#dragonpride99

[uniiiquehecrt]

@dragonpride99 ( i’m the one who wrote the varian/raps analysis !! )

Totally agree. Yeah, he did wrong, but because of that, it seems most assume he is the only one at fault. When in actuality, he is a single part of the much more complex issue that lead him here. And another thing. Until Quirin’s untimely fossilization, Varian often did blame himself for things that went wrong, even though a lot of times others had a part in what happened. The need to hide any resentment just culminated until his biggest failure occurred and then it all came crashing in.

      That’s the part about the first season’s narrative that strikes me as the most compelling: the fact that EVERYONE is at fault , not just one person. It’s a greyscale narrative with an equally greyscale conflict. It’s utterly genius.

      Varian is at fault for shifting the blame onto others. He’s COMPLETELY at fault for kidnapping the queen, and almost committing murder out of a blind fit of rage. Those are inexcusable actions from an anger that he took too far, and yet even then I can’t help but sympathize with WHY he felt driven to it. 

         No, it wasn’t right to commit the crimes he did. No, it wasn’t right to betray his friends, but all the same, his fall from grace was a accumulation of a MULTITUDE of factors stemming from rapunzel and her friends, and even his past with Corona as a whole.

         You’re right. Before Quirin was crystallized, Varian did take the blame and responsibility for his actions. We see him immediately start to clean up his mess in his debut episode after the tunnels exploded. Later in “Great Expotations” we see Varian clean up the ruins of the science expo despite that calamity not being his fault. (to that end, despite rapunzel’s reassurance he still implies that the expo WAS his fault in “my first year as a princess”) And this makes sense. As I stated in the analysis, it’s implied that Varian is used to being the person everyone calls “dangerous”. He’s used to the stigma that Corona has with him.

        And then the rumour happened, which I have every reason to believe Nigel started. Fredrick didn’t stop it, Rapunzel didn’t stop it, and neither did Cassandra or Eugene. So it spread, and when Varian needed someone - anyone - most? There was nobody. He had to deal with it alone. Rapunzel didn’t show up until he reached out to her. Not to mention Fredrick had his royal guard stalking his house from the blizzard (s1e16) to the graphtyc (s1e19). 

        Then he figures that the flower will help, so he goes to Rapunzel - someone he still considered his ally, despite the situation - and asks her to help him steal the flower so he can save his father. Except every time he SAYS it’s to save his father (even though he KNOWS that she’s seen him) , he gets weird looks, and to Rapunzel it’s all about saving Corona, not the sole causality and her friend’s father. It’s only after Varian tries to ask and gets ‘no’s every single time that he starts to become hostile. It’s only after he believes Rapunzel set him up, and told the guards that he was going to steal the flower that Varian finally snapped. She was his one ally and she “betrayed” him.

         Of course, we know that she didn’t. We know that Rapunzel isn’t at fault for Eugene and Cass catching on, or for her father being overprotective, or even for the rocks appearance in the first place. But Varian doesn’t know that.

         TBH there’s a LOT I could talk about but this has gotten REALLY long (sorry about that hahah) so I’ll leave it here.

[ghosta-r]

“black clouds are behind me, I now can see ahead

often I wonder why I try, hoping for an end

sorrow weighs my shoulders down, and trouble haunts my mind

but I know the present will not last, and tomorrow will be kinder”

~

over a year ago, I met someone online who’s become a very dear friend to me. together, he and I created an illustrated fanfiction called Trapped with a Trapper, and afterwards started to create all sorts of original characters for httyd. we’ve roleplayed countless stories and are always trying to create more. we proudly share our imagination with each other and, I hope, will keep doing so for years to come.

today, he is graduating high school and turning 18.

I am so proud of you. and I am honored to call you my friend.

congratulations and happy birthday, @dragonpride99.

[leffie-draws-fanart]

1 Year and Counting

It’s April 27th. It was precisely a year ago -and- a day ago (I forgot to post this yesterday xD) I created my blog and got my frist notes on tumblr. I remember being at a friend’s house at that time, and getting a overly excited for reaching 70 notes on this fanart overnight <3.

This place has been hell. But mostly Valhalla ;) No matter if I got a scar due to the drama last year, the HTTYD community gave me reasons to smile and laugh. It is you who I have to thank, no matter if you are a distant admirer, a silent follower, a regular reblogger, or a crazy mutual <3 c:

Thank you for sticking with my possibly annoying appearance, haha :D

Let me link you to some things <3

“Special” posts: -My first post -My first animation (that has been posted twice (because I was still learning How to Train Your Tumblr)) -My first comic -My most popular post (by notes) -My personal favorite post -The most meaningful animation I’ve ever done

My highlights

-IHFAP   > by @hello-em75 <3) -The HTTYD calendar 2016 -JUST DO IT on my dash   > I blame @tarched -Collaborations  > @fifylou-berklife  > @vixivalkyrie  > @emmalennyeddie  > @obsessedwithdreaming  > @dragonpride99  > @jennis41digsdragons  > @raide-draws-fanart -#tarffiewedding2017 (March 4th)   > I blame @amare-sili (yes...I blame only one person :P) -De Booty day 2017 (April 18th)   > I blame @avataviking / @graphrofberk -Discord in general (hell)   > Sorry @angies-team, but I have to blame you :P) -Meeting the neeeerd @tarched <3

[kingofthewilderwest]

Can we talk about Spitelout in Turn and Burn. How he changed, albeit slightly

What is interesting about “Turn and Burn” is that it provides a significant expansion of our understanding of Spitelout’s character. While there are some small new traits that emerge in Spitelout’s character during the episode, we viewers also simultaneously receive greater background information about who he has been.

“Turn and Burn” provides good background context for how Spitelout has acted for many years within the Hairy Hooligan Tribe. While some of it has been hinted, implied, or possible to theorize from previous episodes, “Turn and Burn” better solidifies the canon. For instance, we learn that the Jorgensons have felt - probably for a long time - that the Haddocks have not taken them seriously or appreciated them for their work. Snotlout himself, when he takes his father’s side, asks, “When was the last time you Haddocks gave us Jorgensons any respect?” Now while the tensions of the moment are making their words more extreme than typical, the frustrations would have had to come from somewhere, and it is extremely likely that it came before the storehouse incident (especially since Snotlout, who is much calmer than Spitelout, is the one voicing this idea). We learn from this episode that the Jorgensons have very likely felt unappreciated by the Haddocks for a long time.

The reason why I say it’s not just this incident in which the Jorgensons have felt unappreciated is because there has to be a reason for Spitelout to go out and construct the storehouse. The dialogue in “Turn and Burn” supplies the reason: Spitelout wants to impress Stoick and prove his worth. The thing is, what Spitelout is doing is drastic - and new - behavior. There has to be sufficient cause for anyone to do drastic new behavior. Stoick makes it clear, in his opening rant of “Turn and Burn,” that Spitelout is starting to act more out of line, giving new ideas, and taking the initiative beyond his station. So these are new actions, but they have to be preceded by a cultivated motivation. It only makes sense that Spitelout, feeling increasingly unappreciated by Stoick over the years, would finally resort to doing something that puts him in the spotlight even more - taking the initiative with frankly pretty large administrative measures.

In this respect, a lot of Spitelout’s prior actions throughout the franchise make sense. Spitelout has been showing resentment against Stoick for a long time, along with attempting to show how strong and capable his familyis. Spitelout does a lot of attempted one-upping to Stoick in, for instance, “Thawfest.” It is one manner in which he can vent about his frustrations toward the Haddock family. But, of course, this only makes him increasingly insufferable to Stoick. After a long period of Spitelout poking at Stoick and not getting the attention he wishes from the chief, he gets to the point he does in “Turn and Burn” and builds a storehouse without chief approval. Thus, this is a problem that is causing Spitelout to do new actions - thus changing slightly - but is rooted in something that has been going on for years.

The dialogue between Hiccup and Stoick near the end of the episode also support this idea:

Stoick: What is it, son? Speak your mind?Hiccup: Look, Snotlout is pretty much the same way as Spitelout.Stoick: Yeah, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.Hiccup: And it certainly seems that he’s constantly doing the opposite of what I want him to do.Stoick: Disobeying every single order.Hiccup: Trying to one-up and show off.Stoick: Couldn’t have put it better myself.Hiccup: The-the-the thing is, in this particular case, who are they trying to show off to?

Now it could be the case that Spitelout has a similar growth arc to Snotlout. Early teenaged Snotlout has no interest in showing off to Hiccup; he feels no need to prove himself to Hiccup at the start of the first HTTYD. He shows off to people like Astrid to try to gain her favor. Only once Hiccup becomes someone commemorable does Snotlout start to demonstrate respect to Hiccup… and even then, in episodes like “Defiant One,” what is happening is not Snotlout wanting to demonstrate his capabilities to an authority. Snotlout’s tensions in Hiccup are at first rooted in jealousy. Only later, definitely by the time of Race to the Edge, do we see Snotlout wanting to incur Hiccup’s favor and show off to Hiccup specifically to receive some respect from his companion.

If this is the case, then Spitelout’s long-term growth would be that initially his snide and rude marks toward Stoick did not come from a desire to gain the approval of his chief. Only later would he have those desires. However, while Snotlout and Spitelout are paralleled in “Turn and Burn” intentionally, I don’t want to assume Spitelout’s arc happens exactly the same way as Snotlout’s. In truth, it would make more sense if Spitelout has, for a while yet, felt frustrated that his chief is not recognizing him. After all, it seems like Spitelout is one of the most powerful people on Berk (his presence by Stoick’s side during all the meetings, critical moments, etc. suggests this). He would have been working with Stoick for a long time. It’s not like Hiccup and Snotlout, who are teenagers learning how to interact with one another and befriending one another. Spitelout and Stoick have been working together for Berk for a long time, so I think my argument stands Spitelout’s resentment has been pent up for years.

So where Spitelout changes slightly in “Turn and Burn” is him finally taking action and being more outright outspoken/“rebellious” to Stoick to get Stoick’s attention. And where Spitelout changes during the episode is he and Stoick coming to an agreement after a long period of contention and butting heads. The two decide by the end of the episode to leave the island and construct the storehouse together.

We don’t know if Stoick and Spitelout have had positive moments like this in the past. Probably they have? It’s been a while, though, I bet, given how frustrated Spitelout is. Regardless, this is a first time for viewers to see Spitelout relent and give up something he’s been adamant about; and yet Spitelout finally tells Stoick that the storehouse cannot be defended against four Singetails. This is the first time for viewers to see Spitelout and Stoick agree to work on something together and exchanging smiles. This is the first time we see the older Jorgenson and Haddock generations working very notably positively with one another. And that is cool. It takes a bit of thinking through, and both parties making some allowances for another (Stoick returning to defend; Spitelout agreeing it can’t be defended) for this to happen.

There is one more significant thing subtly hinted at in the end of the episode that has been hinted in previous episodes, but which I am always happy to see again: the proof of Spitelout caring about his son. At the end of “Thawfest,” Spitelout is ecstatic his son won and cheers his name. He trains Snotlout and they seem to find this an enjoyable father-son bonding activity. At the end of “Snotlout Gets the Axe,” we see Spitelout with some friendliness toward his son, if not exactly the amount of sensitivity we would want him to. In “Turn and Burn,’ we can see from the camera angles that the reason Spitelout decides to abandon the storehouse… is because he does not want their sons in danger. He stares at Hiccup and at Snotlout and makes his decision. He’s making the decision to abandon the storehouse because he wants his son safe. For Spitelout, having Stoick’s appreciation is less important than having Snotlout.

It is cool to see this expansion of Spitelout’s character. We see more motivation behind his bitterness. We see how stubborn he can be. We see him grow into someone who is more willing to work with Stoick after a fight. We see a hint of his tender side. This is an interesting episode in how it showcases the thoughts and motivations of a character who usually only stays in the background.

[kingofthewilderwest]

Can we talk about how Viggo "lost" in episode 5? To some, it's probably not a crucial win for Hiccup, but the thought that Viggo has access to the dragon eye and he couldn't foresee the Buffalord's abilities puts this up for questioning. Also, don't blame me, but it was satisfying to see him "lose" just once.

Viggo losing in Buffalord Soldier is interesting for me in two respects. First, it’s what you mentioned: that even with the Dragon Eye, he could not foresee how the creature would act upon being forced from its island. Second, that this is the start of Viggo perceiving Hiccup as something slightly serious, something that he needs to deal with. Viggo’s loss in Buffalord Soldier paves way to further problems between dragon hunters and dragon riders paves way to Viggo treating Hiccup far more seriously in Last Auction Heroes and, especially, Defenders of the Wing Part 1.

It seems odd, at first watch, that Viggo cannot predict how the Buffalord would respond upon being taken away from its home island. The Dragon Eye has thus far proven to be an incredibly thorough, detailed devise. It seems like the Dragon Eye would provide all information it knows about the Buffalord.

Now, I feel like it’s important to cite relevant information that gives us a timeline about the Buffalord, the Scourge of Odin, and the Dragon Eye. Depending upon when the Dragon Eye was written in relation to the last Scourge of Odin, we can make some guesses about what information was and was not included in the Dragon Eye record. The timeline can help us fill in some details and understanding about what happened in this episode.

So, first, we know that the last Scourge of Odin took place an incredibly long time ago. In fact, it took place centuries ago. This would have been so long ago that Hairy Hooligans had not yet settled on Berk.

Hiccup: There hasn’t been a single case of the Scourge for centuries.

During this Scourge centuries ago, Vikings hunted the dragons to (near) extinction, as mentioned several times:

Hiccup: Fishlegs, look! In Gothi’s notes there’s a cure for the Scourge of Odin. A green solution made from the saliva of a Buffalord dragon. What? What is it?Fishlegs: Well it’s just…Astrid: There aren’t anymore Buffalord. They were all hunted to extinction during the Scourge’s last outbreak.

And again:

Hiccup: Now, these dragons were supposedly hunted to extinction. So if there are any left, they will have developed a wariness towards humans.

We also know the Dragon Eye contains some notes about the Buffalord.

Fishlegs: I spent the last few hours combing through my Dragon Eye research and found some old notes. I didn’t think much of them at first, but…Hiccup: The Buffalord! But nothing on its location. There’s really not much about it here at all.Fishlegs: It’s big, has ram-like horns and lives on the plains. That’s something. I’ll keep looking.Tuffnut: What’s this stuff?Fishlegs: That’s nothing. Just some Dragon Eye tracings. No useful information. Just archaic dots and slashes.Hiccup: What? Wait, you guys see something?Tuffnut: Yeah. These make a map.

This is important. The Dragon Eye contains a map of the Buffalord’s whereabouts - whereabouts which are current with present-day habitation. Given as the Buffalord was hunted to near extinction, one can imagine that the creature used to have a much larger habitation range. The Buffalord, like many other dragons, probably lived across many islands in the Barbaric Archipelago.

There’s good reason to believe the Buffalord once had a wider habitation range. First, the Hairy Hooligans of Berk know about the Scourge of Odin. They don’t have to research it, but immediately remember details down to how long the disease lasted. Furthermore, Gothi, despite being born long after the scourge would have taken place… has notes on how it would have been cured. This suggests that the Hairy Hooligans, wherever they lived before Berk, would have been victims of the scourge themselves. The reason Hiccup and his company know about this scourge is because their tribe, and likely other tribes with whom their ancestors were acquainted, fell victim to the disease.

During this time, their ancestors, the ancient Hairy Hooligans, would have been among the people groups hunting the Buffalord to extinction. That’s how this information got into Gothi’s notes: the Hooligans hunted the Buffalord.

Now, the Hooligans might not have lived on Berk at that time, but they probably lived in a near-ish area to where they are now. It’s actually not too close to where Hiccup and his companions locate the present-day Buffalord.

You see Hiccup’s finger move and point at an island right before he and his friends land on the Buffalord’s island. This would presumably be the location that they are headed, which allows us fans to pinpoint where the Buffalord lives.

The maps throughout the DreamWorks Dragons franchise are painfully, painfully inconsistent with one another, but if we look at this map and try to match it with the online RTTE map, we can make a guess.

In the first map Hiccup is using from “Buffalord Soldier,” you can see to his hand’s left an island with a large spewing volcano. That sort of looks like Dragon Island, present on the online RTTE map. This means that Hiccup and his companions are going to an island that is far north of Berk, further than Dragon Island, and a location that the Hairy Hooligans might not have been familiar with. Especially considering as the islands Hiccup and his companions mostly interact with in Riders and Defenders of Berk times are to the east and south… rather than the west and north… suggests this is an area that is not oft explored by the Hairy Hooligans.

In short, the Buffalord currently lives in a location the Hairy Hooligans probably aren’t familiar with.

Now I can finally explain why this is important, and how this relates to Viggo’s knowledge in “Buffalord Soldier”:

The Hairy Hooligans probably hunted the Buffalord, but they would not have hunted the Buffalord in the island it currently lives. The Dragon Eye provides a map to where the Buffalord currently lives. Therefore, the Dragon Eye was created after the Scourge of Odin when Buffalords were nearly extinct. Because the Dragon Eye is a more recent invention, that affects what information its records include.

The creators of the Dragon Eye might have been able to observe the Buffalord and learn a lot about it, but it also could be the case that, because the dragon is so rare, they did not learn as much as they could. Fishlegs certainly doesn’t seem to have much information on them (he doesn’t seem to know the creatures are vegetarian until he sees their dung), but that could be explained away by the fact Fishlegs doesn’t have all the Dragon Eye’s information. But… even more importantly, since the creators of the Dragon Eye seem to revere dragons, they would not try to take the Buffalord away from its habitat. Hunters who wanted to save themselves from the Scourge of Odin would have probably taken the dragon away from its habitat. A civilization of people who lived well after the Scourge and revered the dragon with peaceful intentions would not take it away, and would consequently not learn this information.

The fact of the matter is…

The reason why Viggo didn’t know the Buffalord would react as it did on his ship… is because I am very, very, very sure the Dragon Eye did not include this information. The creators of the Dragon Eye didn’t know about it.

Viggo is someone who would have read all the information he had before him. But the Dragon Eye did not seem to include this information - and that makes sense, given the timeline I’ve tried to reconstruct.

This means that Hiccup and his companions beat Viggo because they gained more experience on the fly than was available within the Dragon Eye itself. That is interesting! It shows how valuable first-hand experience can be, and how this plays into the dragon riders’ successes in many situations.

Now the second reason why Viggo losing to Hiccup and his companions is interesting (I’ll be more brief on this one) is that this is the start of Viggo seeing Hiccup as a threat. At the end of Maces and Talons Part 2, Viggo finds Hiccup laughable, an opponent not as interesting as he would have hoped. In a way, Viggo concludes that Hiccup is a lesser opponent. But events throughout S3 start to show Viggo otherwise. “Buffalord Soldier” is the first time that Viggo loses to Hiccup - albeit in a small way - but this leads to further events. Then there’s destruction of his construction in “Between a Rock and a Hard Place.” Viggo doesn’t ignore Hiccup anymore… but starts to see that Hiccup needs to be dealt with. That’s why he deals with Hiccup through the trap in “Family on the Edge.” That’s why he’s smug capturing the gang in “Last Auction Heroes.” And that’s why he actually pays Hiccup some attention with his treaty in “Defenders of the Wing Part 1.” Starting with “Buffalord Soldier,” Hiccup demonstrates that his dragon riders are something Viggo needs to pay attention to.

[ghosta-r]

My first art collab with @dragonpride99!! We had a lot of fun doing this together and I hope to do more in the future! This is our first prediction for season 4: hiccup getting the Eye back from Viggo, who's frozen in Deathsong amber. Please let it happen please let it happen please let it happen

[kingofthewilderwest]

Here's something to analyze. I had an idea. What if Viggo let the riders have the eye back? Let them think they have the upper hand when in fact, he's copied everything he needs from the Eye. The riders have merely evened the playing field. Would he take a chance like that?

Oh man, this is really interesting. I love thinking about this.

I think it would certainly be something like Viggo to level the playing field for entertainment’s sake. When he and Hiccup competed in “Maces and Talons,” Viggo provided Hiccup multiple opportunities to prove himself to make the game enjoyable. Viggo wanted to entertain himself with a battle of wits, which only proves interesting if both sides are acting intelligently and pushing the other hard. If Viggo contains too much of the upper hand, then the thrill of pitting mind against mind falls away.

The fact that Viggo did not, however, do that is interesting. It might be that he found Hiccup a disappointment and does not want to spend any more time with someone so uninteresting. It might be that he wants to see if Hiccup can rise up from behind. It might be simply that Viggo finds the Dragon Eye too important to let it go away; he is willing to play cat and mouse for a bit, but it is strategic to seize victory when it is presented before him. Viggo encountered the perfect opportunity by which to defeat Hiccup and take the Dragon Eye. Viggo is intelligent and not so foolish that he would miss this chance.

In consideration, there are also some dangers Viggo might not want to risk with copying the Dragon Eye:

If he and his team copy the Dragon Eye imperfectly and give the original back to Hiccup, then they lose valuable information themselves. This problem could be rectified in that they create an imperfect copy and give the copy back to the Hooligans while they keep the original. More on this later.

To copy the Dragon Eye, it would almost certainly involve dismantling it. This seems like a rather dangerous action to take. The Dragon Eye is markedly advanced technology for the peoples of this time period, and there’s no guarantee that once they can take it apart, they can put it back together correctly again. In an attempt to copy the Dragon Eye, for any purpose, they might destroy it and lose all the information.

The Dragon Eye is probably a very important relic to a people group. My prediction is that the “dragon worshiping tribe” mentioned before S1 was released are the creators of the Dragon Eye. I also am suspicious that Viggo and the dragon hunters have a direct relation to this tribe, being as Viggo has made a comment about the Dragon Eye being theirs, and obviously knows a vast amount about how the Dragon Eye works already. To disassemble the Dragon Eye and recreate it could be a horrific breach against this relic so important to his people. It would be like disassembling an ancient temple… while some researchers do this to rebuild it and make it stronger, not everyone is so keen on the interference of cultural artifacts. It’s irreverent on top of dangerous.

But let’s say that Viggo and his dragon hunting team did manage to have the capabilities of reproducing the Dragon Eye close enough that you cannot quickly tell the difference between original and copy. Let’s say that they did exactly that. It would make the adventure all the more interesting as both Viggo and Hiccup use clues from their respective Dragon Eyes to navigate the Barbaric Archipelago. In some ways, Viggo would still contain the upper hand because he apparently has superior knowledge over the Dragon Eye. Hiccup and his friends are still experimenting and learning its secrets… Viggo seems to know the secrets already. 

In this way, Hiccup might feel like they are on a level playing field, when in fact, Viggo still has the upper hand. It’s just not as much of an upper hand as we see canonically in “Maces and Talons Part 2.”

I would love to propose something else on top of your suggestion: let’s say that Viggo and the dragon hunters make a copy of the Dragon Eye. Let’s say they intentionally make an imperfect copy… and they hand that copy back to Hiccup’s gang. Imagine: Hiccup thinks that he has the original Dragon Eye and that they have an upper hand over Viggo. But, instead, Viggo and his people have inserted a number of tricks, false directions, and misleading information inside this copy. With these subtle differences, they can lead Hiccup and his companions unknowingly, overwhelmingly off the deep end into defeat. Think of how Mildew gave Hiccup false dragon notes and map to the Isle of Night... except even worse, since this is Viggo.

Now that would be something. Viggo is certainly intelligent and manipulative enough to pull something like that off. I am sure he has his reasons for making the choices he did… but man oh man is it something to imagine. Hiccup and his friends, excited that they discovered something new about the Dragon Eye… only to learn they’ve run right into a carefully manufactured trap.

[booping-noses]

Requested by @dragonpride99

Jedi Hiccup in a couple different poses. I was in a bit of a rush because I wanted to get it posted before I had to leave, but I hope this is good enough! 

Requests are always open :)