dragon Sonya In Chinese mythology the dragon was a mythical hybrid creature that was said to possess the horns of a deer, head of a camel, abdomen of a cockle, scales of a carp, claws of an eagle, feet of a tiger, and ears of an ox. The dragon and the phoenix were often depicted in images together. Dragons represented the male, yang element and were thought of as a benevolent force of nature despite having powerful tempers. The beautiful phoenix represented the female, yin element. The dragon was also used as the emblem of the Chinese emperor, and the phoenix in turn, was the emblem for the empress. Together the two mythical creatures were used to symbolize harmony. 020320 ... insouciant I wish I had a dragon. Not just as a pet but as a bonded companion. Dragons, in the lore I have built in my head, connect with their human’s mind into their subconscious. It forms a bond capable of understanding one another without requiring verbal or even non-verbal communication. This link is knowing, at all times, every part of each other’s existence. Dragons are still incredibly rare, and only hatch when a human stumbles upon one of their eggs. At first the egg appears as a stone, one that the human notices, and passes over. It’s about the size of a baseball, but with a more ovular shape. As the human walks away from what they believe to simply be just any other rock, they begin to feel empty. The dragon inside the egg only needs to be within a short distance of the human to scan for a connection, but once it is made, it is permanent. The human changes from being an entity with an average lifetime and existing as an individual to one that will now live the lifespan of the dragon, which can be hundreds of years. As long as neither the human or the dragon is killed, they become immortal in that instant. The change is not perceived by the human, until they begin to walk away, and a mix of panic and sadness sets in as the mind reels from the changes it has undergone. Frantically they spin around and race back to what they think is a rock. Their mind is filled with images of this seemingly ordinary piece of the earth, no different from any other, burning through their mind. They don’t even consider how crazy it might seem to anyone else around them to be suddenly obsessed with a stone. As they pick it up, if feels warm like a fresh cup of tea on a chilly day. From that point on, dragon rider and the dragon will never be independent entities living in the world. While they can learn to adjust to being separated from one another, the process takes decades and is never comfortable or long lived. The pain of being separated is soul rending. It is a pain that is all-consuming, such that having thoughts about anything other than reuniting is almost entirely impossible. Each footstep is heavier, sleep is disrupted with fear-ridden nightmares, and eating becomes an chore essential to survival rather than a frequent and rejuvenating experience. But the time spent together, which is most of the time is unparalleled to any normal human to human interpersonal relationship. Creative inspiration comes faster making creative outlets like poetry and visual art effortless. Learning new skills or ideas happens almost instantly, and mastery is achieved in months rather than decades. Senses are heightened, making vision sharper and perceiving more colors, making touch a delicate dance of sensations, and hearing becomes a symphony that can focus on specific sounds quieting all else. They pick it up and bring it home. While on the journey back they might consider how silly it seems to be so obsessed with a rock, but the thought of discarding it or leaving it behind never crosses their mind. The human will die to protect the egg if necessary. Once the egg crosses the threshold of the human’s home, it shifts into a glistening, glossy veneer, bespectacled with elegant trimmings, all matching the human’s favorite color schemes. It is the most beautiful thing the human has ever set their eyes on. The first time the human touches it inside their home, the image of the dragon growing inside the egg fills their mind. In that moment they realize how their life has completely changed whether they like it or not. I want a dragon. 230606 ... insouciant I know a young dragon would destroy my home. I enjoy having delicate things on display around me. I like to drink tea from fancy teacups or handmade mugs. Much of my life is not conducive to becoming a dragon rider. And yet, with this little monster learning how to interact with the world, trying to flap its wings and set things on fire, I’m not mad that things have broken or that I have needed to rearrange my whole house, hiding as many decorative things as possible to accommodate her. She is the size of a large cat. It didn’t take long for her to grow from a hatchling that would curl up and sleep in my hand or a pocket to one that commands my whole lap when she sleeps. Her wings are well enough defined that a few flaps has her in the air, and her soon to be brilliant colors are glimmering on her scales. She grows entirely too fast in human proportions, but considering that she will eventually be the size of a small house, it seems more reasonable. Currently she is learning a bit more control with her fire breath. She has gone from wildly belching out balls of ignition and singing carpets, furniture, and drapes to being able to light specific things on fire, like candles, which seem to fascinate her. She will set it alight, stare at the self-sustaining flame, blow it out with a snort or with a delicate whip from the tip of her tail, and repeat. I have watched her do this for an hour. While she focuses on her curiosity, and practices control i can feel her mind on fire. As i stare at a marvel of the entire world that stands on my table and learns to play with fire, I am privy to her entire experience. If i unfocus my eyes and sink in to our connection, i can feel as though i myself am going through the motions, building fire in my belly, and aiming it forward. I feel her body wiggle with joy and find myself matching her movements. She particularly enjoys how she can hop on to anything in the house effortlessly with one jump with her legs, but she has taken to adding a flap of her wings just for flourish. She has a bemused look when she manages to startle me with a perfectly placed hop that leaves her face instantly inches from mine. She was able to spook me a few times, but I quickly learned the mental cue of her preparing to be devious. Since then she has tried to hide or mute her excitement while prepping to cause mischief, but she is learning that I can still feel her thoughts. That is a learning process that goes both ways. I was initially able to try to discipline her without her knowing what I was thinking, but quickly my threats of punishment fell flat as she saw past them, able to see how empty my words were. The only way I can communicate to her is through actually feeling an emotion in full. A few days ago I had an emotional tumble. Our link had opened up my mind beyond some mental walls i had prepared to protect myself from heavy emotions. With her influence on my mind, all the systems i had put in place to manage pain and control expectations crumbled. I noticed that i have become more myself in ways I didn’t even know were possible. It has made me question how useful those walls were to have. Walls built from years of pain that seemingly muted my whole existence on this planet. I have felt amazing since she emerged from her egg, but there is another side to that coin. Feeling positive emotions comes also with negative emotions consuming me when they might otherwise never have emerged. I can’t say i know that its is a good trade to feel more myself and heights of happiness in the middle of a downward spiral. The low points are all-consuming, covering my whole body, making my head feel like a balloon that is at the limit of popping. It’s not like I have a choice in the matter, I can no longer exist without her. But her presence in those moments, and all other moments in my life is unreal. Seeing her whole demeanor shift along with mine when I went through a few difficult days was comforting in a way that has no parallel. A being that innately understands everything without having to express it, hopping up on to the couch with me, stepping into my arms, and curling her neck around mine soothed me like pouring a cool salve over scraped and itchy skin. I can no longer experience life any other way. 230606 what's it to you? who go blather from