#though RoB/DoB will also be fun to write

[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

[reviewinghiccup]

I'm in love with your blog. No one ever goes into this much detail about Riders of Berk or Defenders of Berk and it's long overdue. I'm not too good with words, so I'm really thankful you're able to explain so clearly what makes these shows amazing. Every post is so well written! Can't wait to read more 😊

Hey! Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me.

I revisited this series, following a transition in my personal life, and felt like I needed some space for fun. I love reviewing shows / breaking down characters and when I latched back on to this series, I thought I would be alone in the fandom because, frankly, its a pretty old show.

ROB and DOB isn’t as easily available like RTTE on Netflix. And it was my brother’s subscription to HULU and PEACOCK that got me the chance to rewatch them. So, I thought, who else would wanna read or know about this show given the chance, yannow?

I do pour my heart and soul into writing, editing, framing the show into posts and I do feel a little exposed when I talk candidly. I think the HTTYD series speaks to me on a deeper level than just an adventure movie, and I trust it is the same for many of us. It means the world that many of you have been responding so kindly and encouragingly on this platform. We can never have too much of this type of positivity.

Hiccup is a lost boy in a forgotten age, Toothless is a totem of his courage. He is finding himself, in a world where he shouldn’t succeed (naturally), in a world that only wants to take from him, to take from anyone. A world greedy for power, influence and money. Similar to ours.

But Hiccup isn’t interested in that. Though a born leader, he comes into his purpose from the angle of kindness, and it is that angle that makes him such a great heir / chief to Berk. Berk is in a transition. They don’t need a large, strong Viking chief anymore. They need an innovator, a listener, an inventor. Someone smart. He is exactly what Berk needs for the future, the village is just beginning to know that.

The thing about ROB and DOB is, it is where it all started. It is a show portraying the incremental developments of Hiccup from boy to man. His temperament is still immature. His goals, a little superficial. But his heart, it grows larger and larger, because he is open to making mistakes and correcting them. Forgiving and moving on. Sure, it is about training dragons, but it is also about parenthood, friendships, family, relationships, responsibilities. Growth. To miss out on ROB and DOB is to miss out on a lot.

He becomes a strong leader of Dragon’s Edge because of his compassion. He becomes a man worthy of Astrid, because of the same. And that spoke to me, because for a long time, I wondered what the point was in being considered “the nice one”. For many years, I thought it was always weakness to be nice, because you get bullied for it / made fun of for it. But, I see now, that kindness is strength. And in time it will reap benefits. What kind? Too soon to say.

I get that this is a cartoon, it might just be for kids. But as a girl, in my early 20s, still growing, finding myself as I navigate through the cusps of adulthood, I am beginning to realise why we need nice people. I can see how this show relates to me, even if I am no longer the target audience it was created for. But having watched this as a kid, and then revisit it and finding different messages and take-aways can we consider this show timeless? Apt?

Be kind. There will be a few, those treasured few, who would pierce beyond the veil of our compassion and realise, that there is more to life than just gold, treasures, power and titles. It is all about community. And that is in essence, what Hiccup is, a man born to serve his community, the son of a chief. The impetus of change.

I believe that his father saw it, and that’s what lead him to say, at the end of DOB :

P/S : @hiccstridshipper19 thanks for reaching out. I bet if you ever wanted to write anything, you would do amazingly. Tag me, if you ever do any write-ups. I wasn’t too good w words too when I started other blogs, but w time and practice, I started to find my own rhythm and style. A writing voice takes time. I’m still very much honing my skills. One thing I’m working on is keeping things concise (which, as you can tell, am failing terribly at).

All my love to you. Take care.

[bokettochild]

Did you watch the httyd tv shows? If you did, how did you like them?

I did!

I remember watching each season as it came out on disk and losing my mind with my siblings every episode. And the Dragon Tracker bonus episodes! Those were so fun!

*is probably remembering everything more favorably than it was but who cares*

I really liked RTTE. RoB and DoB were a little more....eh, but they presented new ideas and concepts, characters, and dragons to be used in RTTE, so I can't even be mad about characterizations and awkward moments.

Honestly, I was a hardcore HTTYD fan for like a decade. I watched every show, short and movie I could access. Found and read what graphic novels I could get online for free (wrote and illustrated a few of my own). I wanted to read the books, but my parents didn't want them in the house for some reason, so I didn't get to (they're at the local library though and I have my own place now!)

And uh...I also did some roleplaying and fic writing and yeah....

Also, the games were fun. I ran out of stuff to do after a while and got tired of waiting for expansions, but they were definitely worth it! They inspired me to start writing more, helped me work out characters better, and inspired some pretty fun shenanigans!

The first time I made someone cry with my writing was actually with an HTTYD fan project we'd been working on together (Piggy, if you somehow see this, I love you so much and thank you for helping me kill my baby and improve my skills!)

[kingofthewilderwest]

Don't worry, I take over my sleep time to read and write fanfictions. I wouldn't have time otherwise! I have an entire Word page with only links to fanfictions I still have to read! And it's all right to not read fanfictions if you don't want to. It's just an hobby among others. Anyway, you wrote fanfictions?? Now I'm curious, could I have a link, if you don't mind? Have a good night too and sorry for my grammar mistakes, english isn't my first language (btw, thank you for the likes <3 )

From this. Sorry I’m slow replying!! thanks for your wonderful messages! :)

No worries about grammar! Your English is great, and even if it weren’t, that’s no bother to me either. :) The fact that you’re communicating in a language that isn’t your first… just means you have extra skills and are even more awesome! :) 

I love how dedicated you are to looking at others’ fanfictions, even creating a Word document page to make sure you remember them. That’s beautiful and cool. And I’m getting curious about what you’ve written, too! 

Thanks so much for asking about my fics - this touches me! Sure, I’m happy to share! I tend to post all fics on tumblr and FFN, with FFN being my primary hub. On tumblr I use the tag #my fanfiction and tag all stories by their title. My FFN profile is kingofthewilderwest.

I’m so so so so so SO touched when anyone reads or interacts with my fics (though since I write casually, I ask no constructive criticism <3). Fanfiction tends to be my more casual creative writing avenue. Original novels are where I spend my most time, effort, editing, and attention - fanfiction comes out as a recreational side project. ^.^ I love connecting with fans and writing over the mutual fandoms we love. I hope it’s alright with you if I use this ask to self-advertise, list some of my fics for others who might be interested??

THE VIGILANTE’S WAR

HTTYD. YEAR: 2014. LENGTH: 57,110 WORDS. A mysterious, antagonistic dragon rider dubbed “the Vigilante” crosses paths with Hiccup, and her increasingly violent actions appear to be leading to war against Berk. 

He tightened his hands, loosened them again. Breathed in, breathed out. He could feel himself stooped in the dirt, his shoulders hunched over his head, his knees buried in the ground and tucked underneath his torso. His neck was bent low close to the earth, providing him a good view of his hands and the ground and nothing else.

Well, and the blood.

That can’t possibly be all mine.

- PROLOGUE: FROM OUT OF THE HAZE

HTTYD 2′s original drafts had Valka as the main antagonist. I found this so interesting that I decided to rewrite HTTYD 2 - with a few of my own spins - on this concept. One of my most well-known fics, “The Vigilante’s War” is where I’ve gotten the most thorough reviews and most emotional reactions.

THE VIGILANTE’S LEGACY 

HTTYD. YEARS: 2014-2016. LENGTH: 20,546 WORDS. There’s been four years of war between three factions. Drago’s army. The Vigilante and her dragons. Berk and their allies. But now, Chief Hiccup believes there’s a way to end the conflict. Sequel to “The Vigilante’s War.”

Hiccup spoke up. Cleared his voice. Tapped his pointer finger apprehensively on the cell’s iron door. “You said we were making a mistake.” Might as well speak straight to the point of his visit. “Something about ‘you and every one of your warriors are making a mistake’ or – or something like that.”

For a moment Hiccup wondered if Valka actually would reply. The calculating gaze she gave him from the corner of her prison certainly did not seem a positive sign. However, then, with a steady, lilting cadence to her voice, she succinctly affirmed, “I did.” Just those two words. Nothing more.

- VIII. THE MISTAKES OF WAR

It’s unfinished; I haven’t updated because I ran out of steam and didn’t receive enough reader feedback encouraging me to continue. Though I did have a very vivid final chapter in mind… that I still love… which I never got to…?

MEMOIRS

HTTYD. YEARS: 2015-2016. LENGTH: 44,289 WORDS. My ongoing collection of drabbles for HTTYD. Angst, pain, comfort, humor, crossovers, crack, it’s all there. Favorites include “Family Portrait,” “Stubble,” “Buffcup the Brawny,” and “Remember When.”

He held her hand softly, one wrinkled hand laid gently on top of another. It was just her and him now in the house all alone – for their children had left on a voyage with the grandkids, and would not be back for a week yet, if even two. It evoked the quietness of the old days, back before they were old, back during the times when they were newlyweds and younger even than their grandchildren were today. Oh, but the smell of her hair was just as refreshing now as when it was blonde.

- REMEMBER WHEN

DINNER AT DRAGON’S EDGE 

HTTYD. YEAR: 2015. LENGTH: 5,452 WORDS. The gang’s settling in at Dragon’s Edge. To make sure everything operates smoothly, Hiccup suggests a chore rotation system. That means everyone has to do their fair share of the cooking… but it doesn’t mean everyone is a fair cook.

“Oh my gods, is this dinner or what the rats threw away?” Snotlout exclaimed, terrified at the Unidentified Edible Object before him.

Tuffnut picked it up with one experimental hand and held it out before him at a safe distance. People would have held poisonous snakes or bloodied torture devices more cheerily. Squinting his eyes and peering carefully at the peculiar specimen pinched between his fingers, rubbing under his chin with his other, free hand, Tuffnut remarked, “Looks something like what Barf and Belch poop out after they get sick and…”

- 1. ASSIGNING JOBS

This humorous fic I think is where I do best capturing HTTYD character personalities and interactions.

[SUPER]HERO THE HARD WAY 

HTTYD. YEARS: 2014-2017. LENGTH: 86,566 WORDS. In a modern world where Berk is full of superheroes battling the League of Outcasts, power-less Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third struggles to receive appreciation for who he is. Through his crime-fighting journey, Hiccup learns that, while he might not have powers, he can become a Hero the Hard Way.

“I wasn’t born with anything. Don’t have anything. I’m the son of Chief Stoick “Skullcrusher” and I don’t have anything. Not even a superpower to turn objects purple. Which frankly would be completely pointless but at least it would have been something.“

He realized he was babbling and promptly shut his mouth. He looked over at Fishlegs, who appeared to be wordlessly processing the information. The teenager appeared baffled moreso than anything else, which at least meant he was not outright rejecting him.

“So you’re going to train to be a superhero… and you don’t have any powers? I got that right?”

“You got that right.”

“Wow.” Fishlegs said.

Hiccup waited for more.

“That’s actually really cool.”

- CHAPTER THREE: SIDEKICKED

This started as me intending to write one crack chapter. It turned into me envisioning a ROB / DOB modern AU where all characters were superheroes. The final product became a retelling of HTTYD 1′s basic concept: Hiccup gaining his peers’ approval despite being different. Somehow, despite me 70% adlibbing by the seat of my pants (should I be admitting this?), I had great fun. And it brought in the most reviews, follows, and favorites of any of my posted stories! Thanks for the reads and support, everyone!!!

RESET OR RESUME 

UT. YEAR: 2016-2017. LENGTH: 85,841 WORDS. Gaster’s research unlocks the secret of time travel. After the Royal Scientist’s untimely end, one of Gaster’s colleagues - Sans - finds himself with the power to Reset. Confronted with unpleasant timelines and dangerous choices, Sans must decide how to navigate through time… if it’s worth resetting for a better future, continuing with hope for the present, or simply giving up.

No longer timid and silent, the human happily babbled all sorts of nonsense to Sans, everything from how to bake snow pies to how weird Sans’ skull looked to how beautiful the ribbon in their hair was to their opinions of Papyrus’ ‘battle body’ to how their mom didn’t like the color black to their personal opinion of ferrets to a long narrative of their encounter with a snail-loving old lady they met on the other side of the Ruins door. Everything could be the topic of a conversation. There was no filter and even less sense of restraint for this child.

“How are you a SKELETON?” their happy little high-pitched voice squeaked. They flew gallantly over a twig that rested, flat, on the surface of the snow. Powder flew everywhere as they landed heavily into the snowbank. “That means – that means you should be DEAD, you know!”

“who says i’m not dead?” Sans trolled with a wink.

With a shrieking giggle, they exclaimed, “Don’t be silly! Only ghosts are dead!”

“i could be a skeleton ghost.”

“No you – no you can’t.” The human seemed to be quite confident about their knowledge in paranormal metaphysics. “You can be a skeleton. You can be a ghost. But nobody – NOBODY – can be a skeleton ghost.”

“is that so?”

“YES so! You CAN’T be both. That would be wrong.” Maybe the human mentally categorized skeletons and ghosts as separate Halloween creatures, ensuring they were mutually exclusive concepts. It was always challenging to comprehend a child’s train of logic. “Except…” and now the child paused, leaning down and tugging at the sleeve of their sweater. Something thoughtful – at least as much as one so young could be thoughtful – passed over their eyes. They cocked their head to the side and stared at Sans. In the same sort of innocence with which they had talked about ferrets, the human inquired, “…can ghosts also be dust?”

- 5. KNOCKS [[File 5.2 IH-20150701-3-3]]

I have particular fondness for this fic. I spent more energy and care with this than any other I’ve posted. Drenched it through with UT lore. Edited and revised thoroughly. Had two beta readers examine my ASL for accurate representation. I wrote extensive outlines that were several page long color-coded charts, had all this meticulous structuring going on…

The problem was, this was an impossibly ambitious project. Life got in the way, too. The 85,841 words here aren’t close to the end of Part 1. The final two Parts were going to explain the weirdness within Part 1 (the story doesn’t begin in chronological order - it gets pieced together like a puzzle). What I planned to write would have included a complex characterization arc for Sans, every human child that’s visited the underground, and multiple resets containing main character deaths… until the story would end with Sans confronting Frisk in the Genocide Route.

Hopefully, despite the incompleteness, this is enjoyable from its comedy to its angst! I would at least encourage people to read the first few chapters! Or “Socks” - an entire chapter devoted to Sans and Gaster pulling sock pranks on each other.

SOMEHOW THEY’RE STILL OFFICERS

FMAB. YEAR: 2018-2019. LENGTH: 6,036 WORDS. Ahhhhhh yes. Team Mustang. The hand-selected, elite group of military officers who effectively spend their time… doing nonsense. 

Everyone was scrambling at once. Mustang rushed forward to greet their guest, perfect composure only broken by the fast pace at which he moved. In fact the colonel’s posture was almost a proud enough display to make his lack of shirt go unnoticed. But Falman chucked his cards away at the same time he tried to salute; Breda was ducking from Falman’s sudden card shower; Fuery was launching pants and underwear in Havoc’s face; and Lieutenant Hawkeye, obviously abashed to be in this room at all, was covering her eyes with her hand in what was either her life’s longest sigh, or a pathetic attempt to hide her face and identity.

- WE WERE JUST PLAYING CARDS

My collection of FMA drabbles, particularly stories of Team Mustang shenanigans. Prompts / requests welcome for more adventures!

I have a few other drabbles posted, too. I also have unfinished chapters of Voltron fanfictions on my computer that I could share, too? Maybe I should? I’m currently working on several Royai fanfictions, other FMA drabbles, and a longer Deponia fanfiction.

Thank you again for being so nice and connecting with me over fanfiction and fandom and FMA and more. You’re a really wonderful and cool person and you made my day.

[kingofthewilderwest]

Hi Haddock! Sorry for the kindof strange question but I'm taking abnormal psych right now and it got me thinking... what mental disorder do you think each of the dragon riders would have/are prone to developing based on their traits and personalities? (i.e. OCD, depression, general anxiety, etc.) thanks as always!

Hello there, friend! XD Questions of all varieties are extremely interesting to chat about, so no judging on this end. ;) I hope you’re enjoying your abnormal psychology course and learning lots!

I’m not going to assign a mental illness or disorder to every dragon rider in the DreamWorks Dragons franchise. As I’m sure you’ve seen already in your class, these are serious conditions that are not at all romanticizable. The last thing I would want to do is give any sort of disrespect to the individuals who actually suffer from these conditions, or to make incongruous connections between one character’s personality trait and a symptom of something else different and debilitating. To give an example, just because Fishlegs is particular about cleanliness doesn’t give me a right to say he’s prone to OCD, as OCD is something altogether separate. It’s best to represent everything correctly, rather than creating mental illnesses in characters for the sake of creating mental illnesses in characters.

We as people of course have the right to headcanon what a character goes through beyond strict canon, and there is something to be said about looking to fictional characters as ways to relate to our own problems. But that’s different than assigning disorders to characters hypothetically for the sake of doing so. The former’s a coping mechanism; the latter’s an easy way to slip into misrepresentations, misunderstandings, and hurting others who actually struggle. I wouldn’t be morally comfortable with the latter.

But. That said. There are characters in DreamWorks Dragons that I do think exhibit actual mental health struggles. I haven’t taken a formal psychology course on this topic, so maybe you should be the person writing this instead of me, but here are the characters I think demonstrate feasible evidence that they could have these conditions.

Heather: Depression. As someone who has my own fun string of depression issues, I suppose I see a lot of what I and other like friends have struggled through in her. I think there’s a reasonable case to be made that Heather is undergoing depression during Race to the Edge times.

How Heather handles friendship in the first few seasons is a sad situation. Heather doubts that situations can grow better, saying she’s “destined for loneliness” in “Have Dragons Will Travel.” Emotionally troubled, she struggles to trust others and to believe that she will ever not be alone, to the point that Heather is quick to feel betrayed if her friends don’t agree with her, and to the point that she’s more willing to go behind their backs than believe they can help her. The dragon riders have done their best to reach out and help her, historically they’ve never done anything to warrant distrust, they’ve offered to help her in tough situations multiple times in the past, and the friendship Heather has formed with Astrid could have allowed her opening in trust. Of course every human opens up and trusts at different speeds… but there is something to be said that Heather acts under the mentality that she is destined to be alone, and is quick to see signs that the dragon riders won’t be friends she can trust, either. There’s a want to bond - she opens up and tells Hiccup about her struggles - but there’s also the underlying struggles of someone who’s internalized the belief that her life is just meant to be bad, that her social situation is just meant to be bad, and something is going to happen to prove that her time spent with the dragon riders isn’t going to be secure. You could read this as someone internalizing the bad in their life and believing there’s no improvement, which is something that many individuals with depression experience.

Like, it’s not just in this episode that Heather both shows a desire to make friends, but also a pessimistic stand that she’s not going to have these friends. In “To Heather or Not To Heather,” Heather thinks that Windshear’s inability to cooperate with other dragons means she has to keep the dragon distanced, which means she doesn’t seem to believe she has a genuine shot at becoming one of the dragon riders. Hiccup encourages her, “Just let me work with you guys,” but you can tell from Heather’s facial reactions that she has a much more pessimistic view about her slated standing with the others. After two incidences between Windshear and the other dragons, Heather gives up, venting, “Clearly this was a mistake. We just don’t fit in here.” 

Heather does in fact retreat from the others on her own in episodes like “Have Dragons Will Travel Part 2″ after her first run-in with the Dragon’s Edge crew. It’s a somewhat premature departure. Now, I have the need to get distance, too, when I’m sorting through big thoughts, and that can be healthy… but it’s worrying that Heather is more willing to retreat back into the world where she’s alone without a social circle - than to take advantage of any support network. Her go-to is to be alone, despite loneliness being one of the issues that tears at her the most. Her lonely retreat is shown not to be healthy, given how she vents to Fishlegs in her letters.

And speaking of her letters… we know Heather struggles with dark and unsettled thoughts from “To Heather or Not To Heather.” When the other dragon riders find Fishlegs’ correspondences with Heather, Ruffnut emphasizes, “Uh wow. Those are some depressing terror mails. I may need a mace to the head to cheer me up.” And when Tuffnut shouts “On it!” and grabs his mace, Ruffnut retorts, “Metaphorically speaking!” This means that Ruffnut is speaking in rather grim humor - it’s more fun to be bashed in the head (in a way that’s not recreation to her) than it is to read Heather’s emotional struggles. That doesn’t say anything good at all to Heather’s mental state.

Astrid also finds these letters concerning, saying that, “She seems worried and confused.” In fact, the entire team’s discussion at the start of this episode is about how they can find a way to help her, since they realize she’s been through a lot of struggles and isn’t doing well alone.

Dagur: Antisocial Personality Disorder. How Dagur characterizes in later RTTE episodes miiiiight counter some of my earlier interpretations of his psychological state, but I still believe there’s a strong case to be made that Dagur could have ASPD. I hope that my discussion of Dagur doesn’t sound like I’m treating individuals with ASPD as inherent villains or bad people, because I don’t believe that at all; I’m attempting to speak with objectivity about traits Dagur has that are often symptoms of ASPD, such as a violent temper. These traits are most evident when Dagur acts as an antagonist in the series (though not absent even when he becomes an ally).

ASPD results in a persistent disregard for social norms, morals, and others’ emotions. Individuals who have ASPD may be arrogant, irresponsible, impulsive, aggressive, hostile, socially detached, and risk-taking. They may feel no regret harming others through superficial charm or violent threats, they may have poor ability to bond with others meaningfully, and they may not have much control over their temper, a temper that can spike violently when they’re frustrated. So many of these characteristics fall right in line with Dagur.

In my old analyses from several years back, I kept oscillating between saying “psychopathy” and “sociopathy”, which annoys me to no end, especially since there is a difference between the two (sociopathy being more agitated and volatile, psychopathy being good mimickers of emotion but internally lacking empathy). I think I’ve re-edited everything in old analyses to say sociopathy… but anymore, I’d say the best thing to say is ASPD. Still, if you want to read longer (albeit older) commentaries about why I feel Dagur has this vein of condition, I’ll plop in a few links.

Dagur as a sociopath in ROB/DOB

Why I thought Dagur would be better without a redemption arc

Why I was unconvinced with Dagur’s loss of antisocial traits

Dagur as a villain and Dagur developing in RTTE

The essence of Dagur when he’s an antagonist is someone who demonstrates inhibited empathy and remorse, high violent tendencies, and uninhibited, brash behavior. Even as a child, Dagur tries to drown Hiccup, locks Fishlegs up without food, and uses Hiccup as a target to throw his knives - without any demonstration of remorse for his actions. Dagur is shown to quickly fly into a rage when irritated - for instance, all Savage has to do is say one sentence in “Dragon Eye of the Beholder Part 2″ before Dagur starts shouting and screaming at him. Other times, Dagur seems to legitimately enjoy hunting Hiccup down to harm him. Especially in ROB, DOB, and the first few seasons of RTTE, I’ll admit I’ve thought Dagur has been intentionally modeled to have such a personality disorder.

Beyond Heather and Dagur, there’s no character I’d personally pin as obviously having a mental ailment. It’s true other characters struggle, have highs and lows, etc., but that’s not enough to say they could be medically diagnosed with something. People are free to still read characters they love as coping through like struggles, though! It’s a fair way to be able to relate to a character and emotionally process one’s own life experiences. And I have seen some other headcanons go around in this topic. On my own personal end of interpretation, though, trying to be as objective as possible, I wouldn’t list anyone outside of the Oswald siblings.

[kingofthewilderwest]

A few people are saying that the characters in RTTE are shallow compared to the movies and that the show has no deeper meaning . I personally disagree with these statements . What about you ?

I think that there are several nuances to consider when comparing characterization in RTTE versus the HTTYD movie trilogy. My answer is both “yes” and “no,” in different respective ways.

When people say that the characters in RTTE feel shallow compared to the movies, I do think they are especially picking up on how main characters like Hiccup, Toothless, and Stoick are portrayed. Since the show does not focus much on Stoick, the deep nuances and struggles of the character do not get highlighted; we’re not seeing Stoick go through the intricate conflict of raising a difficult son while balancing the duties of war against dragons here. So Stoick doesn’t have that sense of deep development in RTTE - a product of the show not focusing on him. Similarly, Toothless is one of the central characters in the movie trilogy, but mostly a side character in the show; the creators of DreamWorks Dragons have said their purpose is to focus and expand upon secondary characters, and indeed they mostly pay attention to Hiccup’s human companions. So lots of fans, seeing that there’s not much attention or detail to Toothless in RTTE, will state that the characters feel more shallow in the show.

And that’s not necessarily false. The show doesn’t focus on these characters. The show doesn’t dive into these characters with the nuance and depth we see in the films. I wouldn’t say “shallow” so much as “undeveloped” - but undeveloped in the sense they’re in the background.

Now. The thing is… we might not have as much development and depth for Stoick and Toothless… but Race to the Edge hugely expands upon other individuals! Again, it’s that idea of focusing on other characters who don’t get much screentime in the movies.

Just look at Snotlout. You can easily point out that Snotlout is less developed in the movies versus the shows. We see comparatively little of Snotlout on screen in HTTYD and HTTYD 2. Really, we can only pick up a few personality features for him because he’s not the movies’ focus. We don’t know all his heart, internal struggle, and depth just by watching the two films. However, what Race to the Edge is deeply build Snotlout into someone with that three-dimensionality. We learn that he is someone who acts big and tough, and who wants to be perceived as big and tough, but internally is a lot more soft, sweet, and vulnerable. We learn what all those vulnerabilities are - his insecurities to being perceived as inadequate, his jealousy of Hiccup - and where those vulnerabilities get most exacerbated - around his father, or when the dragon he cares about is put in danger. We understand why these vulnerabilities developed given that his father downplays and disregards his son’s abilities; Snotlout thus is out to try to compensate for that dismissal by proving himself to be great anywhere he can, and perhaps even garnering the respect of Spitelout Jorgenson. We see his dual interactions with Hookfang: of the outer exasperation but internal deep love. There’s so much depth, intricacy, and beauty to Snotlout’s character in RTTE. That’s the show. Not the films.

Yes, fans may claim that other characters like the twins are two-dimensional, always demonstrating the same sort of slapstick behavior in a niche storytelling angle. But while these characters certainly fulfill a role, I say that Race to the Edge has expanded them, too. It’s expanded them from the films and from ROB/DOB times. Through RTTE, we’ve seen some interesting depictions of the twins’ love for one another, of their insecurities, of their strengths, of their abilities, of their concerns, of their pet peeves, of their fears. Yeah, we get some fun things from them in the first and second films, but we learn so much about them in the show, too! They’re not only flat comedic relief. The entire point of “Edge of Disaster Parts 1 and 2″ was to frame Tuffnut as someone with strengths and values to the team; the entire point of episodes like “Bad Moon Rising” and “Snuffnut” are to show how far the twins will go in their love for one another; and so many other moments depict them as far more than jokes and gags. They’ve been increasingly expanded as the DreamWorks Dragons shows have continued.

I think another thing that might throw people off is that the characters feel characterized slightly differently between the movies and DreamWorks Dragons. This is where conversation about Hiccup comes in. How Hiccup is depicted in Race to the Edge has gone through significant amount of debate/dialogue in the fandom, with people holding views that RTTE!Hiccup is completely in line with the movies, slightly different than the movies, or personality-wise incompatible with the movies. But whatever your consideration of Hiccup’s characterization is, I do think there’s something to be said that he has motivations and reasons. The writers in RTTE don’t have as set and clear of a character growth arc for Hiccup as HTTYD or HTTYD 2 do, but it doesn’t mean Hiccup is flat. We see someone who can be silly in some instances, serious in other instances; flirty in some instances, shy in other instances; worried in some instances, confident in some instances; and all of these emotions are backed by contextual reasoning.

Consistency of character writing is another big fandom discussion for RTTE - that is, whether or not the characters in the DreamWorks Dragons show are consistent between episodes. I think they are; the biggest challenge is that sometimes the morphing of one character isn’t shown as a steady growth, but sometimes has a bit of a time gap and “spurt.” For instance, Dagur does grow from someone who is an antagonist to someone who is an unlikely friend. We don’t see the full development in there, which makes it feel a little jerky. Still, it’s not that the concept of him growing is absent or without reason and motivation. It’s just that it’s not put on screen in a smooth arc.

The characters aren’t shallow in the shows, but how they are handled is naturally different given the different mediums, purposes, and focus the writers have. This also ties into the idea of whether or not the show as a whole has a deeper meaning. Now, RTTE is not meant to have the deep thematic elements that a clear, short movie story arc has (ex: HTTYD and its arc on Hiccup’s love with his father, or Hiccup’s merit to the tribe) - the show isn’t written that way - but it does have the purpose of tying together the time gap of the two shows. There are takeaways given within individual episodes about love, friendship, the importance of planning, etc. There is meaning to be had there.

Nothing is going to make RTTE as “well thought out” as the HTTYD and HTTYD 2 films. Nothing is going to make RTTE a “match” in terms of artistic writing. The films are art pieces which have been written with careful attention to detail and a loving depth that the shows can’t compete with. You just can’t match that level of quality. That’s saying more for the HTTYD movies’ amazingness than anything else, though - it doesn’t mean that RTTE is unenjoyable or without positive storytelling elements in it.

[kingofthewilderwest]

I'm not sure whether i consider rtte canon or not. I mean i friggin love the show ! But it's hard to fit the timeline into the one year time gap they give us between the show and the second movie. And also according to Dean De Blois , Hiccup and Astrid have been dating since the first movie. So what are your thoughts ? ( BTW i love your blog ! )

Boooooooooooooop! And here’s another boop! And let’s do a third boop for fun! :))) I talk a lot about my perspective on canon in links like the ones I just gave you. 

Essentially, canon =/= consistency. It doesn’t matter if material is completely consistent with each other for it to be considered canon or not. I’m not sure when fandoms decided that slight potential contradictions between sources suddenly invalidated the creation of an official material, but I think that consistency is way overrated, overexaggerated, and hyper-focused on. If it is officially produced material, then that is far different than something a fan made on their own without DreamWorks’ financial backing and production. I think it is only respectful to recognize official materials as what they are… official materials… even if that means there might be some “knots” in terms of a fandom’s fascinating obsession on precious consistency.

The more one looks at any fictional material, the more one can see potential or blatant contradictions anywhere. No story is free from fallacy. Even within a single movie or novel, there are going to be plot gaps, inconsistencies, contradictions, or challenges to reconcile. While of course it’s a lot cleaner and more careful writing if everything lines up perfectly, it doesn’t make the story less genuine just because a few plot bunnies or outright contradictions exist. One of the fun things I enjoy doing on this blog is marrying all source material to one another with best-possible-explanations. We as fans can unite materials to create best possible explanations with even the trickier bumps, knots, and jolts of information. I accept it all and I’m happy with it all. It’s not that I deny that challenges exist to creating a unified theory, but I enjoy making that unified theory the best I can, and I accept any official material that stories throw out at me.

No matter what I say, though, it’s not like I can change peoples’ minds about their determination of what is/isn’t canon based upon consistency. <3 Lately, I’ve been saying “official sources” because I feel like that is a “less contentious” word than “canon.” I don’t think anyone would disagree with me that Race to the Edge is an official material, even if emotionally they reject it as the bridge between HTTYD and HTTYD 2.

Now as far as consistency goes, I’m always going to be a blog that tries to talk about how we can best interpret all materials for consistency. It’s what I do. I’m not a blog that talks about doubt of material coinciding with each other, even though I’m fully aware of where all the kinks and problems are. And I honestly don’t think it’s all too terrifying to look at the differences between RTTE and HTTYD 2 and give plausible explanations for what we see. 

So to take the Hiccstrid example you brought up… Dean DeBlois talks about Hiccstrid as being together in mostly vague comments like Hiccup “gets the girl” (at the end of HTTYD filmmaker’s commentary is where he says that). Hiccup getting the girl - aka catching her interests and affections - is different than Hiccup officially courting the girl. For me, I don’t find anything blaringly inconsistent about Hiccstrid when I look just at the events within the story timeline. And when I consider what filmmakers say… well… what one creator envisions doesn’t always make it to the screen, and I prioritize what makes it to the screen over original intentions. If you look just as what happens on screen, it’s not that Hiccstrid explicitly started dating at the end of HTTYD at all. It’s fine.

How to Train Your Dragon is a complex franchise that involves the workings of hundreds of creative individuals, from the original author Cressida Cowell, to the animation department of the movies, to the producers and writers of the movies, to the show creators, to the comic book writers, to everyone else out there involved. How to Train Your Dragon is the summation of more than one woman’s or one man’s vision, and I respect that it is such a collaborative effort that it’s okay if what Dean DeBlois said vaguely about Hiccstrid being “together” for five years… isn’t “exactly” what happened on screen. 

And frankly, even before Hiccup and Astrid get officially together in RTTE… they’re just acknowledging what’s been emotionally going on between them for years. ;) You can always make that explanation, too!

Regardless of whether you want to look at it through Dean DeBlois’ original commentary, or whether you want to look at it through what happens on screen, I don’t feel as though minor things like Hiccstrid’s timeline is a make-or-break difference for storytelling consistency. It’s not like a main character died in Race to the Edge and then suddenly reappeared live and well in HTTYD 2! We can acknowledge that there might be a few bumps in the road to explain how Berk gets it aqueducts between RTTE and HTTYD 2, but also not completely throw official material out the window in the process of considering those bumps. They’re bumps, not tears in the story, so it’s fine with me. That’s how I approach it. :) And wherever there are bumps, it’s always fun for us fans to take all the materials from official sources we know… and create our own rational explanation for what we have experienced. 

So yeah. I acknowledge there are plenty of things that might not be perfectly aligned between RTTE, HTTYD, ROB, DOB, HTTYD 2, GOTNF, SOD, and what have you… but it doesn’t mean I accept it any less. ^.^ Frankly superhero canon is far far far more variable in terms of its consistency, and that’s still all fun stuff, too. I’m just happy that I have so much official source material to enjoy in this amazing fandom! And regardless of whether or not we all want to emotionally accept RTTE as the bridge between HTTYD and HTTYD 2, I’m glad that you and I can both enjoy it for the fun it is. :) It shouldn’t be a big deal or a contentious issue in the fandom about how we feel about RTTE’s placement between movies. <3

Last… thank you so much for the really lovely comments! I’m so glad you enjoy my blog! Now I hope you go out and have a wonderful, wonderful day! :D 

[kingofthewilderwest]

What do you think needs to happen in RTTE to make Hiccup as self-doubting as he is in HTTYD 2?

I’ve chatted about this before in depth, but because it’s been several seasons since I’ve done so, I’ll bring up some new points and thoughts, too - it’s about time to do that! First, though, mentioning the prior analyses:

Hiccup’s intricate five year characterization

Hiccup’s decreasing violent tendencies over the years

The difference in Hiccup’s mentality between leading a small group of dragon riders and leading the entire village

Hiccup’s characterization into being chief - and how believing “good chief” = being like his dad affects his restlessness

Hiccup interacting with dragons during RTTE teaches him leadership, but he does prolong thinking about acting with adult-like responsibility for his tribe because of them

One of the things I think is important to consider is that Hiccup is not self-doubting everywhere by HTTYD 2 times. I have seen some people write fascinating analyses about Hiccup’s overconfidence in HTTYD 2, and I think there is a point to that: Hiccup is very confident that he can diplomatically reason with Drago, despite the fact Stoick says they must go to war.

So there’s a very fascinating nuance to Hiccup’s character by HTTYD 2. He lacks confidence in the respect that he doesn’t believe he would make a good chief. He has confidence in the respect that he believes he can convince a man without reason to reason with him… believes he can stop a war before it starts.

Hiccup’s lack of confidence in himself in HTTYD 2 is related to him transitioning into adulthood. We actually see some of that hesitation in the first episode of RTTE; Hiccup is bummed that his companions appear to be settling into more adult roles, and that there are fewer dragons he can hunt after and study for funsies. But the thing with RTTE is that Hiccup finds new dragons to study at the Edge… and thus can prolong his questions of rising adulthood. Hiccup can continue to be a bit of a kid on Dragon’s Edge. He doesn’t have to tackle the sobering question of “Who am I?” just yet in the show. But by the time of HTTYD 2, Hiccup must face the reality that he is going to be an adult, he must have a place among the people of Berk, and he’s not sure what that place is.

Now, it’s not to say that Hiccup is all games in RTTE. As we’ve seen, Hiccup can get rather serious when he’s confronting dragon hunters, enemies, and antagonistic dragons. Hiccup acts as a responsible leader and asks the other dragon riders to be responsible individuals, too. But there is something to be said that chasing after dragons is what inspired Hiccup in his childhood, and it’s what is inspiring his stay on the Edge. Hiccup is willing to be a leader in situations where he’s with a small, core group of companions - the dragon riders - and where he’s handling something that he voluntarily studies - dragons. He’s happy to pursue dragons and fight for dragons and help dragons… even if it’s dangerous and serious, it’s his personal choice of where he wants to be. And it’s where he’s been since he was a teenager, still a child among the Hairy Hooligans.

Hiccup doesn’t see leading Berk as the same thing. It’s not just chasing after dragons in his free time with his friends like he enjoys doing. Being a chief, as he points out at the start of HTTYD 2, involves giving speeches, handling all the people of the tribe… things Hiccup doesn’t feel like he’s done. Especially, it’s to note that, from HTTYD to ROB to HTTYD 2, Hiccup feels like “a good chief” is equated to “someone like Stoick.” Hiccup doesn’t think he has what it takes to lead Berk because he’s nothing like his father. It’s what he says at the start of HTTYD 2:

Hiccup: It’s not me, Astrid. All those speeches, and planning, and running the village… that’s his thing.Astrid: I think you’re missing the point. I mean, chief. What an honor. I’d be pretty excited.Hiccup: I’m not like you. You know exactly who you are. You always have. But… I’m still looking. I know that I’m not my father… and I never met my mother…. so, what does that make me?

Dean DeBlois made Hiccup wander throughout the Barbaric Archipelago to try to search for answers about who he is. Hiccup is restless about being an adult and what his future identity will be. Note that Hiccup going around traveling and searching is something he’s done when he was younger to have fun. But now, Hiccup realizes he cannot do that forever for fun… and he has to start seeking out a real, solid answer about who he can be for Berk.

So Hiccup lacks confidence in HTTYD 2 about being a chief because 1). he thinks he’s not appropriately “chiefly” like Stoick and 2). he considers his time on Dragon’s Edge child-like free time rather than being a responsible adult. We audience members see Hiccup has developed responsibility and leadership skills during his time at the Dragon Academy and Dragon’s Edge… but Hiccup doesn’t see it that way. He sees himself as staring into the wide, scary world of adulthood, leaving behind everything he’s been comfortable with, and forging into something he doesn’t think he has the nature or background to do.

All of this is already set up and developed decently enough in RTTE already. Ideally in the last season we might see Hiccup realizing he needs to transition into adulthood in Berk. At this point, Hiccup realizes that his fun vacation chasing after dragons is done. Just like the start of RTTE where Hiccup worries about his future and what he needs to do as an adult, so may RTTE’s end lead to HTTYD 2. Hiccup prolonged the question “Who am I?” when he went to adventure on Dragon’s Edge. But now he’s back on Berk and needs to figure out his place as an adult… not a kid going around having fun with dragons.

In truth, I think what RTTE has to do moreof is develop Hiccup’s confidence by HTTYD 2 times. We have to get to the point where Hiccup is confident about his diplomatic and peacekeeping abilities. Hiccup has to be so confident that he can change peoples’ minds about dragons that he believes he can convince Drago to halt an army.

There are multiple ways we can go about this. One of the things I have suggested in other posts is that we can write the story such that Hiccup receives experiences that make him more averse to violence. Hiccup actually becomes increasingly peaceful in his solutions with enemies from HTTYD to ROB to DOB to RTTE to HTTYD 2, which is in line with who he becomes by the second movie. But this should be developed further before we get to HTTYD 2 for the transition to occur seamlessly. 

Either by seeing an unpleasant violent event happen that goes poorly… or seeing more peaceful events happen that go splendidly… can Hiccup become in tune with his beliefs by HTTYD 2 times. This way, Hiccup gets steered more towards the ideology he stands so firmly with in HTTYD 2 (to the point it’s impractical). If Hiccup tries to do something very violent and fails, he’ll remember his successful peaceful acts like convincing Stoick to befriend dragons. Then he’ll steer toward doing things like that by HTTYD 2 times. Or, if Hiccup does another peaceful, diplomatic act and it works, then that would reinforce his ideology that peace is the way to go. Anyone can be changed to be peaceful, so he believes.

We could maybe say that RTTE is helping that ideological path already. It all depends on their follow-up with Viggo events from S4′s finale. Hiccup might see how Viggo and Ryker’s violent antagonism led to unfortunate ends, and Hiccup emotionally might want to steer clear from doing anything like that himself. I don’t think the writers will go that way, but technically, it could be one way to reinforce the ideology he embraces by HTTYD 2.

So personally I think the ideal characterization to focus on for Hiccup is showing a little bit of his hesitance to enter Adult Land (thus showing his lack of confidence in himself being chief)… but also develop where he is confident. Hiccup needs to demonstrate confidence not in violent situations, but in diplomatic and peaceful ones, to seamlessly transition from RTTE to HTTYD 2. These situations ideally should to be extreme enough that Hiccup would prefer diplomatic conversation even above practical self-defense measures.

But even if the story doesn’t fill in all those gaps explicitly for us by S6′s conclusion, it’s probably going to be easy enough for us fans to interpret the material and fill in the gaps logically ourselves.