I think each point encapsulates my problems with Chromie’s story and, more at large, Danuser’s new narrative. That story just doesn’t represent the dragons we knew in the Warcraft lore up until this point and since we have had plenty of material about dragons, this highlights the author’s ignorance about WoW dragons.
I think I read somewhere on wowpedia - so it might not be explained in the story itself - that Danuser’s dragons hug with wings (I write Danuser dragons because in more than ten years of reading Warcraft novels, I have never seen them hug in dragon form before). Tbh this is one of those details that got under my skin, mostly because no known quadrupede creature likes hugs.
Have you ever tried to hug a dog? They don’t like it. You’d think it would be the same for a dragon: it should be perceived as something that is not natural of them, someone exerting dominance rather than sweet and tender. In general, I prefer to see differences between our cultures rather than uninspired similarities (“they hug, just like humans, aww, so sweet!” )
But that’s the thing like, a dragon’s preferred form would be that of a drakonid surely? Their identity is that of a dragon, and all the history, pride, tragedy and loss that comes with it. Not gnomes, or humans, or vulpera. Are all dragons on Azeroth now suffering from body dysmorphia?
This is just factually untrue. I dunno why you’d say something so easily debunkable with a quick google search. Some dogs don’t like being hugged. There’s plenty of evidence of those that do.
I personally didnt mind the story. I thought it was a nice telling of Chromie becoming who she is and reaffirmed the previous theory and later confirmed part of her identity. I thought it was rather sweet.
But I can understand why people didnt like it very much, and I am really happy the discussion and criticism is on a focus on the writing and characteristics of the dragons instead of anything else.
More like “this is how I want the mortals to see me” as intelligent beings capable of self reflection and creative expression. I do not think it’s a bad idea per se but needs more detail and cultural elaboration as to why mortals opinions matter.
The whole thing has flipped 180 from its origins, which in itself had the same message. Dragons don’t want to hide under illusions but they are forced to in order to blend into the society of mortals. It used to be that dragons would probably love to be in their actual forms, free of restrictions and their majesty on full display, but the world is not readily accepting of that form due to stigma (black dragons, dragon hunters, proto drakes, wyverns etc). So they hide their innermost selves both for their own and the mortals races’ sake. Blunt but poignant, not unlike the X-men in a way.
Now we have crossed some sort of bizarre threshold where the illusions are their real shapes, as you say, some sort of apex cultural philosophy where form is completely meaningless and thereby rendering dragons themselves oddly self-eliminating in how they view themselves. “I don’t want you to see me for a dragon, I want you to see me as this elf-hybrid thing with scales.”
I think my dislike for the story simply boils down to the fact that it’s a poor work of fiction… But deeper, I think it’s also part of the argument about how WoW Dragons come more across as Super-Powered Elves & Mortals species than actual dragons. There might be a combination of reasons as to why but I never feel like Dragons begrudge having to take on a mortal form which I think should feel uncomfortable to them, a hurdle that intrinsically raises a barrier between them and mortals for example having a strangely 280 degrees field of vision, Having an outrageously stronger scent of smell, finding bipedal movement odd, the joy of having fingers for more accurate manipulation of items, the unpleasant faking of having… Bio needs but I think that’s not necessary but a valid point all the same… Do Dragons in their visage form have everything a Gnome, Troll, Dwarve body can or is supposed to do normally? Moreover, I wonder if every utilities Dragons came up weren’t just for the sake of mortals? I’m not gonna say out of nowhere that Wymrest and numerous locations aren’t Dragon sized locations, that’s too far.
I guess I stand corrected then
But I still think that bit about dragons hugging was cringe.
I do believe that Chromie’s identification in another gender made perfect sense in the setting and as a nice bonus, it expanded/confirmed certain aspects of her character.
Imho. Writers being inclusive should not excuse bad writing however. The fact that Chromie’s storyline was written by Danuser is likely why people have selected it: his writing style and decisions stand out. Unfortunately we don’t have “-written by Danuser” when it comes to Sylvanas’ “I will never serve!” brilliant moment, but most people likely sense he’s behind a lot of narrative decisions as of late, and it’s easier to point out his flaws when he is credited as the sole author.
Dommy mommy is right; disguise and control. Influence these savages to productive ends. “I want you to see me as Lady Prestor so that you’ll obey me” is rational. Playing mortal dressup on Visage Day is just dragon halloween.
I assume dragons have them? They certainly eat in both dragon and mortal forms, so I assume they have other needs associated with consumption of food, too.
Since WoW inherited so much of D&D lore, I will go ahead and state the WoW dragons do not poop, per the 3.5 splatbook Draconomicon. Instead, they have a perfect metabolism where their food is perfectly transformed into elemental energy they store for their breath weapons.
I don’t know how to source my own opinions other than plucking them from my brain but if I had to try I would say it’s simply the way it was presented in WoW (Chromie in EPL to the point where she also refurbishes the room she’s in from a time when it’s not rotted to put adventurers at ease, the aforementioned Vaelastrasz in UBRS, Lady Prestor, Mordenaku taking the form of an elf to approach adventurers instead of his netherdrake form etc) that gave us the impression that dragons, for good and bad, take part of mortal society under the guises of mortals instead of their true forms because dragons are (or were, I don’t know what the current dragonscale trade in Azeroth is) feared and/or hunted creatures. This doesn’t mean they can’t pick and choose what appeals to them, Tyracgosa chastises Kalec for picking a form she finds unappealing in the Sunwell Manga for example which further implies that these are disguises, not visual identities close to their innermost selves.
Like did they need to do an indepth explanation of how a dragon’s eye works? No! It will NEVER be relevant in your D&D game (probably), but nevertheless here is a diagram and details about it.
For a book called Draconomicon…it is what it says on the tin.
The lore instead offers a very clear answer across several novels:
It has nothing to do with fear of being hunted, but as a common courtesy to accommodate mortals. A dragon can’t step into your house without destroying it, and basic social decorum indicates you should aspire to not be a butthole towards other people. Some do keep quiet about being a dragon, but it’s because those individuals are either: Manipulating mortals and are Actual Villains (black dragons) or on a secret mission to guide mortals without drawing attention away from the real matter at hand with the fact that there’s a dragon here. Dragons are very distracting creatures.
Everything you said was headcanon, except in the case of black dragons who again are Actual Villains and At War [] with every faction.
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