#senfree

Any literary analysis of this sort can be analyzed two basic different ways. The first way is to analyze things within the universe we are given, taking all information within the universe as given fact, and then construct a best explanation linking together data points. This is how I usually write analyses. It’s fun because it discounts nothing; all it does is synthesize information and provide the best-possible-solution. The other type of analysis is looking at the universe from without, in a meta framework, where you study the source material as a work of fiction.

I’m going to do a rare diverging from my analytical norm and bring up both forms of analysis, the within AND the without.

From the insider’s look perspective: We could point out there is a disparity between what people say and believe versus what is actually true. What Gobber says in Dragon Training doesn’t have to be true. Human beings say incomplete or inaccurate things all the time. We can easily propose that what Gobber says in Dragon Training is not the full story. What Gobber says could be incomplete information in several different ways:

Gobber’s statement about wet dragon heads and lighting fire could be a generalized statement. Gobber knows that most dragons cannot light their flame when they are wet. He knows that there are a few exceptions to the rule, but what Gobber is doing here is laying out the general rule to his students. That’s one possibility.

Gobber could legitimately believe that all dragons fall under this rule. He believes there are no exceptions. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t exceptions, and it’s to note that the Hairy Hooligan Tribe has not studied the Night Fury up close before, and they aren’t all-knowledgeable about the other species, either. Scientists do have to rework information when they discover new data about what they’ve been studying. The Vikings, as far as they know, see dragons can’t light their flame when their head is wet. But there is actually more data out there that would put nuance to this claim: there are instances in which different species might be able to do this, or… better yet for what we see in RTTE… various dragons can do this in specific circumstances the Vikings don’t yet know about. Things like biological structure, chemicals used for the different types of dragon fire, and more could affect how good they are at firing when wet.

So what we can say is that Gobber’s information was incomplete and inaccurate. He probably believes what he is saying - he wouldn’t teach the information otherwise to the students - he wouldn’t mislead them - but what Gobber says is not the full story of the dragon world. In RTTE we see multiple dragon species make shots underwater, or shortly after entering water. This can be explained by saying that there is much more to dragons than the Vikings knew in the first movie.

It wouldn’t be the first time something like this happens. Changewings are initially believed to be able to camouflage themselves near to the ground but not in the sky. But then in RTTE, we see them capable of hiding in the skies. The comic book The Legend of Ragnarok has the youths admitting that the Changewings can hide in the sky, despite what they thought they initially knew about the species. As the Vikings learned more about this dragon, they learned more about its abilities and limitations. It turns out that their initial judgments of the Changewing’s limitations were wrong. 

So Gobber could similarly be giving incomplete or incorrect information about dragons here, too.

Now as far as Toothless specifically shooting acetylene gas charges, and from what we know chemically of how that works and interacts with water… yes, we run into more problems. I’ll admit… as much fun as this would be to talk about and as much as I’d be entertained with the discussion… I’m not even going to try to address this. I’m a linguist, not a chemist. I took AP Chemistry in high school seven years ago… I wouldn’t be able to talk about this well at all, unfortunately. XD Haha, it’s probably best for me not to fumble around trying to explain a solution with a science that isn’t my expertise.

From the meta perspective, I will say this: the DreamWorks Dragons franchise has always been inconsistent about how it handles dragon abilities. Dragon ability statistics have been given numbers on Dragonpedia and video games like School of Dragons and Rise of Berk; these numbers have often contradicted each other between the media. 

To give just one example:

In Dragonpedia, the Scauldron is faster than the Gronckle and has equal fire power. The Scauldron has a Speed of 6 and the Gronckle has a Speed of 4. Both of these dragons are listed as having a Firepower rating of 14.

In School of Dragons, the Scauldron and the Gronckle have the same speed: 4.2. And instead of having equal firepower, the Gronckle is listed as having a higher firepower value than the Scauldron, 7.1 versus 6.8.

Technically if you do some rounding, the values aren’t quite so contradictory, but it is to note that the statistics about dragon information can get muddled pretty fast across the DreamWorks Dragons universe. I could find better examples, but I’m not going to spend all my time fishing. ;) You get the point. I’ve seen things get muddled between platforms and shows and episodes and different media.

The DW HTTYD franchise has also given conflicting information with what we know about the dragons from other verbal, non-statistical information said in shows and movies. The numbers we are given for “dragon statistics” are basically useless and have very little real measuring value. 

It’s also to note that the television series has long been inconsistent with information given in the first movie; we see dragons exceeding their shot limit, or dragons shooting fire when wet. The Night Fury is said to have a shot limit of six, but Toothless exceeds that in Frozen and several other DreamWorks Dragons episodes. 

So from a meta perspective, people could say, “The information is inconsistent. The creators probably haven’t focused on creating fully formed attention to these details, or they forgot something when they were writing this moment.”

I think the only thing that could maybe justify it is if we could see how he was when he was younger. See how he grew into what he became. That's the only way it could make sense, possibly.

See also here for more conversation about Dagur’s character development.

Yeah, I agree that we could have used a whole lot more meat and development. I would have liked a whole lot more gradual process and filling in the information for Dagur’s change. Providing that sort of information would really help a character like Dagur, whose mind has been so entrenched in his psychopathic derangedness, realistically morph into who he was in S3. I know they tried to justify it some, but the small comments made in the two Dagur episodes from S3 weren’t enough to make it fully convincing and satisfying as a viewer.

From this and this.

Aw, thank you so much! <3

I believe Snotlout grows in his emotional expressivity throughout the franchise. At the start of Riders of Berk, Snotlout is not very attuned to his own emotions, and he stubbornly denies experiencing certain “weak” or “mushy” emotions like sadness and heartbreak. He will say some pretty… tastelessly stupid… things, like:

Snotlout: Ugh. Feels like big, sharp teeth are tearing at this thing in my chest.Astrid: That’s what it feels like when your heart is breaking.Snotlout: I don’t have a heart! I’m not a girl!

This is, in fact, from the first episode of Riders of Berk, “How to Start a Dragon Academy.” And this is pretty typical of Riders of Berk Snotlout: he mocks others for showing what he considers undesirable, weak emotions; he denies feelings these emotions himself; and when he does feel them, he both refuses their existence and seems confused about what they are. Snotlout in this moment I just quoted is attempting to express his emotional pain, but seems a bit lost at what to call it and how to understand it. When Astrid provides an explanation, though, he outright rejects it because it’s not something he wants to associate with himself.

He grows throughout the franchise regarding his understanding and expression of his own emotional sensitivities. Granted, Snotlout’s emotions have always been obvious to others, but he grows in how he himself handles and understands them.

In “Race to Fireworm Island” when Astrid comforts Snotlout, the scene we talked about earlier. Snotlout is in such an emotional moment that his peers act to comfort him. Like always, he tries to deny that he’s feeling upset. He tries to explain this away as having dust in his eyes. However, he does something that is already character growth from what we’ve seen in “How to Start a Dragon Academy.”

Snotlout… opens… up. Though he impulsively denies worry over Hookfang, he pauses, and then asks Astrid about how to deal with worry. Snotlout does it under the cover of pretending it’s hypothetical. “Let’s just pretend for a minute that I did, well, ‘care’,” he says. “How would I know - I mean… how would you know?” Snotlout, instead of scoffing and rudely calling “worry” or “care” a weak emotion, actually asks for how to deal with this worry. He’s looking to Astrid for a source of knowledge. He’s acknowledging that he doesn’t know how to handle this emotion, and getting advice on how to do it. He’s doing it while pretending he doesn’t care, but both he and Astrid know what’s really going on. Snotlout’s learning about how to handle and acknowledge emotional struggles like worry.

By the time of “Total Nightmare,” Snotlout is even more open. Unlike those moments in Riders and Defenders of Berk, Snotlout outright admits he’s going through an emotional struggle. It’s easy to compare “Total Nightmare” with “Race to Fireworm Island” because Snotlout is fearing he will lose Hookfang in both scenarios. Now whereas Snotlout only covertly admitted he felt worry in “Race to Fireworm Island,” in RTTE he outright admits he is emotionally struggling. He even tells people he’s choosing not to get another dragon because there won’t ever be a dragon like Hookfang. That’s a powerful statement full of emotion, care, worry, and vulnerability exposed. He understands and expresses himself a lot more here than he did when he was younger.

Now I do think Snotlout always shows his emotions, even early on. He’s pretty easy to read! You mentioned that Snotlout looks hurt at being rejected by Ruffnut in HTTYD 2. He also acts pretty hurt in many incidences throughout Riders and Defenders of Berk. I think where he grows the most in how he understands his own emotions and how he verbally expresses them. By the time of Race to the Edge and How to Train Your Dragon 2, Snotlout appears to have come to understood his emotional sensitivities better. He’s better able to express them, better able to understand them, better able to admit them. Snotlout still could learn to handle his emotions better - a LOT better, honestly - but what’s so interesting and cool is that he definitely grows.

So I do think Snotlout does appear more emotionally open in HTTYD 2. It’s hard to say for certain, though, because he’s mostly in the background throughout the movie. It’s very hard to compare his mostly peripheral presence in HTTYD 2 compared to something like Defenders of Berk or Race to the Edge. But even if we looked at him just between HTTYD and HTTYD 2... in the first movie, he spends most of his time trying to brag about his abilities. The second movie, he does hit on Ruffnut a lot of the time, but he’s being far more emotive about it.

I think the only time I’ve chatted about Hiccups and Toothlesses colliding was here in this post, but ever since I started reading Cressida’s series, I have thought about how such a meeting might happen. Once I did a really lame doodle of the Hiccups and Toothlesses meeting. Consequently I have HOARDS of headcanons about the meeting between book!Hiccup and DreamWorks!Hiccup. It’s actually one thing I adore thinking about when I’m out on walks or something like that.

I especially like to imagine Hiccup from the end of HTTYD 2 meeting with Hiccup from the end of How to Fight a Dragon’s Fury, where both of them know they’re Hiccup, and want to figure out what the other world is like. At this point in their lifetimes, they’re going to be full of surprises for each other.

Like talking about leadership positions...

BH: So, you’re chief, huh?DWH: Yeah. It’s been tough. I didn’t think I’d have to lead so soon.BH: Ugh. You’re telling me.DWH: Wait, what do you mean?BH: Uhhhhhh... *awkwardly* I’m King of the Wilderwest.DWH: WHAT?!! KING?!!

Or about the life status of certain individuals:

BH: So, how’s Dad doing?DWH: *single tear falls down cheek* He’s... uh... in Valhalla.

DWH: I know Snotlout is a good person, but he annoys me so much sometimes.BH: *fingers the black star necklace around his neck*

Or the general status of their world:

DWH: I’m really worried that Drago is going to come back. He almost wrecked Berk the last time he attacked with his Bewilderbeast.BH: Be careful. *sigh* I miss Berk... a large dragon attacked my home, too... Berk’s in flames, now, and everyone’s evacuated.DWH: O.O

DWH: I helped stop the war against humans and dragons.BH: I uh... started it.DWH: ...BH: I really hope we make it out of this alive...

Then, of course, there’s the matter that Toothless and Toothless are very different.

DWH: You can talk to dragons!BH: Yeah. Dragonese isn’t too hard to learn.DWH: I NEED TO LEARN THIS NOW!!!!!!!!

BH: Uhhhh... your dragons don’t speak Dragonese???

BH: So, where’s Toothless.DWH: That *IS* Toothless.BH: You can fly on Toothless???DWH: Yeah, he’s wonderful. He’s my best bud and I’d trust him with my life.BH: You mean he doesn’t go on strike at the worst times?DWH: What do you mean? Toothless and I get each other completely. We listen to each other, don’t we, Bud?BH: I DEMAND A REFUND ON MY DRAGON!!!book!Toothless: ISSA NOT VERY NICE!

And even the little things:

BH: Is that a sword made of FIRE?!!DWH: Yeah, I like to use it to connect with new dragons I find.BH: It doesn’t look very good for fighting...DWH: *shrug* I admit I don’t fight with it a lot.BH: Are you kidding me? I’m always swordfighting!DWH: Wait, does this mean you’re actually good at swordfighting?BH: I beat my dad in a competition once.DWH: *stunned silence, thinking about actually beating his dad at a fight*

Dude, that’s totally cool! I know I’m not a spoiler-free blog. If you have xkit or something else that lets you blacklist tags, you can safely avoid 100% my UT posts with the #UT or #Undertale tags. Either way, I hope you have a whole lot of fun when you find the chance to play it blind.

I totally get you and understand. :) I was in essentially the same boat as you two weeks ago. I didn’t own the game and I had the intention of playing it as blind as possible. Even though the game has been out since last fall, I had managed to avoid the high-high-high majority of the spoilers, knew VERY little about the story and plot, and indeed only knew which “routes” to play in which order. But I didn’t plan to play the game for a while because I needed the money to buy it. When an amazing friend got it for me, I charged right in, and playing it blind was an incredible experience (I always try to play games blind anyway - more emotional immersion that way). It’s no problem if you can’t play for a while, being as it’s not always possible to get a game right away, but if you do play the game, I really hope you enjoy it. Playing it blind is an experience (suggestion: video your reactions - you’ll laugh at yourself later XD). And if you do get through it, you are free to scream to me as much as you want!

You are looking at Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir, also called Miraculous Ladybug or Miraculous or other such similar titles. Hence why I tag all of my posts involving it as “The Miraculous Ladybug” - tada - that’s the name. This show is an international collaboration, mainly between France and Korea, and it is in those two languages that the series airs first (it has also begun to air in English, but I watch the subtitled French versions to get it sooner).

While I would say that the writing is oriented more toward a younger audience, there are some fun things about the show. I really like the fact that it has a lot of magical girl qualities and superhero qualities, sorta cool. The two main characters are very likable personalities, and Adrien Agreste especially is a character with a lot of emotional depth. His personality and his superhero counterpart Chat Noir are very fascinating to me. And while the plot currently moves forward very slowly and subtly, there is a lot of intrigue about what may enfold in the next few seasons. Those things are what I find most interesting about the show and why I watch it.

A lot of other fans love the show because of its love square between two characters (the two superheroes and their two secret identities). As you probably know by now since I say it a bit, haha, I’m no shipper, but I thought I’d bring that up since it is one thing that a lot of fans get invested in.

But regardless, there’s some cool things about it. It means I do watch myself some Miraculous Ladybug, and it means you probably have seen it all over your dash from a lot of other tumblrites as well. It was only after a number of my other friends, irl and url, watched it that I decided to give it a go.