What are your dragons like?

I only have one dragon in Henry Rider: Clown Hunter so far, but it's notably different than most in that it guards a dump instead of a hoard of gold. Instead of breathing fire, it eats garbage, then regurgitates it in a big acidic wave.

 

A sewer dragon, good idea "ThisAdamGuy" !

Personally I draw inspiration from Eastern myths as I feel the Western dragon has been used quite a bit.
As a DBZ fan, my dragon character is inspired by Shenron (god-like status, can provide advice / grant wishes).

 

There is an ethnic subgroup in my story that worships a deity that they perceive as a dragon, although it is more an eldritch entity that takes the form of something that can maaaaybe be described as a dragon. The myths of dragons in this world are basically derived from the lore surrounding this entity. There's another continent that will be explored in another novel where beasts that are a sort of spawn of this deity pop up, although I haven't quite fleshed that out yet. I'll probably go for some kind of weird basilisk/wyvern hybrid for those.

 

The dragons in my story look like your typical welsh dragon but have the ability to shapeshift into human form. They also come in a variety of colors with each color representing that dragon's special ability.

 

I don't have actual dragons but I have a villain named "Drakon" who is violent, xenophobic, territorial, greedy but also beautiful, patient, sly and a feared warrior. So kind of like an evil dragon in human form.

 

I have now decided not to have dragons at all. I was a bit on the fence about Chinese dragons, but since I don't have a standard medievalesque European world and I don't have a specific function to fill for which dragons make a good fit, I don't believe it's good to have them in just because.

 

Have a group of dragons and dinosaurs in a chapter that I once collectively called "Draco." But with Draco Malfoy I decided against it because I didn't want to be called out on the comparison. Thought I'd use the work "Drakon" but have never really liked it. Are there any other words that mean "dragon" without using the actual word because in all my searching I haven't been able to find any?

 

Don't know for sure but you might want to check around various languages through online dictionaries and translaters for their word on "dragon" and see if you find something that you like and could use? Or perhaps make a word for yourself from the name of some mythological dragon, or dragon-like, creature?

Or just call it a dragon if it is a dragon. That also tends to be accepted by most readers.

 

My dragons are hugely diverse! They range from tiny animal like ones that are non sentient and about the size of a squirrel, to elephant size and bigger classic non sentient ones. I also have sentient dragons that are larger than "wild" dragons. Last I have supernatural dragons of terrifying size and power.

 

Drake and wurm (also spelled wyrm or even worm) are the two most common synonyms I've seen (especially drake). Or, as Gurkhal suggests, just call it a dragon.

 

In Gargantua Dragons rule one of the four kingdoms. The head dragon is a Great Storm Dragon, and she has several other elemental dragons as her regional rulers. They run quite the dystopia. The other three factions are run by Giants, Krakens and Rocs.

 

My dragons are as intelligent as humans but not all copy humans' habits/civilization. Those who do are often scorned by those who don't... the former are called Edrodiken and the latter Pure (which applies to other species besides dragons in my world). The main dragon language is Serpentongue, and it is also spoken by sea serpents and rock serpents (which are basically dragons, but very very big, more seclusive and long lived, and without wings - you might call them "wyrms").

 

The dragons of my world come in various sizes and types but they generally live in deserts, mountain ranges and the polar regions where they have little contact with humans (or humanoids) for most of the year except during the breeding season when they move to warmer climates. During these times they can become very aggressive towards anyone or anything that intrudes into their breeding areas. They also take cattle and other livestock from farms that are in the warmer areas. In many countries governments ban farms from being located in dragon breeding grounds and forbid aircraft or airships from entering the airspace surrounding dragon breeding areas.

In some parts of the world dragons are semi-domesticated by nomadic tribes who will allow dragons to kill and eat a certain number of their livestock in return for the dragons protecting them both from other dragons and from various predators. A handful of people are even able to fly them.

Most dragons are the size of a Boeing 747. Unlike most fantasy dragons the ones in my world use claws to attack their targets rather than fire. While most dragons can breathe fire it lacks the range to destroy targets at a distance of more than about fifty metres. However what they lack in fire power they can more than compensate for in speed and their claws could rip apart most armoured plating as if it was made out of cardboard.

 

My dragons are part of a very hierarchal structure--somewhat like the Mountain Banshee in Avatar. They males and females come in different colors to set them apart. Mostly take on the Western ideology. In terms of being able to control them, it is a very military-based format with a lot of structure. And if a dragon is not chosen after a certain age, they leave forever. They cannot die by any normal "means" clearly not to say they cannot be killed. The region they exist, they compete with Serpents and "Thagons" another creature I made for my world--and surprisingly all live in harmony since they are descended from a common ancestor.

 

Just put "Drago-something cool" that usually works!

 

Personally I have two types of Dragons, one of which is exclusive to my main 'verse and the other is found in both but prefers the unified cosmos I use for other projects. Storm Dragons are a race of creatures that have both mammalian traits, such as standing upright, live birth, and milk, and reptilian traits such as being cold-blooded, scales, wings(I know that's not really "reptilian" but it's decidedly draconic), and a really weird respiratory system. The reason their lungs are weird is because Storm Dragons have evolved to excel on land, sea, and sky! They have a number of little adaptations that help with that and finally, they have Affinities(it's capitalized because magic system) for Water, Wind, and Cold Magic. Star Dragons are servants of the Gods and are lesser divinities in their own right. They're usually gold in color and, because they are gods, use and bestow Curses instead of casting Spells. Star Dragons are massive angelic reptiles as big as their namesakes that wander the Duoverse championing the cause of their patron god.

 

I don't really like using dragons too much but mine are miniature. Big enough for a fairy to ride on. There are different breeds, some that are more docile and others used more for guarding and sports. Though small, a large swarm of them could o great damage, especially one breed as they have stingers in their tails and enough of those stings can kill.

 

My stories are set mainly in a very ancient North America. Most of the tribes held similar concepts of giant magic water serpents. It was even a part of the South Eastern Ceremonial Complex religion. Their only weakness is a gem in their forehead that, when taken, can grant its owner fantastical powers. I have based my mythology heavily on the SECC and have included the “Horned Serpent.”