#rtte lore

[noctusfury]

Dragon Flyer Ranks (RTTE)

Hello, everyone. Welcome to another HTTYD/RTTE article. This is the final piece to my series about Dragon Flyer hierarchy and military structure (Dragon Skins, Elite, Hierarchy). In this post, I'll be sharing what I think the ranks would be had the Dragon Flyers been allowed to expand into a larger organization, similar to the Dragon Hunters.

As you know from the Hierarchy post, I believe that Flyers are ranked according to their dragon skins. Those wearing Zippleback skins are elites, those wearing gold dragon skins are veterans, those wearing Nightmare skins and Nadder wing skirts are juniors, and those wearing nothing but badly tanned dragon skins are rankers.

And as you know from the chart below, the hierarchy is as follows:

Krogan > Disciples (12 Best Warriors) > Regular Flyers > Recruits

The hierarchy and ranking system were originally rather simple and straightforward since the unit wasn't very large—it probably wasn't past 20 Flyers in the beginning.

However, if the organization becomes larger—for example, 50-100 Flyers—a more intricate ranking system will be needed.

Here is what I think the ranks could be. I even made some cool edits for this occasion. 😎

Krogan: Thunder Lord / Thunder Chieftain

The top-most rank is, naturally, Thunder Lord or Thunder Chieftain, which Krogan possesses as the head of the Dragon Flyers. It could be compared to a Headmaster of a Knight Order or a Group Leader of a Fighter Group in modern terms. Thunder Master could very well be another excellent coinage of this position.

As expected, this position oversees all Flyers and their squadrons and flight-pairs.

Thunder Captain / Flyer Leader

Thunder Captain, or just Flyer Leader, is the second-in-command of the Thunder Chieftain (or Krogan), just like our Flyer Leader above. His job is to carry out his orders, command the Chief's personal squadron, the "Deadly Dozen", and oversee any projects or missions entrusted by Krogan.

He also oversees the other Squadron/Flight Leaders under him. They choose someone for this rank from the Elite Flyers, particularly the "Deadly Dozen".

Thunder Master

Thunder Master is a rank similar to the medieval Master-at-Arms or the modern rank Sergeant Major. They directly receive orders from Krogan and are responsible for managing the briefings and mission assignments for the Flyers.

As such, they hold a higher position than even the squadron and flight leaders since they directly receive directions from Krogan to delegate mission assignments to certain units.

The Thunder Master is also responsible for the training of recruits before integrating them into the Dragon Flyer organization.

Flyers who gain these two ranks are often from the Master / Veteran Flyer ranks (Goldskins). What distinguishes them from the others is their orange dragon-skins and pauldrons.

Thunder Master's Wingman

Thunder Master's Wingman is the Thunder Master's subordinate and helps him with various administrative tasks and also helps train the recruits whenever the Thunder Master isn't around. In fact, this guy is mostly responsible for this responsibility as the organization gets bigger and Krogan and the other higher-ups don't have time for training them personally.

The Wingman takes over the Thunder Master's responsibilities if he is absent or is killed. He also, true to his rank, is the Thunder Master's wingman in battle and watches his back.

This rank also oversees other wingmen of lower ranks.

The Wingman is unique in that he wears his pauldron on his left shoulder instead of his right shoulder like the Second Claw Flyers.

Elite Flyers

Spots in Krogan's personal squadron, the "Deadly Dozen," are always guaranteed to Flyers of this rank. They are among the best of the best in the Dragon Flyers and also always assumed to promise a fierce fight to any who claim to be enemies of the Flyers and Krogan. Flyers of this rank are not only Krogan's most loyal warriors but are the most fanatic, viewing the total annihilation of dragons as the most righteous of causes.

This rank is further separated into three parts:

Elite Flyer, Third Claw

Elite Flyer Third Claw is the top-most rank in the Flyer Organization, aside from Flyer Leader and Thunder Chieftain. These Flyers are guarantees to the positions of Flyer Leader and Squadron and Flight Leaders, though other ranks can have these positions as well. They are also shoe-ins for the "Deadly Dozen" squadron.

They make up 20% of the Elite Flyers in this class.

Their Nightmare-skin skirt and two spiked pauldrons distinguish them from other ranks.

The Flyer Leader, Krogan's lieutenant, has this rank.

Elite Flyer, Second Claw

Elite Flyer Second Claw is the second-most senior rank in the organization. Unlike those of the Third Claw, these Flyers only have one spiked pauldron and nothing else that's distinguishable. (Take notice that from here on, all Flyers with the Second Claw rank will have one pauldron on their right shoulder, unlike the Thunder Master's Wingman, who wears it on his left shoulder.)

Flyers of this rank make up 10% of this class.

Elite Flyer, First Claw

Elite Flyer First Claw, the lowest rank of the Elite Flyers, is still above most and is the entry level of the Elite Flyer class. Unlike the previous two ranks, this Flyer rank has no distinguishing trappings aside from their Zippleback-skin tunic. 70% of Elite Flyers are of this rank.

Master / Veteran Flyers

Like the Elite Flyers, Flyers of this group are always guaranteed spots in Krogan's squadron and are often chosen as Squadron Leaders or Flight Leaders, usually the latter.

Similar to the Roman Centurion or NCO rank (1700-20XX), these Flyers form the backbone of the Dragon Flyers, making up about roughly 45% of the organization. The highest rank they can go is Thunder Master and Thunder Master's Wingman.

People of this rank, like Elite Flyers, are known for their loyalty to Krogan and their fanatical zeal and cruelty in wiping out the dragons.

These Flyers are unique in wearing yellow dragon skins, Gronkle-skin vambraces, and a helmet with only one horn instead of the usual three. They also lack a dragonskin kilt. They are known for wearing footprint-shaped markings on their faces and helmets.

Master Flyer, Third Claw

Master Flyer Third Claw is the top-most rank in this class. They always pick candidates for the Thunder Master position from this rank. And, if they're lucky, they can graduate to the Elite Flyer class.

Squadron Leaders can be chosen from among these Flyers.

The Flyers in this class can be distinguished by their pauldrons (or lack thereof). In this case, Third Claw Master Flyers wear two spiked pauldrons.

This rank makes up 10% of the Master Flyers in this class.

Master Flyer, Second Claw

Master Flyer Second Claw is the second-most rank in this class, making up 10% of Master Flyers in this class. Like other Second Claws, this rank also wears one spiked pauldron on their right shoulder.

Members of this rank are eligible to attain the Thunder Master or Thunder Master Wingman positions.

Master Flyer, First Claw

Master Flyer First Claw is the lowest rank of this class, but the most common, making up 80% of the Master Flyers in this class. They often make up the Flight Leaders and Senior Flyers of pair-units.

Junior / Senior Flyers

The lowest among the ranks and classes in the Dragon Flyer organization, their crudely tanned dragon skin clothes and white war paint sets them apart from the others.

These Flyers also make up the ranks of the wingman positions in wing and flight units.

Junior Flyer, Third Claw / Senior Flyers

Junior Flyer Third Claw, also known as Senior Flyer, is a rare rank, only making up 3% of the Flyers in this class. They are also the most senior and experienced Flyers making up this class. As a result, they quickly join the Master Flyer classes not long after they get this rank.

Their rank is shown by wearing two pauldrons, a Nadder-wing kilt, and two Monstrous Nightmare-skin vambraces.

Junior Flyer, Second Claw

Junior Flyer Second Claw is the second highest rank in this class and the most common rank, making up 57% of the Junior Flyers in this class.

They often fill wingman positions in wing (two-Flyer) and flight (four-Flyer) units.

What marks their rank is one spiked pauldron on their right shoulder, like all Second Claws. They also wear a Nadder-wing kilt, slightly better quality Nightmare-skin tunics, and one Nightmare-skin vambrace.

Junior Flyer, First Claw / Fledglings

Junior Flyer First Claw, also known as a "Fledgling," is the lowest of both rank and class in the thunder, second only to Recruit. They make up 40% of all Junior Flyers in this class.

They are the least experienced, trained, and indoctrinated out of all the Flyers, causing them to be the first to panic or flee if something doesn't go their way; they wear nothing of distinction and lack any accomplishments or battle honors, wearing dragon skins of mediocre quality. The best of this rank can eventually earn themselves a Nightmare-skin vambrace.

The Bottom-Feeders

Recruits, often demeaningly called "Stubs" (wingless dragons incapable of flight), are the lowest and bottom-most rank of all Flyers in the thunderband.

The organization integrates these recruits into their ranks, who are fresh and ready for training and indoctrination. They get trained by the Thunder Master and his Wingman in the ways of the Dragon Flyer and help them learn to fly their Singetail companions without issue. If they're unavailable, then either an Elite Flyer or Master Flyer comes to train them.

They are given low-quality dragon skins and gear.

We can summarize the ranks and hierarchy of the Dragon Flyers like this:

The positions can be further summarized with the highest position on the left and the lowest on the right:

Thunder Chieftain (Krogan) > Flyer Leader / Thunder Captains > The Deadly Dozen > Thunder Lieutenants >Thunder Master > Thunder Master's Wingman > Squadron Captains > Flight Captains > Wing Leaders / Senior Flyers > Regular Flyers > Recruits.

<><><><><>

Conclusion

These are the ranks that I believe might and could exist if the Dragon Flyers had been allowed to expand their organization further.

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this what-if article. Have a wonderful Wednesday.

Long Live the Night!

— Noctus Fury

[foursidecity]

Who the FUCK was taking care of Heather

[otiksimr]

Inktober day 17

[Lone sentinel]

[eaterofdust]

I have finally wasted my time on the Live Action. What the actual fuck has everyone here been on to compliment Snotlout this movie does him so fucking dirty????

[tirednshet]

Httyd, Next Gen.

IVE DONE IT, PEOPLE!

After days of writing, trying to find proper names, and (trying to) make it as accurate as possible, I present to you my version of the next generation of dragon riders in httyd (in this AU)!

*(Btw, the descriptions are from a series of stories im making, so it will contain a shit-ton of lore. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!)

Zephyr Haddock - The eldest of the Haddock children, and the future heir to Berk. She reflects her fathers sarcasticness and creativity. She rides a Stromcutter she named Skysplitter. She is also the unofficial leader of the next generation of Dragon Riders, and is willing to protect all of them, especially Nuffink, when they are in danger. She often feels pressured by this new role, due to the fact she was placed in it overnight, but is guided by Avery. She feels guilty and feels as if it is her fault that her parents, and Berk, are in the state they are in in the first place. She doesn't like to talk about it all that much.

Nuffink Haddock - The youngest of the Haddock children, and while not the heir, still the Chief’s son. Unlike Zephyr, he reflects his mother’s traits of being adventurous and brash. He rides a green Nadder named Buckwing. He tries to help Zephyr the best he can on Dragon’s Edge, but sometimes goofs off with the cousins and Eira. He doesn’t like hearing about Berk, because it reminds him of his parents and the condition they are in.

Scullnut Thorston-Jorgenson - The son of Snotlout and Tuffnut (fraternal mother was Ruffnut). He inherits both of his fathers’ chaotic personalities, while also reflecting their loyalty to their old team. He rides a Typhoomerang named Glowtorch. When he escaped from Berk, Thornut wasn’t on the best terms with his parents (there will be TONS of context on that later). He feels guilty about it, and often feels like they ended up in their condition because of him. He takes his guilt out on the other riders in various forms, like questioning Zephyr’s leading, disobeying Avery and running amok on Dragon’s Edge with the cousins, and often zoning out during combat lectures. (He just doesn’t know any other way to deal with it, and certainly is not the type to talk about his problems).

Runa Ingerman - The daughter of Ruffnut and Fishlegs. She inherited Ruffnut’s chaotic personality and Fishlegs’s love for dragons, so the result was a chaotic love for dragons (I seriously don’t know how that would work out). Runa rides Fogs and Gust, a Zippleback from the Hidden World. She and Scullnut are thicker than the hairiest yak on Berk, because I mean, they are cousins, after all. They often secretly go on little adventures around Dragon’s Edge, just to loosen up a little. They also try not to think of the state Berk, and their parents, are in, afraid of what might’ve happened to them.

Arne - The eldest child of Dagur and Mala, and the future heir of the Defenders of the Wing, and the Berserkers. He reflects his mother’s traits, being calm and collected in times of danger, and knowing when the right time is to strike. He rides a Thunderdrum he named Waves, and often helps Zephyr as second-in-command of the riders, and keeps everyone, especially Eira, in check. He also comforts the riders when they feel at their lowest, and assures them that they are going to defeat Zelda and get their islands and people back.

Eira - The youngest child of Dagur and Mala. She inherited her father’s red hair and wild personality, and his fighting skills as well. She rides a Triple Strike named Wildeye. She has a hobby of chasing some of the Night Terrors around Dragon’s Edge, along with the cousins (Runa and Scullnut). Sometimes even Nuffink joins them as well. But Eira does have a more serious side to her. She looks up to both of her parents (mostly her father), and refuses to believe that he fell to a crazy lady and her dragon. So, whenever someone mentions him or anything related to him, she goes quiet and isolates herself for the rest of the day.

*I'm sorry if this isn't accurate/is cringey. As I said before, I tried to make it as accurate as possible (for this AU).

[headfullof-ideas]

I’d like to mention that I’m not just expanding on other regions of the world. On characters and their dynamics with one another in this crazy project of a crossover that I’m doing. I’m also expanding on the dragons themselves. Playing around with the fact that they’re like people, and not all people are good. Some people just really, genuinely suck. But the thing this post is about is to showcase all the dragons who I am adding depth and lore to that we didn’t see in the films. Or the games. Because I am bringing in dragons from the games. So to all the School of Dragons players (RIP, that game was my childhood), here are the dragons from the games that I am bringing into this story (that I can immediately think of, especially since there’s a ten photo limit) (pictures supplied by Rise of Berk)

And then dragons that showed up in the films/shows that I’m adding lore to that wasn’t in the films/shows

It’s going to be so much fun (adding this after doing tags HOLY CRAP I FOUDN THE TAG LIMIT)

[ominousgradient]

I had a long ass idea about a httyd elden ring au, which factions each rider belongs too, what path they would take and what ending they'd choose but the problem is that Snotlout would just have had way too much of an overlap with Diallos

[useless-moss]

Have a rtte character named Nels Doryu who I haven't posted much about (cause he's technically reality shifted me and I feel a little shy about him) but he's just. Fucking unhinged to be honest.

Like I have it all planned out that he's kind of a neutral party, but also not really. He understands Viggo has a business to run and will even help out the hunter's with supplies to maintain a sort of truce, but he'll also help out the riders to a certain extent. His agreement with Viggo is basically "don't touch my dragons and I won't kill you and I'll even get you some supplies every now and then."

He's wild and has little to no sense of morality. He'll kill a person for any reason without hesitation. He'll let the pack be dragons and completely tear an enemy apart. He won't hold them back like Hiccup does. If they jump to defend him from an opponent and the way they go about that is ripping the persons head from their shoulders, he'll stand by and watch it happen without even flinching.

His whole lore is that he was separated from his tribe at a young age and found by a pack of wild night fury's (because yes I'm cringe and I want more night fury's in the httyd world get over it), the queen of which, who had been separated from her own hatchling recently, sort of took him in to deal with her own grief. Since then he's fully become a part of the pack.

Also yes this is also a 'most people live' au. Those 'most people' being Ryker, Viggo, and Krogan because god damn it I WANT MY BOYS. I WANT THEM TO THRIVE AND BE HAPPY. I WANT VIGGO TO BE TAKEN ON A BAREBACK DRAGON RIDE AND RYKER AND VIGGO TO FIX THEIR FRACTURING RELATIONSHIP AND KROGAN TO ESCAPE DRAGO. LET ME SEE THEM HAPPY.

Sorry for the rambling and info dump I just wanted to get that out of my brain before I explode

[reallyprofoundkryptonite]

Chunky!Krogan Lore

@duoatomica hehe

And @ziggityzigg , my other chunky!Krogan lover lol

Krogan is 27-30 at the current timeline of this au, depends entirely on the story, and in fact the roleplay this takes place in. It means that this au takes place 4-7 years after Race to the Edge, 3-6 years after How to Train Your Dragon 2 and about 2-5 years After THW.

For more Context of the state of the world:

in this AU The dragons never left. Because the third movie’s ending is STUPID AS FUCK and I will die on this rock.

Viggo Grimborn is alive and well.

Drago is fucking dead as hell lmao. (Krogan also does NOT know this.) Grimmel was the person they faced in the time frame of what would have been the second movie as the main villain and ended up falling to his death where he broke most of the bones in his body upon contact with the water.

Night Furies are also not extinct because Grimmel is stupid and definitely did not kill every single one of them because he is LITERALLY JUST A SINGLE GUY.

Anyways! The background:

________

Krogan managed to escape Drago Bludvist at the age of 23. He spent about a year and a half running around trying to figure out what, exactly to do with himself, considering the fact that he was, for the first time in his life, truly alone. During this time, doubt began to creep into his mind, about the fact that he was worthless by himself. That without someone to aid him or guide him, that he was incapable of being useful or worth anything.

Krogan decided to settle somewhere in a forest. There was a village nearby, however he tended to ignore the village in favor of teaching himself how to build things. It put his mind to work and distracted himself from his… entirely unwanted thoughts. Over the span of a few months (with a bit of struggle and intense anger at initially being unable to figure it out, Krogan was able to get the frame of a house up. It wasn’t much, and it was starting to get cold, but he continued to work on it, collecting mud and bricks and wood to his best ability to build the walls and the roof. When he was finally satisfied, he moved on to building and sculpting doors and everything else he needed.

Getting glass was quite surprisingly… not very hard, at least for Krogan. All he had to do was collect sand and throw it in the kiln he had been using to heat his home. and when he was done, he would simply shape it into panes with his bare hands. For whatever reason, he simply thought his skin was far more heat resistant to fire and high temperatures due to the amount of time he spent around forges and dragons. He has a few burns, mostly from Deadly Nadders, however most fire really did not phase his skin very much. In fact, this was incredibly useful for how he made his windows, and how he began to fire the mud bricks he used for his fireplace, as they are both hand sculpted. In several of the window panes there is a clear imprint of some of his fingerprints, permanently there and lovingly crafted into the very glass itself.

As time goes on and the structure is built, Krogan continues to try and distract himself from everything else that was raging in his head, as well as the… other habits he has began to pick up, because of the fact that simply burying himself into his crafts of painting and building and chopping wood for more projects and crushing up beetles and flowers and other items to make pigments for his paints just was not cutting it anymore. And it hadn’t been, not for a while. They did not stop his thoughts. His thoughts of horrible hatred and terrifying pain and fear. That he was useless. He had no direction. That he needed anything and everything to be perfect otherwise he had to start all over again in ripping everything he just worked on apart, nail by nail. It was probably what lead to his home becoming such a large part of him, a perfect getaway where he could just do whatever he wanted within it. Staining wood, making furniture and building a home for himself. Most every inside wall at some point has been painted over with some sort of mural and then repainted again and again according to Krogan’s whims and trying to “fix” things about himself and his so-called work.

About two and a half years in, Krogan gets into a fight with a man in the middle of the streets of the town and ends up getting a new, deep cut in his face that ends up scarring and damages his right eye enough for a cataract to form. Due to the fact that he does not inherently want to go back to killing people (even though he does end up killing the man), he faints and wakes up being cared for by the town’s healer, a nice woman who he quietly pays for her time and resources, and quickly escapes back home, despite her efforts to try get him to stay and heal because of his injuries and her fear of a concussion.

He ignored the fact that binge eating and alcoholism were beginning to affect him. It really wasn’t a big deal after all. He hid the changes to his body, hid them from the world, despite the fact that on all other accounts, he had become a complete hermit, spending his time toiling away in his garden, and only really coming out of the cove to collect booze or seeds for the garden that was beginning to grow far too sizeable for he himself to use all of the products… at least the ones that were not turned into paint, or the fibers of the plants into more canvases for his work. More books, more journals to stuff even more knowledge into them.

His drunken binges sometimes ended with over thirty pages of sometimes… blatant nonsense or just awkwardly scribbled notes wallowing in his own self pity and hatred. It wasn’t like he went through and re-read any of his own work half the time, anyways, unless it was specifically to study whatever bug or animal he had recently discovered or written about. Exploring the forest surrounding the cove, he came into contact with plants that he noted down, and even if they weren’t entirely important in their usage for medicinal purposes, he’d note down their location if he found them interesting enough to come back for seeds from them.

Around this time, he’d continued to make himself new clothing in between everything else. Hunting, fishing, skinning animals, killing the occasional raven for its feathers to sell to merchants in the town. He was still wary of the faces that would stare at him as he came into town, their voices seeming to multiply and expand into a hoarse sound of racket and laughter at his mere appearance. He had begun to stop ignoring his appearance. He’d changed, of course, he knew that, his hair was growing longer, more unkempt, and his mind was desperately screaming for more release. More time.

The dome was constructed about three years into all this. By this point, the mania is beginning to fade, if albeit slightly, however he still doesn’t understand the manner of his thoughts. His needs, his wants. He is still, for the most part, entirely reclusive, not preferring to appear in town unless he needs to sell something, due to the anxiety that rages on in his body towards his self image. Mirrors are for the most part, removed from his home. He doesn’t need reminders as to what he looks like constantly staring at him in the face. His ability to sew has gotten better, and he has started to make himself increasingly more complex outfits and clothing whenever he can, in between the bouts of being drunk, though the need to binge has been waning. Alcohol does everything the food does, if not more with the extra, happy buzz it gives him. It is not true happiness, of course, but it definitely does the trick to make people think he is okay.

And he is completely fine with that.

(Mainline lore coming up)

Viggo Grimborn arrives at Krogan’s home unexpected. He practically lets himself in, and during this time he has been searching for Krogan. He doesn’t know WHY he wants to see the man considering the fact that last they left off, it wasn’t exactly on the best of terms, and he is entirely 100% not at all shocked at finding out that Krogan is very much 100% not thrilled to see him in any way shape or form.

Of course Krogan has changed since the last he’s seen him, but Viggo finds everything about the changes endearing and alluring. It still looks like His Krogan, but slightly different. And he is fine with that. Of course he really does not understand the turmoil Krogan is going through, especially with the extreme depressive episode he’s in, so the… particularly disheveled state of Krogan’s home is unsettling, considering he knows Krogan to be an incredibly neat individual.

Krogan doesn’t take his jabs to heart of course, he has too many other things already on his metaphorical plate, and Viggo can’t help but wonder what some of the frustrated looking paintings scrawled across the walls on canvases that are scattered in their nature, mean. He is allowed to stay, for the time, Except he really doesn’t get to talk to Krogan about… anything. The man doesn’t talk to him, if only in the way of grunts and moderate insults, which, fair enough, Krogan must seem to think Viggo hates him, based on their last interaction, but it feels so hollow and empty to watch his… friend spiral the way he is.

And Viggo doesn’t mean to snoop. He doesn’t try to, but Krogan is… kind of a mess at this point. It isn’t his fault that he stumbled upon the piles of discarded, unfinished paintings that were depicting Viggo himself, and in quite a few of them, there is another man, of whom he can only know is Krogan. He would have had a more solid idea if the faces of the portraits hadn’t been burned out and smudged with charcoal. Even the seemingly newest one, they all depict Krogan as having the body he used to have, even though… according to Krogan’s notes that have been seemingly drunkenly scrawled across the backs of some of the later portraits, that is not what he looked like. The hatred that bled from the words of a man who had always seemed to hate himself, seemed to bleed and boil over into pure self loathing and disgust at “everything he had become.”

Though Viggo was most concerned about how on the last one it mentioned the fact that Krogan had started to harm himself again. He decides to try and shove these discoveries away, and the keyword is, most certainly the fact that he does, absolutely try to do so, though he had no clue how long Krogan had been looming behind him, watching him from the doorway, because it was really only once he heard the man approaching him, was the time that Viggo had to try stuffing the portraits away into a drawer where they had been haphazardly hidden away from prying eyes.

And it was then that Viggo noticed the bloodied bandages that clung to Krogan’s arms. The ones that were kept hidden under long sleeves for the most part. He knew. Viggo knew Krogan knew.

Viggo didn’t have any sort of problem with Krogan’s odd… obsession, over him, but the way Krogan just… stared at him with eyes that weren’t entirely there, like he was looking through him rather than at him.

He wants to help Krogan. Because the expression fills him with dread. He can understand, slightly, why Krogan has changed now.

But he didn’t want to spook him more.

And at the same time, it is no better if he leaves him to rot all alone, filled with hatred and anger towards himself. Viggo knows what that can feel like. It hurts. And he could never wish it on the man that… he finds he still loves very dearly.

His only uncertainty is if Krogan feels the same as him. And, if he will even let him inside his mind, to begin with.

[noctusfury]

Dragon Flyer Hierarchy (RTTE Headcanon and Theory)

Hello, everyone! Welcome to another HTTYD article! Sorry it took a while to write and put together since I was basically creating their lore from scratch.

Today will once again dive into the Dragon Flyers, this time concerning the topic of their hierarchy.

This is a continuation of my recent article which you can read here.

Now, be aware that this is a theory and headcanon on this end since the show doesn't really give us much background on the Dragon Flyers — even more so than with the Dragon Hunters — and we know very little about their ranks and hierarchy. This is just me taking a crack at how they function as a unit.

"Dragon-skin Meritocracy": A 300(?)-Years-Old Hierarchal System

The first part of this article will dive into my theory of what I call "Dragon-skin Meritocracy" — a system of hierarchy based on the merits of one's achievements via the possession of certain dragon skins from dragons that they slay. They are forbidden from purchasing any dragon skins to boost their own status, career, or reputation. Even leaders or individuals with wealth or influential families must adhere to this dictate.

Each Tribe in the Barbaric Archipelago has its own customs, cultures, rules, traditions, etc, concerning the etiquette of dragon skins and the art of dragon-slaying. In fact, I even hazard to guess that there are differences even between the Tribes in the Inner Isles vs those of the Outer Isles, as what those of the Inner Isles view as a top-tier dragon to hunt might not be what those of the Outer Isles view as a prestigious dragon to hunt, simply due to exposure to different dragon species that those of the Inner Isles aren't accustomed to.

(You can look for my previous article on the use of dragon skins here)

Aside from the fact that they look aesthetically pleasing to wear and give the user anti-fire protection, it's also a show of one's prowess and status as a man and warrior.

As Hiccup had even said in the first film:

"Killing dragons is everything around here. A Nadder head is sure to get me at least noticed. Gronckles are tough. Taking down one of those would definitely get me a girlfriend. A Zippleback? Exotic. Two heads, twice the status. Then, there's the Monstrous Nightmare. Only the best Vikings go after those."

As such, in Archipelagoan society, there is a hierarchy or meritocracy that is based on what dragons you kill, and how many of them. And it's also based on how difficult these dragons are to kill.

Again, the achievement hierarchy concerning dragon skins differs from tribe to tribe, from region to region — heck, even family to family.

However, I'm going to try to create some sort of hierarchy that the Dragon Flyers might plausibly employ, since it's an organization and must have some semblance of order. (You can find the article here.)

Thus, I created this chart below:

From this chart, you'll see the following:

Flyers wearing Zippleback + Nightmare skins are Elite Flyers.

Flyers wearing yellow dragon skins are Senior Flyers.

Flyers wearing Nightmare(?) + Nadder skins are Junior Flyers.

Flyers wearing brown/poor-tanned dragon skins are Rank-n'-File

I'm only basing this on what I've seen on the show, where the ones showing the most experience and ferocity in battle were those wearing Zippleback and Gold-skins, respectively, while those below them seem to be not as experienced and are more prone to express fear and cowardice. Naturally, there are exceptions, but strictly based on what we've seen, that is my diagnosis concerning the Dragon Flyers and their hierarchy based on the dragon skins they wear. It's likely that Netflix intentionally did it this way, but I haven't a clue.

Those who wear those brown-skins (I can't tell if they're poorly tanned Nightmare skins or Gronkle-skins or what) seem to be more greenhorns than anything. Those without the pauldrons and Nadder-wing skirts appear to be more rank-and-file than the others. In contrast, those with those items seem to be slightly above them in rank — similar to how a Private First Class or Corporal is above a rank-n'-file Private.

The Hierarchy

Now, it's VERY possible that it's just a random configuration of minions without any order of hierarchy. It's possible that the hierarchy is the following:

Krogan > 12 Flyer Disciples (Dawn of Destruction & Wings of War) > Other Flyers > Dragon Hunters

Here is a graph I made which showcases this hierarchy, as I see it.

Of course, this is in Krogan's own eyes, as he deems himself and his Flyers to be above Viggo and the Hunters. In contrast, Viggo would likely have viewed himself as equal to Krogan, despite having no choice but to work with him, as his organization has mostly been absorbed or scattered.

Furthermore, the Flyer hierarchy is further divided into the following:

Krogan's Disciples > Squadron Captains > Veteran Flyers > Junior Flyers > Regular Flyers > Recruits

If you're wondering who I mean by "disciples," it's the 12 Flyers who were personally trained by Krogan and were his BEST warriors in "Dawn of Destruction" and "Wings of War". "Disciples" is what I call them, as a result.

Also, by popular vote, they'll be called "The Deadly Dozen" from now on.

Underneath them are the Squadron Captains and Veteran Flyers who lead the pairs and squads of regular Flyers. After them are the Junior Flyers, who are essentially like the Corporals or Privates First Class of the unit. Underneath them are the Regular Flyers, who are the mainstay of the force; their experience, equipment, and abilities vary. And finally, we have the Recruits, who have recently joined and have only basic training and have little combat experience.

Let us start with Krogan's Disciples, shall we?

"The Deadly Dozen": Krogan's Elites

So then, who are these "disciples," in detail?

In Wings of War, Krogan says this to Viggo after the latter questions him:

Viggo: I haven't seen your Flyers in quite some time. Shouldn't they be preparing?

Krogan: Those are twelve of my most fearless and gifted warriors. I doubt they'll have much of an issue.

<><><><><><>

As they are Krogan's elites and are close to him, they will possess the highest place in this hierarchy as Krogan's lieutenants, with Krogan possessing the top-most position as their Chief. As a result, they will be ad hoc and de facto leaders who will be in charge of important and secret projects or missions. They'll also be given limited carte blanche authority at these times, so long as they obey any direct orders from Krogan.

The foremost of whom is the Flyer Leader, who appears to be the Chief Disciple among the "Deadly Dozen", similar to how the Witch-King of Angmar was the Chief Lieutenant of the Nazgul, Sauron's servants. He was charged with hunting down the Riders in "Dawn of Destruction" and "Wings of War", and was later in charge of protecting one of the secret Singetail Nurseries in "Family Matters".

That being said, aside from these times, they'll most often act as Krogan's personal entourage, who accompany him whenever and wherever he goes anyplace, or to hunt down anyone he wants.

These Flyers would prove to be the Riders' greatest adversaries capable of besting them in air-to-air combat. However, later in the war, the Riders would end up on top as the numbers of the "Deadly Dozen" dwindled — either because of war attrition or because of reassignment to other bases or missions — or were replaced by regular Flyers who had less training and teamwork abilities than their predecessors.

By the time Krogan's and Johann's forces attacked Berserker Island, the "Deadly Dozen" would lead their fellow Flyers into battle to intercept the Riders and provide close-air support to their ground forces.

The "Deadly Dozen" is definitely a force to be reckoned with, and were Krogan's fiercest, most experienced, most loyal, and most fanatic warriors under his command, and were warriors whom the other Flyers respected and wished to emulate.

Squadron Leaders / Veteran Flyers: Backbone of the Dragon Flyer Warband

As such, whenever Krogan's Disciples were absent, the squadron leaders and veteran flyers were next in command. These two groups were the backbone of Krogan's Flyers and were essential to the command structure.

Based on what we see in the show, these Flyers often wear Zippleback or golden dragon skins. The Gold-skins, interestingly, are the only Flyers with a one-horned helm, possibly indicating some senior NCO-esque rank, as these guys are purposefully distinct from the other Flyers. They are usually tough, cruel, and experienced.

Squadron leaders were responsible for leading their squads on patrols and missions and for ensuring that their unit was battle-ready and prepared to fly at a moment's notice. It's possible that this position is less of a rigid rank and was more of a fluid position that interchanged hands frequently, depending on the mission and circumstances.

Veteran Flyers, as their name implies, are those who have accumulated a lot of experience and were essentially the NCOs of the Thunderband. They were the wing leaders of every pair of Flyers — the Senior Flyers, if you will, accompanied by their wingman.

As you can see from the pictures above, the Gold-skin Flyers seem to hold this position more often than not. This seems to imply that they are often veterans or have some commanding ability.

However, this doesn't seem to be restricted to just them, as we see in the photo below. As such, it can be speculated that either anyone who is senior can be a wing leader, or such a position doesn't even exist and pair groups are more of a teamwork-oriented unit than having a true hierarchy.

For example, look at these two Flyers as they take down Stoick in "Darkest Night".

Or these two Flyers when the Twins were chasing their tail in "Dawn of Destruction".

So it's very possible that in pair-units, it's more of a fluid, teamwork-focused unit with a dash of hierarchy, similar to the Riders' command structure (albeit less flexible since they have to obey Krogan's commands to a T).

On to the next group!

Junior Flyers: The Runner-Ups

Junior Flyers are those below the Veteran Flyers and often fill the wingman roles in the pair-units, and would probably be similar to the corporal or sergeant ranks, in contrast to the Goldskins' senior sergeant or ensign ranking. The one above is one of those "Deadly Dozen" Flyers prominently shown in Seasons 5 and 6.

Junior Flyers are often portrayed wearing one pauldron, white markings, Nadder wing skirts, and Nightmare tunics. This implies they have some status in the Flyers organization, since Nightmare and Nadder skins are impressive skins. (However, as Hiccup mentions that slaying a Nadder only "gets you noticed", it's probably more of an expected minimum requirement in order to even start ascending the hierarchy.)

Similar to the Zippleback and Gold-skin Flyers, they seem to be experienced, ruthless, and tough warriors. Unlike the former two, however, the Junior Flyers seem to be far more expressive and more likely to express fear or uncertainty if something doesn't go the way they expect.

Which leaves us to our next layer in the hierarchy.

Regular Flyers: The Rank and File

The rank'n'file. The wings on the sky. The wannabes. The grunts. The minions. Whatever you wanna call them, this what makes up the Regular Flyers, the second-lowest part of the hierarchy, who are given no command positions, few protections, and fewer distinctions and trophies to set them apart as warriors.

Often portrayed as Flyers who lack pauldrons and even shields, they are often given menial tasks and missions that those further up the hierarchy can't be bothered to do. In fact, they can be called the apprentices, disciples, or even squires to the Flyers of the Upper Ranks. Their wish is to be recognized and gain much fame, wealth, and glory for themselves and rise up the hierarchy. Their ultimate ambition is to become a part of the "Deadly Dozen," their Chieftain Krogan's personal retinue.

However, even then, they're not the bottom-feeders of the hierarchy. There's one more group of Flyers.

Ranker/Fledgling Flyers: The Snubs of the Litter

The Fledglings. These are basically the greenhorns, "boots", or "Shinies" of the Flyers. They just passed their Flyer Cadet Training School exam and are easily recognizable by their distinct lack of everything aside from a helm and a vambrace made of Monstrous Nightmare skin. Other than that, the rest of the outfit looks badly tanned and not as quality as the others further up the hierarchy. They're also noticed for their distinct expressive natures, easily showing their lack of experience and emotions too easily — particularly fear and uncertainty.

Due to their bottom-most rank, and derisively called "Stubs" (basically wings that haven't come out and developed yet, practically meaning "flightless bird") or "Shedders" (as in discarded scales) by the more experienced Flyers, they are basically given all the unwanted tasks, chores, errands, and assignments as a form of hazing. Despite this, they are proud to be a part of the force and look up to the Higher Echelons, and look down on those beneath them, such as the Riders and the Dragon Hunters, often using them to feed and clean the Singetails in their place.

Dragon Hunters: The Grunts and Footstools of the Organization

While not strictly a part of the Dragon Flyers, the Dragon Hunters are the grunts who do the heavy labor, patrols, security, garrisoning, as well as the capturing, feeding, and cleaning of Singetails. They also serve as walking target dummies for Flyer training. They do all the dirty or unwanted work for the Flyers, who view such work as beneath them (which is usually the case since they're always high up in the air 😎).

Flyers always outrank the Hunters in status, similar to medieval knights and men-at-arms.

Often called "Tuskies" in a derogatory manner (viewing them no better than boars), Flyers aren't afraid to look down on them with disdain or indifference; they [the Flyers] often throw all the unsavory jobs to them, particularly when it comes to caring for the maintenance of the Singetails. They view them as clumsy, unreliable, vulgar, noisy, and stupid, and make it a point to never get close or communicate with them anymore than necessary except when giving orders. They don't hesitate to use them as fodder against the Riders and dragons, and even enjoy forcing them to act as target practice for them.

Neither side trusts nor likes each other. Nonetheless, their mutual fear of Krogan drives them to work together for the sake of his plans. They often use the Hunters for ground-to-ground and ground-to-air combat, while the Flyers provide cover for the Hunters in close-air support.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this is my idea of what the Dragon Flyer hierarchy might've been like.

Again, keep in mind that I could be totally wrong and that Netflix had no rhyme or reason or purpose for the Dragon Flyer designs or outfits. Meaning that the Flyers could be much more fluid than I expected.

However, I personally feel that my theory and headcanon is plausible, even possibly correct. Even if the canonical hierarchy is literally just consisting of Krogan, the "Deadly Dozen," and everyone else below them, with the Dragon Hunters being at the very, VERY bottom.

What do you guys think about this? Like the hierarchy? Or think that there's anything I'm missing or should add? Or perhaps got your own thoughts? Let me know what they are! 🤓

Thank you for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend. I plan in the near future on posting an article with some fanedits on what I think the Dragon Flyers could look like if they were a large organization, and what ranks they would have. Look forward to it!

Long Live the Night!

— Noctus Fury

[foursidecity]

The ruffnut and tuffnut actors for the isle of berk Universal area are litterally so good and silly

[theismori-tar]

I wanted to sketch out Himeress in the scene of my story where he is trying to survive and win in the dragon arena death match.

It’s a test to determine if you are ready to become a warrior, only 8 people are selected per year (there is age group for this) to participate and they must try to survive and kill the 2 dragons that are in the arena with them. Those who survive earn the right to fight in dragon raids in so forth.

In the piece it is his second time trying to pass the test, he is armed with a shield that is plated with dragons hide that is able to withstand a few hits to give them a better chance at survival, his sword is made of a dragons tail it is the end barb it has the same feel of a regular sword but these are intended to kill dragons as it is strong enough to penetrate the hide. Will he make it out this time? Or will he be pulled out before his death?

[letstalkaboutit100]

QUICK QUESTION!

Krogan died at the end of the show, right? When he went to Drago without the Bewilderbeast egg right? I'm thinking about it now cause he and Grimmel lore are very similar. (to me)

Also... WAS ANYONE ELSE SAD THAT VIGGO DIED?!? LIKE WHAT?!?! WHY?! HE BETTER! AND I MEAN BETTER HAVE SURVIVED AND IS NOW LIVING oN HIS OWN LITTLE ISLAND/FARM SITTING OUT ON HIS PORCH WITH THE SKRILL HALF LAYING DOWN ON HIS LAP LIKE AN OLD FARMER AND HIS DOG! SOMEONE MAKE A FANRT!

[headfullof-ideas]

All right this took me. ALL DAY. To color. And it’s not even that impressive (to me anyways) BUT, at long last- the Dark Orca Pirates in my crossover AU.

The Dark Orca is a mighty pirate ship, heralded from generation after generation of pirates roaming the seas. The ships current owners are the family of Captain Hammerhead, and his children. The Dark Orca and her crew spend most of their time at sea, searching for unsuspecting traders or fishermen out at sea, plundering them of their goods, or raiding the various sunken ships or forgotten temples that they find of their treasures. Sometimes, they even tackle the various tidal class dragons that emerge from the depths to poke around the ship. The Dark Orca was once an old armada ship, its size and military might on par with that of the Grimborn brother’s strongest ships. The crew that handles the Dark Orca, it’s sheer size and militia prospect, and the foreboding ‘ghost ship’ feel that the Dark Orca has means that most other people tend to leave her and her crew alone. However, the Nekton family with their own similar in scale ship, the Aronnax, aren’t above tussling with the Dark Orca’s pirates, especially if there’s a dragon or treasure of their ancestry home Lemuria involved. When the Dark Orca isn’t at sea, plundering it and its travelers for their treasures, she can be found at many different markets, from the markets filled with clothing stalls and food markets, to the seedier markets where underhand deals and questionable trades occur, and sometimes even at the markets frequented and run by Dragon Trappers, meant for their business. The Dark Orca’s crew have heard rumors of people riding dragons, though with the cesspool of rumors and gossip that the pirate community is, they’re not sure how genuine these rumors are. Though, with Dragon Trappers being the ones to spread most of the tales, they’re wondering if there’s any merit to the stories.

Captain Hammerhead is the head of the Dark Orca, steering it and his crew in every direction that they go. Every wreck they visit, every ship they plunder, it is all done when Hammerhead says it will be. Hammerhead is the Captain, and everything is done as he says it will be. Hammerhead is like any other pirate, obsessed with all the gold and jewels and treasure that he can get his hands on. Hammerhead however is also determined to live up to the legacy of the ship that he inherited through his father, and his father before him, and as far back as five generations before his grandfather from the Dark Orca’s original captain, Grimbeard the Ghastly himself. The Dark Orca has a fearsome and impressive reputation, and Hammerhead is determined to ensure that legacy lives on. Gold and jewels, artifacts the likes of which no one has seen, maps that entail the most exotic of lands and treasures that not just anyone can get, power and adventures that make an even bigger name of the already legendary ship that he commands. Hammerhead is determined to make sure the Dark Orca’s legend lives on, hoping that his name and that of his children will live on in the Captain’s log and diary that lives in their ships helm, and amongst the tales and legends that circulate the widespread community that the pirate trade is. Recently, Hammerhead has found a rather inconvenient annoyance in the shape of a group of children that have started making their rounds around the markets that he takes their ship to sell goods and plant stories. A group of children seemingly bearing no knowledge of the way things are run in this corner of the world, who buy supplies and other odds and ends through means of trade, using dragon scales from more than one species and more gold and jewels than children seemingly on their own should have as currency. Hammerhead is determined to figure out where these children are getting their dragon scales and jewels, though he is unaware of what exactly he may be getting himself into.

Smiling Finn is Captain Hammerhead’s eldest child. He’s not as interested in the pirate business as the rest of the Dark Orca’s crew, his dad, and his little sister. Finn wants to travel the world, and living on a pirate ship does help ease that passion. All Finn wants to do is snag a ship for himself, even if it’s a small one, and go see the world for himself, no piracy attached. Finn’s dad has named him first mate of the Dark Orca, something that Finn knows is rankling to some of the older crew members. It only makes Finn’s resolve to leave his life of piracy behind even harder, because his dad isn’t super sentimental or anything of the likes, yet he refers to Finn as his first mate with pride and boisterous passion. However, the life of a pirate isn’t all bad. Finn’s desire to see the world is satiated by seeing all the places that the Dark Orca goes, the numerous variety of dragons and the scenery of all the locations they go to incredible. Sure, the dragons they come across are usually attacking the Dark Orca, or his dad is having the crew attack them, and they’re usually stealing treasure from all the crazy places that they go to, but Finn gets to see it all! And he’s usually allowed to roam around the places they go and look at everything, so long as he brings something interesting back with him. And then there’s the Nektons, specifically their only child, a girl named Fontaine. Fontaine is sarcastic and sharp-tongued, always ready with a witty comment. She’s practically at home at the sea, and while Finn is definitely developing a bit of a crush on her that his sister Maddie canNOT know about, Finn’s also finding a friend with common ground and interests with her. Finn tells her all about their adventures, especially about how there’s this group of kids his dad is starting to try and track down, though why, Finn doesn’t know.

Mad Madeline is the youngest pirate on board the Dark Orca, and quite possibly the youngest pirate on board a large-scale pirate ship in pirate history. Madeline lives for being a pirate, she loves plundering for treasure, and testing her skills and their limits at pick-pocketing and stealing things right from under people’s noses. Madeline lives for exploring the seven seas, for braving the watery channels and the raging storms and the fierce dragons that erupt from the depths. She knows Finn’s heart isn’t with piracy and their ship and families legacy, and while she doesn’t understand it she hopes that she herself might one day get to stand at the Dark Orca’s helm and create her own legacy. Madeline listens to her dad and all the other old pirate captains and all their tales of great pirates that ruled the seas. Her favorite is of Grimbeard the Ghastly, who once steered the Dark Orca herself. But Madeline is also interested in more than old pirate stories. She loves to collect stories of ghosts and various legends, mythical creatures and sea monsters from the deepest parts of the oceans. Madeline is obsessed with dragons, specifically the Tidal Class dragons, who are like the sea beasts from the book her mother gave her as a birthday present come to life. She’ll even pretend not to be eavesdropping when the matriarch of the Nekton family tells her daughter something interesting about the dragons that come from the sea. The Nektons are infuriating, but things are always even more exciting when they’re around, and Madeline loves sneaking onto their ship to look at all the cool stuff they’ve found, and then try stealing it. Madeline was the one who first saw the kids trading dragon scales and jewels for expensive leather and clothing and tools, and she’s baffled on why they settled for mundane items such as the things they buy and trade for. She hasn’t told her dad, but she saw them trading jars of green gel, chicken eggs, exotic flowers, and even fish as well to get the items they leave the markets with, though the dragon scales and jewels and gold seemed more important to tell Hammerhead. Madeline can just tell that these kids are hiding something, because why would they be at the markets buying such weird things with such hard-to-find items? She’s determined to be the one to crack the mystery about them, looting them for all they’re worth.

The Dark Orca and the Pirates were fun to figure out and plant within the rest of the story. All the lore of the Dark Orca, and the rest of the pirate community and the Floating Market is gonna be so much fun to flesh. Does anyone else remember how the Dark Orca was made out as some terrifying myth or legend in the first episode they showed up in? And then how they just…weren’t really like that through the rest of the show? It makes sense with the way Hammerhead is in the show, but in my crossover AU? Not happening. The Dark Orca will be the terrifying legend that people who venture out into the open ocean fear and try to prepare against. People steer clear of the Dark Orca when they see her. And the realization some character, important or not, will have that they’re talking to someone that works on that ship? The pirates will be pirates and they will be competent. Though, six kids riding freaking dragons and a family of do-gooder aquanauts will still be an issue for them. But it won’t be so butt-end-of-the-joke with the pirates of the Dark Orca

[fairmerthefarmer]

Some warm up sketches cause I have a whole lot of ideas for HTTYD illustrations/fanart but I need to remember how to draw these guys. (Hiccups hair is so baffling to me to figure out the shapes and have it look right)

My sister and I have very suddenly decided to rewatch the spin-off shows for HTTYD (not that weird new one, just the ones set in between the first two movies)

I love so much how they expand on the dragon lore but also on the side characters!! Ive got my things about the shows I’d critique, but overall it’s just such a good time.

Also I first watched RTTE in highschool (I remember finding it, binging all the episodes available in a night and being left right at the cliffhanger in season 3) and I was embarrassed about it. I think mostly because the animation style is visibly cheaper than the movies? So it looks more made for children (I mean the target audience still is kids, but also probably young teens so me at the time) (also watching it now despite the budget limits I’m loving the lighting in particular) (rtte improved visually a lot over RoB especially.)

It’s always fun to go back to the things you liked when you were younger and maybe embarrassed but then it’s like “oh actually I had good taste sometimes this is fucking great”

[persimnon]

How to Train Your Dragon (Live Action) Review

As promised, here it is. Before I say anything I would like to restate my qualifications for context, and for anyone who is curious.

HTTYD was the first movie I asked to watch after seeing the trailer independently. It has been my favorite film since I saw it in theaters, aged 7. After seeing HTTYD 2 in theaters in 2014, it quickly spiraled into what would become one of my longest and most intense special interests: I gobbled up the specials, ROB/DOB, and the books that same year. It was one of my first forays into fandom. Scroll back far enough on my blog and you'll see me liveblogging new seasons of RTTE and reviewing THW after getting into an early screening. I have consumed every available media in this franchise, save for the comics on the sole account that I've been too lazy to get to them yet, multiple times. That being said, I am not a trilogy purist. I appreciate universe expansions and spin-offs. Hell, I've even seen some of TNR.

I'm getting ahead of myself, but I want to make it clear that I went into this with an open mind, having read no reviews, and nearly no spoilers save for the mild background given in this Dean interview. These are my unfiltered opinions on the film.

Overall Thoughts

A sincere and believable effort was made, but there was no point while I watched this film that I felt better served than had I been watching the original instead.

By no means did the film feel half-assed. Dean and the cast and crew obviously put their hearts into this and want it to be taken seriously.

But for several reasons that I'll get into, everything in this remake felt muted compared to the HTTYD I know.

Production and Plot

Toothless: We might as well get the elephant in the room out of the way first. What the hell was the SFX team thinking? Actually, I know exactly what they were thinking, or told to think: Keep Toothless as recognizable as possible. He is the selling point of the film. Capitalize on cuteness and nostalgia. But when every other dragon was redesigned to be more realistic, he sticks out like a sore thumb. Even worse, he's completely emotionally neutered by means of CGI. He can't make the same facial expressions, has almost no eye/eyebrow movement, and as a result can't communicate nonverbally as well as he can in the original. This especially shows in Hiccup's complementary dialogue with him. He talks to Toothless so much less in this version. We don't see nearly as much of a back-and-forth. We're left with a husk of the personality we're used to from him. One of the biggest losses, IMO.

Other Dragons: I've touched on this in Toothless's part, but it bears repeating that there is no room for emotion with realistic redesign. Think of Meatlug's lovey-dovey eyes for the dragon nip being overhauled entirely, or Hookfang's intelligence and caution not showing through those weird alligator teeth. The dragons felt secondary to the rest of the film. Literally the only thing I liked more was the Red Death being noticeably redder, as well as her spiked teeth. Other than that, I'm very disappointed.

Set: Nothing particularly worth mentioning. The on location nature shots are pretty nice. The buildings somewhat lack that larger-than-life feel that emphasizes how small Hiccup is supposed to be compared to the other vikings. There is one random thing I really really liked, and it was the addition of all that ash after the final battle.

Costuming: I only bring this up because wtf was Astrid's wig, my God. I'm sorry but it was so bad. I usually have wig blindness but that hairline was too atrocious to not take me out of the story at times. Also, Stoick with versus without that cape was insane. Another failure of the nature of a live action adaptation. Not having him (and everyone else, for that matter) be significantly huger than Hiccup all the time makes the whole "I don't fit in!" storyline lose a decent amount of weight.

Added Scenes/Viking Lore: I'm not against it. It's a good explanation for why there are vikings of many races on Berk. But I think this particular aspect of plot was advertised too much as a genuine expansion of story when it doesn't change much at all, really.

Missing Scenes: Salty that I did not get the "excuse me barmaid, I'm afraid you've brought me the wrong offspring" line. The only full scene exclusion I counted was the Terrible Terror bit after Test Drive, which was so damning. That bit gave Toothless a lot of personality, plus it had the foreshadowing line about dragons not being fireproof on the inside. Casual viewers will now understand less about how they defeated the Red Death.

Music: So similar to the original that there is basically nothing to comment on. John Powell knows how to replicate a formula for success, at least. Unfortunate lack of Jónsi during the credits, and I wasn't a huge fan of the suite that replaced it.

Individual Character Analyses

Hiccup: I believe that Mason tried his best, and I don't think he's a bad actor, per se. But where was Hiccup's bite? So much of that boy's appeal is the fact that he is dripping in sarcasm at all times. It felt like all of his lines were being recited, not reenacted. He was, again, muted in both the emotional and literal softspoken sense. This goes for all the characters, but it's worth mentioning now that one of the biggest gripes I had with the film is its lack of voice acting. There is a world of difference in cadence and tone alone. It wasn't until now that I realized how many of these characters are truly made by their voices. Hiccup is perhaps the biggest casualty of that.

Stoick: Based on what I just said, Gerard Butler gave the film's best performance by a mile. This is a man who knows how to convey status, desire, and emotion when he speaks. He is perhaps the only one who did this as well as in the original, and obviously he had a massive leg up given that he was reprising the role. But because of that, I have little else to comment on. He brought the Stoick we know to life. He was a bit less joyous at times, maybe, but that's about it.

Gobber: BRB forever crying that Craig Ferguson didn't want to take this role. I wonder if they offered it to him? I'd have to guess so. This is more of a consequence of sound mixing and compliance to realism, but there were many lines (think "always...always...goes for the kill") where Gobber was yelling when in the original he spoke the line more softly. This was like the opposite of Hiccup's problem. Because he always had to project, he lost a lot of the sly humor that made his original performance so lovable. His friendship with Stoick took a pretty big hit thanks to this—RIP the "you got a headache" exchange.

Snotlout: Not obnoxious enough. Never thought I'd complain about him not being annoying! But seriously, him being less of a bully, less misogynistic, and slightly more flirty with Astrid threw that snotty charm off balance. I was, however, shocked by the addition of the arc concerning his relationship with Spitelout (who is woefully no longer our beloved David Tennant). A nice touch, makes me wonder if RTTE played any sort of part in influencing that, but at the same time it felt slightly out of place when there is an obvious parallel to Hiccup's own arc with his dad, and they acknowledge that exactly zero times.

Astrid: My fucking god what have they done to you my girl. They nerfed you soooo bad. Where was her RAGE? This girl has ANGER ISSUES! Why is she DOTING all the time instead of YELLING? We are so far removed from Camicazi that her influence might as well not exist anymore. Also, I did not like the whole ~closer relationship with Stoick and her being floated as a possible chief~ thing. Especially when it culminated in her being the first one to follow him to Toothless after the final battle. Way to twist the knife into poor Gobber's failing characterization. It feels like this new lore on her could factor into the sequel in unintended ways too.

The Twins: Neither was convincingly crazy enough and were both missing a lot of zinger lines that are classic to me personally. Also, I get that the original was from 2010 where casual misogyny was more acceptable, but Ruffnut is not a girl power type of person. What was that. Both also suffer greatly from lack of strong voice acting. Tuffnut at least gets +1 points for the fagcent.

Fishlegs: Not much to say other than that he slips into his native Kiwi drawl so much that I could not take his performance seriously in the slightest. Most convincing preservation of character though.

Final Thoughts

Between its lazy attempt at changing up the dragons, the weight of the film's adherence to the original's script dragging down all the actors, and its inability to properly balance cartoonish whimsy with live action realism, this adaptation is a disappointment to any serious HTTYD fan. Put simply, it lacks a soul. At the same time, it's a formulaic blockbuster and I expect it to do very well financially and successfully return HTTYD to public conversation. But I don't see any reason to rewatch it when the original is everything it wanted to be and much more. If the animated medium ain't broke, don't assume a live action remake will fix it.