Dragon etiquette

What kind of dragons did you have in mind? The traditional european sort of dragons which hoard gold are solitsry, so they probably wouldn't have much in the way of etiquette beyond "Stay out of my territory."

I think you have an open field, pretty much. I suppose a fire-breathing dragon could serve up a knight burger in a matter of seconds.

Sound like fun. Go for it because we really know nothing about dragons which are, after all, mythical beasts.

Carmy

You might want to look up R.A. MacAvoy's Tea with the Black Dragon as one of the viewpoint characters is an Asian dragon (in human form) to see what she did on that theme.

Also Dragons On The Town by Thorarinn Gunnarsson (he's got several books with dragons) might be of help.

Mostly I read what other writers do in the same genre so I can avoid doing the same thing. However, I do study their technique to see if I can figure out how they figured something out!

Good luck!

There are limited forms of Dragon etiquette that are commonly used.

There is the comic look at dragons which involves killing and eating humans. While this is funny it presumes that dragons are ignorant of human society and the many successful dragonslayers romping around throughout fiction.

There is the "dragons are the most dangerous creatures ever" look at dragons. Dragons don't really have etiquette. You just die or can not approach them. This often combines with the "dragons a big dumb lizards that breath fire" look at dragons.

Finally there is a in-depth look at dragons that a few people have taken. Of all the sources I have seen Dungeons and Dragons (www.Wizards.com) has taken the most in depth look at different kinds of dragons but you'll want to familiarize yourself with the d20 license before you touch that. Other really in-depth sources have been mentioned previously. However they treat dragons as the most complicated, intelligent and powerful of creatures.

I saw a fantastic documentary on dragons on one of the learning stations. The dragons are all computer generated, naturally, but it treated them as if they were real and went over their mating habits, social graces, incubation and other aspects of their lives. I don't remember the name of the program but it was very professional and I wouldn't think it would be too hard to hunt down on google.

One big decision you will need to make is how many kinds of dragons there are. Many just stick to one dragon, while others have dozens. The more dragons, generally the more complicated and intelligent they are. The need for diversity forces some to be highly intelligent while others become dumb as rocks.


Mark Charke

Well I think they should use mouthwash before devouring virgins. It's only good manners.

The dragon in my book paints murals (a task made easier by his standing height of 40 feet). He hunts and fishes for his once-a-day meal (never humans nor aquatic mammals), taking care to display his fish and game license.

He kneels when shaking hands with a human, not from humility but out of practicality. Instead of demanding that the world conform to his size, he improvises: a scaffold holds his paints and brushes in the same way a human artist uses a folding stand for his paint case; he uses bed sheets as rags and buckets with the handles removed as coffee cups. He lives in an aircraft hangar which is also his studio for sketching live subjects.

Not very exciting but proper behavior for a dragon who doesn't want to meet the same fate as every movie monster.

I'll bet you that bending down to get those bottom sections are back breakers.

DaveKuzminski said:

I'll bet you that bending down to get those bottom sections are back breakers.

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From Collinsfort Village:

On Monday, work on the mural resumed. Dorian lay on his side with his neck twisted to keep his eyes parallel to the ground. Using a human-sized paintbrush, he added the final details to Griff’s likeness. Griff’s audience would be painted in over the next several days.

Dragons are very resourceful.

This thread piqued my curiosity.

Humans are best when slow-roasted. If you get in too much of a hurry and char them, all the flavor is gone.

Cows are best when eaten raw. The human propensity for cooking them is... well ... just strange. It ruins the delicate crunch of their bones and the mellow taste of the marrow.

Chickens and other small birds make lovely appetizers.

..............
I think you can let your imagination play here.
Ronda / CAt

Considering there is such a dirth of maidens these days, the acceptance of alternative honorifics has become essential. To be honest, the maiden morsel, though considered quite a delicacy to some, is so small as to be but a momentary delight.

Though humans have a false notion that dragons want plunder, their misconception can be useful. If the offer a bag of gold, that could have its uses in the future, but the best use of the gift is to crunch the human carrying the offering. Humans are, after all, quite tasty.

They should be served as an entre, at a formal dinner of course.
"And the piece de resistance:
Steak au Dragonslayer Flambee. A masterpiece, cooked to perfection and set a flame. Served with tender cherubs, butter and a delicious red wine sauce."

Dragonslayers from the northen countries, have a definite flavour of wool and mushroom, and are not really considered first class, as they can be quite tough.
From the Mediterrainian area they have a very distinct touch of garlic and wine. Very prized, indeed.
Dragonslayers from the eastern countries can be surprisingly spicy and hot and are very popular for the casual barbeque.
From the western countries anything can be expected, though most popular would be a slayer with a chicken fried chicken flavour. They are very sought after for snacks.
A rarity, and therefore very highly prized, are the african dragonslayers. The are especially tender and very succulent with a slight hint of exotic spices that will have any gourmet dragon's mouth water.

BardSkye said:

Knights are so very accommodating. They even provide their own spears for extracting them from their shell once they're cooked.

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Ahem, those are actually toothpicks.

Actually, I think that knights as entrees are highly overrated. What if you can't get all of that metal peeled off them? Ouch!

Virgins can be stringy, especially if they read 'Vogue.'

Peasants get a tangy and unpleasant taste when frightened. You know, all that adrenaline toughening the meat....

Heh, heh, heh. Doesn't that depend on their sexual preference?

BardSkye said:

And here's another question: Do lady dragons eat male virgins?

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But of course they do. It's a "must" for Sunday brunch.