Here’s The New Refs For Toothless’ Family/Past AU Thing :]

Okay, uh, I'm not 100% sure that I'm autistic (I mean, I took a test, but I still need to go to get an actual diagnosis) but YEAH, FUCK TERFS

This user is autistic and hates terfs

Hey remember when Remy's dad showed him the broken lifeless bodies of rats caught in human made rat traps as a means to dissuade him from cooking what the fuck was up with that imagine your dad taking you to see a public execution because you said you wanna make cupcakes for a living

little chef

It is our duty as feminists to protect and respect women in Hijabs

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Fifteen years ago, my favorite animated movie released in theaters. I saw it two days later; at only 6 years old, seeing the film in 3D, my entire world had been changed.

more under the cut; autistic, passionate ramblings ahead.

How to Train Your Dragon came out at the perfect time for me. A few months before its release, my uncle had gifted me his old PlayStation 1 console, and I'd been blazing through Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon over and over again for weeks. Spyro 3 had kickstarted a deep obsession with dragons. From the day I first started playing it, all I could think about were dragons. If it had dragons on it, I wanted it. This led to other core childhood memories -- the one I recall most being my Dad picking up a book for me: "Dragonology" by Ernest Drake.

I'm still not sure where on Earth he found this book, but all that mattered back then was that it'd ended up in my lap, and it had dragons on it.

As I was known to do, I let my obsession with dragons seep into everything I did. While I wasn't as much of a writer as I am now, back then, whenever my friends asked me to come out and play, I'd always have one non-arguable condition: that I could pretend to be a dragon. Sometimes I was a big, mean, scary dragon, the likes of Smaug or Malefor. Other times, I was a cuddly, curious, likable protagonist dragon, like Spyro. But regardless of what dragon I was during play, all my reptilian escapades gave me a reputation: from my neighborhood to the halls at school, I became the "dragon girl." Kids I didn't know would come up to me and show me dragons. Teachers would print pictures of dragons for me, ask me on and on about them (I'd repeatedly bring my Dragonology book to school in order to show my teacher, and ask her fervently if she believed the "invisible dust" on Page 17 would actually work -- her answer was always "It could, but don't experiment in my classroom, please"). It was heaven for me, being the dragon girl.

My instant gravitation towards anything dragon-related makes the fact that I didn't know about How to Train Your Dragon until two days after its release quite comical. But that was how it went: my sibling, years older than me and already tired of my unshakeable instinct to follow them around everywhere, had been invited to come out and see the movie by a friend of theirs, and had done everything possible to keep me from finding out. But eventually the news found me, and as I ran to them to insist I come along, too, the words they used to try to dissuade me are still fresh in my mind.

"You don't want to watch it, it's a scary dragon movie."

And because I'd heard the word 'dragon', obviously my response was, "COOL!"

I can't remember who paid my way in, but I pray it was our mother, and not my sibling's poor, dear friend. Regardless of who covered my $8 matinee, I sat down in those cushiony theater seats not even an hour later, ready to watch the very first dragon-related film I'd ever seen in my life.

And it just so happens that I witnessed not only my first dragon film, but also the pinaccle of animated movies. In 3D.

To say that How To Train Your Dragon changed my life... despite that the highest bar something fictional could achieve, it still feels like an understatement all these years later. The film was nothing I'd expected it to be; simply having dragons in it was going to be enough, but HTTYD had more. I'll never forget the pure exhilaration of Test Drive in 3D, the way the score swept over the room in quiet and daring moments alike; a story that captivated me, about friendship and finding somewhere you belong. I was lucky enough to not have experienced bullying at that time in my life (or, if I had, was simply too naive to realize it was happening), but I remember watching Hiccup struggle and being able to sympathize with him all the same. And while I may not have been Hiccup down to the mark, I could at least relate to my interpretation of him: the wonder yet anxiety of a world opening up before you, and the pain that was trusted adults looking down at you critically instead of out at that world you saw.

Seeing How To Train Your Dragon in theaters was the best experience I could have had at such a young age. I had truly witnessed something one of a kind, and it was obvious not just to myself back then, but everyone else in the roon with me. A recurring story in my family is literally the fact that I stood up and went "WOOHOO" after finding out Hiccup and Toothless survived the fight with the Red Death, only after I had screamed "NOOOO" as Hiccup was knocked off of Toothless' saddle minutes prior. The second I got home from seeing the film, I began creating original characters, writing stories set in the film's universe (what we all know as 'fanfiction'), things I had rarely done in the past, for anything.

I couldn't get enough. I remember trying to track the days until DVD release without the Internet, watching the TV eagle-eyed every day until finally, the teasers for home release began to air. My neighbor had gotten a copy long before I managed to - a copy that would soon end up being mine anyways, after I borrowed it, didn't give it back when I was told to, and was never asked about it again.

How to Train Your Dragon has been the creative backbone to practically everything I've ever made. At least one soundtrack piece has made it into every playlist I've ever made, with the motifs inspiring events in stories from completely different universes (like @peacedoveau , my Sonic The Hedgehog [2006] rewrite project). My love for this film has followed me for 15 long years of my life, and I've always struggled to put it into words because of that; how do you explain 15 years of love? How do you transcribe every little moment where you remembered you saw How To Train Your Dragon in freaking 3d, and how happy it had made you?

I would not be where I am without this film. I wouldn't have made any of the things I'd ever made. I wouldn't even be the same person. 15 years later, whenever I watch How to Train Your Dragon, I'm immediately transported back in time to 2010. I'm watching the credits roll over Jonsi's Sticks and Stones, and knowing deep down that I am not the same as I was.

This movie is timeless -- it will always be timeless. And there is nothing that may be made in the future that can take it off the top of my list.

So, 15 years after release, I'm glad I could finally tell the world just how much this film means to me.

Happy 15 year anniversary, How To Train Your Dragon!

whenever you refresh your dashboard and no one is posting:

Obscure Sonic Facts Masterpost

- Sonic suffers from hay fever. [SOURCE] [SOURCE]

- Dr Eggman is fond of more than three meals a day. [SOURCE]

- Shadow went from being named after the sarcasm involved in being unable to manufacture and/or catch a shadow to being named after the direction from which a light shines (According to Maria) [SOURCE for Shadow being named after futility of manufacturing shadows]     [SOURCE for Maria being the origin of Shadow’s name]

- Knuckles’ whole design concept stems from ST wanting a character that could smash through walls. [RESEARCHING SOURCE]

- Sonic likes to read. Especially on rainy days. [SOURCE - One of the Joypolis Sonic statues quotes in Japanese confirms]

- Press Garden Zone in Sonic Mania was originally named Pulp Solstice Zone. [SOURCE]

- Tails was originally supposed to have only one tail and not have visible sclera. [SOURCE - Stated in Japanese in description]

- Sonic has a weird molecular structure, explaining why he can change form. [SOURCE KNOWN BUT I CAN’T FIND THE VIDEO WHEREIN THIS WAS STATED]

- Shadow is physically 15. [SOURCE]

- Nack/Fang isn’t a Weasel/Wolf hybrid but a Jerboa/Wolf hybrid. [SOURCE]

- Bean is not a Duck but a Woodpecker. [SOURCE]

- “Sonic Crackers” is likely to be a mistranslated title with the real one likely to instead be “Sonic Clackers” [No source but it makes sense given the “connected by a band” dynamic and fickleness of translitering L’s and R’s from Japanese]

- Sonic has a deep dislike of secrecy. [SOURCE]

- Vector believes in God according to Chaotix’s manual. [SOURCE]

- The Hard-Boiled Heavies were independent from Dr Eggman and were not acting under his command until presumably late into the game. [TRYING TO FIND SOURCE AGAIN]

- Sonic inscribed his name on his shoe soles in Sonic Adventure. [SOURCE]

- Heavy Magician’s name was originally Heavy Mystic. [SOURCE]

- The original Genocide City/Cyber City Zone’s layout in Sonic 2 eventually became Metropolis Act 3. [SOURCE]

- Chaos is a mutant Chao. [SOURCE]

- Sonic’s world has two moons. [SOURCE]

- Sonic actually has two separate eyeballs. They’re not “conjoined” [SOURCE]

- Shadow’s original name was “Terios” [SOURCE]

- The white cuffs on Sonic’s shoes are not socks. They’re part of the shoe itself. [SOURCE]

- Mighty’s favorite thing to do is forest bathe and he dislikes violence. [SOURCE]

- Charmy was the first insect to exceed the speed of sound and he has the moniker “Fastest insect in the world” [SOURCE]

- The unused line in SA2 that Omochao says regarding the doctor’s mustache being fake does not actually refer to Dr Eggman but to the Chao Professor in the Kindergarten. [Chao Professor is referred-to as “Hakase”, which is Japanese for “Professor”. Dr Eggman is not referred-to in this fashion]

- Sonic does not have a home. [SOURCE]

- Chip is genderless. [SOURCE]

- Darkspine Sonic does not wear gloves, shoes or socks.

- Maria Robotnik is 12 years old, 4′ 07′‘ tall and weighs 32kg (70lbs) [SOURCE]

- The ring that Sonic wears in SatSR has an inscription engraved into it that confers good luck upon the wearer. [SOURCE]

- “*******” AKA “Wechnia” in Knuckles’ Chaotix is the remains of Tails’ data. He and Sonic were originally planned to be in the game. [SOURCE] [SOURCE]

- Professor Gerald Robotnik is 5′07′‘ and weighs 88kg (194lbs). His age is not known. [SOURCE]

- Sonic is not fond of Twinkle Park (His idle comment in the entrance area has him state that he doesn’t like the place) [SOURCE]

- Birdie is male and the yellow and pink birds are his brothers. [SOURCE]

- Tikal’s mother died when she was young. This is specifically why she was raised by her grandmother. [SOURCE]

- Sonic has actually been voiced by at least two women; Keiko Toda in Sonic Underground and Meg Inglima in Sonic’s Schoolhouse. [SOURCE] [SOURCE]

- A young boy inside Station Square’s train station mentions Little Planet and Angel Island in the Japanese script when talking to Sonic at one point in his story. These references are not in the English script. [SOURCE]

- E-10000R (The red robot playable character in Sonic Riders) has the same engine as Metal Sonic. [SOURCE]

- Classic Sonic is 76.5cm (2′05′‘) tall as his sprites are equal in height to Metal Sonic’s in Sonic CD. Who’s height was given as 76.5cm in his profile in the manual. [SOURCE]

- According to text on the World Rings’ concept art, they’re made out of a glass-like substance. [SOURCE]

- Knuckles hates the city. [SOURCE]

- Amy dislikes the main area (Not the Jungle) of Mystic Ruins. [SOURCE]

- Caliburn was originally female. Shiro Maekawa was surprised to see she was changed to male. [SOURCE]

- Earthia is a conservative leader of Cosmo’s homeworld whilst Lucas is the leader of the war faction. This is stated (In Japanese) on their eyecatch cards. [SOURCE]

- The flower Merlina holds that wilts is a Strawflower/Straw Chrysanthemum. This was an intentional choice, as Strawflowers/Straw Chrysanthemums represent eternity in the language of flowers, a direct reference to Merlina’s desire to make the Grand Kingdom last forever. [SOURCE - Note that this is Shiro Maekawa’s Twitter post. Who wrote the Storybook games.]

- Clove the Pronghorn is/was regarded as lesbian by her creator Aleah Baker. [SOURCE]

- Dr Eggman went to the effort of collecting the Hyudoro’s in the Sandopolis pyramid himself and placed them inside that capsule. [SOURCE]

- According to Shadow’s SONIC CHANNEL profile, he does not have a “favorite thing” or anything that he likes. [SOURCE]

- Silver’s age originally wasn’t set in concrete. It was given as being 13-15 in SONIC ‘06′s script. His final age is given as 14. [SOURCE]

- Rouge dislikes Dry Lagoon. [Idle dialogue in Dry Lagoon confirms this]

- Sonic Jam’s title was originally conceived as “Sonic Ages” [SOURCE]

- “Nazo” is one and the same as Super Sonic and is not a unique, independent character. This was outright stated on a Japanese Sonic X poster. [SOURCE]

- Blaze is put-out by her small breasts and comments about them rouse her anger. [SOURCE]

- Metal Sonic idles in his spare time. [SOURCE]

- Sonic does not live in Green Hill Zone, he just enjoys running around there. [SOURCE]

- Emerald Coast is the hottest vacation destination in Sonic’s world. [SOURCE]

- The female ghost in Night of the Werehog is named Raa/Laa, the short, fat ghost is named Suu and the thin, taller ghost in named Wuu. Their fused form with the horns is named Baker. [SOURCE] [SOURCE] [SOURCE] [SOURCE]

- Knuckles’ design was originally Dinosaur-like. This was due to the popularity of Jurassic Park at the time. [SOURCE]

- Sonic is capable of reaching the speed of light. This is stated in his profile in one of the official JP Sonic Adventure guides. [SOURCE]

- Sonic does not recall memories of his actions in Purple Frenzy form when he reverts to normal. This is stated in the Sonic Colours manga. [SOURCE]

- The cackling one-eyed creatures that accompany Mephiles in the first boss fight against him are named “Zerophiles” [TRYING TO RE-FIND SOURCE]

- Jimmy (Heavy Rider’s steed) is described as being like a rampaging bull in the JP Sonic Mania manual. [SOURCE]

- Jari-Thure in JP Unleashed wonders if Sonic is perverted given that he wears only gloves. This is not mentioned in the English script and he wonders if Sonic is a weirdo instead. [SOURCE] - Chip refers to itself/himself in the third person in the JP script of Unleashed. - Omochao adds the word “Chao” onto the end of every sentence in Japanese. This quirk is not present with English Omochao.

- Cheese’s favorite food is Coconuts. [SOURCE]

- Orbot is noted in his SONIC CHANNEL profile to have a “poisonous” sort of sarcasm towards Dr Eggman. He is also noted as being quite intelligent. [SOURCE] - Cubot has the same CPU as Orbot but is dense despite that. This is stated in his SONIC CHANNEL profile. [SOURCE]

- One of Sonic’s originally conceived names was “Lighspee” (”Raisupi”), derived from “Lightspeed” [SOURCE]

- Pumpkin Hill’s theme song “A Ghost’s Pumpkin Soup” was the very first track composed for Sonic Adventure 2. [TRYING TO RE-FIND SOURCE]

- Windy Valley was the first stage designed for Sonic Adventure and the last to be remade. [SOURCE]

- Some of the files in SA2′s data still refer to Shadow by his original name Terios. [SOURCE]

- Cosmo loves to bask in the sun according to her eyecatch card. [SOURCE]

- If you duck a small distance away from Knuckles in Sky Sanctuary Zone in Sonic (3) & Knuckles, he will gesture for Sonic and/or Tails to go on without him. This can be seen in action here.

- Speaking of Sky Sanctuary, it is considered holy territory that only Knuckles is permitted to enter. This is stated in the official JP Sonic Jam startegy guide. [SOURCE]

- Sonic Team had a survey to decide whether to reverse the controls for up and down in Death Egg Zone when the gravity is reversed. [SOURCE]

- The name of Emerald Hill Zone came from a location in San Francisco. STI were located in the city at the time. Which is how they were inspired. [SOURCE]

Hey, everyone! Due to the sudden influx of viewers on AO3, the site has had to modify some things, including the experience of guest users and how hits are counted on the site. This is not the fault of AO3 (they're doing their best to keep things up and running for all of us), but if you're a guest user following stories on AO3, PLEASE make sure to leave kudos for your authors to see. We understand it can be difficult to get an account on AO3 (probably more now with COVID-19 leaving people in their homes), but sudden drops in statistics can be inexplicable and disheartening.

Keep your heads up, people. We're gonna get through this.