#>Vienna

[eyluvu]

Started the percy jackson book series for the first time- then realised there's heroes of olympus and trials of apollo LMAO. Does anyone know if they are doing those in the tv show or just pjo?

[youangelheart]

I will be so insufferable once I've seen both Madeleine Hyland and David Tennant in their Shakespeare plays in October

[rainbowcrowley]

Dear Good Omens fandom! Do you want to celebrate the release of S3 together, in person, with some cool activities?

My dear friend @beccibarnes and my humble self started planning a little get-together in the city of Hamburg in Northern Germany.

It all started as a silly idea, but we kept going on, and now we want to make it real. We took heavy inspiration from Prague Omens and Prague Pirates (An OFMD fandom meeting) - two really cool events that have already taken place several times and were massive successes.

It will happen over the span of one weekend. All main activities are set for Saturday + Sunday, with some additional plans for folks who will be arriving on Friday afternoon/evening.

The main part of the event would be a biiig watch party - as in, booking a movie theatre just for us! - and we've already begun to contact several movie theatres in the city.

Besides that - we already have some other activities in mind, which could include, but are not limited to:

a tour through the city

a boat trip on the Elbe river

having lunch and/or dinner together, maybe even breakfast 👀

having a picnic, if the weather allows it

visiting a board game or cat café

belting out some tunes at a karaoke bar

visiting local exhibitions and sightseeing activities

We will keep it as budget friendly as possible, pinky promise!

The biggest problem is: We don't have a release date yet (thanks, amazon). That makes planning very difficult, not just for us - for you too. Second problem is: We have no idea, how many people to expect (if any, besides us). Therefore, we are asking you:

Now, some additional words about Hamburg, in case you've been wondering...

Hamburg is Germany's 2nd biggest (and also the best, but shhh) city. It's easily reachable by car, bus, train and plane. Our airport is comfortably placed right in the middle of the city and has lots of destinations from all over Europe. Hamburg also has train connections into every nook and cranny of Germany + direct connections to Prague, Vienna, Copenhagen and Basel. We also have a huge central bus station... so yeah. Lots of ways to reach the city.

We've also set up a Discord server - so come and join if you are interested and would like to follow our plans + updates.

Thanks for reading! Please reblog and share this post, we want to reach as many fellow Good Omens fans as possible. :)

[arminreindl]

Some recent croc encounter

Ive been on „vacation“ last week which honestly was mostly taking a friend to various zoos and aquariums across Austria, but that did lead me to getting to see a fair share of crocs in a fairly short time span.

Right on day 2 it was another meeting with Leila, the female Mecistops that resides in Viennas aquarium. This is now my second time seeing her and shes still a beauty.

A day later we visited the House of Nature museum in Salzburg, which had just opened its new reptile halls. As part of the makeover, which focused a lot on cohabitation and larger, natural exhibits, the museum had go part with its American Alligator that had simply become too large. While I did subsequently miss out on seeing it again after like two decades, they did get a new crocodilian in its place, a much more manageable dwarf crocodile.

The first room furthermore featured two skulls, one of a crocodile and one of a gharial, nicely highlighting the diversity of modern crocodilians. Downstairs in the dinosaur hall they also displayed the skeleton of Macrospondylus, but given how common fossils of that animal are I wont dwell on it beyond saying that its size was rather impressive.

Skipping ahead a few days brought us back to Salzburg, this time to the zoo just outside the city. While featuring nothing too large, the jaguar house still showcased a crocodilian, specifically a dwarf caiman. Alas, despite stopping by around 5 times, it was less cooperative in terms of posing than my previous two encounters. Still, the enclosure was quite nice and featured some cohabitation with basilisk lizards and bats (that I sadly couldn't find).

The last zoo of the week was in Schmieding in Upper Austria. Now when I was a kid they had a nile and, in the adjacent aquarium, some spectacled caimans. However nowadays they scaled down, having moved the caimans into the old nile crocodile pool in the rainforest house. Funny enough they were the only ones on the trip to have been on land, tho they were looking a little rough if truth be told.

And that was it in broad strokes. Some were certainly more exciting than others, Leila remains a stand out and the new Salzburg Osteolaemus was nice to see. Obviously the trips featured a lot of other interesting stuff from 9 meter sturgeon models in Bratislava to free roaming ringtail lemurs and stuffed rhinogrades in Salzburg and plenty more, but alas all four species encountered were animals I have seen before, so I don't get to cross anything off my list this time around.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: The Classical Period

The Classical Period of music - an era that lasted from approximately 1730 to 1820, although variations on it extended well into the middle of the 19th century.

Classical period composers and performers came from Europe, but it did not take long for the music to find its way to European colonies around the globe.

Many composers and musicians were based in the Austrian capital of Vienna, which was the musical center of Europe during the time period.

Musicologists and casual music fans use the general term "classical music" to describe the work of composers ranging from J.S. Bach to Igor Stravinsky to Philip Glass. The Classical period, though, is a specific era in music history that spanned much of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Characteristics of Classical Period Music

Important forms of the Classical period include the string quartet, opera (including opera buffa and opera seria), trio sonata, symphony (traditionally written in sonata form), string quartet, and solo concertos for a variety of instruments. These musical forms have several elements in common.

Simplicity: Compared to the Baroque period music that preceded it, Classical period music places greater emphasis on simplicity, tonal harmony, single-line melodies, and enlarged ensembles. Unlike the extravagant melodies and ornamentations of high Baroque music, the new style of music framed somewhat simple melodies and buttressed them with large ensembles. Melodies could be appropriated from folk music and arranged to produce musical development with various modulations in tonality, tempo, and dynamics. This trend would only expand during the Romantic period, which followed the Classical era.

Classicism: The beginning and middle of the eighteenth century showed a surge in a stylistic movement known as Classicism, whose adherents revered Classical antiquity, including the works of early fifth-century Greek artists and the architecture of Classical Greece. Admiration for the art of Classical antiquity manifested in the musical taste of the eighteenth-century Classical era. The standard musical forms that dominated the musical compositions of the Classical period aimed to embrace order, simplicity, strength, and a celebration of humanity—all of which aligned with a reverence for Classical Greece.

Increased accessibility: During the Classical period, many composers still worked in the courts of aristocrats, but public concerts were commonplace throughout Europe, which allowed members of the middle classes to partake in the musical forms. This made Classical era music somewhat more egalitarian than much of Baroque music, which was often presented as chamber music exclusively for upper-class audiences.

Instruments of the Classical Period

During the Classical period in music history, the piano overtook the harpsichord and organ as the primary keyboard instrument. Other musical instruments prominently featured in the new musical style included:

violin

viola

cello

double bass

flute

clarinet

oboe

bassoon

French horn

trumpet

trombone

timpani

Composers of the Classical Period

Vienna was the epicenter of European Classical music, and the composers who worked out of Vienna were sometimes referred to as members of the Viennese school.

Great composers of the Viennese school included Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Joseph Haydn, Franz Schubert, and Ludwig van Beethoven, all of whom are foundational to the Classical period of music (although Beethoven's later works are commonly linked to the Romantic era).

Other famous composers of the period included Johann Christian Bach, Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Antonio Salieri, and Muzio Clementi.

Classical era music followed the late Baroque period of music.

It maintained many styles of the Baroque tradition but placed new emphasis on elegance and simplicity (as opposed to Baroque music’s grandiosity and complexity) in both choral music and instrumental music.

It was followed by the Romantic period.

Source ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[naxalbari1967]

The World Will Move On Without the US Empire

Everyone thinks their empire is eternal when they’re on top. It’s human nature. When you’re the biggest, richest, loudest power on Earth, you start to believe your own myth. The United States is no exception. For the past century, it's acted like the world revolves around it. Wall Street moves the markets. The dollar backs the global economy. Hollywood defines culture. US warships roam every ocean like they own the damn place. And every politician in Washington walks around like history itself owes them a thank you note.

But let’s be real. None of this is permanent. Power doesn’t stick around just because someone thinks they deserve it. History is brutal to those who think they’re immune to it.

Go back 100 years. The British Empire spanned the globe, literally. The sun never set on it. London was the financial capital of the world. British soldiers, bankers, and bureaucrats ran entire continents. They taught kids in India and Kenya to worship the Queen, memorize Shakespeare, and drink tea like proper colonials. And yet, where’s that empire now? Gone. Reduced to a few scattered overseas territories and nostalgic TV dramas.

Go back 200 years, and France was the center of the universe. Napoleon stormed across Europe like a force of nature. French art, French fashion, French philosophy. It was the gold standard of sophistication. The French believed they had cracked the code of civilization. But it only took a few bad wars and one overconfident general to bring it all crashing down.

Four centuries ago? Spain was drowning in silver and gold from the Americas. Their ships brought back plundered riches, their priests burned "heathens" in the name of God, and their kings believed they had a divine right to rule. But time caught up with them too. Greed, overreach, and resistance from the people they tried to conquer eventually snapped the backbone of the Spanish Empire.

Every single one of those powers thought they were different. Thought they were destined to last forever. Thought their dominance was just the natural order of things. Sound familiar?

The US today is repeating that same story in real time. It still throws its weight around like it’s 1991 and the Cold War just ended. Still acts like other countries can’t function without its “leadership.” Still believes its way is the only way.

But cracks are showing. The economy is bloated with inequality. The infrastructure is crumbling. Mass shootings are weekly news. Trust in the government is tanking. Life expectancy is going backwards. And overseas? The so called “rules based order” is being challenged left and right. Countries are ditching the dollar in trade deals. US wars don’t end in victory anymore. They end in rubble, refugees, and resentment.

Every empire has its moment in the sun, but that doesn’t make it immortal. Rome called itself the Eternal City until it collapsed under its own weight. The Ottomans reached Vienna and thought they’d never be pushed back, but they were. The Mongols, the Qing, the Mughals, the Japanese Empire. Each had their time, each believed they were the pinnacle of human progress. And now they’re history lessons.

The truth is, global power isn’t a throne. It’s a relay race. Someone runs with it for a while, then drops the baton. Others pick it up. Influence migrates. Legitimacy dies the second it's assumed rather than earned.

The US is not immune to any of this. No one is. Its downfall won’t come all at once. It won’t be some dramatic Hollywood explosion. It’ll be slower, quieter, like rust. Trade deals that no longer involve the dollar. Allies that no longer call Washington before making big moves. More and more countries deciding they don’t need US approval to do what’s best for them. And back home, a population increasingly divided, disillusioned, and drowning in debt, wondering how the so called greatest country on Earth got so lost.

Empires don’t last. That’s the rule. The only thing permanent about power is that it never stays put. The US had its time. But the world will move on, with or without it.

[mozartbachtoven]

( Bombardment of Vienna, May 12, 1809 )...

Beethoven, after coming to terms with his failing hearing, entered an extremely fruitful and productive phase in his career, otherwise known as the "Heroic" period. After his return from Heiligenstadt, a notable pupil, Carl Czerny, recalls Beethoven exclaiming:

"I am not satisfied with the work I have done so far. From now on l intend to take a new way."

This middle period, spanning 1803--1815, is characterized by a high level of musical maturity. Works from this period are generally larger in scale, longer in duration and overall more complex when compared to prior works. Notable works from this period include his only opera, an oratorio, a mass, six symphonies (Symphonies 3--8 ), four concertos, five string quartets, three trio, three string sonatas and numerous other miscellaneous works. This middle "Heroic" phase roughly coincides with the rise and fall of Napoleon...

Beethoven's most fruitful years were times of extreme political turbulence in France -- years that had significant repercussions throughout Europe. The Elector of Bonn, Maximilian Franz, sponsored Beethoven during his initial years in Vienna. During the chaos of the French Revolution, one year after Beethoven's arrival in Vienna, Franz would lose his elder sister, Marie Antoinette, to the guillotine in 1793..

Beethoven was a well-known champion of the common man, and fully embraced the ideas of democracy spilling out of France during the Revolution. Initially, Beethoven was an ardent fan of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769--1821), commending Napoleon's ability to stabilized France following the Revolution. However, Beethoven's attitude towards Napoleon, shared by many of Europe's leading intellectuals, was extremely conflicted. Beethoven embarked on a love--hate relationship with Napoleon for the next twenty years. Napoleon himself noted that:

"Everybody has loved me and hatedme: everybody had taken me up, dropped me, and taken me up again"..

At first, Beethoven viewed Napoleon as the embodiment of the democratic ideals sweeping across Europe in the early 1800's. Beethoven decided to dedicated to dedicate his newly completed 3rd Symphony to Napoleon. However, when Napoleon declared himself " Emperor of the French " in May 1804, Beethoven was enraged. One of Beethoven's pupils, Ferdinand Ries, recall Beethoven's response..

( At that time Beethoven had the highest esteem for him "Napoleon" and compared him to the greatest consuls of ancient Rome. Not only I, but many of Beethoven's closer friends, saw this symphony on his table, beautifully copied in manuscript, with the word "Buonaparte'" inscribed at the very top of the title-page and "Ludwig van Beethoven" at the very bottom. ...l was the first tell him the news that Buonaparte had declared himself Emperor, whereupon he broke into a rage and exclaimed, "So he is no more than a common mortal! Now, too, he will tread under foot all the rights of man, indulge only his ambition; now he will think himself superior to all men, become a tyrant! Beethoven went to the table, seized the top of the title--page, tore it in half and threw it on the floor. The page had to be re--copied and it was only now that the symphony received the title " Sinfonia Eroica)..

Apparently, three months later, Beethoven had second thoughts. At that time, Beethoven wrote to his publisher: "The title of the symphony is really Bonaparte". After several subsequent name changes and dedications, however, the 3rd Symphony simply became known as the " Eroica" (Italian for "heroic) in 1806. Given this history, it seems, at least in Beethoven's mind, the Eroica may or may not have been dedicated to Napoleon...

The " Eroica " is a milestone of symphony reportoire given its unprecedented length and strong emotional content. Due to its avant-garde nature, the 3rd Symphony received mixed reviews at its premiere. As one music critic wrote: "Beethoven was doing for music what Napoleon was doing for society--turning tradition upside down".

Thank you Nadia Nasr @ Ludwig van Beethoven Group

[merrycrisis-if]

This was such a phenomenal update! I’m impressed with the differences between routes. I have playthroughs with all three ROs and love them all. Shay is my favorite!

I usually go for more “slow burn” romances. But, I really appreciate how you’ve written Shay’s romance. The emotional bond I need is there (if we choose it). Their steamy scenes from the previous chapter are so incredibly good! Shay and MC have such effortless chemistry together! I absolutely love the whirlwind aspect of their relationship. It feels very soulmate to me.

Very "right person wrong place" or "right person wrong time", I guess! A bit like the premise of before sunrise, perhaps? Idk I've actually never watched the trilogy hahaha.

two 20-somethings — Jesse and Celine — spend a magical night together in Vienna before Jesse returns to America and Celine to Paris. The film spans from the moment the two first meet on the train up until the next morning when they disembark to go their separate ways.

I love writing the slow descent from quickburn attraction (probably not a real term) to slowburn feels, so - Shay is very fun for me.

Also I'm so glad you like the steamy scenes - back in my fanfic days, smut wasn't a main feature of my first so it's definitely something I've been trying to get better at/dip my toes into!

[queerliblib]

hello ! first of all thank you for all the lovely work you do ! second i was wondering if you had any recommendations for queer books set during the first world war. i’ve read in memoriam by alice winn (which i do recommend) and i would like to find more. thank you so much :]

hello! thank you so much <3 hmm we’ve got a few during that era or immediate aftermath

Gin, Turpentine, Pennyroyle, Rue by Christine Higdon (follows four sisters in Vancouver dealing with the impact of the war)

The Absolutist by John Boyne (MC’s are in the war)

All of You, Every Single One by Beatrice Hitchman (spans 1910-1946 primarily in Vienna)

Moonstone by Sjón (not sure how much it deals with the war, but it is set in 1918 Reykjavik)

there’s also Out of the Blue by Josh Laydon which is about two WWI pilots and The Boy I Love by Marion Husband, but we haven’t got those in our collection at the moment.

[eyluvu]

is it possible to edit ao3 to make the font bigger or am i just dreaming💔💔

[multiverse-aesthetic]

A/n : the pic is edited by Me , you can't copy my work , if you share any parts of my fanfic on any kind of applications please give credit ..

Chapter 8 : The price of loyalty

******************************

churches, old train stations, and funerals. Elena Shaw had There were places where time seemed to stop , walked through all three in the span of a week, but it was the funeral that truly left her breathless.

London’s air was heavy that morning, the kind of damp chill that soaked into your bones. Elena was dressed in an elegant black long dress with long, her red hair was up in a half ponytail and a loose strand from the front.

She walked in ,The stone steps of the cathedral were lined with mourners, each dressed in dark coats and tighter expressions. But Elena barely noticed them. Her eyes were on the man standing a few rows ahead

Steve Rogers. Silent. Still. Like if he moved too quickly, he’d break apart.

They hadn’t spoken much in recent weeks

And Peggy’s death brought them all back — into each other’s orbit, if only for a moment.

“Steve.”

His back straightened at the sound of her voice. When he turned, the grief in his eyes was raw but familiar — the kind that didn’t ask for pity. Just understanding.

“Elena.” His voice was hoarse. “You came.”

“I wasn’t sure I should.”

“I’m glad you did.”

She stepped beside him. “I’m sorry about Peggy.”

He nodded, eyes still forward. “She was one of the best people I’ve ever known.”

There was a long silence before Elena finally asked, “Why didn’t you call me back?”

He sighed, raking a hand through his hair.

“I’ve been... caught up in something. A lot, actually.” He turned to her then, eyes shadowed.

“Elena, do you know about the Sokovia Accords?”

She blinked. “No. Should I?”

“It’s a document. One hundred and seventeen countries came together to sign it. They want all enhanced individuals to operate under government oversight. No missions without approval. No freedom without permission.” His voice tightened. “It’s about control.”

Her brows drew in. “They’re putting you under a leash?”

“They’re asking us to put ourselves on one.”

She exhaled slowly. “And you said no.”

“Of course I said no.”

There was a long silence before Elena took a step closer. She wasn’t sure why she did it, but something inside her just snapped. She pulled Steve into a hug, pressing her forehead against his shoulder, feeling the weight of everything that had happened between them.

Steve tensed at first, but then he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. “I’m sorry you’re caught in the middle of this.”

“You’re not alone,” Elena whispered. “None of you are.”

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Hotel at London

The room was quiet, but not peaceful. The quiet of waiting, of wondering. Elena was sitting on the couch, watching Steve and Sam sift through old papers, the low hum of the TV in the background.

It was supposed to be a normal day — supposed to be.

Then, the breaking news hit.

"An explosion at the United Nations assembly in Vienna left dozens wounded, with at least twelve dead, including King T'Chaka of Wakanda."

Elena froze, her heart skipping a beat as the images flashed on screen. The terror, the destruction, the chaos.

"Authorities believe the suspect behind the bombing is James Buchanan Barnes, also known as The Winter Soldier."

Elena felt her stomach drop into her feet. Her breath caught in her throat. No. No.

She stood up suddenly, her hands shaking. There, on the screen, was a grainy photo. The face was mostly covered by a jacket, but the posture, the way the man moved, the eyes — it had to be him.

Steve’s voice broke through her panicked thoughts. “No… that’s not him. That’s gotta be a mistake , he is in Bucharest he can’t be at vienna too”

But the photo lingered on the screen. The news anchors talked, but Elena couldn’t hear them over the pounding in her ears. No.

Elena’s chest tightened, her heart aching. She wanted to believe that’s not Bucky— she did. But the picture… the way the man moved, the way he carried himself, the half-covered face. It looked too much like Bucky.

“What if it is him?” she whispered, barely audible. She gripped her arms, feeling cold all over. The thought of Bucky, of her friend, doing something like this — it didn’t make sense.

Steve was already moving, grabbing his jacket. “We need to get to Bucharest. Now.”

“I’m coming with you,” she said.

This time, no one stopped her.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Bucharest

In a black cap and casual jacket Bucky walks along scanning around. Across the street he spots a twenty-something vender at a news-stand watching him. Bucky glances away, then looks back at the vender who's still watching him. The vender runs from his kiosk. Bucky goes over and picks up a paper. On the front page there are surveillance-photos of a man and the head line: 'Winter Soldier wanted for the Bombing of Vienna'. Written in romanian, Bucky glances around tensely.

Steve and Elena after a while managed to find the apartment he was staying in , Elena looks around, there's a mattress with disheveled covers and various bits of cheap looking furniture , sam was outside then they head him talking from their earbuds

“Heads up, Cap. German Special Forces, approaching from the south” , and that when bucky appeared

“why did you bring her here?” he said from behind them , Elena turned around a slight relief on her face as she saw he was ok

“we need to get you out of here-” he cut her off imedetly

“I wasn't in Vienna. I don't do that anymore.” Elena shook her head

“ I never said it was you” she says gently .

“They're entering the building.” Sam said through the earbuds again , she placed her finger on her ears

“hold them off” she ordered ,

“if I did they would know something a miss” he said back

“bucky.. the people who think you did are coming here now. And they're not planning on taking you alive.” Steve said approaching bucky

“bucky come on I can keep you safe I promise” Elena pleaded , but all bucky did was to punch through the floor grabbing his backpack ,

“it doesn’t have to end in a fight” steve said quietly bucky looked at him

“it always end up in a fight” he said

and with that the cops slamed the door open and bucky He moved fast—too fast.

In one brutal motion, Bucky grabbed Steve by the shoulder and hurled him through the wall. Elena barely had time to react before Bucky was sprinting toward the window.

She dove after him.

Glass shattered above her as Bucky leapt out the apartment window, landing on a balcony two floors down. Elena raced to the hallway, where German special forces swarmed like ants—shouting commands in German, weapons raised.

“Move!” she barked, shoving past them, flipping down the railing like a gymnast. She landed hard, rolled, and kicked one of the agents square in the chest. He went flying into the wall.

Steve came crashing through the stairwell, shield in hand.

“Where is he?”

“Left stairwell! He’s heading for the street!”

Together, they pushed through the chaos, fighting their way down flight after flight. Bucky threw a soldier over the railing. Elena ducked a baton and cracked the attacker’s knee with hers, then kicked his rifle away.

They hit ground level.

The streets exploded into noise and bodies. Civilians screamed and scattered as Bucky tore through the open-air market. Elena and Steve were right behind him.

“Bucky, stop!” Steve shouted.

But Bucky wasn’t listening. His eyes darted wildly—trapped, hunted. He swung a crate at a squad car, using the distraction to vault a fruit stand.

Elena knocked aside a soldier with her elbow, dodged a tear gas canister, and nearly slipped on spilled apples.

Then—

He landed.

A black shape, sleek and feline.

Black Panther.

He slammed into Bucky, claws out. Bucky barely managed to block, steel arm catching the blow. Elena’s heart dropped.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me—”

She launched herself into the fight, drawing her short baton. She struck at Black Panther’s side, but his vibranium suit absorbed the hit like it was nothing. He didn’t even flinch.

He turned to her. Eyes unreadable. Silent.

He slashed.

She ducked—just barely—his claws grazed her shoulder. Pain bloomed. She gritted her teeth.

Steve tackled Black Panther from the side.

The three-way melee erupted in a blur of motion—

“Go!” Elena yelled at Bucky, gripping her bleeding shoulder. “Find another way out!”

Bucky took off again. Steve followed.

So did she.

They hit the highway like a bullet. Bucky stole a bike mid-motion—fluid, practiced. Engines roared. Bucky raced through the underground tunnel, weaving between cars. Elena took a stolen bike, the engine snarling beneath her. Steve chased in a black SUV, tires screeching as he narrowly dodged traffic.

Black Panther bounded off the sides of vehicles, leaping like a predator. He was fast—inhumanly so.

Bucky threw a steel sign into the road behind him. Elena swerved, nearly losing control. A van exploded as it crashed into the debris.

They kept going. The tunnel echoed with gunfire and roars of engines. Police tried to box them in—failed.

Dozens of GSG-9 vehicles closed in. Black Panther struck first, pinning Bucky’s bike against a median. Holding him down.

Armed police arrive and surround them, guns aimed. War Machine leaps down from above and raises both hands.

"Stand down, now” james rohdes ordered , Bucky stands beside Steve who puts his shield on his back , elena held her hand up and a cop forcefully moved her hand behind her back

“Congratulations, Cap. You're a criminal” rohdes said as he glanced at Steve Police move in and force Bucky to his knees. Black Panther raises his hands , Elena books at Bucky with an apologetic look.

A cop moves Steve's arms behind his back. Black Panther retracts his claws and pulls off his mask revealing his face T’Challa.

“I am sorry, Captain,” he said coldly. “But your friend murdered my father.”

[ihaveforgortoomany]

Yapping about 2.2 CN livestream yippee

Disclaimer:

(Does not surprise me that the characters are white, Bluepoch is a CN company and with the gap between Global and CN versions they are more likely to cater to CN audiences than Global. Hyping R1999 as good rep with only one patch and three characters was setting up expectations. If anything we had a higher chance of getting poc characters in this patch, and only a higher chance.)

The release being just after Natlan was horrible timing tbh. Am I disappointed? yes. Surprise? no. This was the more likely outcome and after oh boy the reception will be for the patch Bluepoch should rethink future patches. People have the right to complain about this patch and Bluepoch should learn from this.

Alright other bits:

(Us getting to Brazil this quickly is probably due to Red-38, Lilya did cross the Aegean Sea in 1.9 and I think 2.1 shows it got upgraded)

Oh lawd Vertin suffering immediately, jesus being choked to death oh wow were not holding punches, you can see her actually pass out lawd. We literally cannot leave Vertin alone before someone attempts to murder her. She's already burnt her finger (thats minor), had someone reshow her trauma and now being choked to death and its only the third patch. How is she alone? With the officer maybe or spots Kimberely and chases after her/ gets cut off to end in this situation? Is this near the end of the patch story maybe? Im guessing the spy Igor talks about is that guy or he is working with the spy.

Last time Vertin was completely alone: Oranges scene with Arcana, Tuesday and the illusion and now this.

Kimberely being playable (I saw that post earlier on who she is based on why did it not click) is pretty cool, another singer character is nice. This is the literal reverse of the oranges scene with a better outcome. (Ms Grace is an engima pun intended, where is she? Shes the one Kimberely is following after so probably may hunt her or even Vertin directly)

Sophia being the leader of the new Manus interesting (I wanna see where they will go with her) (so far everyone thinks Arcana is dead but Druvis)

Lopera probably is gonna need to grow on me, so far not much (the others like Mr Duncan and the Awakened character I forgot their name drew me more), we got that Manus guy who the PV focused on probably conflict in that.

Having an Awakened similar to A Knight is a win (such a cool design)

Mr Duncan seems like a fun character (like Lopera I need a bit more)

The story being focused on Zeno is interesting (I guessed right that Zeno will get focused on in these patches) Hopefully we may get more characterisation of Lilya this time.

Sotheby potentially getting a new mentor figure from Me Duncan in that one frame like Mr Karson would be interesting.

Urd/Martha/ Bessmert is here! Deffo shes gonna pick up Vertin after she passes out, likely looling after her until she wakes up and disappears or somethin. (Vertin is gonna have questions she saw Martha disappear in the 1914 why is she here?) (Also yep deffo her mom or a relative, their hair colour looks identical)

Skins!!! Shamane, Vila and Marcus!! I don't have Shamane but Im so close to not being f2p with Vila and Marcus. Look how happy Marcus is! 37 ult looks amazing as well. So many skins this time around.

The suitcase lobby! It can change! Its so pretty! O wonder if in future patches we may get other designs, like Vienna for example?

(Candy crush lol)

The greater question is if this Chapter will be one arc or span multiple patches like the latter half of the 1.0 story?

[x-heesy]

Schönbrunn Palace (German: Schloss Schönbrunn [ˈʃlɔs ʃøːnˈbʁʊn] ) was the main summer residence of the Habsburg rulers, located in Hietzing, the 13th district of Vienna. The name Schönbrunn (meaning "beautiful spring") has its roots in an artesian well from which water was consumed by the court.

The 1,441-room Baroque palace is one of the most important architectural, cultural, and historic monuments in the country. The history of the palace and its vast gardens spans over 300 years, reflecting the changing tastes, interests, and aspirations of successive Habsburg monarchs. It has been a major tourist attraction since the mid-1950s.

In 1569, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II purchased a large floodplain of the Wien river beneath a hill, situated between Meidling and Hietzing. The former owner, in 1548, had erected a mansion called Katterburg. The emperor ordered the area to be fenced and put game there such as pheasants, ducks, deer and boar, in order for it to serve as the court's recreational hunting ground. In a small separate part of the area, "exotic" birds such as turkeys and peafowl were kept. Fishponds were also built. Wikipedia

#Travelingwithoutmoving

#architecture #architecturephotography #architecturelovers #architectureporn #architecturedesign #architecturelover #architecturephoto #architecturedaily #architecture_hunter #architecturedetail #architecturephotos #architecturedose #architectureanddesign #architecturelife #architecturegram #architecturelove #architecturephotograpy #architectures #architectureinspiration #architecture_view #architektur #architekturfotografie #architekturfotograf #architektur_erleben #architekturliebe #architekturporn #architekturelovers

Schubert: Die Forelle, Op. 32, D. 550 by Franz Schubert, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Gerald Moore 🎵

[justforbooks]

Alfred Brendel

One of the greatest pianists of his generation who bestrode the musical world for six decades

In the postscript to his 1998 book of poetry One Finger Too Many, the pianist Alfred Brendel cites among his muses an elderly woman who stopped in front of the bench on which he was sitting at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, pointed at him and asked: “Are you Woody Allen?”

The fact that he could be confused with the American actor and director is not in itself surprising: with his puckish face, quizzically raised eyebrows and thick-rimmed Eric Morecambe glasses, Brendel, who has died aged 94, did have the air of a comedian. It was an aura he relished and cultivated in his quirky poetry and it goes to the heart of his personality.

For Brendel’s art was characterised by a paradox. On the one hand lay an intellectual discipline, academic rigour and search for perfection; on the other a delight in the absurd. He once listed “laughing” as his favourite occupation and was fond of observing that “humour is the sublime in reverse”.

In a performing career that spanned six decades Brendel commanded a respect that came, especially in the later years, to border on reverence. His authoritative interpretations of the classical repertoire – primarily Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert – were second to none, though in his earlier years he was also a fine Lisztian and helped to establish Schoenberg’s Piano Concerto in the concert repertoire.

But for a sense that he would not be able to do it justice and that it would draw him away from his beloved classical repertoire, he might have been an active advocate for contemporary music, for it interested him keenly and he was a familiar sight at avant-garde events.

In 2007 Brendel announced his intention to retire following a year-long series of concerts and recitals. The final London recital, at the Royal Festival Hall in June 2008, was representative of his last years in that, while lacking something of the flair and muscularity that had so impressed in his prime, his playing of Mozart and Beethoven had all the nuanced subtlety and consummate artistry we had come to expect. Schubert’s valedictory Sonata in B flat, D960, was delivered with inspirational insight, while encores by Bach and Liszt paid tribute to masters recently neglected by him.

The last appearance of all came in December 2008 in Vienna, where Brendel chose to bow out with Mozart’s youthful Piano Concerto No 9 in E flat, K271, the “Jeunehomme”.

Born in Wiesenberg, Moravia (now the Czech Republic), Alfred was the son of Ida (nee Wieltschnig) and Albert Brendel. He had a somewhat itinerant childhood on account of his father’s diverse occupations (architectural engineer, businessman and manager of resort hotels).

It was when his father became a cinema director in Zagreb, Croatia, that he had his first piano lessons, at the age of six, from Sofia Dezelic, followed after the second world war by study with Ludovika von Kaan at the conservatoire in Graz, Austria, and private composition lessons with Artur Michl, a local organist and composer. His relative lack of formal training in music was, Brendel later considered, a blessing, for it encouraged him to be self-critical: “A teacher can be too influential,” he once said.

It was entirely characteristic that his first public recital, in Graz at the age of 17, should have consisted of works by Bach, Brahms, Liszt and himself, but only works that included fugues. Even the four encores contained fugues.

It was an early manifestation of the intellectual streak that was to define him; also evident was his interest in literature and the visual arts – he held a one-man exhibition of paintings in a Graz gallery in conjunction with his recital. After taking fourth prize at the prestigious Busoni competition in Bolzano, northern Italy, in 1949 he began to tour Europe, taking part in masterclasses by Paul Baumgartner, Eduard Steuermann (a pupil of Busoni and Schoenberg) and, crucially, Edwin Fischer, to whom (along with Alfred Cortot and Wilhelm Kempff) he believed he owed the most.

He made his first recordings in the 1950s, and became the first pianist to record the entire piano works of Beethoven, a memorable and highly praised issue on the Vox–Turnabout label (1958-64).

His Queen Elizabeth Hall debut in London led to offers from three record companies, and having been signed by Philips as an exclusive artist, he recorded a Beethoven sonata cycle in the 70s. His complete Philips recordings (114 CDs) were reissued by Decca in 2016.

Beethoven was always to loom large on his musical horizon: in the 1982–83 season, for example, he gave the complete cycle of 32 sonatas in 77 recitals in 11 cities across Europe and America, and further similar tours were made in the 90s, with a third recorded cycle completed in 1996. Inevitably, perhaps, some of the fire and spontaneity present in the first of those recorded cycles was no longer evident in the third, but in its place was a spiritual profundity, the product of a lifetime’s experience.

Alongside Beethoven, it was Mozart and Schubert who had pride of place. Clues to Brendel’s approach to Mozart can be gleaned from a revealing essay entitled A Mozart Player Gives Himself Advice, in which he proclaims that: “Mozart is made neither of porcelain, nor of marble, nor of sugar.”

The “touch-me-not” Mozart and the “sentimentally bloated” Mozart were to be avoided at all costs. Neither was Mozart a “flower child” with weak or vague rhythms and dreamy tone, Brendel asserted. Rather it was the duty of the interpreter to find the ideal balance between freshness and urbanity, unaffectedness and irony, aloofness and intimacy.

Playing Schubert, on the other hand, was, according to Brendel, akin to “walking on the edge of a precipice”. In this music, happiness was always on the verge of tragedy and Schubert’s brooding moods were projected as harbingers of the phantasmagorical visions of Schumann. It was also the case that Brendel revelled in the romantic, Sturm und Drang – storm and stress – aspects of Haydn and Mozart, which similarly looked forward, in his hands, to the emotionalism of Beethoven.

With regard to Liszt’s music, Brendel drew attention to its fragmentary nature, and amply fulfilled what he saw as the interpreter’s responsibility to “show us how a general pause may connect rather than separate two paragraphs, how a transition may mysteriously transform the musical argument”.

He claimed it was “a magical art” and therefore, one might assume, a particular challenge for a man so ruled by his intellect. But in his performances of such works as Vallée d’Obermann and Sposalizio it was precisely the otherworldly, transcendental quality of the music he captured so well, not least by his perfect calibration of their silences.

The aim was to integrate passion and introspection, and while it goes almost without saying that the cult of the self-advertising virtuoso held little appeal for him, he was also, in his prime, able to surmount the fearsome technical demands of such a work as the Rákóczy March, deploying a rock-steady rhythmic control to generate its expressive force. A similar intensity characterised his rendering of Busoni’s formidable Toccata, while his knowledge of the spooky world of German romanticism informed his response to the enigmatic aspects of Schumann’s fantasy pieces.

In the last decade or so of his career, physical problems with his back and his arm prevented Brendel from essaying the big virtuoso works, though it has to be said that this was all of a piece with his concentration in these years on the inner essence of things: a striving after truth.

In some of these late recitals, the repertoire for which focused increasingly on the classical period, Brendel’s playing often lacked the inspirational quality of his earlier years, but there was more than adequate compensation in the authoritative, penetrating readings he delivered. Such an evolution in his style may well have been related to a psychological development: inner emotional conflicts were perhaps reflected in the more volatile interpretations of his earlier period, while the sublime revelations of his late maturity were the product of a more reconciled, integrated personality.

Beyond the solo piano repertoire his recordings likewise reflected his predilections: major releases included four complete sets of the Beethoven concertos (most memorably with Simon Rattle), complete Mozart concertos with Neville Marriner (together with a further eight in conjunction with Charles Mackerras), the two Brahms Piano Concertos with Claudio Abbado and the Schumann with Kurt Sanderling. He collaborated also with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau on a Winterreise and with Matthias Goerne on lieder by Schubert and Beethoven. Chamber recordings included the complete works of Beethoven for cello and piano with his son, Adrian.

His literary abilities and incisive mind resulted in two collections of immensely rewarding essays on music: Musical Thoughts & Afterthoughts and Music Sounded Out (both 1990). A third collection, Alfred Brendel on Music (2001), gathered together both published and previously unpublished essays. A further collection of essays and lectures – Music, Sense and Nonsense – distilling his thoughts on music over the decades, appeared in 2015.

If those collections amply demonstrated his erudition on musicological matters, his two volumes of poetry, One Finger Too Many and Cursing Bagels (2004), attested to a dadaist sense of humour and a florid imagination. In one poem an extra index finger was developed by a pianist “to expose an obstinate cougher in the hall” or to indicate the theme in retrospect in a complicated fugue. Other poems mused on Brahms, beards and the Buddha.

After his retirement from the concert platform, Brendel continued to give lectures, in which he often attempted to distance himself from what he regarded as the self-indulgent excesses of the historically informed movement. Seeking his own authenticity in a balance between fidelity and interpretation, he evinced little patience with exaggerated phrasing and accentuation, and even less with over-brisk tempi: “There is a reductionist theory that all music is dance,” he wearily intoned, “and what a treat to hear an Agnus Dei or Miserere skipping along.”

All forms of the absurd fascinated Brendel: kitsch and masks (of each of which he had amassed collections), nonsense verse and cartoons. But his extra-musical enthusiasms embraced also Romanesque churches, baroque architecture, literature, film and much more. The sum total was an artist who relished eccentricity yet focused on the inner essence, who countered a cerebral image with a delight in the whimsical, and above all who never ceased in his search for musical truth.

In 1960 he married Iris Heymann-Gonzala, and they had a daughter, Doris. They divorced in 1972, and three years later he married Irene Semler. They lived in Hampstead, north London, and had three children: two daughters, Katharina and Sophie, in addition to Adrian. They divorced in 2012, and he is survived by his partner, Maria Majno, his four children and four grandchildren.

🔔 Alfred Brendel, pianist, born 5 January 1931; died 17 June 2025

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[bloody-wonder]

currently...

thank you @magpiefngrl for tagging me💜

last song: last weekend i went to budapest for the first time and so on the train i relistened to the hungarian cast album of rudolf affaire mayerling to set the mood

last book: finished the henchmen of zenda on that same train. i really liked it but i think it could've been better if kjc invested more time into establishing rupert of hentzau's rizz instead of just repeating his descriptions from (i assume) the og book over and over again. now i have only one kjc book left🥲

currently reading: the fall of the kings - the last book in ellen kushner's riverside trilogy - and it's great. my reread of swordspoint made me appreciate it a lot more, so i was concerned that the next books could turn out not as good, since they take place after huge time skips and focus on new characters. but the joke's on me bc it turns out they are still the queerest, the sexiest and the most mannerpunk stories i've read,, probably since lymond. i was immediately shipping the new couple introduced in the last book. they just don't make them like this anymore :( and by "they" i mean most mm historical romance authors😒

last movie: in october i attended the vienna film festival and the last movie i saw i went into knowing almost nothing about it. it was realm of satan and it turned out to be a documentary about the church of satan in which there is almost no dialogue. it conveys information entirely through the visuals, showing us scenes from the daily life of real satanists. it was an interesting experience but my attention span can't handle a movie where nobody speaks anymore so i started zoning out towards the end. the q&a with the director and the cameraman afterwards was interesting too, altho they ended up answering a lot of burning questions (such as: where is all the freaky sex lol) which ironically they had been trying to avoid by making an atypical documentary where no one answers questions.

last tv show: finished the umbrella academy a while ago. i didn't particularly like it to begin with but i must admit the cast grew on me somewhat over the last couple of seasons.

currently watching: i want to finally finish the last season of vikings which isn't going great bc all the running shows with their new seasons like hotd, rings of power, the dragon prince, arcane and ofc wwdits are distracting me. besides most of the time these days i'm not in the mood for narrative tv so i end up watching nature documentaries or youtube/nebula😬

current obsession: i did a big impulsive purchase today without asking for anyone's opinion or permission and i still feel pretty weird about it. ig i haven't yet settled into the idea that i'm an adult earning my own money and can spend it however i want and if the impulsive factor will come back to bite me in the ass well then i'll face the consequences and learn from my mistakes. or whatever adults are supposed to do. etc.

tagging @figuringthengsout @fugitoidkry @oliviermiraarmstrongs @fandomreferencepending @doh-rae-me

(i changed some of the questions back to the more typical form of this tag but if you want to do this specific one here it is)

[dickinson-devotee]

IRON MAIDEN ANNOUNCE 'RUN FOR YOUR LIVES' WORLD TOUR 2025/26!

The Run For Your Lives World Tour will kick off on May 27th next year in Budapest followed by 27 stadium, festival & arena shows around Europe. The tour marks 50 years since Steve Harris formed the band in late 1975 and to celebrate this Maiden fans are promised a very special set list, spanning the nine studio albums from ‘Iron Maiden’ to ‘Fear Of The Dark’, with their most spectacular and elaborate show ever!

MAY 2025

27 Budapest, HUNGARY - Budapest Aréna *

31 Prague, CZECH REPUBLIC - Letnany Airport *

JUNE 2025

01 Bratislava, SLOVAKIA - TIPOS Arena *

05 Trondheim, NORWAY - Trondheim Rocks (Festival)

07 Stavanger, NORWAY - SR-Bank Arena *

09 Copenhagen, DENMARK - Royal Arena *

12 Stockholm, SWEDEN - 3Arena *

13 Stockholm, SWEDEN - 3Arena *

16 Helsinki, FINLAND - Olympic Stadium *

21 Birmingham, ENGLAND - Utilita Arena ^

22 Manchester, ENGLAND - Co-op Live ^

25 Dublin, IRELAND - Malahide Castle *^

28 London, ENGLAND - London Stadium *^

30 Glasgow, SCOTLAND - OVO Hydro ^

JULY 2025

03 Belfort, FRANCE - Eurockéennes Festival

05 Madrid, SPAIN - Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano **

06 Lisbon, PORTUGAL - MEO Arena **

09 Zurich, SWITZERLAND - Hallenstadion **

11 Gelsenkirchen, GERMANY - Veltins-Arena **

13 Padova, ITALY - Stadio Euganeo **

15 Bremen, GERMANY - Bürgerweide **

17 Vienna, AUSTRIA - Ernst Happel Stadium **

19 Paris, FRANCE - Paris La Défense Arena **

23 Arnhem, NETHERLANDS - GelreDome **

25 Frankfurt, GERMANY - Deutsche Bank Park **

26 Stuttgart, GERMANY - Cannstatter Wasen **

29 Berlin, GERMANY - Waldbühne **

AUGUST 2025

02 Warsaw - POLAND - PGE Narodowy **

Special Guests for the first half of the tour, including the London & Dublin outdoor shows (but not the UK arenas), will be American rockers Halestorm. The second half of the tour sees Sweden’s Avatar as guests. And, finally, British metal band, The Raven Age, will open all UK & Ireland shows.

*Halestorm | ^The Raven Age | **Avatar

Fan Club Presales begin Monday 23rd September – details here.

Tickets go on general sale next week – check the tour dates page for times and dates.

Says Bruce Dickinson, “Next year is a very special one for IRON MAIDEN and we’re going to be giving our fans a once-in-a-lifetime live experience. This is a tour that’s gonna put a smile on your face and a cheer in your throat. If you’ve seen us before, then get ready to take that experience to a whole new level. If you’ve never seen us before, then what the hell have you been waiting for? Now’s your chance to find out what you’ve been missing! IRON MAIDEN’s definitely gonna get ya!”

Manager Rod Smallwood adds, “50 years of Maiden and I have seen 46 of them! With well over 100 million albums sold and almost 2500 shows in 64 countries and counting, to countless millions of fans, we are all still loving every second and consider every tour a new challenge to bring something different and exciting to our fans. And for this very special one we’re pulling out all the stops!

"We will cover classics and fan favourites from the first nine albums, from IRON MAIDEN to FEAR OF THE DARK, many of which we haven’t played in years and many we will likely never play again in the future. We have already been hard at work for months putting together an even more spectacular and elaborate new show which will bring the songs to life more than we have ever been able to do before. This is going to be a huge couple of years for IRON MAIDEN, and Eddie of course, and we are very excited about what we have up our sleeves for you fans throughout the whole of our 50th year. I promise you are all going to be very happy indeed!”

On Saturday June 28th the band will perform at the London Stadium, home of West Ham Football Club – the team that band founder Steve Harris has supported throughout his life, and with whom IRON MAIDEN have a long and storied history.

This concert in front of over 60,000 fans, will be the first time that IRON MAIDEN have performed on the club’s hallowed turf. A true homecoming show – with Steve Harris, Dave Murray, Adrian Smith & Nicko McBrain all born in the surrounding area – it will also be the biggest UK venue the band have ever headlined outside of their festival appearances.

Steve Harris says, “My love of football and my support of West Ham is no secret, and I know many of our fans around the world have shared that with me too. So we’re all very excited to be playing at the London Stadium as part of the RUN FOR YOUR LIVES tour. We can’t wait to see you all there!”