It is not easy being a Rufflegs shipper, when all the HTTYD specialists I look up to ship Rufflout. I am, by nature, quite insecure and indecisive. Nonetheless, I ship Rufflegs.
Part of the reason is a personal preference for ships in which the woman wears the pants. But that's not all of it.
Sure, Fishlegs is a big softie. He is a nerd, a dragon enthusiast and likes to memorize all sorts of trivia. Which most certainly renders him boring in the eyes of Ruffnut.
But Fishlegs is also brave. He is perfectly capable of standing up for what he believes in. He may put up with other people's crap, but only to a certain point. Once you push him too far, he will – for the lack of better term – go berserk. This side of him Ruffnut may like.
Now, Ruffnut is an adrenaline junkie. She likes to be where the action is. She will mess up with people for fun. Which most certainly earns her a seal of disapproval from Fishlegs.
Nonetheless, she is capable of empathy. She is loyal. This is a woman who was prepared to sacrifice something important to herself just to save a totally random dragon. If somebody she cares about needs help, she will move heaven and Earth to provide it. This side of her Fishlegs may like.
Yes, those two characters are totally different. But each has a side that the other may like. Said side may be small, exhibited only occasionally, but it is enough to catch interest.
In the long run, their differences may prove to be a good thing. Fishlegs will provide Ruffnut with stabilization while leaving her enough freedom just to be herself. He will put his foot down when she goes to the extremes, but otherwise be fine with handling her the reins. She in turn will encourage him to be more spontaneous and take action. She will "shove him off the cliff" and leave him to deal with his own mess, but if he really needs help, she will be there for him.
Ruffnut has the potential to bring the man out in Fishlegs while Fishlegs has the potential to bring the woman out in Ruffnut.
I may be wrong, of course. I am an insecure person and quite a poor judge of character. Nonetheless, I consider Rufflegs a believable ship, with potential to go beyond "they're cute together".
