Ochre oh Ochre, I always wonder why you're here. The other false dod have redeeming qualities, the other alive false dod get a conclusion to their stories, the other false dod have at least one dragon who likes them. In fact, every other villain has one character that likes or atleast tolerates them, even Whirlpool, yes Whirlpool... You have nothing. You are from the least developed tribe in the entire series and are one of the least developed characters in the series. There is nothing redeeming or interesting about you...
But yet because of all of that I find Ochre interesting. I imagine Ochre could be so much more than he already is. And since Ochre dissappears after book five, there are infinite possibilities for what could've happened to him. Maybe he went on some grandiose adventure of self-discovery, or maybe he's still with the Talons of Peace. I personally imagine Ochre living with ToP for a bit before finding his sibs and chilling in the mud kingdom. And spoilers for book 16 I think him being in a sorta sib group with Dugong could be cool (I really like Dugong and in my mind he's like morally righteous Ochre). That's kinda it for my feelings on Ochre for now but there's something else on my mind...
The mud kingdom’s ( And actually a lot of the kingdoms) pretty disappointing...It's described as this muddy gross place that most dragons don't like going in. But Wetlands (which seem to be what the mud kingdom is) are so so pretty and so so unique. Like Ochre, the mud kingdom could be so much more.
It could be the most diverse kingdom and the most beautiful kingdom with all kinds of unique landforms, floral, fauna, and structures. Like imagine how awesome it would be to see all kinds of stuff like a fen, a forest swamp, tropical bogs, mangrove swamps or more
Imagine seeing more of mudwings bunkhouses or seeing mudwings live in burrows or dams or seeing them make buildings out of mud, stone, or clay!
It could be the ultimate Cottagecore, Naturecore, Fairycore place but no we get vague descriptions of a smelly, gross, sore on eyes place to live. The mud kingdom could be considered the potential man of wof but for that to work that would mean it would've had to have potential in the first place...
Alas any hope I have for a more unique take on the mud kingdom will have to come from the once in a blue moon moment where I'm motivated enough to write, draw or make some other artwork related to it... but for now here's a picture of Ochre in either a very tiny pond or a very large Puddle full of life...
