokes about how that wasn't the way Hiccup was supposed to make her curse and bleed on her wedding night.

The women, however, were talking in much more worried tones about the bad omen, how this was a direct sign from the gods that the marriage was cursed.

Astrid didn't know which of the two types of talk were upsetting Hiccup more. He stood next to the door looking like he wanted to disappear into the ground. His head was dropped, hands balled into fists. Her kransen lay on the floor, forgotten. It must have fallen off her head when Hiccup tripped.

"Okay, it isn't so bad. He just hit a big blood vessel. It looks a lot worse than it is. Look, it's already stopped bleeding!" Kirsten said, pulling Astrid from her worries. She tried to smile when she saw it had already been bandaged skillfully. Barely any pain left. Hell, her shoulder hurt more.

"Now all you perverts get out. The couple entered their new home, and with it, their new life, and we all witnessed it. Astrid's kransen is off, even if it fell off accidentally. Let them spend their night alone now," Stoick shouted. The people grudgingly left, and after showing her parents that she was fine and could walk by herself, they left too, though Tolfdir looked rather worried. Astrid didn't know what to say to her devout father to reassure him that this marriage could not be cursed.

Then she remembered her husband. A shiver ran through her when the word entered her mind. Husband. Hiccup was her husband now. And they'd make it official in just a few minutes.

She couldn't wait.

"Hiccup? You okay?" she asked as she grabbed his hand. He jerked up in shock, before nodding softly.

"Shall we… go to the bedroom?" she continued, pulling gently on his arm. Hiccup let himself be led, and Astrid figured he was nervous. She was scared too. But she was also excited. All her mother's tips and stories and advice would finally be useful now.

Hiccup sat down on the bed, and Astrid turned away from him to walk to the closet. Smiling, she reached behind her back to undo the ties on the dress. It wasn't the first time she had undressed in front of Hiccup, with his blindness it didn't feel embarrassing. Besides, she still wore an undershirt and short leggings on top of her underwear, so there was still plenty left to explore when she rejoined her husband. She just needed a moment to herself, to process the day and get out of the constricting dress.

Hiccup was quiet while she carefully took off the dress and folded it. Probably just nervous. She suddenly didn't want to turn around and look at him. It felt like she was under a spell, and if she saw him her nerves would get the better of her. It would feel too real, too sudden after nearly three years of just kisses and superficial touches.

So Astrid sighed deeply before grabbing the one of the large jugs of mead that was always a traditional part of the honeymoon. If they didn't drink all the mead before the end of the month, it was a bad omen.

They had had enough of those.

"What a day, huh? I feel like I haven't had a chance to breathe since I got up this morning. Or have a nice drink," she said while pouring herself a mug of mead. She was still turned away from Hiccup, who, as far as she could tell hadn't moved.

He didn't say anything.

That was odd. Hiccup reacted unpredictably to many things, but he usually said something. A joke, a sarcastic remark, a complaint about the gods hating him.

But silence was usually reserved for…

Oh no.

Astrid turned around to see her worst fears confirmed. Hiccup was sitting on the bed, hugging himself tightly, swaying back and forth as he muttered to himself.

"All wrong, it's all wrong, can't do it, gods are angry…" Astrid heard him whisper when she leant closer. Her heart broke, but her sadness was drowned out by a sudden fury and frustration.

Why now?! Why today of all days! Why did the gods have to be so cruel to give him a Dark Day on what was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives?! For all those years she had helped him through these. Didn't she deserve to have this one night without worry?

Her fist clenched as she tried not to scream, tears stinging at her eyes. Suddenly a bang echoed through the room when the ceramic mug exploded in her hand. Mead splashed over her fingers, but Astrid barely even registered it. Her senses were drowned out by the scream Hiccup produced. He fell back, his hands covering his face as if he expected to be attacked.

Astrid's anger washed away at the sight of her beloved in distress. She quickly wiped her hand on her undershirt, grateful the shards hadn't cut her, before sitting down next to Hiccup.

"Don't worry, nothing's gonna hurt you. I'm here, it's okay," she told him, putting her arm around his shoulder. He jerked away before muttering harder.

"It's a mistake! We gotta annul! The gods hate me and punish you for it! You shouldn't have to go through this! No, no, no, no, no!"

"Stop it! Hiccup, you're not thinking clearly! Just come here and let me help you!" Astrid shouted. Hiccup didn't reply this time, instead curling in on himself. His voice became softer until he stopped talking.

Astrid kept quiet as she watched him carefully, hoping he was calming down on his own. But it took her too long to realize what was truly happening. He stopped swaying, pretty much stopped moving completely. Just shivering and rapid breaths.

"Hiccup? Hiccup, are you listening? Can you hear me?" she asked, reaching out to him. This time Hiccup didn't respond at all to her touch or voice.

No, no, no, no, NO! Not this! Not one of those panic attacks where Hiccup became completely unresponsive! She had only seen it happen once, during an argument over his technical drawings. But Toothless had been there that time. The dragon knew how to help. Astrid didn't. But Toothless wasn't here now, he was staying with Stormfly in the Great Hall. She considered getting him, but she didn't want to be seen by all those people.

Plus, she really didn't dare to leave Hiccup alone right now.

So she sat down next to him, putting her arm around his shoulders and grabbing his hand with the other. She wanted to cry. This wasn't how she had imagined her wedding night. It wasn't fair. Hiccup was in such pain, and she didn't know what to do. How could she drag him away from his horrible thoughts? How could she tell him she didn't give a damn about what the gods or the villagers thought?

They sat in silence for a while, Hiccup completely unmoving. Astrid's thoughts wandered to the feast earlier. Had he been so distraught then already? She should have seen the signs. She had seen the signs. But after the dancing he had seemed so happy and calm again, so she thought he was fine.

What a difference one little accident makes, she thought as she looked at her bandaged leg.

Maybe they could dance again, that might cheer him up. But there was no way she could get him to move in his current state. But maybe… maybe there was something she could try.

"I…" she started, voice breaking in her raw throat. Dammit, she couldn't cry. She had to be strong. She promised him in her vows. She promised him every day for the last three years, even if she hadn't said it out loud.

Astrid cleared her throat and took a deep breath before starting over.

"I'd swim and sail on savage seas, with ne'er a fear of drowning.

And gladly ride the waves of life, if you would marry me."

She sang softly, her voice growing stronger near the end.

"No scorching sun, nor freezing cold will stop me on my journey. If you will promise me your heart…" she looked at Hiccup as her voice trailed off, waiting for him take over.

"And love…" Astrid tried, but the room remained silent apart from a faint echo. But just when she was about to give up she saw a muscle twitch in Hiccup's cheek, like he was trying to open his mouth.

It was a tiny thing, but it was a signal. Telling her he was in there, fighting. He was hearing her. She just had to help him gather his strength.

"I'd swim and sail on savage seas…" she started over, singing the male part of the song. Again, Hiccup's cheek twitched and his hand trembled.

Over and over she sang the first part until she lost count of how many times she had done it. Hiccup remained frozen in place, but she knew he was trying, knew he was fighting for her. For them.

"If you will promise me your heart…" she finished once again, pausing for a few seconds before opening her mouth to start over. But just as she spoke the first word she heard him.

"...And love me for eternity…"

It was barely more than a whisper, his voice shaky and unsure, but it made her freeze.

"My… dearest one, my d-darling dear. Your m-m-mighty words astound me. But I've n-no need of mighty deeds when I… when I feel your arms ar-around me."

Honestly she couldn't call it singing. Hiccup stuttered his way through the stanza, speaking it in a whispered slow monotone without melody. But his voice grew a little stronger when she pulled him closer against her during the last line.

"But I would bring you rings of gold, I'd even sing you poetry. And I would keep you from all harm if you would stay beside me," Astrid sang slowly to match his pace, making sure every word was clearly audible. She hoped Hiccup could hear the love in it.

"I have no use for r-rings of gold, I care… not for your poetry. I only want your hand to hold," Hiccup took over with a little more confidence this time, grasping her hand and rubbing her ring with his finger. Somehow she knew that Hiccup cared about the poetry more than anything in that moment.

"I only want you near me," Astrid sang, letting go of his shoulder and putting her hand on his hand.

"To love and kiss, to sweetly hold, for the dancing and the dreaming. Through all life's sorrows and delights I'll keep your love inside me."

They sang together now, slowly and clearly. It was at least three times slower than the song would be played at feasts, but Astrid didn't care. This way they could share every word. She looked closely at his mouth, letting her husband set the pace.

"I'll swim and sail on savage seas with ne'er a fear of drowning, and gladly ride the waves of life if you would marry me."

It didn't end on a loud and drawn out note like the song normally did. Hiccup's voice choked at the last word, and suddenly his arms were around Astrid, pulling her tight against him.

"Don't go," he whispered, and she smiled before putting her arms around him as well.

"I'm never leaving you," she whispered back. He swallowed another sob before falling apart in her arms. Trying to hold back her own tears, Astrid rubbed his back and whispered silly things into his ear about how much she loves him.

They sat like that for a while, until Hiccup calmed down and pulled out of her embrace. Astrid quickly wiped the tears from her face with one hand, holding onto Hiccup's with the other.

"I'm sorry for everything. For how today went, for all the embarrassment, for… just now," he said softly, voice raw.

"It's okay. It's not your fault," she said, squeezing his hand tightly.

"But it was! Whether it's because the gods hate me, or because I'm blind or my prosthetic, or these dark days, I'm… If it hadn't been me, you'd have had the wedding day you deserve," he said, and she smiled. Silly silly boy.

"And you saying this is precisely why I chose you and no one else. You care about me, you got so worked up about this, and it shows me why I made the right choice." Hiccup froze at her words, lips curling up in a shy smile.

"I don't understand," he whispered, and she shifted a bit so she could face him directly.

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third. Do you love me?" she asked clearly. He shrank back a bit.

"Of course I do. With all my heart!" he said loudly, clearly a little insulted she even asked.

"And do I love you?" Astrid asked him, squeezing his hand again. He hesitated.

"I… do you?" he asked with a suspicious voice.

"I'm asking you. Based on everything I've said and done, do you think I love you?" she asked with a little chuckle. Despite all that had happened, his little smiles and dorkiness made her heart burst.

"I… Yes. Yes, because you told me over and over again, and helped me through… through the worst times of my life when I was an absolute idiot or just…" his voice trailed off, and she could tell his brain was going into overdrive again trying to figure out where she was going with this.

"Well then. You love me, and I love you. Isn't that enough? It's enough for me, okay? Remember our first flight, when we found the Nest? We promised that we'd face everything together. We didn't know whether the village or the gods would accept it. Accept us. And I was okay with that. I realize that now. As long as you were with me I'd be happy. Even back then, way before I even understood what I felt for you. And now, having seen so much more of you, I feel that way even stronger, okay? So I don't give a damn about you 'ruining' my wedding day. Would I have preferred no dark day? Of course. Would I have liked it if people didn't speculate about the gods striking us down? No doubt. But I'd still rather have this day and this night than a wedding with someone that isn't you."

Astrid didn't know where her words came from, but she knew that they were true. Hiccup's face fell again, another small sob escaping as he buried his face in her neck.

"What did I do to deserve you?" he half-sobbed, half-laughed.

"You showed me a whole world I didn't even know could exist. You continue to show me new things, new ways of looking at the world every day," she told him. Patting his back before pulling out of the embrace a bit. She couldn't help but smile looking at him, couldn't resist kissing those lips.

"You're my light. I meant that. I don't know what I'd do without you. I'm sorry I don't have a big speech," he said, chuckling at the end.

"I know. Don't worry, I know," Astrid said before remembering something. "And don't you dare think you ruined the wedding night. We still have a lot of time until dawn. And… and even if you're not up for it tonight, we still have our honeymoon, and after that the rest of our lives."

"You're right. But I am up for it. I've waited so long for this," Hiccup said with shaking voice.

"Then let's not waste any more time, husband," Astrid teased before kissing him more deeply, pushing him back on the bed.

"You're very right, milady," was the last thing Hiccup said before Astrid blew out the candles, hiding them in a darkness as black as night.

THE END (FOR NOW)

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A/N: Thank you, loyal readers who have stood by this story all these years, and new readers who might read every chapter in one go. This story has been such a large part of my life for such a long time, and I hope I was able to touch your lives in some way with it.

Now, if you're interested in what happened after Astrid blew out the candle, I wrote that in a separate story entry called 'Touches in the Dark'. it's E-rated, so make sure you're ready for that.

I know the question many of you want to ask: Is this the end of it? No more Blind Spots? The answer is a resounding NO! Starting November 1st, I will be releasing a series of drabbles, based on a 30-day-30-prompt list. These will allow me to write shorter stories and observations in this verse I was never able to incorporate in Blind Spots' relatively long chapters. I hope to see you there!