The Spider-Man balloon is inflated on the eve of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2025 on Manhattan's upper west side in New York City, U.S., November 26, 2025. (Photo by Kylie Cooper/Reuters)

Ground personnel work next to the Soyuz TMA-13M capsule of the International Space Station (ISS) crew of Alexander Gerst of Germany, Maxim Suraev of Russia and Reid Wiseman of the U.S. after its landing near the town of Arkalyk in northern Kazakhstan November 10, 2014. A veteran Russian cosmonaut and two International Space Station crewmates, one from the United States and one from Germany, returned safely to Earth on Sunday with a parachute landing of their Soyuz capsule in Kazakhstan, ending 5-1/2 months in orbit. (Photo by Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters)

Some people think of trolls as nothing but savage beast, yet others realize that beneath their rock-hard skin hides a gentle kind heart. Ivar Rodningem is one of the people who knows the true nature of trolls. Though these creatures look unruly, it is just the way they were born. Trolls come in all shapes and sizes. Some are small, some are large, and some are simply enormous. They help each other out, though elders tend to be loners, preferring the company of their own thoughts to anybody else. You shouldn’t run for your life if you ever meet a troll, though we wouldn’t recommend pestering them, as they are mighty strong, even the little ones.

“Lofoten Glow”. I was desperately searching a good sunrise spot this particular morning. Normally Storvatnet Lake is completely covered in snow, so you can only imagine my surprise when I saw these crazy ice formations almost being shot out of the frozen lake. I put my crampons on and took a big risk walking out. I could hear the ice cracking underneath my feet, and when you’re all alone in a fjord/canyon like this – the cracks are echoed and sound really frightening. Was it worth it? I sure think so! Photo location: Storvatnet, Lofoten Islands in Northern Norway. (Photo and caption by Stian Klo/National Geographic Photo Contest)

Gaikuo-Captain is a young Chinese student of chemical engineering, and a talented illustrator. His passion for the comic was demonstrated by a series of works that combine drawings with photographs, so that he himself is "immersed" in a fantasy to interact with characters from comic books and manga. His pieces are successful in social networks, particularly in Weibo, Chinese social network where Gaikuo publishes. You can see all his work on his zcool profile.

Members of the “Exit Point” amateur rope-jumping group stage a performance as they jump from a 44-metre high (144-ft) waterpipe bridge in the Siberian Taiga area outside Krasnoyarsk, November 3, 2013. Fans of rope-jumping, a kind of extreme sport involving a jump from a high point using an advanced leverage system combining mountaineering and rope safety equipment, marked the end of the group's jumping season and recent Halloween festivities. (Photo by Ilya Naymushin/Reuters)