Hey all! This one is just going to be a page for review responses, since I just realized that I don't have one yet. I still can't believe how much love and support this trilogy has gotten so far. It honestly feels a little like a dream for someone that never really fancied themself as much of a writer or an artist. Lol. I love you all so much! Thank you for being so incredibly awesome, and I'll see you in the third book :D
(Reviews here will be in reverse order this time. As in, oldest at the bottom and newest at the top :P)
Lipstickeu: Welcome to the party! Lol. I'm so glad that you have discovered my work and that you are enjoying it so far. It is honestly super exciting every time that a new reader stumbles across these, so thank you so much for leaving reviews. I do make sure to read and respond to them, as you guys are what keeps me inspired to write. (Speaking of which, I responded to your other comments on TGoP in chapter 41 of that story.) I can't deny that I wasn't also super emotional while writing several of these chapters. That painful moment when Hiccup says goodbye to Astrid in her mind (even if it is only a temporary separation) was so sad. Especially knowing what I did of the lingering side effects. Something that Hiccup was just as aware of, and subtly warned Astrid about, but he still went through with it because he knew he had to. Despite all the pain, turmoil, darkness, and confusion, I tried really hard to keep the fact that Hiccup and Astrid are meant for each other as a dominant feature. I'm a realist, so their journey is not as smooth and easy as we would like it to be, but each seemingly catastrophic moment always ends with them in each other's arms. I mean, they are both pretty dark, cunning, and volatile, even in canon (we will just ignore the blatant discrepancy that is HTTYD2), so of course they are going to make mistakes and get in fights. That's just life. *shrugs* I hope you continue to enjoy the story, even if some of the difficult chapters make you want to rage or cry (they did for me too). As for Astrid, I'm glad someone else agrees with me that the second movie did not do her justice. I feel like I owe it to her to remedy that in my trilogy. Lol. At least the third movie gave her some of her power back, but the rest of the gang were still horribly underwritten...
Guest: Zafirya: That image is so close! I love it!
elizabe48554485: Thank you so much! I'm glad you like it. I tried very hard to write something unique (which was admittedly super difficult, as there are so many excellent HTTYD fics out there). I never complain about requests. Now that Astrid has found her true power, and now that she is no longer an apprentice, she will definitely continue to grow and evolve as the trilogy progresses. I never liked how they turned Astrid into little more than Hiccup's love interest too. She's so strong, and she deserves just as much recognition as he gets. I kind of hope to remedy that in my stories, which means that she will get her own powers and her own adventures. Giving her the chance to prove to the realms just how incredible she is.
Guest: DragonSoul91: You're right that Odin met Hiccup before the blood binding, and Odin hasn't even seen many of Hiccup's new powers yet. He has every reason to be uneasy around the Dark Rider. Lol. As for the prophecy, even if Astrid isn't the Light Rider, she does have a very important role to play as well. Especially since she really does help contain the darkness within Hiccup, though we now know she is actually pretty dark herself. They are a match made in Helheim, after all ;)
Guest: I'm not sure when it's going to be ready to start posting, but I'm pretty excited for the third book too. Lol
SL99: I can't wait for Snotlout to find out the truth about Ilweran too. The poor boy might just have a heart attack, and can you blame him?! Lol. And yes, I just had to include the exploding eggs. That part of GotNF was one of my absolute faves! Especially since it also shows us a side of Astrid that is so different from the tough and heartless bitch she pretends to be. Which just makes it even more likely that she would have been friends with Hiccup at one time, and likely still harboured feelings for him that she kept to herself because of peer pressure. The fact that she wrecks the village with exploding eggs while trying to brighten everyone's Snoggletog is also so reminiscent of Hiccup. You can totally see why they were meant for each other :P
CB73: Gothi really is the ultimate MVP here, isn't she. I don't blame her for playing the mute. That woman just knows way too much. Lol. I really enjoyed getting to venture back to Berk for a stint. We will see a whole lot more of the gang in the third book, but for now I just wanted to let everyone know that they are still doing alright. I'm sorry I couldn't have Astrid blowing up the houses for you, but she may yet unleash the horrors of yaknog on the poor unsuspecting villagers :P You make a valid point about sending it to their enemies as a Snoggletog gift. Lol. Though Snotlout might want to use it for ritual suicide once he learns the truth about Ilweran... Poor guy indeed
KevinLazar: You're right. Minden is going to play a very important role during the final arc of the trilogy. Although I'm personally looking forward to Snot learning the truth about Ilweran first. LMAO
Just so you know, I will also be uploading an excerpt from the third book. I'm still working on it, so I don't have a time frame for exactly when I will start posting it, but I would like to give you a little snippet to tide you over. That, and it's about time that I switched this story status to completed :P