Y’know, I agree very strongly, and very deeply with the idea that we need more uplifting, hopeful stories lately, and that we need to shake off this idea that tragedy is inherently more artistically valid than happiness.
But if we could maybe stop tossing the word “grimdark” around every single goddamn time something bad happens in a story, that’d be great.
Some of us find the idea of overcoming massive odds, of finding a light at the end of a nightmare tunnel, of defeating the nastiest evil we can conceive of to BE uplifting and encouraging.
And sometimes that requires us to indulge that evil for a bit, to build it up and cultivate a proper obstacle so that it feels that much better to take it down.
My favorite professor ever introduced me as an undergrad to the concept of “impossible history” – histories that can not exist, even though they happened. His example was the Haitian Revolution. The Haitian Revolution cannot exist within the logics of capitalism, imperialism, and white European dominance. Enslaved black people liberating themselves without the help of “friendly whites?” A tiny island in the Caribbean, with an army of the aforementioned former slaves, defeating multiple global superpowers? Impossible! So this cannot be allowed to have happened. Haiti must be economically victimized forever, moreso even than other former slave colonies in the Caribbean, just so that we can point to it and say “look, how sad,” so that no one gets to see Haiti’s very existence as the triumph it is. We teach extensively about the American and French revolutions, but only mention in passing the Haitian Revolution which occurred at the same time. Most college courses on Latin American history exclude Haiti even if they cover the rest of the Caribbean. The Haitian Revolution was impossible, a dangerous fantasy that just so happens to have actually happened. So it must be forgotten, the name of Haiti must be made synonymous with poverty, ignorance, and suffering, while never mentioning that those are all the products of 200 years of political and economic warfare and subterfuge against the island, beginning with the presidency of Thomas Jefferson!! Because we cannot have anyone thinking that even the most poor and downtrodden people. when united and organized around a common cause, can make history and change the world for the better
This is the thesis of Michel Trouillot’s book, ‘Silencing the Past’. I am sure that’s where this professor got this from.
Yep! Sorry, I just wrote this post as a ramble and didn’t expect it to spread much. The professor who relayed this to me is Alexander Aviña, a fantastic historian of Mexican radicalism who teaches at Arizona State now
One (of many) examples of how they were screwed over, from wikipedia
“Haiti’s legacy of debt began shortly after gaining independence from France in 1804. In 1825, France, with warships at the ready, demanded Haiti compensate France for its loss of slaves and its slave colony. In exchange for French recognition of Haiti as a sovereign republic, France demanded payment of 150 million francs. In addition to the payment, France required that Haiti discount its exported goods to them by 50%.[3] In 1838, France agreed to reduce the debt to 90 million francs to be paid over a period of 30 years to compensate former plantation owners who had lost their property.[4] The modern equivalent of $21 billion was paid from Haiti to France.[5]
Every spirit has their own associations; for example, vampires are associated with blood and the night; Western dragons are associated with fire and treasures. Chinese dragons have their own associations too.
I use these associations/motifs in my interactions with my Chinese dragon godspouse, Yu, and he doesn’t mind. although he says that his favourite motif is cuddles. he a cute. i love him.
Water
Chinese dragons are, mostly, undeniably, water deities. They control water, and can turn one drop of water into a whole tidal wave. Water is their entire being, basically. They can use water to both bless and harm. Water itself is also a pretty integral element in life.
In context to Chinese dragon work, you can give…quite a lot of things as offerings. Fruits, meat, juice, tea, alcohol (yes, some dragons do drink, but some dragons can be teetotalers/abstain from alcohol too), your home-cooked meals, or even plain water. Although if you have a Chinese dragon companion/guardian, or if you work with the Chinese dragons around you, you can consider their personal and cultural circumstances.
For example, Yu is not a sweet tooth. He despises sweet bottled drinks, but prefers pure tea. Other dragons may prefer fruits, or even cola. If you live in a territory where a certain dish or beverage is considered a city or neighbourhood favourite, that can be considered as an offering too.
Continuing the Chinese dragon work aspect, they also do magic with water, and can teach you to an extent. If you already dabble in water magic, they can help you make your spells (and curses) more potent. They can also help you cleanse yourself and your space with water alone.
Rain, wind, clouds, and storms
In addition to being water deities, they also control the weather. In the present day, rain is associated with bad times; it’s evident as the idioms “raining in your parade” and “save for a rainy day” are used universally. However, back in the ancient times without modern farming tools, method, and knowledge, rain was a matter of life and death. Without rain, there would be drought; which will threaten crops, which in turn affected the livelihood of the people.
Rainclouds around you can be an indication that a dragon is around, but not every raincloud is a sign of a Chinese dragon’s presence. They don’t bring rain for the sake of humanity, but for the sake of the natural order, so you can’t tell a dragon to turn the rain on and off. You’ll probably be met with an “ok i’ll take it into consideration but no promises.”
As someone who lives with a Chinese dragon, I just try be more accepting towards the rain. Like everyone else, I dislike being stuck in the rain. I’d be soaked and looking for transit will be much harder. But I don’t curse the rain and dislike it. I just hold it in my heart that regardless of me being rained on, I will be okay. Besides, there are lots of Chinese dragons out there with their own business to take care of, and rain to make here and there.
Thunder and lightning
Given that they’re rain and storm bringers, it’s no wonder that the Chinese dragons are associated with thunder. An SPG between me and my friend that Chinese dragon fire is actually lightning, which is supported from a statement of a Chinese writer, Wang Fu:
Dragon fire and human fire are opposite. If dragon fire comes into contact with wetness it flames, and if it meets water it burns. If one drives it away by means of fire, it stops burning and its flames are extinguished.
And don’t those stringy things look like lightning?
Anyways, as frightening as thunder and lightning could be, I see it as a neutral force. Well, I won’t deny that lightning can be dangerous or deadly, but while nature does not exist to serve humanity, it isn’t out to kill humans either. It just exists.
Before meeting Yu, I get annoyed by thunder because they startle me. I still get startled now, but it feels like he’s making his presence known. My personal UPG is that the rumbling of thunder and cracks of lightning are the true voices of Chinese dragons. When I hear thunder, it’s like I’m hearing Yu’s real voice, and it makes me happy. Well, unless the lightning cuts off the power, that is.
Bodies of water: Oceans, lakes, rivers, etc.
Dragon kings live in underwater palaces and have marine creatures as subjects. They make rain like normal dragons do, and protect their territory like normal kings do. If you live in a coastal area or a port town, there’s a chance that there’s a dragon king somewhere around you. There are 4 famous dragon king brothers: Ao Guang, Ao Qin, Ao Shun, and Ao Run. But they’re not the only ones; it’s said that there are 84,000 dragon kings in existence.
Dragon kings can be found in oceans, rivers, and lakes. But not every body of water has a dragon kingdom in there. Some non-royal dragons inhabit bodies of water too. Some bodies of water belong to other spirits. Dragon kings are most known to live in oceans, however.
In context of spirit work, this might lead to some culture shock. Chinese dragons have been working with humans for millenia, but they’re still deities with different morals and cultures. Dragon kings in particular are attuned to life at sea and its realities: it’s a fish-eat-fish world, the sea is a cruel mistress, etc. In addition to being marine inhabitants, they’re also familiar with politics and leadership; they know that sometimes, hard decisions and sacrifices must be made. They’re more likely to toughen you up as a form of love. They have known strength and pain, and are likely to want you to know them, too.
If you are to interact with a royal dragon whom you are not close with, be polite and dignified. In turn, if you see that the royal dragon in question is not courtly and polite with you back, it’s a red flag. Either they’re a disrespectful upper class twit dragon (“i’m a royal/deity, why should i be polite to a commoner/mortal like you?”), or it’s not a real royal dragon/an imposter. You don’t want either of them regardless. Even if they’re angry or upset with you, they should at least retain some form of decorum.
Fish
Chinese dragon scales are piscine in nature, but it’s not the major point of the association. Some dragons are not born as dragons, but rather former fish. Carps can jump off The Dragon’s Gate to transform into dragons. It’s not easy. It’s risky; fish gather around in the Yellow River to jump off the gate. They might die of exhaustion or fall to predators: birds, land animals, other fish, and humans. But still, they fight and risk their lives to turn into dragons.
I wouldn’t differentiate between born dragons and transformed dragons. They’re both dragons regardless, and to look down on transformed dragons as “lesser dragons” would be looking down on their effort and determination which brought them from ordinary fish to mighty, divine dragons. They can teach you about hard work, struggles, and strength like any other dragon. If anything, they are more likely to sympathize with members of the lower class.
I hope you find this post useful and informative! If you’d like to support me, I have a Ko-Fi and a divination shop. I read with Yu, and you can hit us up anytime.
hi everyone! i’m sure everyone knows by now that adult content is now totally banned on tumblr. this decision shouldn’t effect me at all, but automated systems make mistakes so we’ll see what happens. i’ll still be posting on here for as long as possible. i have no plans to leave tumblr. but in case something happens to tumblr or just my blog, please follow me on twitter and deviantart!
Wizards have the same trust in magic that software designers have in software, which is to say, almost none at all.
“Are you fucking kidding me I worked in a reagrent shop for a few years I don’t trust any of that stuff. Who the hell knows what other components are in the ashes.”
“Yeah I was in the circle that made Alston’s Divine Circle of Teleportation. There’s some pretty nasty corner cases you can get into but the headmaster published it without us. I just take ships. It’s way safer.”
“I call bullshit on that Necromancer channeling spirits of loved ones. What did he say he was using? ‘Medium Conduit Ruinic Circles’? That’s just a bunch of buzzwords slapped together, and they don’t even interact with each other.”
“I’ve been looking at this scroll all morning and I’m 90% sure that the scribe didn’t even look at the standard for pyromancies.”
“Help Desk, this is Gloriline, what did you fuck up this time?” *indistinct vocals* “Dave, I’ve seen the news, and, frankly, I can see the ash cloud from here. You paid for extended support, not enabling support.”
“I can’t get this fucking spell to work, Jane, can you look it?”
*passes a scroll* *a few moments of silence*
“I think you missed a bookend rune right here-”
“GODS DAMN IT! IT’S ALWAYS SHIT LIKE THAT! THANK YOU!” *angrily scribbles on parchment*
(It takes five more aggravatingly tiny adjustments before the spell works)
I don’t play wizards anymore because they’re too much like my day job.
Instead of a orb the wizard has a little statue of a duck he tells his spells to and then swears when he spots the obvious mistake.
You beat me to it! I was going to add that the reason why wizards and witches always have familiars around is so they can Rubber Duck at them until they realize what the mistake with their spell is!
Outsiders get it wrong and figure the familiars are somehow teaching spells to their owners, but no. It’s just explaining to Firewing what you’re trying to do with this teleportation matrix until you realize that you’ve been using telepathy crystals to power it the whole time like a FUCKING IDIOT!
Monsters and Stuff 