#Black Prince

[decaypepper]

Severus himself would not have started to braid his own hair, but Sirius had restless hands…

[shanks]

AkiZero

[zefiduu]

him. 

god I feel rusty

[writingwakanda]

Rest in power

[afewnovelideas]

Current succulent i'm babying. I had a tiny Black Prince echevaria that I had acquired last year, but it got really stretched out and I had to behead it. Over the last couple of months I've been using combination of water propogation and a semi-hydroponic set up using pure pumice stone to re-grow it. It's taken to this new system quite nicely. I may have to look into it for other propogations this year.

[sealedsanctuary]

霹靂 Pili · 黑衣劍少 Black Prince / Black Clad Swordsman

霹靂圖騰 Pili: Totem | 霹靂異數之龍圖霸業 Pili Anomalous: The Dragon Domination | 霹靂封靈島 Pili: Sealed Spirits Island | 霹靂兵燹 Pili: Military Conflagration

[awfullythoughtful]

[sixminutestoriesblog]

ruby

The glowing ruby shall adorn, Those who in July are born; Then they’ll be exempt and free From love’s doubts and anxiety. — Gregorian birthstone poem

In the middle and right at the forefront of the Crown of England is a giant polished red stone. It is called the Black Prince's Ruby - and some people say its cursed.

The stone's story starts in Iberian Peninsula, where legends says that it was owned by Abū Sa'īd, the last Sultan of Granada. Abū Sa'īd was at war with Don Pedro of Castile and finally agreed to surrender. When the two sides met to finalize the agreement however, Pedro lived up to his moniker of 'the Cruel' and murdered the off-guard sultan and his entire entourage. The blood red stone over two inches long was found on the dead ruler's body and Pedro took it as a a trophy. Bad luck came along for the ride. Shortly after the deed, in 1366 Pedro's rule was challenged by one of his brothers and he enlisted the help of the English Edward of Woodstock, a man otherwise known as the Black Prince. After the revolt was put down, Edward demanded Pedro's two daughters - and the stone, in exchange for his help. Within three years, Pedro was dead. Edward, heir to the English throne, didn't live long enough to even rule. After that, the blood stone disappeared until 1415 when Henry V wore it on his helmet in his war with France. He almost lost it, and his head along with it, to an axe blow during the battle of Agincourt. Richard III wasn't so lucky when he wore the same stone during the Battle of Bosworth, where he was killed. Despite that, the stone stayed in royal hands until Oliver Cromwell's rebellion where it disappeared for a time from the records. It showed back up again with Charles II in 1660 though and in 1838 it became the crowning jewel in Queen Victoria's coronation crown.

By then however, it wasn't considered a ruby anymore. In 1783, chemistry had advanced enough to differentiate between rubies and their look-alike, magnesium bearing spinels.

Since July's birthstone is the ruby, let's take a closer look at it before the month is over.

Rubies are considered the second most valuable jewel in the world, one of the Big Four, with the others being diamonds, sapphires and emeralds. They are second in hardness only to diamonds. Ancient sanskrit gave them the name ratnaraj, which means 'the king of jewels'. They have been mined in Myanmar since 2500 BC (or only 600 AD according to another site, though there are records of rubies traveling the North Silk Road from China as far back as 200 BC and they are mentioned in the Old Testament and the Torah so this is one of those wobbly 'facts'). Still, rubies that come from that part of the world are still considered the high standard today. In color, they can range from a red-purple to 'pigeon blood' red to orange or pink. Rubies are used in lasers, with the first one being built in 1960. Rubies from Greenland are said to be the oldest in the world, clocking in at 3 billion years old.

Impressive, isn't it? And anything with this much history, has to have stories that go with it. Let's talk superstition.

With such a rich, red color, of course rubies would be associated with blood. In Burma, India and China, rubies were placed in helmets, breastplates and weapon scabbards, with the belief that they would both protect their wearer and encourage bravery, strength and stamina. In Persia, the ruby granted mental clarity as well as divine power. The Chinese gave rubies to each other as good luck and protective charms. It was said that when evil approached a dark blot would appear on the surface of the red gem and when the darkness cleared away the evil had passed by. In India, wearing a ruby on the heart side of your body will allow you to live in peace. In many cultures, the rich, red color of rubies makes them symbolic of love and passion. Even today, tradition holds that rubies are the ideal gift to give for 15th and 40th wedding anniversaries. Folklore says that rubies help with bleeding, inflammation and body heat.

And, of course, Dorthy's shoes in the 1939 technicolor movie The Wizard of Oz were ruby slippers, which showed up against the yellow brick road much better than the simple silver shoes of the book by the same name would have.

[ancientorigins]

Edward the Black Prince was a legendary warrior, and never defeated in battle, yet his death meant he never fulfilled his destiny to become king. Instead, he died young of an undetermined illness. What malady could really have finished off this English hero?

[animemakeblog]

Quote #5

Anime: Code Geass

Character: Lelouch vi Britannia

"How about you pay me back for dragging me into your fight?"

[angievargas97]

Dont just normalize using black characters in fantasy... Normalize using black and African NAMES for those fantasy characters.

You're telling me names like:

Diearra

Alayla

Tavion

Quamel

Rashaad

Zaniya

Kumonga

Shanice

Rhasheeda

Etc.

Don't have an air of fantasy and royalty to them?! Stop the b.s. these names are gorgeous and they should be used more in fantasy mediums.

[rikke-reid-art]

Black Prince...Black Dragon...Hot -  Wrathion *-*

[afewnovelideas]

I'm so happy with my Black Prince succulent. I have been using them as an experiment regarding succlents and semi-hydroponic set up using pure pumice after starting them off with simple water propogation.

My baby Black Prince started off as barely the size of my thumbnail in diameter, and now look at them. They are really flourishing, which makes me happy. I wonder how big they might grow by the end of the summer/beginning of fall.

[sealedsanctuary]

霹靂異數之龍圖霸業 Pili Anomalous: The Dragon Domination · 2001 - White Prince & Black Prince

"Did you really gave up the sword to learn the blade?"

"Who said I gave up the sword? Soon after I will let you know."

"I will wait."

[casusbelligrey]

The black princess of England