dragon-in-a-fez:

okay, I absolutely love the way DreamWorks gave all the riders different styles that fit their personalities and relationships with their dragons.

Hiccup tends to ride with his whole body close to Toothless’, leaning forward against him, sometimes almost lying down on his stomach on top of him. he and Toothless are one flier, moving together; because of the tail, they have to be, but it’s also a big part of their bond. the position Hiccup chooses also emphasizes speed, which we know they both love, and lets them fit through small spaces and make tight turns.

Valka stands on Cloudjumper’s back. she’s not secured to him in any way. after twenty years, she trusts Cloudjumper not to drop her, and he’s gotten so used to flying with her on his back that he knows exactly what he can and can’t do, and how to communicate his intentions to her, and he trusts her to do what she needs to do to stay put. also, unlike Toothless and Hiccup, they don’t seem like equals in the air; Cloudjumper listens to Valka but ultimately he’s the one that makes the flying decisions, which she’s been letting him do since the night they met when he picked her up and carried her away. (plus Valka likes to pretend she’s a dragon and could fly on her own if she so chose so she doesn’t need to hang on.)

Fishlegs uses his weight to balance on Meatlug (and probably has some kind of seatbelt system rigged up, ‘cause he’d be the one to think of that), and doesn’t need his hands to hold on. Meatlug isn’t a very speedy or maneuverable dragon compared to Toothless or Stormfly, so he doesn’t have to be wary of sudden turns or changes in speed. where the other Berk riders sacrifice the use of their hands most of the time while they’re in the air, Fishlegs’ riding style lets him check his stat cards or a book, or even use a two-handed tool or weapon easily rather than relying on Meatlug for whatever he needs to do.

Astrid kind of perches on top of Stormfly, resting on her knees, shins, and toes rather than her butt. that means she’s always ready to leap off her dragon’s back at a split-second’s notice, because as much as she loves Stormfly, Astrid is a Viking warrior first and needs to be able to dismount quickly and jump into the fray axe in hand.

and then there’s Snotlout, who sits on Hookfang like he’s on a fucking Harley. “look at me, I’m a cool dude on a cool dragon. we both know exactly how awesome we look. no, you can’t have a ride. unless you’re cute.”