Hiccup

AS PART OF A BRIBE, KATU WILL BE DOING BLU'S WORK FOR THE EVENING

Canon Information
Background: Hiccup is the worst viking to ever viking, and I'm sure no one in Berk has been able to figure out how exactly that happened. 300 some years of living on the same isle, fighting the same nest of dragons, and somehow, their chief still wound up with Hiccup for a son. I'm sure inbreeding has been brought up once or twice, though. But, to understand why Hiccup is such a failure, you first have to understand how epic his father is by comparison.

Stoick the Vast was born to be a viking. In his opening monologue for the movie, Hiccup tells us a little about his father as a child, and how "when he was just a baby, he snapped a dragon's head clean off its shoulders". Does Hiccup believe that? Yes. Yes, he does. And why not? His father certainly looks the part, acts the part. In a village where everyone is bred to fight, Stoick is the cream of the crop, and apparently has been since he was born. Obviously, he and everyone else would expect his son to be the same, or better.

Yeaaaah, no. Hiccup is a thinker, much to his father's vast disappointment. It's implied that Hiccup isn't skinny and weak because he's unable to build the muscle mass, but rather the entire village babies him and he, personally, doesn't have the attention span to go and train. Gobber, Hiccup's teacher and Stoick's bestie, is the town blacksmith. He explains to Hiccup at one point "it's not what's on the outside that counts, it's what's on the inside that he can't stand", trying to illustrate the point that Stoick worries more about Hiccup's nagging tendency to think and question than how much muscle is on his bones. Later in the movie, Stoick reinforces this when speaking privately with Gobber. The blacksmith is trying to convince Stoick to put Hiccup in Dragon Training, which he teaches. Stoick's rebuttal is more or less laying out the fundamental differences himself and his son. He? Never questioned his father's orders, even if they were, quite literally, "bang your head against this rock." Hiccup, on the other hand, would apparently wander away from the rock and eagerly search for trolls. Or draw in the sand. Or just generally not do as he's told.

It's pretty obvious Stoick fears for his son. He's never trusted Hiccup's own, deviant attempts at hunting dragons to work or keep him alive (which mainly consist of creating slingshots that will fire nets and ropes for him). The rest of the village either agrees, or are under strict orders to keep him safe, so they all end up treating Hiccup like he's an inept child. In the opening of the film, Hiccup rushes out to join the morning battle and is told by every single person his passes to get his butt back inside. Eventually, he runs into his father, who wrenches him up by his collar, and demands to know who let him out. Later, when the other vikings aren't sure if they should follow Stoik's latest plans for attacking the dragon's nest, he's able to rally their full support with one threat; "Whoever stays behind gets to look after Hiccup." The only exception to this may be Gobber, who has worked with the boy since Hiccup was very, very young. While he isn't any more supportive about his inventions than anyone else in the village, he is the first to show faith in Hiccup by encouraging his father to send him into Dragon Training.

Moral of this story; Hiccup. Fails. At life. Or so his entire village would assume. Honestly? The teenager is a genius with mechanics and is fully capable of keeping himself alive. He's just...never been given the opportunity. That hasn't kept him from fighting for one, though. We can see him continues to hit brick walls with his father and his other classmates, but he never gives up. He keeps making things, keeps thinking of new ways to impress his village and earn respect. Hiccup is made of tougher stuff than anyone gives him credit for. He's an outcast when applied to the standards of his society, but the end, he gets the job done, if in his own way.

Oh, and if you're wondering why I haven't mentioned Hiccup's mother, she's dead. We don't know how she died (dragon, I'd assume), or when she died, she's just dead. And Hiccup and Stoick have a matching set of helmets, each with half of her breastplate in them.

Keeps her close.

Abilities/Powers: Hiccup is a natural problem-solver and a quick learner. Having spent several years working as an apprentice in the village’s forge, he knows how to make and repair medieval weapons and contraptions made out of wood, leather and metal. He’s also a decent artist and likes sketching up ideas for inventions, and drawing from life.

Oh, and, you know, he can sort of work with dragons. At least the ones back home.

Strength: WE LIKE BULLET POINTS HERE OKAY

•Brains Over Brawn. Hiccup's a smart kid, but he's noooot a huge fan of the whole "bludgeon it with an axe" route. He prefers to find another tactic, like pacifying a dragon rather than attacking it.

•Free-thinker. The first Viking who wouldn't kill a dragon, indeed! Hiccup's the first person to start thinking differently, the first person to let a dragon go, much less tame one and fly on it.

•Curiosity. Hiccup wants to learn, and that's more than can be said than for a few of his peers.

•Bravery. WAIT WAIT I SEE YOU WALKING AWAY, no, seriously. Hiccup is brave. He really is. Neil Gaiman once said (in reference to his character, Coraline), "Bravery is not the absence of fear. Bravery is being afraid, and doing it anyway." Or something to that effect. Hiccup is brave in this exact sense of the word-- after all, the brave thing to do was to let that dragon go.

Weakness:

•Wannabe. While he is a free-thinker, he's quick to conform to attempt to conform to (or modify) social norms, and that can get him into trouble.

•Stubbornness. It's a Viking thing.

•Being a Talking Fish Bone. No, seriously. His size causes him lots of problems-- other than just generally being fragile and not particularly strong, he's often not taken seriously for it.

•Curiosity. Cross-listed, because, well. If it killed the cat, Hiccup could easily be next.

BLU, YOU GET TO FILL OUT THE REST OF THIS BECAUSE I CAN'T THINK OF ANYMORE ;A;

Personality: Hiccup oozes potential. He’s bright, creative and eager. He likes putting thought and effort into his work, no matter what it is he’s trying to tackle. Often, he puts forth too much thought. He’s the type to get so hung-up on a problem, he can’t not think about it, and it becomes a distraction. He’s methodical and likes to take things at his own pace to prevent risk, but he also has an uncanny ability to be short-sighted and the risk usually finds him anyways.

Hiccup is stubborn, practically mule-headed, though it can be hard to see. He’s not aggressive with his stubbornness. He often loses fights and arguments, but he rarely if ever drops a point. Others opinions can’t change his mind; he has to come to the conclusion himself. Until then, he sticks with whatever it is, no matter the rate of failure.

Hiccup has a huge heart. His ability to empathize is both his biggest strength and his biggest weakness. It keeps him from pushing as hard as he should, as well as predicting the reactions of more apathetic characters. He projects, expecting what makes sense to him to make sense to others. At the same time, his empathy opens his mind and heart to new possibilities. He won’t stagnate like his the rest of his tribe. Hiccup will continue to adapt and learn.

Extra:

Vertiline
Deaths: None yet!

Punishments: None so far!

Relationships
Canon:

Gobber: A mentor and somewhat of a father figure, Hiccup's been working with Gobber in the forge since he was little(r).

Vertiline:

Flynn Rider and Rapunzel: The beautiful people. :'/ Hiccup met these guys first when he showed up.

Abed: They got to speak at the banquet!

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