#St. Leo IV

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINT OF THE DAY (July 17)

The universal Church celebrates the life of St. Leo IV on July 17.

Both a Roman and the son of Radoald, Leo was unanimously elected to succeed Sergius II as pope. 

At the time of his election, there was an alarming attack of the Saracens on Rome in 846, which caused the people to fear the safety of the city.

Because of the tension of the situation, Leo was consecrated on 10 April 847 without the consent of the emperor.

Leo received his early education at Rome in the monastery of St. Martin, near St. Peter's Basillica.

His pious behaviour drew the attention of Gregory IV, who made him a subdeacon. He was later created cardinal-priest of the church of the Quatuor Coronati by Sergius II.

As soon as Leo, much against his will, became pope, he began to take precautions against a repetitious acts of the Saracen raid of 846.

He began a project to put the walls of the city into a thorough state of repair, entirely rebuilding fifteen of the great towers.

He was the first to enclose the Vatican hill by a wall. In order to do this, he received money from the emperor and help from all the cities and agricultural colonies (domus cultae) of the Duchy of Rome.

The work took him four years to accomplish, and the newly fortified portion was called the Leonine City, after him.

In 852, the fortifications were completed and were blessed by the Pope with great solemnity.

It was by this Pope that the church of S. Maria Nova was built to replace S. Maria Antiqua, which the decaying Palace of the Caesars threatened to engulf, and of which the ruins have recently been brought to light.

In 850, Leo associated with Lothair in the empire of his son Louis by imposing on him the imperial crown.

Three years later, "he hallowed the child Alfred to king [says an old English historian] by anointing; and receiving him for his own child by adoption, gave him confirmation, and sent him back [to England] with the blessing of St. Peter the Apostle."

In the same year, 853, he held an important synod in Rome in which various decrees were passed for the furtherance of ecclesiastical discipline and learning, and for the condemnation of the refractory Anastasius, cardinal of St. Marcellus and sometime librarian of the Roman Church.

Equally rebellious conduct on the part of John, Archbishop of Ravenna, forced Leo to undertake a journey to that city to inspire John and his accomplices with respect for the law.

It was during his engaging endeavour to inspire another archbishop, Hincmar of Reims, with this same reverence that Leo died.

He was buried in St. Peter's on 17 July 855.

He is credited with being a worker of miracles both by his biographer and by the Patriarch Photius. His name is found in the Roman Martyrology.

[nightyslibrary]

(A Short Fic About) A Normal Day With Your Double Mutated Brother

☆ Fandom: rottmnt (au by @heckitall )

☆ Warnings: Nothing!! Just fluff and the boys being silly :]

☆ Word Count: 1432

☆ AO3 Link: N/A

☆ Characters: Leo, Donnie, Mikey

Uhh so I might have written something inspired by Heckl's comics and drawings :] go check his comics/artwork out!! Hope you like it (and happy birthday!!) (Also if there is any mistake... well, lets say its because it is 1 am)

 When it came to playing video games the twins would always end up getting too invested in it, which either would turn up to them fixating on the game for hours or fighting over who could beat it in “the right way”. Even when the games were two player ones, they’d still do the same thing.

 Not so surprisingly, this didn’t change even when Donnie became twice his size. Instead now the boys were sitting in Leo’s room, Leo laying his back on Donnie and playing the new the Legend of Zelda game on their switch. Donnie was watching the screen with joy, his tail wagging, and at times chirping to Leo.

 “See? I can do the puzzles quite well.” Leo said without looking away from the screen. “I had told you.”

 Donnie chirped as a response, as if making fun of Leo.

 Leo turned to him, “Just because I got stuck it doesn’t mean I am not good with them. Now let’s go back to the depths, since somebody thinks I can’t handle it.”

 The double mutated turtle smirked, making turtle sounds, before noticing something on the screen and pointing.

 “Wha- oh shi--!” He yelped as he moved with Donnie’s arms holding him, making various sounds in the meantime. As Leo turned back his attention to the game, bleeping as he continued playing it with Donnie commenting at times once again. Just like before Donnie’s situation, as if nothing had changed. Everybody in the lair would agree this was nice.

 Neither of them was sure how long had passed when Mikey entered with a smile on his face. “Are you two still playing Tears of the Kingdom?” He asked as he approached them.

 “Yep.” Leo replied.

 “It’s been five hours.” Mikey said.

 “Uh-huh.”

 “Which means nobody would say anything if I interrupted you for very important reasons.” He grinned.

 “Wrong.” Leo responded.

 “Don’t think Raphie or dad would agree.” Mikey said, knowing very well that he was right and the two would hear about how they shouldn’t sit down and play video games, forgetting to take care of themselves such as eating. Not to mention how Raph would take this to his advantage and get the switch for himself, not letting Leo play for the rest of the day.

 The slider sighed and starred at his younger brother, knowing very well that Mikey had won. He saved his game and put the switch aside. Meanwhile, Donnie huffed from behind. “Soooo tell us about whatever that is very important?” Leo asked as he got up.

 “I was thinking about how long the lair has been the same, and about how nice it would be to redecorate it.” Mikey explained.

 “You’re the artist Mike, not us.” Leo pointed out.

 “Weeeellll, I wasn’t only thinking about art. Remember the Christmas lights?”

 Leo squinted at Mikey. “You want to decorate the lair with Christmas lights.”

 “Yes!”

 “In August.”

 “Yeah!”

 “…”

 “…”

 “You’ll ignore Halloween?!” Leo gasped, a bit dramatically.

 “We can have Halloween later on!” Mikey retorted. “I just want to have some bright lights around, and maybe a few other new stuffs. A colorful lair wouldn’t hurt anyone, instead it would bring joy! Also, it is for art and creativity!”

 “So, you mean you want to,” Leo snickered, and his brothers knew what was coming. “Lighten up the mood.”

 Mikey groaned, while Donnie growled, both hating the pun. Leo giggled at his own joke, proud of it.

 “Ignoring Leo’s terrible pun for my sanity, all I am saying is it would be nice if you could help.” The youngest said.

 “Eh, sure.” Leo shrugged, not that he could say no. Donnie got on his feet too, careful to not accidentally knock anything down. He was still getting used to his new size.

 With Mikey’s lead they walked out, heading to where Mikey already had the boxes filled with Christmas lights. “We can start from here, and then move to the living room. Leo, can you get the lower parts done?”

 “Call it done already.” The slider winked as he walked towards a box.

 Mikey joined him, grabbing lights from a different box, “Donnie can you help me? I need to reach the higher parts.”

 Donnie chirped as he leaned for Mikey to climb on his shoulders, just like how he did with Raph. He carefully climbed and then patted Donnie’s shoulder to confirm he was ready. Donnie churred happily, he stood up again.

 So, they began redecorating the lair with the lights, leaving some walls empty so Mikey could draw on them. In the meantime, they chatted, talking about various things and unimportant stuff. Filling the silence with happy chatter. Mikey would talk about his next art projects, then mention something that inspirited him, Leo would ask about it, and the conversation would go on.

 It was just like every single time they spent time together, yet it was everything Donnie could ask for. The chatter of his brothers, Mikey’s unexpected ideas, Leo’s dumdum jokes… It was comforting for him.

 So, comforting that---

 CHURRR

 Leo and Mikey stopped talking, looking at Donnie with surprise and glee. Donnie confusedly looked Leo and then at Mikey. As silence was the only answer, Donnie realized what he just had done. His brothers’ exclamation confirmed his fear:

 “OH MY GOSH!!!” Mikey grinned as he jumped down to see Donnie better. “DID YOU DO THAT?!”

 “DID YOU JUST CHURR?!” Leo wheezed.

 Donnie chirped a lot, trying his best in his situation. It didn’t help that Leo kept laughing, and Mikey kept saying he sounded like a happy cat. Maybe if Donnie was his not double mutated self, he would’ve acted cooler and kept calm. But he was not and all he could do chirping. Which frustrated him even more, resulting him running out of the room.

 Leo and Mikey were quick to follow him.

 Donnie had lay under a pile of clothes, most of them being his hoodies and some of Raph’s sweaters that Raph had helped him wear (and later Donnie hadn’t let Raph get them back) in his room. His tail was visible, wagging angrily.  

 The two brothers approached carefully, not to startle him. Mikey looked at Leo, unsure what to do or say. He was feeling a bit bad for Donnie, but he still couldn’t help thinking that he behaved like a cat. Leo wasn’t feeling much different. He knew that he shouldn’t have laughed that much, while Donnie was still upset with his double this whole situation.

 Leo was first to speak, “Uh hey Dee, mind if we join you?”

 A growl.

 “Aww come on, we got something to show you.” He said cheerfully, Mikey looked at him confusedly. The slider winked at him, meaning he had a plan.

 Donnie didn’t leave the pile, but got his head out of it, enough to be able to see them. Leo grinned, and then chirped. Donnie’s eyes widened, surprised, and confused.

 “I thought you had stopped doing it and were unable to anymore.” Mikey squinted at Leo.

 “Well, maybe Donnie’s chirping has helped me figure it out, couldn’t it be?” He spoke.

 Before Mikey could say anything and tell his disbelief, Donnie chirped.

 Leo turned his attention back to him, “I have absolutely no idea what I am saying though, but- chirp!”

 “Are you sure about not knowing what you’re saying?” Mikey questioned.

 “Chiirp.” Leo smirked.

 This seemed to lift Donnie’s mood a bit though. His tail was wagging in the happy way, and he began chirping again. Mikey joined too, since he never had hidden the fact that he still could chirp. Soon the room was filled with chirping of every sort, and the snickering of Mikey and Leo among them at times when one of them made a funny sounding one.

 As the boys' conversation changed with the passing time, Leo turned to Mikey. "About the Christmas lights... you're definitely up to something." He said. "Could it be a prank against Raph?"

 "Please, I would never." Mikey responded, obviously guilty. He didn't need to say it to confirm Leo's guess when he happily stimmed the way he'd do when he was excited for something.

 "Get ready for a surprised Raph yelp, Dee." Leo looked at the clock on his phone. Then looked at Donnie. "He'd wake up any moment now."

 Donnie chirped in response, letting Leo pet his back. Something that kept Donnie relaxed, they'd discovered.

 Then they heard the surprised yelp, as Leo had guessed:

 "ITS CHRISTMAS?!"

 Leo and Donnie turned to Mikey, who was giggling. "Brumation prank," He grinned. "Never gets old."

[ruinikaido]

When theyre narrative foils❤️

[avocado-frog]

Happy STS. Okay, hear me out. Your story becomes a musical. *grandly presents you with the opportunity to turn this into literally whatever you want* (Who knows all the choreography? Who is pissed? Who somehow escapes singing?) (What scene has the best song? What your story's musical sound like? Does it being a musical make any sense at all?)

I am HEARING you out. happy sts

I'm not sure about the others, but all I know is Leo gets a very theatrical disney villain type song. They would still be very branch trolls or eugene fitzherbert tangled core. I am Not singing and you Can't make me (someone will) (jaxon most likely) (poor leo)

Jaxon is THRILLED. He sings wherever he goes anyways. He knows all the choreography. He makes everyone else join. Same with Sam and probably Lily

Logan and Cass are secretly really good singers in my head. I feel like they would both have a sort of lullaby song. something soft

Dylan gets out of it. "ohh sorry guys. i didn't realize it was a musical :| my bad you guys have fun though" Ryan also gets out of it. Elliot TRIES but he falls victim to Jaxon making him

[princesssarisa]

Opera on YouTube

I've shared links to complete opera performances before, but I love to share them, so I thought I'd make a few masterposts.

These list are by no means the only complete filmed performances of these operas on YouTube, but I decided that ten links for each opera was enough for now.

By the way, some of the subtitles are just a part of the video, while others require you to click CC to see them.

Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)

Hamburg Philharmonic State Opera, 1971 (Nicolai Gedda, Edith Mathis, William Workman, Christina Deutekom, Hans Sotin; conducted by Horst Stein; English subtitles)

Ingmar Bergman film, 1975 (Josef Köstlinger, Irma Urrila, Håkan Hagegård, Birgit Nordin, Ulrik Cold; conducted by Eric Ericson; sung in Swedish; English subtitles)

Salzburg Festival, 1982 (Peter Schreier, Ileana Cotrubas, Christian Bösch, Edita Gruberova, Martti Talvela; conducted by James Levine; Japanese subtitles)

Bavarian State Opera, 1983 (Francisco Araiza, Lucia Popp, Wolfgang Brendel, Edita Gruberova, Kurt Moll; conducted by Wolfgang Sawallisch; English subtitles)

Metropolitan Opera, 1991 (Francisco Araiza, Kathleen Battle, Manfred Hemm, Luciana Serra, Kurt Moll; conducted by James Levine; English subtitles)

Paris Opera, 2001 (Piotr Beczala, Dorothea Röschmann, Detlef Roth, Desirée Rancatore, Matti Salminen; conducted by Ivan Fischer; no subtitles)

Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, 2003 (Will Hartman, Dorothea Röschmann, Simon Keenlyside, Diana Damrau, Franz Josef Selig; conducted by Colin Davis; no subtitles) – Act I, Act II

La Monnaie, Brussels, 2005 (Topi Lehtipuu, Sophie Karth��user, Stephan Loger, Ana Camelia Stefanescu, Harry Peeters; conducted by René Jacobs; French subtitles)

Kenneth Branagh film, 2006 (Joseph Kaiser, Amy Carson, Benjamin Jay Davis, Lyubov Petrova, René Pape; conducted by James Conlon; sung in English)

San Francisco Opera, 2010 (Piotr Beczala, Dina Kuznetsoca, Christopher Maltman, Erika Miklósa, Georg Zeppenfeld; conducted by Donald Runnicles; English subtitles)

La Traviata

Mario Lanfrachi studio film, 1968 (Anna Moffo, Franco Bonisolli, Gino Bechi; conducted by Giuseppe Patané; English subtitles)

Glyndebourne Festival Opera, 1987 (Marie McLaughlin, Walter MacNeil, Brent Ellis; conducted by Bernard Haitink; Italian and Portuguese subtitles)

Teatro alla Scala, 1992 (Tiziana Fabbricini, Roberto Alagna, Paolo Coni; conducted by Riccardo Muti; English subtitles)

Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, 1994 (Angela Gheorghiu, Frank Lopardo, Leo Nucci; conducted by Georg Solti; Spanish subtitles)

Teatro Giuseppe Verdi, 2003 (Stefania Bonfadelli, Scott Piper, Renato Bruson; conducted by Plácido Domingo; Spanish subtitles)

Salzburg Festival, 2005 (Anna Netrebko, Rolando Villazón, Thomas Hampson; conducted by Carlo Rizzi; no subtitles)

Los Angeles Opera, 2006 (Renée Fleming, Rolando Villazón, Renato Bruson; conducted by James Conlon; English subtitles)

Opera Festival St. Margarethen, 2008 (Kristiane Kaiser, Jean-Francois Borras, Georg Tichy; conducted by Ernst Märzendorfer; English subtitles)

Teatro Real di Madrid, 2015 (Ermonela Jaho, Francesco Demuro, Juan Jesús Rodríguez; conducted by Renato Palumbo; English subtitles)

Teatro Massimo, 2023 (Nino Machiadze, Saimir Pirgu, Roberto Frontali; conducted by Carlo Goldstein; no subtitles)

Carmen

Herbert von Karajan studio film, 1967 (Grace Bumbry, Jon Vickers; conducted by Herbert von Karajan; English subtitles)

Vienna State Opera, 1978 (Elena Obraztsova, Plácido Domingo; conducted by Carlos Kleiber; English Subtitles)

Francisco Rosi film, 1982 (Julia Migenes, Plácido Domingo; conducted by Lorin Maazel; English subtitles)

Metropolitan Opera, 1987 (Agnes Baltsa, José Carreras; conducted by James Levine; English subtitles)

London Earls Court Arena, 1989 (Maria Ewing, Jacque Trussel; conducted by Jaques Delacote; English subtitles)

Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, 1991 (Maria Ewing, Luis Lima; conducted by Zubin Mehta; English subtitles) – Acts I and II, Acts III and IV

Arena di Verona, 2003 (Marina Domashenko, Marco Berti; conducted by Alain Lombard; Italian subtitles)

Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, 2006 (Anna Caterina Antonacci, Jonas Kaufmann; conducted by Antonio Pappano; English subtitles) – Acts I and II, Acts III and IV

Metropolitan Opera, 2010 (Elina Garanca, Roberto Alagna; conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin; English subtitles) – Acts I and II, Acts III and IV

Opéra-Comique, 2023 (Gaëlle Arquez, Frédéric Antoun; conducted by Louis Langrée; English subtitles)

La Bohéme

Franco Zeffirelli studio film, 1965 (Mirella Freni, Gianni Raimondi; conducted by Herbert von Karajan; English subtitles)

Metropolitan Opera, 1977 (Renata Scotto, Luciano Pavarotti; conducted by James Levine; no subtitles)

Teatro alla Scala, 1979 (Ileana Cotrubas, Luciano Pavarotti; conducted by Carlos Kleiber; no subtitles)

Opera Australia, 1993 (Cheryl Barker, David Hobson; conducted by Julian Smith; Brazilian Portuguese subtitles)

Teatro Regio di Torino, 1996 (Mirella Freni, Luciano Pavarotti; conducted by Daniel Oren; Italian subtitles)

Teatro alla Scala, 2003 (Cristina Gallardo-Domâs, Marcelo Alvarez; conducted by Bruno Bartoletti; Spanish subtitles)

Zürich Opera House, 2005 (Cristina Gallardo-Domâs, Marcello Giordani; conducted by Franz Welser-Möst; no subtitles)

Robert Dornhelm film, 2009 (Anna Netrebko, Rolando Villazón; conducted by Bertrand de Billy; no subtitles)

Opera Australia, 2011 (Takesha Meshé Kizart, Ji-Min Park; Shao-Chia Lü; no subtitles)

Sigulda Opera Festival, 2022 (Maija Kovalevska, Mihail Mihaylov; conducted by Vladimir Kiradjiev; English subtitles)

[corvid-ghost]

Ik the go to for Usagi in the rise universe is have him work at Run of the Mill or smth

But here me out, the meet the same they did(ish) in 2003, the battle nexus. This will be Miyamoto Usagi not the separate TV show one (I forgot his name). So this can be changed to fit Usagis sorry better idk much about it but like usagis family or people he cares about is trapped in the battle nexus or help captive to make usagi fight in the battle nexus or smth. The turtles have some kind of arc that got them to the battle nexus, they need someone to fight in it and "well Leo, you're already a champion" or smth. Usagi and Leo meet either in or out of arena, 8f they meet in arena that's gonna be some issue cause they both yk live past this. The find out why usagis in there and the turtles help him out, and the have a whole arc about this. Would change Usagis personality a tiny bit to match the rise universe but overall keep him the same character. Have him be a kinda mirror(?) to Leo, like Leo is yk leo and Usagi has his usual personality but a bit sillier to fit the rise universe. Idk much abiut usagis character and I don't wanna say anything and just be completely wrong (i havent seen 2003 or even gotten to hos part 2012 yet, ive just heard about everything), but like i think hes more serious and stuff, which would be a good mirror to Leo. like Leo is joking the whole time, trying to get Usagi to laugh, and Usagi starts to like this guy, now he won't admit I, but the turtle is cool, he's nice, he helps him, and if we go with the in area meeting, he could have killed him, but he didn't. He let him go, they're both fine and alive, along with his family. And idk I think the potential of meeting in the battle nexus is a lot cooler

ORR

We go with taking place like right after the movie. Leo needs help with all his injuries from the portal dimension (cause he definitely has a lot of them, honestly in my mind bri passed out like right after he got back) and splinter mentions a healer he knew that would help. They go to a house in the hidden city and teenager Usagi answers who was definitely not who splinter was talking about. Usagis very reasonably confused at the strangers st his door.

"You're not who thought you were. Where's ___ and ___ (idk family members or smth)?"

"Oh theyre, umm.." (except all usagi lines more usagi like)

"Ah, I see, the battle nexus can be very cruel, I was a champion at one point I know all about it."

"Hey I was too!!" A faint voice heard from the back. From someone not noticed earlier, someone very injured.

"Oh? My? God!?"

"Oh! Right! Yea that's what we're here for he's-"

"Bring him inside, explain later, he seems very hurt"

Then we learn splinter knew the family member(s) as a healer from the battle nexus, learn they're trapped there either fighting or just trapped for idk defying smth ti do with bug mama or battle nexus. Usagi agrees to help leo, after he gets better they help usagi with his family, and the have the same dynamic as before. This one probably changes usagis story a bit more but

Just them meeting in interesting ways 👍

[maybedemigod]

THE SEVEN random headcanons!

Piper

- Annabeth gave her a skincare routine

- Puts mud masks on everyone

- black nail polish

- teal mp3 player

Annabeth

- 6 step skincare routine "any more and it's just too much"

- short and clear nail polish

- keep away from clicky pens

- silver jewelry

Hazel

- has 5 pairs of overalls in circulation

- religious audiobook listener

- polaroid addict

- uses st. ives facial cleanser and it actually works for her

Leo

- forehead acne

- black nail polish from Piper

- one pierced ear, tiny gold stud

- talked to a guy on the train once that turned into the fidget cube

Percy

- seed bead necklaces

- pierced ears but no earrings

- anklet collection

- the sea is his skincare routine

Jason

- eyebrow slit

- arm tapes!!

- matching loom bands with Piper and Leo (purple, pink, teal, orange)

-wears a teeny tiny hidden fanny pack or those tiny waist bags

Frank

- thrifts jackets with Percy, Jason, and leo

- sewing patches

- circular locket necklace with his mom inside

- fro-yo even if he's lactose intolerant

Bonus!

Reyna

- walkman, only one tape for everything

- has a tiny braid on the side along with her main braid

- cropped jacket believer

- bedazzled collars for Au and Ag

[anastpaul]

Saint of the Day – 17 July – St Pope Leo IV (c790- 855) The 103rd Bishop of Rome. Papal Ascension: 847. Died: 855 at Rome, Italy of natural causes. St Leo is particularly remembered for repairing Roman Churches that had been damaged during the Arab raid against Rome, and for building the Leonine Wall around Vatican Hill to protect the city. Pope Leo organized a league of Italian C+`ities who fought and won the sea Battle of Ostia against the Saracens.

(via Saint of the Day – 17 July – St Leo IV (c790- 855) The 103rd Bishop of Rome – AnaStpaul)

[ginandoldlace]

KING ALFRED THE GREAT 848-899AD

In the words of Sir Walter Besant;

"Alfred is and will always remain the typical man of our race- call him Anglo Saxon, call him American, call him Englishman, call him Australian- the typical man of our race at his best and noblest"

England's most famous Saxon king of Wessex. Most famous for his successful defence against the Great Heathen and Summer Dane armies led by Guthrum, and the sons of Ragnar Lodbrok and efforts of pagan conversion.

In 853, whilst still a young boy, Alfred travelled on a pilgrimage with his father to Rome. Whilst there, he was confirmed by Pope Leo IV himself who grew a paternal love for the boy, and named Alfred an honorary consul of Rome and king of God (although Alfred was not expected to receive the throne as fifth in line). Alfred also spent a time in the court of the Frankish emperor, Charles the Bald.

Although suffering from life-long stomach sicknesses and pains, he distinguished himself as a scholar and a poet from childhood, an interest he inherited from his mother. As fate would have it, following the deaths of all his four older brothers, he was crowned king of Wessex at only 23.

Alfred was known as an incredibly pious and zealous Catholic monarch with special focus on education reforms with a desire for more peasants to be educated, especially in literacy and Church religion. He personally translated the Latin works of St. Augustine and St. Pope Gregory the Great into vernacular. He is also credited with building England's first navy.

Alfred spent most of his life trying to repel pagan invasions with a dream of uniting England into a single country. A dream that would be completed by his grandson, Athelstan, who defeated the last Viking stronghold as the first Anglo-Saxon ruler of all England.

Alfred would cement his fame in history at the battle of Ethandun where won a last stand, battle after a surprise attack which sent he and his family into hiding in the marshes for months.

Upon defeat, Viking chieftain, Guthrum, converted to Christianity and was baptised with Alfred as his godfather; subsequently ruling as Alfred's Christian puppet state in East Anglia.

After his victory at Eddington, Alfred worked on strengthening the borders against further Viking incursions by constructing a network of fortified burhs and forts to protect local peasants, manned by localised militias after he reformed the military to be more efficient. Throughout his rule, he also sent letters out to monasteries, bishops and feudal lords from mainland Europe, requesting for them to send learned scholars to his court to aid in education reforms; especially from the Franks. It was during this time, Alfred also taught himself Latin. Alfred was the king who saved England from total pagan rule, as the last Christian monarch standing. Even when defeated and all seemed lost, Alfred emerged from the marshes with an assembled army and made one of the greatest military and political comebacks in history.

[eric-the-bmo]

ive decided that for the chris and leo meeting chris can mention whatever off-the-wall theory the ST wants and I'll have Leo believe in it too. I say he's a conspiracy theorist and yet I've barely given thought to what theories this man believes in besides aliens and ghosts being real. girl go wild

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINT OF THE DAY (July 17)

The universal Church celebrates the life of St. Leo IV on July 17.

Both a Roman and the son of Radoald, Leo was unanimously elected to succeed Sergius II as Pope. 

At the time of his election, there was an alarming attack of the Saracens on Rome in 846, which caused the people to fear the safety of the city.

Because of the tension of the situation, Leo was consecrated on 10 April 847 without the consent of the emperor.

Leo received his early education at Rome in the monastery of St. Martin, near St. Peter's Basillica.

His pious behaviour drew the attention of Gregory IV, who made him a subdeacon.

He was later created Cardinal-Priest of the Church of the Quatuor Coronati by Sergius II.

As soon as Leo, much against his will, became Pope, he began to take precautions against a repetitious acts of the Saracen raid of 846.

He began a project to put the walls of the city into a thorough state of repair, entirely rebuilding fifteen of the great towers.

He was the first to enclose the Vatican Hill by a wall.

In order to do this, he received money from the emperor and help from all the cities and agricultural colonies (domus cultae) of the Duchy of Rome.

The work took him four years to accomplish, and the newly fortified portion was called the Leonine City, after him.

In 852, the fortifications were completed and were blessed by the Pope with great solemnity.

It was by this Pope that the church of S. Maria Nova was built to replace S. Maria Antiqua, which the decaying Palace of the Caesars threatened to engulf and of which the ruins have recently been brought to light.

In 850, Leo associated with Lothair in the empire of his son Louis by imposing on him the imperial crown.

Three years later, "he hallowed the child Alfred to king [says an old English historian] by anointing; and receiving him for his own child by adoption, gave him confirmation, and sent him back [to England] with the blessing of St. Peter the Apostle."

In the same year, 853, he held an important synod in Rome in which various decrees were passed for the furtherance of ecclesiastical discipline and learning, and for the condemnation of the refractory Anastasius, Cardinal of St. Marcellus and sometime librarian of the Roman Church.

Equally rebellious conduct on the part of John, Archbishop of Ravenna forced Leo to undertake a journey to that city to inspire John and his accomplices with respect for the law.

It was during his engaging endeavour to inspire another archbishop, Hincmar of Reims, with this same reverence that Leo died.

He was buried in St. Peter's on 17 July 855.

He is credited with being a worker of miracles both by his biographer and by the Patriarch Photius.

His name is found in the Roman Martyrology.

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Tuesday September 12, 2023

august 30_september 12

SAINTS ALEXANDER (340), JOHN (595) AND PAUL THE NEW (595) CONSTANTINOPLE PATRIARCHS

Saints Alexander, John and Paul, Patriarchs of Constantinople, lived at different times, but each of them happened to clash with the activities of heretics who sought to distort the teachings of the Church. Saint Alexander (325-340) was a vicar bishop during the time of Saint Metrophanes (June 4), the first Patriarch of Constantinople.

Because of the patriarch’s extreme age, Alexander substituted for him at the First Ecumenical Synod at Nicea (325). Upon his death, Saint Metrophanes left instructions in his will to elect his vicar to the throne of Constantinople. During these times His Holiness Patriarch Alexander had to contend with the Arians and with pagans. Once, in a dispute with a pagan philosopher the saint said to him, “In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ I command you to be quiet!” and the pagan suddenly became mute. When he gestured with signs to acknowledge his errors and affirm the correctness of the Christian teaching, then his speech returned to him and he believed in Christ together with many other pagan philosophers. The faithful rejoiced at this, glorifying God Who had given such power to His saint.

The heretic Arius was punished through the prayer of Saint Alexander. Arius had apparently agreed to enter into communion with the Orthodox. When the Emperor asked him if he believed as the Fathers of Nicea taught, he placed his hand upon his breast (where he had cunningly concealed beneath his clothes a document with his own false creed written upon it) and said, “This is what I believe!” Saint Constantine (May 21), unaware of the deceitful wickedness of Arius, set a day for receiving him into the Church. All night long Saint Alexander prayed, imploring the Lord not to permit this heretic to be received into communion with the Church.

In the morning, Arius set out triumphantly for the church, surrounded by imperial counselors and soldiers, but divine judgment overtook him. Stopping to take care of a physical necessity, his bowels burst forth and he perished in his own blood and filth, as did Judas (Acts 1:18).

His Holiness Patriarch Alexander, having toiled much, died in the year 340 at the age of 98. Saint Gregory the Theologian (January 25) mentioned him afterwards in an encomium to the people of Constantinople.

Sainted John the Faster (582-595) is in particular remembered by the Church on 2 September (the account about him is located under this heading).Read more Orthodox Church in America_OCA

 Sainted Paul, by birth a Cypriot, became Patriarch of Constantinople (780-784) during the reign of the Iconoclast-emperor Leo IV the Khazar (775-780), and was a virtuous and pious but timid man. Viewing the martyrdom, which the Orthodox endured for holy icons, the saint concealed his Orthodoxy and associated with the iconoclasts...read more OCA

According to some ancient manuscripts, Saint Alexander ought to be commemorated on June 2. Today he is remembered together with the holy Patriarchs John the Faster (September 2) and Paul the New (eighth century).

ST FIACRE OF BREUIL ( gaul_670)

Abbot, born in Ireland about the end of the sixth century; died 18 August, 670. Having been ordained priest, he retired to a hermitage on the banks of the Nore of which the townland Kilfiachra, or Kilfera, County Kilkenny, still preserves the memory. Disciples flocked to him, but, desirous of greater solitude, he left his native land and arrived, in 628, at Meaux, where St. Faro then held episcopal sway. He was generously received by Faro, whose kindly feelings were engaged to the Irish monk for blessings which he and his father's house had received from the Irish missionary Columbanus. Faro granted him out of his own patrimony a site at Brogillum (Breuil) surrounded by forests. Here Fiacre he directed an oratory in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary, built an hospice in which he received strangers, and a cell in which he himself lived apart. He lived a life of great humility, in prayer, fast, vigil, and the manual labour of the garden. Disciples gathered around him and soon formed a monastery. There is a legend that St. Faro allowed him as much land as he might surround in one day with a furrow; that Fiacre turned up the earth with the point of his crosier, and that an officious woman hastened to tell Faro that he was being beguiled; that Faro coming to the wood recognized that the wonderworker was a man of God and sought his blessing, and that Fiacre henceforth excluded women, on pain of severe bodily infirmity, from the precincts of his monastery. In reality, the exclusion of women was a common rugin the Irish foundations. His fame for miracles was widespread. He cured all manner of diseases by laying on his hands; blindness, polypus, fevers are mentioned, and especially a tumour or fistula since called "le fic de S. Fiacre".

His remains were interred in the church at Breuil, where his sanctity was soon attested by the numerous cures wrought at his tomb. Many churches and oratories have been dedicated to him throughout France. His shrine at Breuil is still a resort for pilgrims with bodily ailments. In 1234 his remains were placed in a shrine by Pierre, Bishop of Meaux, his arm being encased in a separate reliquary. In 1479 the relics of Sts. Fiacre and Kilian were placed in a silver shrine, which was removed in 1568 to the cathedral church at Meaux for safety from the destructive fanaticism of the Calvinists. In 1617 the Bishop of Meaux gave part of the saint's body to the Grand Duke of Tuscany, and in 1637 the shrine was again opened and part of the vertebrae given to Cardinal Richelieu. A mystery play of the fifteenth century celebrates St. Fiacre's life and miracles. St. John of Matha, Louis XIII, and Anne of Austria were among his most famous clients. He is the patron of gardeners. The French cab derives its name from him. The Hôtel de St-Fiacre, in the Rue St-Martin, Paris, in the middle of the seventeenth century first let these coaches on hire. The sign of the inn was an image of the saint, and the coaches in time came to be called by his name.

GALATIANS 2:11-16

11 Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; 12 for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, "If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? 15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

MARK 6:1-7

1 Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. 2 And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! 3 Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us? So they were offended at Him. 4 But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house." 5 Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching. 7 And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.

[fortunetellersdilettante]

OGs and voices!!! Like JK and Chris P, Chia

Yoko- weegie, sesshe, vlody

God(babyzuu) - Harry, CANYA, Lucy((honor aka lucifer also known as Satan))

(CANYA and mine)Leo- hunter hayes

Pinky- me!! 

(Harry's and mine)Cruz- reilly

Gabrielle Nobile- Lorenzo zurzolo

(Cruz and mine)Ezra- Chris hemsworth

Kygo- Brody malone

(Lucy and mine)Tara's koltun- finn harries

Robbie wadge- Maxime anselin

Crying baby- hot chocolate 

Skylar- aphed dad

Lucky blue- nic

30

Weegie- chia seeds

Vlody- Chris p MD

Yoko( police at St Ives artwork destruction!) 

Andy black-apheds dads voice

Itsjustin2016- Skylar's voice

Hassan

Zacari

3000 miles guy

Zayn

Smart ass blonde baby

Pinkerdoodle

Steven Chevron

Chris Mason

Neels visser

Like um legg dude from insta

Pearl sailor moon

Ryan rottman

Ryan Taylor

Ryan bowling friends hospital

Matt the personal gym trainer from supersize vs superskinny

Ulliel Gaspard

Snow

Green(model)

Zacari

-Dr Mike vitrovsky 

Darnell (friends hospital)

?Rich boy on bucks county technical high school school bus

?Alexander scargzard( true blood)

Jung kook

Felipe Maia

Cameron

So, human cheating. 

No females in the familyssz, 

keep the voicesssz and give them everything and power and looks and love etc, New youssz, voices, a hundred percent! Yeah

 different twin for the boyssz and add one for daddyssz and godssz but no erase for daddyssz and godssz. 

Then through me and us, each and all youssz bring out one more,

 then when I'm about to be home perm then another one can be made but that's it cause if I do that when I'm home perm there will be too much fomo!

[silvestromedia]

SAINTS OF THE DAY FOR MAY 28

Bl. Thomas Ford, 1582 A.D. Martyr of England. He was born in Devon and educated at Oxford. There he converted and set out for Douai, France. Ordained a priest in 1573, he was sent back to England three years later. Thomas labored in Oxfordshire and Berckshire until his arrest. He was martyred on May 28 at Tyburn by being hanged, drawn, and quartered. He was a companion of St. Edmund Campion, and he died with Blesseds Robert Johnson and John Shert. Thomas was beatified in 1882.

Bl. Robert Johnson, 1582 A.D. English martyr. Born in Shropshire, England, he was a servant before he went to study at Rome and Douai, France, receiving ordination in 1576. Returning to the English mission, he served in the area of London for four years, until his arrest. Robert was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn with Blesseds Thomas Ford and John Short. Robert was beatified in 1886.

Bl. John Shert, 1582 A.D. English martyr. He was born at Shert Hall, near Macclesfield, Cheshire, and educated at Oxford. Converting to the Church, John studied at Douai and Rome. Ordained in 1576, he went to England three years later, working only two years before his arrest. John was martyred at Tyburn with Blessed Thomas Ford and Blessed Robert Johnstone by being hinged, drawn, and quartered. Pope Leo XIII beatified him in 1886.

Bl. Margaret Pole, Martyr of England. She was born Margaret Plantagenet, the niece of Edward IV and Rich-ard III. She married Sir Reginald Pole about 1491 and bore five sons, including Reginald Cardinal Pole. Margaret was widowed, named countess of Salisbury, and appointed governess to Princess Mary, daughter of Henry VIII and Queen Catherine of Aragon, Spain. She opposed Henry’s mar-riage to Anne Boleyn, and the king exiled her from court, although he called her “the holiest woman in England.” When her son, Cardinal Pole, denied Henry’s Act of Supremacy, the king imprisoned Margaret in the Tower of London for two years and then beheaded her on May 28. In 1538, her other two sons were executed. She was never given a legal trial. She was seventy when she was martyred. Margaret was beatified in 1886.

ST. GERMAIN, BISHOP OF PARIS

[maxverstepponme]

💕💖I have to give my input regarding the photos of wax and max bc im getting very annoyed with some people;

In relation to why this seem like someone called the paps:

No paps takes more than 2-3 photos of a “celebrity” that its not so well known or that they don’t know who they are, they don’t want to waste space in their storage especially if in this event are going to be present more important people. One of the arguments ive been reading its that “Leo DiCaprio its there and tons of others ofc they’re going to be taking tons of photos of everyone thinking they are celebrities” (this lead to my second argument); so if Leo its going to be there, with more reason paps are going to be saving storage so they can film & take photos in case they see him with another girl, they don’t care who Max is, bc he doesn’t sell in terms of paparazzi industry when you have french Montana, rita Ora, Leo, naomi watts (this are the ones i know the most). And here i want to give the example of Olivia Rodrigo in the 2021 Met Gala, were the paps in one section took some photos and move on to JLo, ofc the 2022 gala its dif for Olivia.

When i saw the pictures, like someone said “they look natural” in terms of a simple and normal family, so if there are many A-listers in the island why bother in taking more than +6 photos and a video of a normal family who are spending time together, this will look creepy if its not an ad.

Btw i haven’t seen one single photo of the people who attend the event apart from the arrival to the event per se. So, are you telling me that (in this moment) no single paps (who are always on the island) hadn’t being able to take 1 or 2 photos of more well known people partying or spending time on the beach with their friends but they have of a family.

A part of me was thinking that maybe, in fact was not stage and honestly got pap, until someone mentioned miami (personally didn’t give it alot of importance), and that was also 50/50, but then i remembered the nanny, in miami we saw the nanny, in videos this summer we saw her, in the event k attended she was in the background, hell even in the airport; so why we haven’t seen the nanny in this trip, when this summer max, k, vic, tom, sophie and sylvia were there, more adults were present who could watch out the little ones but the nanny was still there. and here in a celebration were most adults get drunk (it will have more sense for the nanny to be present) there’s no nanny. maybe she’s somewhere there, we know how much k depends on her, and told her to hide, why? Remember the vogue article, and how she got called out for lying saying she didn’t have a nanny and took care of P by herself or with Sophie’s help, so it’ll make sense that she will hide the nanny to stick with this narrative. I can believe that sophie took care of lio and luka bc i hadn’t seen photos of them (feel free to correct me) with victoria or tom in st barths.

And lastly, my final thought that maybe the paps weren’t called got crumbled when i thought more about what the anon said about k would want to have control in how she looks in the photos. And honestly this part is sad, through this year we have see her doing questionable things for fame, so it wouldn’t surprise me that she “won’t care” how she looks in this photos bc they would look natural. If she has to look like a 34 yo woman (bc in her mind she has to look younger) so she gets recognition so be it. Also if people start judging her about how she looks, it would be the perfect narrative of social media hate and to said to max about this, and like someone said stick together “bc is us against the world” fairytale

So yeah 💀 we’ll see how this year works out, and what new excuses k will tell to everything. Happy new year! 🎉

Happy new year!

[princesssarisa]

The Top 40 Most Popular Operas, Part 3 (#21 through #30)

A quick guide for newcomers to the genre, with links to online video recordings of complete performances, with English subtitles whenever possible.

Verdi's Il Trovatore

The second of Verdi's three great "middle period" tragedies (the other two being Rigoletto and La Traviata): a grand melodrama filled with famous melodies.

Studio film, 1957 (Mario del Monaco, Leyla Gencer, Ettore Bastianini, Fedora Barbieri; conducted by Fernando Previtali) (no subtitles; read the libretto in English translation here)

Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor

The most famous tragic opera in the bel canto style, based on Sir Walter Scott's novel The Bride of Lammermoor, and featuring opera's most famous "mad scene."

Studio film, 1971 (Anna Moffo, Lajos Kozma, Giulio Fioravanti, Paolo Washington; conducted by Carlo Felice Cillario)

Leoncavallo's Pagliacci

The most famous example of verismo opera: brutal Italian realism from the turn of the 20th century. Jealousy, adultery, and violence among a troupe of traveling clowns.

Feature film, 1983 (Plácido Domingo, Teresa Stratas, Juan Pons, Alberto Rinaldi; conducted by Georges Prêtre)

Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI

Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio)

Mozart's comic Singspiel (German opera with spoken dialogue) set amid a Turkish harem. What it lacks in political correctness it makes up for in outstanding music.

Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, 1988 (Deon van der Walt, Inga Nielsen, Lillian Watson, Lars Magnusson, Kurt Moll, Oliver Tobias; conducted by Georg Solti) (click CC for subtitles)

Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera

A Verdi tragedy of forbidden love and political intrigue, inspired by the assassination of King Gustav III of Sweden.

Leipzig Opera House, 2006 (Massimiliano Pisapia, Chiara Taigi, Franco Vassallo, Annamaria Chiuri, Eun Yee You; conducted by Riccardo Chailly) (click CC for subtitles)

Part I, Part II

Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann)

A half-comic, half-tragic fantasy opera based on the writings of E.T.A. Hoffmann, in which the author becomes the protagonist of his own stories of ill-fated love.

Opéra de Monte-Carlo, 2018 (Juan Diego Flórez, Olga Peretyatko, Nicolas Courjal, Sophie Marilley; conducted by Jacques Lacombe) (click CC and choose English in "Auto-translate" under "Settings" for subtitles)

Wagner's Der Fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman)

An early and particularly accessible work of Wagner, based on the legend of a phantom ship doomed to sail the seas until its captain finds a faithful bride.

Savolinna Opera, 1989 (Franz Grundheber, Hildegard Behrens, Ramiro Sirkiä, Matti Salminen; conducted by Leif Segerstam) (click CC for subtitles)

Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana

A one-act drama of adultery and scorned love among Sicilian peasants, second only to Pagliacci (with which it's often paired in a double bill) as the most famous verismo opera.

St. Petersburg Opera, 2012 (Fyodor Ataskevich, Iréne Theorin, Nikolay Kopylov, Ekaterina Egorova, Nina Romanova; conducted by Mikhail Tatarnikov)

Verdi's Falstaff

Verdi's final opera, a "mighty burst of laughter" based on Shakespeare's comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor.

Studio film, 1979 (Gabriel Bacquier, Karan Armstrong, Richard Stilwell, Marta Szirmay, Jutta Renate Ihloff, Max René Cosotti; conducted by Georg Solti) (click CC for subtitles)

Verdi's Otello (Othello)

Verdi's second-to-last great Shakespearean opera, based on the tragedy of the Moor of Venice.

Teatro alla Scala, 2001 (Plácido Domingo, Leo Nucci, Barbara Frittoli; conducted by Riccardo Muti)