Dragons in stories

[fcbkid15]

I'm at about to write a scene with a dragon in it, and i don't know what I should do. I want there to be different species of dragons in my story, but I want my own, not like brass dragons or red dragons like in dragonlance. I want to know what you guys think. Should I just say that it's a dragon? Or come up with my own species? Which one works best, and which one do people like the most? I cam up with my own general idea. Theres different kinds of dragons for each climates. So up in the mountains there is ice dragons, in the sea theres aqua dragons, the forests theres regular dragons, and so on. Whats your guys ideas?

 

[Matty Lee]

The real world contains endless inspiration. What do you think dragon's would look like in different ecosystems (not even desert/island/mountain, but different forests, continents, different diets etc.) and how would they adapt.

Also, there can be several species in one area who have different survival strategies.

 

[Map the Dragon]

It is truly difficult to be original with dragons, but that shouldn't deter anyone from using them in a narrative if the author so chooses; they are a fun breed. But, again, it's pretty much all been done before. Ecosystem-individualistic dragons...been done. Locale-version dragons...done, etc. etc.

However, just go with what you invent and stick to your guns. If something similar was done before, just keep in mind, it is similar but not the same. If you're really worried, post your specific ideas and see what fantasy fans here on the forums think in terms of cliche or what not.

There are dragons in my published novel; my publisher told me before even reading my book that the dragons better not be too cliche. Mine are about the size of a volkswagen, can speak, change colors with mood and intent, and are agressively sarcastic assholes. Thus...funny.

 

[SeverinR]

You could expand on the real dragons of the world and take them into fantasy.

You could create your own dragons.

I created my dragons based on the D&D and then modified them. They are called by characters of their color. But officially they are:
Desert fire dragon(red)
Desert Lightning dragon(blue)
Arctic frost dragon(white)
Desert Gray dragons(hybred)
gray sub class: desert swift dragon(the messinger dragon), Arctic Buff Dragon(C5 of dragons, ie transport) Swift strike dragons(bred for speed and attack)
My dragons are not restricted by alignment, they are thinking beings, thus they tend towards their natural alignment, but can be much different.

And so on. I don't like using other peoples rules for my fiction. My dragons are not all one color, they are primarily the color, but they can have some other colors in thier appearence too.

Dragons have become cliche, but like people they don't have to be. If we all wrote the same cliche characters in a story people would roll thier eyes when they read them. But every individual can be different even with the same basic traits.

Make your dragons special. Be as similar as others or as different as can be, but make them unique and there is no cliche.

 

[Motley]

Having dragons that are different based on their locale makes ecological sense. Snakes in tropical rain forests are different than snakes in deserts, for example. I suppose any type of dragon could be considered cliche, but I rather think they are tropes of the fantasy world, just like elves or wizards or eating stew after your horse has galloped all day. (Ok, maybe not the last one.)

That being said, I think it's incredible fun to come up with entirely new species. "Dragon" holds certain expectations. Other beasties can fulfill the roles too, as long as they're not just dragons called something else.

 

[BearJ29]

Motely is right, there are endless things that are inherently "cliché" in fantasy; Dragons being one of them. Unfortunately, this is something that is endemic of the genre (you don't see faster than light travel in sci-fi called cliché, or murder in a crime novel, do you?)

Regardless, if you're going to use them then make it real to your world. So, if you have a magic-driven world then make them, like everything, magical. However, if you've got a more earthy and natural feel world, have them evolved from something.

Remember though, the creatures you inhabit your world should be run of the mill, unless there is a point to them. If you just mention dragons, then they need only be a word. But if they are integral to the story (like The Hobbit or Dungeons and Dragons) then spend some more time on them making them part of the story.

At the end of the day, you're spinning a tale, and that's what your energy should be expended on. Everything you write down should collectively add to that story.

 

[TWErvin2]

There are different species of felines, from housecats all the way up to lions and tigers. each has its own niche it fills within the region they're located. Their social structure and hunting gechniques are different as are their builds and coloration (lion vs cheetah for example). You can see the same with snakes, for example. Thus, why not with dragons.

It's your world, Fcbkid15. Create them such that they fit with the vision you've created for that world.

My novel has dragons in it that breath fire (think flame thrower) and acid (think spitting cobra but with acid instead of venom) and frost (stream of liquid nitrogen). They're bred and trained mounts for serpent cavalrymen, but also do exist in the wild. Unlike Map's dragons (in his novel) mine do not speak--they're not that smart.

In the end, whatever you do, just be consistent and have their existance make sense and fit both the world and the storyline.

 

[Map the Dragon]

One of my favorite dragon creations/explanations was a real-world application in the film Reign of Fire. I'm not sure if there was a previous book for the film and don't feel like looking it up right now.

But the inclusion of dragons in the film was explained via science. Dragons existed at or before the time of the dinosaurs. Dragons in the story burn organic matter and feed on the ash - this lead to the extinction of the dinosaurs. When there was no more organic matter in easy access, they killed each other and the some went into eternal (or close to it) hibernation. Once wakened in contemporary society, they began to feed again. Even their ability to breathe fire was explained with a scientific process involving the combination of certain chemicals that combusted.

 

[rjklee]

Dragons are one of the greatest traditions in the fantasy genre. Even recent examples like How to Train Your Dragon or the species shown in Harry Potter: Goblet of Fire show that there are still entertaining ways to show this fan-favorite. I hope we never get to a point where dragons are considered overly played out and people are too afraid to use them in pieces.

 

[Map the Dragon]

Luckily, I don't think we are there yet, rjklee.

Case in point: We have three published novelists to my knowledge on this site. All three have dragons!

 

[UnionJane]

Reply to dragons

For my story purposes, I was trying to avoid stereotype...So instead of ultra-intelligent dragons, mine are little better than "beasts." I made a world where dragons fight each other with riders for sport, which was more attempting to think outside the box. My methods are by no means original, but I tried to think of an interesting application/reason to include dragons in my story.

 

[fcbkid15]

Dragons aren't a huge part in part one of my story, but later on they come back and are more important. Heres the dragons I've come up with so far. Please tell me what you think!

Northern Dragons: Isolated from society for a long time, so they are brutish and vicious. They can't speak, they can only breath fire. Their colors are black, gray, and white, and different mixtures of those. About as big as a semi truck.

Central Dragons: Live closer into society for awhile, so they've picked up how to speak to some degree, but not perfectly. They talk a little more advanced than The Hulk. They come in a variety of colors, since they can pretty much live anywhere. Some breath lightning, some fire, and some toxic gas. It's all genetic, like how we get the color of our hair or eyes. Its inherited, not acquired. A little smaller than Northern Dragons.

Aquatic Dragons: Smaller in size, a little over half the size of a central dragon, the aqua dragons live in tropical climates, mainly islands beaches. Most actually live in the sea itself, building caves that are half in half out of the water. They come in shades of blue and purple, and have fish like features. They have gills, they have fins on their calves, backs, and their tail is finned like a sharks. They have webbed feet. They are kind of like a shark mixed with a dragon hybrid. Their only breath weapon is breathing ice, which isn't even very powerful. They just suck up water and can turn it into ice.

Mountain Dragons: Otherwise known as ice dragons, mountain dragons are very lean and agile, and are bigger than an aqua dragon, but smaller than a central dragon. They live up in the mountains, obviously, and are able to fly, but not very well. They glide mostly. They come in colors of grays, whites, and browns. They can breath ice, much more powerful than aqua dragons. They have long horns, and are kind of like a mix between a mountain goat and a dragons. Mountain dragons can have some fur, but most don't.

Tundra Dragons: Cousins of the mountain dragons, tundra dragons are gray and white in color. They are bigger than their cousins, and less goat like, more dragon like, They are as big as a central dragon and can breath ice even more powerful than aquas and mountains. Live in the tundra.

City Dragons: City dragons are a weird type of dragon. They live in big citys and kingdoms, which doesn't give them much space to live. So they are only a little bigger than full grown golden retriever dog. They are very small compared to others, and aren't very vicious since they learned to live with people. Since they live in cities with a lot of people, they can speak perfectly, and are the smartest of all the dragons. Come in any kind of color.

Thats it so far, I'm still coming up with more.

 

[Map the Dragon]

Dragons aren't a huge part in part one of my story, but later on they come back and are more important. Heres the dragons I've come up with so far. Please tell me what you think!

Northern Dragons: Isolated from society for a long time, so they are brutish and vicious. They can't speak, they can only breath fire. Their colors are black, gray, and white, and different mixtures of those. About as big as a semi truck.

Central Dragons: Live closer into society for awhile, so they've picked up how to speak to some degree, but not perfectly. They talk a little more advanced than The Hulk. They come in a variety of colors, since they can pretty much live anywhere. Some breath lightning, some fire, and some toxic gas. It's all genetic, like how we get the color of our hair or eyes. Its inherited, not acquired. A little smaller than Northern Dragons.

Aquatic Dragons: Smaller in size, a little over half the size of a central dragon, the aqua dragons live in tropical climates, mainly islands beaches. Most actually live in the sea itself, building caves that are half in half out of the water. They come in shades of blue and purple, and have fish like features. They have gills, they have fins on their calves, backs, and their tail is finned like a sharks. They have webbed feet. They are kind of like a shark mixed with a dragon hybrid. Their only breath weapon is breathing ice, which isn't even very powerful. They just suck up water and can turn it into ice.

Mountain Dragons: Otherwise known as ice dragons, mountain dragons are very lean and agile, and are bigger than an aqua dragon, but smaller than a central dragon. They live up in the mountains, obviously, and are able to fly, but not very well. They glide mostly. They come in colors of grays, whites, and browns. They can breath ice, much more powerful than aqua dragons. They have long horns, and are kind of like a mix between a mountain goat and a dragons. Mountain dragons can have some fur, but most don't.

Tundra Dragons: Cousins of the mountain dragons, tundra dragons are gray and white in color. They are bigger than their cousins, and less goat like, more dragon like, They are as big as a central dragon and can breath ice even more powerful than aquas and mountains. Live in the tundra.

City Dragons: City dragons are a weird type of dragon. They live in big citys and kingdoms, which doesn't give them much space to live. So they are only a little bigger than full grown golden retriever dog. They are very small compared to others, and aren't very vicious since they learned to live with people. Since they live in cities with a lot of people, they can speak perfectly, and are the smartest of all the dragons. Come in any kind of color.

Thats it so far, I'm still coming up with more.

I like your mix here; I especially dig the city dragons and would like to read about a world with more peer-level human-dragon interaction.

 

[fcbkid15]

Thanks, but what do you mean by peer-level-human-dragon interaction?

 

[Map the Dragon]

You mentioned that they learned to live with people, so that's what I mean. Be it as a pet or a peer of some sort, an intelligent beast that poses no threat (you said "aren't very vicious") would present an interesting look into dragons from the interaction perspective between them and other races.

 

[TWErvin2]

If dragons are to live in a city, unless they're going to eat rats and live in dark alleys, they would need to have a way to interact, work with humans (or others who run/inhabit the city) and have a method to 'earn a living' or provide for their needs.

 

[fcbkid15]

Oh okay, I see what your getting at. They can be pets, but most people just accept them as creatures in the city. It'd be like how we think of birds living in the city, or alley cats. But I could see some people wanting them as pets.

 

[TWErvin2]

My concern would be how an intelligent, speaking creature would fit into a city. While it's fantasy, they'd still be different than birds. What if they need to be reduced in population (like too many pigeons)? Some cities in India struggle with over population of monkeys and it's a real problem because their intelligence enables them to get into things and cause lots of trouble. How 'satisfied' would an intelligent creature be as a pet? May provide some interesting situations, to be sure. Again, just questions and nothing wrong with the direction you're taking your version of dragons.

 

[fcbkid15]

Thats good, I could have them crowding a city and have to be lowered in population. Thanks!

 

[Map the Dragon]

Thats good, I could have them crowding a city and have to be lowered in population. Thanks!

This could provide for a pretty interesting conflict for a story. Typically, dragons are rare, and we didn't discuss this part of the cliche earlier in the thread. But, if you make them smaller as you mentioned, then use them for overcrowding in a town or city, I think you then have a good story on your hands. Also added to the mix here is your mention of their intelligence. Think about the Rats of Nihm. If rats everywhere were as smart as the Rats of Nihm, then we would really have a problem. Well, you now have a city run-over with intelligent pests the size of a dog. Could be fun. If you don't want to write it, let me know and I'll turn this into a short story!