#hiccstrid analysis

[oseytorvan]

“Astrid didn't feel any attraction to Hiccup until he became useful to the tribe” (c) an Eretstrid fan

That's what I love about most fans of non–canon couples httyd - when you ask why they like their couple, the first thing they answer is: “actually, I've never liked Hiccstrid because...”. 

A war is raging on Berk – a lot of fire-breathing, flying reptiles attack the village, destroying crops, stealing cattle and leaving the Vikings without a roof over their heads.

What distinguishes Astrid from her peers is that she knows how to prioritize. Now, when her tribe is on the verge of starvation and utter chaos, Astrid chooses the welfare of the people, not her own. She doesn't need languid looks, she doesn't need butterflies in her stomach and serenades under the window, she doesn't need any of this. All Astrid Hofferson wants at the moment is the well–being of her tribe. So, it's not surprising that Astrid didn't consider Hiccup as an option. There is nothing surprising in the fact that Astrid did not consider anyone as an option.  

For example, let's put Eret in this setting. It may seem that Astrid might well be interested in him – he is a tall, attractive man, he has all the qualities necessary for a Viking, and he also acts against dragons. But there is one caveat: Eret works for Drago – for a madman who almost killed the Chief of the Hooligans. Eret does not care about anyone's well-being, he catches dragons solely for the sake of his own prosperity, he grovels before the enemy of Berk. This is enough to make Eret unattractive in the eyes of a girl focused on protecting her tribe. Don't believe those who say that context doesn't matter, because context matters.  

Okay, that's sorted out. Let's fast forward a bit to when the Vikings began to live in harmony with the dragons. Astrid can relax – now that the village is not in danger, she can think about herself. Astrid has always been and remains a warrior, but now she has much more time and opportunities for self-realization. Astrid tries her hand at dragon training, trains with Gromgilda and helps ensure comfortable coexistence between Vikings and dragons. 

And that's when Astrid really pays attention to Hiccup. Over time, she begins to be interested in him not as a person who stands for the future of her tribe, not as a good companion, but as a person. Their priorities coincide – they create a new world based on harmony between Vikings and dragons. Teamwork gradually turns into a strong friendship, and at some point Astrid pays attention to what is happening between them. Something deeper than camaraderie, friendship, or superficial infatuation. She points out that her relationship with Hiccup has never been completely platonic, that there is a mutual attraction between them. 

Also, I want you to understand that I have nothing against those who consider Eret and Astrid a great couple. I just want to say that there is nothing wrong with the fact that Hiccup and Astrid's attraction to each other did not arise at the snap of their fingers. Each couple develops individually, and most future lovers do not initially assume that they will be in love with each other. 

[oseytorvan]

I really like this moment. At the beginning of the film, Astrid hits the dorsal fin release button quite hard, and Hiccup tells her to be careful, since "calibration is very sensitive." At the end of the film, we see that Astrid pressed this button much more gently. Moreover, after pressing, she freezes for a few moments, waiting for Hiccup's reaction, and laughs only after she is sure that he is okay. She respects Hiccup's feelings and is able to adjust her behavior model when necessary.

[oseytorvan]

Why did Hiccup and Astrid get engaged?

I know that many fans were strained by the "hasty" engagement of Hiccup and Astrid. I mean, come on! These two had been getting together for so long, and then suddenly announced their engagement? It's kind of implausible, isn't it? Well, I think I have a decent explanation for Hiccup and Astrid's "hasty" engagement.

Many of the characters' statements are paraphrased in my country, so the quotes may be inaccurate.

 Remember the "Free Scauldy" series. Tired of Snotlout's annoying flirtation, Astrid begins to tease him with a reciprocal flirtation and jokingly offers to get engaged. When asked by a shocked Jorgenson, Astrid explains: "Let's become a couple."

  That is, the Vikings do not have the concept of "just being in a relationship." If a man and a woman like each other, they announce their intention to become a couple in front of the tribe and begin to prepare for marriage – get engaged, arrange an engagement. In those days, it was impossible to become a couple just like that – in those days, people declared their sympathy and immediately married. That's why Hiccup and Astrid initially did not tell the friends about their relationship. They knew that in this case they would not be able to avoid rumors and conversations about marriage, for which they were not ready at that time. At the same time, Hiccup and Astrid knew that they were serious, and did not want to hide their feelings for each other. The engagement solved all the problems. Firstly, this is how Hiccup and Astrid declared themselves a couple and legitimized their relationship, which means that this is not a fleeting love, but a serious feeling. Hiccup and Astrid know what it will lead to, and agree with it. Secondly, it saves Hiccup and Astrid from unnecessary rumors and annoying questions about marriage. Thirdly, now they can live in peace – now they are engaged, and they can decide for themselves when to get married.

I like that Hiccup and Astrid are able to solve problems calmly and without unnecessary drama. It may be romantic to kiss in dark corners and hide a relationship from society, but Hiccup and Astrid choose an engagement, knowing that they will feel safer this way. This is one of the most important advantages of their relationship.

[oseytorvan]

Yes, Hiccup and Astrid revolve in different social circles: Hiccup is the son of the leader, heir to the throne, the future leader; Astrid is an ordinary commoner from a disgraced clan (after her uncle "froze in fear" of the dragon, the Hoffersons were considered cowards). In this sense, Hiccup and Astrid are really different.

But they have something in common: they BOTH stand out from their surroundings.

Hiccup, as a future leader, was obliged from childhood to meet certain requirements so that the tribe could look up to him and prosper. Many Viking classes required good physical fitness. But Hiccup was born prematurely, so they were simply too much for him. Moreover, the daily activities of the tribe clearly did not attract the boy - he even turned elementary fishing into hunting trolls, and when his father gave him a small hatchet, he used it as a paperweight.

Hiccup always did not fit the image of the "true leader of the Vikings." But what about Astrid? She is shown to be the perfect Viking and warrior that Stoick wanted his son to be. How can she "fail to meet expectations"?

But do not forget that Astrid was born in a clan of "cowards". In the tribe of Shaggy Hooligans, human weaknesses are treated very harshly, so this incident could not but cause bullying. The whole clan is responsible for the Viking's mistakes, therefore, I am sure that the niece of the "Finn Frostbitten" inevitably became the object of harassment and ridicule. More precisely, it would have been if this niece had not turned out to be Astrid Hofferson.

Astrid would never let herself be offended, so she quickly put in place everyone who dared to vilify her clan. It seems to me that thanks to this experience, Astrid acquired the desire to be the best in everything, became obsessed with training and championship. She trained harder than anyone to prevent a repeat of the situation. So that her clan would be respected again.

So, let's summarize.

Hiccup is the son of the chief himself and heir to the throne. But at the same time, he does not match the image of the ideal Viking at all.

Astrid is a relative of the "coward", a representative of a disgraced clan, which position in the tribe is rapidly falling. But at the same time, she is one of the most diligent children, the best in training with dragons, an authority among peers.

So maybe Hiccup and Astrid are not so different.

[oseytorvan]

Why did Hiccup never call Astrid beautiful?

I think I wasn't the only one who was tormented by the question: why did Hiccup never say how beautiful Astrid was? That is, yes, we saw his look when she walked against the background of the explosion, but that's not enough! Damn, his girlfriend is the most beautiful girl in the tribe! What romantic speeches he made to her! So why, despite this, did Hiccup NEVER call Astrid beautiful? In this article, I will try to answer this question.

(quotes may be inaccurate, as some replicas have been changed in my country)

So, let's see how Astrid herself feels about her appearance.

“Don't be afraid, Pretty Face” (c) Ruffnut “And I'm not afraid” (c) Astrid “I talked to Hiccup” (с) Ruffnut

From this and some other remarks, it can be understood that Astrid considers herself pretty and is quite happy with her appearance.

Despite the status of the "first beauty of the tribe" Astrid never used her appearance to achieve something.

She used crude blackmail against Drago, although she could, I don't know, try to seduce him. Yes, yes, nature gave her everything she needed, she had such an opportunity! So why does Astrid never use it?

I want you to pay attention to her phrase:

"Because she's beautiful, people think she's not tough. But you should never underestimate me. Well, her-well, us"

Astrid wasn't talking about Stormfly, she was talking about herself! She knows that people think she is beautiful and because of this underestimate her abilities as a warrior.

Do you remember the moment when Astrid was training recruits for the reserve squad? In a conversation with Astrid, Spitelout openly flirted with her!

And do you know what Astrid did after that? She put an apple on her head and ordered Stormfly to knock it down. She did it to show Snotlout's father that she was his commander and not a girl for flirting.

When you think about all this, it becomes clear why Hiccup never complimented Astrid's appearance. Instead, he often says that she is "strong, invincible," fearless and a good fighter. Because he knows that recognizing her abilities is more important to Astrid than all those "sapphire eyes". 

Although maybe Hiccup just never saw sapphires

[oseytorvan]

Why did Hiccup stop Astrid?

I apologize in advance, my English is disgusting. I hope I can express my thought clearly.

Plots in the style of "Hiccup didn't see the point in catching up with Astrid" are gaining such a lot of popularity. I think it's very cool, and I admire the authors of such fanfiction endlessly. They have an amazing imagination, they have their own special view of the movie universe familiar to us, and that's fine.

At the same time, I am beginning to fear that due to the abundance of such works, fans will no longer understand why everything was different in the canon. Why did Hiccup catch up with Astrid if at the beginning of the scene he wanted to leave Berk forever? Why did he decide to convince a girl who can't stand him?

In this article, I will try to explain Hiccup's motivation and shed light on some non-obvious truths.

We all know that initially Hiccup wanted to fly away from Berk with Toothless. Let's figure out why.

Remember the moment when Stoick barged in to Hiccup and a "heart-to-heart conversation" ensued between them. You can see that Hiccup gave up pretty quickly when he thought that his father had found out about Toothless. He said, "I wanted to tell you, but...".

Acquaintance with Toothless brought Hiccup a lot of bright emotions - excitement, adrenaline, anxiety, curiosity, passion. He had never experienced anything like this and wanted to share it with at least someone. Remember! When Hiccup knocked out the Night Fury, he did not hide it and immediately tried to tell his father about it, he openly asked Gobber about the Night Furies until he realized that it was useless. No one takes his words seriously, so there is no one to share his feelings with. And soon, Hiccup stopped counting on understanding, and began to hide everything.

Even when the Vikings began to consider him a Cool Dragon Fighter, no one still wanted to listen to him and understand. Hiccup accepted that no one was interested in his opinion here. Therefore, the only way out that he sees is to escape far away.

A little clarification! At that time, Hiccup really liked the company of dragons and considered them harmless creatures, but he was not ready to fight for them yet. He understood that no one cared that he did not want to kill dragons, and no one would listen that they were "not like that." Hiccup thought he couldn't do anything, but he couldn't kill the dragon either. So why not just run away, right?

Generalization of Hiccup's motives 

1. Indifference of the tribe

  2. Self-doubt

Well, we found out Hiccup's motives for escaping. But that doesn't explain at all why he still chased Astrid! After all, she, like the whole tribe, did not show understanding to him and even hated him for his success in the Arena! What's the point of Hiccup stopping her? If Stoick finds out that his son has tamed the dragon, he won't be able to do anything - Hiccup will already be far away. He could just fly off the island and no one would get him! So why all this?..

I will try to explain as clearly as possible.

After Hiccup tamed Toothless, all his old dreams began to come true - he became popular in the tribe, he finally started to get something and he deserved his father's pride. Only one thing did not come true - Astrid.  

Let's remember that Hiccup fell in love with Astrid not only because of her pretty figure - she was a collective image of all his desires, a kind of ideal. Haddock dreamed that Astrid would hang around his neck if he became successful. But everything happened exactly the opposite - she became the only person who was not delighted with such successes.

Astrid was the only one who saw Hiccup without a mask. She noticed that something was wrong with him, that he had changed, and did not believe for a penny that Hiccup could become a dragon slayer.

In this chaos of misunderstanding, blind adoration and obvious indifference, someone decided for the first time to find out what was happening to him. Astrid didn't admire Hiccup. Instead, she just tore off his Hero mask and asked "what the hell?".  And with this act Astrid destroyed her idealized image in the eyes of Hiccup.

He dreamed that she would stick to him if he stopped being himself and began to meet the demands of the tribe. But on the contrary, she became the only one who did not like the "fake" Hiccup. And at that moment, Hiccup looked at her with completely different eyes.

First, he saw that his goddess also had flaws. Such as - perfectionism, huge conceit, aggressiveness, anger, cruelty, envy.

Secondly, Hiccup realized that Astrid would not fall for his reputation as an Ideal Viking. 

Then Hiccup realizes that Astrid, who did not meet his expectations, likes him much more than her idealized image in his head.

He owes this to Toothless.

Before meeting him, Hiccup, like Snotlout, wanted a hot and popular girlfriend, next to whom he would be considered cool.

But after meeting Toothless, Hiccup realized that he needed a companion who would support and help him achieve his goal, with whom he could share the amazing feeling of flying and share his worries about the safety of dragons. Who can be trusted with a secret and rely on him to protect Toothless in case of anything. A companion who will believe in him more than he does, and fight shoulder to shoulder for the world they will build together.

And that's what Hiccup saw in Astrid. They were in the same boat - they are the only ones who know about Toothless. Therefore, besides her, Hiccup has no one else to count on.

But still, Astrid's mentality is Viking. She was always on the same wavelength with the tribe. And Hiccup is with dragons. Therefore, if he manages to convince Astrid about the dragons, then the whole tribe will succeed, because they are on the same wavelength.

Astrid destroyed his ideal by showing that Vikings can be completely different from what Hiccup sees them. That they can see through the mask.  And this act gives Hiccup hope that he will be able to rid her of delusions. And at the same time, the whole tribe.

Do you want to know why he ran after Astrid?

1. Changing priorities (need support, not popularity)

2. Destruction of the image of the goddess (Hiccup began to see Astrid as a simple person, not an ideal)

3. In the same boat (Astrid is Hiccup's last hope, since no one else knows about Toothless)

4. Associations with the tribe and dragons (If Astrid can change the attitude to Hiccup, then Vikings can change the attitude to dragons)

[oseytorvan]

Do you see what I see?

"There is a Deadly Nadder symbol on the strapline of Hiccup's . It's purposely aligned with the position of his heart and is meant to be a nod to his relationship with Astrid" (s) Wiki 

I know that Hiccup could have put his hand there quite by accident, without any hidden subtext. But I would really like to believe that Hiccup touched this thing to feel Astrid's support when they are away from each other.

It's too sentimental for him, right?)

[avannak]

Opinions on the Hiccstrid relationship in HTTYD versus their relationship in HTTYD 2?

So… this is going to sound nuts, but I love them both the same amount for different reasons.

I loved their true relationship in HTTYD. The indulged, disastrous heir and the loyal, competitive warrior. The contemporary and traditionalist. Two, young individuals who both had unique and necessary approaches to ending a war that could only come to fruition when combined. Them finally seeing each other after years of misconceptions... working together... that’s the best part of Hiccup and Astrid. That’s part of what made writing Leith so cathartic for me; I got to explore that part of their relationship without shoehorning some romance.

The “romance” of the first movie knocked Hiccup and Astrid, as a couple, back for me. It was rushed, out of place, and it reduced Astrid to a plot role rather than give her character the same courtesy Hiccup’s got. She was forced to step into the “girl to be got” position when it was time for the protagonist to be rewarded. But beyond that, I really, really loved their whole complex dynamic.

HTTYD2, from a romantic relationship standpoint, I liked much better. Soft, easy, warm, experienced. No drama. They were a team, and they had been operating as a team for five years now.

But less exciting, over all, compared to HTTYD. Or maybe it was so nice and set that I felt there was less to ‘fix’? Less to work with?

HTTYD Hiccstrid was great clay for building and developing, with many different ways to work those characters together.

HTTYD2 Hiccstrid was great clay for future family/ruling/viking life. More domestic.

I like them both at the end of the day. I just wish HTTYD had been more courteous to Astrid’s character. That will always be a black mark on an otherwise stupendous film.