#Imperial Family

[empress-alexandra]

Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia of Russia, 1914.

[adini-nikolaevna]

“It is truly impossible to imagine anything more perfect than this imperial family together. The Emperor, Empress and their children could be characters from some fairy tale!”

—Comtesse Dorothea de Ficquelmont on the family of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia.

[kuroneko1815]

Coming of age talks

Because of all the coming of age talk, I remember something I wrote for @eloise175 about a conversation between the Imperial family about their coming of ages. Based on her version of the Imperial family’s composition. I just decided to expound on this.

As Judith’s coming of age drew closer, or rather, as the year turned and she had reached the midpoint of her seventeenth year, the preparation began in earnest. This was a day that her parents had been planning on since her birth. On her father’s part, it was one filled with dread and grudging acceptance that she was no longer the baby he carried around every where.

For her mother, it was a reminder that the years had turned and was another milestone for her to mark the passing of years and her eldest child’s life. A life that her parents had sworn would be nothing like what they had lived through. It was much in the same way her parents had begun to plan for all of the milestones of each of their children practically since birth. A golden and flowery life mapped out for them, filled with nothing but love and laughter.

During one particular dinner, the topic turned to their parents own respective coming of age celebrations. There was a long pause from their Mama and Servant. The two shared a look with one another.

Servant coughed. “Well, I didn’t have the traditional coming of age ceremony. We were at war and I came of age on the battlefield, and to celebrate it, I burned an entire capital city to the ground after they refused to yield. And then my men plied me with lots of alcohol and tried to send some camp followers my way.” He said, reminiscing the past.

“Oh really? You never told me that last part.” Mama said with a bite in her tone.

“Well, nothing happened. I made it clear that I’d cut up any woman that tried to follow me to my tent.”

There was a silence throughout the dining room table as the children looked at their father in disbelief and with quite a lot of dubiousness, still unwilling to believe their father’s old reputation. “And what about you, Mama?” Rigel asked innocently.

“I heard it was so beautiful.” Judith said in a whisper.

“I heard it was memorable for an incident.” Kayden replied.

“Oh, what incident?” Dante, ever the troublemaker asked.

Eden looked on in curiosity. “Was it something bad?”

Their mother bit her lip. “Well, it was a lovely ceremony. I wore a dress your father gifted to me, but we had quarrelled before that and were on a break so I really didn’t want him to attend the ceremony, he still came, of course. But I tried to hurry him along so that I wouldn’t have to talk to him. And the incident was due to the demon Laila that crashed the event.”

“Oh…” The children all said.

Their father snorted. “On a break?”

And then he continued on. “You left out a lot of details, love. Like how you rejected my marriage proposal, which was, now that I think back on it, utterly ridiculous and I couldn’t fault you for it. Broke up with me. And… the grand prize of it all, you got poisoned and nearly died in my arms, and was in a state of life or death for days on end.”

The children all turned to their mother in horror as if to reassure themselves that she was really here and alive. That their beloved Mama was alright after such an ordeal.

Their Mama glared at Servant. “Well, I wasn’t going to tell them that!”

And then she turned to them with a smile. “Don’t worry, sweethearts.” Mama said. “Nothing like that will happen on your birthdays.”

“Yes, you’ll all have celebrations that would be talked about for years.” Servant said.

-

-

On Crown Princess Judith’s birthday, the celebration was exceptionally exquisite. There could be no fault found in anything. And it was clear that the Imperial family had not scrimped on any aspect of the celebration.

The former Duke cried on as he toasted his eldest granddaughter’s entry into adulthood with wistful cheer, only occasionally ranting about the wretched Emperor who had tricked his beloved daughter into marriage. The Emperor took it all in stride, turning it all back to remind them that the Empress had happily chosen him and had been the reason why a wedding needed to be planned in haste.

At the end of the celebration, a marvellous cake was brought out, layers upon layers towering over everyone. Just as the Crown Princess was about to cut a small piece of it. Her twin siblings who had been elbowing one another had accidentally pushed each other two hard and Dante careened forward into the base of the cake, toppling it over and nearly killing people as they all scrambled away from the giant mass of sweet confection.

The Imperial couple could only look on with a sigh that turned into a small giggle.

-

-

On Prince Kayden’s coming of age, a winter storm came out of nowhere and had trapped everyone within the palace. Fortunately, they were able to accommodate everyone within its halls, with great difficulty. The Emperor had decided to ply everyone with alcohol to ensure they would have a good time.

If a few people snuck off somewhere only to be hastily married a few weeks later and a few children were born nine months after the Prince’s coming of age, well… wasn’t that all a coincidence?

-

-

During the twins’ birthday, Prince Dante and Princess Eden had, with their first bit of alcohol secretly given to them earlier in the day by their Uncle Reynold, decided to challenge one another to a drinking contest. Normal people would have died by the quantities they’d imbibed in but they were dragon blooded, it was no more than a buzz for them.

If they were a bit chatty, then there was nothing wrong with that. If they were a wee bit too friendly, that was fine too. And then came the toasts and more alcohol in their cups. The hotheaded twins had then gotten it into their mind to challenge each other with displays of magic and had, as a result, nearly burned down the palace with a bout of pyromania.

The Empress wasn’t amused, the Emperor was merely angry that he hadn’t been the one to give the twins their first sip of alcohol as he’d done for Judith and Kadyen. Lord Reynold Eckhart, was subsequently banned from the Imperial palace for two months, and was sent away by his brother and father to some remote property to repent and reflect on his actions.

He came back exactly two months later with a baby that no one could account for (not even him because he’d been drunk), and a donkey. (The baby was subsequently returned to it’s birth parents and he was sent to another place to reflect and repent once more, the donkey came with him).

-

-

Penelope had been truly dedicated in the idea that nothing, absolutely nothing, would go wrong for her baby boy’s birthday. All of her older children had mishaps on their coming of age ceremonies, but she swore that Rigel wouldn’t have any such thing happen. This was her last chance at throwing a flawless celebration.

And it would have been perfect, had not the Prince in question been a mage with a particular affinity to animals. And as though to celebrate with them, the animals all came in, storming the celebration hall at his call and had cuddled him, nuzzling into his side.

The Empress could only smile serenely as the onlookers looked on in disbelief. Yes, of course, she gave up. This was something that would happen. It almost seemed as though their family was cursed.

“Cheer up, Love.” Callisto told her. “At least people will remember and talk about it for years to come. Well, talk about all of their celebrations, not just this one.”

[waaanderingluna]

🥀 𝖁𝖎𝖑𝖑𝖆𝖎𝖓𝖘 𝕬𝖗𝖊 𝕯𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖊𝖉 𝖙𝖔 𝕯𝖎𝖊

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《𝚆𝙴𝙱𝙽𝙾𝚅𝙴𝙻》

[emaadsidiki]

Japanese Azaleas ❁ཻུ۪✾⚘༉ (Rhododendron Japonicum)

[starwarsgirl198]

@feel-the-fire had drawn these two drawings a while back of our OTP for Star Wars...well, our main one xD ....Yes, I do pair Kalene with Palpatine in an storyline that I am doing with @feel-the-fire and if you do not like it, then ignore it and move on. That’s what we do, don’t want no shit, won’t start no shit unless you do it first.

[postcard-from-the-past]

Female line of the German Imperial Family

German vintage postcard from 1916

[thepastisalreadywritten]

By Justin McCurry in Osaka

1 Apr 2024

1 April 2024

[serpentartist]

I'm starting to draw official arts 🎉✨

Good luck to me 🥲

Also let's welcome the apostates from the ideology God - Lucifer with his wife and Reficul!

[redsamuraiii]

Princess Kako of Akishino, the Symbol of Hope in Japan

In 2021, Princess Mako of Japan – now simply known as Mrs Mako Komuro – stirred quite the controversy when she decided to marry a “commoner”, aka her university sweetheart. She gave up her imperial title and left the crown family.

While Mrs Komuro, 30, is now enjoying life like us common folk, her siblings are still obliged to fulfil their duties as part of the Japanese royal family. Princess Kako, 27, has now stepped into her sister’s shoes – and right into the limelight.

(Pic by South China Morning Post)

As the second daughter of the crown prince and crown princess of Japan, her highness has gained a massive following too. Princess Kako is not only adored for her beauty but also her inner grace and nobility.

According to Nippon.com, her natural grace has made her an important cultural asset to the nation and she is a symbol of hope to the Japanese people. As per Nippon.com, Princess Kako is also offering a breath of fresh air to the imperial household, while respecting and preserving its long-time traditions.

She loves figure skating and has impeccable fashion sense

Princess Kako is a figure skater and represented the Meiji-jingu Gaien Figure Skating Club back in 2007. She also joined the Spring Cup Figure Skating Competition held by the Japan Skating Federation and ranked top in the Shinjuku division.

The royal also has great taste in fashion. In her public debut, she wore a simple yet elegant long gown in baby pink. She then opted for a pale yellow dress with a matching headband during the New Year’s Poetry Reading (Utakai Hajime) – a famous cultural tradition done by Japan’s oldest family.

The royal sisters’ sartorial choices consist of modest silk dresses in pastel hues, often complemented by white gloves and, of course, matching headpieces.

She is also known for her independence

As part of the Japanese royal family, education is of the utmost importance for the princes and princesses. Princess Kako attended the prestigious Gakushuin University – the school of choice for the imperial family and spent a year there for her undergraduate degree. 

(Pic by South China Morning Post)

In 2017, as part of the university’s programme, she attended the University of Leeds in the UK and studied performing arts and psychology. She majored in psychology at International Christian University in Tokyo and wrote her thesis on the influence of memories and thoughts on people’s reading skills. 

She graduated in 2019 and announced that she won’t pursue further education, but instead will attend to the Japanese royal family’s official engagements.

Since her coming-of-age and assuming her official duties in 2014, Princess Kako has become a recognised face for the family’s official engagements. In 2019, she went on her first official solo trip overseas to Austria and Hungary and met with the heads of state in each country.

(Pic by My New Royals)

Princess Kako told the press during her coming-of-age event, “I believe I should perform each of the tasks I humbly receive with care and respect,” and even shared an insight about herself. “My biggest shortcoming is that I have a short fuse, just like my father. At home I often get into quarrels over minor things.”

She has also taken over activities and responsibilities from her older sister, Mako, as the honorary president of the Japan Tennis Association, and is working part-time at the Japanese Federation of the Deaf (JFD). Her duties include attending events like the national sign language competition for students to actively support the deaf community, reported The Asahi Shimbun.

(Pic by Kyodo News)

She is very close to Princess Mako and always wishes for her happiness

It’s no surprise that the two royal sisters are very close. Last year, on her birthday, we learned through Princess Kako’s aide that “she is happy that Mako could get married as she desired, and that she very much wishes her sister happiness in her new life”.

There was also that sweet farewell when former Princess Mako said goodbye to her sister before departing for New York. As seen in many pictures online, the two sisters cried and shared tender hugs that show their strong bond as siblings.

While Princess Kako’s romantic status remains a mystery to the public, she has told the press before that she’d like to eventually tie the knot and characterised her ideal partner as “someone I can feel relaxed around”. 

Original Source : SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

[empress-alexandra]

Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia (Princess Dagmar of Denmark), mother of the last Russian Tsar, early 1880s.

[onigiriforears]

日本の歴史366 Day 56

2月25日 Summary:

At the age of 12, Fujiwara no Shoushi (also known as Empress Shoushi) was forced by her father, Fujiwara no Michinaga to enter Emperor Ichijou's harem. Her father's goal was to marry her into the Imperial Family as a means to expand the power and influence that he could wield--having the Imperial Family as backing makes one substantially more powerful. Due to her father's influence, she quickly rose to the position of a concurrent second Empress (or 中宮, Chuuguu). Both of her sons went on to become Emperors, eventually allowing her to hold both the titles of Empress Dowager and Grand Empress Dowager.

One of Empress Shoushi's court ladies was Murasaki Shikibu, the author of the Tale of Genji. Murasaki is absolutely iconic for using her job to write irl fic--I feel the pressing need to go look up current royal family fic on ao3 to see what I'll come across. Icon...truly ahead of the times because the Tale of Genji is considered a classic text. The Tale of Genji also helped to strengthen Empress Shoushi's base of power since the author was her lady-in-waiting.

Vocab beneath the break:

藤原彰子 ふじわらのしょうし Fujiwara no Shoushi (Empress Shoushi, second wife of Emperor Ichijou); daughter of Fujiwara no Michinaga

中宮 ちゅうぐう emperor's second consort; second Empress [there are more meanings, but in this context, it's specifically referring to her being the Emperor's second Empress]

正妻 せいさい legal wife; lawful wife

皇后 こうごう (Japanese) empress; queen; empress consort

藤原道長 ふじわらのみちなが Fujiwara no Michinaga (Japanese statesman, Fujiwara clan reached its height of success under his rule; regent; father of Empress Shoushi)

娘 むすめ daughter

無理やり むりやり forcibly; against one's will

一条天皇 いちじょうてんおう Emperor Ichijou (66th Emperor of Japan)

もともと originally; from the start; from the beginning; from the outset; by nature​

藤原定子 ふじわらのていし Fujiwara no Teishi (Empress Teishi, first wife of Emperor Ichijou); daughter of Fujiwara no Michitaka; also known as Sadako

妻 つま wife

存在 そんざい existence; being; presence

源氏物語 げんじものがたり The Tale of Genji (Heian-period classic)

紫式部 むらさきしきぶ Murasaki Shikibu (978-1016) (author of the Genji Monogatari) [lady-in-waiting/court lady of Empress Shoushi]

歌人 かじん poet (of tanka poems)

有名 ゆうめい famous; notable

和泉式部 いずみしきぶ Izumi Shikibu; was a mid-Heian period Japanese poet [lady-in-waiting/court lady of Empress Shoushi]

従える したがえる to be accompanied by; to be attended by; to take along (someone)

歴とした れっきとした accepted; fully-fledged; clear; respectable

どうしても by all means; at any cost; no matter what; whether (one is) willing or not

以前 いぜん ago; since; before; previous

強引ごういん overbearing; coercive; pushy; forcible; high-handed

利用 りよう use; utilization; application

どうか please; if you would; would you mind

争う あらそう to quarrel; to argue; to dispute; to be at variance; to oppose; to compete; to contend

[ukdamo]

Today's Flickr photo with the most hits: this colourised frieze of the Imperial family - it decorates the Ara Pacis of Augustus, in Rome.

Prominent in this section: Agrippa (head covered with his toga) and Livia, in the purple stola.

[waaanderingluna]

🥀 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕿𝖞𝖗𝖆𝖓𝖙 𝖂𝖆𝖓𝖙𝖘 𝖙𝖔 𝕭𝖊 𝕲𝖔𝖔𝖉

[emaadsidiki]

Azalea (Rhododendron) blooming at Ninomaru Garden