The thread was locked so instead I'll ask that if you can, send feedback through contact us about this. No spam/insults but the more people raise this issue the better. I'll be posting the thread in the readmore for anyone who'd like to read it in case its deleted
Hello, I'm here to talk about the issue with Auraboas, their design, lore, and the racism contained in them. Please read the entire thing before replying and be respectful, thank you. The issue: Auraboas are an ancient dragon species with a crest that has a headdress design, that live in a remote isolated area and are so exotic and different from other dragons that they cannot communicate with other species beyond baby talk (explicit text in their lore) until BoE happens in world and their children act normal.
The entire plot is about a dragon being confused and condescending about the elder Auraboas, who are panicking about losing their connection to the new generation who cannot speak like them. This entire situation is 1:1 with various stereotypes and racist beliefs about native people, and it needs to be addressed. Before you comment, I am not saying individual elements of the lore are racist, but that the combination of them and the context of the dragon design result in a racist narrative.
Deconstructing each argument:
1. The “not like us” setting and the difficulty with learning the other's language is a common stereotype for native people to treat them as exotic and uncivilized. Through the story, elder Auraboas are described as talking like a newborn hatchling:
Not only that, but they're completely unable to understand basic concepts that other dragons do, and will often need explanation. They're placed in this “beyond comprehension” box that ostracizes them as not like the others:
This is a good segway to the next issue: 2. Auraboas are treated extremely condescendingly by the narrative. Not only is there the issue above of not understanding simple concepts, but their main peril of losing contact with the next generation (who cannot communicate with them proper) is treated as funny, small issue and an opportunity for them to finally interact with other dragons.
In world, this is a character finding another species losing the connection to their young and the latter losing part of their culture in the process funny, and replying condescendingly that this is just how normal children act, and they'll figure the issues out tomorrow. The panicking Auraboas are meant to be a little gag, why are they stressing over something so minor? The kids are fine, this is just how everyone does it (“and you're the weird ones” is not said, but implied).
The final scenes barely touch upon how terrifying, how worrying this is. We don't get to know how the Auraboas feel beyond a panicked adult that's treated as overreacting and background characters who exist to not understand things.
Instead, we get a cute scene. The hatchling got a name! They finally have the chance to experience the world as everyone else does it. They're free from being Auraboas.
I know there'll be a few arguments, so I'd like to reply to them before it starts:
1. The crest is just a bird crest, it being similar to headdresses and war bonnets is just a coincidence.
I ask you to look at this image, and tell me which side does the Auraboa design looks more like:
2. They act like this because they experience time in a non-linear fashion, it's nothing to do with racism.
The fact that there's an explanation on why they act they way they do does not erase the connotations that the lore + design leave. Auraboas have an important native cultural piece in their design and a lore that reads in the same way as the exotic native stereotype does. The ostracization and othering doesn't go away because it has a motive.
Okay, what should be done then?
The best case scenario would be a redesign of their headcrest AND a rewrite of their lore. Both contribute to the racism in Auraboas, and are being addressed equaly. Even if the design is somehow untouchable (though I believe removing racist depiction should come before gameplay and people's feelings on redesigns), the lore should still be removed and written from scratch.
Furthermore, I believe FR should hire sensitivity readers. We had the same issue of racist narratives with the beastclans, and if FR wants to stick to writing a new lore that doesn't fall into these issues, they need to consult more than themselves, because they failed completely with Auraboas. Thank you for reading
