#The White Hart Inn

[gaytravelinfo]

The White Hart – Salisbury, CT

The White Hart | 15 Undermountain Road | Salisbury, CT 06068 | 860-435-0030 The White Hart, nestled in the foothills of the Berkshires in picturesque Salisbury, Connecticut, draws its name from its counterpart in Salisbury, England. Built in 1806, the inn had humble beginnings as a small tavern with only a few rooms. Some of the charming features of this original building can still be seen in…

[whencyclopedia]

The Origins of British Pub Names

Pubs remain a prominent feature of the rural and urban landscapes of Britain, but their names very often date back to medieval times. Red lions, white horses, and colourful characters peer from pub signs as landlords choose names to represent local history, legends, landmarks, national figures, or simply imply their drinking establishment has a long and prestigious heritage.

This article presents the meaning behind some of the most common pub names seen across Britain from Penzance to the Hebrides. According to The Wordsworth Dictionary of Pub Names, there were over 50,000 pubs in Britain at the beginning of the 21st century. The same source identifies the top 20 pub names. Red Lion, Crown, and Royal Oak are the top three, then (in alphabetical order) Anchor, Angel, Bell, Bull, Coach & Horses, George, George & Dragon, King's Head, Nelson, New Inn, Plough, Railway, Rose & Crown, Swan, Duke of Wellington, White Hart, and White Horse (269). As the appeal of pubs and inns has widened to other countries, many of the traditional British pub names can be seen today around the world from New York to Melbourne.

English Pub Signs

Mark Cartwright (CC BY-NC-SA)

The pub names below have been selected because they are especially common, their meaning is obscure, or the history behind them is of particular interest. Self-explanatory but, nevertheless, very common names such as Hop & Grape, Jolly Sailors, or Duke of Marlborough are omitted for want of space. As shall be seen, many variations of a name are possible, even in broad meaning, but a local would always have known the precise significance of their pub's name since, from the late Middle Ages until the mid-19th century, when most of the population was illiterate, it was the pub's sign which gave the establishment its name (and not vice-versa, as is usually the case today). Pub signs, which were made obligatory by a 1393 law, can take the form of a painting, a representation in wrought iron, a three-dimensional model, or even a weather-worn example of the object itself.

Anchor

The name Anchor is, naturally, most popular by the coast where fishing traditions are strongest. However, the name was also common for pubs near canals, particularly overnight stops for barges carrying goods such as coal and wine between towns and cities. The name can be qualified by all sorts of adjectives related to seafaring such as Foul Anchor (used to rescue a ship in distress), Sheet Anchor (a ship's largest and most reliable anchor), and Raffled Anchor (an entangled anchor). For extra cachet, the name might be upgraded to Royal Anchor. A lesser-known significance of the name is when it is used in reference to Saint Paul who, in the Bible, mentions that faith is like an anchor and gives hope, hence the pub name Anchor of Hope. As the colour blue is symbolic of hope, pub signs for this name very often depict a blue anchor. Finally, there is the common variation Crown & Anchor, which refers to the arms of the Lord High Admiral and the badge of petty officers in the Royal Navy.

Continue reading...

[beebopboom]

The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter

Yep! That’s right we are diving back into season 1, specifically with the last true witch, Agnes Nutter

This first part is mainly going to deal with what is in her book and is largely just a reference point. This will cover all the prophecies we know about and the images included in her book that I could find

Further analysis and theories will start in part two

-> which you can click here to read if you’d like

But other than that let’s just dive in

Prophecies 

Most of these we know and we see play out but there are a few stragglers- (which I’m not going to go into in this series just for the sole reason my very ill brain cannot handle them right now, maybe in the future)

Prophecy 1111: "An the Great Hound Sharl come and the Two Powers sharl watch in... Goeth where is its Master, Where the... Notte, and he shall name it, True to... and Hell shall flee it."

Prophecy 2214: "In December 1980, an Apple will arise no man can eat. Invest thy money in Master Jobbes's machine, and good fortune will tend thy days."

Prophecy 2213: "I tell ye this, and I charge ye with my wordes. Four shall ride, and three shall ride the sky as two, and one shall ride in flames, and there shall be no stopping them. Not fish, nor rain, neither devil or angel. And ye shall be there also, Anathema."

Prophecy 2315: "Sum say It cometh in London Town, or New Yorke, butte they be Wronge, for the place is Taddes Fild, Stronge inne hys powr, he cometh like a knight innne the fief, he divideth the Worlde into 4 partes, he bringeth the storme.

Prophecy 3001: "Behind the Eagle's Neste, a great Ash hath fallen.

Prophecy 3007: "Prayers and hope ... / Brings forth sorrow and serpents reign / For the devil lucks in plain sight / Under an arc of pale moonlight."

Prophecy 3008: "When that the angel readeth these words of mine, in his shoppe of other menne's books, then the final days are certes upon us. Open thine eyes to understand. Open thine eyes and rede, I do say, foolish principalitee, for thy cocoa doth grow cold."

Prophecy 3009: "Seven who hold the Scepter shall be killed...of them shall become a saint."

Prophecy 3011: "The exer... and churches be laid open to ... oppressed shall prevail, and oppose the cruelty of foreigners. For a Boar of Cornwall shall give his assistance, and trample their necks under his feet."

Prophecy 3012: "A shower of blood shall rain, and a raging famine shall afflict mankind. When these things happen, the Red Dragon shall grieve, but when his fatigue is over he shall recover his strength. Then shall misfortunes hasten upon the White Dragon, and the buildings of his gardens be pulled down."

Prophecy 3017: "I see Four Riding, bringing the Ende and the Angells of Hell ride with them, And three shall Rise. And Four and Four Together be Four and the Dark Angel sharl Own Defeat, Yette the Manne sharl claim his Own."

Prophecy 3477: Lette the wheel of Fate turne, let harts en-join, there are othere fyres than mine; when the wynd blowethe the blos-soms, reach oute one to anothere, for the calm cometh when Redde and Whyte and Blacke and Pale approche to Peas is Our Professioune.

Prophecy 3817: "The Number of the Beast is in the Revelayting of Sainte John, call hym in Taddesfield. And ye will know hym by this sign, that when ye do call hym, the Lesser Beaste will walk upon his hind legs like unto a Dancing Bear."

Prophecy 3819: "When Orient's chariot inverted be, four wheles in the skye, a man with bruises be upon Youre Bedde, aching his hedd for willow fine, a manne who testeth with a pyn yette his hart be.

Prophecy 3988: "Whene menne of crocus come frome the Earth and green manne frome the Sky, yette ken not why, and Pluto's barres quitte the Light-ning castels, and sunken lands riseth, and Levia-than runneth free, and Brazil is vert, then Three cometh together and Four arise, upon iron horses ride; I tell you the ende draweth nigh."

Prophecy 3989: "He is not what he says he is."

Prophecy 4009: "Where the Hogg's back ends the young beast will take the world and Adam's line will end in fire and darkness."

Prophecy 4019: "When Orient's Chariot Inverted be a man with bruises up thy bed, aching his head for willow fine."

Prophecy 4020: "Let the wheel of fate turne, let harts enjoin, there are othere fyres than mine; when the whirl wynd whirls, reach oute one to another."

Prophecy 5001: "When the skies are crimson seen, then ye both must stand between the world of life and the world of war, where the iron bird lands no more."

Prophecy 5004: "When alle is sayed and all is done, ye must choose your faces wisely, for soon enouff, ye will be playing with fyre."

and that’s all of them I believe so let’s hop into the images I could find

Artworks

Starting out on the very first page we have this

Now I could not find an exact reference to this (I know starting out strong just stay with me) but between the examples I could find plus the four wings surrounding the head I would say this is depicting a Cherubim

This next one is from the actual book itself,

This is the piece, Saint John Devouring the Book by Albrecht Dürer (1498) which was published alongside 15 other woodcut illustrations in his book, Apocalypse, all covering events in Revelations

Now we are moving into pieces that we see in the little montage moments so the images are a little less clear

This piece, Saint Michael Slaying the Dragon, is by Martin Schongauger done sometime between 1480-1490

The next piece was actually a two for one which made my job a little easier and let this post only be one part *curse you image limit*

Chariot Vision, which is by Matthäus Merian depicting Ezekiel’s vision in Ezekiel 1:5 (I couldn’t find when it was made -and now that I’m really looking at it the wheels are a little different but I’m confident enough to say it’s from the same story so the point will still stands)

and finally we have this one

With help from @gallup24 and some image manipulation finally found this piece, The Minde bould hare a fixed Eye On Objects, that are plac’d on High.

I believe to be published first along side other emblems by Gabrielis Rollenhagii in 1613 it was reprinted in 1635 with added hymns by George Wither in his emblem book

the hymn reads

A Heart, which bore the figure of an Eye

Wide open to the Sunne; by fome, was us’d,

When in an Emblem, they would fignifie

A Minde, which on Celeftiall Matters mus’d :

Implying, by this fame, that there is nought

Which in this lower Orbe, our Eyes can fee,

So fit an Object for manly thought,

As thofe things, which in Heav’n above us be.

God, gave Mankinde (above all other Creatures)

A lovely Forme, and upward-looking Eye,

(Among the reft of his peculiar Featares)

That he might lift his Countenance on high:

And (having view'd the Beauty, which appeares

Within the outward Sights circumference)

That he might elevate above the Sphares,

The piercing Eye, of his tatelligence,

Then, higher, and fill higher ftrive to raife

His Contemplations Eyes, till they alcend

To gaine a glimple of thofe eternall Rayes,

To which all undepraved Spirits rend.

For, 'tis the proper nature of the Minde

(Till fehly Thoughts corrupt it) to delpile

Thole Lufts whereto the Rody ftands inclin'd ;

And labour alwayes, upmard to arife.

Some, theretore, thought thofe Goblins which appeare

To haunt old Graves and Tombes, are Soules of fuch,

Who to thefe loathfome places doomed were,

Becaule, they doted on the Fleh too much.

But, ture weare, well-minded Men thall god

To live above, when others bide below.

(also if you want a really good breakdown of the publishers of, The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, check out the one @i-only-ever-asked-questions posted one here)

————————————————————————

so yeah that’s all I could find and like I said this is mainly just a reference post

and yes I am aware that one very obvious piece is missing that seems to be made just for this book. I ran out of images so i’ll post it in a rb

[yronnia]

[Edit: check my reblog too, screenshots from the book kindly provided by spookydazechaos]

Agnesses Nyce and not so accurate prophecies with screenshots.

The full list below.

Some are unreadable (to me), so I inserted some X-es instead, where necessary. Interesting is, that Orient Chariot is mentioned twice, in prophecy nr. 3819 anf 4019.

Prophecy nr. 3012 is only one I cant allocate, dont tell me its about Aziraphale and Crowley, when Agness adressed Aziraphale by "angel" "thyf " and "principalitee", whats the bit about the dragons? Because they have wings?

1111- An the Great Hound sharl come

and the Two Powers sharl watch in V

Goeth Where is, Where they

Notte, and he sharl name it, True to l

and Hell sharl flee it

2213- I tell ye thyf, and I charge

ye with my wordes. Four shalle

ryde and Four shalle alfo ryde,

and Three sharl ryde the Skye

as twixt and Wonne shal ryde in

flames, and theyr shall be no stopping

themme, not fish, nor rayne nor rode, neirher

Deville nor Angel. And ye shalle be theyr also

2214- In December 1980 an Apple will arise no

man can eat. Invest thy money in Master Jobbes

thinking machine and good fortune

will tend thy days.

2315- Sumsay It cometh in Londo xxx or

New Yorke, butte they be Wronge, f xxx is

Taddes fild, Stronge inne hys powr, h xxxxke

a knight inee the fief, he divideth the xxx

4 partes, he bringeth the storme.

3001- Behinde the Eagles Neste a grate Ash hath fallen.

? 3007- Brings forth

For the devil lucks in plain sight.

Under an arc of pale moonlight.

3008- When that the angel readeth these

word of mine, in his shoppe of other mmennes

books, then the final days are certes upon us. Open

thyne eyes to understand. Open thyne eyes and rede

I do say, foolish principalitee, for thy cocoa doth

grow cold

3009- Seven, who hold the Scepther shall be killed,

xxx shall become a saint.

3011- xxThe?

and churces be laid open

opressed shall prevail, and oppose the cruen

foreginers. For a Boar of Cornwall shall give his

assistance and trample their necks under his feet

3012- A shower of blood shall rain and a ragging

famine shall afflict mankind. When dhese things

happen, the Red Dragon shall grieve, but when his

fatigue is over, he shall recover his strength. Then

shall misfortunes hasten upon the White Dragon,

and the buildings of his gardens be pulled down.

3017- I see Four Riding, bringing the Ende, and

the Angells of Hell ride with them, And Three sharl

Rise. And Four and Four Together be Four, and the

Dark Angel sharl Own Defeat, Yette the Manne

sharl claim his Own.

3477- Lette the wheel of Fate turne, let harts

en- join, there are othere Fyres than mine, when

the wynd blowethe the blos- soms, reach oute one

to anothere, for the calm cometh when Redde and

Whyte and BLacke and Pale approache to Pear is

Our Professioune.

3819- When Orients chariot

inverted be, four wheles in the

skye, a man with bruises be upon

Youre Bedde, achinge his head

for willowfine, a manne who

resterh with a pyn yette his

hart be.

3988- Whene menne of crocus come frome the

Earth and green manne frome thee Sky, yette ken

not why, and Plutos barres quitte the light- ning

castels, and sunken landes riseth, and Levia- than

runneth free, and Brazil is vert, then Three cometh

together and Four arise, upon iron horses ride, I tell

you the ende draweth nigh.

3989- He is not what he says he is

4009- Where the Hoggs back end the young

beast will take the world and Adams line will end

in fire and darkness.

4019- When Orients chariot inverted be a

man with bruises up thy bed, aching his head for

willow fine

4020- Let the wheel of fate turne, let harts

enjoin, there are other fyres than myne, when the

whirl wynd whirls, reach oute one to another.

5001- When the skies are xxxx, then ye

both must stand between the world and life and the

world of wae, where the iron bird lands no more

5004- When alle is fayed and all is done, ye

must choofe your faces wisely, for soon enouff

ye will be playing with fyre

[whataniceone2]

A dovecote, now in the carpark of the White Hart Country Inn, Wytham, Oxford (now closed)

[therecordchanger62279]

THE BEST WRITTEN SONGS OF ALL-TIME

     Because I have zero innate musical ability, the idea that someone can sit down with a musical instrument, and create an original song out of thin air is magic to me. Songwriting is a craft, but it’s inspiration that makes a good song into a great one. There are songwriters who seem able to turn out high quality songs in perpetuity. There are others who write maybe one or two great songs, and are never heard from again. So, I made a list of what I think are the 50 best written songs I’ve ever heard. These are in no particular order. I’ve listed the title followed by the songwriter or songwriters, and in parentheses is the performer I most enjoy hearing do the song – although most of these songs have been recorded countless times by a variety of artists. You can probably find all of these on YouTube or any of the streaming services. Most have lyrics, but some do not. But, it’s hard for me to imagine any of these songs being recorded by anyone with talent, and not retaining the brilliance with which the song was written.

Claire de Lune by Claude Debussy (Eugene Ormandy & The Philadelphia Orchestra)

Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin (Zubin Mehta & The New York Philharmonic, Gary Graffman, piano)

A Change Is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke (Sam Cooke)

Coal Miner’s Daughter by Loretta Lynn (Loretta Lynn)

Hello Walls by Willie Nelson (Faron Young)

I Left My Heart In San Francisco by George Cory and Douglass Cross (Tony Bennett)

God Bless The Child by Arthur Herzog, Jr. and Billie Holiday (Billie Holiday)

Eleanor Rigby by Paul McCartney and John Lennon (The Beatles)

Blind Willie McTell by Bob Dylan (Bob Dylan)

A Remark You Made by Wayne Shorter (Weather Report)

She’s Always a Woman by Billy Joel (Billy Joel)

Roll Me Away by Bob Seger (Bob Seger)

Margie’s At the Lincoln Park Inn by Tom T. Hall (Bobby Bare)

Angel From Montgomery by John Prine (Bonnie Raitt and John Prine)

Rainy Night in Georgia by Tony Joe White (Brook Benton)

You Never Can Tell by Chuck Berry (Chuck Berry)

Where or When by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart (Dion and The Belmonts)

American Pie by Don McLean (Don McLean)

It Was a Very Good Year by Ervin Drake (Frank Sinatra)

Gentle On My Mind by John Hartford (Glen Campbell)

Early Morning Rain by Gordon Lightfoot (Gordon Lightfoot)

Book of Rules by Harry Johnson and Barry Llewellyn (The Heptones)

Highwayman by Jimmy Webb (The Highwaymen)

American Music by Ian Hunter (Ian Hunter & Mick Ronson)

That’s Entertainment by Paul Weller (The Jam)

Song of Bernadette by Leonard Cohen (Jennifer Warnes)

Jazzman by Carole King and David Palmer (Carole King)

Talking Back to The Night by Steve Winwood and Will Jennings (Steve Winwood)

My Favorite Things by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II (John Coltrane)

Don’t It Make You Want to Go Home by Joe South (Joe South)

Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down by Kris Kristofferson (Kris Kristofferson)

Heart Like a Wheel by Anna McGarrigle (Linda Ronstadt)

I Am a Town by Mary-Chapin Carpenter (Mary-Chapin Carpenter)

Footprints by Wayne Shorter (Miles Davis Quintet)

Pleasant Valley Sunday by Gerry Goffin and Carole King (The Monkees)

This Old Town by Jon Vezner and Janis Ian (Nanci Griffith)

Brooklyn Roads by Neil Diamond (Neil Diamond)

Thrasher by Neil Young (Neil Young & Crazy Horse)

Box of Rain by Robert Hunter and Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead)

Is That All There Is? By Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller (Peggy Lee)

Louisiana 1927 by Randy Newman (Randy Newman)

King of the Road by Roger Miller (Roger Miller)

America by Paul Simon (Simon & Garfunkel)

The Sound of Silence by Paul Simon (Simon & Garfunkel)

Children’s Crusade by Sting (Sting)

My Girl by Smokey Robinson and Ronald White (The Temptations)

Green, Green Grass of Home by Claude “Curly” Putnam, Jr. (Tom Jones)

Downtown Train by Tom Waits (Tom Waits)

The Whole of The Moon by Mike Scott (The Waterboys)

My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys by Sharon Vaughn (Willie Nelson)

[scotianostra]

On 21st June 2010 the much loved singer, actor and stonemason Tam White passed away.

Born Thomas Bennett Sim White in Edinburgh on 12th July 1942, White was primarily known as a blues vocalist with a trademark gravel-voiced voice, big names he worked with during his singing career include B.B. King and Eric Clapton.

White also took to acting, you might remember the MacGregors appearing in the middle of the night into Wallace's camp, Tam White was at the head of the clan, Wallace tells them to go home to which Tam/MacGregor replies "We'll have no homes left when the English garrison from the castle comes through and burns us out! And they will!".

The son of a lorry driver and a cleaner, he grew up in Edinburgh, living above the White Hart Inn, in Grassmarket, where Robert Burns had stayed in 1791. (White would later set Burns's poem The Slave's Lament to music for a track on his 2004 album Hold On.) The Whites were a musical family: Tam's grandfather was a bandmaster and his mother, Marion, was a fine singer. At Darroch secondary school in Edinburgh, White sang in productions of The Beggar's Opera and The Mikado, and he auditioned for the Edinburgh Opera Company.

American popular music was soon to claim him, and he sang Buddy Holly numbers in a skiffle group, but after hearing Ray Charles singing he said " that turned me on to rhythm and blues."

White began a solo career which initially took a pop/soul direction, redolent of Long John Baldry. He then completed a debut album in 1969, but the set owed more to prevailing hippie-folk trends than his fiery, early work.

In 1974 White won a UK television talent contest New Faces, and secured a recording contract with producer Mickie Most (one of the panel of judges). The singer scored a minor hit the following year with ‘What In The World’s Come Over You?’, with the song he was the first person to sing live on Top of the Pops, but he was uncomfortable with the cabaret balladeer direction this ushered. In the 80s White returned to Edinburgh where he became a popular attraction, performing the blues-edged material he obviously prefered.

He remained a gifted singer and his voice was used in the highly successful BBC television drama series Tutti Frutti, it was then he started turning his hand to a bit of acting, on the big screen he appeared in the excellent film Orphans with Dougie Henshall, on the small screen roles in Taggart, Rebus and Eastenders are among his credits, although making a living with bit parts and his singing Tam never gave up his "full time" job as a stonemason. One of his final albums was Stone-masons Blues in 2007.

A fitness enthusiast, he died of a heart attack after a gym session in Edinburgh on this day in 2010.

[awlimagines]

The Twilight Farm

You yawned, stretching each muscle as you spread across the bed. It was rare that you were up later than your family. You mused, wondering what was for breakfast as you entered the kitchen. The twins sat, kicking their dangling feet from their chairs and babbling to each other. You had just a moment to take in that Nami’s shirt was orange rather than her usual white before screams erupted. 

By the time Takakura’s wiry arms wrapped around you, pulling you from the kitchen, you had realized your family didn’t know you. You thought maybe it was a terrible joke until you caught sight of the sheep. They were pure white rather than the soft pink you had grown familiar with. Your cows had different patterns than when you went to bed. You shook your head and wandered toward the inn. Things were similar but not exactly how you remembered. The Bluebird Cafe was a bar, people’s names had changed, and no one recognized you. Some of the residents you had come to know even looked wildly different. It could be possible for Gustafa to grow a beard. Matthew (who said he was Marlin) could easily dye and style his differently. But Cody was twice the size and had a mohawk! Even Pui was different. 

You sat on the bridge, holding your head in your hands as you watched the running water. What happened to Forgotten Valley when you went to bed last night? You almost felt relieved seeing the familiar forms of the sprites. They seemed to recognize you. You blinked back tears, on the edge of hysteria, as they introduced themselves as Nic, Nak, and Flak. Hart, no Flak, quickly explained there had been a mistake. It doesn’t happen often, but things could get complicated without the Harvest Goddess. 

They led you to the Goddess Spring while explaining why everything was different. You had slipped into the spring when you were fishing late last night, and coincidentally, so had Mark. You learned Mark’s life was very similar to his own. He was you for Forget-Me-Not Valley, a young adult down on their luck who inherited the family farm and made a new life. None of the Sprites caught the exchange until both communities were in an uproar. Nic, Nak, and Flak assured you that going into the pond again should restore you both to your proper timelines. 

You stared at the spiky-haired male wavering in the place of your reflection. Did your Nami threaten him with a knife this morning as his Nami did you? You almost wished the two of you could talk and share your experiences. The water dripped from your clothes as you crawled onto the bank. When you peered into the water, your reflection looked back. You scrambled to your feet, eager to see your Nami and children. She would never believe you; none of the villagers would. But you knew about Forget-Me-Not Valley and wouldn’t forget the town so similar to your own.

[semperama]

I was tagged by @jouissants to answer these book questions. Thanks, friend!

An estimate of how many physical books I own: Too many and somehow still not enough! My guess is somewhere in the ballpark of 150? 200 maybe? Probably no more than 200.

Favorite author: WHO can pick a favorite. My usual answer to this is Wally Lamb, but it's been so long since I've read one of his books, I'd have to think about whether that's changed.

A popular book I've never read and never intend to read: Pretty much any blockbuster YA novel, but to pick something theoretically more in my wheelhouse: One Hundred Years of Solitude. After white-knuckling my way through Love in the Time of Cholera, I just can't do it again.

A popular book I thought was just meh: The Night Circus. That book was all concept and no execution, to me.

Longest book I own: Probably either The Stand or It, not sure which is longer. Stephen King loves to put out a crazy-long book.

Longest series I own all the books to: Stephen King's Gunslinger series, which I actually still haven't read, oops.

Prettiest book I own: My mom just bought me an edition of Anne of Green Gables that has a really pretty illustrated cover.

A book or series I wish more people knew about: Ummm I don't know, I'm so bad at ~discovering niche books on my own. Most of the time I'm reading books that are either classics or well-reviewed or talked about a lot. I guess one book I really enjoyed that I haven't heard many people talk about is The Inn at Lake Devine by Elinor Lipman. I think I saw it on a list somewhere as a recommendation for people who like the movie Dirty Dancing, and it ended up being so unexpected and really, really great.

Book I'm reading now: Just finishing listening to Lie With Me by Philippe Besson on audiobook, and I checked Weyward by Emilia Hart out from the library, but I haven't started reading it yet.

Book that's been on my TBR list for a while but I still haven't got around to it: So many, because I'm very slow at reading lately. I've started reading East of Eden approximately 20 times and never managed to finish it, so let's go with that.

Do you have any books in a language other than English: I have many, because my husband and father-in-law buy me books in other languages whenever they travel somewhere out of the country. I have the first book in The Witcher series in Polish, the first three Harry Potter books and Alice in Wonderland in Hebrew; Pride & Prejudice and Jane Eyre in French; and The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe in Japanese.

Paperback, hardcover, or ebook?: When I buy a physical book, I prefer hardcover, because it bothers me how beat-up paperbacks get so quickly. These days I almost exclusively read ebooks though. It's just so much easier to have them in my phone, and I'm out of space on my bookcases anyway, ahaha.

tagging: @psicygni, @apeacebone, @boxboxlewis, @blamemma, @veryspecificfantasies

[creepypod]

The Biting

Who will remember you?

***

Written by: Oli White

***

Bonus Episode: "The Eastern Inn Death Elevator" written by: Michael Hart and narrated by: JV Hampton-VanSant

***

Support the show at patreon.com/creepypod

***

Sound design by: Pacific Obadiah

***

Title music by: Alex Aldea

[cynthiabertelsen]

Will Verral's Masterpiece of 1759: A Complete System of Cookery

The English could never catch a break in the kitchen. Why, as early as 1759, in A Complete System of Cookery, an innkeeper/author named Will Verral sniffed at the ragtag equipment that passed for a batterie de cuisine in even upper-class English households. Stir in the English and French antagonisms brought about by long enmity, and you have indeed a fine kettle of fish. White Hart Inn (now…

[wingedgardennightmare]

16/07/24 PART TWO LOTTIES GHOST KNIVER OLDE WHITE HARTE INN GHOST STORY ...

[kneehoming-knee]

Yopsy Fg Ygv Spatial Submerged Prior'_ Scan'f RGRP'_GEISHA'_VFAM'_-🛸SINCE RUBBER TREE'_ ALIVE'_ SLICE:NOT CANE IN DAA90S'_ BROWS_ ITT ITTY RUN'' DIESEL '' SXHOOLS'_ MEMORIES '', NEURONS NEUROLOGICAL '_TSAI'SIGH_ SUCKER SCIENTIFIC HICKIES,F_ OR SENSATION APP "PLENTY" BACKS,VF ' 3RRD''GIRLS TEMPLE RUN.COM BIG KENO KENOSHA KENPACHI''LETW',INS ON THE RUN DOWN MIXED WITH STATE DATA WALKING TOWN'' EXCLAIMED _V SNUGGY''V📮ODA OX_ INN TOWN AND SUITES AIRES_ HARTS FIELD _ MY GUY'' WHITE WIDOW PAINT YET THE KODAK AND SUPERCELL WITCH DOCTOR CODE NAME THRIFTY SINCE LIGHT SIGNAL CORP MM METAL MULISHA NAS MAD BOUT MILKSHAKE TOA TODAY_ YUH_🎎

[vaalaketh]

Moonsea Campaign Session 3

Date: 2/18/24

Location: Ashabenford, The Moonsea Ride

IG Date: The 15th, 16th, and 17th of Tarsakh

Relevant map below:

15th of Tarsahk - In the evening

Vaalaketh ends up sharing a room with Malachai, and Julian with Vierithra, as the two of them, mainly Vierithra, want to discuss visions and religious meditation. Julian is still very vague in the conversation, only saying again that “you reach out and pull the threads that connect you to your deity, find them, tug, and see what pops out.”

Vierithra ponders this and thanks her for her guidance, then settles down to try it herself during her trance. 

Vaalaketh and Malachai don't interact much beyond Malachai worrying that ze is going to get bothered, but Vaalaketh is tired and just ends up going to sleep, avoiding any annoyances. 

~~ Long Rest ~~

16th of Tarsahk - Ashabenford

Vierithra comes out of her trance at around 2-3am, having had a bit of a clarifying vision after attempting the technique, but she does not share any of this information with the party. Afterwards, instead of staying in her room, she decides to snoop around, and exact some petty revenge on the innkeeper for his racism against her the day before. 

She sneaks around the inn sabotaging where she can, doing things specifically to make the unfortunate events to occur due to her actions look like accidents instead of outright sabotage, so not to implicate herself, or give the innkeeper any sense that his beliefs about Drow are justified in any way. All in all she:

Loosens the bolts on the wine rack, so when its touched next it will fall

Closes and jams the flue of the kitchen chimney and puts chicken bones on top to make it look like something died up there

Hides scraps of food around the kitchen and inn to try and provoke a cockroach infestation

Closes the oven vents so it will overheat

Moves everything in the common room 2 inches to the left

Other than Vierithra, Vaalaketh is the first up in the morning, and after a brief attempt to go outside and sun himself, upon realizing its much colder this far north in the spring, he decides to stay inside, start a fire in the common room fireplace, and sit next to it to warm himself up while he waits for the others. Once they are all downstairs and ready, they leave the inn as a group at Vierithra’s urging and go to get breakfast across the river at the Ashabenford Arms.

The caravan isn’t set to leave until mid-morning, and no one is in need of anything that they would need to shop for, so, with Vaalaketh having seen through Vierithra’s attempts to lie about not having done anything, the group spend their morning discreetly watching the White Hart Inn for signs that Vierithra’s sabotage has had an effect, and they do eventually see weird black smoke coming out of the chimney and have a good laugh about it, with even Malachai approving, having witnessed the incident. 

By mid-morning, the party head over to the Black Eagle Coster to meet the caravanners. 

There are 4 wagons in total, each being pulled by 2 draft horses. Around them are 5 people performing various tasks. 3 humans (2 men and 1 woman), a half elf woman, and a halfling woman. 

The caravanners greet the party and introduce themselves, and the party introduce themselves in turn.

They are as follows:

Iletian Blackeagle: human man in his mid 30s, shoulder length brown hair and dark eyes, resembling the women we spoke to the day before. Says that he is her brother and that she runs logistics while he’s in charge of the caravans. 

Dorn Shandean: human man in his early 20s, with dirty blond hair put back in a ponytail. Blue grey eyes and looks like a farmer. 

Mera Holdfast: human woman in her late 30s, with long brown hair with a few streaks of grey coming in at one temple, which is tied back into a braid. Keen black eyes. 

Hella Malorn: half elf maybe in her early 20s, looks like shes of wood elf descent, brown skin and coppery hair. 

Rosiden Merrimar: halfling woman in her early 30s, just barely 3ft tall, curly brown hair and lively hazel eyes. 

Vaalaketh puts himself in charge, as he has the most/only experience guarding caravans, and walks around with the caravanners taking stock of the wagons and cargo. Learns that the goods consist of cheese (Mera), grain (Dorn and Hella), flour (Dorn and Hella), and beer (Rosiden). Iletian tells him that it will take around four days to get to Hillsfar at 20ish miles a day. The party also learn from that the people in Hillsfar aren’t very friendly to non-humans, which the entire group is disappointed with.

The caravan gets going a bit after introductions and the walk-around are finished, and Vaalaketh positions everyone to be on watch at the same time at different points around the caravan. The wagons are traveling in a diamond shaped formation, with Vaalaketh positioned at the front, Julien at the back, and Vierithra and Malachai in the center with Malachai flying while the terrain is open and ze’re unobstructed, which, initially it is.

The first half of the day is uneventful, the only encounter being with some people heading south toward Ashabenford from the village of Glen.

In the late afternoon the caravan reaches the treeline of the Cormanthor Forest. There are again no dangerous interactions, only an encounter with some people on foot coming from Essembra, in Battledale, heading back towards Ashabenford, who stop to chat. Vaalaketh asks them how the road ahead looks, but they haven’t actually been on the Moonsea Ride long, having come from the intersection of Rauthauvyr’s Road, so they don't know much, and can only warn the party that the trail is very muddy near “the standing stone” and there’s a possibility that the wagons might get stuck. 

Vierithra shares some information on the standing stone on the uneventful way to it, telling the party that it’s a tall, grey monolith, that was erected almost 1500 years ago to mark the signing of the Dalelands compact, which was an agreement between human settlers and the elves of Cormanthor about where they were allowed to settle, what kind of treatment they would have toward the forest, and so on. 

The road does end up being pretty muddy. Vierithra uses guidance to help Hella navigate through the mud, and Vaalaketh hops off the cart he was riding (Mera’s) to help her do the same from the ground. Malachai flies overhead again keeping an eye out for bandits while the others are busy, paranoid about getting attacked while stuck. The only wagon to get stuck is Dorn’s, who starts to panic a little, but is helped get unstuck by Vierithra, who uses a combination of guidance on Dorn, and channel divinity on herself to gain proficiency in athletics to push the wagon and get it out of the mud and back on the road.

The group stop for the night not long after, and watch is organized, with Vierithra offering to stay up all night to watch one end of the caravan since she only needs four hours of trance and can do that in the morning, and also has the best darkvision and perception out of everyone. Vaalaketh thinks this is a good idea, and also that Hella’s offer to help with watches is a good idea, settling on Julian being on first watch with Vierithra, Then Malachai, then Vierithra on her on at the darkest point of the night, and then Hella on fourth watch with Vierithra. 

Vaalaketh is still wide awake and chatty, and with no one super tired, the whole group decide to play a few games after Vierithra offers to play dice or cards, and Vaalaketh says he has a dragon chess set. The whole group agrees on dice, but not for any money. Rosiden comes up with an alternative, pulling a handful of really nice shiny rocks out of her pocket. Vaalaketh follows her example excitedly, pulling out his own handful of both shiny and round rocks, and then Vierithra pulling out the chunk of luminous stone she took from the cave.

The party go looking for more rocks on the road. Vaalaketh finds three nice and shiny chunks of quartz, Julian finds a few skipping stones that are smooth but aren’t really nice to look at, Vierithra goes back into the woods looking for bones and lucks out, finding a fully intact wolf skeleton, teeth and all, and lastly, Malachai does zer best, but (natural 1) ends up tripping over zer own tail and falling in the mud, and everyone sees it. 

All of the party but Malachai (who has none) and Rosiden put stones into the pot and they start to play. Julian wins the first round with a perfect 15. She wins:

 2 wolf teeth

2 quartz 

3 small sparkly rocks (probably mica)

Second game Rosiden rolls badly and folds, Malachai and Vaalaketh both tie, closes to 15 at 14, during the tiebreaker they tie again, and during the second tiebreaker Vaalaketh wins:

1 agate

2 wolf teeth

1 skipping rock

A pinch of chili powder (given by Malachai out of spite after a squabble about zer not putting anything in the pot)

After this the party and Rosiden play cards, each trying to get the highest hand and bluff each other, they try to deceive and sus each other out for a bit, but Rosiden ends up taking the win out of nowhere with a perfect 20 for her hand. The group continue playing various games until they get tired and everyone other than Vierithra and Julian, who start their watch, go to sleep. 

~~ Long Rest ~~

Watch 1 is uneventful, other than Vierithra accidentally startling and chasing off a badger. While they're awake together, Vierthra reveals to Julian that she did have a bit of a clarifying vision, but like usual it raised more questions. Julian confirms that it’s usually like that for her as well. Then, after an offhand comment about clerics needing to be wise to figure things like that out, Julian says that she’s not a cleric and never has been, and that she was an anchorite, was cloistered, and it was something she enjoyed; that “people came from all over to get help with their visions” from her. She no longer performs such services though, even though she seems to wish she could. When Vierithra presses, and asks why she couldn’t still do so on the side, Julian makes it clear she can't, and doesn’t want to discuss it any longer or be asked about it again. And that’s the end of their conversation.

Watch 2 is also uneventful, and Vierithra and Malachai discuss various things, what exactly Vierithra did at the inn and why those things specifically, her religion and motives, and Malachai asking for advice on how to blend in better since both of them stand out quite a bit, to which Vierithra says there’s probably not much to be done, and if ze doesn't feel like ze can do anything, than to not bother. That she herself feels no need to change her appearance personally and she’s proud of who she is, and that if someone were to take issue with her that she’s willing to defend herself, and Malachai as well, as zer a member of the party. Which Malachai is grateful for.

17th of Tarsahk - The Moonsea Ride, heading deeper into the Cormanthor Forest

Watch 3 is uneventful other than a skunk wandering into camp, which Vierithra lures away with a piece of leftover ramps root that she found the other day. 

Watch 4 has Hella joining Vierithra, but not doing very well perception wise so is clueless as to what’s going on for the most part. As it gets close to dawn Vierithra notices shapes moving out in the woods and realizes that they are a pack of wolves eyeing the horses. She gets up and goes to stand with the horses, watching the wolves as they watch her in return. She does her best to look intimidating and aggressive, not breaking eye contact and standing so that she might look bigger than she is to try and spook them, and it works, they do take off after a brief standoff. 

In the morning Vaalaketh wakes up early and takes over for Vierithra, who promptly climbs onto one of the wagons and goes right into her trance. Meanwhile, Malachai changes into zer more masculine clothes due to the others being covered in mud, as well as not wanting to face any transphobia alongside the racism heading into Hillsfar, and tells the party they can use he/him pronouns on him for the time being, as that’s what he will be presenting as from there on out. 

The other caravanners are preparing breakfast, which Malachai hovers over until he sees that they're doing a really good job with and relaxes. Vaalaketh has the very strong impulse to bother Vierithra as she opens her mouth to signal that she wants food, but he’s also sluggish and cold in the mornings, so is able to resist in favor of going to sit close to the fire and eat instead.

Before too long the caravan is back on the road. With Vierithra in her trance and resting, Malachai decides to fly over top the two middle wagons so he can keep an eye on both sides simultaneously. The forest begins to get closer, the trees becoming older, taller, and thicker, very dense, and all coming alive as spring rolls in. there is birdsong in the trees, and the occasional rustle in the undergrowth as birds and animals go about their business. 

At first the day is uneventful. Then around midday, Vaalaketh notices that there are some strange vines with yellow flowers growing along the side of the road, it is noted that it should be way too early in the year for flowers to be blooming. He also notices there is a sickly sweet smell in the air. He is unaffected, but Vierithra is woken from her trance feeling weird and not quite awake, not sure whats going on but with the irresistible impulse to get up and head towards the source of the smell, which she does, falling out of the cart while doing so.

Dorn and Mera are afflicted similarly, their wagons coming to a stop, and in the same not entirely there state, they get out of the drivers seats and start to head toward the vines as well. 

Vierithra reaches the vines well before the other two and one of the vines curls up towards her, winding around her wrist and attacking her psychically. Vaalaketh witnesses it burrowing into her skin, as well as spots 4 zombies coming towards the caravan. He takes the risk of an opportunity attack from the vines to get Vierithra away from it, and takes a similar amount of psychic damage in the process, but succeeds in moving her back, as well as grabbing Mera and moving her back toward the wagon as well, though he isn’t able to make it too far with both of them struggling despite initially being able to overpower them. Malachai flies down to help him with Mera, pulling her back to the wagon further, and just in time, as the zombies swarm him and Vierithra, both of them taking hits, and her managing to slip out of his grasp in the chaos and returning to the vine. 

Julian, Iletian both attack the vines with arrows, and Malachai uses silvery barbs to protect Vierithra from both the vines, and a stray arrow from Julian. Fortunately, before things get worse, Vierithra, Dorn, and a little while later, Mera, are able to break free of the control the vines have over them. Vierithra is able to dodge another attack by the vines, and between her, Julian, Iletian, and Malachai, the vine is destroyed.

Meanwhile, Dorn joins Vaalaketh with a spear and attacks the zombies. Vaalaketh casts divine favor, channeling Bane’s divine power for the first time, killing one zombie instantly, tanks almost every hit from the remaining 3, and then kills two more with single hits after one is stabbed and injured by Dorn, one is shot by Iletian, one is shot by Julian, and two are driven back by Vierithra coming back to aid them with her own channel divinity turn undead. 

The only injuries are to Vierithra and Vaalaketh, and while both are pretty bad off, Vierithra is able to take care of both with cure wounds and Vaalaketh doesn’t end up needing to use his lay on hands. She is apologetic for getting charmed by the vines, what she perceives as a failure, but no one blames her, Iletian telling her “don't worry about it, it happens to the best of us.”, they are all just happy she’s okay, and Malachai tells her so. 

Vaalaketh is very excited about being able to do the radiant damage despite his injuries, having not expecting it and going on about it as the caravan gets moving again. 

Final Loot/Items Acquired

A caravan to guard

A bunch of nice rocks

[leaslichoma]

Consider the following situation: You come to stay a night at the White Hart Inn, when you encounter something unexpected: There's only one bed.

What seven people do you share it with?

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #616

Top Ten Moments in Die Hard, as Represented by a Line of Dialogue

Yippee-ki-yay, merry Christmas. Tis the season to be jolly, to eat a lot of stollen, to sing some below-par songs, and above all else to watch Christmas movies. And the best Christmas movie is, of course, Die Hard.

Let me set the record straight: there is virtually nothing in film discourse more boring than the question “is Die Hard a Christmas movie?”. As far as I’m concerned, it’s incontrovertible; it’s set at Christmas, it features a ton of Christmas songs on the soundtrack, Christmas is both a plot device (the building is empty for the holidays apart from one Christmas party) and a character motivation (the estranged family getting back together for the season), the juxtaposition of tension and violence with the festivities is the source of both pathos and humour, and the main female character is called Holly. Now, there are plenty of films set at Christmas that I don’t think really are “Christmas films”; Die Hard is not one of them. I think the only reason people don’t want to think of it as a Christmas film is because it’s an action movie. But here’s the thing; it’s not just the best Christmas movie, it’s also the best action movie! It’s a double-threat! It’s really funny too so maybe it’s a triple threat.

Anyway, that’s all very boring; I wish we could all just accept that some people, for whatever reason, don’t think it’s a “proper” Christmas film, some people do, and leave it at that. I promise I won’t quibble if you cite, I dunno, Holiday Inn (not set at Christmas!) or When Harry Met Sally (New Year!) or Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (Thanksgiving!), or even most Shane Black movies (Christmas is the backdrop but not really a functional part of the plot or theme in most cases!) as long as you let me have my Die Hard. I’ll meet you halfway and say that I don’t really think Die Hard 2 is very good as a Christmas movie! That’s an action film that takes place at Christmas, and whilst the snow is very important to the film, the fact it’s actually Christmas is less so. But! I repeat: this is boring! Let’s move onto the fun part!

Because Die Hard is my favourite film set at Christmas – and also my favourite action film full-stop – I want to celebrate it at this, the time for miracles. And what better way to do that than to highlight, in my own special way, my favourite moments from the film? And because the script by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza is so packed with terrific dialogue, why not choose moments represented by that dialogue? And so that’s what I have done.

Do please enjoy, then come out to coast and have a few laughs.

Merry Christmas. Ho-ho-ho.

“You ask for miracles, I give you the FBI”: one of Die Hard’s greatest strengths is the effectiveness of its criminals. Their plan is really quite good, and they function together as an incredibly well-oiled team. There are multiple scenes of them working together, obviously highly trained – but at the same time, they bicker, they drop things, they sweat. They’re a team of professionals working very hard. But the strength of the plan, of Hans’ cleverness, is outlined in this scene, when the whole fake-terrorist thing reveals itself.

“Take this under advisement, jerk-weed”: similarly, there are a lot of things to love about McClane – we’ll get to more later – but he’s also a great planner. He plots and schemes against Hans and his team, counting their numbers, learning their names, following their plans. And here, he takes very direct action o cut down their numbers and try to save lives, dropping a makeshift bomb down an elevator shaft. It’s clever and goes boom.

“Hans, bubbe, I’m your white knight”: moving aside from the two stars of the show (Willis and Rickman), we have this tremendous scene were uber-douche Ellis tries to talk down McClane. It’s full of great dialogue and interesting mannerisms from Hart Bochner (love the way he drinks Coke). But again, Wilis and Rickman are superb, because the real conversation, the real battle of wits, is between these two, both of whom know what’s going on over poor Ellis’ head.

“Clay. Bill Clay”: back to the two stars, this is an incredible scene of shifting tensions. Which of them has the upper hand? Is Hans tricking John? Is he at his mercy? It’s almost like the scene in the coffee shop in Heat. And, once again, the dialogue is excellent.

“Now I have a machine gun. Ho-ho-ho”: one of the film’s most famous and iconic moments, McLane declaring both his existence and his intent, and making a big statement. It’s bold and – for us – kinda funny, but it’s got smarts and sense to it, as he uses the chaos it creates to learn more about who he’s up against.

“I could talk about industrialisation and men’s fashion all day”: probably the first time we really get to knuckle down with Hans Gruber, in a scene that really shows off Rickman’s skill in the role. His urbanity, his quiet sense of unassuming threat, his sense of humour as he interrogates Takagi, is incredible. Full of tension and tragedy.

“Tell her I’m sorry”: as well as “ho-ho-ho”, one of the film’s undying images is McLane pulling a huge chunk of glass from his foot. But this scene is also a tender pause in the action as a battered John begins to doubt he’ll make it through the night, achieving a realisation over his relationship. Al, meanwhile, recounts his own tragic history of mistakenly shooting a child (a plot point that I don’t think you’d choose to include nowadays). The mortality on display was a stark contrast to the prevalent He-Man style of action hero in the eighties and helped humanise John.

“Come out to the coast, we’ll get together, have a few laughs”: another aspect that humanised John was his humour. Yes he’s a smartass loudmouth who has a pop at everyone, but he’s also constantly talking to himself and making little quips and asides. This moment – crawling through a vent! – is a classic as he suddenly stops and makes the wry, iconic gag.

“Make fists with your toes”: I love the opening of this film, McLane jetting in and immediately out of his element. The cheery businessman he meets, with his jaunty story of combatting jetlag, is a nice window into another world but also establishes the vulnerability of John being barefoot for the whole film. Plus it’s kind of a funny gag.

“Yippee ki-yay…”: ah, here we are. The film’s most famous line; Bruce Willis’ own “I’ll be back”. It makes sense here, as he’s called a cowboy by Hans, and expresses a fondness for Roy Rogers. But he’s McLane, so of course he has to twist the knife and be a jerk, so he adds (ahem) the “motherfucker”. Of course he does! And then at the end Hans throws it back at him, but he’s ready for it! With the hidden gun and the Christmas tape!

Like men’s fashion, I could talk about this movie all day. There are so many moments and great lines. I’ve not said a lot about Al, and nothing about the various other cops and FBI guys, nor really Holly or William Atherton. It’s one of my favourite films, probably the best American action movie, and the greatest Christmas film of all time.

I can’t wait to see what they do for New Years.