One more year has passed... Time really flies as fast as a Night Fury! It's quite shocking to think that this time next year will mark exactly 10 years since I first discovered the wonderful, enchanting world of HTTYD (well, as it should've been in 2010...) and I'll be able to say that almost a third of my life has been about it! I already mentioned Night Furies in the first paragraph and it's not a coincidence. This post will be about them, (surprisingly) more precisely, what they mean to me and, to be very specific, who a certain Night Fury is to me! I would add that if I went into full detail, this post would be several hundred pages long (also) and I'd be writing it for months, but I have to draw the line somewhere. (For everything else, there's Discord). Moreover, I also have to take into account the TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read) syndrome, so this post will be a concentrated version of what I think of Toothless, who he really is, and why he means so much to me!
IMPORTANT! If you're viewing this post from a mobile device, it's crucial that you open it only on Wi-Fi, (unless you have unlimited mobile data) because it's full of large-sized gifs! (Hundreds of megabytes!) You have been warned!
First of all, for those who haven't read my other posts, there will be things that might seem strange and there will also be topics I won't mention or explain, since I've already covered them before. I'm referring specifically to these posts [link] [link] (they'll open in separate tabs). I recommend reading those first for a more complete picture!
But let's get into it!
So... Why am I so obsessed with Toothless, and why do I consider him the most perfect and wonderful character ever existed? Two main reasons. His appearance and his personality! These are two very different concepts, but the fact that he managed to take both of them to perfection from every perspective, just totally blew my mind! Not only does he look incredibly appealing, but the personality and soul what lies deep inside in that wonderful body, create a mix that no one will ever surpass (at least for me), that's for sure! But I would like to explain more specifically why I think this way.
Appearance
When I first saw Toothless, I obviously encountered his appearance first. I could go into why he didn't immediately capture my attention when I first saw him in the cinema in 2010, (it was hard to write this, but that's the truth...) but overall, it was my fault, and other external factors played a role too. But nine years ago, when I had the opportunity to truly get to know him and later analyze him, I realized how brilliant and creative his design is!
Yes... It may not be immediately apparent, (just like it wasn't to me at first) but his body has an ingenious design! It's streamlined, with nothing on it that doesn't have a purpose or use, and it's incredibly efficient, elegant, innovative, and clever! But let's go through it point by point so you can understand what I mean by that. You might also will notice a few new aspects what you didn't catch since now.
On the Outside
Toothless is a reptile. More precisely, a dragon. And what's the most obvious feature of the exterior of reptiles? Well, they have scales. But it's much more complex than that! Let's start with his skin and its many remarkable features!
First and foremost, it's black. This is obviously due to the lifestyle of Night Furies, as they are (mostly) active at night. They sleep/rest during the day and hunt at night. In the evening, they blend in with the dark of the night, making them almost one with it. They are excellent at sneaking or hiding when necessary. The black color also provides another advantage: it allows them to absorb and utilize the sun's energy more effectively, since they are cold-blooded. Furthermore, black color symbolizes fear, making them appear even more frightening and intimidating in combat. There you go! Three advantages and great qualities, all due to their black color. But wait, there's more!
His scales also have many remarkable characteristics! Small, smooth, black scales cover his entire body, with larger, tougher ones on areas where extra protection is needed, primarily on his face and limbs. His scales are fire-resistant, durable, without protruding sharp edges, making him aerodynamic. He doesn't have belly plates, (compared to some other dragons) because it would hinder his flexibility. But, this is also one of his weak spots, so he always needs to be careful not to leave his belly exposed!
His skin also features faint patterns. I think the purpose of these, could be a type of camouflage to help him blend better into his surroundings.
And from the third film, it becomes clear that in Alpha mode, his scales are capable of making him completely invisible (if only for a short time)!
So, as you can see, his skin has many useful abilities that protect him in various situations. However, its regenerative ability is slow. You can notice this primarily by the fact that the scars caused by the bola were still visible four years later, and even after ten years, their traces are still discernible...
There are a few more very interesting multi-functional body parts that I'd like to mention.
Eyes
Well... one of the most defining, if not THE most defining(!) body part of his! He certainly can be really proud of them! Honestly, without any bias, he has the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen! So, yes... not only are they just gorgeous(!), but they also have some really amazing features! First, his eyes are large relative to his head. However, this is not a coincidence! Since Night Furies are active at night, their eyes adapted to this, and evolution has blessed them with a rather large retina. Their pupil is also interesting, as the rectangular shape allows the most light to enter. So, yes, they thought of everything... In the dark, he can see things much more clearly and better than any human or dragon. Moreover, they can perceive more of the spectrum of light, as reptiles can also detect within the UV range. I'm quite sure Toothless can see it as well. So, there's another advantage. Of course, it's also worth noting that he can express his emotions very effectively with his eyes, so he can communicate with them. I can't help but wonder how he sees the world. It's for sure that if I somehow experienced it, I wouldn't want to switch back to my old vision... It shows how versatile his features are and that they serve more than just a single purpose. Brilliant! But here's another body part that's also incredibly creative, clever, and innovative! This body part is none other than his:
Ears
Well... I only realized later how brilliant it was to give him ears! It may seem like a strange move because you don't really see ears on dragons (if ever). Dragons usually have horns on their heads, but he ingeniously combined these two features. For me, Toothless's ears are also his horns! But he's extremely innovative in this as well, as he gains numerous useful abilities this way!
First of all, in my theory, the small nubs visible on his large ears flaps are the actual organs he uses for hearing! (You can think of it as if each of them is a separate microphone!) Since he has 16 of these nubs on each large ear and there is a half-meter difference between the lowest and highest one, his hearing must be incredible! Wherever his prey hides, a small noise is enough, and it's over...
So, his spatial hearing would be excellent, and it's necessary because he's a nocturnal predator, so he needs to navigate accurately in the dark. This is why his hearing and sight are so advanced! He can also hear with his 6 smaller ones (or maybe he can pick up just certain frequencies), but they don't have the small organs (except for the sides from the second movie). Since they nicely encircle his head, he can listen in all directions with them. Moreover, he can move and focus them in the desired direction when necessary. By the way, they complement his body language very well, as his emotions are expressed through the position of his ears, allowing him to convey his feelings more effectively in various ways. Their shapes make them very aerodynamic, which doesn't affects his flying in any way. If it's truly PITCH BLACK, he has a special ability for that too, namely echolocation. The principle is similar to bats, but he uses a plasma wave for "pinging." He then receives the returning wave with his large ears (and because his hearing organs are at different levels, he can get an even more accurate 3D image of his surroundings) and creates a kind of map in his head. So it's incredible how versatile he is and how he makes use of everything on his body.
Back spines
Let me briefly mention another body part (at least I'll try...) that also serves multiple functions. These are his back spines. Firstly, their primary purpose is to protect his spine from attacks coming from above. However, they also function as highly efficient stabilizers when flying. In the second film, it was revealed that he can split them, and according to Valka, this allows him to take sharp turns more effectively. This means that the open position causes some turbulence that changes Toothless's aerodynamics, enabling him to turn at a shallower angle(?). Another use for them is they can act as radiators. If his body overheats (from attacks, environmental factors, etc.), he can quickly release excess heat through them. Last but not least, they look incredibly cool and awesome! :D (Oh, and they can also serve as handholds if someone's flying with him... :P)
I could go into a more in-depth analysis of his body structure, but I think I'll draw the line here, because if I start, I could easily write 15-20 more pages, and that would be so nerdy that some might find it cringe-worthy (for most of the readers). The point is that his anatomy and his overall external design is simply GENIUS! But! It's not all about appearance! Many people probably don't even notice that there's another very important aspect, and that's his personality! Body and soul. There's a saying: "The outside attracts it, the inside keeps it!"
On the inside (Personality-wise)
I don't quite understand why some people can live together (for years) where they may find attractive each other, but somehow internally they are completely different in terms of what they're interested in or passionate about. Because of this, maybe they would rate each other 7/10 (or so) appearance-wise, but internally it's a 2/10 at best, so it's probably not going to be a long-lasting relationship, but it doesn't matter... After all, it's the appearance is what matters, right? ... pfft.But back to Toothless! Well yes... This statement above was true for him back then, and I have to admit that when I first met him, I didn't realized his depths that much, but somewhere, even then, I felt that he will be special to me for some reason. Well, yes, if I had known back then, but it didn't take long for me to realize that I really found the person I was always looking for! Of course, he first had to have the look that caught my attention, BUT!!! If he didn't have that amazing, deep, unique, interesting personality, he certainly wouldn't have made it past a level 2! (Sorry Bud, I had to say it...) In this regard, if he had just an average antagonist personality (which, by the way, could easily pass as the main villain of a dragon movie!) the usual, shallow mindset, megalomania, blah blah blah... then he wouldn't have impressed me that much. I would surely have had a few favorite scenes of him, but he wouldn't have been able to go deeper just because of his personality! But fortunately, it didn't turn out that way, and I have to say that especially as this aspect that he completely utterly amazed me! The day after I saw the first movie, I watched a few scenes again and that's when I saw the details and layers the movie had! EVERYTHING is beautifully crafted in it! And yes, even back then I was already examining Toothless's appearance and personality many times, but he still had to prove himself. Then, not long after, the series came, and showed me what he really represents. All my doubts disappeared and a few months later, he crossed the magical level 3, but yes. It must have a 10 out of 10 from both, appearance AND personality aspects! Only then does the magic happen!
But why am I so into his personality?
Well... I could go into this... How could I explain this in a few pages... Yikes! I guess I don't have to say that this is going to be a VERY simplified review because at this point, it would be hard for me to hold back!
First of all, his complexity!
I'll start with his most obvious traits first.
So... He has two separate 'natures.' One where he is truly an extremely dangerous, awe-inspiring, fearsome beast, and the other is when he's the most adorable thing in the world! ^.^. Especially when he switches between these two extreme natures almost every second. Like here:
Toothless has his own characteristics (I know what he likes or hates, etc.). One of my long-time desires was to have a reptilian character who surpasses his animalistic nature and is on equal footing with anyone else... It took me 14 years to finally find it, and yes, all of this is true for Toothless! Finally, a reptilian character with a consciousness mind of his own, but somewhere, he still retains his old animalistic nature. This is a very interesting and unique mix, something I hadn't really seen before, or just fantasized about in the past.
This is quite noticeable in Toothless's behavior. He's cautious, curious, observant, and even sometimes imitates others. He possesses far more cognitive functions than an ordinary animal... So, there's that. I view Toothless as any other individual, and when I talk about him, I treat him as such, not as an object (if that makes sense). Oh, and there's one more thing that really bothers me!
This might get a bit geeky, but there probably won't be a better place or opportunity for me to express this... Well, I might regret it later, but here's one of my pet peeves. So... When I look at Toothless, I see a majestic, incredibly handsome, and beautiful dragon. I repeat... A DRAGON! Even the film's title reference it! Yet, for some, even with these quite obvious statements, for some reason... sigh... yeah... they just see just an over-glorified cat in him... ugh...
A cat... Uh-huh... I understand the resemblance. I know Toothless's background. I know that initially, he was designed to be more wolf-like, but one of the artists had a black panther as a background at the time. This inspired making his body shape and personality somewhat like a big predatory cat's. BUT! Here's precisely why I find his personality so interesting. He still masterfully maintains the essence of a real dragon, but here and there makes references as if he were a big cat. But it's done very subtly and only when it's appropriate. So yes, Toothless is a DRAGON with some cat-like traits here and there, and NOT A CAT with scaly skin and wings!!! Grrrr... I haven't seen a cat that has scaly skin, can fly (!), shoot plasma blasts, understand speech, etc... If someone has, please let me know; I'm interested!
So, this level of sophistication and complexity of his simply just overwhelms me...
Now, here comes another crucial thing about him. I confess that his first movie version is my favorite. Both outside and inside! ❤ He's simply perfection, and I wouldn't change a pixel on him! I love him to the last scale! I can say the same about him in the short film 'Gift of the Night Fury,' where he maintains his form just as in the first movie! ^.^ The short film is based on the first one, and when it comes to Toothless, these two masterpieces are my reference. He's a 10/10 in every aspect!
In the series, he got a bit more restrained appearance, but fortunately, his proportions stayed the same, and he retained his handsomeness! Overall, he doesn't look bad at all, but of course, there are differences compared to the first movie. In 'Race to the Edge,' he got some additional details and improvements, and honestly, they turned out pretty well! I love both versions of him equally in the series.
However, from the second movie, something changed. They made some adjustments to his character (if not they started from scratch due to their Apollo software...). His proportions changed somewhat here and there, especially on his face. But overall, I really like his appearance in the second movie too! I would even say that it's an 8/10 compared to the first movie (I'm not saying he's not as good looking! I also find him gorgeous, but this is more about how far he deviates in design from his first movie (reference) self!). However, his personality... well, that's where significant changes occurred. I have two possible explanations for this. First, let's take the probably canonical explanation. The events of the second movie take place 4 years after the first movie. In this time, Hiccup and Toothless learned a lot from each other. Since it was already clear in the first movie that Toothless likes to mimic things, it's no wonder that over these 4 years, he picked up a lot of human traits from the Vikings. His animalistic self got more in the background, while his conscious self got more attention.
Then there's the mundane (somewhat boring) technical explanation due to the change in directors. The first movie was written by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois together. But Chris shaped Toothless' character and personality mainly. Since Toothless' based on a black panther and Chris favored cats, that's why there are some 'cat-like' aspects in Toothless. The second movie, however, was directed by Dean only, and Dean is a dog lover... which is why the changes in personality occurred. Those who are observant fans (and maybe didn't know about this) surely noticed that the second movie included more 'dog-like' traits... If you ask me, (and if I had to chose from just these two) overall, Toothless suits the 'cat-like' attitude much better. It's much closer even in appearance. But enough of the explanations. There are many scenes in the second movie that are dear to my heart, and that includes Toothless too. Although not as numerous as in the first movie, there are quite a few! (Especially his alpha mode, that's freakin' awesome!!!)
In the third movie, the situation gets worse... There, something happened that I never thought... that... it's hard to describe... sigh... um... well... so... I never thought that... I will... cringe at certain scenes... phew... Yes... Unfortunately, the worst had happened. I don't blame Toothless for it but... rather the technical explanation for this. This also expands into profit orientation, but let's not get into that... I have to say that I rarely can relate to him in the third movie. His personality is very different, and they crossed some boundaries that they weren't supposed to! The 'dog-like' impressions remained, but now romance is added, so yes. It's a total 180-degree shift. Honestly, there are very few scenes where I truly recognized and appreciated the genuine Toothless from the first film. But as I promised, let the gifs speak, not just the written words! (Wait for them to load!)
For me, he is Toothless:
authority and dignity, descends from the rock and stands before
Hiccup, never taking his eyes off him!
Toothless is just oozing! This is where his intelligence really shines!
And yes... these should be the scenes that builds the
first impression, not the ones that ended up in the bruh section...
By the way, when I first saw Toothless (on January 1, 2010) in the movie theater,
I distinctly remember this scene from the trailer! (Out of the roughly two what I can recall).
Powerful, epic, and awesome!
When it comes to battle, Toothless excels just the same! I'm totally
amazed by his combat and flying style, and even though I fear for him,
I love watching him in action, and of course, I'm always rooting for him! :)
In this gif, you can see beautifully how he strategize and times his moves!
He wants to make the most out of every situation and give his full potential!
Toothless still protects Hiccup with his body. He really is a true hero!
THIS IS WHAT A TRUE FRIEND IS LIKE!!!!
Many could learn from him!!!
And my eyes are getting teary again...
I would be happy to add about 10 more gifs, but I'm already reaching 1 GB, so it's getting quite large... Maybe someday if there's a demand for it. ;) However, even with these few gifs, it should provide a good foundation, I hope. When I think of Toothless, these scenes or similar ones play in my head when I think of him. He's 10/10 inside and outside. He's the one I've committed to for life and has made the biggest impression on my life. Umm... But before I get carried away again, let's look at the other side of the coin. I don't dwell on these scenes and I usually try to treat them as if they "didn't happen" because I specifically don't like to think about those scenes...
So, as I mentioned, start with the upper batch because those show the 100% genuine, raw Toothless!
In these however, he's depicted everything that is NOT HIM!
prosthetic, but somehow right now, he finds it very intriguing... um... no.
Typical unconscious dog behavior... pfft. Toothless is far more than that! Far more!
By the way, from the second movie, this is the one scene I'm not okay with!
Here, I see nothing but a drooling, unconscious "dog", not a dragon... -.-
It really doesn't fit his personality and actually takes away from his depth!
But the worst yet to come...
This, of course, spread like wildfire and became a popular meme! From that scene where
he delivers his weakest performance! Honestly, I don't even know who that is,
because it's definitely not Toothless!!! Grrr!!! This is EVERYTHING what HE IS NOT!
A total 180-degree turn, shame on you, DreamWorks! >(
This is how you ruin a dragon's dignity in 5 seconds!
And no... it's not even funny... especially at this cost!
This... Maybe it won't be the first thing that an average watcher notices, but I hope it's a bit clearer now. To be completely honest... If I had encountered the third film version of Toothless first (somehow) and watched the third film in the theater (let's say without having seen the first two), he wouldn't have impressed me nearly as much as the first one did right away! And I must say, that judging from the third film version of Toothless alone... it wouldn't have been enough to reach level 3... sigh... ugh... it was awful to write this... but it was time anyway... He would have made it to a strong level 2, but it's precisely his personality that I can't relate to nearly as much as with the first movie version of him!!! This beautifully sums it up, but it's also painful to write down. For his look, I would still rate him 10/10, because to me, he's exceptional and perfect in every way in that aspect, but when it comes to his personality, he'd barely get a 4 or at most a generous 5... And as I mentioned before, it needs a 10 on the appearance AND a 10 on the personality aspects, or the magic doesn't happen...
Because of the marketing that Universal pushed when the third film was released, many people encountered the third film's (comical) Toothless first, and that's why they didn't develop the same awe and respect. At best, he might regain some of it if they watch the first and second films afterward, but the first impression is ruined... sigh. This might have messed me up as well, and precisely because there were things that I found really cringe-worthy, I would probably wouldn't take him seriously that much... Well, that's what I have a big problem! (I apologize to those fans for whom the third film is their favorite! I understand their point of view too! I really UNDERSTAND, but regardless, I can't resonate with it as much...)
But enough with the rants...
Nevertheless, there were changes in the third film that I particularly liked! For example, Toothless developed a new personality type! More precisely, a third one (besides the animalistic and the adorable ones). I can't really find a perfectly fitting word for it, but perhaps the one that comes closest is when he behaves like a human! These reactions are no longer just imitations, but proof of genuine conscious thinking. Here are a few gifs:
and glances at Hiccup with that "See, it worked" expression! It's just adorable!
But here he goes even further because you can see him really
trying to come up with a different strategy!
and I was incredibly impressed and proud of him!
Yes, I think this is the point where it is truly visible that he has surpassed
his limits and he is so much more than just an instinctive creature! I wonder
which animal would be capable of creating something similar!
So, with these scenes, I don't have any problems at all! In fact, they make him even more complex, and honestly, his "human" personality fits him very well! (A thousand times better than the "unconscious dog-like" one... ugh.) He's truly an intelligent thinking being with feelings and emotions, not just an animal with instincts!!!
As for me, Toothless' first movie self is the reference and in my eyes, the third film won't diminish him because what he achieved in the first film left me in awe for a lifetime! So, he quickly gained my upmost respect, and I never treated him the same, like the characters that came before him. He was already very different from the others back then! However, he had to prove himself a lot because I had a 15-year internal culture in this regard, and I thought I'd seen it all... how wrong I was!
He came, and with a plasma blast he injected himself inside right into my heart, and with his acetylene fire, he burned his name onto the bottom of it forever! ❤ Well, yes... I guess I should draw the line here before I get too carried away...
Overall, he exceeded my expectations by far! So much, so that about 8-9 months after our first real meeting, he reached level 2 and in 2017 he went to lvl 3! In a nutshell, that's the gust of it, but the really good part is the whole story! He proved himself a thousand times over and over and showed me who he really is! And I couldn't help but just awe! I haven't encountered anyone like him in the past 15 years, and I haven't seen a character who could even come close since then (and there never will be)!
In that wonderful and noble body resides an equally wonderful and noble soul! He set the bar sky high, and it might sound strange, but I also consider him a role model and try to grow up to be like him! Even though it's extremely challenging! I owe him a lot already (for my projects if nothing else!) and the shared experiences/memories that nothing can replace! Well, yes... The problem is that words run out over time... and in such moments, perhaps pictures can speak better again.
A long time ago, I found a fanart somewhere. A fanart that sums up my relationship with Toothless very well! Now this is what I can relate 100% with! It perfectly reflects how I think about him and who I consider him to be like! I would definitely write something very similar to him! ❤
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