#freedom palace

[tea-you-later-losers]

fire lord Zuko opening windows and doors and tearing down walls so that the palace is no longer only lit by the oppressive flames controlled by the former fire lord but by the warmth and life of the sun

[joinmeinjoy]

I really like how in s3 they made an active effort to show how Hannibal really did live in his mind palace as much as he could while in the BSHCI.....absolutely devastating

[thepastisalreadywritten]

The day Princess Anne was almost kidnapped on The Mall — 50 years on

On this day 50 years ago, 23-year-old Princess Anne found herself fighting off a gunman as her bodyguard and driver lay wounded beside her. Emma Loffhagen takes a deep dive into the disturbing day one of the most senior royals was almost kidnapped.

By Emma Loffhagen

20 March 2024

“Your daughter has been kidnapped. The following are conditions to be fulfilled for release.”

In March 1974, Ian Ball used a rented typewriter to haphazardly type a letter intended for the then-head of state, Queen Elizabeth II.

Ball, 26, a funeral home worker, demanded £3 million — to be paid in £5 notes — in exchange for the return of the Queen’s daughter, Princess Anne.

After becoming fixated with the 23-year-old princess, he spent two years hatching an elaborate plan to kidnap her.

Today, March 20, marks the 50th anniversary of Ball’s kidnap attempt — one of the most bizarre and disturbing episodes in British royal history.

A “loner,” Ball had been inspired to hatch his elaborate kidnap plot by the novel Day of the Jackal.

He wanted to follow in the footsteps of the book’s hero, the contracted assassin the Jackal.

“He was a very strange man,” Ball’s neighbour later said. “The only time he ever went out was when he went down to the launderette or went out for some food.”

It was thought that he had developed a “fixation” on the royal, whipped up by the widespread and lavish coverage of her wedding to Captain Mark Phillips the previous year.

As part of his plan, Ball had moved from his run-down flat in Bayswater to a lush rented house in Fleet, Hampshire.

It was only a few miles from Sandhurst, where Anne lived with her then-husband Phillips.

After a quick phone call to the Buckingham Palace press office, Ball knew which engagements and events Anne attended each week.

He rented a car under the alias John Williams, stocking the boot with Valium tranquilisers and two pairs of handcuffs.

On the evening of 20 March 1974, Anne was travelling back to Buckingham Palace in an Austin Princess limousine.

She had attended a screening of Riding Towards Freedom, a documentary by the charity Riding for the Disabled.

Captain Phillips, her bodyguard James Beaton, and her lady-in-waiting Rowena Jane Brassey, were also in the car driven by royal chauffeur Alexander Callender.

At around 8pm, as the group drove up The Mall, a white Ford Escort swerved in front of the limousine, forcing Callender to stop.

Then a 31-year-old inspector, Beaton, who had been Anne’s bodyguard for a year, got out to investigate.

“I thought it was somebody who wanted to be a pain in the neck,” he later said. “There was no hint of what was to happen.”

Suddenly, a bearded man with light red hair jumped out of the vehicle and pulled out two handguns, smashing the passenger window with the butt of one.

Beaton had not even had the chance to pull out his weapon when he was shot in the shoulder.

He then attempted to fire back at Ball — but missed. Upon a second attempt, his gun — a Walther PPK — jammed.

Ball turned to the passenger door behind the driver’s seat and started shaking it. Anne was sat on the other side. “Open, or I’ll shoot!” he shouted.

As the princess and Captain Phillips desperately tried to hold the door closed, Anne’s lady-in-waiting crawled out of the door on the passenger side.

Beaton got back in the car, placing himself between the couple and their assailant.

Ball shot into the car, and Beaton’s hand deflected the bullet.

He shot the bodyguard a third time, hitting Beaton in the abdomen and causing him to fall from the vehicle.

“I felt tired and very drunk, although I hadn’t been drinking,” Beaton later told police. “I just wanted to lie down.”

Callender stepped out to confront the gunman, but Ball shot him in the chest and he fell back into the car.

Pulling the door open, Ball grabbed Anne’s forearm as her husband held on to her waist.

“Please, come out,” Ball reportedly told the princess. “You’ve got to come.”

As the pair struggled over Anne, her dress ripped, splitting down the back, which she later recalled prompted her to “lose her rag.”

But, rather than panic, she had what she described as a “very irritating conversation” with her potential kidnapper.

Unbelievably calm despite the commotion, Anne famously replied: “Not bloody likely!”

In an interview with the late television presenter Michael Parkinson, she recalled:

“He [the gunman] opened the door and we had a discussion about where — or where not — we were going to go.

“I said I didn’t think I wanted to go. I was scrupulously polite because I thought it would be silly to be too rude at that stage.”

A nearby tabloid journalist, Brian McConnell, arrived on the scene.

Recognising the limo’s insignia, he realised the commotion must have involved a royal family member.

“Don’t be silly, old boy,” he told Ball. “Put the gun down.”

Ball responded by shooting him too and McConnell collapsed bleeding onto the road.

A man named Ronnie Russell drove past at this point.

He was on his way home to Strood, Kent, from working as an area manager for a cleaning company in London.

In a stroke of incredible luck, Russell happened to be a former boxer. He had cut his cloth at the Repton Club in east London, an infamous venue sponsored by the notorious Kray twins.

Jumping out of the car, Russell punched Ball twice in the head before leading Anne and her lady-in-waiting away from the attacker.

He later explained that he “did not like bullies,” which prompted his decision to intervene.

Despite being injured, Ball still shot the first police officer to arrive on the scene, Constable Michael Hills, 22, before running off.

Detective Constable Peter Edmonds, who answered Constable Hills’ radio request for backup, chased Ball down The Mall and through St James’s Park before tackling him on the ground.

At Ball’s Old Bailey trial in May 1974, more details came to light about the plot.

Ball kept his head lowered for most of the proceedings, only uttering the word “guilty” to confirm the charges of attempted murder and kidnapping.

In his pocket, detectives had discovered the kidnap note addressed to the Queen, which demanded the £3 million ransom (the equivalent of £26 million today), a free pardon, and a plane to fly him to Switzerland.

He had planned to take the princess to a central London property he had rented under an alias.

In a police interview, Ball also said he believed Anne would be an easy target after ascertaining her whereabouts by phoning the Buckingham Palace press office.

“I had thought about it for years,” he said. “She would have been the easiest. I have seen her riding with her husband.”

Ball also showed no remorse for having shot three men on the night of the attempted kidnap.

“They were getting in my way so I had to shoot them,” he said. “Well, the police, that's their job. They expect to be shot. I took a chance of getting shot so why shouldn't they?”

He added: “I suppose I’ll be locked up for the rest of my life. I am only sorry I frightened Princess Anne. There is one good thing coming out of this: you will have to improve on her protection.”

Ball was diagnosed with schizophrenia following the trial and sentenced to a mental health facility under the Mental Health Act, “without limit or time."

He remains in the Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire to this day.

The facility has been home to a series of notorious criminals, including serial killer Peter Sutcliffe and London gangster Ronnie Kray.

Immediately after the attack, the royals ceased having only one protection officer.

When Anne visited Beaton in hospital, “she turned up with two policemen,” her bodyguard said. “From then on, that’s what it was.”

“I had nothing…There was no back-up vehicle,” Beaton told The Times separately.

“The training was non-existent; but then again, [we thought] nothing was going to happen. They are highly specialised now, highly trained.”

Beaton continued to work for Anne for another five years — before the Queen employed him.

After Beaton’s weapon jammed, the type of guns used by bodyguards were also changed: “The Walthers were got rid of overnight.”

Beaton was honoured for his bravery, receiving the George Cross — the UK’s highest civilian honour for gallantry.

Russell also received the honour. In a 2006 interview, Russell recalled what Queen Elizabeth said as she presented his George Medal:

“The medal is from the Queen of England, the thank you is from Anne’s mother.”

[vv-ispy]

Crack theory that Decarabian is inspired by Qin Shi Huang, founder of the Qin dynasty and the first emperor (previous rulers refered to themselves as 'king') of China

In the chinese version, Decarabian is occationally refered to as 孤王 (gūwáng, lone(ly) king) which is a title Qin Shi Huang created for himself for being so high and mighty that normal people cannot come close to him

Qin Shi Huang has been viewed as a tyrant, mostly due to assessments by the Han dynasty that came after

However, he also unified China via standardization of weights and measurement, wheel axels, currencies, written language script, and developed extensive networks of roads and canals for trade and communication. Similar to Decarabian's methodical organization (to the point of micromanagement) of his city

Qin Shi Huang is also known for connecting various state walls built during previous centuries into the precursor to the Great Wall of China for defence against attacks from northern tribes, parallelling Decarabian's tall walls that encircle Old Mondstadt for Safety (or even the storm barrier)

Bonus：

The state of Qin also conquered the six other powerful states in China at the time, ending the Warring States period — so I propose that Decarabian not only preemptively declared himself the seat of the Anemo Archon (which would explain why both he and Venti get refered to as 'wind god') but also the overall victor of the Archon War

[queenbread]

Go check out and support these amazing indie pilots

compiled a few of my favorite indie animation pilots so y'all could check em out, hoping to see more of them, hope y'all love em as much as I did

Some of them are already becoming series, some I'm hoping we can get picked up as series

[hauntingblue]

BACK TO ONE PIECE LETSGOOOOO

[gennsoup]

"A palace you cannot escape is a prison nonetheless."

Sue Lynn Tan, Daughter of the Moon Goddess

[sw5w]

Heroes of the Naboo

STAR WARS EPISODE I: The Phantom Menace 02:08:52

[kulakligimdakihayat]

Amalienborg Palace

[krismatic]

today I bring you OC art. tomorrow? who knows… (it’s gonna be more OC art)

more versions under the cut

[misspermitted]

Oh my god she’s starting to realise she isn’t actually in love with ZZ just guilty and that they’re bad influences on each other omg

[philosophybitmaps]

[anarkhebringer]

I'm still mad about no mean (or at the very least neutral) dialogue choices after HW by the way. You could at least be quiet or literally fucking GRUNT as a response in ARR-HW a lot. I only got my dialogue fix while doing Eden with Arkhe and could constantly have him badger about getting something in return for putting in all that effort, and him telling Lue-Reeq to piss off, but that's IT.

They lean too far into the blank slate intention with the WoL that they AREN'T actually a blank slate and are a doormat with a cape on. Arkhe is praised as a hero because people purposefully ignore that he has depth and dehumanize him, he's not pure of heart and he does shit for a paycheck and power, but I can't truly portray that outside of obscure optional sidequests every few expacs and usually only can once at that time.

[angelo-the-doctor-of-feelings]

Hey there, Mike! I saw your post about diet culture and I gotta say that you stated some pretty good points. Although, I was wondering if you can possibly give us an infodump on diet culture entirely with credible sources stating why foods aren’t bad for you? As well as as an faq of sorts for those who think that shaming or lecturing others for their eating habits will help them make healthier eating choices? And maybe include some resources as well for those looking for support as they’re trying to break off from diet culture? Maybe Dr. Feelings could chip in as well also? You don’t have to answer my question if you don’t want to. I’ll understand. I hope you have a good day/night!

Hello anon! ✨️

I'm happy you liked my small rant about diet culture. I didn't know anyone read that -

I don't know if you would call this an infodump since I'm not autistic, but I will do my best to give you all the insight I have! 🧡🤞🏾

Each source will be a hidden hyperlink marked with an emoji that resembles my favourite food because I say so! ✨️

1. Food is not bad (unless it's poisonous, molded or you're allergic to it!)

Food has no moral value. Food is neutral. It has nothing to do with being good or bad or more or less disciplined.

Food is fuel. We can agree that all food is fuel. Your body needs calories to function & so calories are not the enemy. Food also has nutrients your body needs & of course: different foods have different nutrients.

While there are no "bad" foods, it is true that certain foods don't provide much physiological benefit to the body as others. Some foods have ingredients that aren't nutritious for the body, like trans fats & artificial additives. But naturally, your body won't really 'like' them. They are hard to digest & they can cause trouble.

Balance is key!

[🍕] [🥞] [🍪]

2. Why you should not comment on the food choices of another person

... even though you mean well & care about them.

You aren't them.

Hihi, did you think there was more? I can name many other reasons, but they all are summoned up in these three errr four words: YOU ARE NOT THEM.

The ONLY case, in which you were allowed to say something about someone's eating habits, would be if you were their doctor. Which you are likely not.

To be fair, it's hard to watch someone struggle or make the 'unhealthy choice'. It's only natural that you want to help. But only if you really think it would benefit - most of the time, the person is aware of their problem. I think you have to consider the situation & the relationship status.

3. Breaking free from Diet Culture

This is a tough one & it's not easy. As Dr. Feelings, I can give you these tips, but the list is bottomless.

Think of your body as your friend (it is).

Do a lot of self-work: work on your selfworth, on your mindset, on your stress management & your emotional well-being. Consider going to therapy to heal your mind & to improve your mental health.

Define why you want to be free from it, what do you want to achieve? Ask yourself why diet culture has a hold on you & why you let it.

You might want to check out the hashtags #foodfreedom #ditchdietculture & #edrecovery out on social media. There can be a lot of positivity & help there too.

Keep your distance from ANYTHING that screams diet. Like, really. Not worth it. Be aware that gyms & diet companies get more prominent in spring, early summer & as the new year's eve approaches (for obvious reasons). Mostly, it's JUST marketing.

4. Resources for Recovery 🧡

I have found this nice website thay can give you some information on Eating Disorders & about Recovery:

& also this website:

I know you are all strong fighters & I'm very proud of you all! Keep going, you're amazing!

(Wow, that was a lot. I hope you got something from it at least, I'm not as brilliant as Donnie >/////<)

I love you all! 🧡✨️

[therampicncrew]

Tag Dump

[randomidiocyncrazies]

Reading Raven of the Inner Palace, and Eisei/Wei Qing's feud with Jusetsu/Shouxue is interesting—I like that his animosity makes sense within the larger political context w/o making him a total villain. Also relieved that the power dynamics between them are more nuanced—both of their freedoms are restricted, albeit in different ways, and he's technically of a lower status than her within the court (hence the passive-aggression). He's kinda a bitch but an understandable one, and he has his admirable qualities as well.

(I do think it's funny that he sent Onkei/Wen Ying to keep an eye on her, but Onkei is now quite loyal Jusetsu, which pisses him off. Sorry dude you miscalculated)