He's just a Fanboy, and Twenty, could there be a worse possible combination?!

Alright! Bday post! Today is my twentieth birthday, and considering Hiccup and I turned twenty in the same year, it is a pretty exciting date! Bellow I'm gonna post some of the gifts I've been given, and I'll update it if I receive any more. Thanks so much to everyone in the fandom (haha, and those that are not but keep up with this blog out of friendship to me), for the gifts and the well wishes! So far, you've made this day a blast!

Well today has been amazing. Kinda strange... turning twenty. For e second I wanted to ask, "Where did my childhood go?", but I already know the answer: My childhood went to wonderful, fantastic, and truly amazing places. I've had a great, great life, and probably one of the most awesome childhood's ever. And the reason for that is because my parents loved me enough to not stuff my brain full of crumby, stupifying, or filthy tv and video games. When I was little, I was really encouraged to take up creative hobbies, and thanks to the blessing of an extremely vivid imagination, I was soon shaped into quite a funny little individual. Early on I loved dragons, dinosaurs, spaceships, robots, and all sorts of other fantastic things. I got to watch the occasional movie about them, but I loved them so much that that wasn't enough. Soon I was doing art and dreaming up stories and worlds. That was a big part of my childhood, and it will always be a part of me. I'm thankful for my imagination, and I'm actually very thankful to my parents for helping me to grow it. I was also converted at age 13, and since then the Lord has been really kind to gradual shape me, and that is what I really am most thankful for... because before He worked in my heart I really was a grade A, self center, obnoxious jerk. He's been growing me up in many ways, and He's been really kind to let me enjoy things like friendships, artistic projects, films and books... And of course HTTYD. So, I may be growing up, and in some ways my imagination will shift and change and grow up too, but it will always be part of me. Just because everything is changing... doesn't mean it's never been this way before :)

But, onto my gifts! First off, my little brother got me some stuff!

It was tastefully wrapped in HTTYD2 paper... which makes any gift cool (Though it felt awful to tear it!!)

Haha, some of you have probably noticed that I did a post in which I spazzed out about a game called Twilight Princess. I had actually only borrowed this game from a friend, I didn't own it, so now my little brother got it for me! I'm very excited to own my very first Link game, and I have already started to play back though it! This time I plan to go slower so as to get more time to appreciate the subtle development of Link and Midna's friendship as well as the lush complexity of the world of Hyrule. All that to say, this was an awesome gift!

He also did a digital painting and sent it to me via email. It is really fun if you have read the Dsplash Chronicles because Hiccup and Link are adopted brothers in them! Oh, and in Dsplash (though the Chronicles never explain this) Hiccup and Link did indeed fly much like this! Link rode his Loftwing while Hiccup rode Toothless. It was one of their favorite pass-times before Hiccup pushed the Gemnodes on their playing field and started the avalanche of events that would eventually become the Gemwar. But I ramble... Anyway, the painting is actually really good imo (darn, he's a much faster learner than me!!), and he uses shell shading beautifully! He signs his name DsplashLink for a good reason. So, thanks very much DsplashLink!

Next I recieved a beautiful package in the mail from my amazing friend (who I was thrilled to meet in person this last summer) Rima! Her tumblr is justoffravenpoint, and that is where we met and became friends. She sent me some really beautiful art pieces! Man, I seriously want to frame at least two of these!!

I opened the package to find a lovely little water color wishing me a happy birthday in Norse Runes.

And next came THIS beauty! I'm fantastically thrilled and honored to say that this piece of art is a mosaic made from tiny pieces of of her MOVIE TICKETS from all of her viewings of HTTYD2! I am just... man. As a fan that is actually touching! Because I value my tickets (haha, all six of 'em!). Its also a cool reminder that I got to be with her the first time she saw it! That was a fabulous day... And I will also say that this is a shockingly good art piece! I could never pull something like this off! It's so creative and neat... I'm really grateful for it!

And then I pulled out this large watercolor piece, and you could ask my little brother and he'd tell you just how excited I was! The little quote is based off of a thing I quipped when writing to Rima after we had seen the second movie. It mainly comes from an idea voiced by Sam in the Two Towers movie... so I will not claim that the idea is in anyway original to me. But it is a fantastic idea, isn't it? The darker the night is, the more awful the circumstances, the more incredible the dawn proves to be. And I say that as a Christian who has seen some sad and terrible things and faced some awful struggles in my own life... but I also truly believe and have seen just how much beauty and goodness can shine out of terribly dark situations. HTTYD2 was much darker than the first film, but when the dawn rises as Toothless is freed from the Alpha's control, we get a glimpse of the power of love and friendship that we would never have seen so clearly otherwise! The image she has done is just gorgeous, and the theme behind it is so true! That's the kind of art I really love... art that is beautiful and can also convey something that is incredible, yet true! Thank you so much for this, Rima. I really do want to frame it.

A little belated, but still incredible,  received a gift from my follower, Nathan Beltramo. He visits this blog a lot, and he is always a pleasure to receive comments from! Anyway, he got a friend of his (I believe) to make me the picture bellow, which is an image of me riding Toothless in Hiccup's armor! Very neat, and I really like it! Thanks so much, Nathan!

Let's see... what else? I do know I have several other gifts coming in, but I don't know whether they are HTTYD related or not. I was given some really cool and nerdy gear (focusing around science stuff) by my friend Jacob. He also gave me a Moleskin book light, which I will certainly put to good use during this semester. Oh, and last but not least, he walked up and handed me this adorable little Funko Pop Toothless (who will be joining me at college)

I will say that Toothlesslove made me one of the most wonderful and incredible and tense and angsty and awesome gifts I've ever received! I am debating whether or not to post it... I've asked if she would mind because it is a little more personal than most gifts people make. Anyway, it is an eleven page short story, and it is breathtaking! Inhonoredglory also said she is making me something, and she hopes she can finish it, but it will be a little late (after hearing about her current school schedule, I don't hold her being late at all! In fact, I feel really lucky to be getting anything from her at all! She's such an amazing person, but boy is she busy.).

So, I may or may not wind up posting more gifts that I get. You might swing by this post a few more times just to check! Thanks everyone for the gifts! I really, really appreciate them!