As dromaeosaurs are one of if not the closest non-avian dinosaurs to birds, it isn't illogical to assume that their superficial appearance would be that of a flightless bird of prey, albeit with clawed forelimbs and fleshy snouts. This would even be down to the eyes, with rounded pupils in the stead of the cat/crocodilian-like slit pupils we're used to seeing. Supraorbital ridges, the bony protrusions above most birds of prey's eyes, may or may not be present.

As for wings, dromaeosaurs are only known right now to have coverts, primary, and secondary feathers. The possibility of tertiary feathers also being present isn't out of the question, though.

Also, remember that the palms of dinosaurs are ALWAYS facing each other. The bunny-hands look we're familiar with is anatomically impossible for dinosaurs to pull off naturally. The wrists would just break if it was tried.

Tbh, I prefer the lizard-like aesthetic because I like lizards, but there's something terrifying about a several hundred pound, 6ft tall feathered monster that could easily tear me to ribbons, too.

on a somewhat related note I've always wondered in the context of mythology cretaceous era phoenixes looked like.

7760521
I'm a paleo-fan, but when I'm writing an upcoming dinosaur novel, my prehistoric animals weren't portrayed to be scientifically accurate for story purposes, and while dinosaurs had feathers, their designs were not only a combination of pop-culture and paleontological designs, but I made to look fantasy-like similar to Peter Jackson's King Kong's dinosaurs and the creatures from the Monsterverse.

7760561
Doesn't matter if it looks like a lizard or a bird, either way you're essentially guaranteed dead

Fun fact: there's a relatively new yet also well-supported theory on how some dromaeosaurs could've taken down prey, and their wings would've played a very essential role on it. They'd pounce on their prey, hold them down using their famed sickle claws, and stabilize themselves by flapping their wings wildly. After that, they'd start ripping apart and eating their prey...and a lot of the time the prey would still be alive. Gruesome stuff.

7760597
Oooh, interesting! Could you elaborate on why the story needed some lax on accuracy, and if there is one, an in-universe reason for them appearing as such?

7760601
You'll see. Because I don't want to spoil the story.

Awesome, I love dinosaurs! And other types of avians!

7760561
While the “lizard” aesthetic is quite creepy, as the typical slit-pupils associated with reptiles invoke really dangerous reptiles like snakes or crocodilians, I think the eyes of dinosaurs resembling bird eyes are the more unsettling.

Imagine having an eagle the size of a lion staring at you, or in your general direction. It takes notice as its gaze is fixed on you, it blinks, bobbing its head as it inspects you, trying to determine if you're food or not. The fact that birds are built differently in their brain patterns than reptiles is a stark contrast, one selectively picks out its food, and the other goes for it if it seems like food, even if it's inedible. One is easy to trick, the other not so much, which sounds scarier, and which sounds like it would make a meat-eating dinosaur so much more terrifying to encounter?

My pick is the bird one, not just because dinosaurs in general are more like birds than lizards genetically, but because it just makes dinosaurs sound much more unpredictable and creepy. There's a reason freaking Hitchcock made a suspense film about birds than lizards. We were already mentally programmed to not expect much from birds as they seem harmless on the surface…

7760699
To be fair, a lot of lizards actually have round pupils too. Look at the monitor lizards, they're up there in the food chain, but aren't night hunters, and I actually agree with the assessment of round pupils being creepy as well. Just look at owls for example, their eyes are massive lol.