#dragonwell

[crispysnakes]

Meltzer girl, 06F. She seems to have sustained an injury to her neck at some point around end of summer, I'm still not quite sure how. She was not born with any kinks. X-rays suggested trauma, but weren't super conclusive. Quality of life is good so we'll see how she does.

Tentatively naming her Dragonwell.

[morimatea]

Another character of folk China is its unique beauty formed by its material and technic.

[pourtals]

oof

[1introvertedsage]

Quick Facts:

The Empress-reversed: Light, truth, unravelling of involved matters, public rejoice. Could also be: vacillation, blocked creativity, not believing you can achieve what is desired. Can also indicate an issue with an older woman.

Queen of Pentacles-upright: Generosity, opulence, security, liberty, tranquility, abundance, satisfaction.

Malachite: Transformation, openness, love, material abundance, change, new growth, protection.

Associated with: Heart Chakra - Anahata, joints, muscles and the immune system.

Enhances: spiritual growth, inner insight, fertility.

Can help to: Absorb negative energy, heal from anger and unhappiness, letting go of the past and envision what is truly desired.

Can be used as: A talisman to protect from evil eye.

** Care should be taken when handling raw Malachite as it contains copper. ** This crystals vibration can be considered 'strong' for some. ** Care should be taken when working with any crystal or stone ensuring energy cohesion.

Auriga:

Means Charioteer

Situated in the Northern Celestial Hemisphere at the galactic anti-center

First noted by Ptolemy (Greek astronomer 2nd Century)

Contains the 6th brightest star Capella

21st largest constellation

Belongs to the Perseus family of constellations

Neighboring constellations include: Gemini, Taurus, Lynx, Camelopardalis.

Depicted as a charioteer or shepherd holding the reins of a chariot, carrying and protecting a female goat and her kids.

Associated Meteor Shower(s): Alpha Aurigids & Delta Aurigids

[winterdragon101]

Tea puns!! Etsy in pinned!

[imperialteagarden]

🐉 Dragon Well Lung Ching loose leaf green tea 🫖 Treat yourself to a quality loose leaf green tea from Imperial Tea Garden ☕️ 🎉 Order the best teas from around the globe online at 👉🏻 https://www.imperialteagarden.com GARDEN FRESH 🍃 GARDEN FAST 🚀📦📪 ••• •• • #greentea #tea #dragonwell #dragonwelltea #imperialteagarden (at Imperial Tea Garden) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ci-5XulgmQF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[tea-is-nice]

Did a Gyokuro and Long Jiing tea tasting comparison

Gyokuro has a sweet umami flavor that's almost crisp, idk it's sharp. And the Long Jing has that classic chestnut and sweetgrass flavor

Idk gyokuro tastes like spring rain, and long jing tastes like a sun baked field

[jedi-bird]

The tea I bought yesterday is pretty good. It's exactly what I was hoping for.

[tuktukpodfics]

The Problem With "Dao Swords": My love-hate relationship with pleonastic translations

An essay that no one asked for.

A lot of fanfics call Zuko’s broadswords “dao swords.” As a Chinese to English translator, this phrase makes me pause every time. Here is my humble opinion on “dao swords” and other pleonastic translations:

What the heck is a pleonastic translation?

I’m so glad you asked! “Pleonasm” is a fancy term for a redundant phrase, like “black darkness” or “burning fire.”

A pleonastic translation is a phrase that puts the source language and the translation back-to-back. A common example is “chai tea” which literally means “tea tea.”

“Dao swords” is a pleonastic translation. “Dao” 刀 is the Chinese blanket term for blade. The phrase basically means “sword swords.” Sounds pretty silly, right?

Pleonastic translations are bad?

I think it depends on your audience, the text purpose, and how special the word is.

In advertising, pleonastic translations can help increase a product’s searchability. Ex: “Longjing Dragonwell tea” would appear in a Google search for either “longjing” or “dragonwell.”

Tourist destinations often use pleonastic translations to help foreigners navigate. Ex: “Nanzhan South Station” on a map helps foreigners know what the place is, but also gives them the Chinese pronunciation so that they can communicate with their taxi driver.

In literature, a pleonastic translation is a succinct way to introduce a culturally significant term without a footnote or distracting tangent. A lot of translators will sneak in a pleonastic translation the first time the word appears in a text, and then use the untranslated term alone every time after. Ex: "He slouched on the kang bed-stove. His grandmother sighed and took a seat on the kang too.”

Is "dao" a culturally significant word?

No.

Dao is a super mundane word used to describe any kind of single-edged blade, from butter knives to ice skates. It feels weird to keep such a normal word untranslated. Using the Chinese word emphasizes its foreignness. They’re not just swords, they’re special, Chinese swords. 

Yes, words take on different meanings as they pass from culture to culture. That’s how language works. But English is also a unique case. Because of imperialism. I think English speakers have an obligation to avoid exotifying every-day words.

Also, English is a global language. Chinese speakers are reading your translation, and…I dunno...“sword swords” feels off putting. Disruptive.

But I want to acknowledge the real-life culture behind the swords

Giving credit to the cultures that you're borrowing from is an A+ idea.

...I don't know how to do this in a fantasy setting.

Zuko’s swords and fighting style is based on oxtail sabers (牛尾刀）and Shaolin dual broadswords (少林双刀). @atlaculture has a very cool post on oxtail sabers. But calling his swords "oxtail sabers" doesn't work because cows don't exist in atla. Shaolin is a type of martial arts that originates from Shaolin temple in Henan, China (Shaolin itself literally means “young forest”). But you can’t call them “Shaolin broadswords," since Shaolin does not exist in the Fire Nation.

It’s quite a pickle.

Maybe just use a footnote?

So what should I call Zuko’s swords?

I don’t know.

I think you can just call them broadswords. That’s what the TV show calls them.

Dao by itself could work too if you need to differentiate Zuko's dao from Sokka's jian (double-edged blade). Readers can probably figure out what dao means from context.

If it’s not clear from context what dao means? *sigh* ..."Dao swords" it is, I guess.

To end on a happier note, here is a video of Chang Zhizhao busting some sweet moves.

[awesomecopper]

New teaware! My brother got me a tea tray and tortoise tea pet for Christmas. I decided to treat myself to a new gaiwan. I love this watercolor look!

The design also pretty much completely encircles the gaiwan, as opposed to others I’ve seen with designs only on one side.

Enjoying some dragonwell as this gaiwan’s first brew

[newtsnaturethings]

Teas I’ve tried. Ranked

Disclaimers:

1. I do not like fruit teas

2. All teas in the list are teas made with the Camellia sinensis plant.

3. All teas are consumed with no additions. No milk or sugar or anything like that.

4. I will be talking about tea varietals in general. Specific tea brands is its own list.

5. These are 100 percent my silly opinions

A

Gyokuro green tea (green) - super refreshing and bright

Hojicha (green) - lovely and toasty, but also very crisp

Iron goddess of mercy oolong (oolong) - smooth and strong

Lishan oolong (oolong) - crisp and buttery

Phoenix/golden phoenix oolong (oolong) - excellent flavor, has a hint of slow roastyness

Red water oolong (oolong) - nice, sweet, and feels like a warm hug

Earl grey (black) - listen…look…I love bergamot and the flavor of this tea; I may or may not judge a tea brand by the quality of its earl grey.

B

Matcha - it’s matcha; it’s good

Genmaicha (green) - all the refreshing notes of green tea, but with a nice roasty addition

Dragonwell/Longjing (green) - nutty and has a nice aftertaste

Wuyi oolong (oolong) - vibrant and almost sweet tasting

Irish breakfast (black) - grew up with this and it’s just a solid option

Pureh tea (black, fermented) - so so so good; this is a strong, flavorful, and robust tea

C

Sencha (green) - bracing and refreshing green tea; love.

Jasmine tea (green) - very flowery and nice; jasmine smell can be too much for me sometimes tho.

Golden lily oolong (oolong) - soft and almost creamy

Lapsang Souching (oolong, smoked) - smokey is nice but not always what I’m looking for

Darjeeling (black) - good black tea; it’s smooth and strong

Assam (black) - also a good black tea; a bit more astringent in a good way

D

White tea (white) - very soft and delicate flavors

E

English breakfast (black) - solid tea option; mostly here for the letter match up.

F

I can’t in good consciousness put any teas down here.

[morimatea]

It is wonderful to live HERE and NOW.

[asablehart]

W Y R M - wip intro

Genre | grimdark / erotica Target word count | 100k words Warnings | gore, violence, mind control, parasites, sexual content Status | outlining and drafting

Summary -

Warlord Heziroth Kholeg commands a band of the Dral Regar, a wandering army of no king, whose soldiers travel on the backs of mammoth beasts to pillage, to conquer, and to eat. Following a disastrous battle and a betrayal by his second-in-command, Kholeg returns to his troops maimed and plagued by visions. In his dreams, he sees wealth, splendor, and a Vespheradite nobleman—all hidden away in a tower far from the porcelain city’s draconic defenses. Kholeg knows what he must do: capture the nobleman from his dreams and use this leverage to finally invade Vespherades in an unprecedented victory that will bring about a new Golden Age for the Dral Regar. But when he seizes the tower, he finds that it is far from what he was promised. Chained within this derelict prison lies a man carved head-to-toe in bloody runes and surrounded by a swarm of moths. And he seems all too eager to be captured. This man identifies himself as Seluvrian, and despite the squalor in which he was abandoned, Kholeg has only become more certain that Seluvrian is the key to Vespherades. But the city holds more than a feast. A rebellion is brewing—spearheaded by dragons magically enslaved to the royal family and those humans who seek to free them—and they are no friend to Seluvrian, who may be their very undoing. As Seluvrian’s secrets unfold, the path to Vespherades becomes fraught with more destruction than Kholeg could have ever imagined.

The World -

Vespherades | Dragonwell - A shining jewel crowning rolling, green hills, this city is as beautiful as she is mysterious. Guarded by both a moat of ferocious tides and an army of unceasingly loyal dragons, Vespherades refuses entry to all but her illuminated nobility and their meticulously selected Ourvian servants.  The Ourvs - A collection of pastorial towns that pay tithes and a portion of their crops to Vespherades in return for protection. The Dral Regar | The Dread Army - Of the Dral Regar, the most coveted warriors are the cleaved: those born with half of their soul in their human body and the other half within a bestial eidolon. Eidolons take the forms of bloodthirsty animals, some as small as a hound and some as large as the pachydermites that hold Regarian forts on their backs. The Salt Sea - A lawless desert plagued by sandstorms and green lightning, the salt sea houses only the most vicious of scavengers. At its center lies the eye of the sea, a black sinkhole said to be the birthplace of the Dral Regar.

Miscellany -

Associated artwork: Silkworm's Cage and Bone Eater Recommended listening: Night Terror - Author & Punisher; Devonian: Nascent - The Ocean Collective; Vore - Sleep Token

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[braidedribbon]

Having some dragonwell for appreciate a dragon day.

[winterdragon101]

Reeeeaaach