I really do like these slow-mo gifs. They give you a chance to see things that you can’t quite see properly in the movies/episodes themselves.
Like in the first gif, I had never noticed that Hiccup actually leans in closer and squints his eyes to try and make out Toothless within the blazing fires of a burning ship. And I like how Astrid seems to respond to his actions.
And there is also the way Hiccup and Astrid switch places in the second gif. You can see how they had to maneuver around eachother with nothing but the same rope to hold onto.
Hiccup had to swing his right leg over Astrid’s left and kneel dangerously close to Stormfly’s side, where he could’ve easily fallen off if he lost his grip for just a second while Astrid moved forward and I don’t know if Astrid would’ve been able to save him. I think she certainly would’ve tried, but I think the chances of that ending with Astrid simply falling off aswell are really high.
Than there is also the fact that just this little tidbit already proves that all these practice runs with Toothless have really been paying off. Stormfly is flying and Hiccup is sitting in a really awkward position, he’d have to use quite a bit of strength to keep from falling off.
And then comes the third and last gif, when Hiccstrid reaches the burning boat Toothless is on. I love how Hiccup has nothing to hold onto except for Astrid as he prepares to take a leap. Astrid knows this and, concerned, gives Hiccup a sideway glance.
Also, bonus points for the fact that Hiccup’s shoulderguards don’t even touch his shoulders. Like, why are they that far removed from his actual shoulders? Is that just how shoulderguards work? Did he plan ahead and counted on growing into them?
