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[leafsilk]

im not tagging anything as spoilers because critiquing racist narratives is more important than you getting to enjoy them. hope this helps

[leafsilk]

Problems with Blue

Discussion of antiblackness, slavery, and colonialism.

WoF's third arc shills a ridiculously racist narrative with Blue as its very first spearhead. Tui crafts a character who belieaves that "Not all oppressors are bad" and the story that surrounds it validates this.

Disclaimer that right away, it is fine to have a character arc start at “If I’m just nice, oppression will just not affect me. My peers should just stay out of trouble. Perhaps that person who was clearly committing a microaggression was having a bad day.” but it must end with a realization of what will truly change oppression, and this character getting to experience anger. Especially as children, this is an unfortunately common internalization of racism people of color deal with. It offers the illusion of control and allows for room to think that everyone is good at heart. Behavioral self-blame is pretty common in the face of constant mistreatment - it’s an unhealthy coping mechanism that allows people to think “I can fix this actually.” This is a real issue that affects people of color and while I don’t think it’s Tui’s place to tell a story that starts here, in better hands that were not white this would be a fine story to tell. I specifically say nonwhite here because while I’m sure there are plenty of marginalized groups that struggle with this issue, Tui has very clearly set up arc three as a race and colonialism narrative. She draws clear, pointed parallels to struggles with colonialism. SilkWings are subjugated servants to HiveWings. They are displaced and have been robbed of their culture, homes and leaders, and are separated from their families to be put to work that is not their choice. I have avoided using the word “slave” and will continue to do so for my own comfort, but Tui is telling a very bastardized and abridged story about marginalization and liberation. As wildly inappropriate and specifically antiblack (a word I have not yet seen brought up in critiques of arc 3 even though it is wildly prevalent) that is even conceptually (this is not her story to tell), I kept turning the page to see if Tui would say something meaningful, and she sure did. Even when Blue admits to himself that he isn’t at fault for his oppression, he is hell-bent on still seeing the good in HiveWings, and seems to think that saving good HiveWings will ultimately dismantle the system. The problem with this in arc 3 is that ultimately, Blue is right and validated and presented as a morally just hero. 

Blue’s turn from “All HiveWings are good at heart and probably don’t mean to be awful towards my people or maybe we’ve earned it; They’re ultimately keeping us safe.” to “Something needs to change.” is perhaps the most impressive illusory, performative parlor trick I have ever seen from a white author in my entire god damn life. Nothing short of gold medal gymnastics to throw you off the scent that the heart of Blue’s problem has ultimately not changed. While he’s willing to reluctantly acknowledge HiveWing evil now, it is always with a “Well, not all HiveWings!” and still doesn’t recognize that simply getting rid of mustache-twirling villains like Wasp and Othermind would not, in any world, fix that his people are being kept as pets and work grunts, where HiveWings read better books in better schools lit by flamesilk that is harvested from eternally imprisoned SilkWings. Tui does a lot of sleights of hand like this throughout arc 3: Wasp isn’t even really competently evil, she’s being mind-controlled, even if still awful. Sundew gets to be angry but doesn’t get to fight, and doesn’t get to be right beyond “Your feelings are so valid”. Some HiveWings wish for the return of Wasps reign and in turn, the subjugation of SilkWings, but this is presented in the epilogue of the last book as an odd side note, not a legitimate problem that is countered. I could go on, but this is a post about Blue himself.

Blue never gets to be angry. There is not one scene in the span of all five books in arc 3 where he roughs up a deserving HiveWing, or snaps angrily at someone (he passionately tries to convince his father that you can’t work within the rules to fix them, but this does not count for obvious reasons). Blue isn’t a character so much as he is Tui’s idea of how a minority should behave, because while there are POV characters who are very angry about their mistreatment (Sundew, Luna), point B for their arcs is “maybe HiveWings aren’t so bad.” and “LeafWings have done bad things too I guess.” Blue’s turn from “All HiveWings are good at heart and probably don’t mean to be awful towards my people or maybe we’ve earned it; They’re ultimately keeping us safe.” Blue’s final version of himself, that has overcome his flaws is…. A diet version of what we originally got, a compromise. 

And ultimately, Blue is right. There never is an epic battle against willing HiveWings. The problem isn’t that the Hive systemically benefits HiveWings at the expense of SilkWings and that HiveWings are complacent beneficiaries of this system, it’s that mind control is bad. Because once the mind control is gone, we cut to the peaceful LeafSilk kingdom. I want you to think long and hard about what this character alone would mean to a child of color trying to find solace and comfort in fun dragon books, trying to navigate the same internal conflict Blue does, and just how harmful it would be for their states of mind. I’m 18, and I was excited to pick up the new WOF books I’d seen lying around my local bookstore and hop right into flying around Pyrrhia, and I imagine lots of kids were and are too. I closed each book feeling a little more furious, waiting for the turnaround and will be able to walk away saying that Blue and Tui are wrong. I don’t know if these books’ target audiences and yes, even older fans, will be able to say the same.

[leafsilk]

tui sutherland is a white woman and I know so because I have eyes and melanin and read the third arc which only a white person with some troubling ideas about race could ever possibly write