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ecle-c-tic · 9 months

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Middle Earth Asks

🥔 po-tay-toes: one of the hobbits invited you for a meal; who are dining with? Which of the seven meals are you enjoying?

🍞 lembas bread: what's the best road trip snack?

🌾farmer maggot's field: what is your favourite plant? Do you enjoying gardening?

🌼 simbelmynë: You've got the opportunity to bring one character back to life, who is it?

🍃 leaves of lórien: what gift would you most like to receive?

📽 action!: rank all six of the films (or three if you're a hater)

🚲 bicycle basket: what is your favourite middle earth meme?

🌟starlight: you're allowed to live in one of the Elf Kingdoms of Middle Earth, which one are you picking?

💀 Hey, did you know-: What is your favourite piece of behind the scenes trivia?

🌙 moon runes: which of Tolkien's languages would you most like to speak?

🧂 best salt in all the shire: which small joys do you most look forward to? (particular tea, using a perfume, rereading a book, etc.)

✂ cutting room floor: of all of the things that didn't quite make it into the movies, what would you have most liked to see?

☕ may I tempt you with a cup of chamomile?: What is your favourite hot beverage?

🐎 bill the pony: who is the best mount in all of middle earth?

🌳 fangorn forest: Which of Tolkien's creechurs is your favourite?

🔮 palantír: you've found a palantir! Who are you hitting up in middle earth? What are you telling them?

⏳ time and age: which poorly aged scene from LOTR is your favourite?

✨ evenstar: Who is your favourite middle earth couple?

🎆 fireworks: you're invited to Bilbo's 111th, what present do you think you'd receive?

🕷 creepy crawlies: which of tolkien's creatures do you think is the most frightening?

💍 my precious: what role do you think you'd play in the fate of the ring?

📜the company of Throin II Oakenshield: who is your favourite dwarf from the company?

🕶 i care not: what common complaint about the movies or novels doesn't bother you?

📢 motivational speech: which film speech do you find most invigorating?

🔥 barbecue: who is the worst antagonist?

🍿 popcorn: list your top 5 supporting characters

🎇 firefly: which (known) deleted scene would you most like to see?

⛏ expedition to Moria: which side character's adventures would you watch a spin-off movie about?

🎞 extra film: is there an extended scene that should have absolutely made it into the theatrical cut? which one and why?

🎵 can you sing, master hobbit?: Which song (from books or movies) is your favourite?

🖋 quill and ink: which of tolkien's themes resonates most strongly with you?

🗝 lost heirloom: which heirloom/object in the films or novels would you like to learn more about?

💿 leitmotifs and orchestras: which of the films songs (Howard Shore or singer) is your favourite?

🍲eowyn's home cooking: which other way could the ring be destroyed? (funny answers only)

🧙‍♂️precisely when he means to: what is your favourite gandalf moment?

⚔ you have my sword: what is your favourite aragorn moment?

🏹 and my bow: what is your favourite legolas moment?

🪓and my axe: what is your favourite gimli moment?

🍄 MUSHROOMS!: what is your favourite moment from the hobbits?

💎 the arkenstone: favourite Thorin and/or company moment?

🧵 spool: list your top five favourite costumes from any of the films.

📕 the red book of westmarch : what is your favourite quote(s)?

💛 family: what is your favourite family moment throughout the novels/films?

👀 the eye of sauron: who are you looking at disrespectfully?

🗺 arda: if you could travel anywhere in middle earth, where would you go?

👑the silver crown: the war is won, the world is saved, the king has been crowned. Who are you partying with at the coronation?

✏ rewrites: here's a pencil, which ONE thing in the novels/films are you changing?

🐺 GROND GROND GROND: which of the battles is your favourite to watch? is there a combat scene in particular that you enjoy?

⚠ fucking buckleberry ferry: from the clip of Dom and Billy discussing the one swear word they could theoretically get by censors, which line would you change?

📚 boxset: how were you first introduced to Middle Earth?

🏔 the misty mountains: the pass is treacherous, which two characters are you taking with you to make it over the mountains?

🌄 the rolling hills of the shire: what is your favourite outdoor activity?

🌋 mount doom: what middle earth take are you throwing into the fire?

⚙ technology: everything is exactly the same but you can give one character a modern invention. Who is it and what are you giving them?

⛵valinor: we're approaching the end of this game, is there a take/opinion you absolutely want to share?

🦅 the eagles: What thing or thought saves the day when it's not going so well?

🦗 weta: you're allowed to take one prop (or the canon useful version) home with you from the set, what are you taking?

☀ when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer: either share a piece of good news or something you're looking forward to.

📖 final chapter: what unanswered questions do you have middle earth?

#lotr #middle earth #the hobbit #tolkien #lord of the rings #ask games #asks #lotr asks #full disclosure i've read the hobbit 5 times and the trilogy once #I haven't started the salmon riot yet #never seen RoP #and i've seen all of the movies (lotr and hobbit) about 1000000 times now :)#chaos mix of MidEarth questions and personal qs #i didn't spell check whoops (its too hot for editing)#i also did the emojis on my laptop so if they don't match well just ignore that #rao's games #rao's asks #this was a fever dream (i wrote the word strongelist a one point)#the worst part about making stuff is walking away from your device afterwards bc I want to constantly refresh my notes 😭

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buggywiththefolkmagic · 1 year

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Book Review: Wild Witchcraft by Rebecca Beyer

TW: Alcohol mentions and tallow mentions. Poison Path things as well. This is: Wild Witchcraft by Rebecca Beyer Rating: 9/10 Pros: An amazing outlook into animism, herbalism, and foraging in a safe, sustainable and non-appropriative way! The instructions on how to garden were very to the point and explained some complicated ideals in an easy to digest way, I think one of my favorite quotes from the book that stuck with me while reading was,

“Just when I think magic has been cut down and paved over; a dandelion has pushed it’s way out of the cracks in the cement.”

I hope that quote helps you understand what sort of writing to expect out of this book! As someone that grew up learning planting from my Papaw who took classes on the subject after getting out of WWII through a governmental program and was a farmer before that, some of the information on growing was things I already knew. But for a beginner just looking into ‘wildcrafting’ or foraging or just plain growing your own herbs for witchy things?

Get this book.

The author, while an herbalist, breaks down each plant she mentions and includes plenty of warnings and suggestions for use both magical and holistically. She covers the poison path in a very easy to understand way while making sure you understand it’s not a beginner’s thing, and certainly not one to take without serious consideration first. The author takes careful note of Indigenous practices and makes sure to drive it home that their voices are to be heard over anyone else’s when it comes to taking care of American land. There are so many rituals and remedies included in this book that I have a feeling I’ll be referencing it quite a lot, and not just for the gardening and foraging tips!

Did I mention the entire 11 pages of a bibliography in the back?? No? Well there’s that too. My academic heart is thrilled.

Cons: Honestly? The only real con I have is that the author spends a chunk of time going over the Wheel of the Year which is a wiccan construct in a book that otherwise doesn’t have any wiccan imagery or practices up until this point. It feels…weirdly thrown in? But she also includes multiple folk traditions that were common amongst those particular time periods so…it is worked in but it still feels a little odd and jarring to me.

The author also mentioned the use of tallow as a commonly used oil for salves, which is correct but some people are uncomfortable with the idea and I understand that! Since the author has tincture recipes as well she does mention the use of alcohol in steeping purposes.

Overview: Animism, foraging, herbalism, and being safe to the environment. Good stuff all around!

#buggy's book reviews #Wild Witchraft is such a good little book!#witchblr #folk magic #forraging #animism #herbalism #Appalachian Folk Magic

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headspace-hotel · 2 years

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i was gonna ask about the vegan, but you already answered that lol. so instead i offer absurd things that vegans i know have told me.

first: anything about "complete protein" and "variety", i have yet to see a vegan answer anything beyond vague generalizations.

second and my personal favorite: human meat is vegan. (tbf, the only irl time i heard this, i was probably guilty of entrapment)

third, straying into animal-rights territory: advocating the genocide of domestic species that have come to rely on human assistance. i don't recall the exact quote, but it was something like "it's better they all die than be reliant on humans"

bonus: many vegans do not consider themselves, or even humans in general, to be part of the food web (tho they usually call it the food chain)

I personally get it if people aren't comfortable with animals being killed to feed them, like, yeah I understand why you wouldn't want to eat animals that you know had to die for your meal basically.

But in terms of like, eggs and wool and milk and stuff, it's just like:

Internet vegan: These animals are treated badly! This is horrible!

Other internet person: Yeah so we should try to get eggs and milk from small local farmers that we can personally verify are treating their animals well

Internet vegan: No, veganism is about ZERO exploitation of animals, and anyway, you can just choose not to torture animals for your own pleasure

Other internet person: But they're...not being tortured? People get eggs from chickens that are loved and cared for like pets?

Internet vegan: Eating the SECRETIONS of an animal's BODY is inherently exploitative and also misogynistic probably

Like you can't really make the case that backyard eggs from chicken breeds that aren't bred to over-produce, or milk from a goat that is treated better than most pets, is "cruelty" unless you're applying human concepts of things like "freedom" and "exploitation" to them.

Anyways, domestication isn't evil any more than any other symbiotic relationship is. And the argument that there's something innately unethical about eating animals makes no sense unless you do hold that humans are "higher" or have a greater responsibility than other animals, because animals eat other animals? Humans are part of the ecosystem like everybody else. I would argue that we *are* different in that we can make choices about how to manage resources and ecosystems with consideration toward the future. But I don't think that means that eating animals is inherently wrong.

And like...ultimately, everything does in fact die, and if humans aren't eating it, something else will be. I don't know what the alternative is. Let large mammals live to old age past the point where they would be eaten by predators (which is *mercy*, not cruelty, because it's a much quicker end to suffering than just letting the creature's body age and decline until it can't take care of itself or move around without pain. and unlike a human, a horse or cow can't understand the aging process or make active decisions about its own treatment and care.)?

If no one ate meat we would still have to manage the white-tailed deer population, in the absence of their natural predators, or they would overpopulate and die slower, more painful deaths of disease and starvation. People make a big deal out of nature being "cruel" but a healthy ecosystem with lots of predators does wonders to reduce the suffering associated with death.

Also it bothers me how a lot of vegans seem to dismiss the idea of plants as potentially sentient in some ways because like...they are aware of and respond to their environment, and we are just now scratching the surface of how they sense their world and communicate (yes, communicate).

It's silly to totally dismiss a tree as inert and unfeeling, really. Trees are capable of sending messages to other trees. They sense, they feel. It's totally unlike anything we can imagine but plants possess some kind of awareness that we are only now beginning to understand. If the foundational reasoning of veganism is that "animals are sentient and can feel so don't eat them, but it's okay to eat plants" then ?????????????

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livyjh · 1 year

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In Bloom

Din Djarin x AFAB reader (no gender specific terms used, just body parts)

Rating: EXPLICIT 18+

Word count: 2.7k

Can be found on ao3 here

Summary: You’ve been teamed up with the Mandalorian for a few months now, but are still an amateur bounty hunter. Fresh to The Guild. He was kind enough to train you as long as you helped him capture bounties. When looking for a bounty on a weird, woodland planet, you manage to get affected by a poisonous flower.

Din Djarin Masterlist

A/N: This takes place while Grogu is away, training with Luke Skywalker. But the Razor Crest wasn’t destroyed.

I was blushing so hard writing this 👀 enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Just remember not to touch anything. This planet is full of dangerous plants and animals.” Mando tells you for the hundredth time this day.

“I know. I know. Poison and venom and all that.” You roll your eyes as you zip up your boots and stand.

“Okay. You ready?” The Mandalorian turns to you.

“Yep.” You nod and smile.

“Okay. Let’s go.” He opens the gate of the Razor Crest and the two of you step down onto the grassy planet.

There were bright purple flowers and blue trees as far as the eye could see. The trees were weepy; long, drooping branches covered with little leaves. The flowers were small, but there were millions of them.

The gate closes behind you and you and Mando start looking for this bounty.

“This was a… smart place to hide.” Mando sighs.

“How so? There’s hardly anyone here. I’m sure he’s gonna be the first person we come across.” You squeeze your fists lightly, just feeling the texture of your gloves on your hands. You hated wearing them because they made your hands sweat but Mando had told you over and over not to touch anything because “humans aren’t immune to this shit”. That’s a quote. From him. When you tried to question further, he seemed hesitant to tell you but you figured he was just being his non-talkative self.

“Doubt it. There are many farmers on this planet.” He sighs again.

He pulled out the tracking fob that was blinking much slower than you had anticipated. You were hoping to be right on top of this bounty when you landed. No such luck.

You two kept following a shallow path that had been walked through in the grass. People used it frequently enough to wear some of the grass away there. But not often enough for it to qualify as a trail.

Suddenly, a blaster shot flies between you and Mando. You duck and he puts his arms out to shield you.

“Stay back!” He warns you and you move to run behind a tree as another blaster shot flies by.

With your adrenaline suddenly pumping, you don’t watch where you’re going and trip on a tree root, falling face first into a bunch of the purple flowers. Their petals spread and release some sort of dust into your face.

Mando is shooting back and then suddenly everything stops. The blasters stop. The world stops.

“Fuck.” You curse, tears forming in your eyes as you stand up.

You look over at Mando and start to cry. “Oh, Maker. I’m dead aren’t I? I- I- I breathed it in! The flowers- they spewed poison on me!” You say hysterically.

Mando shakes his head and walks over to you, putting his gloved hands on your shoulders. “No. You’re… you’re not dead. But in a couple hours, you might wish you were.” He sighs.

“Not helping!” You shout.

Mando shakes his head. “I’m sorry. Shit, I shouldn’t have brought you. I’m sorry.” He apologizes. “Let me- I’m gonna grab the bounty’s body. I’m sure that was him shooting at us. Then we’ll get you back to the ship and everything is going to be fine.”

You sniffle, breathing in harshly. “How do you know?”

He sighs. “I just know. Trust me. I’ll be right back. You start heading back.”

You nod, wiping the tears away from your face. “O- okay.” You turn and head back to the ship.

The Mandalorian arrives only a few minutes after you, throwing the body in carbonite before he closes the gate. He turns to you. “Okay. Listen. Sit down.” Mando takes ahold of your shoulders and guides you to sit on the edge of his little bed compartment.

“Will bacta spray help? How am I- how do I-?” You start to panic again.

“I don’t think it will.” He shakes his head and you drag a hand down your face.

“What’s gonna happen? I’m gonna get all red and itchy? Scratch myself to death?” You raise a brow at him, trying to keep your breathing even.

“Those flowers… they’re…” he puts a hand on the back of his neck. “They have this pollen. That’s what you breathed in. Let’s call it… an extreme aphrodisiac.”

“Excuse me?” You cross your arms and smirk a little. He’s got to be joking.

“It makes you…” he starts.

“Horny?” You laugh. “I can handle that.” You shrug.

“More like feral.” Mando corrects you and your shoulders slump.

Fuck. Maybe you were gonna wish you were dead. Being around Mando while extremely chemically turned on? That was a recipe for disaster.

“I’ll just lock myself in here and sleep till it’s over.” You say, trying to fool yourself into thinking this wasn’t gonna be as bad as he’s making it sound.

“You’re welcome to try.” Mando steps closer and you feel a heat wave go through your body. You could smell his sweat and you wished he’d get even closer.

“If… there’s anything I can do to help… let me know.” He says shyly.

You’re not sure how to interpret his words at this point. “Can you just get me some water?” You gulp.

“Of course.” He nods and grabs a canteen, handing it to you.

Your fingertips barely brush his, both of you still wearing gloves. But it sends a jolt through you nonetheless. “Th- thank you.”

“I’m gonna get us heading for Nevarro.” He says.

“Okay.” You smile at him for a second before he disappears up the ladder.

You start whispering to yourself. “It’s gonna be fine. I’m gonna be just fine. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Famous last words, you remind yourself.

You shake your head and try to change what you’re thinking about. It starts with Grogu. You miss him. You and Mando had just visited a couple weeks ago, but… you weren’t allowed too close. Jedi weren’t supposed to have attachments to other people.

You then thought about Mando. How sweet of a father figure he was. How bold yet kind he is. Sometimes intimidating, but is really just like a cuddly ewok.

Cuddling. With Mando. That would be nice.

His body pressed up against yours…

“Shit. No. Not going there.” You shake your head and make the thoughts go away. These weren’t the first intimate thoughts you’ve had about the Mandalorian. But they were certainly prevalent at the moment.

You tried not to think about Mando this way, because he was technically a business partner. But it was so hard when his voice was so… and his hands were really…

“Nope.” You sigh and pinch the bridge of your nose. Fuck. How were you going to survive this if you couldn’t stop thinking about him?

You needed to distract yourself.

So you climbed up to the cockpit, deck of cards in your pocket.

You looked out the glass and saw that you were already pretty high up in the sky, leaving the planet’s atmosphere and entering the stars.

“Once we get on course we should play a game. I have cards.” You say happily, sitting down to Mando’s left.

“Alright.” He turns his head back towards you and nods.

Maker, his voice. Nope. No. You were going to be fine.

And you were. For awhile.

An hour had passed and you were only mildly tingly all over while still playing cards with the Mandalorian.

Another fifteen minutes go by and you can’t stop staring at Mando’s hands. He had taken his gloves off to play cards and wow.

Twenty more minutes. You’re pretty sure you’re soaked through your panties by now and you want to get up and check, maybe change them, but you’re afraid of getting up and there being moisture in your chair. So you keep waiting.

Mando is waiting too. You know it. He’s waiting for you to explode and start crying or something. But you were determined to muscle through.

Ten more minutes. You’re trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, squeezing your thighs together every time you moved to hand him a card or take a card from him.

Five more minutes. “Oh-“ you moan softly when his fingers brush yours as you’re exchanging cards.

You start to blush something fierce, one of your hands flying to cover your mouth. “Shit.” You mumble against your palm. “I’m sorry- I don’t- I’m gonna excuse myself.” You lower your hand from your face and set your cards down behind you as you rise from the seat.

You nearly orgasm the way your thighs rub together as you go down the ladder and into the bed compartment, closing it with the push of a button. You were going to be loud, and if you could muffle that and save yourself some embarrassment, that’s what you were gonna do.

You lay back on the bed, legs spread as you reach down under the hem of your pants and panties. “Fuck!” You gasp as your fingers move down your vulva.

This was the most sensitive you’d ever been in your life. Do you dare?

You do. You rub two fingers over your clit and let out a shaky breath, hips rolling upward.

You couldn’t stop thinking about Mando and how badly you wish his hand were in place of yours. How much you wanted him to take off that stupid helmet and kiss you from head to toe. You would kill a man just to have the Mandalorian’s fingers inside of you once.

You’re rubbing almost with full force of your middle and ring fingers, doing your usual little dance with your clit. A dance that would bring you to orgasm quickly every time.

You kept going and going and ten minutes later, you’ve switched hands back and forth and still can’t finish. It’s agonizing and you’re ready to cry out of frustration when you remember — “If there’s anything I can do to help… let me know.” — he said that. Mando said that to you.

You pressed the open button and called out to the ship. “Please, come here!” You pant. “Quickly!”

You hear a couple rushed steps down the ladder and assume he jumps down the second half, walking past the fresher to find you laying there, hand down your pants, cheeks ruddy, pussy soaking wet.

“Fuck.” He curses and you see his helmet tilt down just the slightest so he could see you. All of you.

“Please, h- help me. I can’t- I’m not- I don’t know-“ you’re nearly sobbing.

“Shhh…” he hushes you and crawls up into the bed between your legs. “Let me help you.”

You nod up at him and suddenly his bare hands are on your hips, just holding them for a moment. You pull your hand out of your panties and let him pull them off along with your pants.

The cool air of the ship hit your heat and you whined, feeling how tremendously wet you were. You felt two of his fingers come down the side of your hip, over the front and inside of your thigh before grazing over your labia.

You shook, almost violently, as you squeezed your eyes shut and balled your fists in the sheets. You couldn’t even look at him, you were so riled up. You were afraid if he looked you in the eyes he’d see how embarrassed you were or how much you truly wanted him.

As his fingers tease your folds, they become slick and slide into you easy when he pushes them forward.

“Ohh, yes.” You groan, whole body tensing up.

“Just relax.” He coos and you try to relax as many of your muscles as possible.

Instead of holding your legs up and away from each other, you let them drop apart against the walls of the compartment, you relax your hands and shoulders, trying to even your breathing.

He starts to pull his fingers back out slowly, being cautious and waiting for your instruction.

“Please, for Maker’s sake, go faster.” You whimper the last word and he starts thrusting his fingers in and out of your pussy at a quick pace.

“Fuck… that feels so good.” You sigh, gasp, and then sigh again with each movement of his hand.

He curls his fingers, searching for your g-spot and — “Mando…” you whine — there it is.

He makes it a point to brush over this spot with every thrust of his fingers, making your toes curl.

“I’m gon- gonna- oh fuck.” You cry out, thighs quivering as you cum hard, pulsing around his fingers.

“Fuck.” You hear his modulated voice over you.

You orgasm hard enough to see spots around the edges of your vision, and as you’re waiting for the come down… it never really comes.

“It- oh, fuck, baby-“ your eyebrows draw together and you reach down to grab his wrist when he starts to pull his fingers out of you. “It’s w- worse.” You can barely get the words out.

“You’re probably going to need to go a few more rounds before it goes away.” The Mandalorian explains.

“What?!” You ask, surprised and starting to sweat.

“It’s happened to me before.” He admits and you buck your hips, trying to get his fingers deeper inside of you.

“Please, k- keep… going.” You pant, looking up at him with seriousness in your eyes.

He nods and his fingers start to thrust in and out of you once more, and within ten seconds you’re cumming again. You throw your head back and feel yourself soaking his fingers.

“Ple- please,” you take a deep breath before you ask a question that can’t be unasked. “Will you fuck me?” You beg.

Mando nods and sits back on his knees for a second, undoing his belt and zipper before pulling himself out of his pants.

You moan at the sight of him, cunt tingling with anticipation.

“Protection?” He asks.

“No time. I’m on medicine for it.” You blurt out, biting your lip.

He nods and gets into position, guiding his cock to your entrance. He rubs the head up and down over your clit before pushing into you painfully slow.

“Baby, please,” you whine. “Fuck me. Please.”

He almost growls as he pushes in quickly to the hilt, making you whimper. Your jaw drops open and you let out a long, shaky moan, reaching up to grab his shoulders.

He pulls out and slams back in once, pushing you up the bed slightly. You wrap your legs around his hips, angling up so he could go deeper.

He starts a quick pace, fucking you down into the thin mattress. Your eyes screw shut and you’re cumming again, groaning a string of curses.

He slows down to let you regain your senses, but just for a moment. And then he’s slamming into you again, hips slapping against your ass. The sound only eggs you on, gets you more sexually intoxicated.

He reaches down between you to rub your clit, trying to help you get off again so you can be cured of this. You can’t believe it when only seconds pass and your fourth orgasm washes over you. Your body nearly convulses as you cum hard on his pulsing cock. “Mando- oh my, fucking yes-“ your hips buck up.

He’s grunting as he fucks into you, keeping the same speed. He was just gonna keep going until you told him to stop. He was committed.

“One more time.” You breathe out. You’re getting exhausted, soaking the mattress, and you know he can’t go forever either. “Let’s t- try one more time.” You stutter.

He nods and keeps thrusting, playing with your clit for a minute before that hand moved up under your shirt to grab your breast.

You moaned in unison with him, panting as he kneaded and squeezed your tit. He somehow speeds up and then you’re gone. You nearly scream, arching your back as you tip over the edge.

Your fingers dig into his shoulders and your pussy squeezes around him, and then you feel his cum filling you as he groans your name.

Finally, finally, you start to come down from your orgasms, body relaxing and you start feeling less lightheaded.

He pulls out of you with a soft groan, tucking himself back into his pants before collapsing down next to you, breathing hard.

“I’ve wanted to do that for a long ti-“ you start to say something and then slap a hand over your mouth.

He just laughs softly, rubbing your thigh. “Me too.”

Maybe falling into those flowers wasn’t the worst thing after all.

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sandinthemachine · 1 year

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Can I get the "I'm not scared but if you are you can hold my hand" with könig I need more of this ball of anxiety. Maybe watching a scary movie or everyone going through a haunted trail? Maybe he's scared of the anamatronic shows that are in the malls and doesn't wanna walk past them cause he saw 1 (one) FNAF video and thought it was real. Idk what one you use but I just need him being a big baby lmaoo

I have been trying to write this for a month so I kinda decided fuck it let's polish it best I can and post it now

The camel idea came from a farmer I know (sorry, buddy, it was too good not to steal), and the jello idea...uhh, congratulations, you know one (1) weird fact about me :/

enjoy!

Words: 1159ish

“I don’t get it, it’s just a ton of water.”

You gasp melodramatically, shaking your head. “König, you did not just call the ocean ‘a ton of water.’” You hold your fingers up to make exaggerated air quotes.

“That is what it is.”

You make a frustrated sound, flinging your arms up, only to be met by a chuckle. “You’re terrible, you know that?”

He bursts into a full-on laugh. “You should see your face when you get frustrated, it gets so cute and scrunchy.”

You squeeze your shoulders up, glowering, but he sees right through it, swinging an arm around them and pulling you into his side to kiss your hair. You bite your lips, trying to hide the growing smile, but he knows it’s there.

“Alright them,” he straightens up, clearing his throat and trying to school his face into something serious. “Let us go see what is so special about your ocean in particular.”

You smile. “Trust me, your mind will be blown. But you have to wait a bit. I need to swing by the barn first, I promised I’d check in on the calves this morning while the farm hands are busy with planting.”

You were overjoyed that König was finally getting to visit your hometown, but with his busy schedule the only time he could come see you was smack dab in the middle of planting season. Luckily you did mostly barn work, so with a healthy amount of convincing and only a little promised overtime your manager had decided to let you have your afternoons off. It was still early in the season, so there weren’t too many calves yet, and it shouldn’t take long at all before you could enjoy your first day of adventures with your partner.

“I could come help, you know. It would go much faster.”

“You would do that?”

He snorts. “Of course I would.”

You beam at him, wrapping him into a tight hug. “You’re the best,” you mumble into his chest.

“I know.”

You scoff, shoving him away with a laugh.

As you swing the barn door open, you’re greeted by a rumbling bellow that has you leaping backwards. “Holy shit, I completely forgot.” You turn to König, blushing a bit. “So it turns out we’re babysitting a camel right now for the next farm over. He’s really loud but he’s not that bad, I promise.”

König freezes. “No. No way.”

“What?”

“I don’t do camels.”

“What do you mean you don’t-”

“They are tall and weird.”

“So you two should get along perfectly.”

“This is no time for jokes!” König throws his forearms over his head and turns around.

You snort. “Is it the neck thing? Are you afraid of alpacas, too?”

“I am…” he pauses, letting out a rushed breath. “I am not afraid of camels.”

“Of course, of course. You’re not afraid of anything, big guy. But…you know, we could get this done faster if we split up, I’ll muck out the camel while you do the calves next door.”

“Uh-uh, no way I’m leaving you alone with a camel.”

You shake your head at him, breathing an exasperated sigh. “So what, then? You think you can go near him without having a heart attack?”

He glares at you, and you throw your hands up in surrender before turning and heading back into the barn. You hear his stomping footsteps follow you, but as soon as you go up to the camel’s stall, they freeze.

You pause, turning around to take in the sight of König. Tall and broad, a soldier through and through, easily one of the scariest people you know. And here he stands, arms crossed tightly over his chest, bottom lip puffed out. Pouting like a teenager.

You can’t help but giggle at that. “Come on, then.” You hold out your hand. “I’ll guard you with my life, I promise.”

He scoffs, turning to glare at the wall. “I don’t get scared,” he grumbles. “But…if you are, I’ll hold your hand.”

“Oh, I’m terrified.”

“Fine, then.”

Luckily it’s a day where the camel decides to be well-behaved. So an hour later the two of you recline on the beach, sweaty and smelling like the barn, laughing over ice cream. Well, you are. König finished his in two bites.

You glance up, eyes finding his. “So what gave you such strong feelings about camels anyway?”

He sighs, leaning back on his forearms. “It was a…what’s the word, those places where you go to touch all the animals and…”

“Oh! Petting zoo.”

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

“Sooo…what happened at the petting zoo?”

He chews his lip, glancing down. “I was small…well, smaller, and I was feeding the animals. And I kept holding out the food to the camel, and then…” he chuckles, swiping a hand over his mouth, “every time it would try to eat I would jump back and laugh at it, and it made the silliest sounds.” He trails off, face going deadly serious. “And then it…spat…all over me, and my entire family laughed.”

You nod, chewing on your tongue. “Yeah, that’s…” you swallow, staring at your ice cream, “that sucks.” Your voice cracks and you bite your tongue, trying not to smile. “How old were you?”

“12.”

“WHAT?!” You cackle, slapping your palm over your mouth and falling back into the sand, shaking. “You…when you...when you said really little I thought you meant,” you guffaw, burying your face in your hands, “I thought you meant actually…”

“It’s not funny,” he says flatly, staring out to the ocean. “I am traumatized for life.”

You snort. “That’s what you get for being an asshole.”

His head snaps back towards you, but the side of his mouth is curling up slightly.

“Hey, it’s okay.” You sit up, patting his shoulder in mock camaraderie. “I’m afraid of jello.”

“The…food?” His eyebrows scrunch as you nod and he gives you a weird look.

“I mean it!” You grin. “When I was a kid I’d always have nightmares about drowning in jello, my mom couldn’t even take me through the jello aisle at the grocery store because I’d start crying.”

He stares at his knees, rubbing a hand over his mouth.

“I know you’re smiling.”

“I’m not.” He shakes his head emphatically, only for his shoulders to immediately shake with laughter.

You chuckle, joining him.

“You know,” he leans back again, grinning. “I’m gonna make you jello someday.”

“Please don’t.”

“I will.”

“I’ll bring a camel into the house if you do.”

He giggles. “Yes, go to the grocery store and buy a camel.”

“I have my ways.”

“I’m sure you do,” he scoffs, pulling you into his side. “I’ll make sure to watch out for stray camels.”

You snuggle into his shoulder. “Yeah, you’d better,” you yawn. “Better watch your back.”

“Always do.” He kisses your forehead, smiling as your eyes start to drift closed.

#könig #könig x reader #my struggle to crank out requests after realizing 80% of them are over a month old #whoops #what can ya do #y'all have not been forgotten #this one fully feels like a mess still but it's kinda funny so I'll allow it out into the world

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romchat · 6 months

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Ripe Town Ep. 1 visuals: Under the cover of light

I am absolutely LOVING the historical crime drama Ripe Town. It's moody, nicely paced, and has really solid acting. The show reminds me of a grimmer, more ruminative A League of Nobleman, and its restrained but equally masterful cinematography caught my eye from the first scene. If you're looking for a prestige drama, this is it.

I wanted to share some of the cinematography choices the show makes in its first episode that help set the perfect tone for a crime drama. Film nerds, there are so many goodies in this show.

Under the cover of light

What a great cold open.

The show drops us (literally) in a farm field with our main character, Qu Sangeng, and his partner, Gao Shicong. They are bailiffs who have been sent out into the fields to investigate the mysterious appearance of a scarecrow, and they soon discover it's the dead body of Sangeng's mentor, Captain Leng.

(Side Note: There's something intriguing about the way the camera lingers on this sea of gold as it swallows and propels Sangeng and Shicong toward the scarecrow. It's almost like the field is its own character with its own memories. I don't think this will be the last time the plot returns us to this location.)

We learn at the coroner's that Captain Leng had not only been strangled but also pierced with a wooden rod bearing the Confucian quote "My principle is unified." This inscription paired with the theatricality of the body's staging (in broad daylight, in an open field) lends a deeper meaning to the murder. As an officer of the law, it is Captain Leng's duty to uphold justice, so why else would the murderer distort a classic work of philosophy if not to indict Leng of some moral malpractice?

And to a certain extent, we can understand that indictment by how the show portrays Captain Leng and Sangeng's colleagues in the criminal court system. Just look at how these officials are introduced:

They're filmed in darkness or shadow, the use of low-key lighting giving each a suspicious air. The strategic use of props further reinforces our first impression of them as sinister, incompetent, and corrupt men.

It makes you think about what other crimes have been committed in these rooms under the guise of justice.

The virtuous (but unstable) lone cop

Given how the show portrays the police and court system, it's notable how our main character, Sangeng, is often blocked in relation to them. As a bailiff, Sangeng is intelligent and principled. When we look at the composition of his scenes with men in power, he is often positioned towards the other end of the screen with the vertical lines of beams or doors physically demarcating his separation from them. He doesn't share their ethics nor does he tolerate their power plays.

And yet in Episode 2, we see the usually stoic Sangeng display a startling amount of violence and abuse of power, similar to a colleague he had criticized for the same behavior during this episode. I'm curious to see if and how this investigation continues to unravel him.

If these walls could speak

Ok, my favorite part of this show's cinematography is its use of dirty framing. Look at these gorgeous shots:

Dirtying the frame is when the camera crew uses things like architecture, objects, or even people in the foreground to add depth to a shot. Ripe Town constantly uses windows, plants, etc. to frame our characters as they discuss the case, which is such a smart way of upping the show's creepy factor. It feels like there is always someone (possibly the killer?) watching from beyond the frame

But maybe even cooler is the constant use of background action:

Check out how often there are people in the background near enough to our main characters to observe but far enough to not be intrusive (or helpful). Throughout Episode 1, we see farmers, bailiffs, and other workers stand around as Sangeng works the case. Like with the dirty framing, there's a sense of surveillance but this time from the townspeople as a whole. It's the classic small-town mystery trope where you suspect everyone knows more than they let on.

I wonder if this notion of surveillance will become one of the show’s major themes: are people watching because they’re trying to protect a secret or are they watching because they're hoping someone will reveal and take accountability for those secrets?

Together, these filming techniques create a fascinating world where murder is committed during the day and secrets are revealed in the dark. I can't wait to see how the story continues to deliver more and more interesting visuals as its mysterious plot unfolds.

#Ripe Town #繁城之下 #Under the Prosperous City #Fan Cheng Zhi Xia #cdrama #bai yufan #meta #a league of nobleman

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anticomedygarden · 3 months

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how do they feel about the idea that the tomato is a fruit?

Tbh any hoo character that comes to mind strongest but if you need a specific idea I choose Hazel

I love this prompt! tysm 😍

y'all I did research on this one

Hazel had never given much thought to the tomato debate. They weren't her favorite to begin with, but she also just didn't have much opportunity to be around them. Growing up Black in the South in the Depression between two world wars with a mother only willing to spend her money on the finest of fineries didn't leave much room for tomatoes. Living in Alaska during wartime? Hell, no. She preferred to leave produce arguments to farmers, anyways.

Until she became a praetor.

"It's a vegetable!" a red faced son of Apollo, Thomas, yelled, standing guard in front of the Tiber.

"It's a fruit!" the brown haired daughter of Ceres screamed back. Hazel thought her name might be Molly.

Both teens were completely decked out in armor and weapons having come off guard patrol a few minutes ago, already fuming over the red food, long enough for Bailey, Camp Jupiter's newest recruit, to come get Hazel. She had been slogging away at a stack of paperwork, so she wasn't complaining.

By the time they'd returned to Thomas and Molly, the argument had escalated to a full on stand off.

The son of Apollo raised his spear. "Vegetable!"

The daughter of Ceres gripped her sword. "Fruit!"

"Okay!" Hazel said, finally stepping forward, her own gladius held out in front of her. "What is going on?" There was not a world or time Hazel thought she would ever exist in in which two people could have such strong opinions on tomatoes.

Unfortunately, that world and time did exist, and she was currently standing in it. Both Thomas and Molly erupted into bitter accusations, voices pitched so high Hazel had no hope of understanding them.

She closed her eyes and thought of a simpler, quieter time, years away from this weird tomato hell. Sadly, when she opened her eyes, she wasn't ethereal.

"One at a time," she said.

Thomas waved a hand at Molly, apparently ceding first speaker rights. She took a deep breath and began, "We were doing guard duty and somehow got on the topic of food, and he-" she pointed "-said tomato is a vegetable. Obviously, that's wrong, which I told him, and he went insane."

"I did not 'go insane,'" Thomas said, putting air quotes around 'go insane.' "I explained why tomatoes are a vegetable, and she told me to 'stop being stupid, stupid.'"

Now, Hazel was a reasonable young demigod. She knew that in matters of agriculture, she should trust the child of Ceres. She also knew that these two in particular had been getting into a lot of fights lately despite having been close friends for a while. That meant either something had happened between them or it was the teenage version of hair pulling. However, since it seemed that Molly had said the inciting line this time (and Hazel kinda wanted to see where this was going now), she couldn't in good faith just declare that Molly was right.

Hazel calmly turned to Molly. "Molly, why do you think tomatoes are a fruit?"

The other girl crossed her arms. "'Cause they are."

"Ha!" Thomas exclaimed. "She can't come up with anything."

Before Hazel could give him a thorough admonishing, Molly smirked. "Oh, I can come up with plenty, but I wouldn't want to make you look stupid."

Thomas' face somehow got even redder. "Come on-"

"For starters, fruit come from the flowering part of the plant-"

"We don't eat flowers-"

"Of course, the flower just serves as attraction. The actual fruit comes from the plant's ovaries, which is what a tomato is."

Hazel was watching the fight so intently that she completely missed the mention of the reproductive organ, though she did glance around to make sure there were no kids anywhere.

Thomas stared. "Then what are vegetables?"

Molly rolled her eyes. "Any other part of the plant."

"What about pumpkin?"

"Fruit."

"Cucumber?"

"Fruit."

Thomas threw his hands up in the air, disturbingly mindless of the spear in his right hand. "Oh my gods!"

Hazel had to admit that this was starting to get a bit ridiculous.

Molly levelled a glare at Thomas. "Got something to say?"

The son of Apollo shifted. "Nutritionists and culinary-"

"Ha!" Molly scoffed. "Cause nutritionists and culinary artists know so much about botany."

Hazel continued to stand in between the two, quickly becoming less and less sure of herself. This was so far out of her depth, yet somehow seemed so high stakes. It wasn't just the tomatoes' fate she had to decide, but pumpkin, cucumber, and presumably all other juicy, seedy vegetable/fruit.

She tried to imagine what her friends would say.

"Listen to the child of Ceres," Annabeth would say. "Fruit is ovary, and tomato is fruit."

"It's squishy and seedy," Percy would say. "It's a fruit."

"There's no real taste," Frank would say. "Vegetable."

"It's low in sugar," Will would say. "It's a vegetable, and a good source of lycopene and vitamin C."

"I don't care," Nico would say. "Leave me alone."

She took too long. Without her noticing, Molly had managed to grow a medium beefsteak tomato in her hand not holding the dagger, and in one smooth motion, lobbed the thing at Thomas' head. "Eat ovary, dumbass!"

Mesmerized, Hazel watched the tomato sail through the air and land on Thomas' face. Molly should be proud of herself; the firm fruit didn't burst on impact, but instead slid to the ground where it sat, vibrantly innocent.

She decided now was the time to be a Praetor. "Seriously, guys, come on." She looked at Thomas. "Go to the infirmary and get an ice pack." Then, she turned to Molly. "And you're on stable cleaning duty for two weeks. And both of you, apologize."

Molly and Thomas both looked at her, and she sighed. "Does it matter?"

"Yes!"

She barely restrained herself from rolling her eyes. Ultimately, the decision was easy. Rare memories of biting into the sweet, rubbery food, juice and seeds filling her mouth, spilling out the corners and running down her chin in the summer heat of New Orleans and later under the gentle Alaska sun, filled her mind.

"It's a fruit," she said.

"Yes!" Molly clapped at the same time Thomas said, "Aw, come on."

Later, when Frank found the paperwork for the tomato incident (as Hazel had taken to calling it), she had to laugh at the confusion that covered his face as he held it up for her to see. "Um, what?"

She took his hand in what she hoped was a comforting gesture. "You don't want to know."

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qtipcottonbuds · 2 years

Text

𝙈𝙀𝙀𝙏 𝙈𝙀 𝘼𝙏 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝘿𝙊𝘾𝙆𝙎.

thank yous for being vv patient with this fic psst psst @ anon requester >:D i feel this vould be better though >:(

submitted request ;; if you're still taking requests, could i please request something fluffy with sebastian from sdv? x gn reader please 💕💕 your seb fics are my favorite!

warnings ;; overall sweetness and potential mild language etc

by qtipcottonbuds 2022. do not repost.

𝗦𝗘𝗕𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗔𝗡 𝗫 𝗚𝗡!𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗥

Wading through overgrown grass, ready to be scythed, accompanied by the rousing of cicadas and fireflies at the movement, Sebastian continues his trek up the walkway of your farm; you’d initially had plans to meet him, as well as Abigail and Sam, in the Saloon, for a brief catch-up. After some (constant) pestering from his friends to go and check on your whereabouts, he did have to reluctantly admit to himself - he was disappointed that you hadn’t turned up.

(Yeah, he enjoyed your company. So what?)

Sidestepping the unlocked gate, following the trail, Sebastian catches sight of you, metal watercan in hand and spraying across crops of peppers and corn. With a brief glance, you catch his eyes too, pausing in your movements.

“Ah, Seb - I’m so sorry. I was meaning to come and find you after I finished up here. I didn’t mean to keep you waiting for so long.”

“No, no,” he offers an indifferent wave of the hand, when he knows damn well Abigail had pulled him out of his musings, sat alone at the pool table, silently sulking, half an hour prior, ”None of that, it’s alright. Promise. Well, I promise. I can’t account for the potential wrath of Sam and Abigail. They were prepared to beat you, finally - quote unquote - at the pool table tonight.”

Setting the metal watercan aside on a nearby barrel, you lean over a wooden fence, forearms crossed over one another, “Well, good things do come to those who wait. If I’d have beaten them again tonight, they might’ve lost their confidence. Just sayin’. But, look, I am sorry. I should’ve messaged you guys at least.”

“Bit off more than you could chew?”

(Was it possible to be obsessed with the sound of someone laughing?)

“Ever the observant, Seb. But, uh, yes,” you tug at the hems of your sleeves, sheepishly, “This morning, I headed straight for the mines. And I, uh… completely forgot about watering my plants.”

Drawing closer, he, too, leans on the fence beside you, stifling a laugh, “Isn’t that, like, one of the basics of farming?”

“Shut up. I was mentally occupied, alright? Like a, uh, a toilet. Yeah. A toilet.”

“A toilet?” Sebastian raises his eyebrows.

Rolling your eyes, you turn away from his, hands now cupping your face.

“Anyway, Mr-Professional-Farmer-Guide-101, I was kinda back and forth between the blacksmith and the mines-”

“How come you were at the mines exactly?” He blurts out, worried. They weren’t the safest of areas, and that was even without proper established supervision. They’d just been abandoned; sure, the upper levels were easier to navigate, with functioning lighting systems, but, the lower levels - there wasn’t any regulation. Or documentation.

Blinking, clicking your fingers together (you’d always had a habit of doing that, something about speeding up the thinking process), you suddenly grin, with a silent ‘A-ha!’ and shrug off your backpack. Releasing your weight off the fence, you place your bag onto the soil, rummaging through it.

“This is why,” with your hands cupped around the mineral, fingertips stained with dust and grit, you kick your bag with your foot, raising the ore upwards, “I’m not too sure when, but you’d mentioned - unless my memory is being a bit stupid - but you’d said about one of your favourite things, so I thought, why not try and get it.”

Sebastian only just manages to fight the urge to pull you in for a tight hug, but he doesn’t want to overstep his boundaries - the both of you aren’t like that, he tells himself bitterly.

“You could’ve gotten hurt,” is all he can offer, biting the side of his cheek.

You nod slowly, “Yeah. But, I wanted to get this for you,” pressing it into his hands, grinning.

Knowing if he supplied any other rebuttals it would become nothing more than a back and forth match of ‘yes and no,’ he sighs deeply, rubbing at his forehead - he already worried about you enough as it was, any more and he’d start to develop grey hairs. You’d remembered. Such a mundane thing, most people wouldn’t care to remember or think about. But, you did. You had.

“Just… Thank you. Really.”

(It was just a crush. A small, tiny - tinytinybigtiny - crush. Nothing more).

He knows he’s shit at showing appreciation, formulating the words into a proper sentence, into something that would be more than enough than a heartfelt ‘thank you’, yet, you smile gently at him all the same, your posture relaxed, comfortable.

“I heard it’s raining tomorrow.”

Sebastian’s relieved at the change in topic. Anything more continued down that route, you might’ve been able to see the droplets of sweat down his neck.

“Is that so?” And, he already knows that, he checked, but he can’t help but play along.

“Meet me at the docks?”

“Meet you at the docks,” he reiterates, a flicker of a smile playing on his lips before he heads off, with a dismissive wave of the hand.

(It’s not a date. Not a date at all).

#stardew valley #stardew valley fluff #stardew valley sebastian #sdv #sdv sebastian #sebastian x gn reader #sebastian x gender neutral reader #sebastian x male reader #sebastian x female reader #gender neutral character #gender neutral reader #gender neutral y/n #gender neutral insert #x gender neutral reader #x female reader #x male reader

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blairstales · 9 months

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Scottish Historical Lúnasdal & Lammas

There are many theories of where the name Lammas comes from. Some I have come across are:

It could be warped from luna agustalis, which is latin for “August moon.”

It is from “loaf-mass,” which is an alternative name that some people do call it today.

It is an anglicization of Gŵyl Awst, Welsh for “feast of August”

It comes from the Anglo-Saxon “Hlâf-mæsse” which means “loaf mass.”

Lammas is mentioned as a Christian festival, but it does overlap with a pagan one. As like with other cross-quarter day festivals that coincided with church ones, the names and traditions blurred.

Lúnasdal (which has many alternative spellings), is thought to be named after the Irish god Lugh, and the day was once widely celebrated in Scotland and elsewhere. It commonly marked the end of the fishing season, and the start of the harvest season. The day would often see markets, feasts, dancing, and saining.

“This, being a quarter day, formed a great day with old women for saining cattle, and performing those ceremonies by which evil was to be kept away from them for the next three months. Tar was put on their tails and ears, charms (òradh) were said at their udders, red and blue threads were put on their tails, and various observances were gone through with balls of hair (rolag), plants, fire about the earthenware pipkins (crogain) in which milk or butter was to be put, etc. Curds and butter were specially prepared for a great feast held this day, at which it was highly important that everyone got as much as he cared for.” “Witchcraft & Second Sight in The Highlands and Islands of Scotland” by John Gregorson Campbell (1902)

One of the most unique traditions involved a mock-war. Hundreds or more communities of a district would build towers of sod or stone.

“It was for the most part square, about 4 feet in diameter at the bottom, and tapering to a point at the top, which was seldom above 7 feet or eight feet from the ground . In building it a hole was left in the centre for admitting a flagstaff, on which were displayed their colours on the great day of the festival. This tower was generally commenced about a month before Lammas, being seldom entirely completed till close that time.” “Old Scottish Customs, Local and General” by Ellen Emma Guthrie (1885)

As Lammas drew near, the groups would gradually build the tower, fend off any saboteurs, pick a captain, then find themselves a flag (colours) that would be put up in the tower.

For this purpose they borrowed a fine table – napkin of the largest size from one of the farmers ‘ wives within the district , and ornamented it with ribbons. “British Popular Customs, Present and Past; Illustrating the Social and Domestic” by T. F. Thiselton-Dyer (1911)

On Lammas itself, they would set out with cudgels(a bat-like weapon), and protect their tower by any means possible, even if it included bloodshed. Some would set out, with the goal of toppling enemy towers. If the attacked stopped by mid-day, flags would be removed, and the crowds would head back to their communities while blowing horns. From then, races and other fin would be held.

For a strange bit of folklore, Lammas was said to take an eye of gadflies(horseflies), making them less dangerous.

"On Lammas day, the gad-fly “loses one of its eyes” (Latha Lùnasdal caillidh chreithleag an leth shùil). The creature is not so vicious after this date.’" “Witchcraft & Second Sight in The Highlands and Islands of Scotland” by John Gregorson Campbell (1902)

Lammas Market (for ‘St Andrews: its Character and Tradition’)

Note: if you want to do more research, there are more quotes and audio recordings on my website.

#cross quarter day #cross quarter days #folklore #history #scottish history #lammas #Lúnasdal #lughnasadh #scottish #scottish folklore #Festivals #Scottish Gods #Scottish paganism #ImportantScottishDays

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bookofjin · 6 months

Text

Tilling the fields, QMYS, Section 1

The Qimin yaoshu齊民要術 (“Essential Techniques for the Common People) by Jia Sixie (fl. c. 540), is the oldest Chinese agricultural treatise to survive in its entirety. Jia Sixie served as a mid-level official of Eastern Wei,as such the focus is on the dryland farming practices of his home region in modern Shandong rather than the wet rice agriculture of Southern China. The book itself mixes Jia Sixie's own advise and descriptions with quotations from earlier works, many of which are now lost. The QMYS is therefore not just an important source for the author's own times, but for the agricultural writings and practices of the preceding centuries.

Section 1 covers the different aspects of tilling the fields in preparation for cultivation, and contains advise for how to clear new fields, ploughing, harrowing, different soil types, and so on.

(To go straight to the translation, jump to "Section 1, Tilling the Fields")

[Translator's preface]

[The QMYS is not illustrated, but texts of this nature really should come with some visual aides. I have therefore included here some drawings and pictures from later eras. All images from Wikipedia.

[Farming tools]

Han era scholars agreed that China's first plough had been a tool called leisi耒耜, but lacked a clear of concept of how it actually looked like. Later authors simply repeated their statements. The drawing below from Wang Zhen's (1271-1333) Nongshu is therefore at best a reconstruction from literary evidence.

(Leisi耒耜, from Wang Zhen's Nongshu)

The main plough was instead the ox-pulled li犂 frame-plough.

(Li犂, from Wang Zhen's Nongshu)

(Shantung plow, from King, 1911, Farmers of forty centuries)

QMYS also refer to the lighter feng鋒 plough.

(Feng鋒, from Wang Zhen's Nongshu)

The QMYS is the oldest Chinese text to refer to the iron-tined harrow, which it refer to as loucou𨫒楱

(Ba耙, from Wang Zhen's Nongshu)

The lao勞 bush-harrow was made by weaving thin sticks around the cross-bars.

(Lao勞, from Wang Zhen's Nongshu)

The preferred tool for sowing was the seed drill, lou耬

(Louche耬車, from Wang Zhen's Nongshu)

In addition to these ox-drawn tools, there were of course a varity of manual tools in different shapes and sizes, hoes, shovels, etc.

(Youchu耰鋤, from Wang Zhen's Nongshu)

(Nou耨, from Wang Zhen's Nongshu)

(Chan鏟, from Wang Zhen's Nongshu)

(Method of using the broad, heavy hoe in producing surface mulch, as seen in Shantung, China, from King, 1911, Farmers of forty centuries)

[Crop plants]

Later sections of QMYS treats the cultivation of the individual crops in much larger detail.

Foxtail millet (Setaria italica), gu穀, was the main staple crop.

Broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum), shu黍

In addition to gu and shu, different varieties of foxtail and broomcorn millet were known under a large number of other names.

Mung beans or green gram (Vigna radiata), lüdou緑豆 (lit. "green beans"), used as green manure in crop rotation with millet

Adzuki beans (Vigna angularis), xiaodou小豆 (lit. "small beans") served a similar function

Wheat (Triticum aestivum), mai麥 (same name also used for barley) was primarily a winter crop in ancient China.

[Books quoted by QMYS in Section 1, in order of appearance]

The Zhoushu周書 (“Book of Zhou”), also known as the Yi Zhoushu逸周書, is a Warring States era collection of documents about Western Zhou, but the book has a complicated textual history. It is quoted once in QMYS, in Section 1. The quoted text is not found in the transmitted version.

The Shiben世本 (“Generational Roots”) records the genealogies of mythical rulers, the origin of the clan names, and mythological and historical inventors. Several versions existed, by different authors. The full text now lost, but it is quoted numerous times in other works. It is quoted once in QMYS, in Section 1.

The Lüshi chunqiu呂氏春秋 (“Spring and Autumn of Mister Lü”) is a collection of treatises and essays attributed to the retainers of Lü Buwei, the (in)famous Qin chancellor. It covers a very wide range of topics.

The Erya爾雅 (“Approaching the Correct”) is the oldest surviving Chinese glossary. Modern scholarship dates the book to the late Warring States and/or early Western Han periods. It is quoted numerous times in QMYS.

The Jianwei shiren犍為舍人, the “Retainer from Jianwei”, lived during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han and wrote a commentary on the Erya. The book is now lost. The quote in Section 1 is the first of three in QMYS.

The Zuanwen 纂文 (“Compiled Graphs”) by the Liu-Song scholar and historian He Chengtian何承天 (370 – 447) is now lost. It is quoted once in QMYS, in Section 1.

The Shuowen 說文 (“Explaining Graphs”) by Xu Shen許慎 (c. 58 – c. 147) analyses the composition and reasoning behind the different characters. It is quoted numerous times in QMYS.

The Shiming釋名 (“Analysing Names”) by Liu Xi劉熙 is a glossary in the style of the Erya written c. 200 AD. The quote in Section 1 is the first of three in QMYS.

The Liji 禮記 (“Ritual Records”) is a collection of ritual treatises compiled from older texts during Former Han, it became part of the textual canon as one the Five Classics and also as one the Three Ritual Classics. Its usage in QMYS is restricted to the Yueling chapter.

The Yueling月令 (“Monthly Orders”) chapter of the Liji is a calendrical treatise describing for each of the twelve months the position of the stars and other seasonal markers, important state rituals, and which activities should be undertaken in each month. Its inclusion in the Liji ensured it what read by every person aspiring to an education and it inspired a whole genre of similar texts, such as the Simin yueling. It is extensively quoted in QMYS.

Zheng Xuan鄭玄(127 – 200) was a famous scholar at the end of Han who wrote an influential commentary on the Three Ritual Classics. In QMYS quotations from the Yueling and Zhouguan are usually accompanied by quotes from his annotations.

Mengzi孟子 (“Master Meng”, theLatin Mencius) collects the teachings of the famous Warring States era philosopher Meng Ke (372–289 BC). The quote in Section 1 is the first of three in QMYS.

Wei Wen-hou魏文侯, Marquis Wen of Wei, ruled Wei during the early Warring States era. The single quote in QMYS attributed to him is found in the Huainanzi.

The Book of Miscellanea on Yin and Yang雜陰陽書 was apparently written during the early Han, but is now lost outside the quotations in the QMYS. The quote in Section 1 is the first of eight in QMYS.

Gao You高誘 lived at the end of Han and wrote commentaries on several texts, including the Lüshi chunqiu and the Huainanzi. The quote in Section 1 is the first of eight in QMYS.

The Huainanzi淮南子 (“Masters of Huainan”) is a collection of philosophical treaties compiled during Western Han at the court of Liu An (179 – 122 BC), vassal king of Huainan. It covers a wide range of topics. The quote in Part 9 is the second of nine in QMYS, the first being in the preface (which I have impudently skipped).

The Fan Shengzhi shu氾勝之書 (“Book of Fan Shengzhi”) is the oldest known Chinese agricultural treatise. Fan Shengzhi might originally have been an easterner, but during the early Western Han served as an official in the Guanzhong region. The original book has been lost, but it is extensively quoted in the QMYS, and also by Tang and Song encyclopedias.

Cui Shi崔寔 (d. c. 170) was a Han official and author of multiple works, including the Simin yueling and Zhenglun.

The Simin yueling 四民月令 (“Monthly Orders for the Four People”) is written in the style of the Liji Yueling, detailing each month's agricultural activities at the large estates of late Han North China. The original book is lost except as fragments in other books. It is very extensively quoted in the QMYS.

The Zhenglun政論 (“Essay on Government”) criticizes what Cui Shi considered the decline in morals and lax administration of law in his time. The original book is lost except as fragments in other books. It is quoted once in QMYS, in Section 1.

[Lettered notes]

The original text is a mix of large and small characters. I have collected the small text sections together in idented lettered notes within {} brackets.]

[Translation starts here:]

Section 1, Tilling the Fields

[Dictionary definitions]

The Book of Zhou says: “In the time of the Divine Farmer, Heaven rained millet [su粟]. The Divine Farmer thereupon tilled and planted it. He created pottery, cast axes and hatchets, and made the plough-shaft and ploughshare [leisi耒耜], the long- [chu鉏] and short-handle hoe [nou耨], to clear the grass and thickets. Afterwards the Five Grains supported and helped, and the Hundred Fruits were stored in abundance.”

The Generational Rootssays: “Chui created the plough-shaft and ploughshare. Chui was a vassal of the Divine Farmer.”

The Spring and Autumn of Mister Lüsays: “The ploughshare is six cun wide.”

The Eryasays: “To mow[qu斪] or weed[zhu斸] are spoken of as to settle [ding定].”

The Retainer from Jianwei says: “To mow or weed is to hoe [chu鋤]. They are names for settling.”

The Compiled Graphssays: “In the way of tending sprouts, the long-handle hoe [chu鋤] is not as good as the short-handle hoe [nou耨], the short-handle hoe is not as good as shovel [chan鏟]. A shovel is two chi long, with a blade two cun wide, and is used to level the ground and remove grass.”

Xu Shen's Explaining Graphssays: “The plough-shaft [lei耒] is for hand-tilling with a curved wood. The plough-share [si 耜] is the plough-shaft's straight end. The weeder [zhu斸] is for cleaving [zhuo斫]. In Qi they speak of it as the ziji鎡基. Some say the axe handle [jinbing斤柄] is curved by nature. A field [tian 田] is laid out [chen陳]. Where is planted grain is called a field. [The graph] resemble four 口, and the 十 is the pattern of paths and cross-paths. To till [geng耕] is to plough [li犂]. [the graph] comes from “plough-shaft” 耒 with the “well” [jing井] sound. Some say it is the ancients' well field [system.]”

Liu Xi's Analysing Names say: “A field [tian田] is full [tian填]. The five grains fill up within it. A plough [li犂] is profit [li利]. To profit, turn over the soil and cut off the grass at the root. The short-handle hoe [nou耨] resembles hoeing [chu鉏], with crouched back hoe among the stalks. To weed out [zhu] is to execute [zhu誅] someone. The ruler uses execution to dig up a matter at the root.”

[General advise]

In general, when opening uncultivated mountain and marsh fields, always in the 7th Month cut down and mow them. When the grass has dried, set fire to it. Arriving at spring, begin to clear out those of its groves where the wood is large, peel off the bark to kill them. When the leaves are dead and not casting shadow, they will readily yield to tilling and planting. After three years, when the roots have withered and the stalks decayed, use fire to burn them (entering the ground fully), till the uncultivated land to the end, and use an iron teeth loucou𨫒楱 harrow to rake it twice everywhere, hurl broomcorn non-glutinous millet, and bush-harrow [lao勞] it again twice everywhere. Next year then it is fitting to be a millet field.

In general when tilling eminent or inferior fields, do not ask about spring or autumn, [you] must pay attention to dry or wet to obtain what will be good. If flood and drought are not in concert, it is better with dry and not wet {A}. For the spring tilling, immediately take in hand the harrowing{B}. For the autumn tilling, wait for the turn to white to harrow{C}. [When the soil starts to dry, the surface turns white, which Jia Sixie refers to as 白背.]

{A: With dry tilling, then even if there are earth-clods, as soon as there is rain, the earth will pulverize and dissolve. With wet tilling, it will harden when it dries, and for several years will not be good. The proverb which says: “Wet tilling and damp hoeing is not as good as going home.” tells that it is of no gain and will be damaging. In the case of wet tilling, when it turns white quickly use the loucou on it, and there will likewise be no injury. If not done, it will be very bad.} {B: The ancients said you耰, now we say lao勞. The Explaining Graphs says: “The you is a tool for rubbing [mo摩] the fields.” Now people also name the lao bush-harrow a “rubber” [mo]. A vulgar saying is “till the field with the rubbing harrow”.} {C: During spring, there is much wind, and if [you] do not soon harrow, the earth will surely be empty and dry. During autumn the fields are soaked solid, and wet harrowing will make the earth stiff. The proverb which says: “To till and not to harrow is not as good as making it go to waste” perhaps tells that wetlands are difficult to handle, and delights in Heaven's timely chances. Huan Kuan's essay on Salt and Iron says: “Underneath a thick grove there is no lush grass. Between large clods there are no excellent sprouts.”}

In general, autumn tilling want to be deep, spring and summer tilling want to be shallow. Ploughing want to be narrow, harrowing want to be double{D}. In the autumn to till and cover over what is green is the best.{E} The earliest tilling want to be deep, and the turned over earth want to be shallow.{F} On land with themeda or cogon-grass [jianmao菅茅], [you] ought to let loose cattle and sheep to trample it. Then if in the 7th Month [you] till it, it will die{G}.

{D: Plough narrow and till finely, the ox then will not tire. Double-harrow and the land will ripen, during drought it will likewise protect the moisture.} {E: Reaching the winter months, the green grass that has regrown will be as excellent as adzuki beans [xiaodou小豆].} {F: If the tilling is not deep, the land will not ripen. If the turned over is not shallow, the stirring will bring forth the soil.} {G: If not the 7th Month, it will regrow.}

In general, the rule for excellent fields, is for mung beans [lüdou緑豆] to be first, adzuki beans and sesame [huma胡麻] is next to it. Thoroughly for all of them sow densly [?] within the 5th and 6th Months, and in the 7th and 8th Month plough and cover over to kill them. [This] will make a spring millet field with a harvest of ten shi on the mu, in excellence comparable to silkworm excrement and mature manure.

In general, after the autumn harvest, the oxen's strength will be weak. For those not yet caught up for autumn tilling, at the bringing down of [?] the foxtail [ gu穀], glutinous broomcorn [shu黍], non-glutinous broomcorn [ji穄], large grained [liang 粱], and glutinous foxtrail [shu秫]millets' stubble, then move the exhausted ones to quickly use the “spear-point plough” [feng鋒] on it. The ground is regularly soft and moist, and is not hard and tough. Then when arriving at the beginning of winter, [you] usually get to till and harrow, and not worry about it being dried up and arid. If the oxen's strength is small, only harrow it once during the 9th and 10th Months, and arriving at spring, sow without ploughing [?], is also doable.

[Excerpts from the Monthly Orders on tilling]

[This whole subsection consists of quotation from the classic text the Monthly Orders [Yueling 月令], a chapter of the Ritual Records [Liji禮記], accompanied by quotations from commentary by the Eastern Han scholar Zheng Xuan.]

The Ritual Records' Monthly Orderssays: “In the Month of First Spring, … the Son of Heaven therefore on the inaugural day pray for grain to the High God [shangdi上帝]{H}. Then, selecting the inaugural chen day, the Son of Heaven personally conveys the plough-shaft and ploughshare. … He leads the Three Excellencies, the Nine Dignitaries, the various feudal lords, and the great men, to till themselves the God's Acre [Di ji帝籍]{I}. This Month, Heaven's breath descends down and Earth's breath rises up. Heaven and Earth are in harmony with each other, and the grasses and trees sprout and stir{J}. … He instructs the ministers for the fields{K}. They skilfully assess the hills and mounds, the slopes and defiles the highlands and lowlands, for what is suitable among the land and ground, and what to plant of the Five Grains, so as to teach and guide the people. … Field affairs having been put in order, he first settles the guidelines and responsibilities. Agriculture was therefore not in confusion. ...”

{H: Zheng Xuan's Annotations says: “It speaks of the first xin day, and the suburban sacrifices to Heaven. The Spring and Autumn Transmittals says: 'In spring the suburban sacrifices to the Lord of Agriculture [Houji后稷] to pray for farming affairs. Thus after the commencement of hibernation, the suburban sacrifices. After the suburban sacrifices, the tilling.' The High God is the god of the Grand Tenuity [taiyi太微].”} {I: “Inaugural chen is perhaps a propitious chen day after the suburban sacrifices. … The God's Acre is the field by which is regulated the Heavenly Divinity's lending the people strength.”} {J: “This is the yang breath ascending through the surface, a portent that there can be tilling. The Book of Agriculture says: 'For the best growth cover over the stakes. When they show the base and can be pulled out, those who till urgently set out.”} [This Book of Agriculture [nongshu農書] is apparently the same as the Book of Fan Shengzhi which is quoted in more detail on this topic further down.] {K: “With minister it speaks of the 'field surveyors', the officials in charge of agriculture.”}

“In the Month of Middle Spring, … those who till have a short rest, they then repair their gate and door leaves [heshan闔扇]{L}. There are no great affairs undertaken which would hinder agricultural affairs. … ”

{L: 'Rest' [she舍] is similar to 'pause' [shi止]. Hibernating insects open doors, and with tilling affairs a little tranquil, they then put in order their gates and doors. When they use wood it is called he闔, when they use bamboo or reeds it is called shan扇.”}

“In the Month of First Summer, … he encourages agriculture and motivates the people, and there are not anyone who neglects the season{M}. … He instructs the farmers to apply themselves to action, and not rest at the capital{N}. ...”

{M: “He puts weight and effort in encouraging [them?] to come to him.”} {N: “He presses and urges the farmers. … The Rites for the King Residing in the Bright Hall says: 'There are no sojourners in the state'.”

“In the Month of Last Autumn, … The hibernating insects altogether curl up inside, and everyone plaster their doors.{O}”

{O: “With 'plastering' [jin墐] it speaks of smearing plaster [tu塗] to shut them. This is to avoid the killing[?] air.”}

“In the Month of First Winter, … Heaven's breath rises up and Earth's breath descends down. Heaven and Earth do not communicate, they shut up and hide, and achieve winter. … He encourages the farmers to rest and comforts them{P}. …”

{P: “'The Ward Corrector [dangzheng黨正]' 'drinks wine with the people belonging to him, and correctly arrays their ranks.'”} [Zheng Xuan here quotes from the Rites of Zhou]

“In the Month of Middle Winter, … ground affairs are not undertaken, care is taken not to open up what is covered, and not to open rooms and buildings. … [otherwise] the Earth's breath would further spill out, this is spoken of as opening the house of Heaven and Earth. The various hibernating [insects] would then die, and the people would be ill and sick{Q}. …”

{Q: “When the Great Yin employed in affairs, it especially puts weight on closing up and keeping safe.” Note that in the present era's tilling in the 10th and 11th Months is not straightly disobeying the Way of Heaven, and harming hibernating insects. [If] the earth likewise was not made moist, the harvest would surely be meagre and small.} [The words “Note … small” are not part of Zheng Xuan's commentary, but are rather Jia Sixie's own comments.]

“In the Month of Last Winter, … he instructs the field officials to announce people to bring out the Five Seeds{R}. He instructs the farmers to plan their plough-pairs and tilling affairs, repair their plough-shafts and -shares, and prepare their field tools{S}. … This month, the sun has gone through the stations, the moon has gone through the positions, and the stars have cycled around Heaven. The numbering is soon about to end{T}. The year will once more begin. Pay attention to your farming people, and do not have them sent about{U}.”

{R: “He instructs the field officials to announce to the people to bring out the Five Seeds. The great cold has passed by, and farming affairs are about to begin.”} {S: The ploughshare [si耜] is the metal of the plough-shaft [lei耒]. The ploughshare is five cun wide. Field tools are the types of hoes [ziji鎡錤].” {T: “It tells that the sun, moon, and stars have travelled around until this month, when they all have made a circuit to their old locations. The 'stations' [si次] are the lodges [she舍]. The 'positions' [ji紀] are similar to lodges.”} {U: “er而 [“thy”] is similar to ru汝 [“you” or “your”]. It tells to pay attention solely to the hearts of your farming people, and make people prepare their resolve for the affairs of tilling and sowing. It is not possible to conscript them for labour. If conscripted for labour, their resolve will scatter, and they will neglect their profession.”}

[Other quotations on tilling]

Master Meng says: “A gentleman's assignment is like a farmer's tilling.”{V}

{V: Zhao Zhu's annotations says: “It tells that to be hasty in your assignment, like a farmer who does not till, is impossible.”}

Marquis Wen of Wei says: “People in spring put their effort into tilling, in summer use their strength for weeding, and in autumn they gather their harvest.”

The Book of Miscellanea on Yin and Yang says: “When on hai亥 it is in the Heavenly Granary constellation, it is the start of tilling.”

The Spring and Autumn of Mister Lü says: Fifty-seven days after winter solstice, sweet flag [chang昌] grows. Sweet flag is the first to grow of the hundred hundred grasses, and at this point tilling starts.

The Masters of Huainan says: That which does the affairs of tilling is toil, that which does the affairs of weaving is trouble [?]. They are affairs of toil and trouble, yet those people who do not rest know they can be used for clothes and food. A person's feelings are not capable of being without clothes or food. The way of clothes and food surely starts at tilling and weaving. … Those who, if they till and weave, who will start at the beginning with considerable toil, and end with certain profit, are the multitudes.

It also says: “To be unable to till and yet want glutinous broomcorn or large grained millet, to be unable to weave and yet want to sew attires, to have nothing in their affairs and yet seeking their merit, is difficult.”

[Quotations from Fan Shengzhi]

The Book of Fan Shengzhisays: “In general, the root of tilling lies in determined timeliness, harmony with the ground, applying oneself to manure and moisture, and to hoe early and harvest early.”

“At spring when the frost disperse, Earth's breath starts to permeate, and the soil's sole harmony disperse. At the summer solstice, Heaven's breath starts to heat, the yin breath starts to flourish, and the soil again disperse. Ninety days after summer solstice, when day and night are split, Heaven and Earth's breath are in harmony. Using these times to till the fields, one will yield five, which is called fertile bounty, all then are times for work.”

“At spring when the Earth's breath permeates, [you] can till the hard and tough earth with black, lumpy soil, immediately level and rub down its clods to give growth to grass. When the grass grows, again till it. When the sky has a little rain again till and harmonize it. Do not make that which has clods await the season. This spoken of as 'if strong soil, then weaken it'.”

“A spring portent that the Earth's breath has started to permeate: Hammer down wooden stakes, a chi and two cun long, cover over a chi [so that you] see two cun. After the advent of spring [lichun立春], the soil clods will break up, and the top will slide down the stakes. When they show the base, and can be pulled out, after twenty days from this time, the harmonious breath will leave, and promptly the soil will stiffen. With timely tilling, one will yield four; till when the harmonious breath has left and four will not yield one.”

“When the apricots start to flower and flourish, immediately till light soil and weak soil. Wait for the apricot flowers to fall off, and then till again. Till and immediately roll it [lin藺]. When grass grows, and there is rain and moisture, till and heavily roll it. For soil that is particularly light, use cattle and sheep to trample it. Like this the soil will strengthen. This is what spoken of as 'if weak soil, strengthen it'.”

“If at the spring breath is not permeated, soil fully fitting will not protect its moisture, and for the remainder of the year will not be suitable for sowing, and no manure will not dissolve [?]. Take care to not till dry land. Wait for grass to grow, and to arrive the time it can be tilled. When there is rain, promptly till it, The soil will be close with each other, sprouts only will grow, grass and weed will rot, and [you] will always achieve good fields. This way one tilling will yield five. If not done like this, but dry tilled, clods will be tough, sprouts and weed will spring forth from the same hole and will be impossible to hoe into order, and and it will turn around to become failed fields. If in autumn with no rain [you] yet till, it will sever the soil's breath, and soil will be hard and dry. These are called 'arid fields' [latian臘田]. And when you till in severe winter, [you] will leak out the yin breath, the soil will wither and dry out. These are called 'parched fields' [futian 脯田]. Arid fields and parched fields are both wounded fields. If for two years they do not produce sheaves of grain, then rest them for a year.”

“In general wheat [mai麥] uses the 5th Month for tilling. The 6th Month is second for tilling, and in the 7th Month [you] must not till. Carefully rub and level to await the time for sowing seeds. Till in the 5th Month, one will yield three. Till in the 6th Month, one will yield two. If tilled in the 7th Month, five will not yield one.”

“In winter when the rain and snow has stopped, immediately roll it down. Trap the snow in the soil, and do not cause the following wind to fly away with it. If it snows later, roll it down again. Then at the advent of spring, it will protect the moisture, freeze the insects to death, and the coming year will be suitable for sowing.”

“Obtain the harmony of the season and fit to what is suitable for the land, then even if the fields are meagre and bad, the harvest can be 10 shi on a mu.”

[Quotations from Cui Shi]

Cui Shi's Monthly Orders for the Four Peoplesays: “1st Month, Earth's breath rises up. For the best growth cover over the stakes. When they show the base and can be pulled out. Hasten to cultivate fields with strong soil and black lumps. 2nd Month, Yin's frost is entirely moist. It is possible to cultivate excellent fields with slow soil and the small places by the river banks. 3rd Month, when apricot flowers are abundant, it is possible to cultivate fields with sandy, white, and light soils. 5th Month and 6th Month is is possible to cultivate wheat fields.”

Cui Shi's Essay on Governmentsays: “Emperor Wu used Zhao Guo as Chief Commandant of Searching for Millet, to teach the people tilling and planting. In his method there was three ploughshares [li犂] together for one ox, with one person escorting it, putting down seeds, pulling the seed-drill [lou耬], and in everything taking up preparations for it. In a day he sowed 1 qing. Arriving at present Sanfu [the region around Chang'an], they still rely on its advantages. Now in Liaodong when they till and plough, the shafts are four chi long, the rotations interfering with each other. Then they use a pair of oxen, a pair of people to lead them, one person in charge of the tilling, one person to put down seeds, and two people pull the seed-drill; in total they use a pair of oxen and six people, and in one day they only sow twenty-five mu. They are isolated [?] in the extreme like this.{W}”

{W}Note for three ploughshares together for one ox is similar to the present three-footed seed-drill, why the unknown tilling method? Now from Jizhou濟州 and westward they still use the long-shafted plough and the two-legged seed-drill. Long-shaft tilling on level ground is just about possible, but between the mountains and brooks, [the ground] does not permit its use, moreover the rotations are extremely difficult and costly in strength. It is not the equal the flexible ease of Qi people's luxuriant[?] ploughs. The two-legged seed-drill sows dense ridges, and is likewise not as good for hitting the mark as the one-legged seed-drill. [This seems to be Jia Sixie's own comment to Cui Shi's text.]

#chinese history #qmys

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