#Beauty Ojims

[blackjohnjay]

Black John Jay

"Black Beauty"

@popularlosers

The New Solo Album

Dropping 2023

14 Tracks

12th Dynasty

1. "Faith" (Produced By The Ummah)

2. "Lucky" (Produced By Kevin Thomas)

3. "Translation" (Produced By B Classic)

4. "Black Gold" (Produced By B Classic)

5. "Anything" (Produced By Keltronix)

6. "True Indeed" (Produced By Keltronix)

7. "Black Beauty" (Produced By B Classic)

8. "Flowers" (Produced By Keltronix)

9. "The Black & The Brave" (Produced By Keltronix)

10. "The African Way" (Produced By Keltronix)

11. "Sunny Slope" (Produced By Keltronix)

12. "Ojims" (Produced By B Classic)

13. "Pasadena In The House" (Produced By Keltronix)

14. "M.U.M." (Produced By Keltronix)

[newfashionlove]

Careful, it's beautiful. inro — Japanese boxes for storing small items. they exist because traditional clothes often lack pockets. most often they come complete with an ojime — a carved bead and a netsuke — a sculptural keychain. Over time, they have turned from purely utilitarian objects into objects of high art and amazing craftsmanship.

[seaphoam-writes]

A Father's Duty (15/?)

A Father's Duty on AO3

Summary: An encounter with a quantum fissure leaves Picard with more responsibility than he asked for, but he'll do what he always does—his duty.

Chapter 15

Initially, Picard suggested that they wait until morning to speak with Data. Morning, he reasoned, is a more appropriate time for a visit.

(In the morning, Picard may have gathered the courage to plunge into yet another emotionally fraught situation.)

Furthermore, the events of the evening had exhausted them both, and a few more hours’ sleep would certainly aid their recovery, mental and physical.

Louis didn’t argue. He just…set his jaw in an unnervingly familiar way, and Picard knew then that there was no point wasting any more of his time trying to persuade him. So, he concedes, though he does insist that Louis eat something before they go, citing Beverly’s orders from earlier in the event that there’s any sort of protest—there isn’t, and after a quick call to Data to confirm that he’s both awake and available, Picard sets Louis up at the dining table with a hot ham and cheese sandwich.

Not hungry himself, Picard merely sits and watches Louis eat, noting with amusement the continued use of a knife and fork for a food most people would eat with their hands. He considers having some tea, but he’s already wide awake, the lull he’d felt with Beverly present dissipated and seeming much more like a beautiful dream than reality.

Had he been drunk?

A trifle tipsy, perhaps. He doesn’t drink often. The whiskey must have gone straight to his head; there’s a ragged ache in his temples, though it could just as easily be from lack of sleep.

He regards Louis sidelong. He appears somewhat recuperated, still pale but devouring the sandwich with an enthusiasm that puts Picard’s mind at ease—and yet, his heart squeezes at the memory of Louis in the grips of a panic attack, how small and fragile and wrung out he’d been afterwards.

His worry surges forth all over again. Why the sudden urgency to see Data? What does Louis want or need from him at 0100 hours?

Picard promised Louis they’d face moments like these together, but he fears he doesn’t have the tools to do so; he barely understands the significance of the incident from earlier. He doubts Louis understands—

A thought strikes him.

“Louis,” he says.

Louis freezes, eyes wide and wary, his fork hovering halfway to his mouth. Picard mentally admonishes himself to be careful how he uses the boy’s name in French, lest Louis think he only uses it that way in tense situations.

(Occasionally, someone will say his name with the same inflection his father always used whenever he was about to get in trouble, and to this day it still turns his knees to water.)

“Louis,” he says again, softer, allowing a note of curiosity into his voice. “Has what happened today happened before?”

Louis lowers his fork back to his plate. “Yes.”

“More than once?”

“Twice.”

Picard waits, wanting—needing—to know when and why but uncertain how to ask. Fortunately, Louis continues unprompted.

“It happened once the first time the Borg found us after—” He pauses, clearly shying away from something.

“After you escaped the Enterprise,” Picard offers.

Louis nods. “Oui. After we escaped the Enterprise.”

The twist of guilt inside of him is sharp, but Picard forces himself to ask, “When was the second time it happened?”

“When the Borg attacked the Phoenix.”

Picard’s stomach sinks. “What happened?”

“Data and I got away.”

“And the Phoenix?”

Louis is staring at his plate. “Gone,” he whispers.

Picard takes a deep breath, lets it out slowly. “When was this?”

“A few weeks ago.”

So recent. The friends he mentioned, Jeremy and Ojim…

How many relationships, however brief, did Louis leave behind every time he and Data fled the Borg? How many of the people that sheltered him, perhaps even cared for or loved him, are dead?

Data is only the latest in a long line of—

Apprehension dawns.

“You miss Data,” Picard says.

Louis’s plaintive expression is answer enough. He had avoided looking at Data in sickbay. Deanna had said he felt angry and betrayed by Data. Picard had assumed a reconciliation would be difficult—and perhaps it would have, if not for Louis seeing Will, for confronting a ghost from his past and realizing…

Realizing that being angry at Data isn’t worth the pain of losing him entirely.

“I don’t want him to be dead.”

Picard looks at the scanty remains of Louis’s meal. “Are you finished eating?” When Louis nods, Picard stands. “Allons-y. Let’s go.”

-/-

Data answers his door immediately after it chimes, as if he’d been standing on the other side waiting for them.

(Which could quite literally be the case.)

“Good evening, Captain,” Data greets.

“Good evening, Data,” Picard replies. “Thank you for letting us come by.”

“Of course. Please, come in.” Data moves aside so they may enter his quarters, then he turns to Louis. “Bonsoir, Lou—”

“No,” Louis says firmly. “You are not my Data.”

There’s a ringing note of…of anger in Louis’s voice that catches Picard by surprise, but in his moment of hesitation—how should he react? Should he react? —it’s Data who responds.

“I see,” he says to Louis. “So, you do not wish for me to speak to you in French, as my counterpart did?”

“No. I know you’re not him. I don’t want you to try to be him.”

“Then I will speak to you only in English.”

That seems to satisfy Louis. He and Data nod at each other, their gazes locked, lingering. Then, Data tilts his head.

“I am glad you came to visit me. Given the late hour, however…” He glances at Picard. “I must assume that there is a specific reason you wanted to come see me.”

Will Louis mention his panic attack? Data must have been the one to comfort him after his previous panic attacks; perhaps Louis wants his comfort now, as well.

(Picard experiences a twinge of jealousy that he tells himself is not appropriate and quickly buries.)

But Louis’s shoulders hunch and his fists clench. “I didn’t want him to send me here alone!” he bursts. “I didn’t want him to die!”

“I know that,” Data says calmly. “My counterpart—your Data—knew that.”

“Then why isn’t he here?”

“He never intended to make the journey here with you. He understood that the existence of two Datas in the same quantum reality carried risks, and so he chose to sacrifice himself in order to close the rift and prevent the Borg from following you here. He judged it more important for you to be safe in this quantum reality than dead in yours.”

Louis goes rigid but makes no reply.

“I can see that you are still angry,” Data observes.

“Not at you,” Louis says.

“Nevertheless, you wish to strike me.”

Despite the fire in Louis’s eyes, his voice is astonishingly even. “Yes.”

“You know that if you do that, you will hurt yourself more than you hurt me. Moreover, you understand that I can not actually be harmed.”

“Yes.”

Picard’s poised to intervene—he condones physical violence only when it’s necessary, and in this instance he believes it to be decidedly unnecessary. Data either anticipates his response or catches him with his mouth hanging open, and says, “Captain, do you trust me?”

Picard blinks, brought up short. “Yes, Data, of course.”

“Will you allow me to do something that may at first seem…unorthodox?”

“Yes, Data.”

“Thank you, Captain.” Data disappears around the corner and returns holding a large, thick pillow. He stops in front of Louis, and grips the pillow firmly in front of his abdomen. To Louis, he says, “Please, proceed.”

Louis takes a step forward and delivers a sound blow to the pillow.

Data’s concerns were unnecessary; Picard is not unfamiliar with this manner of dealing with anger. As a boy, he had similar outbursts. He quickly learned to keep them private, however, and as he matured he discovered how to channel those emotions somewhat more constructively.

While Picard watches, Louis strikes the pillow several more times, ferociously and with all the might his small body can muster. Eventually his attacks become a flurry, uncoordinated, gradually weakening, and finally with a sob he turns and hurtles himself full-body into Picard’s side; arms wrapped around Picard’s waist, Louis buries his face against Picard’s hip.

For an interminably long amount of time, Louis holds completely still, then his body gives a shudder and sags. Delicately, Picard puts his arms around Louis’s shoulders, lifts one hand to the back of Louis’s head and cups it, fingers working slowly and gently through his hair.

“Do you feel better?” he asks quietly.

Louis nods into his hip.

“Are you still angry?” Data prompts.

Louis takes a deep breath, his fingers tighten in Picard’s shirt—but he shakes his head, then turns it. “I’m going to miss him.”

“He is not truly gone,” Data assures him. “We are technically identical, and I do possess all his memories. Having said that, we are also…different. I hope that, in time, you will get to know me, and you and I can become friends.”

Louis swallows, nods. “Okay.”

Picard holds him, waits for some indication that he either has more to say or is ready to go, but the boy’s apparently content to remain right where he is, so Picard runs his fingers through Louis’s hair once more and says, “It’s late. We should return to our quarters and go to bed.”

Picard, personally, would like to sleep.

“Captain,” Data says. “Before you leave, there is something I would like to give to Louis.” He walks away again, and this time he returns with a small, rolled-up bundle. “Here. Your Data wanted me to make sure that you received this.”

Data passes the bundle to Louis and Louis takes it into his hands very carefully. It unrolls a bit, and Picard spies a black and white pattern on the inside surface of the mat—it’s a piano, he realizes, the flat one Louis was playing in the video Picard watched.

“Both of your parents would have wanted you to keep playing,” Data says.

“What if I don’t want to?” Louis asks quietly, gazing at the rolled-up piano with sad eyes.

Data opens his mouth, but Picard speaks first. “That’s your choice,” he tells Louis. “It’s up to you whether you want to play again or not. But we should take that back to quarters with us regardless and keep it somewhere safe.”

Much as he wants to, he doesn’t add that he would love to hear Louis play some day, love for him to continue with music and keep his mother and her legacy alive. Louis will have to decide for himself. Picard won’t coerce him.

“Okay,” Louis murmurs.

“Would you like me to carry it for you?” Picard asks.

“No,” Louis says quickly, tucking it against his chest and turning for the door. “I can carry it.”

That, Picard thinks, is a good sign.

[akumanoken]

A beautifully intricate inro with a crane pattern is waiting for Souji, along with a rabbit ojime, carved out of a gorgeous pearl. Someone is spending a pretty penny on our black-haired boy! But who could it be??

"So beautiful!!" He had never seen such a thing before Just gazing at the inro and ojime made him blush all over. "I'm... speechless. who in the world did this.... for me???"

[cooperhewitt]

Turtles All the Way Down

Turtle-shaped and strung with carved toggles and cord, this object instantly piques the curiosity of the viewer. The diminutive lacquered wood sculpture is, in fact, a Japanese container, referred to as an inrō, which is composed of separate compartments and held together with a cord. These small containers were often used as medicine boxes, containing pills or powders, but could also hold confections, tobacco or other sundries, since the kimono, the traditional Japanese costume worn by all classes, does not have any pockets. The larger ornament at the end of the cords, called the netsuke, is used to attach the inrō to the obi (sash), worn around the waist of the kimono-wearer, and the smaller toggle, called the ojime, is used to tighten or loosen the cords to allow for access to the items held inside the inrō. By the 18th century, inrō became fashionable accessories, and those affluent enough could afford to collect a number of them to match any occasion.[1]

This particular inrō has been charmingly carved into the shape of a turtle, as are the accompanying ojime and netsuke. The use of the turtle as subject matter for inrōs and netsukes is not uncommon, and the imagery of the turtle has long existed in the cultural heritage of Japan – drawing from Chinese influence, the Black Tortoise is one of four supernatural animals who represent the Four Quarters of the Universe. However, the symbolism of the turtle has continued to develop in a uniquely Japanese sense: according to ancient lore, the sacred mountain, Hōraizan (known to be the Abode of the Immortals), is believed to stand on the back of a tortoise, in a supportive act. However, when seen with a crane, the turtle conveys the idea of long life, as the two creatures, known as Tsuru to Kame, often feature in myths and artwork together as the attributes of the god of longevity, Fukurokujiu. The tortoise is also an attribute of Kompira, a special deity of fishermen – if the devout happen to catch a turtle, they must return it to the sea after writing on its shell “attendant of Kompira,” and giving it a sip of sake.[2]

In any way the turtle is interpreted – as an emblem of support, a symbol of longevity, or even a sign from a protective sea god, this inrō, ojime, and netsuke embody the union of practicality and a symbolic beauty that Japanese art and design so often employ.

  Jenny Shin is a Curatorial intern in the Product Design and Decorative Arts Department at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, and is a 2017-2018 Hunter Mellon Arts Fellow.

  [1] Albert Brockhous, Netsukes (New York: Duffield & Company, 1924), 10.

[2] Katherine M. Ball, Animal Motifs in Asian Art: An Illustrated Guide to Their Meanings and Aesthetics (Mineola: Dover Publications, Inc., 1927), 41-51.

from Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum https://ift.tt/2uc04ly via IFTTT

[opticallyaddicted]

The Beautiful Intricacy of Mammoth Tusk Netsuke and fine sculptures by Natasha Popova

Natasha has worked for many years honing her skills, to carve, stain and lacquer these amazing Japanese style Netsuke made from mammoth tusks.

A Netsuke is a small sculptural object which has gradually developed in Japan over a period of more than three hundred years. Netsuke (singular and plural) initially served both functional and aesthetic purposes. The traditional form of Japanese dress, the kimono, had no pockets. International Netsuke Society - FAQwww.netsuke.org/page-1125375

Netsuke, like the inrō and ojime, evolved over time from being strictly utilitarian into objects of great artistic merit and an expression of extraordinary craftsmanship. Such objects have a long history reflecting the important aspects of Japanese folklore and life. Netsuke production was most popular during the Edo period in Japan, around 1615–1868. Today, the art lives on, and some modern works can command high prices in the UK, Europe, the USA, Japan and elsewhere. Inexpensive yet faithful reproductions are available in museums and souvenir shops.

Okimono, small and purely decorative sculptures, were often made by the same artists who produced netsuke. Wikipedia

Further Information www.natashapopova.com http://forum.netsuke.org.ru/ http://www.thecarvingpath.net/forum/

http://forums.netsuke.org/viewtopic.php?t=7831860

[blackjohnjay]

Black John Jay

"Black Beauty"

@popularlosers

The New Solo Album

Dropping 2023

14 Tracks

12th Dynasty

1. "Faith" (Produced By The Ummah)

2. "Lucky" (Produced By Kevin Thomas)

3. "Translation" (Produced By B Classic)

4. "Black Gold" (Produced By B Classic)

5. "Anything" (Produced By Keltronix)

6. "True Indeed" (Produced By Keltronix)

7. "Black Beauty" (Produced By B Classic)

8. "Flowers" (Produced By Keltronix)

9. "The Black & The Brave" (Produced By Keltronix)

10. "The African Way" (Produced By Keltronix)

11. "Sunny Slope" (Produced By Keltronix)

12. "Ojims" (Produced By B Classic)

13. "Pasadena In The House" (Produced By Keltronix)

14. "M.U.M." (Produced By Keltronix)

https://www.instagram.com/12thdynasty/

[blackjohnjay]

Black John Jay

"Black Beauty"

@popularlosers

The New Solo Album

Dropping 2023

14 Tracks

12th Dynasty

1. "Faith" (Produced By The Ummah)

2. "Lucky" (Produced By Kevin Thomas)

3. "Translation" (Produced By B Classic)

4. "Black Gold" (Produced By B Classic)

5. "Anything" (Produced By Keltronix)

6. "True Indeed" (Produced By Keltronix)

7. "Black Beauty" (Produced By B Classic)

8. "Flowers" (Produced By Keltronix)

9. "The Black & The Brave" (Produced By Keltronix)

10. "The African Way" (Produced By Keltronix)

11. "Sunny Slope" (Produced By Keltronix)

12. "Ojims" (Produced By B Classic)

13. "Pasadena In The House" (Produced By Keltronix)

14. "M.U.M." (Produced By Keltronix)

https://www.instagram.com/12thdynasty/

[blackjohnjay]

Black John Jay @PopularLosers

"Black Beauty"

The New Solo Album.

Dropping 2024.

12th Dynasty.

[blackjohnjay]

Black John Jay

"Black Beauty"

@popularlosers

The New Solo Album

Dropping 2024

14 Tracks

12th Dynasty

1. "Faith" (Produced By The Ummah)

2. "Lucky" (Produced By Kevin Thomas)

3. "Translation" (Produced By B Classic)

4. "Black Gold" (Produced By B Classic)

5. "Anything" (Produced By Keltronix)

6. "True Indeed" (Produced By Keltronix)

7. "Black Beauty" (Produced By B Classic)

8. "Flowers" (Produced By Keltronix)

9. "The Black & The Brave" (Produced By Keltronix)

10. "The African Way" (Produced By Keltronix)

11. "Sunny Slope" (Produced By Keltronix)

12. "Ojims" (Produced By B Classic)

13. "Pasadena In The House" (Produced By Keltronix)

14. "M.U.M." (Produced By Keltronix)

[blackjohnjay]

Black John Jay

"Black Beauty"

@popularlosers

The New Solo Album

Dropping 2023

14 Tracks

12th Dynasty

1. "Faith" (Produced By The Ummah)

2. "Lucky" (Produced By Kevin Thomas)

3. "Translation" (Produced By B Classic)

4. "Black Gold" (Produced By B Classic)

5. "Anything" (Produced By Keltronix)

6. "True Indeed" (Produced By Keltronix)

7. "Black Beauty" (Produced By B Classic)

8. "Flowers" (Produced By Keltronix)

9. "The Black & The Brave" (Produced By Keltronix)

10. "The African Way" (Produced By Keltronix)

11. "Sunny Slope" (Produced By Keltronix)

12. "Ojims" (Produced By B Classic)

13. "Pasadena In The House" (Produced By Keltronix)

14. "M.U.M." (Produced By Keltronix)

https://www.instagram.com/12thdynasty/

[blackjohnjay]

Black John Jay

"Black Beauty"

@popularlosers

The New Solo Album

Dropping 2023

14 Tracks

12th Dynasty

1. "Faith" (Produced By The Ummah)

2. "Lucky" (Produced By Kevin Thomas)

3. "Translation" (Produced By B Classic)

4. "Black Gold" (Produced By B Classic)

5. "Anything" (Produced By Keltronix)

6. "True Indeed" (Produced By Keltronix)

7. "Black Beauty" (Produced By B Classic)

8. "Flowers" (Produced By Keltronix)

9. "The Black & The Brave" (Produced By Keltronix)

10. "The African Way" (Produced By Keltronix)

11. "Sunny Slope" (Produced By Keltronix)

12. "Ojims" (Produced By B Classic)

13. "Pasadena In The House" (Produced By Keltronix)

14. "M.U.M." (Produced By Keltronix)

https://www.instagram.com/12thdynasty/

[blackjohnjay]

Black John Jay

"Black Beauty"

@popularlosers

The New Solo Album

Dropping 2023

14 Tracks

12th Dynasty

1. "Faith" (Produced By The Ummah)

2. "Lucky" (Produced By Kevin Thomas)

3. "Translation" (Produced By B Classic)

4. "Black Gold" (Produced By B Classic)

5. "Anything" (Produced By Keltronix)

6. "True Indeed" (Produced By Keltronix)

7. "Black Beauty" (Produced By B Classic)

8. "Flowers" (Produced By Keltronix)

9. "The Black & The Brave" (Produced By Keltronix)

10. "The African Way" (Produced By Keltronix)

11. "Sunny Slope" (Produced By Keltronix)

12. "Ojims" (Produced By B Classic)

13. "Pasadena In The House" (Produced By Keltronix)

14. "M.U.M." (Produced By Keltronix)

https://www.instagram.com/12thdynasty/

[blackjohnjay]

Black John Jay

"Black Beauty"

@popularlosers

The New Solo Album

Dropping 2023

14 Tracks

12th Dynasty

1. "Faith" (Produced By The Ummah)

2. "Lucky" (Produced By Kevin Thomas)

3. "Translation" (Produced By B Classic)

4. "Black Gold" (Produced By B Classic)

5. "Anything" (Produced By Keltronix)

6. "True Indeed" (Produced By Keltronix)

7. "Black Beauty" (Produced By B Classic)

8. "Flowers" (Produced By Keltronix)

9. "The Black & The Brave" (Produced By Keltronix)

10. "The African Way" (Produced By Keltronix)

11. "Sunny Slope" (Produced By Keltronix)

12. "Ojims" (Produced By B Classic)

13. "Pasadena In The House" (Produced By Keltronix)

14. "M.U.M." (Produced By Keltronix)

https://www.instagram.com/12thdynasty/

[blackjohnjay]

Black John Jay

"Black Beauty"

@popularlosers

The New Solo Album

Dropping 2023

14 Tracks

12th Dynasty

1. "Faith" (Produced By The Ummah)

2. "Lucky" (Produced By Kevin Thomas)

3. "Translation" (Produced By B Classic)

4. "Black Gold" (Produced By B Classic)

5. "Anything" (Produced By Keltronix)

6. "True Indeed" (Produced By Keltronix)

7. "Black Beauty" (Produced By B Classic)

8. "Flowers" (Produced By Keltronix)

9. "The Black & The Brave" (Produced By Keltronix)

10. "The African Way" (Produced By Keltronix)

11. "Sunny Slope" (Produced By Keltronix)

12. "Ojims" (Produced By B Classic)

13. "Pasadena In The House" (Produced By Keltronix)

14. "M.U.M." (Produced By Keltronix)

https://www.instagram.com/12thdynasty/

[blackjohnjay]

Black John Jay

"Black Beauty"

@popularlosers

The New Solo Album

Dropping 2023

14 Tracks

12th Dynasty

1. "Faith" (Produced By The Ummah)

2. "Lucky" (Produced By Kevin Thomas)

3. "Translation" (Produced By B Classic)

4. "Black Gold" (Produced By B Classic)

5. "Anything" (Produced By Keltronix)

6. "True Indeed" (Produced By Keltronix)

7. "Black Beauty" (Produced By B Classic)

8. "Flowers" (Produced By Keltronix)

9. "The Black & The Brave" (Produced By Keltronix)

10. "The African Way" (Produced By Keltronix)

11. "Sunny Slope" (Produced By Keltronix)

12. "Ojims" (Produced By B Classic)

13. "Pasadena In The House" (Produced By Keltronix)

14. "M.U.M." (Produced By Keltronix)

https://www.instagram.com/12thdynasty/