Tor Staff Builds a Dragon

You can only write about dragons for so long without creating one. Tor staff have gathered from across the corners of our several departments to collectively design a precious little monster.

We are Tor Publishing Group. Meet our dragon.

Assigned Component: Tail
Designer: Rachel Taylor, Senior Marketing Manager

Dragons must be protected on all sides, and maybe most importantly from behind, so no pesky wannabe ‘heroes’ can sneak up and attempt a murder (cowards). The Tor Publishing Group is mighty and swift, so I think the tail must encompass those virtues, with a long, spiky tail that is fast, sharp, and deadly. AKA, the tail is made of knives. No unexpected sneak attacks will get the Tor Dragon down! BEGONE, ATTEMPTED DO-GOODERS!!!

Assigned Component: Wings
Designer: Dragon Enthusiast, Marketing Assistant

Most dragons you see nowadays have thin, bat-like wings that are, frankly, not much fun. Here at Tor we’ve got flair, we’ve got pizazz, and our dragon should too so we’re taking the wing-game up a notch and giving them a pair of the fanciest, featheriest wings you’ve ever seen. Might our dragon look a tad silly? Perhaps. Will they be primed and ready to live their best dragon life? Most definitely.

Assigned Component: Limbs
Designer: a cat, Assistant Marketing Manager

Tor Publishing Group has many imprints, so our dragon must have many limbs. At least as many limbs as we have imprints, and they all must be different to reflect the different propensities of Tor. For example, the Nightfire limb is obviously a chainsaw. The limb that represents Tor Teen will be a slightly more youthful iteration of the dragonic arm that represents Tor Books, etc.

Assigned Component: Name
Designer: a stack of feral racoons in a trenchcoat, Assistant Director of Marketing

The ideal dragon name is hard to pin down but it’s all about branding. Do you want adventurers popping by regularly for when you’re feeling snacky? Try something intimidating but sure to pique their curiosity so they feel the trip to your digestive system is worth the effort but also sure to earn glory. Best naming convention for this purpose is BLANK the BLANK, like Doralindon the Conqueror of Cities or Steve the Ignoble.

But above all when considering a dread dragon name to terrify children around the fire in the halls of your enemies for years to come is to stay true to yourself. If you like your birth name, flaunt what your momma gave you! If you’re looking for a Nom de Guerre, don’t be afraid to flaunt your most fun qualities. Corey the Lover of Long Walks on the Beach is just as valid as The Dread Claw of Winter.

Assigned Component: Lair
Designer: A Nightfire Ghoul, Associate Editor

If I tell you there’s a dragon in all of us, you may laugh, as is your right. But you feel it, don’t you? Tail coiled around your ribs, wings tucked between your lungs, fire burning in your heart. So yes, dear reader, laugh if you’d like. But you know it’s the truth. The dragon’s lair is you. Be sure to feed it well.

Assigned Component: Magic Powers
Designer: Jill Cipher, Associate Publicist

While most readers probably imagine a fire-breathing, hoarding lizard with wings, I prefer dragons to be slightly more… peculiar. To really encompass the full idea of Tor Publishing Group, our dragon has to be a chameleon of chaos. I imagine our dragon has malleable collarbones like a cat in order to fit into small spaces; the disorienting scream of a goat; and world shaking (earthquakes, avalanches, etc.) abilities.