#this took me...a while to right.. so now... the next drawing will take awhileee

[dragondingus]

364 of 365: When will I see you again..?

Dedicated to none other than the incredible storyteller himself, Mr Dean DeBlois.

Where do I even begin? I mean.. he is one of the biggest reasons I started this countdown to begin with. A decent amount of these drawings I had him in mind while working on them, but I feel it necessary to specifically name him in the dedications. I often feel like a broken record talking about how much he inspired me but- who cares. I’ll say it again.

Mr Dean DeBlois you are my biggest inspiration. I tell you that because it’s true. You gave me characters I never knew I wanted, never knew I needed. You built up an incredible world full of wonder, and danger, and dragons and stuck some scrawny-overlooked kid who was just like me right in the center of it. I fell in love with this viking and useless reptile, I’ve never related to anything more. Hiccup made me feel seen, Toothless made me feel loved. The way you are capable of telling this story full of so much heart and depth is beyond me. Through your work you’ve shown that a happy ending isn’t given, it’s earned. Heroes don’t get special treatment, it’s hard and sometimes comes with a heavy cost. You made choices not in the favor of what will appease the audience or for the sake of “playing it safe” but taking that risk to choose what felt right for the story, and boy did it pay off. You took a boy and his dragon and transformed them into a Chief and an Alpha right before our eyes, teleporting the audience to the far away isles of Berk, the magnificent ice cave of the Bewilderbeast and the enchanting Hidden World from which all dragons came.

HTTYD is unlike anything else to me. I did not know what it was to be utterly inspired until I saw HTTYD 1 for the first time that rocked me to my very core. After the credits went rolling and I slowly picked my jaw off the floor I pointed at the screen and whispered completely awestruck, “That. That’s what I want to do.” 

I never have, and doubt I ever will, feel this deep level of love and connection to another film/franchise again. And I’m ok with that. HTTYD gave me all I need to spur me on the path to my dreams. I think after seeing HTTYD 3 five times in counting, the bittersweet sadness and heaviness I used to feel about the journey ending has slowly been dissipating. As I see Hiccup and Toothless not only step into their new lives with their head high, but embrace the next chapters of their lives beyond the screen, it only encourages me to do the same. Letting go never gets any easier, goodbyes don’t always feel all that good. But in the end, it really is all worth it.

I am the artist and person I am today because of HTTYD. Because of you. And I can only dream of one day being a fraction as inspiring to others as you have been to me.

Thank you Dean. For everything. ❤️

#this took me...a while to right.. so now... the next drawing will take awhileee #i was out today.. i didnt wanna finish the countdown late at night like this bUT HERE WE AREE lol #I- actually eded up deleting a lot cuz i got carried away... i just... its always a challenge trying to articulate these feelings #His work means a lot to me ok #dean deblois #httyd3 #hiccup #toothless #night fury #wooo- posted on march 1st at least.. a minute before midnight... geez tIME CAN U SLOW UR ROLL IM TRYYYNG TO TYPE HEREE #httyd3 countdown #toothcup