Trope Talk: Dragons

[@simplysmiley4670]

I love how portrayal of dragons turned from "basically a god" into "an oversized huggable reptile"

[@dqixsoss7436]

As it should be

[@jazzratoon]

Why not both?

[@Leviathansgard]

both. both is good.

[@trollman_2345]

​@@jazzratoon Fwench Fwy from the artist Chikn Nugget. Nuff said.

[@DrDolan2000]

Huggable, reptilian girlfriend who gives head scratches and kisses I listen to too much asmr

[@michaelscott6022]

"My ancestors sent me a lizard?" "Hey, I'm a dragon, _DRA-GON,_ I don't do that tongue thing." *does the tongue thing*

[@Karlos1234ify]

Mulan

[@Sadeyo1]

Right in the childhood. Good stuff.

[@beccag2758]

*DISHONOR ON YOUR* 🐄

[@nimedhel09]

It's funny. In French, he says "Nous ne parlons pas la même langue" before doing the tongue thing (aka "We don't talk the same language") so there's a nuance that's lost in translation there. The more you know...

[@Self-replicating_whatnot]

As AronRa once pointed out, dragons are the only kind of lizard(except snake) who actually do that tongue thing.

[@VegitoBlue941]

"Call your usually human-shaped bad guy a dragon" Me: King Dragon sends his regard

[@leomoreno7369]

Archibald, NO!

[@ankerhedemand5918]

@@leomoreno7369 I hope all of us can be the best of chums, and nothing will ever change that.

[@ametsunami4070]

Well, this journey’s only just beGUN

[@cappertilge8916]

If only my little brother Gunther could see me now

[@spaghettboy2173]

@@cappertilge8916 Guys I’m right here. I think I have dialogue for this

[@Mance1680]

Dragon: *exists* Storm God: "Finally a worthy opponent, our battle will be legendary!"

[@emanuelrojas2]

Indeed it was.

[@lepidusstupidius2956]

@myartjoruney3523 It's a Kung-fu panda reference

[@gagamer7251]

Odin, sighing: Ugh... fine. Roll initiative... again...

[@AndiLang8146]

Meanwhile Aurora: ...what if the Storm God WAS the Dragon?

[@kunik61]

A storm dragon: *joined chat.

[@illegalmemedealer3549]

I think it’s cool that basically every culture saw a reptile and decided “what if it could fly and do magic that’d be sick as hell”

[@AxxLAfriku]

I broke my feet today because I kicked my computer because someone commented that my videos are bad! I hate unjustified criticism. Please wish me a speedy recovery, dear meme

[@porter5224]

@@AxxLAfriku your videos are bad

[@yeethittter1285]

@@AxxLAfriku your videos are bad

[@illegalmemedealer3549]

AxxL delete your channel

[@yeethittter1285]

@@illegalmemedealer3549 okay there's no need for that

[@JoCat]

it's a crime they're extinct

[@howeyyadoing9070]

We’ve only got the Komodo sub-species now

[@goldenexperiencerequiem6515]

Oof

[@theonetruedonut]

Ssssssh we added them to fiction so people would forget they ever existed

[@blitzwulf6655]

I see Jocat is on the same youtube cycle as me right now.

[@aaronh-d2444]

This is why they are never the protagonist

[@Epicmonk117]

*Ancient Mythology:* _Themes of storm gods killing dragons_ *Me:* Is that why dragons in _Dark Souls_ are weak to lightning damage?

[@tank19768]

Sort of; Gwyn is a pretty explicit parallel to Zeus and a lot of Dark Souls 1 is steeped in Greek/Norse mythology.

[@Epicmonk117]

@@tank19768 I can see the Gwyn's connection to Zeus and Nito's connection to Hades, but I'm not seeing any other parallels. Could you please elaborate?

[@Prosauropodslovecake]

Ooh... Robert Baratheon was the lord of the Stormlands..... And he killed the dragon kings!

[@sanfransiscon]

@@Epicmonk117 I could see Gwyn and the other founders of the age of fire being a parallel to the Olympians usurping control from the Titans. Gwyndolin's association with moonlight, femininity, and archery also gives off Artemis vibes.

[@tank19768]

@@Epicmonk117 If we're talking general parallels between Dark Souls and other mythologies, there's obviously the creation myth, which has the gods overthrowing the dragons to bring about a new world order, similarly to the Greek gods overthrowing the titans. There's the world tree from Norse, as the world of Dark Souls lies atop an archtree as seen when descending through the Great Hollow to Ash Lake (notice how the lake extends all around despite being far below ground). The titanite slab is engraved with 100% legible and translatable runes. Anor Londo, being a city of gods on top of a mountain has parallels to Mount Olympus. There's the primordial serpents, which are obviously involved in a lot of mythologies. There's the balder knights, which while bearing no explicit parallels to Baldur, is a pretty obvious reference. I'm sure there are others, but these are just the ones I can remember off the top of my head.

[@icel8828]

The real reason dragons are so popular globally is because dragons are cool

[@DavidGonzalez-zl3dz]

Honestly think that might be it

[@blasphemer_amon]

or on average people have more subconscious scaley tendencies than furry

[@icel8828]

@@blasphemer_amon fluffy dragons exist!

[@alpharius2omegaboogaloo384]

@@icel8828 Get that idea out of my head

[@icel8828]

@@alpharius2omegaboogaloo384 no. I will put it there

[@olegsbalaclava1051]

Someone: "Big lizard that probably flies." People all over the world all throughout history: " *YOOOOOOOOOOOOOO* "

[@frankspick7544]

there not lizards they dont do the tounge thing

[@Ribbons0121R121]

oop

[@evagriusponticus4080]

Japan: Hear me out here me out What if the lizard couldn't fly was even bigger and nigh indestructable

[@TheRezro]

@@evagriusponticus4080 Fun fact: Godzilla (aka Cthulhu aka Kraken aka Leviathan aka Kagutsuchi) straight fulfil definition of a dragon. Quetzalcoatlus northropi, so actual big (33ft/10m) lizard what did fly, do not.

[@TheRezro]

​@Waffie The Dweeb A elemental deity. Word dragon originated from bible where it is used in Latin version of bible as title of Satan as the Serpent. But later it become used to describe broad category of wild elemental deities and overpowered monsters such as Lindworm or Wyvern. Here it is worth to mention that most famous and most stereotypical (gold hording) dragon is Fafnir who actually is a dwarf, who in Nordic mythologies were also a deities (earth elementals specifically). Being a deity is in fact most constant trait even in many cases overshadowing snake part. For example in Journey to the West white dragon Bai Longma spend way more time as a horse and later human then actual serpent. Anyway, even if most elemental deities are serpentine some also appear as birds (Phoenix, Suzaku, Rok, Geruda, Ziz, etc) or other types of beasts (like Behemot, Byakko, etc), also a "sacred steeds" (Unicorns, Griffins, Kirins, Burak, etc) and of course human. In fact it is quite possible that smith/knight defeating dragon in legend dating to Proto-Indo-Eurpeans as storm deity was a dragon himself.

[@bulldowozer5858]

"I'm punk, so I must rebel" "I'm asian, so I must like math" "I dye my hair crazy colors, so I must be looking for attention" *"I'm a dragon, so I must be defeated by a storm-god"*

[@michaelzheng5250]

Chinese dragons: But I *am* a storm god

[@bulldowozer5858]

@@michaelzheng5250 * Existential crisis intensifies *

[@neptunnae]

Michael Zheng can’t trust anyone not even yourself

[@friend_trilobot]

Dying 🤣

[@Aveilas11]

@@michaelzheng5250 Lots of Chinese dragons get wrecked by other dragons because of family drama so that tracks XD

[@NekogamiKun127]

*Red:* "He's a dragon! He's a dragon! You're a dragon! I'm a dragon! Are there any other dragons I should know about?" *Toothless:* "Meow"

[@RamBam3000]

Glaurung would like a word. Ancalagon would too, only he can’t talk. And letting Glauring talk to you is a really bad idea; just ask Turin, or Nienor. *Especially if you’re unwise enough to look into Glaurung’s eyes are the same time.*

[@trulyredacted9161]

Oof

[@PhoenyxRysing]

Firedrake from 'Dragon Rider' and all the dragons from 'The Fire Within', maybe?

[@moriskurth628]

Dragon Hunters stretched the definition of Dragon to its absolute breaking point. I mean, you had the Ramadur and the "Draft Dragon" (that pulled an airship), both ofwhich fit the european description, but also more outlandish stuff like Hector, who was a fuzzy dog-ferret thing with roughly human intelligence, the Vanikoro, which was just a huge Chameleon, and the Aartog which was a huge Spider Creature that could shapeshift into human form, and had a desire to live *as* a human as opposed to being a "Dragon" (It still got killed at the end after it tried to take the place of one of the Protagonists), among other species. I think in that world, "Dragon" seems to be a catch-all term for any monster that isn't more or less a normal animal, like sheep or pigs, though domesticated Dragons, like Hector, also existed which muddles the whole thing somewhat...

[@trulyredacted9161]

Yis

[@Dexuz]

I love how Fire Emblem essentially uses all possible dragon tropes and roles. Dragon hero? Check Dragon villain? Check Divine dragon? Check Demonic dragon? Check Apocalyptic dragon? Check Nuisance dragon? Check Human-like dragon? Check Animalistic dragon? Check Dragon-shifter? Check Dragon jewelry? Check Dragon riding? Check Dragon banging?... C-check

[@saphiriathebluedragonknight375]

Dragon Grandma/ Check.

[@phoenixfire1074]

I honestly would like to know more about them. The only Fire Emblem dragon I really know anything about is Corrin

[@siph0r154]

​​@@phoenixfire1074 It will be very interesting for you to then go and play the other games in this fantastic(al) series. I will give you some guidance. If you want a dragon as a villain, play a fire emblem game. Like, any. Even Corrin opposes one in their own game xD That kinda coincides with the apocalyptic thing. Rideable dragons also come into play fairly often. There are Unit-, classes that ride what FE calls Wyverns. Which are basically the animalistic and tamable kind. There are people in the FE-Universe who can transform into Dragons by the use of a special object called a Dragonstone. In FE-Lore they are called Manakete and technically Corrin is one of those. So the shifters and humanoids are covered as well as the Jewelry. Some FE-Stories are about a clash of Gods. Usually represented as Dragons. So we have the Divine Good as well as evil. And when it comes to the last one.... Fire Emblem Awakening and Fates allow you to establish romances between a variety of characters and units with a degree of freedom. Those pairing then can even have children. In Awakening one of those is a Manakete called Nowi. I will let you Google her yourself to figure out why OP was a bit... Uncomfortable about that 😅

[@damianiscringe1082]

Dragon hero: Corrin Dragon villian: like half the franchise's main villians Divine dragon: Alear Demonic dragon: Sombron Apocalyptic dragon: the fire dragons from fe7 and medius from fe11 Nuisance dragons: alot of them Human like dragon: tiki, Fae, myrrh, ninian and Nils Animalistic dragon: maneketes Dragon shifter: maneketes Dragon riding: wyvern riders Dragon banging: eliwood and ninian

[@MariOmor1]

Getting pushed down the stairs? Check

[@Eldrisaur]

Dragons: *Exist* Storm gods: and I took that personally

[@freyathewanderer6359]

The idea of dragons could have arisen because ancient people found dinosaur fossils and, not knowing what dinosaurs were, [ahem!] imagined dragons.

[@joshuakirkham9224]

Well if you think about it, dragons are ultimate, powerhouse, magical, juggernauts. So it’d kinda make sense to throw them up against the more powerful gods in any given story. Said gods are usually storm gods in some capacity. ...I think... idk

[@foxyboy-dn9yj]

@@joshuakirkham9224*cough* thunder= big roar of flying monster

[@redpikachu3754]

Is THIS the reason the dragons in Dark Souls are weak to lightning!?

[@NevisYsbryd]

@@joshuakirkham9224 Either storm, sky, and/or sun are the most common top-power of most myths, and all three are usually at least high-tier.

[@holier_than_thou0102]

Any dragon: *breathes* A storm god within fifty feet of the dragon, rolling up their sleeves: alright, that’s it-

[@UCjNrKLyRJI-abFA8qiNo92Q]

Thor 4 plot confirmed

[@holier_than_thou0102]

Irodoku Puzzle oh my god he even fought a dragon in Thor Ragnarok wtf

[@kziila0244]

Mac N’Cheese ...You’re right.

[@hitkid2456]

@@UCjNrKLyRJI-abFA8qiNo92Q Maybe it's Susanoo posing as Thor?

[@taylorgoldman130]

You just yee’d your last haw

[@lguffee4930]

Dragons: *Exist* Storm Gods: So anyways, I started blasting-

[@theshuman100]

shame we never got a deep dive into the storm spirit trope 😔

[@bc7282]

L Guffee dragons are evil super rich people, who throughout history would reign terror on the poor. Just think of gangsters who made it as big as could be. After a few generations, power corrupts, they sit on gold. Hydra is their organisations, when you cut off the head, another arises. What is more likely, real dragons and mythical creatures, or it's symbolic of reality from people who couldn't write, but would draw images to pass on information. Propaganda is real.

[@Mecanthro]

An explaination for that would actually be; indo-europeans. Those guys had a HUGE worship of the dragon as both a god and a monster symbolizing war and violence. That's why, with some variations, a lot of the places they went to ended up having some kind of dragon in their mythos. That would actually explain the "defeated by a storm god". That part had to be in the original indo-european myth. That's of course excluding the Mesoamerican and autralian dragons, which were simply a serpent worship mixed with birds/rainbow. So, dragon-coincidence? I think (mostly) not!

[@theshuman100]

@@Mecanthro so what youre saying is, colonisation

[@hexwolfi]

@@Mecanthro That's why Susanoo slaying the serpent Yamato-no-Orochi is now believed to be Indo-European in origin as well, probably introduced to Japan from India with the arrival of Buddhism. It's amazing how that myth managed to find itself spread all the way from Scandinavia to Japan!

[@ikariyabiollante867]

Seeing as dragons can range from nigh-omniscient to mindless, can appear in a practically uncountable number of ways, and the consistent through-line of their portrayals is that they're incredibly powerful, I'm putting forth the thesis that dragons are Lovecraftian eldritch beings that decided to look more fashionable at the cost of not being able to melt someone's frontal lobe just by existing

[@StarshadowMelody]

How is that a cost, exactly?

[@koboldcrusader]

@@StarshadowMelody listen sometimes people can be really annoying to the point where instant remote lobotomies can be a boon okay

[@crypticmedicine]

"I am limitless, fathomless, undefinable. I strike fear into the hearts of my enemies and defy categorization. But.... can I also be _sexy?_ "

[@lawrence8871]

They sometimes do that anyway! Source: Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull

[@Awesomeflame16]

@@crypticmedicine Gotta get them ladies

[@georgeaylard1580]

Uncle Iroh: Ancient, powerful, breathes fire, central to the plot, central to the theme of the story. Even beyond the name Iroh fits the idea of a dragon completely. Love it. You even get a subversion of expectations as you’d expect a general of the bad guys to be a power-hungry maniac but he’s a kind, philosophising, old man who loves his Jasmine tea and Pai Sho. One of my favourite characters ever.

[@demolisherman1763]

He’s even called a dragon

[@Midorikonokami]

A kind philosophical old man who nonetheless _kicks major ass_ too

[@zoro115-s6b]

He invented lightning redirection for that inevitable showdown with a storm god.

[@loganbabb8509]

IROH-NIC isn't it?

[@tuesdaywithanh]

He sounds more like a Chinese dragon than European dragon to me

[@KitKat-sv9qp]

Ok but using a tiny DRAGON as a weapon is the most metal thing ever, and of course it came from the people that did blood sacrifices

[@EndanDrachon]

Pretty much every old Mesoamerican culture had human sacrifice. The Aztecs were just particularly...enthusiastic about it.

[@veggiesblowup8785]

A* people that did blood sacrifices. FTFY

[@theoveranalyzingcinephile983]

Well Valyrians only tamed dragons through blood magic and blood sacrifices...

[@toprak3479]

@@veggiesblowup8785 Not sure if "a people" is grammatically correct but yeah it _is_ hisorically correct.

[@veggiesblowup8785]

@@toprak3479 'A people' is grammatically correct, as it refers to a single body in collective. Upon further thought, though, it's probably more historically accurate to say "some number of peoples", 'cause mesoamerica had as much diversity of people groups as anywhere else.

[@iamsad1966]

My forever favorite dragon subversion is “the Dragun has a gun.”

[@TheRhuen]

How about being the dragon is a gun, lots of guns. See Digimon , Gundramon

[@iksskan9147]

@@TheRhuen not close to Enter the Gungeon Dragun who throws knives which shoot bullets

[@JohnDoe-sx6iw]

What about the "Dragon his feet" one?

[@Silverwind87]

Gungeons and Draguns

[@Silverwind87]

@FangABXY FangABXY Wake up with no OoOoOoOo!

[@TheMormonSorceress]

I always thought gold was a dragon's equivalent to twigs and sticks to make comfortable beds for them like how twigs and sticks are to birds.

[@Cara-39]

It is. Gold is a very soft metal so it makes sense that dragons, who hoard gold to begin with, also use it for a bed. This gives them a comfy mattress and protects against thieves

[@proto-type3201]

​@@Cara-39yeah,the fact that it's valuable to humans is just a coincidence

[@McFlingleson]

Well, in that case, instead of defeating the dragon to take its gold, we should just let them all have as much gold as they want.

[@mutantmaster1]

You might be onto something

[@l_t_jn]

Oh yeah and crows and magpies decorate their nests with shiny things.

[@hfar_in_the_sky]

“If you thought it was actually a curved, spiked club, it’s actually a fun sized dragon.” And just when you thought Aztec mythology couldn’t get more metal, we get god wielding dragons as personal weapons

[@sewerrat7321]

I got a few "Fun sized Dragons" of my own, if you catch my drift.

[@dynamicworlds1]

@@sewerrat7321 that was a bad reference, but I got it 😉

[@tsubaki4106]

Aztec mythology, warrior culture and weapons technology is about as metal as you can get without using actual metal. Obsidian 4 life, yo!

[@PhyreI3ird]

As much as I love things being metal, it honestly gave me more cartooney/looney tune vibes xD Just imagine the other Aztec gods going around bending other beings into weapons and engaging in slapstick shenanigans together while their human followers are all the polar opposite engaging in tortorous blood-rites and shit.

[@anotherpenguinsbeard]

Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons puny mortal. For thou art crunchy, and good with ketchup.

[@nionashborn7626]

I have that on a t-shirt!!!!!

[@jacket6213]

Protagonist: Yeah thats a cool story bro but uh, can you give me a ride? The final battle has started and I need to look cool.

[@Gruntvc]

But in Soviet Russia, humans eat dragons. Dragon sandwiches... 😎

[@Vrangelrip]

I laughed so hard 😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆

[@tjnova972]

Nion Ashborn where can I get this shirt?

[@meaganford1117]

"Let's be real, the ultimate fusion of human primal fears would probably have a lot more spiders involved." The Silmarillion has entered the chat.

[@JGuraan]

everybody gangster til the spider starts drinking trees

[@johnphamlore8073]

If the spider had killed Morgoth earlier a lot of trouble would have been saved from happening.

[@GrimGoblinLives]

In Japanese folklore giant spiders act a lot like European dragons.

[@NimhLabs]

@@GrimGoblinLives Aren't giant spiders in Japanese folklore also inclined to be prostitutes as well? Now I'm upset about European Dragons are not all whored up standing on the corner in the Red Light District... >.>'

[@Windows98.]

@@NimhLabs amsterdragon

[@Smin-f3h]

In Korean folklore, there are 'near-dragon' entities called 'Imugi's. When a serpent lives for a hundred years, it becomes an imugi, which has the ability to bring storms and waves. An imugi must survive another thousand years and earn the 'Yeouiju' and ascend to become a dragon without any mortals watching it. Most Imugis are depicted as nice and helpful, but there are some 'evil' imugis in korean folklore. For example, an imugi lived for 1000 years and found the Yeouiju and when it was finally ascending to the sky, a mortal saw it ascending (which makes him turn back to an imugi), and it obviously became mad and killed the mortal. The 'evil turned' imugis become monsters called 'Gangcheori's and cause drought and fire (kinda similar to the flame breathing dragons) Imugis that succeed in ascending become dragons and become immortal.

[@n1thecaptain965]

Honestly I'm not sure that's entirely evil, if I had to wait 1000 years to become a dragon and then had start all over again last second just because some guy couldn't look the other way, I'd be extremely pissed off as well

[@thek2despot426]

Bruh, I know this from the movie Dragon Wars.

[@KyleRayner12]

Imagine an alternate reality wherein dragons aren't a thing, but there's some nonspecific, pan-mythological entity that's basically a magic spider.

[@hogndog2339]

Spiders with wings, sea spiders, fire-breathing spiders, gold-loving spiders, venomous spid - wait

[@epauletshark3793]

@@hogndog2339 on the spiders with wings: there are spiders that can fly in real life, using a process called ballooning. It's awesome. I had one float in front of my face while I was on a hike. It's more floating on the wind. And I also find this really cool and want to ramble about it.

[@KyleRayner12]

@@epauletshark3793 What species do that? (My only experience with weird spiders is with social spiders, which raise their young instead of eating them.)

[@masterskellington92]

In all reality, the ultimate creature is crabs and lobsters. They always find a way back.

[@mrcakeday1439]

@@epauletshark3793 Oh, I hate everything you just describe. I just had a nightmare today where a spider nest fell on me. I’m still traumatized.

[@ysgramorssoupspoon2261]

"My cousin is out fighting Dragons and what do I get? Guard duty." -Whiterun Guard while walking away from a fresh Dragon corpse

[@cereskerrigan]

“I was an adventurer like you, till I took an arrow to the knee.” - Whiterun Guard before being crushed by a dragon.

[@RequiemPoete]

"Someone stole your sweet roll?" To you after murdering the dragon.

[@kingnothing8570]

@@RequiemPoete you know come to think of it guards really are just assholes fucking with you aren't they.

[@Bird_Dog00]

Pesant: "Excuse me, Lord Player Character Sir. Please. There are those mudcraps that occupy the river banks and keep me from catching fish to feed my hungry children. Please Sir, help me and slay those mudcraps. I'm just a simple pesant and wouldn't stand a chance agai..." *dragon appears in the village Pesant: "Excuse me Sir..." *Pesant draws iron dagger and charges the dragon: "Leeeroy Jeeenkiiiiins!!!"

[@kevinconrad6156]

@@kingnothing8570 They are police after all.

[@lv26Phoenix]

Mythologies all around the world: "Storm God vs Dragon" Dark Souls 3: "But what if Storm God and Dragon vs you?"

[@eertikrux666]

Infographic show: WRITE THAT DOWN

[@jthompson7024]

If we're being really technical it was a war god and a storm dragon (drake) but either way they whooped my ass several times before I beat them

[@timelordacaelus5959]

Who says I'M not a dragon too? Dark Souls gives you that option in all 3 games, and I ALWAYS take it!

[@Archon3960]

Meanwhile, in One Piece... Kaidou : *"I AM THE STORM DRAGON!!"*

[@zack8596]

More like storm god, dragon and camera vs you.

[@Davisnacho]

There is one example of dragon riding in folklore. The Romanian concept of the Scholomance was a black magic school taught by the devil. One of the graduates would be chosen to become Weathermaster, riding a dragon to control the weather. This idea was adapted into the Scholomance series by Naomi Novik, minus the devil and the dragon. R.I.P. Weather Dragon. Also storms and dragons...again.

[@엘제-k9u]

In Asia too. In Taoism there is an entire category of deities that ride dragons, either on their backs or with chariots. Partly because Asian dragons are to animals what dosas are to humans: who are enlightened in the Tao and ascended. We even have 용마, which is a literal horse-dragon.

[@phryg2035]

@@엘제-k9u how are dosas related to humans

[@엘제-k9u]

@@phryg2035 Dosa is an ascended human through understanding The Way. There is no dosa that is not human. edit: typo

[@TheBronzeDog]

Fun idea: D&D-type setting where every intelligent variety of dragon insists they're the "true dragons" and all the others are just posers.

[@vlaricshard2]

Make them embody metal stereotypes by subgenre

[@onenerdycrow6280]

Yes

[@brothervan3884]

Oh wow! Play snake jazz in the back ground. :D

[@MeepChangeling]

So... Just normal baseline D&D? Guys, please read the lore.

[@bloodstoneore4630]

now I'm remembering that one tumblr pose about a noble dragonborn knight being sent to slay a dragon and rescue the princess only to realize she is both the dragon she is meant to kill and the princess she was sent to save

[@nef36]

_Ancient human looks at lizard_ "What if that was bigger? *AND BETTER???"*

[@zoro115-s6b]

"Upgrades people! Upgrades!"

[@petrsevcik5044]

I mean, there are the Komodo dragons...

[@rachaelevans8351]

Petr Ševčík but wings

[@Vegas242]

**Ancient human finds dinosaur fossil** "Holy shit! What kind of monster died to leave this here?!"

[@italucenaz]

@@Vegas242 a giant human of couse

[@murica7096]

I wonder if that "lightning god x dragon" is caused by how thunder is the loudest thing most pre-industrial people could have the chance to hear so it makes sense that the biggest baddest monster would be fighting the lightning

[@simpleman6352]

Nice insight

[@lokegerhardsson8979]

Lightning is often seen in the sea during storms so it makes even more sense that most lightning gods fight sea dragons.

[@acidbunny5]

the lightning god x dragon instantly made me think of a cursed ship

[@hughmungus3470]

The idea of a thunder god fighting a dragon has roots in a pre-historic culture group known as the "proto-Indo Europeans" who were spread across (get this) Europe and India, bringing their stories and mythology with them. One of those myths featured a thunder god facing off against a sea serpent connected to the ocean. It spread across the continents and changed over the course of thousands of years, but the seeds of the story remained mostly constant. The story of Susanoo and Orochi is actually a relatively recent myth that likely originated from Buddhist (i.e. Indian) influence on Japan.

[@robrockstar9648]

Less likely but what If someone say on those thunderstorms that sometimes come off of volcanic Eruptions. That could easily appear as fire and lightning doing battle. On second thought is that Typhons thing? That He was trapped under as mountain that’s actually a volcano in real life? I can’t remember

[@funnyvideoguy3216]

I always love it when dragons are depicted as like actual animals, rather than just beings of power. It kinda makes them feel more grounded into the world and more interesting

[@soulcyclone360]

I like it when there are both intelligent and animal-like dragons in the same world. It sets up so many potential storytelling opportunities about the world and its lore, on top of any story's revolving around a central set of characters who need to interact with dragons.

[@cheepmovprod]

That’s how I depict all monsters. The Realm of Dragons is a project on my DevaintArt where I treat dragons like real creatures, give them scientific names, and try to classify them as best I can.

[@Dexuz]

@@soulcyclone360 Fire Emblem! (The actual stories being good is up to debate)

[@soulcyclone360]

@@Dexuz is there a particular game I should start with? Or should I just pick up the first one I see.

[@Dexuz]

​@@soulcyclone360 I'd say Awakening is best for a first-player experience, maybe Fates too.

[@mutantmaster1]

The whole "one who stares" leans credence to the whole 'dragons are just big scaly cats'

[@shadowstriker6506]

So toothless

[@Ribbons0121R121]

yo now i wanna see funny dragon vids

[@Silverwind87]

That explains their hoards.

[@zoro115-s6b]

@@Ribbons0121R121 "DRAGON ACCIDENTALLY BURNS DOWN FIREWORKS WAREHOUSE! [hilarious]"

[@danirodriguez3682]

I’m still waiting for one of my cats to breathe fire when I’m 3 seconds late to feeding them

[@pleasecallmedoku7215]

*"Why dragons?"* Me, an intellectual: Big lizard go _W O O O O S H_

[@twoscarabsintheswarm9055]

Very Nice, I Chuckled

[@ЗолотойЗомби-г2о]

Well, you're not wrong

[@veturwinter]

This post really sucks, what even is the joke

[@anmolt3840051]

It blows my mind that 1000s of years in the future, some serious historian will inevitably analyse Blue eyes White dragon and Kobayashi's Dragon maid

[@liammclin5722]

“So as shown in this ancient poster of some sort, they worshipped some sort of goddess with a snakelike tai and deer like horns. We have yet to translate these ancient Japanese runes, but we think she has something to do with the copious depictions of the goddess with cat ears.”

[@annakaro9081]

@@liammclin5722 or they can just google the translation.

[@emmanuelj670]

Historical studies in the far future are going to be so much weirder.

[@CJCroen1393]

Imagine them thinking the dragon maid dragon was a fertility goddess because of her… well y’know, and pondering the connect BEWD had with Ancient Egypt.

[@privatelast8724]

If I'm not mistaken, Konami made a series of yugioh cards based off Dragon maid

[@lucatan6985]

I love how depending on how you analyze the game's "ideas", the Enderdragon fits Tolkiens description

[@5t3phan]

I hate you for putting this in my head, you genius.

[@ruffedgrouse2711]

Could you elaborate?

[@rubyamateurtactician4354]

" But this begs the question: why dragons?" * surprised sputtering * WHY NOT DRAGONS?!?!?!?

[@shadenfroda273]

But I can do you one better why are dragons

[@tygerlyn1123]

But...but...BUT WHAT ABOUT DRAGONS?

[@phantomh2625]

@@shadenfroda273 well that's great and all but have anyone asked how are the dragons?

[@toprak3479]

Title: Trope Talk: Dragons Everybody: *WHAT ABOUT THEM?*

[@tybuss6211]

Exactly why not dragons

[@phoenixfire1074]

I have a sweater that says, “Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup”

[@aidangreen7711]

I have a plaque with almost the same quote. Except it's "for thou art crunchy and would taste good with ketchup."

[@tompatterson1548]

I want that sweater

[@mcintoshpc]

omw to rob you, sorry pal

[@JessicaDuane]

My mom has that shirt!

[@JakeMoment_]

I remember having that shirt when I was like 6

[@timelordacaelus5959]

"Dragons are awesome because dragons have always been awesome." Best answer to any argument.

[@the11382]

But what about dragons?!

[@the11382]

@Amelia Darden Shad

[@timothymclean]

"Mister president, we were discussing the budget Congress submitted."

[@timelordacaelus5959]

@@timothymclean Yes. Who do you think we have managing the budgets?

[@grayfox9191]

I find the concept of having a tiny dragon as a weapon hilarious. Like when a character's in a pinch and pulls out a pocket dragon or maybe there's a standoff with a bunch of characters in a circle pointing tiny dragons at each other. XD

[@petertaylor4980]

Happens in some Discworld books.

[@themostbritishpersonalive868]

Dragons don’t kill people, people with dragons kill people

[@Tuima11]

@@petertaylor4980 "You feeling lucky, punk?" ~Sam Vimes

[@metarcee2483]

So, the Terrible Terrors from HTTYD?

[@felinecontrolled]

Red: "one who stares" Me: So, cats? Also Red: Yes, cats!

[@johannageisel5390]

Or owls.

[@ryoumakoushiro7447]

It's cats.... I mean, look at them, they're staring into the corner, while I'm right by their side..... Yikes

[@jakeaurod]

Wasn't Falkor, the Luck Dragon in The Neverending Story, more dog-like? After all, what is a Pointer, but a dog who stares?

[@matthewzard]

Johanna Geisel, omg, OWLS ARE FLYING CATS

[@cereskerrigan]

Matthewzard Considering that owls can actually eat cats, I strongly advise that you think that comment through.

[@tomnevins1904]

Dragons: Oh, hi- Storm Gods, already aiming their lightning bolts: Looks like you're going to the Shadow Realm, Jimbo. King Ghidorah, both an apocalyptically huge dragon and a storm god: Oh yeah, it's all coming together.

[@Ismael-kc3ry]

Dany from A Song of Ice and Fire, mother of dragons and called “Stormborn”: I see no god up here other than me.

[@hailghidorah2536]

Hola

[@donotbreadthecats2261]

Storm gods be like “think fast” and then dumps a lightning storm on them

[@senorsombrero1275]

@@donotbreadthecats2261 Quetzalcoatl, creator god and god of the wind (close to storms right?) watching from a distance: *tf they doin over der*

[@JaelinBezel]

So is this why Rathalos and Rathian are weak to thunder damage?

[@worthlesshuman5041]

Red: "Dragon as noble steed is historically unprecedented" The Horse from Journey to the West: "Am I a joke to you?"

[@coolgreenbug7551]

but you never get to ride him as a dragon, he just goes into lame horse mode. Thats like saying Bumblebee is a giant anime mech because he is a giant robot and people drive him. there both true but not at the same time and thats key

[@kiya46107]

But for most of the story he's... a horse... not a dragon.

[@numbersinnames5039]

Well he’s kind of meant to serve as an allegory which is why he mainly acts as a horse, but his origins as a dragon is still very important.

[@goldengaruda8935]

Yes

[@selenopheria]

/gestures to the JttW series here/ It is absolutely a joke to her.

[@Mech299]

Dragons as cats: *Stares at viking leader, unblinking for a solid minute, his paw outstretched, watching the viking leader keep saying "Noooooo! Don't you do it!" as the Dragon mimes knocking the lower-ranked viking off a cliff*

[@nightstar5251]

This is amazing😂

[@jessicajayes8326]

Wasn't Jormangondor a cat at some point?

[@thelegend8570]

Thor: I have a cool hammer, what weapon do you use? Huitzilopochtli: *_S N E K_*

[@coolgreenbug7551]

Thor: I concede

[@kabob0077]

Jormüngandr: *P O W E R S N E K*

[@weldonwin]

Vimes of the Watch: Oh hey, I have one of those too

[@northstar6920]

Norse: Dragon defeated by Storm god. Egyptian: Dragon defeated by Storm god. Japanese: Dragon defeated by Storm god. Mesopotamian: Dragon defeated by Storm god. Greek: Dragon defeated by Storm god. Coincidence, I THINK NOT!

[@grogmadman522]

What if it was an actual real event every mythology had it's own version of ?

[@beeaggro2593]

The dinosaurs going extinct

[@achintyanaithani889]

Same for Vedic myth. Vritra gang, upvote this!

[@rambard5599]

@@grogmadman522 I'd say it's more likely it has something to do with the common culture and religion all these cultures and religions came from.

[@nian3262]

Plot twist it was the same stormgod all along!!!

[@craigtpm]

I wrote a story with draconic people and my favorite person was “Dr. Agon”

[@Chickentendies1989]

Why did it take me a second to get that

[@craigtpm]

Michael my friend needed 2 days!

[@jeremywang5754]

Thanks, I'm stealing that for a DND character

[@xolotltolox]

@@Chickentendies1989 How long did it take you to figure out that Alucard is Dracula backwards?

[@craigtpm]

Jeremy go ahead

[@leonader9465]

A spider/insect-based dragon is actually a sick concept.

[@gameover9390]

No! Please god no! Noooooooooooooo!

[@gex6692]

Literally the lost continent in wings of fire

[@andrewmalinowski6673]

Tell that to someone with either arachnophobia or any insect phobia like mellisophobia or apipophobia

[@kurage_medusa]

Considering how cool dragon_flies_ are, I've had the idea of dragonfly-inspired dragons

[@arthurdescy8186]

Flygon is based on the adult stage of the antlion

[@CuteCuttlefish]

11:15 By Tolkien's definition, Toothless would absolutely be considered a dragon. 1) Mechanics: I don't know, is the dragon important to the plot of How to Train Your Dragon? 2) Ideas: Toothless helps to convey a lot of the themes of friendship, misunderstanding, and other things I'm too sleep-deprived to come up with.

[@Chaossoul87]

Definitely underrated comment. I agree.

[@willphoenix5464]

Awesome

[@lemmetalkaboutthis]

He is definitely important, First of, in many ways he is kind of a mirror to Hiccup: -One of a kind and an outcast -far smarter than their peers -unwilling to submit to a hierarchy kept in place through force -missing a limb -leaders of their respective sides (by birth, but both had to prove themself and earn their positions by gaining the necessary respect of their peers) And only a dragon with the necessary intellect and understanding of what it means to be an outsider would have given Hiccup the chance he needed to discover the true nature of dragons and bring about the changes he did, And Hiccup and Toothless both recognised themself in the other - the story would likely not have worked out with any normal dragon

[@galning2768]

@@lemmetalkaboutthis I may be wrong but I think it’s ironic like hmmmmmm I wonder is the *dragon* important to how to train your *dragon*

[@lemmetalkaboutthis]

@@galning2768 I mean, the movies sprang from children's books, it can probably be excused for being a little on the nose lol tl;dr: it's about Toothless counting as a "real dragon" by _Tolkien's_ standards, which include more than just the physical shape - WE might see all the dragons as "real dragons", but Toothless might be the only one of them that Tolkien would ALSO consider a "real dragon" Okay, long explanation: there's a huge difference between movies and the books - in the books, dragons are more... kinda like livestock? A mix between pets, hunting dogs, and working-animals. But they also have a language, one that humans can speak, even if it's forbidden - the movie made them a dangerous force to be reckoned with, but also much more animalistic; smart animals, DAMN smart animals, but still animals If you went by "how to train your dragon", it sounds more like a guide for training a *pet* rather than a story about befriending an intelligent being that's on the opposite site of a generations-long war But even then, Toothless is still quite exceptional - with him and Hiccup it's more like we have two people that are learning to work with each other, while with the other dragons, it really feels a lot more like training an animal with food and commands and so-on I can see Toothless understanding a lot more from the human language than the other dragons - hell, he expresses exasperation, kind of sarcasm at times, and plays along in fake-arguments, he actively follows the human's conversations, etc.... and Hiccup talks to him like just another person a lot more than we see the other riders - they talk to their dragons a lot more like pets, or well-trained dogs, not expecting a reply or full understanding Hiccup also doesn't talk to other dragons like he does to Toothless, likely knowing that there is a pretty big gap in how well he will be understood So, like I said earlier, Toothless would count as "a REAL dragon" by Tolkien's standards, not because of what he physically is, but because he was necessary for the story itself- it wouldn't have worked with a Nadder or a Monstrous Nightmare, which WE also classify as dragons, but with Tolkien's view on the subject might not count as "real" dragons

[@Raptorman0205]

I'm pretty sure that the whole Dragon taxonomy debate started because everyone bought that Dragonology book at their school's scholastic book fair and took it WAY too seriously

[@CJCroen1393]

Dragonology! That takes me back X3 That said, I'd argue it might have instead been due to that Animal Planet documentary about dragons.

[@cuttlefishonfire7502]

I remember that book!

[@ShaunCheah]

I remember trying to carefully tease open one of the sealed envelope elements so as not to leave any tears or damage the book when my mum came by with a letteropener like "oh I'll help with that" and just ripped the thing open. Almost two decades have passed and I'm still upset.

[@Mirro18]

God, let's be real tho, those books were rad and fun and they got me into that kinda thing for actual animals

[@roaringthunder115]

Yeah

[@emmae2520]

Who else had all the Dragonology books and as a child was very invested in the taxonomy and evolution of dragons?

[@ilikecookies9796]

Me. I loved that series.

[@rationalroundhead6739]

I found the comprehensive compendium in the book bus when I was a kid, and I got so exited because I thought dragons were real and this was an actual record of different types of dragons. I cried so hard when I read the part about extinct dragons because I thought it meant that I’d never get to meet a real-live Krakatoan dragon and have it eat out of my hands like the book said they did and have a cool pet mini dragon. I was a stupid kid. But I absolutely loved that book, so thanks for reminding me that it existed.

[@hansruhlmann454]

I have the original, and also borrowed one of the spin-offs on a library. It is a big part of my childhood.

[@CJCroen1393]

MEEEE!

[@l30ng62]

Ive got Two dragonology books as a kid and i loved them 🐉🐉

[@WandererJiyuren]

I think anatomically Dragons are by way of their disparate nature a taxonomic Order, rather than family or a genus or one specific species. Because of this any creature that can reasonably be recognized as a dragon can be included in that order, because it shares some nebulous characteristics with all the rest of dragondom, even if not every dragon shares ANY of those characteristics. In fact I think the only characteristic I've never seen missing from dragons is that they have scales are very similar to reptiles.

[@yusheitslv100]

Idea based on your comment: 6th group of vertebrates?

[@DecemberDaydreams]

@@yusheitslv100 definitly lol

[@nomdeplume9590]

@@yusheitslv100 Nah, because dragons DEFINITELY seem like they're in the clade Sauropsida, considering they're generally reptilian, and although some have wings, birds are Sauropsida too; the Reptilia class contains all sauropsids other than birds, so dragons fit right in there. As the original commentor said, they fit as an order, although I *guess* I can see making them a different class, considering that birds and reptiles are both sauropsids but are in different classes.

[@mollycanwell9924]

haha, have i got news for you...(go read the dragonriders of pern books and marvel at the dragons' "soft hides," and wonder (as i do) how these creatures can still be so clearly and obviously dragons despite missing the dragon's only consistent defining feature)

[@philipsheehan3754]

May I offer you Seath the Scaleless (I know I’m cheating as he is literally just a regular dragon with a genetic defect but still)

[@witherwolf3316]

"Is Smaug in this one?" For some reason this absolutely killed me.

[@KSSyep]

im glad im not alone hah

[@witherwolf3316]

@Drake Petty "If you're reffering to the incident with the dragon I was barely involved."

[@lemonwicky597]

"Storm Gods vs Dragons is more universal than you think." *Remembers how the storm deity of my DnD campaign wrestled his Eastern Asian inspired dragon servant for nearly five hundred years straight before defeating the dragon, resulting in the dragon's servitude* Oh my god, I had this idea for MONTHS, I guess it's more ingrained in fantasy than I thought.

[@scorfadontis8110]

That sounds like an awesome world!

[@lemonwicky597]

@@scorfadontis8110 Haha, I use the Dawn War pantheon and The Alrisen from GenuineFantasyPress' Compendium of Forgotten Secrets: Awakening and twist them to fit my own world. It's not nearly as cool or original as I made it sound.

[@ericthered2963]

When I read that, I imagined the undertaker with Thor's hair grabbing the dragon by the back and doing a suplex with him sending thunder down to the earth on impact.

[@sebastianswan7975]

Things get boring when you fight for over 500 hours

[@yourimaginaryfriend65]

It sound pretty cool thanks for sharing it ☺️

[@IAmEvilTree]

Lysanderoth: A fine video indeed. King Dragon sends his regards.

[@blarg2429]

I think that enemy got... the point!

[@oracleiscool]

this reference is so random and yet I instantly understood it

[@liaminator4950]

AYOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[@SignalRaptor_]

“HRRAAAH!” Gee, do you think that enemy did or did not get the point?

[@monkey_blu]

"Why are you doing this?"

[@amer6706]

The How To Train Your Dragon book dragons are cool, because they have the tiny harmless dragons but also dragons the size of mountainsides that see past, present, and future. And dragons of all different species. Some hardly look like our idea of dragons except typically having an isocelene on their tail, wings, and four legs. They range from intelligence beyond humans to animal stupidity, and most of them speak Dragonese. Also, the exploration of their “selfish, malevolent behavior” is very interesting.

[@jplus1054]

Exactly, and this is why I never liked the movies - I was a hardcore How to Train Your Dragon BOOK fan. The movies basically just stole the character names then wrote a completely different story that spit on everything that made the books good - that being the unique take and perspective on dragons as a species and their interactions with humans.

[@Attaxalotl]

@@jplus1054 I liked the movies. They're a bad _adaptation,_ but they're good if you take them as two separate things.

[@starblade8719]

When king dragon doesn’t send his regards:

[@mariuchiha4664]

Lysanderoth you were behind all this!

[@adrielcruz2736]

Mari Uchiha “if think that was a nice shot....”

[@lablimpet]

This journey has only just beGUN

[@c3eo125]

@@mariuchiha4664 Yes it was I! My machinations lay undetected for years

[@kevinboyle3104]

C3EO for I am a master of deception.

[@King_CactusVods]

One who stares?! That’s kinda boss! Like imagine a human just watching everyone else but he’s named dragon

[@Duiker36]

Yeah, that's basically what the Big Bad's Lancer does.

[@quintonclothier6171]

The closest thing to this that I can think of is the character Monkey D. Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army in One Piece. He mostly just watches, but if he stops watching, well, let's just say there's a reason he's considered the most dangerous man in the world. He was introduced early on, but hasn't done much. His underlings have popped up from time to time helping the heroes, and they are always powerful, but he mostly stays away. He has helped train one of the main characters, he is the father of Monkey D. Luffy(the main character), and has declared war on the World Government, so he is important, but still, he watches. I thought that the sole reason for his name was that he could control wind, but this seems like it fits as well.

[@ponylover2206]

I know someone who’s named Dragon. He’s the most wanted man in One Piece and father of one of the main characters

[@quintonclothier6171]

@Hans Hanzo In this instance, Kaiba wouldn't count, as I am talking about someone who lives up to the Greek meaning of Dragon, with that as his name. Seto Kaiba is closer to Iroh, in being an honorable Dragon, not someone named as such. Even still, he isn't a Dragon, he just likes the power they represent. Someone who fits more what you were talking about is (spoilers) Kaido, who can become a Dragon. He is ridiculously powerful, and people used to think that Dragon had the fruit that Kaido has. I don't really know where I am going with this.

[@knixps4564]

he's called God. its greek for we made it up.

[@emilyhelms-tippit4053]

"sometimes, all the players want to do is save the beautiful dragon from the terrible princess." -Matt Colville

[@kerentan9446]

wait-

[@Horseshoecrabwarrior]

I like dragons. Lemme roll up a bard.

[@Channel9001]

Is the dragon sexy?

[@hectorisraelalvarezespinos59]

You bet it's hot...

[@lordofshades9852]

@@hectorisraelalvarezespinos59 FOOL! IT'S A MALE!

[@broEye1]

"Horse Plus Spike" might just be my favorite definition of unicorns ever.

[@coloraddiction]

"Even a character who's not physically a dragon in any way can still get that kind of reputation by being nicknamed after a dragon." *Immediately pictures Iroh.* *Sees Iroh a moment later* "YES!" Also this made me really want to draw

[@pablotomasllodra4423]

Dracula meant Son of a Dragon, I think.

[@evenaarek1042]

Do it, coward

[@JimBob4233]

@@pablotomasllodra4423 Yeah, that's because Vlad III 'Dracula' the Impaler's father was Vlad II Drakul - Vlad the Dragon.

[@Silverwind87]

@@pablotomasllodra4423 Satan himself has also been given the epithet "The Dragon." So next time you do Christianity based fiction, add dragons.

[@CollinBuckman]

@@JimBob4233 And he got that nickname from being part of a chivalric order known as the Order of the Dragon.

[@zerotakis]

Dragons: "Hell yeah!" Spider Dragon: "Jesus Christ, how horrifying!"

[@lysander9957]

AJ Pickett fan?

[@hybrid22003]

I googled Spider Dragon. ...

[@ace_ofchaos9292]

That would be more ridiculous than scary.

[@jean-paulaudette9246]

@@ace_ofchaos9292 Especially if it had the size of a spider.

[@cristaltophat]

Okay, the last thing I need is the image of a spider having the ability to take flight!

[@SCP-in4zl]

A fun reason I heard for dragons sleeping in mountains of gold [for d&d lore and such] is that since a dragon's weak spot is often their underbelly, sleeping in gold for thousands of years can encrust their stomach in gold, making elder dragons [who could sleep in gold for hundreds of thousands of years] effectively immortal, their only weakness now plated in golden armor.

[@Author-In-Denial]

i'd assume sleeping in lava would work better than gold. soft sheets of malleable, meltable gold vs layers upon layers of stone that's heat resistant, cooled down lava.

[@SCP-in4zl]

@@Author-In-Denial it would proably warm up too much during fire-breathing

[@Author-In-Denial]

@@SCP-in4zl yeah, but less than gold would. gold's quite a bit easier to melt than stone, so it would be better in almost every way

[@femoman]

Pretty sure that's why Smaug was so tough in the original book. His underbelly was so encrusted with jewels and gold that he was basically invulnerable, except for a small weak patch on his left breast, where Bard shot him with the black arrow.

[@MachineMan-mj4gj]

@@Author-In-Denial Then again, these are mortals attacking what is basically a flying monitor lizard the size of a 747 with sharp sticks.

[@alexjewett7455]

I think the reason people like trying to taxonomize dragons, and magical creatures in general, is because it's just an interesting thought experiment. What would these creatures be like if they actually existed? What would they look like? Where would they live? What would they eat? For me, at least, it just makes the fantasy feel so much more real.

[@leobastian_]

yeah. its not that helpful for trope analysis, but its incredibly helpful for worldbuiliding or just enjoying media on a deeper level

[@5t3phan]

I just do it because I am weirdly desperate to be thorough in my worldbuilding, lol

[@e_n_hand]

"They aren't real." Way to crush my childhood and adulthood in one step.

[@peterbota1913]

Then go get a PHD in genetics, study CRISPR, find a wealthy eccentric to bankroll you in secret and Make Them Real! Eh, a sapient can dream

[@commonviewer2488]

Tell that to the Komodo Dragon and its venomous fangs!

[@Mark_Goddin]

When I first had to confront this, I cried. I was 8.

[@thearchitect2112]

@Peter Bota with time and money, it is very likely that a dragon like creature can be made

[@tiagodarkpeasant]

@@thearchitect2112 even better, discover a creature that exists and nobody knows, write a book were said creature is a dragon, then reveal the creature saying "real dragon found in nature"

[@burntcaramel6908]

Dragons: Storms gods always make my life worse Every ancient greek woman ever:

[@ryeryeryerye]

Jajajajaja

[@mariunfabregas7533]

Dammit Zeus

[@amethyst_cat9532]

We need some sort of fic or animation about a dragon and a Greek woman drinking tea and gossiping about the latest shenanigans of the storm gods

[@HexenkoeniginVonAngmar]

@@amethyst_cat9532 That would be hilarious XD

[@sanai97]

Every woman ever: men *shiver*

[@jackcarlson4358]

"Dragon isn't a specific type of creature, it's a category, like fairy or demon" That's honestly the best way I've heard it put. I've definitely gotten into debates with people who insist that "wyverns aren't dragons" like there was ANY kind of universally agreed upon definition for the term. Edit: And here comes the "well actually" crowd. Seriously folks, it's such a pointless hill to die on.

[@dragondudeification]

Exactly. Plus there is a chance somewhere in history, there are stories that describe a dragon to be more wyvern like before the term wyvern became a official thing.

[@hihi123hiful]

I mean, that might be because wyverns are seen as lesser or weaker. So if you’re into powerful dragons, it might be a sore spot

[@TheOverArchiver]

All wyverns are dragons, not all dragons are wyverns.

[@Bluecho4]

D&D had the right idea, making "Dragon" its own creature category.

[@CJCroen1393]

Same goes for people in the Pokemon fandom who whine about Altaria or Kingdra being dragons.

[@RoonMian]

You forgot one of the most well known dragons, the one from Revelation: "Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth."

[@saphiriathebluedragonknight375]

I thought she was going to mention that one. Which reminds me, I've the word Dragon appeared a lot more in the original King James Version. It has since been replaced by other animals, namely the jackal. It's was likely referring to dinosaurs, as it is believed that many tales of dragons came from dinosaur bones.

[@Vanity0666]

My personal favorite tidbit about Satan in his seven headed serpent form is that japan was like "Yamata-no-orochi has eight heads lol" and the greeks were like "Hydra has nine heads lol"

[@HenryGray-sy4pu]

This was probably meant to be a manifestation of the power of the Roman Empire, specifically the Imperial Cult that forced the worship of the Emperors into Jewish temples. Going by Red's guidelines in her video about it, would this make Satan the first kaiju?

[@liminal7738]

“So you know lizards?” “Yeah, what about them” “What if we have them wings?” “Why would we-“ “And made them breath fire?” “Wha-“ “People will love it” “I don’t see why this will be more popular than the hundreds of other hybrids that have been created” 2000 years later ...

[@cleoking6312]

Tbf to other chimera, dragons are chimera, from the tarrasque to smoug

[@2kkl4wz]

You seem to have watched too much of the "god creates things" from P.M. seymour.

[@USSAnimeNCC-]

dragon stone Also someone paint a dragon on the side f my warship yeah

[@AshenKing97]

Heh, horse plus spike

[@ravenashling1279]

“The ultimate fusion of human primal fears would probably have a lot more spiders involved” Me a DM: I know what I going to do today

[@DolusVulpes]

Is it a spider dragon? Or maybe a dragon spider?

[@jhart6764]

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!

[@kunik61]

STOP PROMOTE ARACHNOPHOBIC PROPAGANDA!!!!

[@lmpeters]

A long time ago, I ran a D&D 3.5 game where I presented the players with a dungeon containing celestial monstrous spiders. In order to reach the ancient artifact at the end of the dungeon, the players had to (a) realize that the spiders were not mindless killing machines, and (b) learn how to communicate with them.

[@dustyfedora]

Isn’t that just Drow Elves and the Underdark

[@davidsachs4883]

Playing D&D as teens a random farm was smashed up by a giant drake. My brother knew a drake was a dragon and hunted it down. A drake is also a male duck. What he caught up with was a half ton male duck. He dragged it back to town and hosted a feast for the entire village.

[@epauletshark3793]

Horse sized duck?

[@davidsachs4883]

Taller and thinner Long wings hit much harder, from further, then real world swans May have been over a half ton it was long ago

[@brynnb2841]

omg i so wanna use this in the campaign i’m running lol

[@AskMia411]

I didn't know ducks were called drakes

[@smileyface81mc77]

Stealing this.

[@LemonFlump]

So I’ve been reading the Wheel of Time lately. This video really makes me step back and look at the main character a bit differently. The Dragon Reborn as he’s called echoes all the tropes of a physical dragon without being a scaled winged scary lizard. Just the name of him can inspire that awe that dragons have had for millennia. Fascinating, thank you

[@kerajohnson1922]

“My armor is like tenfold shields, my teeth are swords, my claws spears, the shock of my tail a thunderbolt, my wings a hurricane, and my breath...death!” -Smaug

[@theholyduck5520]

Man, between Smaug and Gandalf on the bridge, Tolkien knew how to write an intimidating boast.

[@commanderpeacekeeper937]

might i recommend a mint then?

[@privpi]

@@commanderpeacekeeper937 Dangit I was to late

[@GnarledStaff]

@@commanderpeacekeeper937 Snaugs tale is a sad story of what happens when no one befriends the kid with bad breath.

[@commanderpeacekeeper937]

@@GnarledStaff the saddest of stories, the tale of when you can no longer chew 5 gum

[@krusk3544]

My theory for the Storm god/Dragon thing: People witnessed large sea mammals and assumed they were sea serpents, then witnessed lightening strike the sea and assumed the sky gods hated those sea serpents

[@DecemberDaydreams]

i love this!!

[@tuluppampam]

Remember that any story about a snake like sea monster is actually about a whale's penis

@@tuluppampam What?

[@TrinityCore60]

@ I think it was a terrible attempt at a dick joke. …that one was absolutely terrible.

[@Sarydormi]

@@TrinityCore60 it kinda wasn't, you can google how it looks

[@jddraws6375]

Red: "The audience will know to expect something powerful and important, no matter what shape it is" Me: *stares at the Horse from Journey to the West*

[@VancePetrol]

The domestication of horses is one of the most important developments in human history. No joke. Don't underestimate just how big of a deal it was to have access to a horse, especially a good one, let alone a devine dragon in the shape of one. Look up what happened when the Comanches unlocked horse-tech.

[@ender72a75]

@@VancePetrol ok cool but still the dragon in journey to the west is basically useless

[@VancePetrol]

@@ender72a75 ah, thought because OP meant specifically because it was a horse, rather than the character

[@Silverwind87]

@@VancePetrol Also, horses are the most horrific earthly creature. _Their legs are fingers._

[@JimBob4233]

@@Silverwind87 It's the same with everything digitigrade, horses just have fewer digits than most.

[@shadowstar8619]

"The power that comes with the utterance; the awe, the respect, the presence, the status - the dragon, embodiment of fear and reverence." This little quote is something I found that perfectly embodies what the concept of dragons ultimately boils down to. A living, universal symbol of power that everyone knows and respects for one reason or another. Just being called _a_ dragon in any sense of the word tends to garner respect or even fear, hence why the trope character of _the_ Dragon is often more easily recognized and feared even by viewers than the Big Bad might be, especially in cases where the Big Bad doesn't play a massive part in most of the story. In certain cases, the Dragon carrying more weight than the official Big Bad is a plot point in itself, hence the Dragon-in-Chief trope.

[@johnnybestjojo7789]

"nooo! you can just combine the most common predators of ancestral humans and primates into one animal as a representation of destruction and primal fear!!!" "haha fire lizard go brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr" Edit: this was particularly about european dragons, i think the point OSP made is true too. i think it makes sense that dragons as fearsome creatures in culture originated from our past predators, but they have become much more, and didn't start that way in every culture. Edit edit: also y'all know you can have interesting discusion about this stuff without being dicks right? as long as no views that directly harm people are being perpetrated no one is morally in the wrong.

[@warlynx5644]

“Haha fire lizard go FOOOOSH”

[@squid5523]

"Haha fire lizard go FWOOSH

[@royalninja2823]

Someone clearly didn't see the end of this vid

[@squid5523]

@@royalninja2823You sound so self important.

[@nin2494]

@@squid5523 You sound like you didn't refute any of what they said. If I'm an asshole because I shout at an idiot, sure, I'm an asshole. Does that mean he's correct in being a idiot? No, it means both him and myself are wrong in some capacity.

[@colmryan9289]

Here be Dragons.

[@jordanneo9570]

Here were Dragons

[@warlynx5644]

Jordan Neo :’(

[@pleaserebootkidicarus4089]

i'm tearing up a bit

[@theals9605]

Here Be Dragons, probably?

[@colmryan9289]

Warlynx 56 RIP Dragons.

[@theemeraldenderman3007]

“Unless it’s a Kaiju movie, in which case full steam ahead on the dragon apocalypse.” I laughed more than I should have at that

[@18wolfspirit]

Dragons are one of my favorite mythical beasts. Their colored scales, how they can spew breath of different elements, their claws and fangs. I would love to have one as a pet or friend.

[@metarcee2483]

A lot of lizards can be similar.

[@cybersilver5816]

It's always "what is a dragon?" never "how is a dragon?"

[@justasimp4179]

I’ll do you one better why is dragon

[@kaledferreyra2550]

@@justasimp4179 where is dragon

[@cheezemonkeyeater]

@@kaledferreyra2550 When is dragon?

[@nathanielmartins5930]

Zana has escaped?!

[@excusezmoi9823]

Who is a Dragon?

[@Swagmaster65]

Somewhere early in mankind, some guy saw a lizard get struck by lightning and now no one will let it go.

[@coolgreenbug7551]

Stab snake with spear stick spear in ground sky boom god zap stick with bolt sky boom god kill snake

[@Johnhasa1]

Bruh

[@magimthings]

The fact that one of the Slavic dragons is the one who controls storms...

[@Davisnacho]

And the Scholomance. Magic school in Romanian folklore. The devil teaches sorcery and the best student get to ride a weather controlling dragon. Where are the Weather dragons for Valedictorian? Well Harvard, we're waiting...

[@grahamkristensen9301]

Red: "Good afternoon, sir. Would you care for some dragons?" Shad: "Dragons? Did you say... dragons?" Red: "Yes sir. With or without wings?" Shad: "Dragons? DRAGONS? DRAAAAAAAAAAAAGOOOOOOOOOOONS!"

[@matthewmuir8884]

Haha. Someone should edit the guy yelling, "CHOCOLATE!!!!!!" in SpongeBob so it's Shad yelling, "DRAGONS!!" at Red.

[@EtherealDoomed]

But... What about DRAGONS?!

[@voidjockey82]

At least it's not as bad as his castles or swords fixation.

[@SovereignwindVODs]

@@voidjockey82 MACHICOLATIOOOOOOONS!!!

[@atarashistar5207]

Lol

[@cydneyquinn9936]

I LOVE how you used an image from the original how to train your dragon series by Cressida Cowell for the cute/tiny dragons. That series was my childhood and still an absolute favorite ;)

[@Mark_Goddin]

“Fairy tails are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” -Neil Gaiman

[@chimedemon]

Sorry... but reading that while seeing your profile picture of a dude with a fedora just made me die.

[@luketufts6827]

I love this quote

[@Mark_Goddin]

NiD0 Ravensbeard Thank you? It’s actually a cowboy hat. The picture was taken when I was a sophomore in high school and I edited with a now non-existent photo software. I like the colours.

[@herodotus945]

That quote is not from Gaiman, it is from one of his favorite authors Gilbert Chesterton.

@@Mark_Goddin *Fairy tales, not "tails". "Fairy Tail" it's an anime.

[@michellecornum5856]

Dragons, fairies and demons -- like pornography, "-- can't define it, but I know it when I see it."

[@cleoking6312]

Also they are in pornography

[@lavengale]

Also in the list: Sexualizing woman in media (And men at times)

[@Ribbons0121R121]

Bᵤₜ Wₕₐₜ ᵢF ᵢₜ ᵢₛ ₚₒᵣₙ

[@Enderlinkpawnu]

@@Ribbons0121R121 you'll know when you see it

[@screaminggecko7660]

thank you for this

[@robinofloxley9192]

“Let’s be real, the ultimate fusion of human primal fears would probably have a lot more spiders involved.” Be careful Red, don’t temp the fantasy authors. They will do it for no other reason than to spite you.

[@allisterthebirb4142]

:)

[@Ismael-kc3ry]

On it

[@stephenfong1144]

I honestly feel like there would be at least about equal parts large, many legged bug and spider but maybe that's just because bugs creep me out *way* more than spiders

[@jadyazbeck6089]

This sounds like free world building to me

[@poppymall1543]

too real I started writing this into my book (not really an author yet but trying) just to make a point

[@anominon]

I like to think that dragons don't hoard just because they like shinies, more likely they've just always been employed to guard treasure... BUUUT I also like the idea that they actually gather a hoard like a bower bird's bower, something made to attract a mate or something, that could be an interesting spin on the old hoarding thing.

[@ellagage1256]

I always liked the Spyro games where the gems are implied to be the dragon's collective treasure that's shared among all of them and that's why they want Spyro to get them all back. Meanwhile it's actually a bear named Moneybags that forces Spyro to spend the gems like a currency until you "reclaim" it all at the end

[@Joel-tm7xq]

"Dragon's aren't a real animal that evolved." *surprised pikachu face*

[@thomashuizinga4618]

Well if you take the Chinese dinosaur Yi and give it a few million years, you would get at least a Wyvern.

[@jacobitewiseman3696]

Well if you believe in creationism these dragons are what we call the dinosaurs. There is no real evidence for evolution. Real scientists can't find non-theoretical evidence for it. Evolutionism brought no real good to the world.

[@zoro115-s6b]

@@jacobitewiseman3696 Not sure if I should laugh or cry.

[@jacobitewiseman3696]

@@zoro115-s6b seriously what good does it do to study evolution. Evolution is what inspired the extreme racism of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Hitler thought one race had to be superior to other now that sounds like evolution. Unstable families, abortion,. I'll believe evolution if a troop of chimpanzees unassisted by humans starts having court room trials with a gavel made out of a accacia branch. And yes I know the dragons this video is portraying isn't real, but, there are bettles able to shoot out fire like poison that burns. Furthermore richard Owens called the dinosaurs dragons.

[@boglenight1551]

alexander the paladin Here we have a person who doesn’t understand cell theory, genetics, or microbiology, thinking they’re smart enough to disprove it.

[@99jtkd]

"Let's be real, the ultimate fusion of human primal fears would probably have a lot more spiders involved" welp, guess i know what kinda monster im making for my party to fight in my 5e campaign

[@austinzhang6964]

It’s your friendly neighborhood Driderman!

[@lilygrey854]

This jsut made me imagine my draginbkrne charater wi th an armor class of 17 at level one, overwhelming confidence, and almost no fears, seeing what ungodly creature you have created and for once in her life speaking quietly in her thick russian accent and saying "spider dragon, that is a spider dragon"

[@strangent404a7]

Can't wait to fight a eight legged dragon

[@Silverwind87]

The spider dragon, also known as the flyder.

[@andrewpenn1145]

Something like a dragon with spider legs?

[@paula98sony]

Red: "Dragons aren't a real animal that evolve" Me: "You don't know that."

[@jacobitewiseman3696]

@Drake Petty yeah a medieval dragon in a picture had wings added and fire was not a litteral fire. It was actually more of a poison that burned like 🔥.

[@jacobitewiseman3696]

@Drake Petty well I was actually referring to some that spit poison. And in older stories it's usually poison that was breathed out of dragons rather than fire. You know about the Komodo? It's a literal dragon.

[@jacobitewiseman3696]

@Drake Petty spinorsaurus is cool too because he definitely has backbone. He ain't spineless.

[@Scillamar]

The Komodo Dragon would also disagree with Red.

[@userofdacrack3]

"The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence" Gin Rummy

[@yusheitslv100]

The first 30 seconds is literally why dragons are my favorite mythical creatures.

[@TheBubbleob]

Red: "The ultimate fusion of human primal fears would probably include way more spiders." Me: *makes notes for story writing and D&D monster*

[@platinumchromee3191]

Me: *flashbacks how Toxopid obliterated half of my base in Mindustry*

[@lorekeeper685]

Driders or something

[@FireboltPrime]

I just remembered that there's a yu gi oh monster called hope woven dragon spider shark Now that's a terror if I've ever heard of one

[@mranderson9553]

you see what appears to be a dragon approach you but there are a few things that are off, most noticeably its approaching you on the roof of the cave, and perhaps more noticeably the sound of its eight legs makes it quite clear that this is no normal dragon that is sprinting at your party

[@Neoplasie1900]

@@mranderson9553 Let the party roll perception. If they get a decent, but not super good roll, tell them there must be 2 or maybe even 4 dragons by the footsteps they hear.

[@npeters97]

I'd be really interested to see a trope talk on the category of "fairies" that you mentioned.

[@jude297]

Fun fact: faeries are viewed as cute and peaceful almost entirely because the author of sherlock holmes was fooled by an eight year old girl

[@jude297]

If you want more information im happy to divulge

[@npeters97]

@@jude297 by all means, please share

[@elvenlemonade]

@@jude297 I agree. We are all ears.

[@jude297]

@@elvenlemonade OKAY SO in the early 1900s two kids (a teen and an 8 year old) cut out a bunch of fairytale pixies and superimposed them into photographs and told everyone they were real photos. Sir Arthur Doyle himself believed them (mans was really gullible), and discarded most accurate and reliable research in exchange for these. He wrote fairies into the sherlock Holmes books as fact and that mostly why fairies are seen as harmless and sweet instead of MINOR GODS.

[@Lfromdeathnote]

Red: There isn't anything better than a dragon! Blue: Yeah there is. Red: Oh yeah? What? Blue: Two dragons. Red: ... Red: Holy S*%@

[@whoknows7968]

Blue: Specifically a *two-headed* dragon Red: :D

[@justinalicea1590]

@@whoknows7968 That doesn't work, we already have Orochi and the Hydra being both dragons and having multiple heads.

[@justinalicea1590]

Dungeons & Dragons and dragons

[@anonymousfellow8879]

Blue: wanna know what’s better than two dragons? Red: nightlights?? Blue: nightlights.

[@richmcgee434]

No. This premise is utterly untrue. Dragons operate under the same metalogic as ninjas. One of them is a cool, powerful, mysterious entity. Two of them much less so. A hundred of them and they become a bunch of mooks that the heroes casually swat aside on the way to the boss fight. The first (and only theatrically released) D&D movie proved it in spades.

[@mr.picklethanos7340]

The fire breathing trope may have originated with the leviathan who is described as literally breathing fire and making the ocean depths boil with it's breath.

[@CroobieLetter]

Finally an answer to the ancient cry: "But what about DRAGONS??"

[@adrianneosa1490]

Cause they're awesome.

[@asthmen]

Is this a reference to something specific? I'm getting strong déjà vu here...

[@dominicarps715]

ah I see you are a man of culture as well (as well as all the people who upvoted you)

[@hayleybartek8643]

Honestly disappointed that he didn’t make an appearance.

[@relytdragon5626]

@@asthmen it is a reference to shadiversity, a youtuber who talks about fantasy weapons, fighting, stories and so forth.

[@jtyranus]

Ah, now that I think back on it learning Uncle Iroh was called Dragon Of The West was foreshadowing his epic combat prowess and reinforcing that he was wise and a guiding force.

[@calebjackson3895]

Dragon: [Exists.] Storm God: "Then you have chosen death!"

[@whathell6t]

@Caleb Jackson 6:11 King Ghidorah: “Bring it, Storm God! I’m the Koko no Kami (God of the Void)”

[@ManoAonaM]

that's why Uncle Iroh invented lightning redirection so when he inevitably fights a storm god he wins

[@bleacher3338]

Chinese Dragons: I am Storm God.

[@hyzmarie]

I’d say dragon taxonomy makes sense within one universe (like how in WoF SilkWings and hivewings are related and the split can be traced back to one event) but once you start to get more general than that it gets impossible