#Henrik Birch

[movienized-com]

Synkefri

Synkefri (2023) #ChristianAndersen #SylvesterByder #JohanneLouiseSchmidt #SofieTorp #IbenDorner #HenrikBirch Mehr auf:

Jahr: 2023 (November) Genre: Drama Regie: Christian Andersen Hauptrollen: Sylvester Byder, Johanne Louise Schmidt, Sofie Torp, Iben Dorner, Henrik Birch, Esben Dalgaard, Lars Topp, Anders Brink Madsen … Filmbeschreibung: Der völlig neue und unsinkbare Rettungsboot RF2 stürzt bei einer seiner ersten Rettungsmissionen im Jahr 1981 ab. Neun Männer sterben. Henrik, der Sohn des Kapitäns der RF2,…

[bumblebeeappletree]

For thousands of years survival in Norway's countryside, where farms were miles from each other, meant complete self-sufficiency. Farmsteads were like small villages with several families living together and building their homes from logs and turf.

At Oslo's Norwegian Folk Museum, entire farmsteads have been transplanted here log-by-log by master carpenters who use traditional joinery techniques and knowledge of birch-bark roofs - a combination of birch bark and sod used since at least 300AD. These mini-villages also include elevated storehouses for food and textiles, as well as barns and saunas (not just for recreation, but also for laundry).

This open air museum has 160 buildings (mostly originals with a few reproductions), including one of the world's remaining stave churches dating back to 1200. The centuries-old wood is preserved by a traditional tarring method applied every 4 years.

There are also several city streets of "Old Town" Oslo with townhouses dating back to about 1700 and 19th and 20th Century interiors, including a mock-up of the apartment from Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House".

Open Air Museum https://norskfolkemuse...

On *faircompanies https://faircompanies....

[crystalninjaphoenix]

The Clash

Fantasy Masks AU: Chapter Forty-Four

A JSE Fanfic

A relatively shorter chapter this time, but one with quite a lot of action and importance to it :3c I mean... it's still about 5000 words. But you know what I mean. I'll just get right to the summary, shall I? XD The guys, still in the Wyldwood, discuss what to do once the time comes to confront the King. Though, perhaps a confrontation is closer than they think. Closer than they want it to be. Heh heh heh. Enjoy! :D

Previous Part | | From the Start | More AU | Read on AO3: CrystalNinjaPhoenix

Taglist: @brokentimewatch

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The fourth day of their return journey dawned cloudy. Not foggy, like the day before, but genuinely cloudy above the canopy of leaves that the Wyldwood formed. Strange... it hadn’t been cloudy at all their whole journey down here. Had they just had great luck with the weather? That was the more likely explanation, but Chase couldn’t help but think it was a bad sign. It felt like the magic of the Wyldwood had been... disrupted somehow.

The others were feeling it, too. They all woke up and started walking silently through the trees. Today, they were in a section that looked autumnal, despite the real season being summer. The leaves were vibrant shades of red, orange, and yellow, the trunks of the trees resembling birch, with their white bark and black stripes. Faint yellow light came from the knots on the wood, as well as some low-hanging fruit that looked like pears had been squashed to a spherical shape. It was all beautiful, but still, they were on edge.

“So... is anyone else worried about the clouds?” Jackie asked after a couple hours.

The others all immediately agreed, a chorus of voices chiming out among Jameson’s speaking in hands. “It was very sunny during my first journey, and very sunny during the first half of this one,” Marvin said. “The sudden clouds are... giving me a bad feeling.”

“Maybe the weather just lined up?” Chase offered the thought he��d had earlier.

“M-maybe...” Jackie frowned.

You know... the King sometimes seemed to bring clouds with him... Jameson muttered.

Chase’s eyes widened as he suddenly remembered what happened at Marvin’s execution. The sudden storm, the coordinated lightning... “Wait a minute. Can the King—the spirit—control the weather?!”

The others all looked at him in shock. “That... th-that would take... th-that would take an... incredible amount of power,” Marvin breathed.

But considering the doorway we saw the King conjure a season ago, we know he already has an incredible amount of power, Jameson said.

“I-I know, but... It’s troubling to hear about,” Marvin said, continuing in that same quiet voice.

Chase swallowed a lump in his throat. If the spirit really could control the weather... had enough power to do that... how in the world was he supposed to defeat him?

Henrik glanced at Chase. “Is it just me, or do you look worried?”

“No, it’s—I’m fine.” Chase shook his head.

The other three were staring at him too. Chase, clearly something is bothering you, Jameson said.

“What is it?” Jackie asked.

“I’m fine,” Chase repeated. “It’s... nothing you have to worry about.”

“Oh, horseshit,” Marvin said. “We’re your friends. If something’s bothering you, we’re going to think about it until you talk about it.”

“Sorry,” Chase mumbled. “I didn’t mean to make you guys worry.”

“It’s not your fault, Chase!” Henrik said. “Friends worry about each other. It is just how things are. We want to know your troubles, you know.”

Jackie nodded. “We really do. Maybe we can help!”

Chase hesitated, then sighed. “Well... I guess it does affect you guys after all. And maybe you’ll have ideas that I don’t. I was just... I... I-I don’t know how I’m going to defeat the King!” That last part burst out of his mouth against his control. “I-I know that if Jameson’s vision is right, I’ll end up fighting him, and somehow defeating him, but—how?! He’s in Jack’s body! Do I just convince him to leave? He’s clearly not going to do that!” He felt tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. “I know I want to help Jack—I know I have to save the kingdom! But—but how?!”

The others stopped walking. They stared at him, silent. “Chase...” Henrik said softly. “Is this... something you have been thinking about for a while?”

Chase nodded quietly.

“Why didn’t you say anything before?” Henrik asked. Chase flinched despite the gentle tone the words were said in. “We could have offered advice, reassurance, anything you needed.”

“I always just assumed we would be talking about that in a strategy meeting of some sort,” Marvin said. “That we would all come up with a plan to defeat the King together.”

“I assumed that too!” Jackie shouted, nodding.

Clearly, assuming got us nowhere, Jameson said. Because I just assumed that Chase was coming up with a plan on his own.

Henrik sighed. “Well, perhaps we all should have established what we were assuming earlier. Then this would not have happened.”

“Sorry,” Chase mumbled.

“It’s not your fault, Chase,” Jackie reassured him. “We all made that mistake.” He straightened, taking a deep breath. “Alright. Well, now that we have that all out in the open, maybe we can think of some plan. The King is a possessive spirit, and there are chants to ward those off and banish them from someone’s body. Simple enough to recite one of those, right?”

“Except... he’s not a traditional spiolash spirit,” Marvin pointed out. “He’s a phantom with unknown, but definitely incredible, power.”

“Perhaps the same principle can work, though,” Henrik said. “There are multiple chants for banishing possessive spirits—spiolash. Perhaps if we combine them? Or... come up with something new?”

It would be worth a shot, Jameson said. And Chase has the Horned Elder One on his side. They’ll surely help when the time comes, right?

Chase bit his lip. “You’re right...” His hand drifted to his belt, where his mask was attached. The antlers had retained their glittering golden sheen. “Maybe... maybe if we combine a banishment chant for spiolash with a prayer for the Elders?”

Henrik frowned. “Well... then the others of you will have to work on that part. Even though I have been living here for a while, I still do not fully understand the intricacies of Elder prayer layout.”

“It’s not that complicated, Schneep,” Jackie said jokingly, nudging his side. “You just invoke the name once, thrice, five, or seven times, say the general category of what you’re praying for, say the name again going down one step in the number of times, get more specific, then repeat the process until you only get to one invocation.”

Henrik rubbed his eyes. “I have no idea what you just said.”

“It’s not that difficult to remember, Henrik,” Marvin said, grinning playfully. “You just go by instincts and gut feelings!”

“Prayers to the Sisters are not as specific as that,” Henrik muttered. “You just send it to the appropriate alserai and they carry it to them.”

“There are a hundred alserai, as you said!” Marvin pointed out. “A way of chanting prayers is much easier than remembering a hundred names!”

“Ahdadadah.” Henrik made a random sound as he waved his hands dismissively. “In any case, my point is that I cannot help you so much with coming up with this new chant.”

Jameson tilted his head to the side thoughtfully. The problem is that banishment chants for possessive spirits also have a very specific structure. They sound almost like poems or songs.

“We can figure something out together,” Jackie said. “We have all day to work on that! Alright... so. What sort of banishment chants do you all know? Growing up, my parents taught me and my siblings one to use. They mostly focused on how to avoid possessive spirits in the first place, but in case one wandered in, we were taught to recite one chant in particular while the possessed person couldn’t see us.”

“That one in particular probably won’t be as much help,” Marvin muttered. “But I know more.”

They talked everything over as they continued to walk through the forest. Chase was really struggling with this. He’d grown up learning Elder prayers and the occasional spiolash banishment chant, but he didn’t really understand what made them so special. He just knew them. This dissecting the words and the patterns they went in was going way too past him. Henrik, Jameson, and Marvin were throwing around phrases that he’d never heard before, like “assonance” and “consonance, like “meter” and “couplet” and “slant rhyme.” But he trusted that they all knew what they were doing. And at least he wasn’t alone in his confusion. Jackie was also clearly lost. But together, the two of them were able to pool their knowledge and occasionally chip in.

By the end of the day, they’d managed to come up with some combination that would hopefully work. Henrik pulled out some vellum and ink and wrote down the final chant, passing it over to Chase. “Read that, try to see if you can memorize it,” Henrik said. “Ah, not out loud, though. Just in case the Horned Elder One gets annoyed by all your prayers.”

Chase smiled slightly. “I don’t think they’ll get annoyed... but I’ll be careful, just in case.” He took the vellum, scanning the words written down. Simple ones, ones that he knew how to read. This... was really their plan, wasn’t it? The vellum felt flimsy, and yet... it was more solid than anything else they had before. It felt good to finally have something, anything, that might help with the spirit.

Eventually, they settled down for the night once again, in an area where the ground was unusually soft, as if there was a layer of thin pillows beneath the mossy surface. Henrik, Marvin, and Jackie volunteered to take watch tonight. The Wyldwood dimmed to near-darkness, lit only by drifting yellow lights and the lavender glow from big-petalled flowers growing in clusters all around. Chase laid his bedroll out at the base of one of the trees, a tree with bark and leaves as black as ink. If he had to be honest, this area was the best place he’d ever seen for outdoor sleeping. It was nice and calm, dark and quiet. Soon... he found himself drifting off...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Wake up!”

Chase suddenly jolted awake to the sound of a hissed shout in his ear and someone shaking him vigorously. He blinked and sat up immediately, almost knocking his forehead against Jackie’s, who was leaning over him. “What’s wrong? What’s happening?” Chase asked, eyes darting around.

“Horses!” Jackie hissed in that same whisper-shout. “Listen!”

They both fell silent... and in that silence, Chase could hear a distant rumble that he immediately recognized as the sound of hoofbeats. He looked towards the sound and saw distant lights, like lanterns. “Damn!” He cursed. “Do you think that’s the King?”

“Probably,” Jackie said. “And if it’s not, I doubt it’s anything good, in any case. We have to go. Now!”

Chase kicked his way out of the bedroll and started packing things up. He could see Marvin shaking Jameson awake as well, and then heard him hastily explaining everything while Jameson stared in wide-eyed shock. Jackie moved on to wake Henrik up in the meantime. And Draco, already awake and fully alert, stared out towards the distant lights, his fur all on end.

Soon, Chase, Jackie, and Marvin were all packed up. Jameson wasn’t far behind. As Henrik finished up his own packing, he asked, “What happened? What time is it? When did you see them?”

“Right as we were switching watches,” Marvin explained. “I woke Jackie up to take the last time slot, and then when I walked over to my bedroll to go to sleep, I noticed Draco standing on the pillow and looking out into the distance. The horses were tricky to spot, but we saw them soon enough.”

Henrik cursed under his breath in Alterdan as he buckled up his pack and stood up, swinging it onto his back. “Are they coming close to us?”

“Slowly,” Jackie said. “I think they’re sweeping this area. But they’re closer than they were a few minutes ago.” Indeed, the rumble of the horse’s hooves is noticeably louder.

If they’re going in a zigzag pattern, then we should be able to evade them by just going straight away from them, Jameson said.

“Yes, that’s pretty obvious,” Marvin said. He pointed at Draco, who was already walking off in that direction. “Let’s go!”

“Remember to be quiet, too, guys!” Chase pointed out. “No running. The people will definitely see that.”

The five of them started hurrying through the forest, going as fast as they could without actually running. There weren’t any bushes or other low undergrowth in the Wyldwood—or at least, not in this area. This section with the dark trees and the soft moss-covered ground was unnaturally barren, the forest floor more like a well-maintained orchard than a real, wild gathering of trees. Good for maneuverability, bad for avoiding attention. There were only so many tree trunks to duck behind.

Though they were going in a straight line while the pack of horses was curving around, things were turning up about even. They weren’t losing the horses, but neither were the horses catching up to them. This made sense, of course, as their walking speed wasn’t going to be nearly as fast as a horse’s canter. But it still put Chase on edge. Like at any moment, they would be discovered. “Marvin,” he whispered. “Is there any magic you have that could speed us up? Maybe—maybe you could make a shortcut with your doorways?”

Marvin nodded. “I could do that.” His hand reached up and grabbed the focus around his neck. The amulet had been giving off a slight white glow the whole time they were in the Wyldwood. “But the glow of the doorway would attract attention. I-I want to save my magic for in case something goes wrong, so I probably couldn’t get us too far.”

Something HAS gone wrong, Jameson said. I say this is the perfect time to use magic!

“Yes, do it!” Jackie added.

“Alright, alright!” Marvin stopped moving, looking around. “The trees are too narrow. I couldn’t draw a doorway wide enough for a person to go through on them. So we’ll have to risk using the ground.” He crouches down, pulling some magic from his focus. “This is going to feel really disorienting to go through.”

“Just hurry!” Chase glanced at the lights that indicated the group of horses. They were definitely getting bigger... closer. 

Marvin nodded. He started tracing a circle on the ground large enough for a person to stand in. Once he was done, the middle fell away, and the circle became a hole. On the other side, they could all see a view of the tree tops as if you were looking up at them from the ground. Even though they were currently looking down, not up. Chase blinked, stunned for a moment. Then he shook his head. “Alright!” he said. “Let’s—”

Swsh-THNK! An arrow embedded itself in a tree next to them.

“Shit!” Jackie cursed.

The lights of the distant horses were no longer wobbling back and forth, but holding in a steady position as they approached. The pounding of the hoofbeats was increasing steadily in volume, and Chase heard a voice shout out something indistinct.

“No time to waste!” Marvin hissed. “All of you go through, I need to be las—”

Swsh-THMP!

Marvin shrieked in pain, clutching his arm. An arrow lodged itself into the upper part of his left arm, close to the shoulder. The magic doorway on the ground abruptly disappeared as Marvin lost concentration.

“No!” Jackie gasped. He drew his swords, and at the same time shoved Chase to the side behind a tree, bumping his body against Chase’s. Henrik hurried over to Marvin’s side and pulled him behind a different tree while Jameson ducked behind a third one. Jackie then ran after Chase, hiding in the same spot, just barely dodging more arrows flying through the air. “Okay, new problem! Marvin, can you make a shield of some sort?”

“Y-yes,” Marvin breathed. He threw some magic forward, which expanded into a tall, glowing green wall, as solid and see-through as glass. Several arrows struck it, bouncing off. Chase could see many more arrows getting lodged in the bark of nearby trees. “W-we shouldn’t... get pinned down, though!” Marvin pulled himself to his feet, grabbing the nearby trunk with his right hand. “Remember, Jameson’s vision? Even if we’re not in the same location, the idea still stands!”

“They’ll no doubt be circling around us soon,” Jackie muttered. 

“We just have to keep going!” Chase said decisively. “This area doesn’t have much cover, we need to reach one with more places to hide!”

“We cannot outrun a squad of warriors on horses!” Henrik protested.

“Can’t stay in place, can’t outrun them, what do we do, then?!” Chase shouted.

Jameson reached back and drew his bow. He’d brought it to practice with during the Wyldwood journey, but hadn’t been able to get much practice in at all—too afraid that he would shoot a creature that wouldn’t take kindly to his archery attempts. But now, he had to risk it. We have to fight, he said, gesturing awkwardly around the bow.

“I-is that wise?!” Henrik squeaked. “We do not know how many of them there are! And the King is with them!”

“Jameson is right, it’s our only chance!” Jackie said. “We have to slow them down!” More arrows thumped against Marvin’s shield. They could now see the riders atop the horses, their helmets reflecting the light of their lanterns. “One minute to prepare! Henrik, toss us that bag with the witchcraft charms Anna gave you. Then cut down the arrow shaft!”

Henrik nodded. He tossed one of his packs forward and Chase lunged for it, looking through the charms. He scrambled to remember what some of these were—oh! Protection against magical attacks! That could help! Those charms were small wooden disks on string bracelets. He put one on and then tossed the other four to his companions. Meanwhile, Henrik took out his small knife and sawed through the shaft of the arrow Marvin had been shot with, getting as close to the wound as he could. Marvin hissed in pain but didn’t struggle, knowing they had to remove the shaft so it wouldn’t get in the way.

“They’re starting to circle!” Jackie reported. 

Chase closed up the pack of charms and slung it over his shoulder. “Alright, Jameson. You and I have to loose arrows as soon as we see one. Aim for the horses, that’ll slow them down the most!”

Jameson nodded, nocking an arrow on his bowstring.

Marvin took a deep breath and pulled some magic from his focus. “Should I take down the wall?”

“Once they start to close in,” Jackie said. “Otherwise it’ll be suspicious.”

Marvin nodded. Next to him, Henrik went rummaging through his bag. Chase heard the clinking of glass against glass, and then he pulled out a round bottle. A potion. He wound his arm back, ready to throw it.

The sound of the horses, the pounding of their hooves like a heartbeat, grew louder, closer. Chase nocked an arrow of his own. He drew back the string and got ready to loose it, adjusting his position. The sound of the hoofbeats surrounded them, thundering across the ground. There wasn’t much cover. They’d need to choose their position carefully. Any moment now.

A large shape came into view, moving incredibly quickly. Chase immediately shot his arrow, and the horse reared back, neighing. He’d managed to land the shot right in the eye. No time to waste! He grabbed another arrow and loosed it, aiming at the rider this time and managing to knock them off balance. Nearby, Jameson was doing the same.

Marvin pulled down the shield he’d conjured and Henrik threw his potion bottle forward. It bounced against the ground once before its contents spilled out, mixing and mingling together. Instantly, there’s a blast of fire. The horses and warriors caught in the blast scream, human and animal sounds indistinguishable from each other as flames cover fur and clothing.

The forest around them groaned. A rumble passed through the earth, and the leaves and trees rustled. Roots burst from the earth, waving wildly, sending clumps of dirt flying to cover the flames as the roots grabbed onto anything nearby—thankfully, only the mounted warriors. “Why do you keep upsetting the forest, Henrik?!” Chase shouted, running to a different tree to hide behind as a warrior charged at him, swinging their sword from up on their horse. The blade sliced through his shirt but barely avoided drawing blood.

“Sorry!” Henrik shouted, also running to avoid an attack. He grabbed another potion bottle, getting ready to throw it as well. At the same time, he pulled free the axe Vsevna gave him, swinging it at a horse and burying it in its side.

Marvin was casting spells left and right, and each one was coming out stronger than he intended. A glowing purple glow surrounded a warrior and threw them off their horse with such speed that a bone cracked from the movement. A bolt of rainbow-colored magic had the width of one of the trees and was bright enough to temporarily blind nearby warriors. He didn’t dare use wizard fire, because if he did, he knew it would be a blaze much stronger than he wanted. The Wyldwood was making his magic stronger. Or... more like it was making it easier to summon a great deal of it.

While the others all tried to dodge and evade, sticking on the sides of the large group gathering as much as they could, Jackie was in the middle of it all. He spun around, dancing around the large horses with no fear of their teeth or hooves. The warriors would try to slash at him with their swords or spears or halberds, but Jackie would deflect each blow with one of his swords while using the other to slash at the horse’s legs, especially their knees. It was amazing to watch—but Chase couldn’t get distracted! He felt like he was barely keeping out of reach of these warriors, anyway!

Henrik threw his second potion. This one smashed against a tree and a blizzard exploded outwards, freezing everything in its wake—including freezing the horses’ hooves to the ground. “Go go go go!” He shouted, gesturing for the group to run to the side. Most of the warriors had been caught in the potion effect, so now was the time to run! 

The group bolted, running as one through the forest, ducking and weaving through the trees. Chase felt the ground beneath his feet start to tilt—were they on a slope? It was going to the side. “This way!” he hissed, changing direction. “There could be a river this way—we could lose them!”

“Huh?!” Marvin stared at him in surprise. “H-how do you know that?!”

No time to answer, the warriors were already catching up! Chase ran faster, glancing over his shoulder to make sure the others were with him. They were, but the horses were beginning to catch up as well! He faced forward again, scanning the distance. Water always gathered where the ground was the lowest... If they kept going this way, maybe they’d find some! Even if it was just a pond, surely they could use that to evade the horses somehow, right?!

The hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood up.

He recognized that feeling. It was—

KRAK! A bolt of lightning shot from the left, passing close enough by the group that Chase could feel the heat coming from it. The bolt tore through the side of a tree, and the forest groaned as if in pain. And then—a doorway opened up in midair, and a horse came galloping through it. Jackie shrieked in surprise and shoved Chase to the side like earlier, while the others scattered. The horse circled around them, slowing down, its rider’s green cape catching the light of the glowing orbs in the air. And then the horse skidded to a stop. Upon its back... was the King.

“E-Elders...” Jackie breathed. “W-we can’t fight him here!”

“How unfortunate,” the King said. “You’re welcome to die quietly, then.” He pointed his seax at the group, and the blade started to glow—

“Run!” Marvin shouted, throwing up a shield. The group all scattered, dodging to the left. Lightning shot forward from the blade, hitting the shield... and immediately shattering it. Marvin staggered from the force of the breaking, but thankfully, no one had been in the way of the blast.

Other warriors hurried forward, closing in around the group. Jameson’s eyes widened in panic. Marvin! Try a doorway again?! 

“You guys will have to defend me!” Marvin said, grabbing his focus—

A whining sound filled the air, buzzing like an insect close to an ear. The King swiped his seax to the side and a length of green lightning whipped around. Most of the group ducked, but Marvin, focusing on his magic, was too slow. The lightning hit him in the side of the face and he screamed in pain, collapsing. Draco yowled and ran over to his side, sniffing at him. “Marvin!” Jackie screamed.

Chase’s eyes darted around. The horses had blocked them in—circled around them like in Jameson’s vision. Had they just delayed the inevitable?! He could see the warriors drawing their bows again—all of them wearing those creepy helmets that blocked out their faces. He fumbled for another arrow from his quiver, hand shaking with fear. Relax! Tension is not good for shooting! Jameson was trying to nock an arrow as well, but he was also shaking, hands so unsteady that he couldn’t even get the arrow to stay in place on the string. Henrik rummaged through his pack for another potion, but he wasn’t going to grab one in time, Chase could tell.

Suddenly, Jackie let out a scream—a bellow, more like, a loud primal call of rage and action. He charged forwards towards the King, who looked mildly surprised but not concerned. The King pointed his seax at Jackie, the blade glowing with another one of those lightning blasts. Chase screamed, certain that he was about to see Jackie fall.

But then, as the lightning shot forward, Jackie crossed his two blades in front of himself. The lightning hit the spot where they meet—it shouldn’t have mattered, as lightning usually traveled easily through metal. But... that’s not what happened here. The others watched as the swords started to glow the same green as the lightning, getting brighter and brighter as more of the lightning... was sucked into them. Like a sponge soaking up water. The warriors all stared, many of them unconsciously lowering the bows that they were going to shoot Jackie with. Even the King couldn’t take his eyes away, absolutely shocked at what he was seeing.

And then the lightning stopped, and the glow of the swords died down. But it didn’t fade. And while everyone was still stunned by what they had seen, Jackie ran forward and swiped both swords against the horse’s side. They made cuts, but nothing really damaging to such a big animal. Nothing too damaging by themselves. But as the blades made contact, lightning burst from the metal, climbing up the side of the horse, which whinnied a shrill scream and reared back. The King clung to its side—and that sealed his fate as the lightning hit him as well. His muscles spasmed, and combined with the force of the horse rearing, he was thrown off the back of it. The horse itself staggered and lost its balance, falling to its side.

Jackie looked back at the others, panting, and ran past the King and his horse.

None of them said anything, just burst into a dead sprint after him, with Henrik grabbing Marvin and awkwardly carrying him as he hurried after Jackie. The warriors just stood there on their horses, as if unsure what to do. Frozen... awaiting orders. 

But soon, the King scrambled to his feet. He glared at the warriors behind him and they all jumped into movement again, pulling arrows from quivers to shoot at the retreating group.

Jameson whistled and pointed forward. There! A glint in the darkness between the trees. Water! It went from side to side, a small creek. “Just get there!” Chase hissed. “Then—”

Marvin gasped, raising his head. “I-I can get us out!”

Jackie stumbled in shock. “A-alright! If you’re sure! Twist around the trees, everyone!”

They did so, dodging and weaving around the tree trunks, barely ducking to avoid the arrows. The water grew closer, closer—

“J-jump in!” Marvin shouted.

Chase looked at him, confused, but no time to question it! He pulled out in front, running into the water. Jackie was right behind him, and the other three behind him. Marvin reached down into the water, and it started to glow, swirling around them, then shooting upwards in a fountain—

The King shrieked angrily. “Fine, run like cowards! I’ll see you back at your precious camp!”

—And then there was a lurching feeling. Chase felt like he was falling, and then had suddenly been flipped upside down, leaving him sick and his head spinning. He fell to his knees, and immediately noticed the water... or lack thereof. They were no longer standing knee-deep in that stream they’d found. Instead, they were in a different section of the forest. They were surrounded by tall grass, soft and swaying slightly, all of it glowing gently in the same way the moon in the night sky did. The trees around them curved and bent, exaggerated silhouettes as though they were sculpted instead of grown.

Jackie looked around. “Wh-what? Where... h-how?”

“Marvin!” Henrik hurried to Marvin’s side, kneeling next to where he was laying on the ground. Draco was also nearby, shaking his fur dry before nudging Marvin’s shoulder with his nose. “A-are you alright? You were—the lightning—i-it hit you in the—”

“That... did not... f-feel good.” Marvin raised his head. An angry red mark slashed across his face, a burn from the King’s lightning attack.

“H-how are you?” Henrik asked. He reached out to press his hand against Marvin’s neck, checking his pulse and breathing. Marvin stiffened, but didn’t push him away. “Taking lightning to the face will definitely h-have effects!”

“It would’ve... if not for that... magical protection charm, I think.” Marvin raised one hand, showing the charm he’d tied around his wrist.

“E-even so, I would like to keep an eye on you,” Henrik said, concerned.

“That makes sense.”

Jameson looked around. Where are we? What did you do to get us here?

“Created a magical doorway in the water,” Marvin mumbled. “Using the actual water as the surface. It’s normally... pretty difficult. But I-I felt like I could, with how my magic has been... stronger while in the woods.” He shook his head. “H-hopefully... we’re closer to the edge of the Wyldwood, now.” Then he looked at Jackie. “That was... really amazing. With the swords.”

“Hah... I’m just glad it worked.” Jackie grinned. “I’m lucky I remembered that King Sam told me they could absorb various energies.”

Chase swallowed a lump in his throat. There was a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach. “The... th-the spirit...” His hands were shaking. “He said... he’d see us at c-camp...”

Henrik looked over at him, wide-eyed. “There... th-there’s... i-it’s not possible. H-he cannot know where we are s-staying...”

But the others all look similarly nervous. “We... w-we have to get back fast.” Marvin staggered to his feet.

“No time to spare,” Jackie agreed. “I know it’s still early in the morning, before the sunrise, but let’s hurry.”

“Hold on, we need to rest and heal!” Henrik protested.

Jameson looked troubled. He shook his head. I think we need to risk waiting until the night. If the King gets there first... He trailed off.

Henrik looked unhappy about it, but he nodded. “A-alright... we will risk it. But if any of you start walking strangely or limping, I will make us stop for a quick doctor’s check.”

“I think we’re all okay with that,” Jackie said. The others nodded.

Marvin cast a spell to find out which way was north, and using that, they all started heading back due east. If the King knew where their camp was... he might not, but if there was the slightest chance... they had to get there first. They had to warn them. Otherwise, disaster would strike.

[squirrellyshorrorreviews]

Nosferatu (2024)

A gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake.

Writer/Director: Roger Eggers (Director/Writer), Henrik Galeen (writer), Bram Stoker (inspired by work of)

Runtime: 2h 12m

Production House: Maiden Voyage, Studio 8, Birch Hill Road

Score: 7.5/10

This was a sexy one.

I went to see this one the day it came out. I wasn't able to take good notes about the movie because some asshole stole my seat in the back corner. The theater was fuckin packed so being on my phone for notes was really a no-go.

That being said, I was delighted by this movie. I described it to my friends as "suspiria but make it blue" and "Dracula but with the names and places changed to protect the innocent."

I'm here for the commitment to making this movie absolutely fucking unhinged with it's horniness and batshit insane weirdness. Dafoe is a goddamn treat as crazy-cat-lady-discount-Van-Helsing. Skarsgard's Count is just the right blend of disquieting and intriguing. I respect the choice to keep him absolutely a MonsterTM the whole time. They leaned into the inherent taboo and sexuality of a vampire story.

The use of classic film techniques really harkens back to the 1922 original and gives the whole movie this ethereal, dream-like quality to it.

Overall it's a solid movie. The pacing was great. The cinematography and costume design was very eye-candy. The acting was delightfully unhinged and disquieting. A very horny retelling of Dracula.

[cheese-chase]

Questions you say? Any kind of questions? Well i wanna know your opinion on consuming trees as food. Henrik once said that humans favorite food is tree bark and I have been eating LOTS of treebark lately from different kinds of trees! Birch oak and pine are my favorite tree tastes!

....people eat TREES??? A TREE ISNT GONNA GROW OUTTA YOUR ASS?/j

[altr5312916195]

Egotober Day Thirteen - Clockwork - Damien, Celine, AntiSepticEye

Damien’s breathing was unsteady, his lungs burned from the cold air filling them. He must’ve been on the ground for some time, the cold snow melting into his clothes. His hands grasped at his body. The tattered jacket familiar to him even without looking. His head throbbed, and when he cracked open his eyes the sunlight only made it worse. 

He struggled to sit up, taking in the winter purgatory. It was quiet, Celine’s voice no longer battling his own. After everything, this was a welcome reprieve, but he needed to find his sister. For a stranger to bring him here was strange, and he feared what Anti had planned for him. 

He forced himself to his feet, stumbling into one of the birch trees lining the trail ahead of him. Damien hated that he knew this forest inside and out, he hated when Celine sent him here so she could front without his intervention. The forest never changed, even when he cut down all of the trees, by the time he came back they returned unharmed. It made him sick. 

He understood how Celine sent him here, but he struggled to understand how Anti did it, had he just forced him back into his own psyche? The trail led him to the lake, still frozen over. Celine stood by the edge of it. She looked at him over her shoulder, her face a puffy red. 

“I can’t get us out.” Her voice was broken, choking on tears. “I don’t know what he did to us, but I can’t fix it.” Damien stayed quiet, opening his arms to her. She melted into him, sobbing into his shoulder. “Are you giving up?” He asked softly. She didn’t respond. “He can’t be stronger than us, I just don’t believe that.” 

Celine sighed heavily, pulling herself together. “He got in my head, I can’t believe he did it. What if he’s puppeting us around just like Jack?” Damien considered this for a second, but found it strange that they’d be here rather than somewhat lucid. Jack seemed to be when Anti had power over him. 

“Maybe he isn’t stronger than us. Maybe this is the best he can do, block us out but not control us.” Celine looked up at Damien, unsure. “You need to rest.” He said, taking her hand and leading her back up the trail.

When they came upon the cabin, Damien opened the door. It looked untouched by life and time, no dust on the furniture, the fireplace burning as usual. Celine collapsed into the bed, and Damien picked up the ax by the door. He went back out into the cold, going for the treeline. 

One tree down, another, and another. The wind rustled behind him, a whisper through the forest. Damien stood still, anticipating someone’s approach. 

“Quite the bleak mindscape, Damien..” Anti’s voice rippled through the cold quiet. Damien never turned to look at him, returning to chopping his wood, his movements like clockwork, without effort or thought. 

“What do you want from us?” He asked, in between smacks to the trunk. “An ally.” Anti said plainly. “You won’t find that in me.” He told him. “Don’t you want power, to be the king you were made to be?” Anti asked. “Not my thing.” Damien shrugged. “But it is Celine’s.” Anti told him. 

Damien paused. He wasn’t wrong, Damien knew this. Celine was hungry for it, a hunger he feared she got from Mark, from that house. Damien loved her, he did, how could a sibling not? But he did know that he wanted to avoid her getting that power. “She can’t have it.” Damien turned to look at Anti. 

The crisp, cold forest made Damien’s blue eyes shine, an obvious foil to Anti’s dark eyes. “What do you want?” Anti asked him. Damien looked down at his feet, avoiding his gaze. “To be free, to have my own mind. I want Celine back in a body that has no power, I want my sister back. Nothing you can give me.” Anti nodded. “Everything I want, you stand in the way off. I want my family, you put them in danger. I want my own mind, Henrik and Marvin are the only ones who can fix that.” 

“You can’t even trust Marvin.” Anti told him. Damien shook his head. “I can, I understand why he hid this from us.”  “I have plans, Damien, big plans that I need you for.” Damien watched Anti, his composure slowly coming apart and his glitching became worse with every passing moment he stayed silent. “Fine..” Anti growled. “Let’s see what response I get from you when I have your girl.” 

Damien stayed quiet, his jaw tightening. His refusal to respond had gotten to Anti, his anger seeping out. Even without Celine’s insight, he could feel that. It made Damien nauseous, finally understanding Chase’s pain. 

Anti turned away from Damien. “Certainly wouldn’t be the first kid I’ve hurt.”

[santaispa]

How We Offer the Best Russian Massage in Dubai Center

Russian massage treatment was created in the former USSR and is used in both sporting and therapeutic settings. It accomplishes this by manipulating the body's soft tissues with a variety of techniques, which lessens tension and eases soreness in the muscles. Numerous societies worldwide have evolved distinct forms of massage therapy. The Greek physician Hippocrates, who is regarded as the father of medicine, was among its earliest proponents. Many people think that Per Henrik Ling, a Swedish physician, invented contemporary European massage in the 1800s. Ling vigorously rubbed to promote lymphatic and circulatory flow. In Russia, massage was not systematically studied or applied until 1860. Following World War II, when medications were scarce, treatment techniques were improved.

Physiatrists, or physicians with advanced degrees in physical therapy, were employed by the Soviet Union to investigate the potential advantages of complementary therapies. To help in the stimulation of new muscle growth and the reversal of muscular atrophy, they created a type of petrissage. According to Russian physiologists, neurohormone and neuroendocrine responses are the source of all massage movements. Russian massage, in contrast to other forms of massage, focuses more on treating the problem's physiology than its anatomy. Water-softened oak (or birch) branches are used by two venik practitioners to "hit" face-down clients in a gentle and rhythmic manner. The collisions and friction of these branches heat the body and enhance circulation. In recent decades, there has been a growing interest in this unusual type of massage therapy from both Russians and non-Russians.

In our Russian steam baths known as "banyas," venkarma procedures are offered

Before receiving a massage, many clients like to relax in steam rooms, take hot baths, and then dive into cold water pools. It's likely that people started doing this customary way of life to get used to the brutally cold Russian winters. Many others, however, favor a more contemporary kind of massage that originated in the same area. Modern Russian massage, which was developed in the former Soviet Union and brought to Russia in the 1800s, shares certain parallels with reflexology, point massage, and sports massage. Our dubai russian massage center increases immunity, facilitates breathing, and enhances neurological system performance.

Compared to their counterparts in the sports massage industry, Russian massage therapists work more slowly and gently. They promote circulation and generate heat in their clients' bodies by generating friction. In addition, Russian massage therapists use methods like vibrating, slapping, and kneading to release tension in the soft tissues, including the muscles.Russian doctors blended conventional medicine with massage techniques during the 20th century; this combination was frequently called "manual therapy," even by those serving on the front lines of World War II. Throughout the Soviet era, massage therapy treatments were actually exclusively available to athletes and medical patients.

Our dubai russian massage center is increasingly widely used by patients as a supplement to other forms of therapy and medical attention. It can expedite the recovery from trauma and the healing of various illnesses. To find out if this type of massage will improve your health, lessen symptoms, or limit adverse effects, speak with us.

[thecharlestonroyalfamily]

Royal News: Princess Charlotte marries!

Last weekend the royal family had cause for celebration in the form of a wedding when His Majesty King Henrik’s cousin, HRH Princess Charlotte married her long-time boyfriend Daniel Birch. The couple opted for a small private wedding with just family members and close friends at Solna’s Old Stone Church. The Palace posted these two photo’s of the happy newlyweds on their socials along the announcement.

From the photo’s we can see that Her Highness wore a more modern but elegant knee-length dress and a elbow length veil. Mr. Birch went with a simple black suit. The couple will now be known as HH Princess Charlotte and Lord Daniel of Charleston.

[movienized-com]

Oxen

Oxen (Serie 2023) #JacobLohmann #JosephinePark #EllenHillingsø #BirgitteHjortSørensen #HenrikBirch #LuiseBefort Mehr auf:

Serie Jahr: 2023- Genre: Krimi / Drama / Thriller Hauptrollen: Jacob Lohmann, Josephine Park, Ellen Hillingsø, Birgitte Hjort Sørensen, Henrik Birch, Luise Befort, Reinout Scholten van Aschat, Anders Heinrichsen, Alfred Røssel Læsø, Thue Ersted Rasmussen, Claus Riis Østergaard, Mikael Birkkjær, Laura Allen Müller, Joen Højerslev, Mie Gren … Serienbeschreibung: Aufgrund der Feigheit seines…

[kozykricket]

Minecraft Thoughtdump: The Paint and The Canvas

This is a fairly unstructured ramble about my opinions on minecraft world generation.

So, off the bat... 1.18 was possibly the best minecraft update ever. while for a lot of people it may have been saddening to see C&C split into two, it was for sure for the better. A lesson of over-scoping was learned, and yet the update still reached its potential fully! Its insanely impressive how much 1.18 did. I remember being there during the experimental snapshots, with henrik (who has now left the team to pursue more) leading them, he was asking for feedback everywhere! I remember seeing a discord conversation someone had about the distribution of dripstone in the cave biomes Overall, it was a fantastic update. It truly shows the iteration and feedback process at its finest. How glad I am for 1.18... But to recap what 1.18 did for the sake of this post - one of the most notable things is that... we don't have "hills" biomes anymore. we just have... hilly terrain! heightmap and biomes are separated now, with them somewhat having influence on eachother but overall being completely separate things. This makes for a lot more variety in terrain shape! Its especially noticeable in single biome worlds, just how varied the terrain can be in a single biome.

However, I do think this is merely the beginning of a minecraft 2 of sorts. I think its fair to look at the heightmap and placement of biomes as the "canvas" that is painted upon, and the actual biomes themselves and features, from the grass to the trees, to the rocks and the flowers... as if those are all the "paint" Do you get what I'm gettin at? I think now that worldgen was torn out and redone entirely, we have an amazing canvas to work with. Truly, so many things can be put on top of it

But alas, the paint is still not quite up to date. Its like if you replaced a wall in a house that was crumbling down and pretty weak with a fantastic new wall, but kept the same faded paint color on it... Still works as a wall! its just... wouldn't it be nicer if the paint was also redone? That's what I think minecraft needs. I think oak forests in particular are an example of this - they're still the same trees as they were in alpha. I think the general shape is too iconic to change, but more height variety would at least be nice! More boulders, ferns, ponds!

Here's where my biggest idea comes into play, though. You know how they got rid of hill biomes because they were made redundant with Fancy Heightmap Technology? Well what if... we made biomes like old growth birch forests and sparse jungles redundant? What if... tree density and height was based on random noise? Imagine... every forest you find has a different variation of height, of density... some forests you find are towering and dense as heck, but some are fairly sparsely placed. Some, a nice inbetween... It would make multiple instances of the same biome far more unique to come across. Apply it to tall grass and flowers too, and you truly have an insane amount of variation The cherry on top would be for forest clearings to occasionally generate, with boulders or ponds, or big stumps in them... Also, fallen / hollow logs thanks Of course, this is all way easier said than done, and its clear mojang has different priorities currently, and... well yeah, its a lot more complicated. Worldgen is hard to make, and its even harder to make everyone happy. They don't want to break old worlds, they dont want to break expectations, they want to deliver quality...

Mojang are not the bad guys, despite so many people thinking that. Minecraft ideas academy on youtube has some good videos on the subject.

Anyways, i think we are merely in the beginning of the new age of minecraft worldgen. I don't think 1.20 will be quite it (I think 1.20 is a FANTASTIC future for minecraft though still thats my next post. and then a post about structures)

If we think of the world as a canvas... and the trees, grass, flowers... all of that as the paint? Well, I see a bright future for Minecraft

[jungledubs-archive]

this is birch wood slander (/j), what about like birch planks? those go so good with spruce wood like imagine a house that’s got like spruce walls and stripped dark oak beams supporting the roof and the floor is made out of birch planks or stripped birch? i personally think it’s pretty :3 /lh /nm

birch is alright! just compared to the others it's not my favourite :P

also henrik likes birch and so i dislike it just to spite him

[notsosecret-slgarden]

Not So Secret -  By the River.

Sponsored by Scarlet Creative & The Little Branch.

Scarlet Creative - Nash Cabin The Little Branch - Black Walnut Tree @shinyshabby 

FANATIK - Kenmoore The Little Branch - Cedar.v3 The Little Branch - Crispy Grass LOVE - HOME & GARDEN SUPERSTORE - ESSENTIAL GRASS LOVE - HOME & GARDEN SUPERSTORE - SUNSHINE MEADOW MudHoney - Talia Drapes Nutmeg - Attic Hideout Couch Studio Skye - Birch Grove Tree Tall Studio Skye - Epic Rock Studio Skye - Pebble Beach Wave Studio Skye - Rocky Mound Studio Skye - Rocky Platforms Studio Skye - Tree Fern T-Spot Mesh - Delphinium Fancy Decor - Henrik Computer Chair Fancy Decor - Henrik Computer Monitor

[thriftlita]

Lubo, I hope I'm not being a bother but do you know of any books about Novgorod? I've been trying to find some to use as reference, but I don't know where to start do you think you could point me in the right direction?

I’ve got a few suggestions you could use online! A lot of my sources have been online only, because getting translations of these materials is fucking hard, so I’ve piece-mailed everything together via various sources.

My first go-to is the Novgorodian Chronicle, basically a year-by-year telling of the events in the city, and then later the country at large. There’s a PDF of the original English translation from 1914: https://faculty.washington.edu/dwaugh/rus/texts/MF1914.pdf

Vikings in Veliky Novgorod: https://www.rbth.com/travel/2015/11/03/vikings_in_veliky_novgorod

Birch bark letters: https://www.medievalists.net/2018/08/medieval-daily-life-birchbark/ https://www.manuscript-cultures.uni-hamburg.de/MC/articles/mc10_mendoza.pdf If you need hardcopy stuff, and you can find any of Henrik Birnbaum’s work, and not pay 100 bucks for a copy, he has whole essays on the matter. They’re my holy grail, as it were. ‘Lord Novgorod the Great’ and ‘Lord Novgorod in Focus’ are some pieces I want to bless my eyeballs with. Valentin Yanin specialized too specifically on the city, and his work might be harder to find in English.

[beerecordings]

bee. bee. music box jameson being so touch starved and scared he gets up in the middle of the night sobbing and knocking so so softly on a brother’s door, just for a little hug or a soft touch on his hand. being so lonely and spaced out he doesn’t even realize there’s tears streaming down his face as he sits at the table, jackie right in front of him trying to snap him out of this trace. being so used to dancing to his music he unconsciously does small movements or begins to turn (1/2)

YES YES THIS IS WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE THIS IS THE LEVEL WE NEED TO BE AT -

he needs to remember that he still has FLESH not wood so he’s awake at four in the morning rapping on Henrik’s door asking to sleep next to him or he’s hanging out at the bar letting people feel him up and kissing strangers, he’s clingy for days and days, trying to snuggle up in everybody’s lap like a little kid, but then he forgets that he’s a living thing capable of affecting other living things and he zones out cause no one’s coming to comfort him and his skin feels like birch anyway and he’s afraid that if someone touches him he will snap in half.

i love that image of Jackie trying to get him out of a dissociative state, trying to get him to respond at all, because Jameson can just sink back so deep into his head they think he’s catatonic. sometimes he may as well be unconscious, limp as a killed fish, but other times he’s awake and just can’t remember how to make his body move, and Jackie is calling for him so soft and so afraid for hours and hours, Jackie is carrying him to his bed and sitting with him, playing his favorite music and whispering to him about anything and everything that comes into his head, trying to remind Jamie that he can move and react and think, patting at his face with a warm washcloth as the tears fall for hours and hours, beyond the control of either of them, beyond the control of anyone.

his body always feels stiff. he gets scared when the ground beneath him is slanted or unsteady, afraid to go crashing to the floor, ground beneath Anti’s heel. sometimes he thinks his human face is ugly and he misses his clean porcelain face, his blue eyes warmly downcast, his pink mouth in a small, peaceful smile, his cheeks colored with two clean dots of blush, stood up on his toes in his little blue ballet flats, one tiny blue tear frozen on his perfect face. Marvin doesn’t lend him make-up anymore, it makes him cry. they keep buying him new clothes and encouraging him to pick them out but he won’t change out of the dapper outfit he was wearing when Anti stole him and shuts down if a button pops off or a thread comes loose.

when he does start to go back to those old, all-too-familiar movements, his body swaying a little, bending oddly, picking himself up on his toes, his face falling into a blank smile, they try to notice and respond, hurrying to him and calling his name, pulling him into a hug and rubbing hard at his shoulders, trying to pull him back before he gets deep in his head, trying to ground him.

and like two hours later they’re all like “we’re going to let go now okay?” and he’s like “NO wait i…. )‘‘‘: i’m sorry, i know i’m so annoying but please don’t let me go, i don’t want to go back there”

the sleep paralysis would be just AWFUL for him and the demon that came and stared at him would most likely be not Anti but that pretty porcelain doll in the dapper vest, staring down at him with that faux peace smile and that one blue tear… he cries and sprints to Jackie’s room and hides under the bed as soon as he can move again, refusing to come out for hours. and then he won’t sleep until he’s got at least one person holding him and somebody guarding the door and maybe a nice cat on his lap and maybe if Chase would tell him a story or something that would be good and no wait Henrik don’t go!!! don’t go, you’ll get caught, he’ll make you dance too, nobody go, hold onto me!!!!!

they’re all so exhausted. it’s completely untenable. they’re still trying to figure out how to cope with this as a family. and it’s awful for JJ’s self-esteem because he just feels like such a burden, and he doesn’t know what he’s living for and none of it feels real, so he just hides with whatever brother is closest and hopes that if he keeps trying one day he’ll be able to handle everything that happened to him.

[brookston]

Holidays 1.19

Holidays

Archery Day

Artist As Outlaw Day

Bondadagur (Husband’s Day; Iceland)

Confederate Heroes Day (f.k.a. Lee Day; Texas)

Good Memory Day

The Holocaust Day (India)

Horror Novels Are Horrendous Day

Husband’s Day (Iceland)

International Flower Day

Kokborok Day (India)

La Tamborrada (24-Hour Drum Jam; Spain)

Laura Ingall’s Wilder Day (Wisconsin)

Little Ricky Day

National Annie Day

National Conservation Dog Day

National Gun Appreciation Day

National Investment Risk Management Day

National Lucy Day

Natlisgeba (Republic of Georgia)

Neon Sign Day

New Friends Day [also 7.19; 10.19]

Poe Toaster (Baltimore, Maryland)

Puzzle Day

Robert E. Lee Day (AL, AR, FL, GA, MS, TN)

Tenderness Toward Existence Day

Tin Can Day

Whisper 'I Love You' Day

World Day of Migrants and Refugees

World Quark Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Brew a Potion Day

National Popcorn Day

3rd Thursday in January

Get To Know Your Customers Day [3rd Thursday of each Quarter]

Guys Night Out [3rd Thursday]

Women’s Healthy Weight Day [3rd Thursday]

Feast Days

Bassianus of Lodi (Christian; Saint)

Blaithmaic (Christian; Saint)

Canute (a.k.a. Knud; Christian; Saint)

Feast of Sultán (Baha’i)

Harlan Ellison Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Henry of Uppsala (Christian; Saint)

Lomer (Christian; Saint)

Marius, Martha, Audifax, and Abachum (Christian; Martyrs)

Mark of Ephesus (Eastern Orthodox Church)

Pontianus of Spoleto (Christian; Saint)

Procrastination Day Tomorrow (Pastafarian)

Skip Squawk (Muppetism)

Theocrats of Japan (Positivist; Saint)

Theophany  (a.k.a. ... 

Denho (Syriac Christian; Saint)

Epiphany (Eastern and Oriental Orthodox)

Great Blessing of the Waters (Eastern Orthodox)

Natlisgeba (Georgia)

Sure Tsnund (Armenian Apostolic Church)

Timket (a.k.a. Timkat, Coptic Epiphany; Eritrea, Ethiopia)

Vodici (Baptism of Jesus; North Macedonia)

Water Blessing Festival (Bulgaria)

Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester (Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Prime Number Day: 19 [8 of 72]

Sakimake (先負 Japan) [Bad luck in the morning, good luck in the afternoon.]

Umu Limnu (Evil Day; Babylonian Calendar; 3 of 60)

Premieres

Avenue 5 (TV Series; 2020)

Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, by Camille Saint-Saëns (Cello Concerto; 1873)

Chicken in the Rough (Disney Cartoon; 1951)

48 Hours (TV News Show; 1988)

From Dusk Till Dawn (Film; 1996)

Homeward Bound, by Simon & Garfunkel (Song; 1966)

How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, by Bad Religion (Album; 1982)

Il Trovatore ('The Troubadour'), by Giuseppe Verdi (Opera; 1853)

The Juliet Letters, by Elvis Costello (Album; 1993)

Mickey’s Man Friday (Disney Cartoon; 1935)

Searching For Sugar Man (Documentary Film; 2012)

So Dear to My Heart (Film; 1949)

Tremors (Film; 1990)

Woman of the Year (Film; 1942)

Today’s Name Days

Agritius, Marius, Martha, Pia (Austria)

Ljiljana, Makarije, Mario, Marta (Croatia)

Doubravka (Czech Republic)

Pontianus (Denmark)

Enn, Enno, Eno, Heigo, Heik, Heiki, Heiko, Heino, Hendrik, Henn, Henno, Henri, Henrik (Estonia)

Heikki, Henna, Henni, Henri, Henriikka, Henrik, Henrikki (Finland)

Marius (France)

Mario, Martha, Pia (Germany)

Efrasia, Makarios (Greece)

Márió, Sára (Hungary)

Liberata, Mario (Italy)

Alnis, Andulis (Latvia)

Gedvilė, Marijus, Morta, Raivedys (Lithuania)

Margunn, Marius (Norway)

Andrzej, Bernard, Erwin, Erwina, Eufemia, Henryk, Kanut, Mariusz, Marta, Matylda, Mechtylda, Pia, Racimir, Sara (Poland)

Macarie (Romania)

Lidia, Maria (Russia)

Drahomíra (Slovakia)

Arsenio, Mario (Spain)

Henrik (Sweden)

Bob, Bobbi, Bobbie, Bobby, Robbie, Robert, Roberta, Roberto, Robin, Robinson, Robyn (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 19 of 2023; 346 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 4 of week 3 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Beth (Birch) [Day 26 of 28]

Chinese: Month 12 (Gun-Chou), Day 28 (Ding-Chou)

Chinese Year of the: Tiger (until January 22, 2023)

Hebrew: 26 Teveth 5783

Islamic: 26 Jumada II 1444

J Cal: 19 Aer; Fiveday [19 of 30]

Julian: 6 January 2023

Moon: 7%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 19 Moses (1st Month) [Theocrats of Japan]

Runic Half Month: Peorth (Womb, Dice Cup) [Day 10 of 15]

Season: Winter (Day 30 of 90)

Zodiac: Capricorn (Day 29 of 30)

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 1.19

Holidays

Archery Day

Artist As Outlaw Day

Bondadagur (Husband’s Day; Iceland)

Confederate Heroes Day (f.k.a. Lee Day; Texas)

Good Memory Day

The Holocaust Day (India)

Horror Novels Are Horrendous Day

Husband’s Day (Iceland)

International Flower Day

Kokborok Day (India)

La Tamborrada (24-Hour Drum Jam; Spain)

Laura Ingall’s Wilder Day (Wisconsin)

Little Ricky Day

National Annie Day

National Conservation Dog Day

National Gun Appreciation Day

National Investment Risk Management Day

National Lucy Day

Natlisgeba (Republic of Georgia)

Neon Sign Day

New Friends Day [also 7.19; 10.19]

Poe Toaster (Baltimore, Maryland)

Puzzle Day

Robert E. Lee Day (AL, AR, FL, GA, MS, TN)

Tenderness Toward Existence Day

Tin Can Day

Whisper 'I Love You' Day

World Day of Migrants and Refugees

World Quark Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Brew a Potion Day

National Popcorn Day

3rd Thursday in January

Get To Know Your Customers Day [3rd Thursday of each Quarter]

Guys Night Out [3rd Thursday]

Women’s Healthy Weight Day [3rd Thursday]

Feast Days

Bassianus of Lodi (Christian; Saint)

Blaithmaic (Christian; Saint)

Canute (a.k.a. Knud; Christian; Saint)

Feast of Sultán (Baha’i)

Harlan Ellison Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Henry of Uppsala (Christian; Saint)

Lomer (Christian; Saint)

Marius, Martha, Audifax, and Abachum (Christian; Martyrs)

Mark of Ephesus (Eastern Orthodox Church)

Pontianus of Spoleto (Christian; Saint)

Procrastination Day Tomorrow (Pastafarian)

Skip Squawk (Muppetism)

Theocrats of Japan (Positivist; Saint)

Theophany  (a.k.a. ... 

Denho (Syriac Christian; Saint)

Epiphany (Eastern and Oriental Orthodox)

Great Blessing of the Waters (Eastern Orthodox)

Natlisgeba (Georgia)

Sure Tsnund (Armenian Apostolic Church)

Timket (a.k.a. Timkat, Coptic Epiphany; Eritrea, Ethiopia)

Vodici (Baptism of Jesus; North Macedonia)

Water Blessing Festival (Bulgaria)

Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester (Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Prime Number Day: 19 [8 of 72]

Sakimake (先負 Japan) [Bad luck in the morning, good luck in the afternoon.]

Umu Limnu (Evil Day; Babylonian Calendar; 3 of 60)

Premieres

Avenue 5 (TV Series; 2020)

Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, by Camille Saint-Saëns (Cello Concerto; 1873)

Chicken in the Rough (Disney Cartoon; 1951)

48 Hours (TV News Show; 1988)

From Dusk Till Dawn (Film; 1996)

Homeward Bound, by Simon & Garfunkel (Song; 1966)

How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, by Bad Religion (Album; 1982)

Il Trovatore ('The Troubadour'), by Giuseppe Verdi (Opera; 1853)

The Juliet Letters, by Elvis Costello (Album; 1993)

Mickey’s Man Friday (Disney Cartoon; 1935)

Searching For Sugar Man (Documentary Film; 2012)

So Dear to My Heart (Film; 1949)

Tremors (Film; 1990)

Woman of the Year (Film; 1942)

Today’s Name Days

Agritius, Marius, Martha, Pia (Austria)

Ljiljana, Makarije, Mario, Marta (Croatia)

Doubravka (Czech Republic)

Pontianus (Denmark)

Enn, Enno, Eno, Heigo, Heik, Heiki, Heiko, Heino, Hendrik, Henn, Henno, Henri, Henrik (Estonia)

Heikki, Henna, Henni, Henri, Henriikka, Henrik, Henrikki (Finland)

Marius (France)

Mario, Martha, Pia (Germany)

Efrasia, Makarios (Greece)

Márió, Sára (Hungary)

Liberata, Mario (Italy)

Alnis, Andulis (Latvia)

Gedvilė, Marijus, Morta, Raivedys (Lithuania)

Margunn, Marius (Norway)

Andrzej, Bernard, Erwin, Erwina, Eufemia, Henryk, Kanut, Mariusz, Marta, Matylda, Mechtylda, Pia, Racimir, Sara (Poland)

Macarie (Romania)

Lidia, Maria (Russia)

Drahomíra (Slovakia)

Arsenio, Mario (Spain)

Henrik (Sweden)

Bob, Bobbi, Bobbie, Bobby, Robbie, Robert, Roberta, Roberto, Robin, Robinson, Robyn (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 19 of 2023; 346 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 4 of week 3 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Beth (Birch) [Day 26 of 28]

Chinese: Month 12 (Gun-Chou), Day 28 (Ding-Chou)

Chinese Year of the: Tiger (until January 22, 2023)

Hebrew: 26 Teveth 5783

Islamic: 26 Jumada II 1444

J Cal: 19 Aer; Fiveday [19 of 30]

Julian: 6 January 2023

Moon: 7%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 19 Moses (1st Month) [Theocrats of Japan]

Runic Half Month: Peorth (Womb, Dice Cup) [Day 10 of 15]

Season: Winter (Day 30 of 90)

Zodiac: Capricorn (Day 29 of 30)