Line #79 Fanfic/RiseOfTheBraveTangledDragons


1	[[quoteright:268:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rotbtd_9659.bmp]]
2	[[caption-width-right:268:The Big Four, all together.]]
3
4	Once upon a time, there were four teenagers who all wanted something more. One was a young Viking with a draconic best friend and a talent for not fitting in. One was a dreaming girl, locked in a tower, who yearned to know of the world outside. One was a hot-blooded princess who wished to escape the confines of royal life. And one was a reckless winter spirit who only wanted someone to believe in him. If these four ever met, it would be the beginning of something wonderful...
5
6	There was one problem. None of them existed in the same universe.
7
8	That is, until the Internet got a hold of them...
9
10	Or, what happens when FriendlyFandoms goes to the next logical extreme and becomes a fandom in and of itself. Also known as The Big Four, ROTBTD is the crossover of the popular movies ''Franchise/{{Tangled}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'', ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'', and ''WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheGuardians''. It kicked off big on Website/{{Tumblr}} in late 2012/early 2013, and has gained a sizable fanbase in and of itself. Sometimes ''Franchise/{{Frozen}}'' is added to the mix, making it ''Rise of the Brave Tangled Frozen Dragons''. (It helps that Rapunzel and Eugene have a cameo in ''Frozen''.)
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12	----
13	!!This crossover provides examples of:
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15	* ActionGirl: Rapunzel and Merida are both this--but it's more emphasized with Merida.
16	* AdaptationalWimp: Sometimes, Rapunzel gets reduced to a damsel in distress and/or team healer, even though in ''Tangled'', she's a capable fighter in her own right (even saving Eugene twice), and the [[WesternAnimation/TangledTheSeries TV series]] subjects her to {{Xenafication}}.[[note]]Of course, when the fandom first started, the series didn't exist yet.[[/note]].
17	* TheArtifact: As the years kept going, the fandom became more of a vehicule for any CGI-animated movies crossover combination that a FanVerse focused solely on "the big four". As such, while Hiccup, Jack, Rapunzel and Merida remain popular characters, they are no longer seen as the protagonists by default. A quick peak into [[https://rise-of-the-brave-tangled-dragons.fandom.com/ the fan wiki]] would make you realize a major portion of what is considered part of the fanbase no longer has anything to do with the main four movies.
18	* ArtifactTitle: It started as a Crossover focused solely on characters of the movies stated in the portmanteau name, and while some purists fans prefer to keep it like that, is has become quite common to find works where [[WesternAnimation/Frozen2013 Elsa, Anna,]] [[WesternAnimation/HotelTransylvania Mavis, ]] [[WesternAnimation/TheLorax2012 The Once-ler,]] [[WesternAnimation/BigHero6 Hiro,]] [[WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph Ralph]] or any other character you can think of, are main characters in this setting. Thus, making the title not truly cover all the characters in that particular fanfic. It has even become a recurring joke in the main wiki that the fandom should re-named as "All CGI-Animated Movies Crossover"
19	* AlternateUniverseFic: One of the ways to make this crossover work. The most popular include a modern AU, a Hogwarts AU, and a ''WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheGuardians''-Universe AU, where Hiccup, Rapunzel, and Merida are chosen as Guardians. Occasionally, they're also [[NatureSpirit seasonal spirits]]. The Hogwarts AU usually sorts each character into a Hogwarts house, though who goes where changes according to writer. Jack is often in Slytherin and Merida in Gryffindor, but Hiccup and Rapunzel play musical chairs with Ravenclaw and Huffepuff.
20	* AmazonBrigade: Rapunzel, Merida, [[WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon Astrid]], and [[WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheGuardians Tooth]], on occasion.
21	* AnachronismStew:
22	** Based on the timeframes of the original movies, it would technically be impossible for half of the characters to meet. ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' roughly take place in the 10th to 12th century, ''Franchise/{{Tangled}}'' is in the 1800s while ''WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheGuardians'' is set in the modern day. Jack was said to have existed for three hundred years, so he was human during the early 18th century. This is why the "Hiccup, Merida and Rapunzel are Guardians and therefore immortal" plot became so popular.
23	** Jack's blue hoodie also contrasts with the older period outfits of the other three. Some artists and writers put him in his colonial outfit to avoid this trope.
24	* ArtisticLicenseHistory: A source of friction for those who know their history is the fact that the Scottish and Vikings, Merida and Hiccup's respective cultures, were notorious for warring with each other. It's mentioned in ''{{WesternAnimation/Brave}}'' but rarely comes up in fanfiction. That being said, there ''are'' fics where [[ShownTheirWork these wars are a part of the story]]; this is often used to bring a StarCrossedLovers factor in if the main pairing is Merida/Hiccup.
25	* BadassNormal: Merida, out of the Big Four. Archery and a bit of swordplay (as well as sewing) are all she has. In comparison to Jack Frost's flight and ice powers, Rapunzel's healing hair (as few fans are likely to use her [[spoiler:post-haircut state]]), and Hiccup's dragon-taming skills (with crossbow and short-range weapon training on the side).
26	* BigBad:
27	** Generally accepted to be Pitch, the Nightmare King, if they're not at [[Franchise/HarryPotter Hogwarts]].
28	** Mor'du and the Green Death are also occasionally featured as antagonists, though much less frequently. But when it happens, there's more of a BigBadEnsemble.
29	** With the release of ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon2'', Drago Bludvist is well on his way to becoming a big-name baddie due to how big a threat he is.
30	* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: Rapunzel, Hiccup, and Merida accordingly. [[spoiler:Jack could count since he was a brunette when he was alive.]]
31	* BroodingBoyGentleGirl: Jack and Rapunzel's friendship (or romance, DependingOnTheWriter) in a nutshell.
32	* CleaningUpRomanticLooseEnds: [[WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}} Flynn]] and [[WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon Astrid]] usually die or vanish conveniently if there's any shipping to be done within the Big Four (except Jack×Merida). Unlike[[invoked]] DieForOurShip, there is rarely any spite against these characters.
33	* CorruptTheCutie: A popular fanon is that Pitch will try to turn Merida, Hiccup, and/or Rapunzel over to his side to get to Jack.
34	* {{Crossover}}: Apart from the obvious, the Big Four are often put in [[Franchise/HarryPotter Hogwarts]] or the ''[[Franchise/AvatarTheLastAirbender Avatar]]'' universe.
35	* CrossoverAlternateUniverse: Nine out of ten Big Four fics take place in one of these, almost out of necessity.
36	* CrossoverShipping: Hiccup×Merida, Jack×Rapunzel, Jack×Hiccup, Merida×Rapunzel, Jack×Merida, Hiccup×Rapunzel, Merida×Astrid, Eugene×Astrid... take your pick.
37	* CrossoverVillainInChief: Pitch Black often has the honor of villainous top billing in these works, owing to his status as an immortal representation of fear itself.
38	* DarkerAndEdgier: Some newer fics tend to do this. Depending on the writer they will often be deconstructions of the team as a whole (Clashing views or failing to be heroic, Hiccup caring more about Dragons than people) or set it in a more darker setting. Especially noticeable in fics that deconstruct ships, most specifically Jack×Elsa where their romance tears the team apart.
39	* DependingOnTheWriter: Despite what this page might imply, the exact nature of the fandom varies wildly from person to person. Some fans are in it for shipping, others for pure friendship. Some limit it to the four leads while others meld entire movie casts. Some writers use alternate settings -- like [[Franchise/HarryPotter Hogwarts]] or the standard HighSchoolAU -- to facilitate the stories; others shuffle timelines and motivations around to slot the movies together; and still others simply ignore any details that get in the way. There are no hard and fast rules. The appeal of the crossover is in character compatibility, everything else is fair game.
40	* ElementalPowers: Another common AU option.
41	** Jack usually gets [[MakingASplash water magic]] as an extension of his ice powers or [[BlowYouAway air magic]] because in canon, he can fly.
42	** Merida usually gets [[PlayingWithFire fire powers]] due to her hot-headed temperament. Sometimes, it's [[DishingOutDirt earth magic]] instead, due to her stubbornness.
43	** Hiccup gets fire or air powers, thanks to his connection with dragons and flying.
44	** Rapunzel is the most flexible: her element can be air to match her free-spirited nature; it can be earth due to her nurturing personality and love for nature; it can be water, matching her healing magic (especially in ''Avatar'' [=AUs=]); and it can be fire thanks to her connection to the sun.
45	* FireForgedFriends: Often enough, the characters are initially indifferent or even hostile towards each other and become friends after fighting together.
46	* FourPhilosophyEnsemble: These roles are rather fluid too:
47	** The Cynic: Merida
48	** The Optimist: Rapunzel (and Jack)
49	** The Realist: Hiccup
50	** The Apathetic: Jack
51	* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Again, the roles are rather fluid, but the characters do line up well like so:
52	** Sanguine: Rapunzel
53	** Choleric: Merida
54	** Melancholic: Hiccup
55	** Phlegmatic: Jack (with traces of Sanguine).
56	* FluffyTamer: Often, if Toothless is hostile he'll warm up to Rapunzel the quickest, if not instantly.
57	* HostageForMacGuffin: Another popular fanon, often used in 'trailers' using the dialogue from the ''Rise of the Guardians'' scene with Baby Tooth, is that Pitch will trade one or all of Jack's new friends for his staff (often Rapunzel, using her hostage situation in ''Tangled'').
58	* {{Leitmotif}}:
59	** A commonly accepted theme for the group is "I'm Still Here" from ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet''. Although the song is in and of itself the leitmotif for ''Treasure Planet'''s main character Jim, it fits this group quite nicely as well. See a video of the song set to clips of the four [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7YKTFaPqW0 here.]]
60	** Alternatively, [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-EOTnuCKp38 Something Different]], a fansong written for the group. Told from the perspectives of the four, the verses go in order of when the four movies were released. The lyrics before the final chorus become a BreakingTheFourthWall [[AnAesop Aesop]] about how you shouldn't let anyone control your life, because maybe ''you're'' meant for something different, too.
61	* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: Interactions between Merida and Hiccup usually look like this.
62	* TheMedic: Rapunzel's healing hair means that she's able to fill this role.
63	* NatureSpirit: Some [=AUs=] build on Jack's Snow Day powers by dubbing him the Guardian of Winter and assigning the other three seasons to the other three heroes, [[spoiler: sometimes after [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence untimely deaths]] of their own.]] This tends to work out surprisingly well, as is par for the course with this crossover:
64	** Spring: Rapunzel is quite consistently in charge of Spring, [[FlowersOfNature for]] [[FountainOfYouth obvious]] [[FriendToAllLivingThings reasons]].
65	** Autumn: Usually Hiccup, as he's the more serious and reflective character.
66	** Summer: Usually Merida, thanks to her hot-tempered and wild personality.
67	** Rapunzel occasionally headlines as summer which is when she was born, while Hiccup and Merida can swap depending on the fan creating the particular AU. (There are [[BothSidesHaveAPoint good arguments]] for either arrangement).
68	* NightAndDayDuo: Some fics play up this motif between Jack and Rapunzel, especially if they're being shipped together.
69	* PairTheSpares: [[CleaningUpRomanticLooseEnds Flynn and Astrid]] get together in some fics that that ship Rapunzel and Hiccup with someone other than their canon love interests.
70	* PinkGirlBlueBoy: Rapunzel wears her pink/lavender dress, and Jack Frost wears his blue hoodie.
71	* {{Portmanteau}}: The title is a combination of the four movies which the protagonists come from.
72	* RedOniBlueOni:
73	** They may be BashBrothers when they're fighting Pitch, but Jack (red, [[AnIcePerson weirdly]]) and Hiccup (blue) have this sort of relationship in general.
74	** Merida (red) and Rapunzel (blue).
75	* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: Rapunzel's dynamic with Hiccup is often portrayed as this.
76	* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Hiccup (sensitive guy) and Jack Frost (manly man).
77	* SixthRanger: Characters from other CGI-animated movies are often added to the group. [[WesternAnimation/HotelTransylvania Mavis]] is something of a GuestStarPartyMember for the original group, and [[WesternAnimation/Frozen2013 Elsa]] is popular especially since people ship her with Jack. Eugene might also tag along -- a Smolder never hurts in a pinch. Toothless is almost always present since he and Hiccup are inseparable and being an animal he doesn't change the four's dynamic too much. [[WesternAnimation/BigHero6 Hiro]], WesternAnimation/{{Moana}}, [[WesternAnimation/TangledTheSeries Cassandra, and Varian]] are popular additions, too.
78	* SolarAndLunar: A popular motif, thanks to [[WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheGuardians The Man in the Moon]] and [[WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}} the Sundrop]]. It's become even more popular since ''WesternAnimation/TangledTheSeries'' introduced the Moonstone.
79	* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Merida (tomboy) and Rapunzel (girly girl).
80	* TrueCompanions: The Big Four themselves.
81	* UnexplainedRecovery: People tend to overlook the fact that Hiccup [[spoiler:lost his foot]] and Rapunzel's [[spoiler:hair got cut]]. After ''HTTYD 2'', Hiccup's issue isn't as ignored, with half of fics portraying him as his older self and the other half as his younger self.
82	* UnholyMatrimony: Pitch and Gothel, the respective villains of ''Rise of the Guardians'' and ''Tangled'', are sometimes paired up.
83	* UniversalAdaptorCast: HighSchoolAU, [[Franchise/HarryPotter Hogwarts]], ''[[Franchise/AvatarTheLastAirbender Avatar]]'' universe, SuperFic, HeroicFantasy, SpaceOpera, you name it- with some backstory tweaks, these characters fit everywhere.
84	* VitriolicBestBuds: In many fanfics, they are the Big Bickering Four and the TrueCompanions nonetheless. Jack, Hiccup, and Merida are canonical {{deadpan snarker}}s, and Rapunzel sometimes gets into the act, too. This crosses into BelligerentSexualTension in more shippy works.
85	* WhiteMagicianGirl: Rapunzel sometimes takes this role because of her spunky girl qualities, compassionate nature, and healing magic.
86	* WhoWantsToLiveForever: True to canon, some fanfics partray Jack as an immortal spirit and the others as mortals, and [[MayflyDecemberFriendship the idea that he will inevitably outlive all his friends]] and/or [[MayflyDecemberRomance whoever he's paired with]] causes him a lot of angst. Other fanfics avert this by making him mortal or making them spirits.

Context Fanfic / RiseOfTheBraveTangledDragons