YESS OMG. Thank you for this addon so much, I adore this input! And I agree with you fully. /gen im not used to people interacting with my criticisms - and when they do, it's usually them telling me im wrong LOL
Also yeah, writers avoid trying to make their works seem similar to real world things so much it literally destroys their worldbuilding. Also... What is wrong with making your culture a little similar to another? (directed at the authors) In fact, as a totally professional worldbuilder you SHOULD take inspiration from real world cultures and you need to be never afraid to make your culture a LOT different! Accidentally making your culture similar to another is a whole lot worse, and not making a culture at all is a LOT worser... Because you're just going to make it YOUR culture!
Also, one thing before I go on, nothing against you! I just wanted to make sure you and everyone potentially reading knows: Racism is NOT primal, it is cultural, humans are not threatened by people who look different from them, and that "uncanny valley thing to protect us from not-human-but-look-similar" or whatever is NOT real, racists looveee to throw that around and make people believe them, but it's not true!
The uncanny valley exists because that is how we detected Disease, like rabies, and, we humans are a species that form very deep interspecies relationships because we benefit(ed) from them throughout evolution, and I do not see why we would evolve a fear towards other species, even if they look like us.
And, our ancient relatives actually had deep bonds with Neanderthals AND many MANY other-species people in our genus, they even formed sexual relationships, and kept doing this for thousands of years, and so often, that their genetic code can still be found in many people living today!
But anyway. It does frustrate me how much WOF focuses on topics similar to racism (species-ism?) but struggles so much on making the racism actually function realistically.
Racism is a HARRDDD topic, but it is an important topic! So getting it wrong hurts a lot of people, especially when you're writing a book where bigotry is bad. In the long run, I do like that it is a little surface level so little kids could understand it - but the laziness in the culture, and the fact that the only thing different from white american/western culture is that women are more valued then men. (But then there's still no misandry in the books . which yea, nice because it seems male-oriented and pro-misogyny, but like, come on, im sure you can do it well)
The whole Nightwings Experimenting on Rainwings thing ??!?!! That was WILD. And while Glory did punish them well, it feels like that the Rainwing's grief were just Forgotten, aside from Kinkajou making some small comments on how she's scared of Moon. The Rainwings were not effected at all culturally for this horrible thing that has happened to them, and the Nightwings have just been accepted in rather open-arms into the rainforest. I really do wish that this was more political, that, as well as the nightwing government being corrupt and racist and fucking EVIL that there could be other nightwings that want to step up to the corruption, maybe a small resistance party, or maybe, some nightwings are completely oblivious. It would be great to see the Nightwings also being oppressed by their government - as that would make them seem like less of a combined bigotry party, and would allow them to be accepted easier into the rainforest without it being Fucking Weird. Like sure, they do this, a bit, but these sorts of things need to be shoved in your face I think.
You talk about the Hivewings and Silkwings really well. For me, the fact that the only things that Silkwings were discriminated against were only the fact that theyre silkwings. Nothing about their culture, religion, language, ANYTHING was discriminated against, they changed nothing ATLEAST culturally because we do not KNOW what the silkwings were like before the hivewings!!! Despite the fact that the Hivewings are a church-oriented Fascist Leadership(dictatorship), the Silkwings have never been effected by religious oppression, they have not been forced to worship clearsight!!! their faith has not been ripped away from them!!!
While there are aspects that I do like with arc 3, like them highlighting different forms of discrimination and what silkwings are and aren't allowed to do, how silkwings are given more dangerous jobs, or jobs under a Master as a slave, how silkwings receive worse education compared to hivewings. I did enjoy the cuffs they have and the scene in the diner, it did feel pretty good for a "trying to not scare the kids reading but trying to show racism!"
But I wish that, instead of Blue being kind, I wish he was just arrogant, I wish he was the product of this discrimination of this leadership, I wish I felt the actual fear of Luna and Swordtail speaking out against the Hivewings, instead of Swordtail just going to Misbehaviour's Way or whatever. I wish Cricket was an accurate portrayal of a person used to this bigotry and benefiting from it, her treating Blue as below her, her thinking that Sundew is scary and maybe even undermining and thinking she's stupid for using such "stupid-people" weapons like blowdarts and ants to hurt people... Maybe thinking Luna and Swordtail are idiots for stepping out of line, and working through her bigotry and growing more angrier and ashamed through the book.
The fact that Clearsight is hero-ified drives me up the wall too!!! She's a fucking colonist! She's bigoted and she literally oppresses the beetle wings!!! ALSO her making an entire tribe through her babies ???? WTF. WEIRD.
(btw i find it weird how nightwings are like the sole source of fascism and bigotry throughout all three arcs. they are always the villains lmao. Hivewings are based on nightwings. i havent read the fourth arc but ill cry if nightwings are somehow related to whatever fascist government is overtaking Australia)
The most im frustrated with is culture, culture is EASY TO MAKE! (sincerely, a worldbuilder) Especially when you don't want to go too in depth! A lot of the culture has been rounded out in the Guide to the Dragonworld, but the fact that basically no characters actually INTERACT MEANINGFULLY with the cultures in the books??!!! Where's Winter seeing Qibli's passion for music and thinking about Bards back home? Where's mentions of carnelian having a skywing funeral or maybe even characters seeing the funeral? Where's dragons questioning other dragons religious views? Where's dragonets learning a JMA about other dragon's favorite foods, their type of music, their ways of greeting, any ceremonies they may have, how to say hi to their friend in their friend's language! Anything! Where's darkstalker having a culture shock and explaining how different it is, or trying to talk to a nightwing in an now-ancient language that has hence evolved?
And RAINWINGS!!! Omg rainwings. The fact that they are 1. in the rainforest 2. are treated as dumb and lazy and ARE and 3. had to had someone else (an intruder) take control of their government system in order to function . IS THAT NOT RACIST.
BTW, I LOVE how you said dragons should be more like birds and have bird vocals structures. that is a GREAT idea and I'm definitely adding it in my WOF rewrite aus.
There's probably a lot more I can say, especially about rainwings, but I'm kinda . beat. my Anger meter is spent and ive been writing for 2 hours
