Wings on Fire

Book 17's POV is Kinkajou!

*takes a breath* hi sorry I got excited HDGDHDBDBS

Also what do you think dragons are? Reptiles, mammals or a secret third thing? because I turn that question around a LOT in my brain but don't know enough about biology to make a realistic take and am curious to know what you think.

(no rush to answer I know that was a lot of yapping LMFAO)

UGRRRRRHAAAAA AAAAAA RESSAAA YESSSS YES YES YES YAY

yesss icewings huge and bulky!!!! ppl always make them like, akin to elves for some reason idk why.

they do.. and i mean I respect the elf pretty boy agenda (I am trying very hard to HDJKHDJK) but yes exactly the way they're depicted in the books and. just. the way most arctic creature actually ARE paints a very different picture of them I think. They should be allowed to be huge.

anyways i do give them feathers but like they are kind of more like hair-like filaments, a bit more fuzzy meant for insulation, different from the types of feathers modern birds have. The dragons i give feathers are Icewings, nightwings, and skywings.

YESSS

Faux feather/fur structures for dragons is always SO important to me, I love the concept as a whole!!! Really pushing the idea of what a dragon is and then thinking about them in a scientific lens. (They're like horses.. or at least that weird meme joke of horses being anything on four legs that is weird looking. Is that a thing? That's a thing right... or is that something me and my friends made up that I now think is real.. anyway ..) And I mean out of all the weirdass fuckass creatures in Earth's history, dragons really don't feel all THAT fantastical, and I love love love thinking about them like this GRRRG.

i feel like they definitely slide into the reptilian category for me but like. closer to birds. yknow, very dinosaur-esque, but some lean a bit elsewhere. My takes on the wof dragons overall take a very dinosaur/bird approach to inspo. Icewings and sandwings draw a little from large theropods (yutyrannus and allosaurus respectively)

yes okay wow this is fascinating to me, i typically lean into more weird-bird-mammilla territory with WoF dragons (probably because of how humanized they are and a lot of scenes pointing to them being mammal-like with temperature regulation which im sure wasn't intentional but whateverrr) (it's also just a lot easier to draw dragons if i use big cats as references) but dinosaur and theropods make a LOT of logical sense yes yes yes i love this take yes

I'm specifically very insane about Sandwings who are soooo cat-coded according to me and my brain. (or at least.. there is a portion of Sandwings that are very cat coded) I like the idea of there being a few sub-species of Sandwings- so that the drastically different body-types we see depicted can make some more sense. because like... how would someone like BURN realistically survive in the dessert alone?? She wouldn't!! she was able to get that big and strong due to societal developments and resources!! I also like to think there's a mix of other tribes in her and her sisters' blood, because they're royal and like. those "urban" (for lack of better word) sandwings would develop differently if they don't have to struggle for resources, y'know? you see.. you see you see you see.. the vision... im pointing very dumbly because i can't explain it good without visuals but

basically basically i think sandwings should be one of the most genetically diverse tribes- like the whole thing with hivewings and different genetic opportunities for venom but take it FARTHER make it more interesting!!! there's so much opportunity for theme's about classism and maybe why the Sand Kingdom needed to have that god awful war BEYOND just the succession of the throne. Maybe tension between groups has been brewing for a LONGG time!! that was a huge detour anyway GSHJKSGKJ

my nightwings take a little bit of inspo from vultures, and my skywings that i have yet to make a proper design for lean very obviously into bird of prey territory. I want them to walk on their wings and free up their hands for grabbing..... so a little bit of pterosaur influence in there too.

WAOH that's really cool and I don't think I ever really see Nightwings being given fuzz... them and Skywings are very European-standard-dragon to me but I absolutely EAT UP whenever people make Skywings pterosaur-esque i fucking LOVE THAT SHIT YESSS GIMMIE.

Nightwings being vulture coded is HUGE, or any scavenger animal like wolves maybe... bats too- i see a lot of bats used for Nightwings. But vultures fuck yes.. really drawing on their depiction in book 4 that's genius.

the only Nightwing I've given a crack at drawing is Moonwatcher and I typically use big cats like panthers or tigers to influence her body type and design.. She'd look very different from a typical Nightwing because she raised herself in the Rainforest essentially. that's not me thinking about science or biology or anything that's more-so just character design.

my seawings dont draw from anythign too much in specific but i like the idea of them having some kind of gular pouch, maybe not one as large as pelicans but maybe closer to anhingas.

GULAR POUCH IS HUUUUGE I'm repeating myself so much but YES i ALSO love this, Seawings can be literally anything you want them to be because of how many different inspirations from sea-creatures there are to pull from.. big sparkly eyes....

ummm mudwings im also still working out i do lean very heavy into crocodillian territory which like . yeah super original i know. they areee kind of giving me some trouble cuz liek out of the original joy ang designs mudwings i think are my fav just cuz they have the most unique face and i wanna try and keep that while also doing my own thing. its a delicate balance.

I'm nodding VERY solemnly. It's such a huge undertaking because there's so much to research and so many ideas you wanna try and also there's this HUGE need for it to be as realistic as possible... but at the end of the day it's about what speaks to you and what ideas sound the most fun!!! which is why its so addicting to think about..

I LOVE DRAWING MUDWINGS for this exact reason they are so... weird lookin. they're like ten different things at once but i couldn't tell you what a single one is. I think in my brain they're kinda like... hippo-armadillian.... crocodile (they are really just huge horse-crocodiles it's part of the appeal) and then they're also in like the same design category as Seawings where i take random amphibious or aquatic animals and apply some of their traits. And really what is biology if not the insane mismatching of different adaptations and design philosophy.

rainwings lean the most away from bird/dinosaur like into a more lizard/snake like look. given theyre like in canon most closely related to like the pantalan dragons. my leafwings are actually very very lizard-like with pterosaur like wings cuz i always felt that in canon the silk and hivewings stood out so much more than the leafwings and it made them feel kinda lame so i wanted them to stand out more.

YOURE RAINWINGS GENUINLY ARE SO GOOD i am quickly running out of brain steam BUT THEIR SHAPES????? YESS YEYSYSYYYS YESSSS YAYAAYAY

Leafwings are pretty weird to rotate design wise because of the plant vs animal thing they got going on. And of course mimicry is a thing- but their like... leaf magic kind implies that they are at least a little bit plant like... which is a REALLY fun idea..

and then for silkwings and hivewings uhhhh im kinda doing away with them all together. instead beetlewings are not dragons but instead dragon-like bugs!

HJGJGSHDJSJDGHSJ COMPLETELY FAIR

i always liked their designs cause it was something different, but i definitely prefer fan interpretations of them that really run with the bug theme full-force instead of.... kinda just.... tacking it on like it is in canon. Beetlewings are definitely a lot more interesting as a concept i completely get it i get it so much GJKSGHJKSHJKS

HOLY YAP SESSION okay i got all my thoughts out this means im free and my brain will stop going insane okay THANK GOD AUGH

As important as it was to contact Tumblr when they made that asinine, fucked up change, now that they've reversed it, you have a chance to say thanks for reversing it.

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So, even though you may still be mad that they did it at all, take a moment and a breath, and click here. Select feedback if it isn't already selected. And just say "Hey, thanks for listening to your users, and for rolling back the change. I like my community here, and I like that you listened to us when we asked you not to do something we didn't like." It doesn't need to be elaborate. But if we want them to listen to us, making it worth listening to us is a step in the process.

Which also means that if you added a negative review somewhere due to this update, consider retracting or editing it to address the back track on the update. If you were a premium user and you cancelled in order to speak with your money to object to the change, consider speaking again now that you've been listened to.

Queen fruit bat, my favorite of the old rainwing queens! It would’ve been nice for this redesign doodle to include some of her green accents, but I forgot them…

here’s a wof OC challenge! If you happen to be an artist, draw your oc! Tag your fellow fanwings and/or use the hashtag “#wof oc challenge” ! I’d love to see everyone’s OC’s!!! (Instructions under cut)

Gender- girl

Uhhhh i think the numbers here are a bit inaccurage so il just go by words

Age- teen/young adult (7-10)

Animus

Accessories

Scars

Ill draw her later...

Spilt complimentary pallete

AND i forgot to tag people 😭😭

Gender - Female

Age - Dragonet (0-4 years)

Season - Winter (Analogous color palette)

Occupation - Student

Has a pet

Has accessories

Has some kind of disability

Tribe and gender being the same is crazy

August.. mhm.. hybrid (which tribes though what?? Whatever I'll get back to it.)

The day is the fourth.. a woman !! lets go!!!

I'm the baby and the middle child depending on which friend group so like... 9ish.. probably..

Oo which season I like? Winter obvio-

/pauses and squints/

Analogous... Color scheme... mhm.. that's.. mm

It's fine, anyways books are co..

Animus.

/sweats/ Okay anyway the next on-

Accessories.

It's no-

Unique special ability.

I'm

Fuck you.

That wasn't even in the prompt.

You little wheeny.

i haven't drawn a dragon in a minute and art block has GOT me but i hope this helps a little lol

i literally just traced my clay sketch and shakily erased and added tufts untill it looked decent

Okay now that I'm actually hearing it I totally agree, Arc 3 was awesome.

I LOVED the setting for Blue and Cricket's books. The hives are such a fresh, African-inspired take on Dystopian megaliths and the flock they get isn't deserved.

I think I've reread books 1-3 most often out of the entire series, maybe not for the plot, but to re-immerse myself in their society because it's really creative and fun. (any dystopian storyline gets old if you consume it too often but at the same time the plot is also really engaging and I LOVED it the first time around)

/Me pointing/

Okra.

^ a very common east African crop that Blue mentions a few times. I see it often in African literature, so being jumpscared by it in a children's book about dragons was unexpected and really cool.

And I don't know if it was intentional, but the Breath of Evil reminds me of another very common issue in African literature (note: literature, I don't claim to be knowledgeable at all beyond the books I read); cocaine and drug addiction. Specifically, drug addiction in the military.

Queen wasp using Breath of Evil to control her army is incredibly reminiscent of how many terrorist groups in central Africa use drug addiction to groom and shackle children to their cause. She distributes the drug before Hivewing dragonets HATCH.

But it doesn't stop there, the drug distribution isn't used as an excuse for the decades of Hivewing supremacy- it's absolutely seen as a tragedy, yet Tui explicitly makes a point to introduce Hivewing characters that choose to be controlled. Hivewings that choose to stand for and allow her bigotry. Tui says that, yes, there are good Hivewings who are fighting against the system, but there are just as many keeping it in place who should be held accountable.

Cricket's own sister-mother is one of these dragons. Perfectly content to look the other way for the sake of her and Cricket's survival.

Then there's the Hivewings experiencing withdrawal after Wasp's defeat. The Hivewings not knowing what to do with themselves without The Breath of Evil suppressing their minds. Hivewings who only ever knew what they were told.

That dichotomy is crazy to see in a CHILDREN'S book. This has to be intentional, all these little nods and parallels. A lot of Tui's best work is in this Arc. I haven't even mentioned the Leafwings and Icewings yet.

Unfortunately I think Luna's book kinda ruined a lot. Luna has every right to feel the way she does about Hivewings, but her tribal bias reaches beyond to the dragons of the Distant Kingdoms and it's REALLY irritating to see. Especially after SNOWFALL'S book which dealt with the same internal bias but in a much better and engaging way in my opinion.

I wholeheartedly agree, the Arc 3 gang getting split up for the finale was really disappointing to me. Not that I know how else Tui could've handled it but still.

Having old protags and new characters join Luna only for her to judge and criticize them because she doesn't know them with Moon RIGHT THERE was an.. interesting choice for the final book. That was really hard for me to get through as someone who was there for the entire release book-to-book.

I mean Luna's thoughts make complete sense from a logical standpoint- but from a narrative standpoint- this arc we've had Blue, Sundew, AND Snowfall who are either much better and likable takes on this specific unreliable narrator trope or just well. Blue. We as the reader have already come to the conclusion that Luna has not come to- racism on EVERY SIDE is bad! Not to undermine the specific message that Luna's pov gets across, which is holding people accountable for systemic oppression is very important and necessary. But?? The timing is just so unflattering for that message that it really falls flat to me.

this ask sparked an idea in me, so you guys can enjoy this comic set a week after Moon and Kinkajou start dating!