#Lesser Magistrate

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Phoebe Petrovic at Wisconsin Watch:

Wisconsin Pastor Matthew Trewhella has an affable routine when he’s trying to persuade government officials to abolish abortion, ignore gun laws and question election results. The 63-year-old opens his talks with a photo of “Trewhella nation”: his wife of over 40 years, their 11 home-schooled children and dozens of grandchildren. He cracks jokes. He quotes history and scripture. He floats secession as a regretful possibility. With half-rim glasses and collared shirts, Trewhella looks and sounds more like a professor than a provocateur.

But when addressing his congregation at an Embassy Suites in suburban Milwaukee, he sneers and shouts, deriding his enemies as wicked dogs, whores and tyrants.  “When you see sodomy running rampant, when you see women in government, when you see men behaving like effeminate little squirrels, judgment is in the land,” Trewhella said during a 2020 sermon.  Last year, he said homosexuality should be treated as a crime, noting that the Bible called for the death penalty for “the filth of sodomy.” For much of his public life, Trewhella has made a career of denouncing the law while railing against abortion and gun restrictions. Twenty years ago, that made him a political pariah. His reputation for blockading abortion clinics, calling for churches to form militias and defending the murder of abortion providers was so extreme that two state chapters of Right to Life, the anti-abortion group, condemned him. 

But today, the world has changed. He has been invited to speak by local Republican parties and other groups across the country. He gave a prayer breakfast sermon to one of the nation’s preeminent law enforcement associations. And a prolific booster of election conspiracy theories has used his work as the basis for a campaign to disrupt elections.  Trewhella’s ability to tailor his message for different audiences has helped. He’s gracious to the women who introduce him at political events but tells his congregation that the idea of women in government is “sickening” and “perverse.” In the cast of characters who might influence the upcoming election, he’s not rallying crowds like Steve Bannon, the former Donald Trump strategist, or Charlie Kirk, the founder of the conservative student group Turning Point USA. Trewhella is more behind the scenes, providing a religious justification for some far-right policies and causes. With the political establishment shifting, he exemplifies how in this splintered landscape, even the most fringe figures can become influencers.

Trewhella gained his newfound acceptance with a self-published 2013 book, “The Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrates,” which relies on a theory developed by 16th-century Calvinists seeking holy justification for fighting political oppression amid the religious wars of the Protestant Reformation. Trewhella has applied it to today’s political battles, writing that government officials have a divine “right and duty” to defy any laws, policies or court opinions that violate “the law of God.” To him, that means outlawing abortion and same-sex marriage, or even violently resisting the government if necessary, noting in his book that there are times when men “must redden their swords.”

In recent years, Trewhella’s teachings have popped up in legislatures and local boards as the Christian right has increasingly influenced Republican politics. A Missouri state representative applied the doctrine when he proposed banning abortion in 2020, when Roe vs. Wade was still in effect. Commissioners in western North Carolina invoked it when they declared their county a “gun sanctuary” to protest state laws.

[...] Trewhella’s acceptance into more mainstream circles has surprised extremism researchers who have tracked him for decades. It’s important to pay attention to a man “creating the ideological rationalizations for these ideas,” said Devin Burghart, president of the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights, a nonprofit that tracks the far right. “I think that the public needs to know that he’s a dangerous theocrat who would fundamentally alter the United States in irreparable ways that would harm many, including women, people of color and the LGBTQ community,” Burghart said.

[...]

Trewhella’s transformation

Trewhella tells his own life story in biblical terms: A fallen man finds redemption. Trewhella said he wrote it all down in a 23-page conversion testimony after his 5-year-old son asked him, “Dad, when are you going to write a book where you can tell us how you went from being a bad guy to a good guy?”  [...] Growing up in a Catholic family, Trewhella wrote, he was forced to attend “nearly unbearable” Sunday Masses. He described his mother as a “classic merciful mom” and his father as “short on words and quick on corporal punishment.” When Trewhella was 11, his parents divorced, which he called an “ugly thing” that “removes all innocence.”

As a bad guy, Trewhella wrote, he joined a Detroit gang and “dealt drugs, stole cars, firebombed houses, robbed businesses, burglarized homes, fought other gangs, and fenced stolen items to the Mafia.” Then, he said, he landed in an evangelical rehab program at 17 and had an epiphany during church. “Understand, I had told the shrink at the psyche ward just three days earlier that I would burn down more houses when I got out of jail,” Trewhella wrote. “But sitting there — I saw my sin for how truly reprehensible it was. I was in the presence of a holy God.” As a good guy, Trewhella got married, graduated from a Pentecostal college and, in 1989, founded Mercy Seat Christian Church in the Milwaukee area.  He also became one of the nation’s most militant anti-abortion activists. He joined the so-called rescue movement, in which activists blockaded clinics. In 1990, he founded his own organization, Missionaries to the Preborn, whose members chained themselves to cars parked in front of clinic entrances.

[...] Trewhella’s ideas also gained favor among gun rights activists as a wave of counties declared themselves “Second Amendment sanctuaries,” some of which state that local law enforcement will not act on any gun laws they deem unconstitutional. The hard-line Gun Owners of America has consistently cited Trewhella and his book in its support of such resolutions. At least 10 resolutions across the country specifically refer to lesser magistrates. One of the earliest, issued in 2019, was authored by a county commissioner who has described reading Trewhella’s book as a “turning point” in his leadership. [...]

Like many leaders on the right, Trewhella suddenly found a much larger audience when the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. As some people questioned public health measures like masks and vaccines, they began looking for ways to resist government officials they saw as trampling their rights. They found answers in Trewhella, who pumped out short-form videos and spoke on conservative podcasts and other platforms. “In light of the tyrannical acts by the state regarding COVID-19, we are rebooting our efforts,” he posted on social media in April 2020.  The doctrine appeared in local meetings in Indiana and Tennessee as officials challenged public health measures. Andy Ogles, then-mayor of Maury County, Tennessee, south of Nashville, invoked the doctrine when he took steps to allow unvaccinated health care workers to keep their jobs. Ogles is now a Republican member of Congress. His office did not respond to requests for comment. 

Frustrated by pandemic measures like restaurant closures and masking in schools, Republican activists in Ottawa County, Michigan, west of Grand Rapids, invited Trewhella to speak several times. In 2022, one group that invited him, Ottawa Impact, helped flip the county board of commissioners to Christian control. Since then, the board has tried to fire its health administrator and declared Ottawa a “constitutional county.” The largely symbolic resolution states the board will not enforce any measure that it believes infringes on constitutional rights. Trewhella called Ottawa “a blueprint for counties across America.”  Two Ottawa Impact founders denied that Trewhella influenced their work. But that sort of denial is common: When asked about their relationship with Trewhella or his ideas, people often distance themselves or are reluctant to give him credit.

Wisconsin Watch has a major exposé on radical anti-abortion activist Matthew Trewhella’s extremism influencing the GOP. Trewhella was once fringe, but over the past decade, his positions became mainstream in the party.

Read the full story at Wisconsin Watch.

[tanuki-kimono]

Samurai's ranks and dress code in Late Edo period

AMAZING reference chart put together by Nadeshico Rin, showing the different attires worn by the men of the buke class in and about Edo Castle. OP stresses the chart is by no means exhaustive - but it helps picturing things SO MUCH!

For easier reading, I have adapted the chart with english translation. Rin has also created illustrations detailing each attire, I'll translate those in coming days under the tag "samurai kimono".

You'll find the transliteration below cut:

The court ranks - Mibun 身分 or Ikai (位階)

Find more about the exact titles here.

一位 Ichii (First court rank)

三位 Sanmi (Third court rank) and 四位 Shii (Fourth court rank)

Goi 五位 (Fifth court rank​)

Omemie ijô 御目見 以上, the "upper" vassals allowed to request audience with the shogun

Omemie ika 御目見 以下, the "lesser" vassals (not allowed to request audience with the shogun)

Rin does not mention the second court rank (二位 Nii) so I am not sure where this one is supposed to go ^^;

The clan/families - Kamei 家名

徳川将軍家 Tokugawa shôgunke (Tokugawa Shogun clan)

尾張徳川家 Owari Tokugawake (Owari Tokugawa clan), 紀伊徳川家 Kii Tokugawake (Kii Tokugawa clan), 水戸徳川家 Mito Tokugawake (Mito Tokugawa clan), 徳川御三卿 Tokugawa gosankyo (Secondary Tokugawa branch clans: Tayasu, Shimizu, and Hitotsubashi)

三奉行 Sanbugyô, & 下三奉行 Shimosan bugyô (magistrates, governors)

旗本 Hatamoto (general term for upper-rank vassals of the Tokugawa)

御家人 Gokenin (general term for lower-rank vassals of the Tokugawa)

Outfits TPO (Time, Place, Occasion)

第一礼服 (大礼 など) Daiichi raifuku (tairei nado) - Most formal outfit worn during State/important ceremonies, etc.

礼服 (正月など) Raifuku (Shogatsu nado) - Formal outfit, worn for events like New Year, etc.

通常礼服 (節句など) Tsûjô raifuku (sekku nado) - Regular formal outfit, worn during seasonal festivals, etc.

平服 Heifuku - Everyday outfit

Type of outfits

Rin has released separated charts detailing the different costumes. You'll find them translated here in coming days.

束帯 Sokutai - old ceremonial court dress, first worn by Heian nobility. Attire includes the 笏 shaku (flat ritual sceptre), and 冠 kanmuri hat.

衣冠 Ikan - old ceremonial court dress, much more simpler than sokutai

布衣 Hoi - "plain" 狩衣 kariginu (which were informal clothes worn by the nobility from the Heian period and onwards)

素襖 Suô - ceremonial dress of the lower-ranked samurai

直垂 Hitatare - ceremonial court robe​

狩衣 Kariginu - patterned kariginu (informal clothes worn by the nobility from the Heian period and onwards)

大紋 Daimon - 直垂 hitatare with large family crests

直衣 Nôshi - everyday robes which were first worn by males of the imperial family during Heian era, and then spread among nobility, etc.

長上下 Naga Kamishimo - outfit pairing a sleeveless ceremonial robe called 肩衣 kataginu, with trailing pants called 長袴 nagabakama

半上下 Han Kamishimo - outfit pairing a sleeveless ceremonial robe called 肩衣 kataginu, with ankle lenght pants called 半袴 hanbakama

[carriesthewind]

More lawyers using AI to generate fake cases? I would’ve thought the Avianca thing went viral enough to scare people off.

https://www.404media.co/ai-lawyer-hallucination-sanctions/

Yikes yikes yikes.

And I believe the magistrate judge who recommended those sanctions agrees with you:

"While this amount is at the higher end of the sanctions that have previously been imposed for similar conduct, Mr. Ramirez's professed ignorance of the propensity of the AI tools he was using to "hallucinate" citations is evidence that those lesser sanctions have been insufficient to deter the conduct. Whether a case cite is obtained from a law review article, a hornbook, or through independent legal research, the duty to ensure that any case cited to a court is "good law" is nearly as old as the practice of law. The development of resources such as the Shephard's citation system provided lawyers a tool to accomplish that most basic of tasks. It is Mr. Ramirez's failure to comply with that most basic of requirements that makes his conduct particularly sanctionable."

[kirain]

What do you think of Gandrel? First time I played I let Astarion kill him and thought it was funny, but I super regretted it later. I've done 4 play through of bg3 and I haven't let him kill him ever since.

Real. I genuinely hate how many people let Astarion kill him for a sliver of approval they don't even need. Gandrel is a good man, simply looking for his daughters—the daughters Astarion kidnapped. The first time I played, I didn't have Astarion with me when I met him. I heard him out, but ultimately told him to stay away from my friend. Then, out of curiosity, I reloaded and brought Astarion with me. I didn't even get a chance to finish the conversation before he stabbed the man in the eye. Obviously, I reloaded again and let Gandrel live. I wasn't willing to let Astarion murder him over blatant racism.

And it was racism. In D&D, the Gur are a nomadic people of mostly dusk-skinned monster hunters and fortune tellers. They're private and honourable, their alignment usually good or neutral. They have a bad reputation only amongst settled people (living in cities or towns), who view them as shifty and untrustworthy solely because they don't live like the majority of the population. They're regarded as cut-throat and unclean, for no reason other than them being nomadic. You need only listen to Astarion's stereotypical description of them to know he hated them long before Cazador came along.

In Early Access there used to be a line of dialogue where, if you pushed Astarion for details about the night he turned, he admitted the Gur attacked him because they were dissatisfied with a ruling he passed regarding their people. This was because Astarion was initially written to be a corrupt magistrate. In the new release, however, that line and backstory are gone, likely because Larian was worried players would have a harder time sympathising with him—because he is outwardly racist. He even quips about eating Kobolds, because to him they're "animals". But they're not animals. They're a playable race in D&D. They're sentient. He simply sees them as lesser beings. And he feels the same way about gnomes, too. 😒

Now obviously he gets over that prejudice if you romance him as a gnome (or any small race), but some people tend to defend all of Astarion's worst traits, to an almost unhealthy degree. His racism is not excusable. It should be criticised, in the same way you can criticise his hatred of the Gur. Personally, when he told me about the attack, I told him he couldn't hold all Gur responsible. He didn't like that, of course, but I stuck to it, and by Act 3 he agreed to help save their children. In my opinion, that's the best way to help Astarion become a better person. He needs pushback and a friendly, morally good influence.

Plus, the Gur weren't wrong for hunting him. It wasn't his fault, but he did steal their children. Gandrel wasn't lying about that. If you pass a persuasion check when you meet him, he'll tell you he's looking for "the monster who stole our children", and the reason he refuses to tell you anything at first is because he doesn't want to put you in danger. He even warns you about Ethel and offers to trade supplies. He's a good man, as most of his people are. In fact, the whole tribe is extremely reasonable when interacting with you, even if you set 7000 hungry spawn loose on the Sword Coast. If you do so, Gandrel can later be found in the sewers, lamenting over his daughters.

So to anyone who let Astarion kill Gandrel: if you do another playthrough, maybe give the poor guy a chance? He's just a worried father looking for his kids. 😔

[beardedmrbean]

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Two Belgian teenagers who were found with thousands of ants valued at $9,200 and allegedly destined for European and Asian markets will be sentenced in two weeks, a Kenyan magistrate said Wednesday.

Magistrate Njeri Thuku, sitting at the court in Kenya’s main airport, said she would not rush the case but would take time to review environmental impact and psychological reports filed in court before passing sentence on May 7.

Belgian nationals Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, both 19 years old, were arrested on April 5 with 5,000 ants at a guest house. They were charged on April 15 with violating wildlife conservation laws.

The teens have told the magistrate that they didn’t know that keeping the ants was illegal and were just having fun.

The Kenya Wildlife Service had said the case represented “a shift in trafficking trends — from iconic large mammals to lesser-known yet ecologically critical species.”

Kenya has in the past fought against the trafficking of body parts of larger wild animals such as elephants, rhinos and pangolins among others.

The Belgian teens had entered the country on a tourist visa and were staying in a guest house in the western town of Naivasha, popular among tourists for its animal parks and lakes.

Their lawyer, Halima Nyakinyua Magairo, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that her clients did not know what they were doing was illegal. She said she hoped the Belgian embassy in Kenya could “support them more in this judicial process.”

In a separate but related case, Kenyan Dennis Ng’ang’a and Vietnamese Duh Hung Nguyen were charged after they were found in possession of 400 ants in their apartment in the capital, Nairobi.

KWS had said all four suspects were involved in trafficking the ants to markets in Europe and Asia, and that the species included messor cephalotes, a distinctive, large and red-colored harvester ant native to East Africa.

The ants are bought by people who keep them as pets and observe them in their colonies. Several websites in Europe have listed different species of ants for sale at varied prices.

The 5,400 ants found with the four men are valued at 1.2 million Kenyan shillings ($9,200), according to KWS.

[lassieposting]

Ideas I think have a lot of potential: Gur Tav/Durge. Especially with an Astarion romance.

Like. Maybe Tav grew up in the city, the child of parents who decided to give up the wandering lifestyle and settle down. Maybe they've ended up less in touch with their culture than they'd like, but they speak the language, and treasure the traditions and stories they learned from parents or grandparents. Maybe they're very attached to and proud of their culture, and mention it early, and their initial impression of Astarion is affected by his negative reaction, leading to a relationship built on bickering and making up.

Or maybe Durge spent their childhood on the road with a Gur camp, right up until Sceleritas paid them a visit for the first time and Urged them to massacre their foster family, and since they've lost their memories it's not until the party visits the Gur and witnesses the funeral rites that they realise they've seen something like this before - they remember those words.

Think of that moment, where Astarion snipes at Gandrel - "I thought all Gur were vagrant cutthroats."

Tav who immediately elbows him and tells him not to be a fucking bigot, darling. Tav who's shocked into making a joke - tell us how you really feel, why don't you? Gods. Tav who says nothing, politely sees Gandrel on his way, and then calmly reveals later on that their parent or grandparent was Gur (or foster family, if the Tav is Durge).

Tav who says, "You can't blame an entire people for what happened to you," and hears, "I think you'll find I can," hissed back in response, and challenges him: "So you blame me?"

And like. Of course he doesn't. Tav is, if not his lover yet, still his protector, his willing capri-sun, his shield against monster hunters like Gandrel. Tav didn't turn him over, didn't even let on that they knew him. He's left floundering, because he has no comeback that doesn't invalidate his entire attitude. He can no longer generalize the Gur people without also insulting someone he's starting to really like.

Tav sharing little snippets of their life as he gets to know them. Maybe they grew up in a camp like the one whose children he was forced to steal. Maybe they grew up in the city proper, largely divorced from their culture, but they have a little of the Gur language and learned some cultural traditions from a grandparent. Maybe they follow the Gur faith, and can translate the funeral rites the camp leader recites, or maybe they don't. Maybe, when he has night terrors and gets up in a state during their turn on watch, they distract him by telling him folk tales they learned from the Gur in their life, and he realises some are not all that different to the stories his "brother" Leon would tell his daughter Victoria. Bit by bit, mostly unintentionally, Astarion gets an unexpected glimpse into the world of a people he's seen as irredeemable curs for two centuries and change.

Somehow, the practices don't seem as absurd and primitive anymore. 200 years ago, Astarion the corrupt magistrate looked at the Gur culture and saw only the superstitious nonsense of a lesser people. Now, Astarion the vampire spawn is starting to see it for what it actually is: just...people, a different way of living, and a snapshot of the world through the eyes of a person he is beginning to fall in love with.

Anyway. Astarion being dragged kicking and screaming into having to reexamine his own racism because the person who saved him and loved him and chose him as he is comes from the same culture as the people who - due to his own shitty choices, though he'll never admit that - beat him to death all those years ago.

[gutsofgold]

HAPPY HALLOWEEENNN!!!

What I think the witw characters would be for halloween yayayayaya

— Mole’s not a huge fan of getting scared, so he's wearing something silly, like one of those big lobster costumes

— Ratty is the creature from the black lagoon!!

— Toad has multiple costumes, and he does several outfit changes throughout the day. They include (but are not limited to); the creature from frankenstein, a clown, dolly parton, the statue of liberty, Barbie, Ken, an alien, doctor who, and jane austen

— Mrs Otter is just wearing a black dress (maybe with a bit of purple) and a witch hat

— Portia is a classic ghost, with a sheet over her head

— Badger is Bela Lugosi's Dracula!!

— Chief is the Ghost of Christmas yet to come

— Lesser is the Ghost of Christmas present

— Cheryl is the Ghost of Christmas past

The three of them LOVE halloween but they're also super annoying and went as something christmas themed just to mess with everyone (and im super christmas carol rotted)

— The Hedgehogs are the Addams family

— Toad’s Rabbit Butler (also known as Bucky) is Wadsworth from Clue (1985)

— The fieldmice quadruplets are Mystery Inc

— The Gaoler's daughter is Carrie

— The Car Driver wears an orange shirt and says he's a pumpkin

— The magistrate isn't a halloween guy

— The washerwoman is a classic zombie

If I've forgot anyone please lmk ‼️‼️

[pheavampire]

I have a very specific reason why I’m so hyped for Astarion. I just really, really hope they didn’t change his backstory though.

If you don't know anything about his mortal life and want to stay spoiler free, don't read it further. The stuff I'm writing about was being said by Larian 2 years ago and it may or may not be up to date.

.

.

.

He had everything. Power, money, look. An aristocrat, a magistrate and probably a hedonist, Astarion was used to not caring about „lesser” forms of life, he probably didn’t even think about them. The fate of many people was in his hands and was playing with it. His unjust verdicts ruined lives, but he was making money because of it. If Sven’s word are up-to-date, he was even traded prisoners to Cazador, just to be even more rich.

And then everything, everything turned upside down in a blink of an eye.

During one night Astarion tasted all of his karma. He lost absolutely everything - except for his look. He became the very thing he was playing with before - a slave. It’s a tragedy to be poor and loosing freedom, but when you are an aristocrat, almost a polititian, a man used to giving orders, it’s even more awful and humiliating. His power is gone, his money is gone, all he has now is a dark, musty crypt, tortures and rats. Just imagine his shock during the first nights, weeks, months even. And let’s remember he is an elf - which means that the lack of sun should be even more devastating for him. And then this hell lasts for 200 years: he can observe how the world slowly forgets about him, how his name is being lost, how he becomes a metaphorical - and even kind of literal - ghost in his own homeland. Did he have any family? They may be still alive, elves can live for about 600 years. Did they look for him? Did they love him or despise him? How would they react if they discovered he turned into an undead abomination dependent on a vampire lord?

I love stories like this.

Of course I won’t see his past, and if I do, there will be just a glimpse of it. Larian could have also changed Astarion’s backstory. But even if they did, I will be still quite OK with it, although a bit disappointed.

But not gonna lie - I am fascinated in stories about this kind of downfall and want to know as much as possible.

[synapticjive]

"Mask Off" Initial Thoughts

Okay, after marinating on all of this...

For context, I'm playing as a ruthless evil Durge, and it made sense in my RP to ascend Astarion. At some point well into Act 2, I was unable to persuade Astarion out of ascending. His choice to ascend locked in fairly early for me. Every time I challenged him, it defaulted to him making excuses and insisting that ascending was worthwhile, that I was worrying for nothing. He's naturally eager that I'm Bhaalspawn, and the "don't let him" dialogue felt very out-of-place considering how cold and detached we were becoming (don't ask me why, I'm still wrapping my head around this.)

The ascension was a welcomed change of pace, as was Durge's baptism. But regarding the mask...

Spawn Astarion does clearly read as someone who is deeply wounded and using performance/charm/sexuality as a way to manipulate others- for vengeance, for control, for power, for safety, and eventually with Tav/Durge, for intimacy. I do think he's always had a bloodlust and intense hatred for others that a) cross him and b) that he perceives as lesser than him- this is especially true if you think that his history as a magistrate and slaver (controversial) is canon. His past mistakes and/or problematic viewpoints are no way a justification for his experience of sexual abuse and trafficking, it just intensifies and complicates his recovery and relationship building. It explains why he uses Tav/Durge, but then when his sudden feelings are reciprocated, he can't let go.

I've had limited access to clips of spawn Astarion throughout Act 3, and I have no idea how he reacts to Tav/Durge. I saw some epilogue clips, just barely, and I can't conceive of how we even get to that point, considering how much pain he's in, how much ground we'd need to cover in getting him to that place of near acceptance and peace(-ish). I guess a lot goes down in those 6 months, huh?

I always thought A!A (granted, I love him, I love dark romances and awful villains) was just all of his growth locked in time and space, just completely coming to a grinding halt. I don't think that his progress with Tav/Durge is undone (if that was the case, he wouldn't love you anymore or even understand the purpose of you in his life). He's just raw in his anger, vitriol, using his power(s) to protect him from all of the pain and fear that he experienced. Power, wealth, and violence are what protect him now, not Tav/Durge. He doesn't "need" you, but he still wants to "own" you because he... loves you, sort-of. You're under his skin, and he can't let go, I think. Or maybe he still wants something from you, maybe subjugating you somehow amplifies his power fantasy, especially with someone he seems to control and can tolerate ("you're degrading yourself/he can do that.")

He's always had a power fantasy, he's always loved dom/sub dynamics (hinted at in the game,) and so far, as evil Durge, he's been treating my character well (she also doesn't want to leave, not yet anyway.)

I'm still waiting to finish this first playthrough before I have more conclusive thoughts. Preliminary: he's not masking his anger/his dark triad (lol) as AA, whereas he was desperately trying to as a spawn. He doesn't give a single fuck about how people feel about it once he ascends, it's just him and you and everyone beneath you both as far as he's concerned.

Sorry, lots of thoughts, y'all. I need to play an origin run & a spawn Astarion romance to get the full picture.

[darkmaga-returns]

IT IS OUR DUTY TO FIND, SUPPORT, OR BECOME THE LESSER MAGISTRATE.

It is what I admired so much about Dr. Sansone’s BAN THE JAB. the lesser magistrate is everywhere waiting for us. We become them in a school board, at a school, we become them as a Justice of the Peace.

Do you feel inspired to assist any movement of the lesser magistrates. This is where great men and women are waiting for their inspired authority. BRING THE INSPIRATION. How can you assist, motivate, inspire a lesser magistrate.

It does not need to be a board of Health. It can be any lesser magistrate. Someone in the Republican GOP needs to continue the Ban the Jab movement until it flows county by county.

A hospital, a hospital system. A pharmacy.

Where will good men and women plant their feet in defiance next. I feel the rumbling.

[thegreymoon]

The Story of Minglan

In a lesser het drama, I would 100% be shipping this.

Anyway, yeah, love that he's alive after all, but like I said, you can't kill the main character two episodes in.

***

LMAOOOO, I love whatever is going on here, he looks so disappointed the boy is back 🤣🤣

***

SIR, HE IS ALIVE!

***

Oh, wait, lol, it was not his funeral but of some uncle he is supposed to inherit property from, which is no doubt why the uncles tried to murder him 🤣🤣

***

Beautiful drama is beautiful.

***

Wait, is the Magistrate's first wife related to Gu Tingye's uncle?

***

NOOOO, MINGLAN, LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER

I have learned my lesson, I am never not listening to Mistress Wei again 😅

***

This poor woman.

***

OMG JUST LET HER DRINK

PLEASE DON'T LET HER DIE THIRSTY

***

THE MIDWIFE RAN AWAY?

***

She is definitely going to die and Minglan's last memory of her will be that fight 😢

***

Goddamn.

Oh, Minglan. Baby.

Your mother is right. It's too late.

***

Oh, child, where do you think you're going?

There is nobody to help you.

***

Bless you, Gu Tingye, you are the only one coming through.

***

I love that they call him a scoundrel when he's easily the most decent and competent character on the show.

***

WHY IS EVERYTHING GOING WRONG AND HE NEEDS TO CLIMB A FUCKING WALL TO GET AN ACTUAL FUCKING DOCTOR INTO THE FUCKING HOUSE?

EVERY SINGLE ADULT IN THIS SHOW IS FUCKING USELESS.

Except the evildoer. She is very competent.

***

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME.

***

They are driving me murderous, I swear to god 🤬🤬

***

So it was all for nothing.

They tried so hard and it was still for nothing.

[aalinaaaaaa]

Happy STS! What is the main setting of your WIP? How important is it to the story?

Happy (belated) STS! Thanks for the ask!

In the instance of A Healing for the Birds, that would be the city of Arobyre (North Arobyre, specifically). It's where the Chalice gets stolen to, and also where most of Alycja's plotline is based. To a lesser extent, Eshani spends some of the plot here, but she also spends it elsewhere.

Most of the cast appear in this city for one reason or another. It's also of note that it's the seat of power for the Helindian Magistrate, containing the main government, the legislature and the anointed judiciaries. This comes into play a lot in relation to the country's resentment over Arobyre getting everything (including the Chalice!) and also for the aftermath of said theft.

Additionally, the city also holds importance due to its proximity to the Court of Morilast (the other major setting in this wip). It is the only major city in Helinda to conduct its affairs during the day rather than the evening/night, all because of rampant superstition that Morilaste's creatures roam its streets at night. That and some of the crows plaguing their rooftops are also from up north. While the cityfolk fret over crows and creatures, they are blind to the strings being pulled beneath their feet and from their face...

[sardinesandhumbugs]

Hii!! If you don't mind, could we see the full cast list from the programme please? ^^

Sure!

Full cast list:

Mr Toad - Rufus Hound

Rat - Simon Lipkin

Mole - Craig Mather

Chief Weasel - Neil McDermott

Mrs Otter & Barge Woman - Denise Welch

Badger - Gary Wilmot

Portia - Emilie Du Leslay

Swallow, Mouse - Abigail Brodie

Swallow, Mouse - Bethany Lindsell (Linsdell??)

Swallow, Cheryl Stoat - Rosanna Bates

Horse - Natalie Woods

Lesser Weasel, Mouse - Joshua Gannon

Mrs Hedgehog, Gaoler's Daughter - Jenna Boyd

Mr Hedgehog, Car Driver - James Gant

Bucky - Evan James

Magistrate - Adam Vaughan

Engine Driver - Chris Aukett

Prison Guard, Sentry Stoat - Ryan Pidgen

Head Chorister Mouse - Michael Larcombe

Scared Weasel - Jorell Coiffic-Kamall

Scared Stoat - Nicole Deon

Swings - Joel Baylis, Georgie Westall

Children:

Lauren Sayers & Luke Amis

Sylvie Erskine & Max Willis

Violet Stokes & Harvey Loakes

Also, out of interest, understudies!

Mr Toad, Magistrate - Chris Aukett

Badger - Adam Vaughan

Mole - Joshua Gannon

Rat - James Gant

Chief Weasel - Evan James

Mrs Otter, Barge Woman - Gemma Boyd

Horse, Gaoler's Daughter - Bethany Linsdell (Looks like there was a typo in the original cast list??)

Bucky, Lesser Weasel - Joel Baylis

Cheryl Stoat - Nicole Deon

Portia, Mrs Hedgehog - Georgie Westall

Mr Hedgehog, Engine Driver, Car Driver - Michael Larcombe

More pictures of the cast listing below the cut!

[beardedmrbean]

NAIROBI (Reuters) -A Kenyan court on Wednesday fined four men $7,700 each for trying to traffic thousands of ants valuable to the country's ecosystem, in cases experts say signal a shift in biopiracy from trophies like elephant ivory to lesser-known species.

Authorities arrested two Belgian teenagers, a Vietnamese man and a Kenyan national on April 5, accusing them in two separate cases of trying to smuggle out roughly 5,440 giant African harvester queen ants.

Magistrate Njeri Thuku said the ants would fetch in excess of 800,000 euros or $900,000 online in Europe, Asia, and parts of North America, where ant keepers maintain colonies in large transparent vessels known as formicariums to observe their cooperative behaviour.

Queen ants are valued because they are the only ones capable of laying eggs that grow into worker, soldier and future queen ants, meaning that the illegal trade can jeopardise colonies critical to Kenya's wildlife ecosystem.

Thuku convicted the traffickers of dealing in live wildlife species, and ordered them to pay the fine or face 12 months in jail. They had all pleaded guilty.

The cases had raised questions about whether the alleged trafficking was linked to wider networks.

Thuku said that Duh Heng Nguyen, from Vietnam, was sent to Nairobi to meet a Kenyan, Dennis Nganga, and collect ants in an elaborate scheme that had "all the hallmarks of illegal wildlife trade and possibly biopiracy".

Nguyen is what is known in the drug trafficking world as a "mule or courier", Thuku said, describing his role as having the tell-tale signs of organized crime.

Nguyen and Nganga said they did not know their actions were against the law, according to the judge's characterisation of their pleas.

'ANT GANG'

The two Belgians, identified in court documents as Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, are both ant enthusiasts who claimed in court that they acted out of naivety, Thuku said.

Lornoy David's phone revealed that he was a member of a group known as "Ant Gang", and that he had initially bought 2,500 queens for $200, Thuku said in her ruling.

There was no justification for being found with such a large quantity of queen ants, Thuku said.

"This is beyond a hobby," Thuku said. "Indeed if it happened to any larger species with 5,000 of a specific gender being taken away, it would be genocidal proportions."

The Kenya Wildlife service said the messor cephalotes ants are a critical species in maintaining soil health and ecosystem balance, and were intercepted by authorities at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in the capital.

It said in a statement that the ants "were destined for the European and Asian exotic pet trade, where colonies of rare and ecologically unique species can command prices of up to 1,200 euros each."

"Today's ruling sends an unequivocal message: Kenya will not tolerate the plunder of its biodiversity. Whether it's an ant or an elephant, we will pursue traffickers relentlessly," said Erustus Kanga, KWS Director General.

Ant exports are permitted from Kenya with licenses, though the regulations are difficult to navigate, experts say.

[cyberth0t]

CONCEPT: Abducted by mindflayers in the middle of seducing a wealthy magistrate with the intent to rob him afterwards.

I had to restart my main BG3 playthrough because Patch 4 borked up my modded save beyond repair. But we're back, baby! This time, I am going to document it better.

RIVER

HALF WOOD ELF. SWORDS BARD. CHAOTIC NEUTRAL. other aliases: Red River (stage name; often simply known as "Red"), Loud-mouthed Ginger Bastard

(I thought it would be hilarious if this Tav got yoinked in the middle of getting it on sloppy style, still wearing a cunty lil outfit. I was right.)

More character info below.

An unwanted bastard son of a lesser lord in Baldur's Gate, River was raised by distant relatives in the Lower City. He was mouthy, stubborn, and clever, which naturally meant his presence was a constant thorn in the sides of his caretakers. He ran away as soon as he could manage to join a troupe of performers, and quickly learned how to be charming on top of everything else. River outgrew the troupe (which was admittedly full of second-rate street magicians and drunk old clowns) and joined a travelling band, where he learned to play instruments, sing, and distract audiences while his friends picked their pockets.

By the time he reached adulthood, Red River was a menace to polite (read: wealthy) society. He is banned from several establishments in the Upper City for being the cause of many brawls and duels, and once inciting a small labor revolt.

Despite this, he is a surefire crowd pleaser in the Lower and Outer City, where, prior to abduction, he was beginning to gain some fame as a solo act. In addition to his musical prowess, acrobatics, and comedy skills, he can also swallow swords and juggle balls (sometimes he does it at the same time, and sometimes he does it in bed).

River is delightfully chaotic. He is easy to laugh and quick to make a joke, and can get what he wants from most people without trickery or deceit. As for the rest, well...he just uses trickery and deceit. He is a trickster with a heart of gold--he would never swindle the poor, weak, or vulnerable, and goes out of his way to help those in need. However, he feels no qualms about robbing the wealthy (or middle class), no matter how benevolent they are. Additionally, he places the needs of only his dearest loved ones above himself, but puts his desire for coin, sex, and pleasure above the needs of mostly everyone else.

[ramonag-if]

Most of the time my MC believes in the Ancient Ones, but I'm thinking about starting a playthrough where he believes in Solus instead. What are the main tenets/slash ideals of each religion? In Solus's case before King Erlan corrupted it.

Also, I think it's really cool how you can tell when criticism is constructive and when someone i just being a jerk. Mainly basing this off of the Itch.io comment a week ago, but I was really impressed how you managed to take the commenter's critique in a calm and rational manner🌟🌟🌟

Ooh a fun deity question 😆 The main difference between both religions is the amount of deities that are seen as existing at one given time. In the case of the Ancient Ones, there's an infinite amount of deities whereas if you believe in Solus (and the way he was originally worshipped alongside his sisters), there were only a handful of gods and then lesser spirits as well as half-deity, half-mortal children.

To be fair, there is no real difference between any of the religions. It's just that the realms have been divided for so long and the original practices were lost over time that each religion took its own approach about how the deities coexisted. Choosing Solus just means that he embodies all the different variations of the Ancient Ones - so he is life, death, knowledge etc. Even before Erlan's corruption, Solus was seen to be the main god who actually contorted with humans, while his sisters acted more behind the scenes in keeping the cosmic wheel spinning. Solus is more 'approachable' than deities from other religions and is seen to be merciful and the protector of the weak - ironic since Erlan's use of worship was for the opposite reasons 😅

Ah thank you! I used to get bothered a lot by criticism when I first started posting my work online - but I think after years and working in law and in courts with not the friendliest of magistrates and prosecutors, I'm used to taking criticism and working on trying to be better for the next time. Plus, one person not liking the game out of the thousands who do doesn't bother me much 😆