Hiccup/Astrid

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Pairing
Pairing: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III/Astrid Hofferson
Alternative name(s): Hiccstrid
Gender category: Het, M/F
Fandom: How to Train Your Dragon
Canonical?: Canon
Prevalence: popular
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Hiccup/Astrid is a canon het pairing of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III and Astrid Hofferson from the How to Train Your Dragon fandom. It is most commonly referred to by its portmanteau ship name Hiccstrid, and is the most famous ship in the fandom.

Canon

The relationship between Hiccup and Astrid is painted since the characters are introduced in the first movie and is developed throughout the franchise as the characters grow. In How to Train Your Dragon, Hiccup has a crush on Astrid and even flirts with her, though his attempts are generally unsuccessful. Astrid finds out about Toothless, they share a romantic dragon ride, and she becomes Hiccup's ally. They start dating in the DreamWorks Dragons series, and in How to Train Your Dragon 2, Stoick calls Astrid "his future daughter-in-law". Hiccup and Astrid continue to rely on each other, not only physically but emotionally as well. They share a deep bond of mutual trust, and they are often depicted confiding in one another. [1]

They're both very independent in their own rights but are incredibly supportive of one another and Astrid is Hiccup's number one, you know, defender and champion but also her own leader in her own right.[2]

The couple has a wedding in How to Train Your Dragon 3, when they officially become a family and have two children together, Zephyr and Nuffink.

Fandom

Hiccstrid is a major ship in the fandom, being generally well-accepted by fans since the first movie. They are generally considered a well-balanced match with complimenting personalities. [3] [4] [5]

(...) For some reason she [Astrid] fits movie!Hiccup very well. I also love how they are teamwork friends that trust eachother, who also happened to be a couple, instead of a touchy-feely couple with too much kisses and cliche romantic gestures. Furthermore, movie!Hiccup is the kind of dude I can actually see as one half of a romantic affair. (I know book!Hiccup canonically married and had kids but honestly I cannot picture him falling in love.) [6]

There was, however, some backlash against Astrid in the beginning, especially by those who were fans of the books franchise first. She was constantly compared to Camicazi, her book counterpart, and the love triangle has been depicted from different perspectives in several artworks since. Other characters that appear in fanworks to rival the ship are Snotlout, Eret, or Heather. Astrid/Heather is also a popular ship in the fandom.

Petition for astrid to leave hiccup for eret [7]

Most of the criticism about the ship comes from it being a fan-service shallow ship, with fans reading too much into the romance plotline of the series and ignoring other aspects of the characters in order to elevate their ship.

if hiccstrid is such a strong, wonderful couple why do dreamworks need to spend so much time in the series devoted to them reminding us that hiccup and astrid like each other and not doing actual interesting plot lines regarding viggo and discovering new dragon. Also the shitty relationship talks between heather and astrid need to stop. [8]

also noah fence…. but like. literally all h*ccstrid had in common was dragons????? What this power couple TM gonna talk about now? mutual crushes on eret and or tuff [9]

Pssssssst hey guys Hiccstrid is my OTP but I agree that it’s got a bunch of problems and I see why other ships are so appealing [10]

Hiccup and Astrid's relationship has also been accused of being abusive, which has been analyzed thoroughly by both sides of the discussion. [11]

I hate h1cc//str1d bc the whole ship is based on “she physically and emotionally abuses you daily bc she likes you!!!” trope [12]

(...) In the first HTTYD movie, Astrid didn’t seem to care for Hiccup much until after the ‘romantic’ ride. Beforehand, she viewed him with disdain and suspicion. We don’t see much of their interactions in the early portion of the movie, but I noticed that she ignored Hiccup, and I’ve heard arguments saying that she never bullied/teased Hiccup in a way the others had. She had simply ignored him. As if that makes everything better. From what we know of Hiccup’s life before Toothless (and thinking about Berkian culture in general, as well as drawing from the books a bit), that it wasn’t the greatest. Hiccup had no mother, had a very unhealthy relationship with his father, the villagers and others his age all hated him, or at least treated him as if he weren’t human (think Dagur). It is very likely Hiccup was both verbally and physically bullied, possibly until he lost consciousness (...) If the whole ‘everyone-treated-Hiccup-like-shit’ thing had been dealt with in a way, that the audience witnessed, I would be fine with the ship. Astrid and Hiccup clearly round each other out in a way that is compatible, they’re both capable leaders, and they’re both well-made for each other. If things had been dealt with in a healthy fashion, I honestly can support this ship no problem, but I can’t see everything being hunky-dory after years of mistreatment. [13]

(...) Rather than falling into depression around Astrid, Hiccup is shown to feel happier around her. Hiccup does not goof around a lot, but we see him break out into laughter several times in front of Astrid! This is basically the only time in the entire series we ever see him laugh! With his GIRLFRIEND. He’s happy, not sad around Astrid. Astrid makes his day brighter, which I can testify is the exact opposite of what an abusive relationship does. [14]

Common Tropes & Genres

The rivalry present in the first movie is a concept often explored by the fandom. Astrid's competitiveness and Hiccup's cleverness spark conflict between the characters.

Toothless and Stormfly appear in the most varied forms in modern settings.

Creating OC Hiccstrid children was already common before Zephyr and Nuffink were introduced.

Fanworks

Fics

Arts

Vids

Archives & Communities

Fannish Links

Deviantart:

References

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