Hiccup/Merida
| Pairing | |
|---|---|
| Pairing: | Merida/Hiccup |
| Alternative name(s): | Mericcup, Dragon Bow, the Dragon and the Archer |
| Gender category: | Het |
| Fandom: | How to Train Your Dragon/Brave, The Big Four |
| Canonical?: | Non-Canon |
| Prevalence: | popular |
| Archives: | |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Mericcup is a het crossover pairing between Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III from How to Train Your Dragon and Merida from Brave, and is typically a subset of the Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons fandom.
Canon
This ship has no canon origins, as Merida is a Disney/Pixar character, while Hiccup is a Dreamworks character.
Merida
Merida is the headstrong princess of Clan DunBroch, and the heir of the kingdom. In an attempt to resist an arranged marriage, Merida shoots for her own hand and embarrasses her suitors by out-shooting them, resulting in an argument with her mother that leads to her mother throwing her bow into the fire. Running off, Merida meets a witch and purchases a spell to change her fate by changing her mum, unwittingly agreeing to turn her mother into a bear by means of an enchanted pastry. Merida and her mother desperately attempt to undo the spell, and end up facing off with the demon bear Mor'du, who had previously fallen victim to the same curse. With her mother's support, Merida breaks tradition and is permitted to follow her own path and find love in her own time.
Hiccup
Hiccup is an artistic, innovative and clumsy viking boy, and the son of Stoick the Vast, chief of the Hairy Hooligans. In a desperate attempt to kill a dragon to prove himself to his father and to his peers, he shoots down a Night Fury, Toothless, but finds himself unable to kill his enemy. Instead, he breaks tradition by befriending the dragon, and ultimately forms a lifelong bond with Toothless, becoming the first viking in recorded history to ride a dragon. Hiccup earns the respect of his peers and repairs his relationship with his father by rejecting the status quo and forging his own path. This bond later proves an integral plot point in both How to Train Your Dragon 2 and How to Train Your Dragon 3: The Hidden World.
Fandom
In the early days of the Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons fandom, Mericcup and Jackunzel were the crossover's most popular het ships. Although the ship's popularity waned following the releases of How to Train Your Dragon 2 and How to Train Your Dragon 3: The Hidden World, which saw Hiccup's canon relationship with Astrid develop into a less volatile dynamic.
Common Tropes & Genres
- Alternate Universe
- Arranged Marriage AU is especially popular in the Mericcup fandom, due to the fact that both How to Train Your Dragon and Brave are both set in approximately the same era in history, in which intermarriages between Celtic and Nordic people were commonplace, and both are high-ranking individuals in their respective societies.
- Hogwarts AU is a popular AU for this ship primarily due to its prevalence in the broader Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons fandom.
- Forbidden Love AU is another common AU for this ship, spawning from Merida's reference to 'invaders from the sea', vikings, during one of Brave's pivotal scenes. Many fanworks often place Hiccup and Merida on opposing sides of a war in this scenario, and utilize the enemies to lovers trope.
Challenges
- Ship Appreciation Weeks
- Mericcup Month - active 2016-present
- Mericcup Week - active 2013-2016
Fanworks
Fanfics
How to Train Your Brave Dragon:
- To Say Nothing of the Dragon Series by Pen37, Magic leaves a mark. Once you’re touched by it, there is no going back. Princess Merida wasn’t just touched by magic, she was slapped out of a fairy tree and hit every sidhe branch face-first on the way down. Now she solves supernatural problems for others who can’t. But when a Viking Chieftan asks her to find his son, who he thinks was taken by a dragon, she may have taken on more than she and the young lords can handle.
- Elements of Change by hiddenwriterspirit Scott vs Norse; Vikings vs Celts; Two unlikely heroes must unite to settle the difference, and mend the bond, torn by pride.
- Crossing the Horizon by nessalk, They were pieces on different gaming boards-a queen who refused to play and a knight who played by his own rules. But, succession is never easy, especially when allies are more dangerous than enemies and enemies gather like crows. More than dragons or steel, Merida asks a dangerous request: Hiccup, tell me about the legend in your tribe of the boy and the dragon with one tailfin. (unfinished)
- Dragons in DunBroch by iamlongstockings, Hiccup groaned, sitting up and brushing the dust from his hands, and wishing for what had to have been the hundredth time that day that dragons had never ventured as far south as the Highlands.
Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons:
- Among the Stars by Song Of A Free Heart, The crew of the Night Fury - Hiccup Haddock (captain), Merida Haddock (first mate), and Jack Frost (Pilot) - have a habit of getting into trouble. Accidentally rescuing Princess Rapunzel of the planet Corona puts them in more trouble than they can deal with... unless Jack can admit he was wrong. (Sci-Fi AU)
Fanart
Fanvids
Archives and Communities
- Merida/Hiccup works on AO3
Resources
- Mericcup at ROTBTD Wikia
References
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