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Florida

A 54-year-old Black man died after Florida jail officials refused to give him medication that kept his body from rejecting his heart transplant.
Dexter Barry was arrested for misdemeanor assault in November 2022 after allegedly threatening to beat up a neighbor during an argument over wifi access. No actual physical fight occurred. According to body camera footage reviewed by The Tributary, Barry advised an officer at least seven times that he needed his medication to survive. He was booked into Duval County jail, run by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s office.
The next day, Barry reiterated to a judge that he desperately needed his medication:

“I am on medication,” Barry told the judge. “I just had a heart transplant, and I haven’t taken my medicine all day since I have been locked up, and I take rejection medicines for my heart so my heart won’t reject it, and I’m almost two years out.”

Barry also told jail officials while in police custody; they made note of it, but never gave him the drugs.

The medical records, initially obtained by Jacksonville civil rights attorney Andrew Bonderud, show that Barry also told the jail’s healthcare providers about his medications. Barry only received his blood pressure medicine and a drug for cholesterol and his prostate, according to the medicine log.
Bonderud said he believes the jail not giving Barry his anti-rejection medicine “was entirely driven by profit and a profit motive.” Bonderud, who is representing Barry’s family, explained, “Generic cholesterol medication probably isn’t that expensive. But the heart transplant medicine is very expensive.”

Barry died at home three days after being released, having missed at least five doses of the anti-rejection medication.

Dr. Maya Guglin, an Indiana cardiologist on the board at the American College of Cardiology, said organ transplant recipients have to take anti-rejection medications because their bodies view the new organ as an invasion that must be fought off.
“If you just drop those medications, everyone is eventually going to reject that organ,” she said.
Even if medication is restarted, it will be too late, Guglin said.

South Carolina

A South Carolina man is suing the York County Sheriff’s Office after four deputies shot him nine times during a mental health emergency.
Trevor Mullinax was in his pickup truck on May 7, 2021, with a shotgun. His mother, Tammy Beason, was beside the truck talking to him. A family member called 911 to request a wellness check, reporting that Mullinax was suicidal.
Body camera footage shows the moment that deputies arrived on the scene, opening fire within seconds of leaving their vehicles.

“Prior to arriving at the Plaintiffs’ location, Sheriff’s deputies failed to plan, choosing instead to ride in like cowboys from a John Wayne movie, defaulting to using deadly force, immediately, without attempting to deescalate the situation, in complete disregard for State law/regulation, Sheriff’s policies, and/or County ordinances,” the lawsuit states.
According to court documents, the deputies fired almost 50 rounds at Mullinax, striking him approximately nine times, including in the head. The plaintiffs’ attorneys allege this happened despite Beason being in the line of fire and Mullinax having both his arms raised.

York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson has defended the deputies’ actions, claiming that Mullinax picked up the shotgun in his truck and the officers feared for their lives. Three of the deputies who shot Mullinax are still on duty.

“I tell all of my deputies that their goal is to serve the citizens of York County and then to go home safely to their families. Mr. Mullinax chose to put these men in danger by pulling a shotgun. These deputies responded appropriately to the threat as they were trained to do. Had Mr. Mullinax made different choices that day, deputies would not have been required to use force,” said Sheriff Kevin Tolson. “Our ultimate goal is to ensure the safety of the public and our deputies. Regardless of the outcome of this lawsuit, we want to reassure our residents that we will continue to provide high quality and professional law enforcement service.”

Mullinax survived numerous gunshot wounds, including three to his head. After shooting him, the department charged Mullinax with allegedly pointing a gun at them.

Plaintiff Mullinax, who somehow miraculously survived the horrific shooting, has maintained his innocence of the criminal charges brought by Sheriff’s deputies. Plaintiff Mullinax denies pointing, brandishing, or presenting a firearm in any threating manner at Sheriff’s deputies, and Plaintiff Beason, who was present and standing directly beside the vehicle in plain view of Plaintiff Mullinax, maintains Plaintiff Mullinax did not point, brandish, or present a firearm in any threating manner at Sheriff’s deputies.

Louisiana

The U.S. Justice Department filed a court statement accusing Louisiana officers of violating the civil rights of an autistic boy when deputies pinned him to the ground until he died.
Eric Parsa (referred to as E.P. in court documents), a “severely autistic” 16-year-old, was at a Louisiana laser tag event with his parents on January 19, 2020. As the family was leaving the venue, Parsa “began to experience a sudden sensory outburst” in the parking lot.

E.P. began to slap himself in the head, a behavior which is a common physical trait for many persons on the Severe Autistic Spectrum Disorder and is a readily observable manifestation of the person’s disability and anxiety.
Along with other repetitive motions, this repetitive head slapping is sometimes referred to as type of “stimming” and can be an attempt by the person with autism to calm themselves when confronted with frustration, anxiety and/or inability to communicate. It can also be used by the individual as a self-calming or self-soothing technique to try to avert or mitigate the severity of an outburst or as self-injurious behavior. It is a visible sign that the person may be experiencing or is about to experience an outburst.

During this outburst, Parsa began physically struggling with his dad. The manager of the laser tag venue called the police to report there was “a man with his autistic child…in a confrontation” in the parking lot.
Parsa then slapped the first officer to arrive on scene; he was taken to the ground and handcuffed. Deputies kept Parsa in a prone position on the ground, shackled, using their own body weight as a restraint.

The physical restraint of E.P. in JPSO custody began with a 6’3”, very large, over 300-pound deputy taking E.P. to the ground, striking him and then sitting on E.P.’s back, holding him face down, for approximately seven minutes. Eventually there were a total of seven JPSO deputies involved, sitting on, handcuffing, shackling, holding down, or standing by E.P. as he was restrained and held face down on his stomach against the hard surface of the parking lot. The final application of excessive force against E.P. involved a deputy using his forearm to place a choke/neck hold around E.P.’s head, shoulder and neck, as he lay in a prone position, with a deputy on his back, and other deputies holding down his arms and legs, while he was handcuffed and in leg shackles.

Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s deputies sat on Parsa for more than nine minutes, only releasing him after “his body had gone limp and he had urinated on himself.”

9 minutes and 6 seconds. This is how long this extremely dangerous, lifethreatening and forceful prone restraint, involving the use of the deputies’ body weight and holds, mechanical restraints, choke/neck hold, following a period of physical exertion, was applied to an unarmed, obese 16-year-old severely autistic child in the midst of a sensory outburst or meltdown.
During that 9 minutes and 6 seconds, there were several clear and distinct opportunities, when E.P. was secured, was calm, was not actively resisting, when the JPSO deputies failed to de-escalate, failed to appropriately reduce the use of force against E.P., and failed to intervene to prevent the use of excessive force by other deputies.
Once E.P. was handcuffed, they did not roll him onto his side. They did not sit him up or stand him up. They did not secure him in a vehicle. They did not continuously monitor him. Instead, they continued to hold him face down, on his belly, while applying unreasonable and excessive force, resulting in his death. It wasn’t until his body had gone limp and he had urinated on himself that the deputies rolled him into “recovery position.” By then it was too late

Parsa was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. His parents filed a lawsuit against the Sheriff’s office, arguing that the deputies violated Parsa’s First, Fourth, Ninth, and Fourteenth Amendment rights, as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Last week, the DOJ filed a statement of interest agreeing with Parsa’s parents:

Here, the record is replete with facts showing that several Defendants knew about E.P.'s disability before or on arrival to the scene and that others learned of his disability during the encounter…Plaintiffs have also put forth evidence that the deputies, who knew they were responding to a call for assistance with a child experiencing a behavioral health crisis, used force inappropriately to respond to a child’s known disability-related behavior…
Critically, nothing in the briefing suggests that E.P. had a weapon, that officers ever reasonably suspected he had a weapon, or that there was a threat to human life… because abundant facts show that Defendants were on notice of E.P.’s disability, a reasonable jury could conclude that Defendants should have reasonably modified their procedures in restraining E.P.

Others

An 11-year-old Mississippi boy was shot in the chest by a police officer after he called 911 for help for a domestic disturbance.
The family of a Georgia woman who died after she fell out of a moving police car is suing the department.
Three former Mississippi police officers were indicted last week for repeatedly using stun guns on a 41-year-old man, causing his death.
An independent autopsy released by family last week ruled that a schizophrenic man “eaten alive” by bed bugs in an Atlanta jail cell was homicide by neglect.
The FBI is investigating the fatal shooting of a tribal member in Arizona by U.S. Border Patrol after the man called agents for assistance.

It is an update post of my previous one, so I will tell you the whole story of what happened today. Me and my father reached the university with a "DASTI ORDER." We reached the administrative hall for the receiving of the DASTI order. If anyone wants, they can DM me and I will show you the order, but they denied saying you are not supposed to give the order. Our legal team will give the order. Then my father called the advocate. He explained to him and said DASTI order means hand delivery for fast work because on 2nd June my exam was there, but again he denied and both started using abusive languages. Then the whole atmosphere heated up and we left So please, what could I do next to save my carrier because on June 2nd, my midterm was there, and I am a common man who has only the high court to save me, but the university doesn't care about high court orders; it seems like the university is superior to the high court.

1. why does knox focus in her November 2 deposition on the fact that she had contact with meredith's blood traces?
   
2. why, if guede wanted to rob the cottage, did he not even bring gloves with him?
   
3. why did guede choose a house that he knew was inhabited?
   
4. how did the rock smash the glass if the shutters were closed (or at least pulled towards the window)?
   
5. how did guede leave no trace on the outside wall although the ground was wet that evening?
   
6. how did the glass get on top of the clothes even partially?
   
7. what is the substance of the luminol-illuminated footprints?
   
8. whose footprint is on the mat in the bathroom? how come his heel is not on it?
   
9. how did guede lock meredith's bedroom door if his footprints go straight to the exit?
   
10. why did meredith's friend report hearing knox tell her stepfather that she had "found meredith in the closet"?
    
11. how did knox know that meredith's throat had been cut? (in court she couldn't indicate who had given her this information)
    
12. are there other cases of ascertained tertiary dna transfers in the history of crime (outside the lab) besides sollecito's? if so, how common are they?
    
13. why, when the cottage was ransacked again (twice), did burglars gain access to it through the glass door on the terrace?
    
14. why did knox take a shower on the morning of november 2, if per her own admission she'd already had one the previous night?
    
15. why did knox call her mother in the middle of the night before the police arrived?
    
16. why did a defense witness say that sollecito had confessed to him in prison that he was present during the murder and that knox had killed meredith?
    
17. why didn't the defense consultants object to the bra clasp collection at all even though they were present?
    
18. why did knox still need the mop on the morning of the 2nd if the water had been spilled 10-12 hours earlier?
    
19. what do you make of sollecito's interest in bestiality, as confirmed by the onaosi principal?
    
20. how did knox know that meredith "fucking bled to death" on the night of 2nd?
    

Hey this is a weird thing that’s always bothered me I can’t imagine it ever coming to anything but I think about it sometimes.
When I was 19 I had a crappy telesales job in a call centre. It was a reasonably successful company lot of employees and a proper office building not really that relevant I guess but just setting the tone that this isn’t some low level 3 man operation.
Anyway here’s the thing that bothers me. When I got my employment contract I actually decided to read it and one of the stipulations in there was that “the company had a right to any inventions I made while working for the company and they had the sole right to use them after I leave the company they also had a right to any invention made after working here” that’s not an exact quote but it’s what I remember they used the word invention and that’s what it claimed.
I asked the manager what that meant and she said it just meant if I invent a new script (for cold calling) I signed it. I always thought it was so ridiculous if it did get taken to court common sense would over rule but it still bothers me.
I create art and things I may want to sell in the future so it bothers me for that reason.
Edit: just wanted to add the way it was worded made it clear it was implying anything I made after having worked there was there’s too. Seems too ridiculous to uphold but just interesting

Edited to add TWs: Minor abuse, Court
I was groomed & dated a narcissist who was 32 when i was 16. I decided to stand up for myself a couple times after turning 18. One day a lot of shit transpired after i stood up again. Police ended up getting called and I talked to a detective. He finally got charged last year when i was 20 and entered a plea deal where he got 3 or 4 felonies out of the initial 8 he was charged with. No jail time, I can't find him on a sex offender list. I wasn't the only one which is what made me start to stand up for myself.
It makes me so angry sometimes that he isn't on a list, or faced any real punishment. At the same time i resent myself for being so angry and wish I wasn't that i could be further along in healing. That these feelings don't randomly hit me, or i get triggered hearing his name, seeing the model of truck he had, someone behaving similarly, that my home area scares me to be in. It hurts everytime and i hate it. I hate the control he still has. It'll be 3 years in June. I know that healing takes time and it'll never go away, but I'm so tired of it

Vermas (Venmom) pov
The werewolf named Davey continued talking about how safe my son's job usually was and talking about how his job was just to report if he senses any monsters while delivering packages. It still did little to calm my worry, after all what if another monster senses him!
With that Davey laughed "werewolves are the only race that can identify other monsters by scent, and while some werewolves might be criminals, the worst we've ever encountered was a mob boss a few decades ago." "Besides, will might be scrawny for his age but he's fast, not much can actually catch him!" My nerves calmed a little more after Will told me that the last time a sniffer died on duty he was on his pad and got hit by a car.
I told him to be extra careful before he and Lim went to bed. A medic had patched Lim up the best he could but he was still missing a tooth. This paw was insane and it definitely tired us all out but I still had to continue speaking with Davey and Sasha. "You really surprised me by hugging him." For some reason she sounded relieved, like a great pressure was taken off off her shoulders. "Why?" I asked. "Most people fear fear monsters. I've seen really bad reactions, everything from disowning them to trying to kill them I their sleep. We literally have a task force meant to watch people who are turned by rouge vampires in order to guarantee their safety."
I was horrified, they were worried I would react like that?! I might have been scared at first but that's still my son, I could tell the moment I looked him in the eyes. "Can you tell me anything I need to know about him? Does he prefer his wolf form?" Davey turned to me "most werewolves don't prefer either form, but I see him napping in the communal area at HQ in his wolf form all the time after his shift. The cleaning crew are always pulling small pranks on him for leaving hair everywhere." It made sense, he always slept under a mountain of blankets, all this time he was trying to mimic the warmth of his fur. "As for parenting tips we can get you a large treadmill for your basement. Running at full speed can make any werewolf happy and keep them entertained."
Nodding I turned to Sasha "is there anything I need to know about his diet? Does he need to eat meat or can he continue eating fruits and vegetables?" With that they both turned to each other awkwardly before Sasha turned back to me. "Will and Davey eat lab meat with each other every couple days." She said quietly. Him eating meat didn't bother me, I just didn't want the smell of cooking meat in the house. There was a human refugee center nearby and they had a separate food court for meat, and the center was only a short shuttle ride away and I had made it clear that he could go whenever he needed to.
"As werewolves we need a lot more protein then humans." Davey explained. I nodded a long, it made sense upon seeing how his wolf form could allow him to fight an arxur with his bare hands, or were they paws now? "I have a question but I don't want to seem rude." "What is it?" "Why do you live in secret, you look strong and Will easily beat three terrorists!" With that Davey sighed. "It's a long story, a long time ago werewolves used to rade human farms during full moons to steal livestock, while others would rob and kill humans. Vampires used to feed solely on human blood too, and other monsters would prey upon them. But it only took one human discovering out weakness and surviving to tell the tale before everyone knew how to kill us, it only took one human stabbing a vampire in the chest with some broken furniture. After they knew our weaknesses they could easily kill us all, so over time we intergrated into human society in secret. Over centuries we became legunds and as humanity discovered how to make media to entertain we became the antagonists over those stories. The media has a lot of misinformation, like vampires being able to fly or werewolves not being in control of their wolf forms but they got one thing right, how to kill us. If you ask any human how to kill a werewolf they will tell you to use silver or kill them while we're in humans form, if you ask how to kill a vampire they'll tell you to stake them in the heart, decapitate then, or throw them into sunlight." " We also have extremely low birth rates world wide, with vampires having to infect humans to make more of themselves, and biting a human is seen as a SIN! There are under fifty thousand of us werewolves, and under twenty eight thousand vampires world wide, and were bothe the most common species!" "On top of all of that, humanity has been scaring themselves with stories about us for thousands of years, if they saw us it would be as though their nightmares came to life some would fear us, some might accept us like the humans who work with us, but many would call for genocide out of fear."
Finally understanding just how terrifying it must have been for Will to come clean about what he was I made a mental reminder to hug him extra hard and he woke up for work. I turned to Will's coffee machine, I normally only drink one cup a day but there was still more stuff and you talk about with Davey and Sasha so I needed more energy. Luckily I've seen Will brew with this thing so many times I know how to do it myself. "Not to be offensive Davey, but it was hilarious seeing Will moving in here in his wolf form" Sasha said barely containing her laughter. With that Davey began laughing "yeah, he's going to be fucked when he's full grown!"
After the realization of why he just said hit me I turned to Davey quickly " He's going to get bigger!?!"

Located in mass. I was charged with leaving the scene of an accident with personal injury, had a court appointed lawyer, and accepted a plea deal a week ago.
The case revolved around a bicyclist swerving in front of me, clipping my bumper, and then taking off. I left because he left, but he later received medical attention for a bruise so they figured out who I was and charged me.
The court appointed attorney told me to plead guilty but ask for no license loss, which I did. The judge said this was unnecessary (I have 30+ years driving busses for disabled folk with 0 prior accidents or tickets) and she said she is inclined to move forward with a CWAF for 1 year. My court appointed attorney advised her that this charge could not have a CWAF and my only option is to plead guilty.
The judge accepted the guilty plea, but drastically reduced the probation period my lawyer asked for, and said multiple times she will note there is no loss of license.
I received paperwork from probation stating the terms are probation, community service, no loss of license.
Today I received mail from the RMV stating my license will be suspended soon for 1 year.
These are my questions:

1. Is the court appointed lawyer still representing me for this issue?
   
2. What steps do I even take next? Do I reach out to the courthouse or probation or is there a process I need to follow at the courthouse to address this type of mistake?
   
3. Where in the legal process could this mistake have even happened? The judge accepted a plea and ruled no license loss, probation gave me documents reflecting no loss, then it happens anyways. What part of the process failed here?
   
4. Is this a mistake that is likely to be fixed? Or is it likely to be set in stone despite being in error?
   

Thank you for your attention, I can post the paperwork from probation or the rmv letter if needed.

Sorry for the long post. Not sure how to process this. Ex filed a year ago, both 41. 2 kids 11 and 7. She had checked out for years and I was basically a wallet and felt like a single dad. She has a teaching degree but refused to work for years. She filed after we discussed divorce. She wanted to separate but me to continue supporting everyone without any plan on working things out. Temporary order (WA) is $2k alimony and about $500 child support a month. I make about $100k and barely get by without digging into savings month to month with rent and very basic expenses. She makes about $50K but could get a better teaching job if she wanted to for $60-$70k.
I get the court default of every other weekend and alternating weeks in summer. I am also always on call for when something comes up and I get more time with the kids. I want 50/50, but she is still fighting it.
For court she wants $3k support now ($1k more), 100% of the house, same kid schedule and 60/40 of other assets. 12 year marriage, cohabitation in another state for a few years without common law marriage. Should be 3-4 years of support she is asking for 10. Almost the same duration as the marriage.
I just feel like I will get screwed here. Why would she be so aggressive if it would be seen as completely unreasonable by the judge? 36% of every dollar I make will subsidize her for the next 10 years?
I tried hanging in there for the kids for years. I wish I had divorced years ago. It's not worth trying to make it work- I was the only one trying. Let alone getting married at all these days.

Cover Art <<Previous Start Next >>
Kazue would have been jealous about Moriko’s shopping trip and dinner with the princess if she wasn’t so happy having her friends visiting her. Well, okay, she was still a bit jealous, but only a little. Given the two options, she’d rather have her friends over.
Her little ‘camp out’ had been fun, and also given her a chance to test out the rest area. The layout wasn’t quite perfect, and she’d made some mental notes to tweak things once her friends were in the library, such as adjusting the layout of the kitchen area to make things more convenient.
Once everyone was ready to continue, Kazue had called the shrine maidens together and gave them all a mischievous grin. “I’ve adjusted the rules of the next area just for you. Your primary goal is simply to find me, that’s your way forward. However, you have some bonus quests; each of you may tell me one new thing you learned from the library to earn a bonus reward, and you may each correct one wrong thing you find presented as truth in one of the books. Which means stories and myths don’t count.” As far as she knew, there were no incorrect records in the books currently in the library, but there was always a chance. And these bonus quests were something she’d had in mind for visiting sages anyway. Her friends were not so knowledgeable, but all of them had more than a bit of book learning, so they might happen to spot something.
“There’s a separate bonus for each.” Not that she’d entirely decided what those were yet, but she was keeping a tally of what they’d done so far. She and Mordecai had talked last night about rewards in general, they’d been mostly customizing things to make a good impression, but after this it was probably time to create standardized rewards for most groups. It was just a lot of effort to always come up with something new, and they’d sort of already come up with a few specialties they handed out regularly, such as the crystal-honey potions. “Now, good luck in finding me!” Kazue had her core create a swirl of wind and a light bit of sparkling dust as she did a spinning jump while de-spawning her avatar, making herself vanish into thin air dramatically.
It had taken days of practice to nail the timing. If she was going to become a famous kitsune, even if as a dungeon, Kazue felt that she should try to live up to some of the myths when she could. But it turned out that it takes a lot of work to pull off special effects like that.
As she settled her avatar back down in the tea shop, she realized a slight flaw in her plans for the day. While her avatar was a focus for the dungeon area around it, her avatar was not really suitable for tracking stuff further away. Which only left her with one focus to follow her friends and to follow the priest’s party. “Er, Mordecai? Could you…?”
“Of course love.” Came his amused reply. He’d figured it out while she was hesitating on asking, and had shifted his core’s focus to the library’s combat path.
With that concern taken care of, Kazue focused her core on tracking her friends’ progress while her avatar practiced some of the spells she’d been learning from him, plus some of the techniques Moriko had taught her previously. She wasn’t very good at chi manipulation in general and didn’t anticipate becoming so, but the practice did help her with mastering the aura that let her enhance her foxfire and imbue it with spells.
.
Mordecai was doing some practice of his own, working his way through various imaginary combat scenarios in each of his forms. He already knew how to respond in his humanoid shape, but these hybrid forms were unique to his experience and he wanted to know the strengths and weaknesses of each. The larger the body the harder it was to sway and slide past an attack, but this came with tougher skin or scale, making it easier and safer to use a limb to deflect a blow. With the bit of testing he’d done so far, he was pretty certain that in his battle or war form he could safely deflect a nonmagical blade so long as he got the angle right, and most magical blades with the addition of a bit of chi channeling.
But his core was still free to pay attention to the explorer’s party. He quickly queried the residents to get what instructions they had gotten from Kazue, then compared her assessment of the party to his own. They were pretty much in agreement and he saw no reason to change anything.
The wandering Bunbrarians would be traveling in pairs, which would make any encounter where they engaged after hearing other combat a sufficient challenge for this group. If they were instead waiting in a location without other creatures with them, they would be in a group of three.
Biblios was going to engage them without support from Horace, but with support from the smaller bookwyrms and the biting words.
.
Moriko’s intended schedule had been totally demolished, so her day was spent dealing with all the goods that had arrived the night before and arranging to get most of them off to her father-in-law for him to arrange shipping. Once that was all settled, she turned her attention to studying the papers her master had sent her.
Thankfully she wasn’t going to have to worry about more than two generations. She’d been informed last night that Prince Gou would be the youngest person at the dinner, and the oldest of Princess Kagami’s children was thirteen, three years younger than Prince Gou.
So, from the top: King and Queen, Yoshihiro Apifera, 56, and his wife Phaedra Apifera, 54, who had previously been a daughter to a coastal duchy. Moriko had known their names of course but hadn’t been aware of what noble family Phaedra had come from.
Both of their faces were on coins minted in the past seventeen years. The previous king had abdicated in his mid 60’s and was still available for consultation but was now in his 80s. Given the tendency of the royal family to live near to or even over one hundred, retiring was common practice so that succession was not a series of old men replacing each other. Yoshihiro had claimed the throne at the age of 39.
His features were a mix of the two common lineages, which itself was more common in this kingdom than someone who was distinctly one or the other. The northern empire by contrast mostly had folk with rounder eyes. Half-elves tended to look more almond-eyed than their human ancestry alone would account for, as the elven side of their ancestry tended towards those features as well.
Queen Phaedra and Princess Kagami looked much alike according to what she’d heard, so Moriko rather imagined that it would be hard to tell the older woman’s age. The notes she’d been given also mentioned that sylph bloodlines ran strong in the queen’s family, which explained why they had such ethereal appearances. She was generally calm and poised and known to wield both air and ice magic when called for.
Princess Kagami, 34, eldest of the royal children, was married to Lord Zarod, a younger son of a southern barony. They lived in the royal estates at the center of the city and had three children, all sons.
Prince Ailwin, 33, first son and heir to the throne. He resembled his father but with a slightly longer, thinner face. His wife was Lady Amhis, a half-elf who had previously been a commoner and was a merchant who had made herself wealthy. She had not entirely retired from business either, though she kept a slightly more distant touch on her concerns for the most part. Moriko suspected that at least one of the merchants she had dealt with previously had actually been working for her. They also had three children, two sons and a daughter, with the daughter being the youngest. As heir, he had a suite near the center of the palace.
Princess Kitiara, 31. She and her wife Lady Catherine split their time between the capital and the northern border. They were a bit of a power couple and tales told of how quickly the two of them could cut their way through a group of bandits. Their soldiers were said to both fear and worship the two women.
Princess Tiriana, 28, engaged to an elven noble named Ilimater. Plans were to have the wedding here before they moved back to his lands for their permanent residence, where there would be a second reception for locals that would be her formal introduction as the lady of the estate.
Princess Bridgette, 21. No known romantic affiliation, but very gregarious and seemed happy to accept almost any dance invitation during balls. Her bloodline had been confirmed as phoenix, but it was uncertain when that lineage was introduced or even what side she got it from. It was probably from someone who had married into one of the families without knowing they carried this potential.
Prince Gou, 16. Second Son and youngest child. Taller than his siblings and already well-built, there were hints of a draconic bloodline stirring in him, though it had not fully manifested. Which dragon heritage it was had not been revealed yet. Even without draconic manifestation he was a young powerhouse and quite handsome, and had the eye of a few young ladies of the court. Though he seemed to enjoy the attention greatly, he’d shown no interest in a particular girl.
Moriko sighed and thunked her head onto her small desk. This was the dozenth or so time she’d read through it all, and the third time she’d written a summary to try and hold it all in her head. It was time to get some food and take a nap before going over the list again along with the basic etiquette rules. They weren’t quite as bad as she had feared, but it was still a lot more complicated than anything she’d dealt with in the temple outside of full-blown ceremonies.
At least over dinner last night they’d slightly changed the plans, the carriage would pick her up from the clothier instead, which would also give mistress Ula a little more time to finish the dress before it was time for Moriko to put it on.
.
Mordecai did his best to offer his emotional support to his frustrated wife, but Moriko was grumpy from all the studying and only in the mood to accept so much comfort. He had copied her memories and thoughts as clearly as he could, and would use them to prompt her if she needed them during the dinner, but that he didn’t mention to her just yet.
Moriko was intelligent and could focus on a task well enough to memorize this list, but she was far from a natural academic. He didn’t want to give her any subconscious excuses to slack on learning this, and he felt that she would feel more accomplished if she did it all on her own. Mordecai just intended to be her safety net if needed.
But with her attention turned towards food and sleep, Mordecai turned his thoughts to a different consideration. “Kazue love, given the gender discrepancy in your clan, how do romantic relationships generally work out?”
“Mmm, it’s a mix. If a girl wants to be with a boy kitsune, she’s probably going to have to accept being one of a few or even several. Sometimes a guy insists that a particular girl is the only one for him, but honestly, it's pretty rare given the options. If she’s happy to be with a human or an elf or such, well, my dad’s human and it’s not all that rare. We probably also have more female couples than in other places, but that’s just a guess. On the flip side, though a guy usually winds up with a group of women, and has a lot of open dating early on, the final group of women usually self select out of the women he’s been seeing and work out who is compatible with who, and then present themselves to him together. His options are all or none. Most guys aren’t foolish enough to try and be picky in this circumstance, and the rare one that is, risks finding himself with no one. For a while at least, long life spans and all that, so if he gets wiser a younger group of women may form around him, with advice and supervision of older women.”
That sounded well put together to him. Not perfect, but given the circumstances rather healthy. Communities with even a temporary gender imbalance were better off if the larger population gender was cooperative about the situation rather than competitive, he could only imagine how bad it would be if all the kitsune women were competing for a small pool of men across generations and centuries.
And that information solidified how he was going to approach something when the time came. But right now it was time to see how this group did against Biblios.
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My Discord if you would like to talk about the book or see what else I am up to (I also try to stream once a week, but that's strictly hobby level).
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Also to be found on Royal Road.
$3 Patreon: Early chapters, lore excerpts $5 Patreon: Short Stories $10 Patreon: New stories not published anywhere else (Until after I finish this story at least)

ticket: https://imgur.com/BxV0vff
courtesy notice: https://imgur.com/2QCJCx6
I got this 22356B ticket on 5/17/23 because my gf was having a biological concern and I decided to drive faster than ever to get to the nearest bathroom . I have just received a courtesy notice from the court. I read the 12 steps guide but still have a few questions. This is my first ticket in my life . Please help me out!

1. the courtesy notice asked me to appear, does that means I have to visit the court even if I just want to plea guilty, pay and get over it? I checked the Merced country court website and already saw my bail is $494.65, if I pay the bail before the due date, do I still need to show up for the mandatory appearance?
   
2. I live in Arizona and it is almost impossible for me to visit the court. Should I hire a lawyer to handle this and show up to court as the "mandatory appearance"? Btw, I would like to ask about everyone's experience with Off The Record App in case I need a lawyer, is it reliable?
   

Thank you so much!

Discord Username: Lira#0001
Character Name and House: Brynden Blackwood, Heir of Raventree Hall
Age: 26
Appearance: Brynden has an outwardly brooding appearance due to his black hair and light colored skin, and because of his preference for dark clothing. His features are sharp, symmetrical, commonly regarded as pleasing to the eye. Many decide he is moody with just a glance. It may or may not be true.
Gift: Duelist
Skills: Polearm(M), Sword, Riding
Talent(s): Jousting, Dueling, Gambling
Starting Title(s): Heir of Raventree Hall
Starting Location: Feast
Family Tree: https://www.familyecho.com/?p=SBN4N&c=xglklz3jnz&f=323936472302154026 (will undergo a few changes until Bled and RW get their apps in)
—
Character Name and House: Benjicot Blackwood, Lord of Raventree Hall
Age: 49
Appearance: Benjicot has an obvious familial resemblance to his sister, the late Queen Bethany Blackwood, when it comes to facial structure and coloring. He has a full beard and mustache, and stony, distrusting eyes. He favors subdued colors and styles when it comes to clothing, and wears multiple layers, even in hot weather. He is known for his slow, careful manner of speech.
Gift: Whisperer
Skills: Cautious, Subtle(E)
Talent(s): Sharp Memory, Cyvasse, Recordkeeping
Starting Title(s): Master of Whisperers
Starting Location: Feast
—
Brynden Blackwood - Timeline
181 A.C. Brynden is the secondborn son of Benjicot Blackwood and _____ (pending). He is barely a year younger than Tytos, the heir's heir, and two share such a likeness from childhood that they are constantly mistaken for twins.
184 A.C. Bethany Blackwood, Brynden's aunt on his father's side, wed Prince Maelor Targaryen. Brynden attended the totally-not-king-approved ceremony as a child and has no recollection at all of the event, though even then, he sensed it was a sign of changing tides for his family. This prestigious marriage opened many doors, and many more friendships, with the elites of the kingdom, particularly for the nephews and nieces of the queen, who would come to hold various positions around the court—playmates, cupbearers, ladies in waiting, clerks, and normal, everyday acquaintances to the most powerful people in the realm.
185 A.C. The brothers Tytos and Brynden picked up their first playswords, sparking the boys' interest in martial pursuits. Many years later, their youngest uncle Roderik would gradually teach the boys how to fight with the sword and how to ride on horseback. Oftentimes Uncle Roose would offer his own expertise.
186 A.C. Lord Hoster Blackwood succumbed to lung sickness barely a year after witnessing the birth of Prince Daeron, his first grandchild by Queen Bethany. He died believing his grandson would one day sit the Iron Throne. Brynden's father officially became Lord of Raventree Hall. One of his first acts was to support his brother in law, Prince Maelor, in the conflict in Dorne. He sent his own brothers, Roose, Samwell, and Roderik, to assist with the fighting. Samwell was killed in the campaign.
187 A.C. Shortly after Brynden's uncle was crowned King Maelor II Targaryen, Lord Blackwood acquired a position on the small council as Master of Whisperers. It was a step up from the Riverrun title that Benjicot and Lothar Bracken had fruitlessly quarreled over for nearly a decade.
193-197 A.C. By twelve, the brothers Tytos and Brynden have become skilled with the sword. Tytos would strive to become a master, while Brynden found his attentions drifting to contests of skill. Already a talented duelist, he set his sights on the unfamiliar polearm, and horse—skills he could employ together to eke out surprising performances on the field. While Tytos dreamed of lordship, Brynden wanted nothing more than to drink in the thrill of the tourney ground, particularly in the melee and jousting arenas. In 196 AC, their cousin Prince Daeron died in a tragic accident.
198 A.C. Tytos the Heir wed the beauty Melantha Vypren against the knowledge and wishes of his father. Lord Blackwood, with the influence of his queen sister, arranges a betrothal with the heir of the Vale, Jeyne Arryn, in a bid for power. Though Brynden was disinterested in a match so far from home--both King's Landing and Raventree Hall--he reluctantly agreed, so long as his wife-to-be did not turn her nose up at his love for the duel. He accepted the counsel of his betters and began writing to his betrothed.
202 A.C. The pair exchanged letters for four years and developed an unexpected friendship and bond, so much so that Lady Jeyne agreed to meet him in Raventree Hall, an event that had catastrophic consequences and tragically led to her death in the mountains of the Vale. In the same year, Tytos the Heir was killed at the Pennytree Ford by a hostile scouting party led by the murderer, Raymund Bracken. The Blackwood party would have been decimated if not for the presence of their uncles, Roose and Roderik Blackwood, who were dealt the unenviable position of carrying their nephew's bloodied body home.
Rumors circulate regarding a thousand-gold bounty on Raymund Bracken's head--or five hundred for each of his grown children. This "rumor" continues today, but extends to any Bracken scion.
204 A.C. Queen Bethany Blackwood dies from an extended battle with a coughing sickness, following years marked with numerous miscarriages and mysterious ailments.
205 A.C. At a Maidenpool Tourney celebrating the birth of Lord Mooton's granddaughter, Sabitha Mooton, hostilities reach a boiling point. Failing to rig a match between Brynden and Raymund Bracken in the joust, the Blackwoods Roose and Roderik take matters into their own hands. They pay off fighters in the melee and orchestrate a two-on-one duel against the man's nephew, Harry Bracken, heir of Stonehedge. The lad puts up an admirable fight but there is no contest as the brothers all but butcher him for all to see. Even before it was determined the Bracken was dead, the Blackwood contingent fled Maidenpool for home, and began raising banners and allies both. Bracken did the same with fervor, and before long, thousands of men were mobilizing for war.
Lady Alyssa Tully ordered both lords to stand down--an order that was met with flat refusal. The Crown was pulled in, and King Maelor dispatched his Hand of the King to put an end to hostilities... in Blackwood's favor.
207 A.C. Brynden remains a perpetual bachelor, refusing orders to marry and ignoring threats of disinheritance. He continues his ill fated romancing and foolish carousing, much to the chagrin of his father.
---
Lord Benjicot Blackwood - Timeline ( Brynden's section covers the more recent Blackwood lore)
158 A.C. Benjicot is born to Lord Hoster Blackwood and Zia Lothston. He is the first of six. He receives tutelage and training customary for an heir, as well as a follower of The Old Gods.
160-164 A.C. His formative years were spent in winter, a time when he was often sickly. Where he failed in physical studies, he excelled in those of the mind. His mother encouraged these lessons, and over time, glimpses of his true calling manifested in the smallest of ways. He had a keen memory, almost photographic, if one judged by the journals of a boy who was fond of note taking and drawing. Over time, hundreds of books contained observations from his people watching; accounts of conversations that took place and speculation behind the purpose and meaning behind each meeting; sketches of even the most innocuous details, such as the pieces of jewelry one wore and around whom, or the peculiar smile one gave a dancing partner they should not have known well.
When he could not be physically present, he would command servants or bribe convenient witnesses to spy on his victims and report back with their findings. Over the course of many months, many years, he began to see patterns in behavior. Strange patterns that seemingly went unnoticed by the masses--details that hinted at secrets and many a backdoor dealing.
178 A.C. By the time he reached adulthood, he had obtained a mind for intrigue, as well as a method to acquire resources for his information gathering. He was wed to _____ (still pending).
180 A.C. Benjicot's first child, Tytos, is born.
181 A.C. Brynden is born, a striking copy to Tytos.
183 A.C. A third son, Quentyn, is born. Unlike his older brothers, Quentyn proves to be average in every regard except for his sharp mind, though in a different manner than Benjicot's. Quentyn is a leader, a logistician, capable of managing resources and moving pieces.
186 A.C. Following the death of Lord Hoster, Benjicot rose to lordship and simultaneously accepted the position of Master of Whisperers in Maelor II's court. He leaves command of Raventree Hall to his oldest brother, Roose Blackwood, though the power would eventually pass to Benjicot's son Quentyn.
187 A.C. After a spell of infertility, the couple welcomes their first daughter, Shiera, and her twin, Tristifer. Shiera is a difficult, needy child, traits that carry to adulthood. She has a striking resemblance to her aunt, Queen Bethany, which grants her an aura of regality. Tristifer, on the other hand, is a comely and mild mannered child, happy to go along with his older siblings' whims.
189 A.C. Lady Blackwood gives birth before passing to childbed fever. The girl is named Alys, who develops into a malleable and curious child--one accustomed to living in another's shadow and without the guidance of a mother. Like her father, Alys is observant, an artist and pupil of the world. Like her sister Shiera, she becomes a steadfast lady-in-waiting to Queen Bethany.
196 A.C. Prince Daeron Targaryen, Benjicot's nephew, dies in an accident. Shortly after, Bethany miscarries. It is not the first and many follow, each tragedy chipping away at the pillar of influence set in place by Benjicot.
201 A.C. Benjicot is displeased but not surprised when Maelor names Aegon his heir, rather than his niece, Aerea.
202 A.C. Following his son's murder, Benjicot puts bounties on Bracken heads, particularly those belonging to Raymund Bracken and his children. He removes Tytos' daughter, Betha, from the line of succession, much to the dismay of Tytos' widow.
204 A.C. Benjicot is with Maelor when news comes of Bethany's passing. He becomes a shoulder to lean on for his no-longer-goodbrother, and the friendship they had continues to grow.
205 A.C. Benjicot receives news of Maidenpool from his son, Quentyn. He is elated to hear of the Bracken's death. An eye for an eye, an heir for an heir. He sends warning to Raventree that the Hand of the King is coming.
206 A.C. Maelor confides in Benjicot his plans to remarry, and Benjicot keeps the secret, but begins making moves to cement his steadily waning power. He attempts to force Brynden into a marriage. Threats go nowhere and he resorts to arranging matches for his daughters, who he had hoped to marry to influential figures in the realm.

Update:
The public defender was able to waive the $1919 court fine and the day in jail/ sheriff work program for me. Also received my plea bargain conditions from Superior Court of Alameda County and letter from DMV, DMV will be resuspending my license again for another six months, so license suspended until November 2023. Also, a IID is not mandatory for me by the court or through DMV. DMV says I have two options in order to drive while my license is currently suspended, which I was already aware of:
Option 1: Drive with an IID on my car for six months with no restrictions.
Option 2: Drive with a restricted license for 12 months, allowing me to drive to and from work/ dui school specifically.
Of course: File SR-22 Show proof of DUI enrollment Financial Responsibility
Previous Post before Update down below:
Hi all! So I wanted to give a possible insight to what a plea bargain might look like if you choose to go the public defender route, and your DUI case is similar to mine. On 11/6/22 I got pulled over for running a stop sign in Alameda County at 2:30 am, officer said he smelled alcohol and asked me to step out. I did not damage my car, injure myself or anyone else, thank God. I admitted to having 2 1/2 mixed drinks, did the SFTS, and was arrested and taken to the station. I took a breathalyzer test at the station and both readings came out to 0.16, so exactly twice the legal limit. If you are wondering why I went the public defender route, its because it was my first offense and Id rather use the money I would have spent on a lawyer for other DUI related fees. I lost the DMV hearing as you can imagine and my drivers license suspension was effectively re-imposed on 2/15/23, and will remain in effect until 6/14/23 by DMV. Today my public defender informed me of the plea bargain that the DA offered me, which I accepted of course:

• 3 year informal probation (does not require a probation officer)
• Either 1 full day in jail or swap with credit time served under a Sherrif Work Program in Alameda County
• $1919 court fine
• 3 month DUI school
• 6 to 10 month license suspension, which runs concurrently with my current DMV license suspension. Note: This means DMV decides whether to keep the current suspension lift date as is or add on an additional four months to current suspension
• Mandatory IID, DMV determines length of IID

Long story short, don't drink and drive guys! Truly not worth it! Considering how high my BAC was, this outcome is more than okay for me, could been way worse, considering that Alameda County is really strict on DUI's, and rightfully so.
To those thinking their life is over, it is not! Sure its a burden, but its definitely not the end of life as you once knew it. Learn from it, move foward and continue progressing in life. I am a tech professional and informed them of my pending DUI case in January and they still let me keep my job. So keep your head up and do not let a DUI define you! You can still achieve all the goals you set forth in life!
God Bless!

Durant cette émission, nous avons parlé du réalisme des armes dans le cinéma et la télévision. Voici les sources relatives à ce que nous avons pu vous dire :
Les épées de la série Vikings :
Cette étude, en Tchèque, présente de nombreuses photographies et représentations d'épées viking qui vous permettront de reconnaître ce qui ne va pas dans les épées de la série. Vous pouvez voir dans ce document une seule et unique épée dont la gouttière ne commence pas sous la garde mais en plein milieu de la lame, une véritable rareté, ce qui le rend encore plus intéressant puisque, comme je vous le disais, c'est quelque chose qu'on ne voit pour ainsi dire jamais.
L'épée de Lagertha dans la série Vikings. Bien qu'elle a effectivement une forte inspiration viking, elle n'est pas du tout une reproduction fidèle et la copie est assez grossière. La poignée est trop longue, la garde trop courbée, le pommeau trop petit, la lame trop mince ainsi que l'est sa gouttière, rien n'est correct en proportions.
L'épée de Ragnar dans la même série. La monture est déjà plus fidèle à la réalité d'une épée viking, mais reste très fantaisiste. La lame, elle, a une géométrie qu'on ne voyait pas sur les épées de cette époque avec, notamment, un ricasso qui n'apparaîtra que bien plus tard sur les épées à double tranchant.
Des montures d'épées incroyablement détaillées ont existé chez les peuples scandinaves, germaniques et britanniques qui ont été les principaux utilisateurs de ce genre d'épées, c'est pourquoi il y a tout de même un fond de vérité dans la monture de l'épée de Ragnar dans la série Vikings, mais elle reste fantaisiste et fortement éloignée de la réalité historique.
L'épée d'acier du jeu vidéo Oblivion :
L'épée d'acier qui, bien que prenant place dans un univers de fantaisie dans lequel même les lois de la physique ne sont pas les mêmes que les nôtres, a une apparence tout à fait acceptable pour une épée et ferait un excellent outil de combat dans notre réalité. Ses dimensions et son apparence sont raisonnablement proches de certaines épées du Moyen-Âge ou de l'Empire Romain.
Dans Skyrim, par contre... Voilà.
La lance de cavalerie de la fin du Moyen-Âge et du début de la Renaissance :
Illustration d'un ouvrage didactique d'époque qui montre de telles lances, avec leur épatement devant et derrière la poignée.
Une autre, un peu plus ancienne, encore une et une autre. Toutes ces représentations nous montrent des lances destinées à tuer et non au tournois.
Des tenues et armes de gendarmes français du début du XVIe siècle.
Strider, l'épée d'Aragorn dans les films :
L'épée est très similaire, tant en dimensions qu'en apparence, à des épées à lame du type XIIa ou XVIa selon la classification d'Oakeshott, avec un pommeau un peu particulier mais pas improbable historiquement et des fioritures assez classiques. Une telle épée aurait été utilisée au XIVe ou XVe siècle.
des pommeaux inhabituels se sont fréquemment vus durant le Moyen-Âge, comme sur cette épée, qui d'ailleurs a une jumelle, toutes deux conservées dans deux musées différents.
L'épée de Boromir :
Celle-ci est aussi raisonnablement historique, avec un pommeau en poire champignonnée et une lame de type XIV. Voici un autre exemple, lequel montre bien comme la lame de l'épée de Boromir est tout à fait correcte, bien que sa gouttière est trop large.
Le réel problème en terme de compatibilité historique de l'épée de Boromir est son assemblage d'éléments qui n'ont historiquement pas cohabité sur une même épée. Elle reste un outil de combat intelligemment conçu et aurait été efficace dans les mains d'un chevalier.
Anduril, l'épée d'Aragorn :
Anduril est une épée très fantasque dans ses fioritures, avec un pommeau et une garde qui ne se trouvent pas historiquement, mais auraient pu. Les artisans du Moyen-Âge faisaient parfois des pièces uniques sorties de leur imagination, comme les épées à lames en rostres de poisson-scie que nous avions vu dans une précédente émission, un tel pommeau n'était donc pas si fantaisiste que ça.
Sa lame est une type XIIa tardive, qui se caractérise par une pointe moins définie, plus effilée, et renforcée par un nerf central à partir de la fin de la gouttière. Dans l'ensemble des lames de type XIIa, c'est un modèle relativement rare mais pas exceptionnel et n'ont jamais perdu leur succès dans les territoires germaniques. Une telle lame, ici dans une monture typique du début du XVe siècle, aurait été utilisée du XIIIe siècle jusqu'à la fin du Moyen-Âge, avec une perte de faveur entre 1300 et 1450 puis un regain d'intérêt de la part du public, surtout dans les territoires germaniques, jusqu'aux années 1600 quand les types de lames ont été plus divers et moins strictement marqués.
On remarque encore une fois ce léger ricasso, avec le tranchant ne commençant qu'environ deux centimètres après la garde, ce qui est très rarement vu au Moyen-Âge et à ma connaissance jamais sur des lames de type XIIa, même tardives.
Glamdring, l'épée des elfes dee Gondolin portée par Gandalf :
Cette épée n'est pas historique du tout. Son pommeau est correct mais sa poignée et sa garde sont fantaisistes, quoique pas improbables, et sa lame est une complète invention. Il n'existe aucun type de lame de ce style pour les épées à deux mains, mais certaines lames de glaives romains ou d'épées grèques antiques ont eu une forme similaire, dite "pisciforme".
Guthwinë, l'épée d'Eomer :
Guthwinë est une épée particulière, dont la garde et le pommeau sont fantaisistes mais la poignée a, une fois n'est pas coutume, la bonne taille et la lame est parfaitement historique. Dans cette étude que nous avions déjà citée au début de cet article, nous pouvons voir plusieurs lames d'époque de même taille et géométrie que Guthwinë, incluant la double gouttière.
Herugrim, l'épée de Theoden :
Si la monture de Guthwinë, bien que fantaisiste, avait tout de même une vague forme de monture d'épée carolingienne, Herugrim a une monture parfaitement fantasque dont je doute qu'elle put exister au Moyen-Âge, même en tant qu'objet de parade.
Sa lame est néanmoins, là encore, tout à fait historique et peut être comparée aux lames d'épées viking dans le document précédemment cité et même à des "spatha", les épées romaines.
Les épées d'Eowin et de Théodred :
les épées d'Eowin et de Théodred, similaires en tous points sinon leur couleur, sont un peu moins historiques, notamment par l'apparition d'un nerf sur le dernier quart de la lame, chose qu'on n'a pas vu sur les épées carolingiennes ou vikings à ma connaissance. Néanmoins, nous pouvons noter la présence, pourtant rare sur les épées de fiction, d'un épaulement à la base de la lame, comme sur celle-ci ou celle-là, quoiqu'il est exagéré sur les lames du Seigneur des Anneaux. Ce détail, bien que peu connu, était en vérité assez fréquent dans les années 1100 à 1300.
L'épée du roi-sorcier d'Angmar :
Cette épée est une parfaite représentation d'une lame du type XVIIIe comme celle-ci ou celle-là. La poignée, néanmoins, n'est pas spécialement historique, ni le pommeau à ma connaissance.
Les épées des Nazgul :
Parfaitement fantaisiste, sans aucun lien avec la réalité historique, cette épée qui a vraiment de la gueule est inspirée d'un type particulier de lame appelé "colichemarde" et qui servait à avoir un "fort" (premier tiers de la lame) résistant et un faible (second tiers) et un estoc (dernier tiers de la lame) fins et légers.
Le modèle qu'on voit à gauche de l'image est, lui, déjà un peu plus historique, quoiqu'il ne correspond pas à une épée historique précise. Ce pourrait être une lame de type XIV avec une gouttière trop courte. Néanmoins, l'anneau sur la garde, assez en vogue à la fin du Moyen-Âge et au début de la Renaissance et qui n'a pas existé à ma connaissance sur les épées de type XIV, est une fioriture rarement vue en film et qui mérite d'être notée.
C'est une particularité donnée par Tolkien qui, dans le livre, nous décrit l'anneau sur l'arme d'un Nazgul comme un "vestige d'une époque révolue" dont l'intérêt vient d'un "art martial ancien". Les costumiers des films ont décidé d'inclure ce détail que, pourtant, seule une poignée de nerds comme le Tigron a pu remarquer. Une autre vue de cette épée qui donne plus de détails mais n'est pas à l'échelle, voyez le précédent lien pour avoir une meilleure idée de sa taille réelle.
Les dagues de l'Ouest :
Ces dagues ont des formes variées dont deux au moins sont historiques. La deuxième est un baselard, aussi appelé "dague suisse", comme ceci, et la troisième est assez typique des dagues appairées à leurs épées que portaient les chevaliers du XIe au XVIIIe siècle : un simple modèle réduit de leur épée.
Les nagamaki elfiques :
les elfes des films utilisent principalement une arme rarement vue qui se trouve être une interprétation du nagamaki japonais, dont voici.jpg) un exemple historique en parfait état de conservation.
Les haches de Gimli :
Cette hache à deux têtes n'est pas historique pour un sou.
La hache qu'il tient le plus en avant sur cette image est inspirée des "cannes-haches" hongroises dans sa fonction et de certaines haches scandinaves.
Les haches rohiriques :
Les haches des Rohirims sont inspirées de celles des vikings. Elles sont du type B long ou éventuellement C mais avec un oeil d'une forme différente dans la classification de Jan Petersen.
Leur décoration importante n'est pas anachronique, car beaucoup de haches vikings étaient fortement décorées.
Les lances gondoriennes :
Le Gondor utilise des lances dont la forme renflée à la pointe.jpg?mode=max) et au talon rappelle les yari japonaises.
Le "dussack" gobelin :
Les gobelins utilisent une arme qui rappelle les modèles d'exercice d'une arme particulière appelée "dussack" dont voici un exemple et un autre.
La machette des Uruk-hai d'Isengard :
Cette arme, bien qu'affreusement moche et pas historique du tout, reste une arme fonctionnelle et plutôt bien pensée.
Cette arme se distingue du fauchon qui, contrairement à l'arme des Uruk-hai, est construit comme une épée : garde à deux quillons, poignée composée d'une fusée recouverte de corde ou de cuir, pommeau et soie traversante rivetée à l'extrémité du pommeau opposée à la lame. Voici un article écrit par le Tigron il y a un bout de temps déjà à propos du sabre en Europe médiévale qui, ainsi que sa seconde partie, vous en dira plus à ce sujet.
L'armure des guerriers du Rohan :
Les rohirrims portent diverses armures, dont des hauberts de mailles et d'écailles qui sont raisonnablement historiques. Leurs épaulières sont à ma connaissance fantaisistes, mais le reste de l'armure semble tout à fait correct.
L'arc de Ramsey Bolton dans Game of Thrones :
Une image de la série qui nous montre l'arc qu'utilise Ramsey.
Un arc de Penobscot, qui a inspiré celui utilisé dans la série. Il en a existé de plusieurs types, notamment dans la méthode d'attache des cordes de l'arc secondaire.
Sur certains, les cordes de l'arc secondaire sont attachées à la base des branches à des encoches ou des pions et, sur certains autres, elles sont attachées au bout des branches sur des poupées classiques comme sur n'importe quel arc.

Welp, it happened. We danced and now we have to pay the fiddler. This is going to be a long post— part explanation that I think I want to write out for my own sake, part plea for sympathy for how hard this is, and part… who knows.
We’ve been together for 8 years. We had a long talk about engagement one night in autumn 2019 and he gave me a music box of a little bride and groom. That same night I got incredibly sick and ended up hospitalized, then in a rehab program, having to leave my job and house and move back in with my parents. We put the wedding on pause until things got more normal. I was healthy, feeling normal, processing the losses I’d had, and started job hunting again in February 2020.
March 2020 was not normal. We were scared shitless for 6 months, like everyone was. Once things calmed down a small amount, we talked about eloping. Nope, we decided. We wanted a wedding-wedding. Plus, his mom didn’t think he was ready, and her disapproval really affected him. Marriage is a good thing, a celebration. Let’s wait until we can make it a celebration.
And around that time, too, we started making love. I know, I know. We shouldn’t have. We’d been together for 6 years by then. College, mental illness flare-ups, a disaster internship for me, his mom’s cancer, my sickness, a parent divorce, losing grandparents, his mother’s disapproval of him dating anyone at all, sexual harassment, the pandemic. The world was scary. Being together was safe.
We’d talked about sex at the start of our relationship and decided no, we would wait. Occasionally it got brought up again and we knew we weren’t ready to be parents, so we said no, we’ll wait. We had a conversation at one point where he said he felt ready. I asked him what would happen if we got pregnant. He said we’d live our lives in love like we had always planned. We weren’t in bed, we weren’t all riled up. We were our normal and rational selves. I had trusted my mind and my soul with him for years. It made sense that I trusted my body with him, too. I regret some things, I really do. But I can’t regret trusting him, and I can’t regret him trusting me.
So, early 2023. We’re both in good places professionally and health-wise. He says he’s struggling to pick out a ring that is like, we decide to go ring shopping together. It was such a happy day. We decided on a custom one and picked out elements to combine, so it was still going to be a nice surprise.
My period had been late. I had been working 60, 65 hour weeks in November and December and I had had a nasty respiratory bug in December. I’d been having cramps and spotting for a couple days and was like “Yep! This is my period!” But it still didn’t come. I took a test when we went back to my place after looking at rings. I didn’t even tell him. He was watching TikTok in my living room when I walked out and said “Hey, my period is still being weird, so I figured…” Then I saw the result.
We were numb for a while. I called a friend who’d just had a baby, who is a good Catholic who did everything correctly. She was kind and loving told me congrats. I was in complete shock. It didn’t seem real at all. We would do maybe 10-30 minutes of practical discussion, then I’d sob hysterically for about 10-30 minutes, then I’d calm down, then start again.
He was really strong at first. A bit quiet, just taking care of me. Eventually it all hit him. It’s one of the worst things I can remember seeing. He was in so much pain. He and his mom had never talked openly about relationships and sex. She disapproved of me. She would tell him “Don’t ruin your life tonight,” whenever he would spend time with me.
I’ll admit we talked about termination. We’d never considered it, of course we hadn’t. I was also scared that I had hurt Baby— we didn’t know how far along I was, I was on two medications that weren’t recommended for pregnancy, I’d taken copious amounts of OTC cold and fever reliever, and I had binge drank a few times in the month before. Going back to my last period, it was possible I was 9 weeks along at that point with no symptoms except cramps and spotting.
It’s really easy to say “You got pregnant, you pay the consequences. Move in, get married, buy the diapers.” Everything is so much easier said than done. I had to find a sublease for my apartment. We both had to move. We had to find an OB. Our work schedules are different and had no days off in common after my Christmas break— one of us would have to miss work to go to any appointments. And that’s without all the pain of pregnancy, delivery, and a newborn.
We had to think about my job— I’m a teacher and I have been working with a group of students for two years. I was supposed to be able to work with them a third year. I PUSHED at work to be able to be keep working with them. I got additional certifications, I balanced rigor with fun to keep kids engaged, I reached out to parents and families constantly, and I told the kids that I’d be there next year, and yes, they had to sign up for my classes. I told 120 children that I would be there for them as they kept going in high school.
We had always planned on my staying home with a baby when we got there. I’m a teacher and I’ve worked with younger kids. Childcare is crazy expensive. What’s the point of paying someone to get yelled at by my kid while I commute to get… yelled at by kids? I’ve also had mental health issues and knew for a long time that leaving my baby too early wasn’t going to work for me. Having a baby meant leaving my job and leaving the kids I’d built painstaking relationships with.
So, right after finding out, it was pretty much agony. (At one point the night after taking the test, we did play a board game together.)
The first appointment was terrifying. I cried. The OB was very nice. He held my hand the whole time. I also felt so stupid. When was my last period? Early November. What birth control were you using? None. How did it take me 9 weeks to consider being pregnant? And if being pregnant was so horrible, why had we had sex? The first ultrasounds they do are transvaginal. They put a big stick up your vagina. Not fun.
I cried when we saw the embryo. Good and bad cried. Good because it’s an absolute miracle. Bad because we weren’t ready for this miracle. I have always wanted kids. Always. Always always. But in those moments… I had been hoping something bad had happened and we could wrap this all up. But we couldn’t. There was a 6 week embryo, healthy as could be. We heard the heartbeat.
Outside on the street after the appointment, we were numb.
We stopped walking and looked at each other and we both smiled, maybe for the first time that we smiled about this. He touched my face. “We’re going to be parents,” he said. We kissed. He touched my belly. We were going to be okay.
I’m very lucky. I’m in my late 20s. I’m well-educated and have a job in my field. I’ve worked with children and babies. I am in a relationship with the father, a healthy relationship. I’ve been in therapy on and off for years and have a good handle on recognizing my needs and emotions. I have supportive family and I have family who can buy baby supplies or help with rent or expenses if worst comes to worst. I have friends in my city, I have friends who have children, and friends who are teachers and nurses. I have my sister’s codependent best friend, who is NOT ready to have kids and has no experience with them, and signed herself up for Grandparent/ caregiver classes when she found out.
And still. It’s been so hard. Moving is exhausting. Just cleaning my apartment to get the pictures to advertise the sublease was too much! I had to go off one medication and fatigue was a side effect of quitting it cold turkey—I slept 18-20 hours a day for a week and a half. Eventually nausea and vomiting hit and I had to navigate that, medication for it, and side effects. And I pee myself every time I throw up.
I’ve missed so much work— I’d be fired if I wasn’t already leaving. My students are happy for me (and LOVE asking me about baby names and clothes and stuff) but I’ve had kids look me dead in the eye and say, “You can’t leave us. I can’t be at this school without your class and your room during lunch.” My fiancé’s mom is extremely disappointed— she hasn’t said the words “pregnancy,” or “baby,” and she hasn’t asked about me when they talk. My fiancé has two leather chairs that are family heirlooms, and my cat clawed at them the day after he moved in.
We need to be married to be on the insurance, so we had to ask the church if we could be married despite my evidence of sin, or if we should get married at the courthouse. We had a lot of special touches planned for our wedding, and I have a lot of emotions about having to do a small wedding instead.
I think I’m writing all this to ask for sympathy, for me and for others. Please see the paragraph about ways I’m extremely lucky. I just keep thinking about women and girls in this situation who don’t have what I have— a stable relationship, a job, supportive parents, friends who can give used baby gear and step up to help.
It’s not easy. I’m going to be just fine, and this is just going to be a blip in the story of our family. Just please believe me that it’s not easy. Please reach out to your pregnant and parenting friends and family and offer help. If you can, please support programs for young moms and victims of abuse. For Americans, please support paid parental leave at your own jobs and on a bigger scale. Please be kind and giving.
Thank you for reading.