Back In My HTTYD Era

SEASON 3: This season is where I see the cracks starting to show, despite me loving it... I loved this season for the most part, Besides Buffalord Soldier (again having ppl rescuing her, I like the concept as a standalone but given the context...), Astrid doesn't have focus on her own at all... Even Heather gets more focus than her and even tho I LIKE Heather, I dont like that she had more development and focus than Astrid herself. Like we STILL don't and WILL NEVER see her family, the thing she was so eager to protect, we never see hew home? She's only there to be another one of the groups that's in on the plans. Hell they even stripped her of her friendship with Heather... Heather writing FISHLEGS of all people came SO out of nowhere when she was closest to Astrid... like why not write to HER??? I was so confused. Like I like Heathlegs a lot but THIS particular thing did upset me a lol....

SEASON 4... Oh the FAMOUS Season 4... ok so... The fact that Astrid often has nothing going for her besides Hiccup or her being in danger and him having to rescue her... :'v Them being JUST friends means that when she DOES get focus it WILL eventually just revolve around that romance when she should be having her own arc outside of Hiccup which she HASN'T unlike MANY of the other riders... But them already being a couple would give Astrid focus OUTSIDE of Hiccup. TLDR: Them already being a couple would've given Astrid a chance to shine more ALONE since that matter would've already been resolved and they act the exact same way anyways (demonstrating how strong their bond is besides romance, since they DO have a super solid friendship and reliance on each other) But no, They're NOT a couple and that means the only focus Astrid is gonna get it gonna be on that and Hiccup. And this season sadly demonstrated that... She doesn't have much to do except on the last 3 episodes. And I LOVE her in blindsided don't get me wrong but I think THAT WAS NOT the way to make Hiccstrid canon. Like the episode should've 1, happened WAY sooner and still not make them canon, but be aware that they do have romantic feelings instead of just acting like co workers, and 2. Making Hiccstrid canon would work better if it was not always with them being in danger, make it more organic, make it THEIR choice. Idk, that's how I would've handled it, instead of making them ignore ALL their previous romantic gestures and NEVER talk about movie 1, GOTNF or ROB and DOB... Like I made my peace with them rewriting Hiccstrid being canon, I do love their interactions in RTTE, BUT I do think they waited too long for it to happen and I didn't like that they chose Blindsided as the episode they happened. They should've have tackled Astrid being blind and Hiccstrid in two different episodes. It SHOULD'VE been in S3 at the very least.

But anyways about Astrid herself. Yeah, as much as I ADORE Hiccstrid in the last 2 episodes with ehem... certain gripes, I think she should've gotten FAR MORE that what she did. Like... I was MAD MAD about how they treated her to make Hiccstrid canon.... It was a hinder to her agency and character. I still stand by that despite my inner fangirl being super excited about Hiccstrid... 2 things can be true at once and I can take their moments out of context and ENJOY them :)

SEASON 5.... God ok... So on rewatch I liked it FAR MORE than the first time. We still don't get Astrid focus episodes that are not her needing rescue..... legit EVERYONE IN THE GANG GET THEM BUT HER (and ruff too sadly, the writers just don't know how to write WOMEN GOD), besides that one time she bonded with Snotlout... like??? idk the focus was still on him ( I love him tho lol). And that Hiccstrid episode....................................... oh man.... How do I put this delicately.... The episode is weirdly framed to present a problem that was never there to begin with so they can blame Hiccstrid 1. there was NO INDICATION AT ALL that they blew them off before, it was the classic tell not show, and then EVERYONE blames them for what exactly? training together? Snotlout was extra mad for no reason? 2. Hiccstrid spending time together was NOT a bad thing and it never was. It was legit just TOLD to us, not shown, so everyone suddenly being angry at them makes NO SENSE, and even worse the episode later PUNISHES them for it.. I DO LOVE their conversation on the cliff tho i really really do BUT Hiccup then legit just leaves her?? lol Again she stays with the gang while he gets to have his heroic moment to "make up for the fact that they BOTH left" ALONE and THAT upsets me. After Wings of War they just stop talking for the rest of the season?? They barely interact.. Astrid STILL gets no character moments. So yeah her character was sorely for Hiccup related drama and nothing else.... I hate that tbh.

ok SIGHS SEASON 6.... I am NOT YET DONE WITH THIS SEASON BTW but SO FAR??????' regarding Astrid? I hate is SO MUCH LMFAOOOOOOO Like The SINGLE WORST episode for me HAS to be Mi Amore Wing. Idk if this is an unpopular opinion since I wasn't there when this season aired but my GOD. How I HATED how both HER AND HICCUP were written it was actually painful to watch. Not only they reduce her character again to just romance centered but they gave us one of the worst toxic het tropes ever? and for a couple like Hiccstrid to fall under that? oh it was so bad... I new about the episode from clips but it was even worse watching it on its entirety (I will ignore the fact for now that they made Dagur het and put him in the worst situation he could be god I'm so sorry they did this to you dear). Like I won't go into details rn honestly but suffice to say that my poor girl Astrid got written down as the annoying toxic girlfriend that demands physical attention when she's NEVER been that type of person and Hiccup as the oblivious unemotional douche and them falling into painfully het overdrama for the sake of drama was so cringe and rage inducing at worst that was just so insulting to both their characters AND their relationship... I hate it with every fiber of my being. SIGHS...... I like Astrid and her relationship with Garf tho... but her being SO unaware of the dangers and STILL demanding to bring Garff when it's stupid and dangerous is just so painfully OOC that it makes me roll my eyes.

So in summary idk. I just hate that the writers took a perfectly good female character and reduced her to nothing but a prop, romantic drama or at WORST, incompetent and overbearing. Astrid is such a great developed character in the first movie and GOTNF that it really was hard to watch and ngl one of the reasons I started to hate RTTE back then. This is something that STILL bothers me to this day and sadly it's so painfully obvious that the writers threw her character under the bus cause they are just NOT GOOD writers. Like RTTE is great don't get me wrong but besides the canon inconsistencies and other hurdles, the fact that they couldn't utilize a character like ASTRID, that was handed to them on a silver platter, says a lot about their writing skills... NEVER trust a man to write a strong female character... and that goes for how they wrote Heather and Ruffnut too as well as EVERY FEMALE CHARACTER on this show including Mala and the godawful Wingmaidens.... Terrible. Terrible overall.....

Gift of the Night Fury. I think this is the PERFECT way to portray Hiccstrid after the first movie. they're so casual and yes if you consider them already a thing here which I DO, it feels so mature and relaxed like they already do in httyd2. Astrid is just so good here and Hiccup as well, I love how they casually talk about their problems and Astrid supports him either way. We got the Yaknog scene and the ending scene. So good. NO need for more just casual couple stuff.

HTTYD 2: Overall just perfect. Same as GOTNF cause if you take into account them being a couple already for 5 years, every single one of their interactions is golden. Their first scene is cemented in my brain til I die cause at the time it was so GOOD to see such a good official couple onscreen to have such chemistry and being relaxed and have happened for YEARS and you FEEL THAT. Astrid support is amazing, their dialogue their jokes, how they're both in on the plan and sadly they do get separated for most of the movie but the ending is amazing as well. THAT KISS? Holy...

RTTE Season 2: My fave season cause Astrid has the most focus. Definitely Astrid's Team and Night of the Hunters are the Highlights, I love Hiccup just KNOWING her and confronting her about her insecurities, super cool and mature, him being worried about her is amazing, I love Astrid having struggles with keeping something from Hiccup because of Heather (oh heather... we'll talk another day about you), which I DO find compelling cause it's an interesting scenario. Maces and Talons I really like them here specifically.

RTTE Season 4: Episodes ShellShocked part 1 specifically: I ADORE them being a couple, cause while I don't like exactly HOW it happened, I was just glad it finalyl happened and them keeping it a secret (understandable) while there's so much at stake makes sense to me and it makes it feel a lil more organic so i LOVE their interactions.

RTTE Season 3: I like them here overall again, nothing special except for "Buffalord Soldier" which if you ignore (again) Astrid being put in danger to be rescued AGAIN is tiring BUT I do ADORE how Hiccup cares for her and how worried he was, how he negotiated with Viggo for the medicine, THE LINE "I CAN'T IMAGINE A WORLD WITHOUT YOU IN IT" HIT SO HARD FOR ME MAN... AND ASTRID SAYING THAT TOO DAMN... Amazing stuff all over I DO ADORE that episode. Also "You would've done the same for me" cause they KNOW each other so well and it's established how much they care about each other. This is why I love these types of moments. Also love them in "Grim Retreat", how she explains to Hiccup how the gang feels. I like them in "StrykeOut" as well and "Family on Edge", I love how Astrid and Hiccup both are the ones that have meetings about plans and stuff and how she confronts him about stuff when others don't. Love that.

ROB/DOB MOST OF IT. Hiccstrid again are not treated as a couple expect for that one kiss that no one talks about (which upset me a bit? cause what was THAT about) But as a WHOLE I really like it, I like the scenes where they're alone and they have actual conversations about their situations and you see WHY they're friends and why they work as friends. Also they do tease each other a LOT, and they seem very mature about everything. They get A LOT of moments alone where Astrid is just listening to Hiccup while he rants and I find that VERY compelling, it shows them as actual confidants with everything and friends which is the foundation for any relationship. Even if they're not portrayed as a couple (like in rtte again) them acting the way they do WOULD NOT CHANGE ANYTHING. That's why when ROB and DOB was airing ppl still assumed they WERE a couple already (until rtte ruined it by the "just friends" episode). Highlight Episodes are definitely "Fright of Passage", "Live and Let Fly", "How to Start a Dragon Academy", "Animal House", "How To Pick Your Dragon", "Portrait of Hiccup as a Buff Man", "Breakneck Bog", "Appetite for Destruction". Overall on rewatch ROB/DOB is a breath of fresh air for Hiccstrid rn for me since all I see rn ir RTTE hiccstrid which I have a lot of gripes with, so seeing them just be "dramaless" and cool with each other and have again A LOT of moments alone where they act like an actual couple is great. (i mostly ignore that they're not official yet and treat them as such cause they work)

RTTE Season 4: Episodes "ShellShocked" part 2. Now I do love their moments BUT ALSO LIKE I DONT LIKE ASTRID BEING TAKEN HOSTAGE OK?! I do love Hiccup giving the Dragon Eye for her but the WAY it happened? like How did Astrid get captured by Viggo in the first place?! idk this hostage situation thing was kinda tiring at that point but oh well I liked how Hiccup says "just promise me you will never stop telling me what you're thinking" my man.... greenest flag ever.

RTTE Season 4. I like most of it tho there isnt' much other than the last 3 episodes so i will talk about "Blindsided" here. I ADORE this episode because their interactions ARE SO GOOD. BUT and this is a BIG BUT, I DONT LIKE that the writers made Hiccstrid official THIS WAY. I don't like it. So I have mixed feelings about this episode... I LOVE their interactions as a WHOLE, like Astrid kicking butt while blind and Hiccup being worried about her but ultimately comforting her on her insecurities is really REALLY good to see. And even tho I still love their conversation at the end with the kiss, it's all mixed. But I can look past it ngl. I used to HATE this episode but over the years, I learned to let it go. Cause Hiccstrid in the shows as a whole and how it happened is something I've made my peace by now, I just don't care anymore so I enjoy it now. I love that kiss and I love them being a couple. Also I liked them in "Midnight Scrum" even tho Hiccup was an idiot for not lightening to her, she KNOWS him and the line "sometimes his pride is bigger than his brain" is SO TRUE, so love that she said it. (talked about it here and here)

Dawn of Dragon Racers: Like ROB, I LOVE their interactions here, Astrid lowkey KNOWING what the people want and trying to encourage Hiccup to listen to them while he's leader. And teasing him too I love them together here (AGAIN you can see them as a couple already here and nothing would change) "Really Astrid? Where's the love for the acting chief?" I love Hiccup in this short so much, like he really is the face of change and Berk backing him up cause they also WANT that change is so CUTE to see. Astrid being hurt for the final race was lowkey a bummer :///// WHY DO THEY KEEP DOING THIS TO HER!

RTTE Season 1: I love their moments (not taking into acc that the writers decided to reset hiccstrid and make them just friends of course) I think the moments that make me love hiccstrid is just that they're actually both competent leaders and they're both like the parents of the groups. I love them planning stuff together and just talking. Like I can take all these moments including the ones in seasons 3-4 and imagine them already being a couple cause it would LITERALLY change nothing. I have plenty to say about RTTE hiccstrid but what I do ADORE MOST OF IT from them is their allyship and compromise in taking action towards a goal which is fight the hunters and save dragons and their ppl. Like the two of them acting as the leaders and parents of the gang for most of the shows is what I enjoy the most. They're amazing friends at that too. Highlight Episodes: "Eye of the Beholder 1,2", "Imperfect Harmony", "The Next Big Sting"

RTTE Season 5: Ok so now that they're finally a couple we see them interact just the same as they already have for years now LMFAOOOO, except for a kiss here and there which I DO APPRECIATE (See? this is all we wanted! keep them the same and just sneak a casual kiss to indicate they're in a stable relationship i dont see what was the problem....) anyways. So in S5 upon rewatch I do appreciate some moments they have. I DO LOVE "Sandbusted" even tho it makes no sense they act like they're BETROTHED?! like HUH?!?!? no... like? idk it feels super rushed lollll but ok I still love that episode and their last dialogue together it was very cute. Overall this season they had cute moments, again nothing NEW since they act the same, confidants, friends like they SHOULD be and leaders.

RTTE Season 6. Ok the Hiccstrid moments I DIDN'T hate were is most episodes cause they were just there like "Guardians of Vaneheim", "Family Matters" I like most moments ngl, I liked them in "Darkest Night" (even tho Astrid's scenario was weird lol) and I liked them a lot in "King of Dragons 1,2" ALTHO THAT KISS AT THE WEDDING AT THE END WAS SO WEIRD AND CRINGE LMFAO like WHY ARE YOU 2 KISSING IN FRONT OF THE BRIDE AND GROOM BEFORE THEM AND ON PLAIN SIGHT?! LIKE HOLY SHIT WHY I DONT GET IT LMFAOOOOOOO cringe but ok it was a hot kiss I guess?? PFF

Legend of Boneknapper: UNDERRATED IMO. I love their lil gestures and casual glances, feels like they're already in sink as well, it goes to show how comfortable they've become.

ROB: Ep 10-11 Heather Report: I know ppl give this episodes a lot of shit cause they think a love triangle was happening but upon rewatch? there really was NO love triangle. Heather was NEVER interested in Hiccup and Hiccup was NEVER interested in Heather romantically, he just pitied her for her sob story, in fact, Astrid may have been upset Hiccup stood her up but I don't think she was actually jealous of Heather, She was sus at the very first moment and I don't think it had to do with her romantic feelings towards Hiccup. And afterwards, Astrid had EVERY single right to be sus and mad at Hiccup and yes it had nothing to do with jealousy, is because Heather gave her plenty of reasons to be mad, and Hiccup not listening was a dick move on HIS part. I think these episodes were an ATTEMPT from the writers to make Hiccstrid butt heads for once but I dont think they did a very good job at portraying a love triangle if they wanted to, cause again Heather had completely other things on her mind. Overall... not the BEST way to make Hiccstrid fight? but when u see each side you see how it happened. I'm just a lil upset that it was done this way, cause overall it just makes HICCUP look bad pfff

HTTYD3: They have a lot of highs and A LOT OF LOWS, Tho I don't technically blame it on their relationship but the writing of this movie as a whole. Like Hiccstrid as a couple is SUPER FINE. I ADORE the scene at the cliff SO SO MUCH, AMAZING callback, definitely a highlight. That scene in the ship with the explosion? Highest sexual tension ever like wow, THE WEDDING? 10/10. Them as adults in the epilogue?! I was on cloud 9. BUT ASTRID had so many lines that just makes me HATE HATE how it made their relationship look, actually EVERYONE'S relationship with Hiccup.... I HATE the "you gave him his freedom Hiccup what did you expect" and "wow look at you embracing change" LIKE HUH?!??! WHO ARE YOU ASTRID??!?! TF. So yeah this movie on the Hiccstrid side of things is mostly fine, but the whole movie's writing as w hole bring is down so I can like their moments individually while still hating the overall feeling of the movie.

Homecoming: HICCSTRID BEING PARENTS IS A TIER TO ME OK?! LISTEN!! I ADORE THEM AS PARENTS IS SOMETHING I'VE BEEN WANTING FOR LIKE 9 YEARS SINCE 2010. BUTTTTT AND THIS IS ALSO A HUGE BUT. I HATE HATE HATE How they ALL treated Hiccup..... like I explained in another post but god... I DO NOT like how they all just ignored his complaints about telling THE RIGHT AND CORRECT ACCURATE STORY HELLO!?!? Seems like he was just a pushover and not a chief..... a loser and a delusional old man idk it was so hard to watch... sad that we got to see them being parents tainted by that dumbass story in this short... but overall seeing them as parents do trump a lot. I can ignore it just to see them interact with their kids and being THE MARRIED COUPLE they always were. Amazing stuff. Chief and Chieftess fr I love them. Also they're both 30?! pfff they both HOT AF ok?!

Book of dragons: Not much to say here but I DO ADORE Astrid being there with Hiccup learning about dragons too as well cause she also ya know... READ the Book of Dragons, like she's also a nerd believe me. So seeing them have things in common is great.

ROB: Ep12 "Thawfest". Ah yes.. the reward kiss that was never brought up again. So Hiccstrid in ROB and DOB in general are FINE cause at least Astrid is far more active and less damsel in distress than in RTTE but the writers still didn't know how to handle them in an actual relationship and back to friends with benefits (?) they go...

Comics: I haven't read them all but I saw some pages of some specially after httyd2 and I love them. They're already married even if it's not official yet. I do love them.

RTTE Season 5 Episodes 7,8,9: Oh my... OK this is where I got MAD. Hiccstrid don't NEED pointless drama and this one made me mad cause they didn't even do ANYTHING WRONG and everyone started gaslighting them into thinking they were OBSESSED and Pushing everyone away when it was NEVER SHOWN that, they all got mad for no reason and then they guilt-tripped them for it, which then cause a drift? like it was also not their fault to leave to go fetch the thing Johan told Hiccup to find and the Edge getting attacked. And then LATER Hiccup just ignores AStrid and goes on his own... idk man I just don't like how they forcefully made them separate for no reason other than Hiccup's ego. And ONCE again, Astrid has no agency on the matter and is forced to just deal with it but we don't even see what SHE thinks about it... idk this happens A LOT in later seasons.

RTTE Season 6: "Mi Amore Wing". Yes this is the WORST HICCSTRID EVER IN THE ENTIRE FRANCHISE. I WILL SAY IT RIGHT HERE AND NOW. This is Hiccstrid at its WORST. I think this is exactly what almost made me hate Rtte Hiccstrid as a whole cause WHAT THE HELL were the writers thinking... and I hate that ppl bring it up as a poor excuse of a drama plot to make Hiccstrid fight over something cause "couples fight right?! it's only natural" NO SHUT UP. Hiccstrid is NOT that type of couple. They are actually VERY mature and secure in their relationship to bring THIS bullshit this late in the game. It's just so dumb. Astrid WOULD NEVER act this way or even care about something so mundane and even worse, she would NEVER do the silent treatment like that's just so toxic and HICCUP, as usual these things make hiccup look like the asshole because YES! he WOULD NOTICE!!!! he's a detailist ffs, of course he would. Making hiccup into this oblivious asshole just for the sake of cheap het drama is just so LOW.... god this is an example of how heteronormativity ruins couples and stories. They took a perfectly good couple and made them act so stupid for one (1) episode and for what? and I hate that ppl use this episode to prove how cute they are like NO?! they're not. They're legit so OOC, BOTH of them. And that kiss at the end was super cheesy and cringe sorry.... It just doesn't feel like hiccstrid AT ALL.