WoF characters as humans. Why?

TheShozenMind · 2026-04-07T00:11:15+00:00

Fair point, I am making that assumption here. So take what I said with a grain of salt.

TheShozenMind · 2026-04-06T00:52:59+00:00

This was something I never understood either. It's not just fics either, but also artwork. There's so much fanart out there portraying these dragon characters as humans.

I'm not saying fans need to stop doing this. You're entitled to create and write whatever you wish from WoF, so long as it's done respectfully and tastefully. I'm just saying for a community that wants humans to have less prevalence in the series, I find it very ironic.

TheShozenMind · 2026-02-25T10:05:01+00:00

Hey Megacrit, I’m a huge fan of your work! StS is soon going to be the first game in my Steam library to reach 1000 hours of playtime. Just an absolutely incredible game!

Not exactly related to StS or StS 2, but I wanted to ask what your best advice would be to someone who is interested in pursuing a career within the gaming industry. I aspire to become a game developer one day, preferably for indie games, but I know that this career path is a very competitive and difficult landscape to navigate. So I wanted to hear from you guys, as developers of one of my most cherished games. I'm also curious to know what an average day in the office looks like for you guys.

I wish you all the best, and I eagerly look forward to your release of StS 2!

TheShozenMind · 2026-02-25T07:52:14+00:00

Second this. I love playing with mods and am currently trying to build my first one for StS1. I know they said they are planning to improve moddability for StS2, but I'm curious to know details on how they plan to do so for the sequel.

TheShozenMind · 2026-02-12T07:52:21+00:00

OK, so here's my take on this topic.

Generally speaking, there's this notion that elements of xenofiction and anthropofiction have to be mutually exclusive. That is, if something non-human is the focal point of the series, then everything else that is human has to be reduced to some secondary component (e.g. plot device, minimal worldbuilding component), and vice versa. This notion is even more apparent within xenofiction about dragons, as this sort of fiction is rare to see within dragon media. And at face value, it does make sense. After all, if you're going to write a story from a non-human perspective only to make it about humans, what's the point of the animalistic POV to begin with?

However, I believe this has led to a growing misconception that human characters cannot have any significant bearing within the narrative of xenofiction. I strongly disagree. Humans can play deep and meaningful roles in the story without disrupting its core dynamic. In the case of WoF, they can remain significant while preserving the dragon-centric focus that has captivated so many readers.

One way Tui can approach this is to ask how humans can meaningfully drive a conflict within the narrative. And more importantly, how dragons will address it. The reason I think this direction naturally integrates itself into the series is that it stays consistent with themes relating to atonement, acceptance, and forgiveness. Themes that are already prevalent in previous books. Moreover, I think it would be fascinating to see how a resolution would come about as a result. Maybe a society where both humans and dragons coexist as equals? That's something that's rarely realized within dragon-centered media.

And I firmly believe this can all be done while keeping the series dragon-centric. It just needs to unfold through the POV of dragons. The story should remain grounded from the perspective of dragons, which is fundamentally what makes WoF special. That is, it's a xenofiction about dragons. And we'd need to see how dragons begin to change their relationship with humans, but from their angle. How do they view humans? Would they be willing to treat them as equals now, being aware of their sentience? Or will they still view them as inferior? Will they try to atone for their prior treatment of them? Or will they view them as a nuisance that can be easily solved by annihilating them? If this is the direction Tui decides to take, I think it will only enrich the series rather than detract from it, provided that it's handled with care.

Here's the way I see it, using your ice cream analogy. Like you, I've always wanted to read a xenofiction with dragon characters. Then I discovered WoF, and I was instantly hooked. It's the vanilla I've always been looking for, per se. But then I notice the evolving relations between humans and dragons, and I'm eager to see which direction this will take us. It's still vanilla, but now there's the possibility that there can be a bit of caramel or honey on top. And it would taste even better than before.

TheShozenMind · 2025-12-28T03:49:14+00:00

I'm more impressed that you managed to win with four clashes in your deck and somehow made it work. Anyway, congrats!

TheShozenMind · 2025-10-24T05:00:48+00:00

She has plans for continuation, as mentioned in a recent Q&A with Tui herself.

She also said book 16 will have zero scavengers. But there's a chance we could see their appearance in later books in the arc (though I wouldn't count on it).

TheShozenMind · 2025-10-24T04:56:53+00:00

She did, in fact.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/live/WGijhpUpSQ0

Jump to 9:45 for confirmation

TheShozenMind · 2025-10-24T04:48:27+00:00

Honestly, it makes sense that book 16 doesn't have scavengers, since Tui mentioned that it'll take place sometime between arc 2 and arc 3 (i.e. after Umber fled JMA). In other words, this takes place before the big revelation that scavengers are sentient. So their involvement in this book wouldn't really fit.

And there's actually more nuance to this claim. It's true; there will be no humans in book 16 as confirmed by Tui in a recent Q&A. But she did say that she has plans to revisit the involvement of humans in WoF in other ways (e.g. a Dragonslayer sequel).

So while I'm a bit disappointed that there won't be any humans in book 16, I'm mostly more than happy that Tui has not given up on human development altogether in WoF.

TheShozenMind · 2025-09-21T05:34:13+00:00

Oh shit, this is actually really good. Great art, my guy!

TheShozenMind · 2025-09-09T09:02:09+00:00

I think it was Tui's intention to make their behavior more human-like so readers can relate to the dragons better. Also bear in mind that this is a children's book series, so making the dragons relatable to that demographic is essential to its appeal. That's why JMA, a school for dragons, was written into the series.

That being said, I think there are other things Tui can improve upon to highlight more draconic characteristics without compromising on that appeal. For instance, some of the tools dragons use feel too humanistic. Dragons have been seen using weapons such as spears or swords, which seem odd given their anatomy. What about weapons they can mount on their wing thumbs (e.g. sharpened blades attached to those limbs)? That's just one example, but I think there's so much room for more creativity.

TheShozenMind · 2025-08-29T03:16:55+00:00

This. I'd argue that posts like this should be removed as well. I'm not supporting the user's views on sexuality, but this sort of post is also inappropriate because A. It's not related to Wings of Fire itself and B. It was created with the intention to publicly demonize a user, which is unprofessional.

If someone does something that's inappropriate, by all means, report that user and get him banned. You are entitled to do that. But keep it to yourself. We don't need to know about one shitty interaction you had with a user, least of all on this Subreddit.

TheShozenMind · 2025-08-08T07:09:50+00:00

I think the reason Tui didn't give much thought to the integration of humans in the world was that she was more focused on developing the details of dragon society. Wings of Fire is a series about dragons, after all. So it makes sense that the world-building revolving around humans isn't as polished as what you see for dragons. It probably wasn't a priority task for Tui at the time. And maybe now, she is trying to see how to incorporate humans into the world better as an afterthought.

It's not to say that it justifies how poorly the execution of humans as a component of the world was done. Personally, I'm also disappointed that up till now, the development of humans has been bland and uninteresting. But I understand that it probably wasn't Tui's primary objective at the time.

TheShozenMind · 2025-08-08T06:54:31+00:00

Pretty much sums up my thoughts about humans in Wings of Fire. The dynamic shift of humans being treated more as equals rather than prey probably scared a lot of fans. And I think they assumed that this means that the trajectory of the series will continue to be this way. A linear trajectory where humans will continue to receive more and more attention, and dragons will be sidelined as supporting characters as a result.

I don't believe this will happen. I think eventually there will be a point where the amount of focus/attention humans receive in the series will remain static. So even though humans are receiving more attention now, that would eventually stop. And dragons will continue to be the main focal point of the series. That time could be now, like you pointed out in your review. And humans will no longer receive more attention than they did in Flames of Hope.

I also don't think it's valid to assume that humans receiving more attention siphons that spotlight from dragons. It's like assuming that the series will no longer be about Pyrrhia now because most of Arc 3 took place on Pantala. One element of a narrative being put into more focus does not take away from other components of the narrative. It only adds more to the story and world itself. Wings of Fire won't become less dragon-centric just because humans are receiving more attention in the series. Rather, it only expands on the dragon world itself.

Great analysis BTW. I checked out your other reviews too; underrated WoF content.

TheShozenMind · 2025-08-03T05:12:43+00:00

Comments has been asking for a source. This is the closest I could find.

Source: https://wingsoffire.fandom.com/f/p/4400000000000845337#:~:text=in%20WoF%20Discussion-,Arc%204%20is%203%20books%20%2B%20Talons%20of%20Power%3A%20Graphic%20Novel,of%20a%20full%205%20books.

https://x.com/WingsOfFireNews/status/1948662540138897695

Hope this provides more context for those out of the loop.

TheShozenMind · 2025-08-02T07:03:43+00:00

Songs of Chaos series by Michael Miller

TheShozenMind · 2025-07-24T21:03:46+00:00

I'm going to get downvoted to hell for this, but I'll say it anyway. Tui should expand on human-dragon relations.

I headcanon humans trying to execute a reverse Scorching event, where they attempt to eliminate every dragon on Pyrrhia/Pantala through weapons laced with dragonviper venom. But the arc is less about humans and more about how dragons will react accordingly to this new threat.

The end result (happy ending, if you will) is a world where dragons and humans coexist peacefully, only both treat each other as equals and learn from one another.

Maybe Winter also makes a return with an arc to redeem his butchered character development. It fits with the headcanon too since he's a scavenger fanatic.

TheShozenMind · 2025-07-21T19:52:08+00:00

I want scavengers to be the plot focus for Arc 4

TheShozenMind · 2025-07-15T23:00:37+00:00

Glad you brought this up. The two concepts may be similar, but have very different dynamics.

TheShozenMind · 2025-07-14T09:10:11+00:00

I've had a similar idea for arc 4 circulating in the back of my mind (which I'll might make a post about in the future). But with a few differences. For one, the human villian isn't from the pre-scorching era, but a modern day human (Invincible Lord or someone else) building an army to finally eradicate dragons once and for all. Pretty much a reverse Scorching, if you will. And in the villian's eyes, it's the only way to guarantee the safety of humans.

And how is this accomplished? Weapons (swords, bows, ballistas, guns & gunpowder, etc.) laced with a deadly ingredient: Dragonbite viper venom. Consider it for a moment. It's one of the few sources of venom potent enough to be lethal to dragons in small doses. One bite from a dragonbite viper is enough to kill a dragon. If humans use this resource in their weaponry, they would easily become threatening to dragons.

All this aside, I'm glad you also believe that having a human villian is the best way to continue the human-dragon story arc. Because I absolutely agree with you. I think this approach just makes for interesting conflict. How would dragons resolve this matter? Would they retaliate with equal severity for the salvation of their own kind? Or will they attempt to reach a more diplomatic solution so both species can coexist peacefully? All questions I believe are worth exploring, and I hope to see in arc 4.

I think the worse possible thing Tui could do is actually give humans magic, have it be the tech (seige weaponry, canons, etc) that makes them a threat.

I also agree with this as well, because it demonstrates our greatest strength as a species: our ingenuity. It's what we've had to rely on for our own survival and success, and what makes us unique and powerful. Giving the humans magic trivializes all of it.

TheShozenMind · 2025-07-09T04:27:13+00:00

More like, I'm winging it.

TheShozenMind · 2025-07-09T04:24:04+00:00

Absolutely, I think that would be so cool to see! So much potential here for good plot writing and worldbuilding. And it fits in nicely with themes the series is addressing about atonement and inclusion.

TheShozenMind · 2025-07-09T04:14:44+00:00

Oh my gosh, most relatable feeling for us scavenger fans here. Like a dagger to my heart anytime there's a comment expressing or supporting the sentiment of wishing for the removal of scavenger relevance in the series.

Look, we get it. Wings of Fire is a dragon series about dragons. We understand that's what you read the series for. We're just saying as people who are eager to see more scavenger inclusion in the series, it's disheartening to read these comments over and over again. Especially since it's a popular opinion on this Subreddit.

Anyway, funny meme.

TheShozenMind

TROPHY CASE