Today has been a day. You know the kind – where you start off with a perfectly harmless cup of tea and end up neck-deep in dragon lore, surrounded by a pile of books, half-baked notes, and the unsettling realization that you’ve entered the chaotic brain spiral known as “creative research.” Let me tell you, it’s been wild, messy, and oddly exhilarating.

It all started with the book I’m currently reading. No spoilers, but let’s just say it’s one of those tales where dragons feature prominently, full of fire-breathing majesty and morally ambiguous wisdom. That got me thinking: what are the most common traits of dragons in stories? And, more importantly, what are the least common ones? Because, let’s be real – I live for the obscure details that make a character pop. And with my work-in-progress dark fantasy romance (yes, with a dash of adventure and plenty of complicated feelings), I’ve been debating what shifter to introduce as a second key character. The dragon might just be the one, but if I’m going to write a dragon, it has to be *my* dragon. No generic, off-the-shelf fire-lizard nonsense allowed.

So, I did what any sane person would do: I dove headfirst into the treasure trove of myths, legends, and pop culture dragonery. What I discovered was equal parts enlightening and absurd. First, let’s talk about what everyone apparently *has* to include when writing about dragons.

Dragons breathe fire. Apparently, it’s non-negotiable. It’s like they all went to dragon school, and “Flammable Roar 101” was a required course. But think about it – why only fire? There are so many creative ways for a dragon to ruin someone’s day. Acid? Ice? Lightning? Okay, okay, ice dragons are a thing, water dragons and earth dragons too, but they’re still rare compared to the fire-spewing mob. Personally, I’m lobbying for a dragon that breathes glitter. Imagine the chaos: whole kingdoms covered in iridescent sparkles and an economy that’s been ruined because no one can take anything seriously when they’re perpetually chasing the last of the glitter until the next day that is, and more is found where you just cleaned it up. The never-ending cycle many people have faced here. Frankly to me this is scarier than any fire out there.

Another staple? Hoarding treasure. I get it, shiny things are appealing, but how is it that dragons always seem to have a PhD in fiscal irresponsibility? Gold coins, rare jewels, the occasional enchanted sword – it’s all very impressive, but also, what’s the point? Are they planning to retire to a beach somewhere after they’ve scorched their last village? And yet, if you *don’t* write a dragon with a hoard, readers will undoubtedly ask, “But where’s the loot?” It’s basically become a personality trait. Though no one has said what the loot has to be… hmmm oh I am going to have fun here. The ideas racing through my mind just kicked up to 150% give is an hour probably double that.

Let’s not even get started on their general penchant for wisdom. Dragons, for reasons I’ll never fully understand, have been turned into the counselors of fantasy worlds. Need life advice? Ask a dragon. Need a riddle that makes you question every decision you’ve ever made? You guessed it: dragon. But, honestly, I’m curious – would it kill someone to write a dragon that’s just bad at giving advice? Like, really *terrible* at it. Picture this: “Oh, you want to slay the evil warlord? Sure, just walk into his castle unarmed and say you’re there for the free sandwiches.”

Now for the unusual traits—the ones that are oddly fascinating yet rarely discussed. Dragons that can transform into humans or humanoid forms feature in some legends and open up countless narrative possibilities. Imagine a dragon at the tavern, drinking ale and concealing its identity as the beast that just destroyed an outpost. Though to be fair in the genre of books I read there are more and more dragons being able to shift that are coming out so I have lots to draw on to make my own mishmash of a dragon and the traits it has and make my own dragon.

Then there’s the concept of dragons as creators or protectors of ecosystems. Sure, we’ve had “guardian of the forest” motifs in various stories, but what about a dragon that’s actively engineering the environment? A river that flows because a dragon’s tail carved it out, or a mountain range formed from their ancient, sleeping body? That’s the kind of poetic, slightly eerie imagery I want to steal – I mean, “borrow.” Ohhh maybe in Anove Klatimar the dragons and other earth element creatures yet to be decided on could form the terrain. Oh this has possibilities.

And here’s one that made my brain do a little happy dance: dragons with quirks. Not the dramatic kind, but things like a dragon that’s inexplicably afraid of spiders or one that collects rare books instead of gold. Imagine the hilarity of a dragon losing their mind because some adventurer accidentally returned a borrowed manuscript with coffee stains on it. It’s the kind of ridiculousness that keeps me going when chaos is taking over instead of me having chaos harnessed.

Of course, the least common trait I stumbled upon – and this is where I almost fell off my chair laughing – was a dragon that’s just… lazy. Not the ominous, brooding kind of lazy, but the “I’d rather nap than terrorize a village” vibe. You know, a dragon that’s content to lie in the sun, occasionally grumbling about how humans are too much effort, and only takes to the skies when some idiot pokes them with a metaphorical stick. I’m picturing them as that friend who always shows up late to the party but somehow steals the show anyway.

So, where does this leave me? Probably with a headache and a thousand more questions than answers, but also with a spark of inspiration. If I’m going to put a dragon in my story, they’re going to be a mix of the expected and the utterly bizarre – a fire-breathing glitter enthusiast with a penchant for terrible advice and a secret collection of antique knitting patterns, perhaps? Who knows.

What I *do* know is that today’s chaotic deep dive has been worth every ounce of caffeine I consumed along the way. Dragons are endlessly fascinating, equal parts majestic and absurd, and I can’t wait to unleash my own version onto the unsuspecting world of my novel. Until then, I’ll be over here, surrounded by books and trying not to get distracted by whatever wild tangent my brain decides to latch onto next. Wish me luck. Cause I know this flopped but whatever, I am still laughing and that was the point. Now about those dragon’s, I got some wicked neat ideas while I was doing this to work into my very own dragons. Ya my ADHD is leading the charge today, while ASD chips in. Totally random and total chaos, but hey, that is me.

Think of a trait I should know of that you liked in a dragon as a character shows up? Share it below and lets trade treasures for the horde.