princesidonfan

[princesidonfan]

Baptismal basin of acid-etched ruby glass

1896 Slovakia, designed by István Sovánka

[princesidonfan]

This isn't technically good news, but I wanted to highlight it, because it underscores a DEEPLY important thing to understand about the news and social media in their current forms: They are warping people's perception of reality. Bad news gets shared more, gets reported more, and gets highlighted more. People think that means there IS more bad news than good news, and that is simply not true. There are lots of good resources for finding good news, and you should seek it out for yourself to get a more accurate understanding of the world we all live in.

[princesidonfan]

I just found the funniest font ever

Like. What is this. Why is this. Who is the target audience of this?

[princesidonfan]

What is it about ears (on animals) that make them so darn cute?? I just love their swivels and expressiveness.

[princesidonfan]

❤️ Sidon and Mipha ❤️

If you shake them, they rotate.

Behold my upside down fish fiancés:

[princesidonfan]

A lot of the time when I reblog jewellery on here, it’s art nouveau jewellery, because I really like art nouveau. In general, and in jewellery in particular. And most of that is the aesthetic. I like the natural forms, I like the twisty curly bits, I like the use of materials, I like how a lot of art nouveau jewellery is using metals and stones and other materials to create a specific form, an insect or a plant or a goddess or even sometimes nature scenes. I like …

I feel like a lot of the time with jewellery, it feels like ‘I’m going to use this object to show off the size and value of my pretty rock’. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Some of those rocks are indeed gorgeous. But art nouveau feels more ‘I’m going to use these pretty rocks, and several other things, to create the impact of this object’? I just love the use of materials, glass and enamel and colour, as well as precious stones and metals, to create a form or a scene.

Like, you get a diamond ring, it’s a diamond ring. But you get something like a dragonfly brooch (Louis Acoc):

Or a lilypad hair comb (Rene Lalique):

Or a wisteria branch (Georges Fouquet):

And it’s a whole creation. A little wearable piece of art.

And I don’t want to sound too dismissive. I know the craftmanship and skill and artistry that goes into any kind of jewellery making. That diamond ring took skill I will never have. I just.

I like the emphasis on form more than material that you get with art nouveau. Like normally you hear ‘glass jewellery’, ‘enamel jewellery’, and it’s cheap, it’s frowned upon, but in art nouveau it’s what that glass or enamel was used to make that’s the important part:

(Rene Lalique)

(Eugene Feuillatre)

Anyway. In summary, I really, really, really like art nouveau jewellery?

[princesidonfan]

Let's play... Bella or Watson?

While waiting for the next Letters from Watson email to arrive, fancy joining me in a little game of BELLA OR WATSON?

Some of these statements were written by Dr John H Watson about his friend Mr Sherlock Holmes. Some were written by Bella Swan about Edward, the hot teenage vampire from Twilight.

[IMG Silhouettes of Dr Watson and Bella Swan, text reads Watson or Bella]

(This was inspired by a tumblr post, but I'm afraid it's lost to the mists of ancient dash for me by now. Answers are under the cut!]

With his long, white, nervous fingers he adjusted [REDACTED], and [REDACTED].

glanced sideways at the beautiful [REDACTED], who was [REDACTED], [REDACTED] with long, pale fingers

His eyes were gloriously intense as he uttered that last sentence

I turned and he was leaning toward me, his pale, glorious face just inches from mine.

In the darkness he looked much more normal. Still pale, still dreamlike in his beauty, but no longer the fantastic sparkling creature of our sunlit afternoon.

In height he was rather over six feet, and so excessively lean that he seemed to be considerably taller. His eyes were sharp and piercing Watson or Bella?

His face flushed and darkened. His brows were drawn into two hard black lines, while his eyes shone out from beneath them with a steely glitter. 

An instant later he pulled me back into the blackest corner of the room, and I felt his warning hand upon my lips. The fingers which clutched me were shivering.

It was worth a wound—it was worth many wounds—to know the depth of loyalty and love which lay behind that cold mask. The clear, hard eyes were dimmed for a moment, and the firm lips were shaking. 

ANSWERS UNDER THE CUT

Question 1 - Watson

With his long, white, nervous fingers he adjusted the delicate needle, and rolled back his left shirt-cuff.

Question 2 - Bella

I glanced sideways at the beautiful boy, who was looking at his tray now, picking a bagel to pieces with long, pale fingers

Question 3 - Watson His nostrils seemed to dilate with a purely animal lust for the chase

Question 4 - Bella His eyes were gloriously intense as he uttered that last sentence

Question 5 - Bella

I turned and he was leaning toward me, his pale, glorious face just inches from mine.

Question 6 - Bella

In the darkness he looked much more normal. Still pale, still dreamlike in his beauty, but no longer the fantastic sparkling creature of our sunlit afternoon

Question 7 - Watson

In height he was rather over six feet, and so excessively lean that he seemed to be considerably taller. His eyes were sharp and piercing

Question 8 - Watson

His face flushed and darkened. His brows were drawn into two hard black lines, while his eyes shone out from beneath them with a steely glitter. 

Question 9 - Watson

An instant later he pulled me back into the blackest corner of the room, and I felt his warning hand upon my lips. The fingers which clutched me were shivering.

Question 10 - Yup, still Watson

It was worth a wound—it was worth many wounds—to know the depth of loyalty and love which lay behind that cold mask. The clear, hard eyes were dimmed for a moment, and the firm lips were shaking. 

[princesidonfan]

"You OUTWIT Sherlock Holmes? You outwit Sherlock Holmes in front of the King of Bohemia?! Oh! Oh, great respect for Ms Adler! Great respect for Ms Adler for One Thousand Years!!!!"

[princesidonfan]

I am currently accepting pet portrait commissions! You can find my prices, terms and order form on my website: kirsimagi.art/commissions

[princesidonfan]

Once again asking for more underrated critters that need more attention 🙏

NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT JACANAS!!!

Northern Jacana (Jacana spinosa), father with chick, family Jacanidae, order Charadriiformes, Mexico

In this photo, the yellow bone spur on the wing is visible. They use these to defend their chicks and themselves.

photograph by Juan Miguel Artigas Azas

Bronze-winged Jacana (Metopidius indicus), father with chicks, family Jacanidae, India

photograph by @samim_wildlife

Pheasant-tailed Jacanas (Hydrophasianus chirurgus), males getting spicy w/ each other, family Jacanidae, Bankura, India

photograph by samars_wildlife

[princesidonfan]

Bertie and Jeeves in a style that I aimed to be shojo manga.

What I liked in the TV series was the fond, slightly exasperated looks the two of them share, as if exchanging an inside joke nonverbally.

I’ve been listening to “Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves” read by Martin Jarvis. While Jonathan Cecil is my favorite reader of the Jeeves series, Mr Jarvis’ portrayal of Jeeves is suave and handsome. I’m all for a suave and handsome Jeeves. (Though an older, avuncular Jeeves herding the well-meaning but often hapless Bertie adds a charming layer to their dynamic.) I wouldn’t mind hearing Jarvis-Jeeves quote poem after poem under the moonlight, much like he does to Bertie in “Joy in the Morning.”

[princesidonfan]

Fluffy bumble bee with butterfly bush

Buff-tailed Bumble Bee (Bombus terrestris)

[princesidonfan]

Tall fish man

[princesidonfan]

Goodnight.

[princesidonfan]

Winter morning light.

Kyoto, Japan.