u/Charming-Change-4756

Sorry if this post gets a little dark lol
Ik a lot of people relate arc 3 to events that happened during ww2, but tbh to me its always felt like a very clear reference to the colonization of America (one group saying they are "genetically superior" to all others, so then enslaving one group and trying to completely wipe out another group) (obv its more complex irl but you know what im saying)

I feel like the scene in book 11 where those hivewing dragonets try to poke luna's wingbuds was very very reminiscent of people trying to touch black/textured hair without permission, not to mention some stores being "hivewing only" is literally just segregation (there's a bunch of small details that line up with this interpretation if you go looking for them, esp the school system stuff??)

As for leafwings, while not as direct as the silkwings I think there's a lot of similarities between them n native Americans. I think the whole connection with nature thing is pretty clear cut (even though its kinda a stereotype, look up the "magical native" trope) as well as the hivewing propaganda trying to convince ppl that they are savages. Not to mention the word genocide is used multiple times (which is insane for a kids book)

All of this would be completely fine, I think its important for stuff like this to be talked about and the parallels are handled really well in the first 2 books, but then in the 3rd we get the reveal that "both sides were in the wrong"
I understand what Tui was going for with that, showing that all 3 tribes need to work together and something something the power of friendship that would've been a fine moral to have IF the leafwings weren't obvious parallels to native people

I am native (Navajo) and so maybe I'm looking into it too much, but I have had people in school SAY TO MY FACE that native Americans were just as much in the wrong as the colonizers (for, like, fighting back, which is what the leafwings were doing), which is just a horrible messed up way of thinking that really just made me feel awful, so seeing something similar said in the silly dragon books I love REALLY got under my skin.

Also another part that really bothers me is how swordtail is treated after book 13!! In the first few books he is such a complex and interesting character, but in book 15 he is just a goofball love interest in need of rescue (he literally turned into clay).

I went off of on a rant about how swordtail is treated but it's WAY too long so um im just going to make that its own post lol.. just saying the line "I just want to hurt them. [...] I want them to feel what it's like to be powerless. I want them to have their loved ones ripped away." is CRAZY and it's never brought up again (he def shoulda had his own book)

ANYWAY TLDR it's strange to be to have very clear parallels to real world tragedies and then just say it was fixed with quite literally the power of friendship. Book 15's climax is teaching freedom about friendship. Reminder that the word genocide was used multiple times.

I don't hate all of arc 3!! I think a lot of the messages in 11-13 are good and powerful, it just that with 15's ending it just really falls flat 🥀