#Sir William Wallace

[scotianostra]

On 29th March 1298 William Wallace was knighted and officially made "Guardian of Scotland".

The previous September Wallace and Andrew de Moray achieved a stunning victory at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. The English left with 5,000 dead on the field, including their despised treasurer, Hugh Cressingham, whose flayed skin was said to have been taken as a trophy of victory and to make a belt for Wallace's sword. The Scots suffered one significant casualty,

Andrew de Moray , who was badly wounded and died two months later.

A lot of the detail of this has been lost i time but it is said that the ceremony took place in front of gathered nobles and clergy in the Kirk o’ the Forest, in Selkirk. Wallace was named "Commander of the Army of the Kingdom of Scotland", knighted and made Guardian of Scotland in Balliol's name at the forest kirk, at either Selkirk or Carluke.

Balliol had been humiliated in 1296 when he signed the first treaty of alliance with the French, Edward I had torn the Royal insignia from his clothing earning him the cruel nickname Tomb Tabard, meaning empty coat, but many, Wallace included, still saw him as the rightful King.

It was a remarkable achievement for a mere knight to hold power over the nobles of Scotland. In a medieval world obsessed with hierarchy, Wallace's extraordinary military success catapulted him to the top of the social ladder.

He now guided Scottish policy. Letters were dispatched to Europe proclaiming Scotland's renewed independence and he managed to obtain from the Papacy the appointment of the patriotic Bishop Lamberton to the vacant Bishopric of St Andrews.

Militarily he took the war into the north of England, raiding around Newcastle and wreaking havoc across the north. Contemporary English chroniclers accused him of atrocities, some no doubt warranted, however, in Wallace's eyes the war, since its beginning, by the English, had been marked by brutality and butchery.

The English nobility had been on the edge of civil war with Edward I. They were disgruntled over his wars in France and Scotland, however, faced with the humiliating defeat by the Scots at Stirling Bridge, they united behind him in time for the Battle of Falkirk.

Unfortunately Wallace's army at Falkirk was soundly beaten that July and Scotland fell under Longshanks rule, Sir William Wallace resigned as Guardian and was now the most wanted man in Scotland.

The site where Wallace was made Guardian has long gone, but a geophysics study in 2016 carried out within the ruins of the 18th century Auld Kirk was expected to show traces of its 16th century predecessor. Instead, it revealed the remains of a medieval chapel, pinpointing the spot where Wallace was honoured.

The first pic is from a 1935 pageant at Selkirk reenacting the event, the second is a plaque at Kirk O' The Forest, for all those from the U.S in the Murray aisle of the present building, lie the maternal ancestors of Franklin D Roosevelt the 32nd President

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Inside William’s Next Act: Tatler’s May issue goes behind the scenes as the Prince of Wales is rising above the noise — and playing the long game

The burden of leadership is falling upon Prince William, but as former BBC Royal Correspondent, Wesley Kerr OBE, explains in Tatler’s May cover story, the future king is taking charge

By Wesley Kerr OBE

21 March 2024

When I first met Prince William in 2009, he asked me if I could tell him how he could win the National Lottery.

It was a jokey quip from someone who has since become the Prince of Wales, the holder of three dukedoms, three earldoms, two baronies and two knighthoods, and heir to the most prestigious throne on earth.

He was, of course, being relatable; I was representing the organisation that had allocated Lottery funding towards the Whitechapel Gallery and he wanted to put me at ease.

William is grand but different, royal but real.

At 6ft 3in, he has the bearing and looks great in uniform after a distinguished, gallant military career.

He will be one of the tallest of Britain’s kings since Edward Longshanks in the 14th century and should one day be crowned sitting above the Stone of Scone that Edward ‘borrowed.’

William, by contrast, has a deep affinity with Scotland and Wales, having lived in both nations and gained solace from the Scottish landscape after his mother died.

He’s popular in America and understands that the Crown’s relationship to the Commonwealth must evolve.

The Prince of Wales has long believed that ‘the Royal Family has to modernise and develop as it goes along, and it has to stay relevant’, as he once said in an interview.

He seeks his own way of being relatable, of benefitting everybody, in the context of an ancient institution undergoing significant challenge and upheaval, as the head of a nation divided by hard times, conflicts abroad, and social and political uncertainty.

We might recognise Shakespeare’s powerful line spoken by Claudius in Hamlet: ‘When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions.’

With the triple announcement in January and February of the Princess of Wales’s abdominal surgery and long convalescence, of King Charles’s prostate procedure and then of his cancer diagnosis, the burden of leadership has fallen on 76-year-old Queen Camilla and, crucially, on William.

The Prince of Wales’s time has come to step up; and so he has deftly done.

In recent months, we have seen a fully-fledged deputy head of state putting into practice his long-held ideas, speaking out on the most contentious issue of the day and taking direct action on homelessness.

Last June, he unveiled the multi-agency Homewards initiative with the huge aspiration of ending homelessness, backed with £3 million from his Foundation to spearhead action across the UK.

He is consolidating Heads Together, the long-standing campaign on mental health, and fundraises for charities like London’s Air Ambulance Charity.

He was, of course, once a pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance services – a profession that had its downside: seeing people in extremis or at death’s door, he found himself ‘taking home people’s trauma, people’s sadness.’

Tom Cruise was a guest at the recent London’s Air Ambulance Charity fundraiser, William’s first gala event after Kate’s operation.

And more stardust followed when William showed that, even without his wife by his side, he could outclass any movie star at the Baftas.

There’s also his immense aim of helping to ‘repair the planet’ itself with his Earthshot Prize: five annual awards of £1 million for transformative environmental projects with worldwide application.

This project has a laser focus on biodiversity, better air quality, cleaner seas, reducing waste and combating climate change. Similar aims to his father; different means to achieve the goal.

On the issue which has caused huge convulsions – the Middle East conflict – William’s 20 February statement from Kensington Palace grabbed attention.

He said he was ‘deeply concerned about the terrible human cost of the conflict since the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October. Too many have been killed.’

There were criticisms – along the lines of ‘the late Queen would have never spoken out like this’ or ‘what right does he have to meddle in politics?’ – but it was hard to disagree with his carefully calibrated words.

His call for peace, the ‘desperate need’ for humanitarian aid, the return of the hostages.

The statement was approved by His Majesty’s Government, likely cleared with the King himself at Sandringham the previous weekend and also backed by the chief rabbi of Great Britain, Sir Ephraim Mirvis.

Indeed, William and Catherine had immediately spoken out on the horrors of 7 October.

William followed up the week after his Kensington Palace statement by visiting a synagogue and sending a ‘powerful message’, according to the chief rabbi, by meeting a Holocaust survivor and condemning anti-Semitism.

This is rooted in deep personal conviction following William’s 2018 visit to Israel and the West Bank, says Valentine Low, the distinguished author of Courtiers and The Times’s royal correspondent of 15 years, who was on that 2018 trip.

‘William was so moved by his visit to Israel and the West Bank, he found it very affecting, and he was not going to drop this issue – he was going to pay attention to it for the rest of his life,’ says Low.

‘He must feel that… not to say something on the most important issue in the world [at that moment] would be a bit odd if you feel so strongly about it.’

There was concern from some commentators about politicising the monarchy, but this rose above the particulars of party politics.

As Prince of Wales, like his father before him, there is perhaps space to speak out sparingly on carefully chosen issues.

On this occasion, his views were in line with majority public opinion.

On homelessness, news came that same week that William was planning to build 24 homes for the homeless on his Duchy of Cornwall estate.

‘William’s impact is very personal,’ says Mick Clarke, chief executive of The Passage, a charity providing emergency accommodation for London’s homeless.

‘Two weeks before Christmas, the prince came to our Resource Centre in Victoria for a Christmas lunch for 150 people.

He was scheduled to stay for an hour, to help serve, wash up, and talk to people.

He ended up staying for two and a quarter hours, during which time he went from table to table and spoke to every single person.’

Clarke continues:

‘William has an ability to listen, talk and to put people at ease. During the November 2020 lockdown, he came on three separate occasions to help.

It gave the team a boost that he took the time; it was his way of saying: “I support you; you’re doing a great job.”’

Seyi Obakin, chief executive of Centrepoint, one of the prince’s best-known causes, adds:

‘People associate his patronage with the big moments like the time he and I slept under Blackfriars Bridge.

The things that stick with me are smaller in scale and the more profound for it – in quieter moments, away from the cameras, where he has volunteered his time.’

It is a different approach from the King’s.

As Prince of Wales, he was involved in the minutiae of dozens of issues at any one time, working into the night to follow up on emails, crafting his speeches, writing or dictating notes.

Add to that much nationwide touring over 40 years (after he left active military service in 1976), fitting in multiple engagements, often being greeted formally by lord lieutenants.

This is not William’s style. He has commended his father’s model, but he does things his own way.

Although patronages are under review, William has up till now far fewer than either his father or his grandparents.

Charles is sympathetic to William’s approach and his desire to make time with his young family sacrosanct.

They are confidantes, attested by the night of Queen Elizabeth’s death.

They were both at Birkhall with Camilla, reviewing funeral arrangements while the rest of the grieving family were nearby at Balmoral, hosted by the Princess Royal.

Charles has had almost six decades in public life and is the senior statesman of our time, with even longer in the spotlight than Joe Biden.

After Eton and St Andrew’s University, where he met Catherine, William served in three branches of the military between 2006 and 2013, finishing as a seasoned and skilled helicopter rescue pilot.

His later employment as an air ambulance pilot stopped in 2017, when he became a full-time working royal.

At that time, not so long ago – with Harry unmarried, Andrew undisgraced, and Philip and Elizabeth still active – William shared the spotlight.

Now, after the King, he’s the key man.

He can look back on the success of his first big campaign initially launched with his wife and brother in 2016: Heads Together.

‘We are delighted that Prince William should have become such a positive and sympathetic advocate for mental health through his Heads Together initiative and now well-established text service, Shout, among other projects,’ says the longtime CEO and founder of Sane, the remarkable Marjorie Wallace CBE.

‘It is not always known that he follows in the footsteps of his father, the King, whose inspiration and vision were vital in the creation of our mental health charity Sane.

As founding patron, he was instrumental in establishing our 365-days-a-year helpline and was a remarkable and selfless support to me in setting up the Prince of Wales International Centre for Sane Research.’

'Indeed,' says Wallace, 'this is where Prince William echoes the work of his father, showing the same ‘understanding and compassion for people struggling through dark and difficult times of their lives and has done much to raise awareness and encourage those affected to speak out and seek help.

We owe a huge debt to His Majesty and the Prince of Wales for their involvement in this still-neglected area.’

Just as I saw all those years ago at that early solo engagement in Whitechapel, William still approaches his public duties with humour and fun.

‘He defuses the formality with jocularity,’ says Valentine Low, citing two public events in 2023 that he witnessed.

In April last year, while on a visit to Birmingham, William randomly answered the phone in an Indian restaurant he was being shown around and took a table booking from a customer – an endearing act of spontaneity.

On his arrival later that day, the unsuspecting diner was surprised to be told exactly whom he had been talking to.

In October, Low reported, William ‘unleashed his inner flirt as he hugged his way through a visit with Caribbean elders [in Cardiff] to mark Black History Month.

As he gave one woman a hug – for longer than she expected – he joked: “I draw the line at kissing.”

And while posing for a group photograph, he prompted gales of laughter when he quipped: “Who is pinching my bottom?”’

Low believes that when William eventually becomes king, he will be more ‘radical’ than his father but wonders if people will respond to ‘call me William’ when ‘the whole point of the Royal Family is mystique and being different.’

However, William has thought deeply about his current role and is prepared for whatever his future holds.

For now, there is a decision to be made on Prince George’s secondary schooling. It’s said that five public schools are being considered, all fee-paying.

Eton is single-sex and boarding but close to home. Marlborough (Catherine’s alma mater) is co-ed and full boarding. And Oundle, St Edward’s Oxford and Bradfield College (close to Kate’s parents) are co-ed with a mix of boarding and day.

As parents, William and Catherine aspire to raise their children ‘as good people with the idea of service and duty to others as very important’, William said in an interview with the BBC in 2016.

‘Within our family unit, we are a normal family.’ Which may be one reason why he is so resistant to their privacy being compromised either by the media or close family members.

The 19th-century author Walter Bagehot wrote:

‘A family on the throne is an interesting idea also. It brings down the pride of sovereignty to the level of petty life… a princely marriage is the brilliant edition of a universal fact, and, as such, it rivets mankind.’

If hereditary monarchy is to survive, it must beguile us but also demonstrate its utility, that it is a force for good.

William said in that 2016 interview, ‘I’m going to get plenty of criticism over my lifetime,’ echoing Queen Elizabeth II’s famous Guildhall speech in 1992 ‘that criticism is good for people and institutions that are part of public life. No institution – city, monarchy, whatever – should expect to be free from the scrutiny of those who give it their loyalty and support, not to mention those who don’t.’

William saw close up his mother’s ability to bring public focus and her own personal magnetism to any subject or cause she focused on.

He admires his father’s work ethic, the way he ‘really digs down,’ sometimes literally (I understand that gardening is giving the King solace during his cancer treatment).

But the biggest influence for William was Her late Majesty, as he said on her 90th birthday.

As an Eton schoolboy, William made weekend visits to the big house on the hill, being mentored by Granny rather as she had been tutored in the Second World War by the then vice-provost of Eton, Sir Henry Marten.

William said in 2016:

‘In the Queen, I have an extraordinary example of somebody who’s done an enormous amount of good and she’s probably the best role model I could have.’

That said, his aim was ‘finding your own path but with very good examples and guidance around you to support you.'

Queen Elizabeth II had a brilliant way of rising above the fray and usually being either a step ahead of public opinion or in tune with it.

If you are at the helm of affairs in a privileged hereditary position, your duty is to serve and use your pulpit for the benefit of others.

In a democracy, monarchy is accountable.

The scrutiny is intense, with an army of commentators paid for wisdom and hot air about each no-show, parsing each announcement, interpreting each image.

William takes the long view. He has ‘wide horizons,’ says Mick Clarke.

‘There are so many causes that are more palatable and easier to achieve than ending homelessness, but his commitment and drive are 100 per cent.’

The prince seeks a different way of being royal in an ancient institution that must move with the times. His task? To develop something modern in an ever-changing world.

He faces all sorts of new issues – or old issues in new guises.

Noises off from within the family don’t help – Andrew’s difficulties, or the suggestions of prejudice from Montecito a couple of years ago (now seemingly withdrawn), which prompted William’s most vehement soundbite: ‘We’re very much not a racist family.’

William is maybe a new kind of leader who can keep the monarchy relevant and resonant in the coming decades.

Queen Elizabeth II is a powerful exemplar and memory, but she was of her time. William is his own man.

He must overcome and think beyond ‘the unforgiving minute.’

Indeed, he could seek inspiration in Rudyard Kipling’s poem, If.

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch[…]

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,

And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

This article was first published in the May 2024 issue, on sale Thursday, 28 March.

[windshield91]

A five season plan.

Full interview here

[the-casbah-way]

you can really tell when a scottish historian has let braveheart have way too much of an impact on their personality

[dopescissorscashwagon]

Happy Wallace Wednesday! As dawn breaks through a misty morning in Stirling, the enduring spirit of Sir William Wallace stands sentinel atop The National Wallace Monument. This legendary figure of Scottish independence is immortalised in stone, sword raised high, overlooking the very lands he fought to free.

Wallace's tale is one for the ages: a common man turned knight who rallied his countrymen against English oppression at the end of the 13th century. His most renowned victory at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297 became a symbol of national pride and resistance. Although he was ultimately captured and executed, his legacy is far from forgotten. In fact, it's etched into the very fabric of Scotland's history and identity.

This striking image captures more than just the chill of a foggy morning; it's a reminder of the resilience and enduring fight for freedom. Wallace's silhouette against the awakening sky is a powerful representation of Scotland's past and its continuous inspiration for the future. Let's take a moment to remember and honour the man behind the monument, the hero of Scotland

—Sir William Wallace. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

📸 The Kilted Photographer @TheKilted.Photo

[ancientorigins]

The National Wallace Monument is a tower on the shoulder of Abbey Craig, a hill overlooking Stirling in Scotland. It commemorates Sir William Wallace, a 13th century Scottish hero.

[dimension20npcofalltime]

Round One Masterpost

All of the Brackets have now been posted (Sirley Haig vs Limon was late because I somehow queued it for 9:35 instead of 8:35 but in my defense I was tired).

Reminder that votes close around 8am on the 31st July

Round two will be posted at some point on the 1st August (I'm on holiday then so I have no idea what time I'll be free to post them but *fingers crossed*

Tom Thumb vs Gilear Faeth

Aurora Nebbins vs The Galactic Girl Guides

Baba Yaga vs Wallace

Loose Duke vs Mark Ronson

Calroy Cruller vs D'Hamia

Chungledown Bim vs Primsy Coldbottle

Ox vs Laertes

Alphonse the Mule vs Wuvvy

Jessa vs Pizza Rat

J'er'em'ih vs Raymond Zam

Mira vs Garthy O'Brien

Sir Allium Goldring vs Aelwyn Abernant

Darren 'Dishless' Quichei vs The Hangman

Fathethriel vs Swifty

John Feathers vs Alvin

Alejandro Ortiz vs Rococoa Rocks

The Albino Alligators vs Sadie Zeb

The Big Bad Wolf vs Orlando and Rovias

Lowell Masters vs Buddy Bear

Dale Lee vs Arcadia Prime

Jawbone O'Shaughnessey vs Marina Astrovsky

Citrina Rocks vs Nurse Stitchnit

Orange Top Hat vs Hilda Hilda

Rosalind Crumb vs The Junkmother

Florina Astrovsky vs Bill Seacaster

Ayda Aguefort vs La Gran Gata

Boggy vs Avanash

Bump Williams vs Nod

Candlewick vs Arthur Aguefort

Perry Pidgeon vs Esther Sinclair

Belizabeth Brassica vs The Sugar-Plum Fairy

Cinderella vs Baron from the Baronies

The Cubbys vs Sexy Rat

Cinnamon vs Sprinkle

Wally Kugrich vs Stephan

Limon vs Sirley Haig

Spalding vs Annabelle Cheddar

Dr Lugash vs Deus-Pa'Zuul

Norelle Blaze vs Ragh Barkrock

Holly vs Stimey

Dimitri vs Plug

Wilma Thistlespring vs Mrs Molesley

Stephan Sondheim vs Zelda Donovan

Plinth vs Caramelinda Rocks

[pangeen]

Scotland's monument to William Wallace // Chris Logue

The National Wallace Monument (generally known as the Wallace Monument) is a 67 metre tower on the shoulder of the Abbey Craig, a hilltop overlooking Stirling in Scotland. It commemorates Sir William Wallace, a 13th- and 14th-century Scottish hero.

Music:  jaxon roberts - Kutiman - Against All Odds

[fatehbaz]

Natural history as the basis for trade and commercial agriculture mediated the link between overseas expansion and the development of European scientific thought. By virtue of its strategic location in the moist tropics, Peninsular Malaysia made a significant contribution to natural history and, thus, to colonial science. [...] Botanical and zoological collections from insular Southeast Asia were of seminal importance, for example, to the pioneer studies of Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. [...]

The search for economic produce was actively promoted by both the English and Dutch East India Companies [...]. Modern European plant science had its roots in [...] the creation of physick and, later, botanic gardens, established [...] in Pisa, Padua, Florence, [...] Leiden, Oxford, Cambridge, [...] and Edinburgh. Among other functions, these gardens served, as institutions for training physicians for service in the colonies. The lead role they played in discovering and inventorying plants [...] forged a crucial link between botanic gardens and the quest for products, territory and empire.

Garcia D’Orta (c. 1501/2-68), a Spanish physician who served several viceroys in Goa, established the botanic garden near Bombay [...]. His Aromatum Historia (1563) [...] has been described as ‘a landmark in the history of civilization’. [...]

Hendrik van Rheede’s ground-breaking 12-volume Hortus Malabaricus (1678-1703) [was] based on [...] Ayurvadic knowledge and the services of Ezhava collectors and tree climbers in the Malabar. [...]

---

[T]he connection [Linnaeus] established between natural history and national wealth was widely influential. It struck a cord with Adam Smith (1723-90) and other political economists [...] who placed their faith in agricultural improvement [...]. These developments put a premium on naturalists and [...] Sir Comte de Buffon [...] and Joseph Banks [...] served as agricultural and medical consultants to sovereigns. [...] [T]he concept of environmental determinism informed Adam Smith’s philosophy of the superiority of Western nations, endowed with temperate climes, over the people of the tropics. [...] The person who brokered the link between desire for material wealth and the search for its location and procurement overseas was the indomitable and widely influential [Joseph] Banks, President of the Royal Society (1778-1820) and, from 1773, de facto director of the Royal Botanical Gardens. Also a member of the Privy Council Committee for trade – the organization most directly concerned with augmenting wealth and self-sufficiency -- he used his influence with the Royal Institution and the Board of Agriculture to forge a successful link between science and empire. [...]

Carolus Clusius who held the Chair of Botany in Leiden (1592-9) reputedly obtained ‘Malaysian’ specimens from Sir Francis Drake.

Again, following the death in 1695 of the VOC [Dutch East India Company] botanist, Paulus Hermann, his notes and manuscript [...] were acquired and used by William Sherard (Sherwood), founder of the Chair of Botany in Oxford.

---

In 1778, the English East India Company (EIC) appointed J.G. Koenig, a pupil of Linnaeus, as ‘Professor of Botany and Natural History’ in Madras. [...]

His appointment, believed to have been initiated by Banks, firmly established colonial science within the purview of imperial economic policy. [...]

Koenig worked in the private gardens [...] in Melaka and conducted the earliest and largest botanical survey of the west coast of the Peninsula (1778-9). Bengkulen (Bangkulu), [...] where pepper cultivation was extensively researched, was declared a Presidency [...] with the express aim of developing its full economic potential. To help fulfill this objective, Philip and Charles Miller, sons of the well-respected gardener at the Chelsea Physick Garden, were engaged as botanists [...] Charles Miller was entrusted in ‘the greatest secrecy’ with the experimental planting of nutmeg and cloves, using seedlings that visiting Bugis traders were encouraged to smuggle from Maluku. [...] [T]he EIC envisaged expanding the range of Benkulen’s exports by the introduction of tea, ginger, turmeric and mulberries. [...] These efforts prefigured experiments in spice cultivation at the Calcutta Botanic Gardens [...].

Newbold took his knowledge of the tropical environment in the [Malayan] Straits Settlements to Madras, where he earned a reputation as a naturalist and an Orientalist [...]. His lecture to the Bengal Asiatic Society in 1846 [...] was hugely influential and put the Peninsula at the heart of the emerging discourse on tropical ecology. [...] [T]hose [tropical botanic gardens] established by the EIC in Penang (1794) and Singapore (1822) were integral to its commercial aims for extending the chain of ‘tropical Edens’. As centres for the [...] assemblage of exotic crops [...], botanic gardens were perceived as symbols of scientific progress and imperial might.

---

All text above by: Jeyamalar Kathirithamby-Wells. "Peninsular Malaysia in the context of natural history and colonial science." New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies Volume 11 Number 1. June 2009. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me.]

[transcodedcharacterstournament]

Sorry it so long, but the list is finally done

Here are our pair ups

I included almost every character so the tournament is going to be long

Left side

Jesus vs Hamlet

Dean vs Sam

Rose Tyler vs The Doctor

Mob vs teruki hanazawa

Emily Prentiss vs Penelope Garcia

Anakin Skywalker vs Obi-Wan Kenobi

Aziraphale vs Crowley

Jessie vs james

toph vs Sokka

julian bashir vs James T Kirk

Jadzia Dax vs Ezri Dax

Spock vs Odo

Luke skywalker vs Leia skywalker

Hunter vs Luz

Alador blight vs The collector

Raine vs Lilith Clawthorne

Dipper vs Mable

Sonic vs Shadow

Marco diaz vs Pidge

Katsuki Bakugo vs Ejirou Kirishima

Kagamine Len vs miku

bot lightbulb

Test tube vs Apple

Tree vs black hole

saw vs Golf ball

Dr. teeh vs Animal

Floyd pepper vs janice

Zoot vs lips

Fjord Stone vs Yussa Errenis

Zukko vs Azula

Veth Brenatto (Nott the Brave) vs Pyrrha dve

silver vs blaze

Howl vs Aizawa

Walter White vs Jesse pinkman

Noelle vs Ralsei

Perfuma vs Bow

Jim Lake Jr vs Steve Palchuk

Hiccup vs Danny Phantom

Fox Mulder vs Dana Scully

Harley Quinn vs the riddler

Neo vs Trinity

Deanna Troi vs Brunt

Worf vs Saavik

Dr Habit vs Kamal Bora

Scout vs Ms. Pauling

Right Hand Man vs Henry Stickmin

Reginald Copperbottom vs Ellie Rose

Kurapika vs Alluka Zoldyck

Kite vs Daisukenojo "Beat" Bito

Link vs Zelda

Miles Edgeworth vs Franziska von Karma

Rolan Deep vs Chip

Jay Ferin vs William Wisp

Ashe Winters vs Kian stone

Gillion Tidestrider vs Edyn Tidestrider

donnie vs leonardo

Madeline Hatter vs Darling Charming

Kokichi Ouma vs Shuichi saihara

Aiko Umesawa vs Hajime Hinata

Komatu Naegi vs chihiro fujisaki

Randy Radman vs Jaques Kensignton

Shiki Misaki vs Yoshiya "Joshua" Kiryu

Eddie Munson vs Jonathan Byers

Nancy Wheeler vs Max Mayfield

peter parker vs Cecil Palmer

BOYD vs Lena Sabrewing

Yuuki Mishima vs Naoto Shirogane

Futaba Sakura vs Akira Kurusu

Ricky Potts vsJane Doe

Koichi Hirose vs Narciso Anasui

Adeleine vs Meta Knight

Ferdinand von Aegir vs Lorenz Gloucester

Gomez Addams vs Morticia addams

Sir Crocodile vs Yamato

yellow caballero vs Gold

Akari vs Silver

Right side

Penny vs Champion Cynthia

Captain3 vs Agent 8

Apollo Justice vs maya fey

bill s preston esquire vs ted theodore logan

Kermit the Frog vs Gonzo

Jack Kline vs Castiel

Kazuhira Miller vs Revolver Ocelot

Mizuki Akiyama vs Mafuyu Asahina

Scaramouche vs Venti

Alucard vs Juste Belmont

Rika vs Wallac

Bede vs Celestia Ludenberg

Omega vs Pavel Chekov

Amy rose vs Tails

Gerard (Gerry) Keay vs Jonathan Sims

Jane Prentiss vs Martin blackwood

Aether vs Lumine

Diluc Ragnvindr vs Fischl

Sasha waybright vs Marcy wu

Lars vs finn

Jim Hawkins vs Mulan

onoda sakamichi vs shinkai yuuto

Vivian vs Birdo

Bridget vs Poison

Jack Spicer vs Enid

Taliyah vs Jinx

Yoshiko "Yohane" Tsushima vs Rina Tennoji

Marceline vs Wendy Corduroy

Optimus Prime vs Rodimus prime

The Master vs john sheppard

haruhi fujioka vs Haku

Jason Todd vs tim drake

billy batson vs Cleo Cazo/Ratcatcher 2

Maxwell Klinger vs George Costanza

Gyro Gearloose vs ron stampler

Daniel LaRusso vs Miguel Diaz

Xion vs Lauriam 

Alice Yabusame vs Marina

Anna vs Rin Hoshizora

David Jacobs vs Ambrose

Lestat vs Quentin Coldwater

Orel Puppington vs Chucky

Reze vs Isabella Yamamoto

Mrs. Frizzle vs Dr. Doofenshmirtz

Ellen Ripley vs Orla McCool

Peril vs Baldwin

Sidney Prescott vs Envy Adams

akiyama mizuki  vs Flower

Oswald Cobblepot vs Margo Hanson

Charlie Kelly vs Newton Geiszler

Remy vs Meowth

knock out vs Lavernius Tucker

Raiden vs lappland

Party Poison vs Nico di Angelo

Hera vs P03

Leo Demonheart vs Suzuki Iruma

Doug Ramsey vs Marty McFly

Lake vs Jenny

Will Graham vs Herbert West

Anne Boonchuy vs Carmen Sandiego

Paul Atreides vs Yoon Jong-woo

Ritsu sohma vs Ruby Rose

Ruffnut  vs Momoe Sawaki

Xie Lian vs Raikou Shimizu

Chai vs Hisirdoux Casperan

henry morris vs Dave Strider

Jeremie Belpois vs Lloyd Garmadon

Gandalf vs Dolores Abernathy

Arthur Kingsmen vs Mako

Kurama vs Vash the Stampede

Shiver vs Luigi

Kim Kitsuragi vs tristian

Rouge vs Zoe

Shinji Ikari vs Dororo

[scotianostra]

Edinburgh Castle.

Many visitors file through the gates of the magnificent fortress of Edinburgh Castle, I wonder though, how many know that the two statues that “guard” the gates are our two greatest warriors,  Robert the Bruce and Sir William Wallace.

The statues were erected outside the castle in 1929, though the men had been celebrated for centuries before. Both were prominent leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence, which began in 1296 and lasted for roughly three decades.

Robert the Bruce, on the left, declared himself King of Scots in 1306. He, like Wallace, fought valiantly during the war. However, unlike Wallace, Bruce had royal ambitions fueling his desire to free the Scots from English rule. After years of successful guerilla warfare, his battles and raids eventually led to the signing of the Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton in 1328, which recognized Scottish independence under his rule—at least, until his death a few years later.

Sir William Wallace, famously depicted in the movie Braveheart, was among the first Scottish leaders to revolt against King Edward I of England.  After winning the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297, he was knighted and named a Guardian of the Kingdom of Scotland. He continued fighting against the English reign until his capture and brutal execution in 1305.

The Bruce statue is by Thomas J. Clapperton, a Galashiels Sculptor who went on to work extensively in London, and Wallace is by  Alexander Carrick from Musselburgh, he produced a number of  war memorials in stone and bronze across Scotland, perhaps you might have seen some of his work on the Caledonian Insurance Building on St Andrews Square.

[tenderbittersweet]

Happiness is a Full Bookshelf 😊📚

My goal is to collect every Penguin Classic that has a black spine and cover, white title, and orange author name because they’re sooo aesthetically pleasing to me. My fun challenge of collecting/amassing them is by finding them exclusively through secondhand purchases (resale shops, ebay, garage sales, used bookstores, etc.) Then I only have to shell out $0-$7 each instead of $10-$30 each!

Penguin Classics

A Doll's House and Other Plays by Henrick Ibsen

A Nietzsche Reader by Fredrich Nietzsche

A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Dolye

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë

All My Sons by Arthur Miller

Angel of Repose by Wallace Stegner

Awakening and Selected Stories by Kate Chopin**

BUtterfield 8 by John O'Hara

Caleb Williams by William Godwin

Call of the Wild, White Fang, and Other Stories by Jack London*

Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer*

Charlotte Temple and Lucy Temple by Susanna Rowson

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons

Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels

Complete Stories by Dorothy Parker

Confessions by Saint Augustine

Conjure Tales and Stories of the Color Line by Charles W. Chestnut

Consolation of Philosophy by Ancius Boethius

Crucible by Arthur Miller

Daisy Miller by Henry James

Effi Briest by Theodor Fontane

Essays and Aphorisms by Arthur Schopenhauer

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin

Excellent Women by Barbara Pym

Framley Parsonage by Anthony Trollope

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley**

Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck**

Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift

Hard Times by Charles Dickens

Hedda Gabler and Other Plays by Henrik Ibsen

History of The Peloponnesian War by Thucydides

Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë*

Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman*

Letters of Abélard and Héloïse

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis

Major Barbara by George Bernard Shaw

Man and Superman by George Bernard Shaw

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell

Memoirs by William Tecumseh Sherman

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka*

Middlemarch by Geroge Eliot

Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe

My Antonia by Willa Cather

Mysteries by Knut Hamsun

Narrative of the Lige of Frederick Douglas, an American Slave by Frederick Douglas

Nichomachean Ethics by Aristotle*

Nineteenth-Century American Poetry

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Odyssey by Homer**

On Liberty and the Subjection of Women by John Suart Mill

On the Road by Jack Kerouac

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey

Passing by Nella Larsen

Personal Memoirs by Ulysses S. Grant

Portable Sixties Reader

Portrait of a Lady by Henry James

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw

Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne**

Seize the Day by Saul Bellow

Silas Marner by George Eliot

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Song of Roland

Summer by Edith Wharton

Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow

The Aeneid by Virgil

The Ancien Régime and the Revolution by Alexis de Tocqueville

The Bhagavad Gita

The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas

The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories by Leo Tolstoy

The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio

The Epic of Gilgamesh

The Guide by R.K. Narayan

The Habor by Ernest Poole

The Hound of Baskerville by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Iliad by Homer

The Interesting Narrative and Other Writings by Olaudah Equiano

The Lais of Marie de France

The Marquise of O—and Other Stories by Heinrich Von Keist

The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot

The Odyssey by Homer

The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli*

The Prose Edda by Snorri Sturlson

The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories by Robert Louis Stevenson

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

Three Theban Plays by Sophocles

To a God Unknown by John Steinbeck

Utopia by Thomas More

Villette by Emily Brontë

A Vindication of the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft

Washington Square by Henry James

Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson

Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Non-Penguin Classics

A Mercy by Toni Morrison

Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath**

Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank*

Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood**

House on Mango Street by Sander Cisneros

My Antonia by Willa Cather

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien*

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Collections, Compilations, and Anthologies

100 Best-Loved Poems (American & British)

101 Great American Poems

English Romantic Poetry

Four Great Comedies of the Restoration & 18th Century

Four Great Elizabethan Plays

Great Poems by American Women

Seven Gothic Tales by Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen)

Six American Poets (Whitman, Dickinson, Stevens, Williams, Frost, Hughes)

The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories

The Vintage Book of Contemporary American Poetry

The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Writings by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Victorian Love Stories

* = Started & didn’t finish (yet)/Read parts

** = Read ≥5 years ago

Strike-through = Read

Updated: April 14, 2024

Total count: 126

[stachebracket]

Round One 'Stache Match-ups

Peppino Spaghetti (Pizza Tower) vs Professor Rowan (Pokémon) Geppetto (Pinocchio 1940) vs Tim Lockwood (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs)The Lorax (The Lorax) vs William Riker (Star Trek: Next Generation) The President (Pikmin) vs King Dice (Cuphead) Nigel Thornberry (The Wild Thornberrys) vs Kratos (God of War) Filbrick Pines (Gravity Falls) vs Mouse Kaboom (Happy Tree Friends) Tarzan's Dad (Tarzan 1999) vs Drayden (Pokémon) Morshu (Legend of Zelda) vs Magikarp (Pokémon) Luigi (Super Mario) vs Snidely Whiplash (Rocky and Bullwinkle) Dracula (Castlevania) vs Gaepora (Legend of Zelda) Hades (Hades) vs Geralt (The Witcher) Jules Winnfield (Pulp Fiction) vs Walrus Captain (A Hat in Time) Dr. Wily (Megaman) vs Charlie Swan (Twilight) King of All Cosmos (Katamari) vs Hizashi "Present Mic" Yamada (My Hero Academia) Drake (Pokémon) vs Craigor Smiff (Red Stitch Report) Blaine (Pokémon) vs Gimli (The Lord of the Rings)

Eggman (Sonic) vs Lando Calrissian (Star Wars) Archibald Dandy (The Adventures of Captain Wrongel) vs Walter White (Breaking Bad) Mung Daal (Chowder) vs Linebeck III (Legend of Zelda) Kingambit (Pokémon) vs Doc Louis (Punch-Out!!) Major Alex Louis Armstrong (Fullmetal Alchemist) vs Doctor Neo Cortex (Crash Bandicoot) Soichiro Yagami (Death Note) vs Murro Morton (Identity V) Baron Zeppeli (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 1: Phantom Blood) vs J. Jonah Jameson (Marvel) Wulfric (Pokémon) vs Henry Henderson (Spy x Family) Gashu Satou (Your Turn to Die) vs Stanley Hudson (The Office) Alolan Golem (Pokémon) vs Landorus (Pokémon) King Harkinian (Legend of Zelda) vs Thundurus (Pokémon) Gustavo (Pizza Tower) vs Tornadus (Pokémon) Broque Monsieur (Mario & Luigi) vs Cadmus Ebcott (Red Stitch Report) Rhys Strongfork (Borderlands) vs Agustín Madrigal (Encanto) Bob Belcher (Bob's Burgers) vs Soseki Natsume (The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles) Oscar (Duolingo) vs Professor Turo (Pokémon)

Soda Popinski (Punch-Out!!) vs Mario (Super Mario) Cliff Clavin (Cheers) vs King River Butterfly (Star vs the Forces of Evil) Stoutland (Pokémon) vs Grandpa Harley (Homestuck) Von Kaiser (Punch-Out!!) vs The Captain (BBC Ghosts) Mustache Girl (A Hat in Time) vs Tobias Fünke (Arrested Development) Chat Noir (Miraculous Ladybug) vs Randy Marsh (South Park) Wario (Super Mario) vs Gandalf (The Lord of the Rings) Kevin Ayuso (Identity V) vs Mr Pickels (Happy Tree Friends) Inigo Montoya (The Princess Bride) vs Minimus Ambus (Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye) Kricketune (Pokémon) vs Eldstar (Paper Mario) Jane Crocker (clever disguise) (Homestuck) vs Advisor Mung (Hypnagogia 無限の夢 Boundless Dreams) Saguaro (Pokémon) vs Revolver Ocelot (Metal Gear Solid) GOING TO REMATCH Waluigi (Super Mario) vs Vincenzo Santorini (Atlantis: The Lost Empire) Mr. Rime (Pokémon) vs Raikou (Pokémon) Sportacus (Lazy Town) vs Ron Swanson (Parks and Recreation) Steven Magnet (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic) vs Sir Humphrey Bone (BBC Ghosts) Sea Hawk (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power) vs Duster (Mother 3) Varrick (The Legend of Korra) vs King Bradley (Fullmetal Alchemist) Omni-Man (Invincible) vs Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart (Doctor Who) William Murderface Murderface Murderface (Metalocalypse) vs Lolorito Nanarito (Final Fantasy XIV) Mumbo Jumbo (Hermitcraft) vs Probopass (Pokémon) The Toy Soldier (The Mechanisms) vs Chancellor Cole (Legend of Zelda) Alakazam (Pokémon) vs Entei (Pokémon) Thom Merrilin (The Wheel of Time) vs James Gordon (DC Comics) Gomez Addams (The Addams Family) vs Solid Snake (Metal Gear Solid) GOING TO REMATCH Asgore Dreemurr (Undertale) vs Taryon Gary Darrington (Critical Role) Julius Pringle (Pringles) vs Netero (Hunter x Hunter) Dudley (Street Fighter) vs Barret Wallace (Final Fantasy VII) BJ Hunnicutt (M*A*S*H) vs Daruk (Legend of Zelda) Mabosstiff (Pokémon) vs Vito Corleone (The Godfather) Cervantes (Fire Emblem) vs Don Paolo (Professor Layton) Gordan Freeman (Half-Life) vs Zangief (Street Fighter)

[potuzzz]

Hello I'm Victor Larsson from Britain 🇬🇧 am in financial growth institute, also a trader in binary/Bitcoin mining and other crypto currencies, are you interested in Binary options investment??

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[ancientorigins]

The National Wallace Monument is a tower on the shoulder of Abbey Craig, a hill overlooking Stirling in Scotland. It commemorates Sir William Wallace, a 13th century Scottish hero.

[dimension20npcofalltime]

Tournament Two

Congratulations to Esther Sinclair for winning her mini-sudden-death round and being the first NPC to progress to Tournament Two. My inbox is open so PLEASE keep submitting. I've actually had very few submissions so far so if you have been holding out don't delay.

Submissions close at 8pm BST on the 24th of September. The new series will be posted on the 1st of October to give me more time to actually put the brackets together.

Rules:

Any NPC from any Campaign, Sidequest or One-Shot up to and including Mentopolis is allowed.

Familiars / animal companions are accepted

NPCs from this tournament CAN be sumitted. However they must have lost in ROUND ONE. For example Nurse Stitchnit who fought valiently but lost by less than 1% to Citrina Rocks. If you are unsure there is a list of eligible losers under the cut.

All sumbissions should include propaganda. This is not essential but where propaganda is not provided I have to make it up and while I try not to show bias this is much harder for NPCs I don't know / like.

Anyone can submit as many NPCs as they like, there is not a limit on how many can be submitted by a single person.

A submission of any NPC who won Round One but lost later on WILL NOT COUNT.

However, they have a chance at redemption in the Sudden Death Mini Rounds which are being uploaded throughout September. See here for more details on those

You may submit any of the following losers from Round One of the original tournamen

Tom Thumb

The Galactic Girl Guides

Wallace

Mark Ronson

D'Hamia

Primsy Coldbottle

Ox

Alphonse the Mule

Jessa

Raymond Zam

Mira

Sir Allium Goldring

Darren ‘Dishless’ Quichei

Fathethriel

Alvin

Rococoa Rocks

The Albino Alligators

Orlando and Rovias

Lowell Masters

Arcadia Prime

Marina Astrovsky

Nurse Stitchnit

Hilda Hilda

Rosalind Crumb

Florina Astrovsky

La Gran Gata

Avanash

Bump Williams

Candlewick

Perry Pidgeon

The Sugar-Plum Fairy

Cinderella

Sexy Rat

Cinnamon

Stephan

Sirley Haig

Spalding

Deus-Pa'Zuul

Norelle Blaze

Stimey

Dimitri

Mrs Molesley

Stephan Sondheim

Plinth