#and as optimistic as i wanted to be at this point i feel like the worst possible outcome is going to become a reality

[thatstormygeek]

The especially extra fucky bit is that if the judge had not pre-signaled his intent to do this exact thing with sentencing, it's likely SCOTUS would have ruled that the sentencing couldn't happen at all.

The "point" - if it can be called such a thing - is that now the conviction is real. Trump is a convicted and sentenced felon.

I know I feel better now - how about you? /s

That's really it, tho. That's how fucked the system is (if all the images above didn't get that point across on their own quite well). The fear was that if sentencing was delayed four years (which is optimistic, if you ask me, but...), he would just do whatever while in office to make the entire case go poof.

The single judge who managed to not fold under Trump's constant lawfare bullshit, who managed to get a case all the way through to a verdict, had few options and they were all shit:

He could agree with Trump's lawyers that their client is a Very Special Boy who is allowed to crime all he wants and toss the conviction (which is what they demanded he do)

He could postpone the sentencing until after Trump is no longer president (see the comment up there about this option)

He could say "hey, I'm gonna sentence you to nothing, so it's not really going to impact your life, which is the argument you keep making when telling me I should throw this out," and even then the Supreme Court only voted 5-4 to let the sentencing happen.

[empheralnyx]

ARACHNE MELINOË LENSTRANG

MAJOR: freshman in Yale University, majoring in Biology

LANGUAGES: English, Latin, Dutch, Mandarin, Arabic

EXTRACURRICULARS: Vocals, Violin, Speech and Debate

HAMARATIA: Hubris

AESTHETIC: goth

FRIENDLY: Arachne h a t e s being mean, and strives to be warm and welcoming even to the most cold people (minus C. Lacroix). Arachne hopes to be well-liked by everyone at Yale, and dislikes being seen as rude or unfriendly. However, just because of her friendly nature doesn’t mean she’ll take shit

PRAGMATIC: Arachne tends to take a more logical approach to problems and situations. Calculating to sometimes the point of apathy, she makes sure to take her emotions of the picture when approaching something from all angles. However, that doesn’t mean she won’t be convinced by an emotionally-driven argument

SHY: When it comes to romance, she’s almost as bad at it as cooking. She gets to caught up with her thoughts to actually do something, and it doesn’t help with how bad her last relationship went in high school. Her shyness can lead to more embarrassing situations however, which she cringes at when the day is done.

OPTIMIST: Arachne always strives to view the best in people, situations, and the world. However, sometimes her optimism can come a bit left-field, and can hide her own fears. Arachne’s hopefulness can sometimes lead her to despair, though.

C. LACROIX: She wants to put aside their rivalry, but at the same time she feeds into it a bit. They bring out her more competitive and argumentative side. She lowkey can’t handle them, but also admires their intellect and strive.

V. NÆSHOLM: Genuinly likes them! Was a bit apprehensive of them at the beginning but tried to be nice and brushed it off. Wants them to get out of their shell a little more, and is happy they’re her roommate.

W. OSTENDORF: …who? (jk jk she used to be really close friends with W. Once she meets them again, she’s sure to like them. But also the thought of “do I know them?” Keeps appearing in the back of her mind. They’re to…familiar to just be a stranger, right?)

D. DIACONU: Thinks they’re really fun and is honestly a bit confused how stuck-up lacroix can handle them. She vibes with them but also feels a bit like lacroix whenever she’s near them. A fan of The Vignettes as well—they make cool music!

M. WHITLOCK-SINGH: Tbh, she’s a bit intimated by them. But she also thinks they’re really nice and a tad bit overworked. Likes talking about philosophy with them, and thinks they’re cooking is the best thing she has ever eaten. (almost as good as her cooking though 😔)

Still is handling the death of her mom in less-then-healthy ways, and is a bit apprehensive of Elias dating again

Lowkey stingy of her height

Has a huge savior complex

Has strong morals, and can’t fathom the thought of killing someone. (bit of a hypocrite though)

Usually tries to walk out of arguments and fights (flight response) but when it comes to people she cares about it’s a different story

Likes and frequently does dad jokes

When she gets comfy w/ people she unleashes the brainrot

Jealousy scale of 4/5 🧍🏽‍♀️

Her name is based on off the myth of Arachne who was a ARROGANT weaver in Greek mythology and angered the gods

“IT CAN ONLY GO UP FROM HERE, RIGHT?” - Arachne’s famous last words

tagging my dude @childrenofcain-if and um stop putting cocaine in ur if cus i cant get it out of my head 😒

[makotonaegiunderstander]

something I’ve been thinking abt is how many people think Makoto is immune to despair. I don’t think he is. I think becoming the ultimate Hope was BECAUSE he felt despair. He wouldn’t have fully reached that point without Junko. Makoto becoming such a beacon was his last attempt to avoid completely falling and it wasn’t because he didn’t feel despair, it was because he was too damn stubborn to allow everything to go to waste and he refused to sacrifice his beliefs for someone else’s. His inner monologue tells me he DID experience the same new low the other suvivors did in the final trial, but at the point where he had the choice to give up and die, he looked at the others and he looked at Junko and he couldn’t allow it to happen, not out of self preservation, but because the idea that Junko would have control over their lives made him FURIOUS. and that utter refusal to die kicked in, wether luck or otherwise, and he made the concious effort for one last push while something in him was breaking. He had to be broken in order for the Ultimate Hope to come through so aggressively, bc it could only exist in the face of the Ultimate Despair. He snapped the same way she did, but in the other direction. In what could have been his final moments he chose to embody everything Junko wasn’t, and every single optimistic and luck fueled ideal in him suddenly charged forward and pushed him. It was a combination of the final straw and a choice. Makoto isn’t immune to feeling despair, he’s just too stubborn to fall into it of his own volition. I think that’s why I like that scene in DR3 so much. People were SO SHOCKED Makoto actually fell for the tape, that he actually became despair for a moment. I saw people getting mad or disappointed, saying it was pathetic and Makoto seemed to fall from some sort of pedestal for them. Honestly part of me wonders if that sort of mentality, which clearly people had in universe, affected Makoto a bit. Like he started to see himself as less of a person, subconsciously. Prompting him to take more risks, less self preservation, act way more bold. It seems he has to be reminded a lot not to put himself in danger by his friends, to not do something too reckless. All over the place I would see in regards to that scene either this frivolous ‘oh this was just angst drama with no meaning behind it’ or ‘he can do better than that. he’s so weak’ or ‘come on, there’s no way he’d fall into despair, he’s the Ultimate Hope!’ This kind of mentality, which was kind of ironic considering Ryota was there the entire time saying the same thing and treating Makoto the same way. Like Makoto was superhuman. Like Makoto didn’t feel despair the same way ‘normal people’ did. In a way that was also how Munakata saw Makoto. Makoto stopped being a PERSON to the world when he became Ultimate Hope, he became a concept, a belief system, much the same way Junko ascended beyond herself. But the difference is that treating Makoto that way is the opposite of the reason Makoto became such a representative for hope. He wasn’t doing something no one else could. He was doing something everyone had the chance to, he just… was a little more optimistic, a little more stubborn, a little more ‘gung-ho’ about things. He just took the lead where no one else did, where no one else knew they even COULD in the face of Junko’s unstoppable force. She had overcome the biggest threats and obstacles in the world, what could one person do? And the answer Makoto found was, anything. Everything. It doesn’t all rest on Makoto, he’s just the one that was inspired to try to do what seemed like the impossible. But as evidenced by the change in his friends after that trial, it’s clearly not something only Makoto is capable of. The others pulled out of despair thanks to Makoto, but it was their choice to do so.

“But… this world is so huge, and we’re so small. What can we do…? No, we can probably do anything. Yeah! We can do anything!”

[zairas-realm-gateway]

I am so, so sorry for hijacking your amazing comic with an analysis post but this comic has me fucking screeching! Fuckin' shaking!

Reading this comic made my insides ache and twist in indescribable ways. It makes my very soul scream out with need for others to understand the very delicate building blocks that make up Jayce Giopara. Before finding you, I have not seen another person that so openly picks up on the fragile pieces that Jayce is actually made up of under the inflated ego.

Word Count (below cut): 1.4k

I don't even know how to put into words all the feelings roiling up inside me. Panel 5 makes me want to scream. The insinuations and accusations facing Jayce so expertly expose little, subtle aspects of Jayce's character that are devastating flaws in the metaphorical armor that keeps Jayce safe and sane.

Down under the arrogance and self-importance is a bright and eager soul that's so, so naive (his voicelines are optimistic in a way that speaks of naivety to me) and a pushover. Jayce is easy to sway and throw off kilter. I see it two major places in the canon lore. Once is when Jayce doesn't defend Viktor when Viktor accuses Professor Stanwick (rightfully) of stealing credit for Blitzcrank's creation. It does not say in Viktor's lore that Jayce verbally denies Viktor's claims or call him a liar. It says that Jayce did not speak up at all, not even to ask for evidence. This tells me Jayce could not bring himself to go against his professor, a man of importance and high status above them both.

Which brings me to a point that I really, really need to remind people: before becoming the Defender, social position wise, the only thing Jayce has over Viktor is that he's from Piltover. Fans use "Giopara" as Jayce's last name but that's not his last name. He has no last name that we know of. He has no family, no money. Pre-Defender Jayce is just a pretty young man with high intelligence that gets passed around the Piltover clans like an unwanted puppy.

If I remember correctly, it doesn't explain why Jayce never sticks up for Viktor. It could be that he's scared if he speaks up, they'll kick him out of the academy. Or it could be that because Jayce naively believes in his own moral code so greatly that he actually believes everyone else lives by it too. Therefore he can't even conceive of a professor stealing from his student. Which would mean Viktor was lying but Viktor is Jayce's partner so he obviously wouldn't want to believe his partner is a liar. This leaves Jayce tied in a knot about what to do resulting in him just not saying anything, causing his first unintentional betrayal towards Viktor.

Lore canon evidence of Jayce being a pushover is the short story with Amaranthine. As we all know, Jayce thinks very highly of himself. He thinks he's too good to give his attention to anyone, even a little girl whose doll he could literally fix in like a minute. He denies helping her and is going to kick her out before they're attacked. After the battle, Amaranthine bruises his ego with a comment. His ego is his armor in life. And the tiny, well-placed attack on it is enough to make Jayce cave. He fixes the doll.

This all tells me that with a well-placed phrase, it would be easy to bring Jayce to heel. It tells me that Jayce is very weak-willed and easy to manipulate if you can get past his ego. Something you can also see in the lore when he goes to get his crystal back from Viktor. He's not there on pretense of glory. He's not even the Defender yet. He just wants his fuckin' research back. It's afterwards that he's toted as the Defender of Tomorrow. A choice, title, and position that Piltover made for him. Not something he made for himself. A title that wiggled into his brain and became his very identity. He was just a scientist until the Defender devoured him and pulled his every thought, every choice to fulfilling that position. Submitting so easily to the choice of Piltover and becoming their puppet, their doll.

In all of Jayce's lore, the only area where he is never a pushover is his moral and ethics code. It's so strong, so foundational to his very being that can't be worn down. Which is what causes the conflict with Viktor. Jayce will do just about anything to secure that people are safe, happy, and have all their human rights intact. Even if it harms himself by destroying what miniscule relationships he has.

But, for someone that thinks so highly of himself, he doesn't seem to put himself in the same category as those people he's fighting for. This finally leads us into the analysis of the comic properly.

As we all know, to Jayce and Viktor, science is the most important thing in the universe. They have different reasons for using it but still, science is their very life's blood. To Jayce, the science used to help and provide for people must take precedence above all else. Including himself. Because he's not a people, not really. People aren't passed from clan to clan like a bought animal.

So, if people need science and inventions to go about their happy lives then isn't it Jayce's duty to make sure people have those inventions? Morally, it'd be wrong to deny them things that would make their lives better. As one of the smartest people in Piltover, isn't it Jayce's sworn duty to do whatever he can to provide those inventions since no one else is as good as him? But science is expensive, inventions cost money. Money that neither Jayce nor Viktor have. But Jayce is the best so for sure he can get what they need.

Now, wouldn't it be just so very easy for a silver tongue to whisper into the ear of an egotistical young man and explain how surly the very best currency is the perfect young man himself? After all, he has so much to offer. He's smart, he's strong, and skilled, and so very, very handsome after all.

Surely there's many things such a perfect young man has to offer those in power. Blueprints and plans, patent promises, a bright smile, some arm candy… a warm body perhaps. The crystal bright pieces of Jayce's very soul.

Would it really be hard to convince such a naive, optimistic young man that he has everything he needs to get the resources he and his partner require? Oh, all the things he could create with those resources!

Would it be difficulty for wealthy, well-spoken nobles and househeads to convince the young man to give more and more of himself?

And maybe it's nice to be wanted. No one wants Jayce, not really. The clans that hold his apprenticeship want his brilliance but they do not want him. They don't speak with him or work with him, not really. No one likes him because he's arrogant and rude and tactless. And fine, that's just fine by him. He doesn't need them either! He works just fine on his own or with Viktor.

And his resource providers want him. So, that's enough, right? What's wrong with giving them more than maybe he's strictly comfortable with. But who cares, it's for a good cause!

Surely the people, the lovely citizens of Piltover, need all those amazing inventions rattling around in brilliant Jayce's head to make their lives better. As the smartest person there, of course it's his duty to provide what others can't. What's a little discomfort, a little loss of self, when he could be helping so very many people?! Helping people can't be a bad thing ever, right?

And then there's Viktor. The one person in Jayce's life that gets to see all of Jayce through hours in their shared lab. They're partners, rivals, the closest thing either of them has had to a friend in their whole lives.

Viktor is from Zaun. He sees the world in a light that the optimistic people of Piltover do not. He knows that the world works on greed. But he also knows that some costs are too steep, even for progress. He can see the bright and shiny pieces of his partner being chipped away as the houses of Piltover pull their marionette's strings.

Under Viktor's cold and standoffish nature is a warm heart. A kindness and compassion that he'll never be able to curb. Viktor loves people. People should be allowed to live, to be happy and healthy.

Jayce is a people. Viktor knows this, why does no one else?!

People matter above all else. Above morals, above ethics… above science even, it would seem.

Viktor's heart is too big. He does not like to see suffering and death. So, how can he watch suffering and death move in tandem with him each day in their lab? How can he not raise his voice when he spends his days watching a brilliant and arrogant soul turn into an insufferable doll before his very eyes?

What can be said, be done, when that doll stands so tall on self-importance that it cannot see that it is only a puppet on a frayed string?

[racke7]

cant believe youre playing ffxiv and you HAVENT posted a pic of your WoL, smh. thats like half the point of playing squeenix's pretty princess dressup simulator disguised as an MMO

I'm still very much in the middle of leveling things, so it feels annoyingly wasteful to try and glamour outfits (excepting the actively embarrassing ones), but also kind of blegh to show those outfits off (since they're just "default").

That said, I did manage two outfits.

WAR, in pure pvp-gear:

MNK, an old idea from my Free-Trial days:

But yeah. I definitely have ideas for outfits. I just also feel like simply buying them at the marketplace (instead of making them myself) to be a bit like cheating, and you don't get good stuff for a very long time. (I'm also way too much of a cheapskate for it)

[glitterghost]

-☆-

[callixton]

WEIRD OLDER QUEERS I LOVE YOUUU

[losttoliterature]

.

[heartshattering]

anyone else's brain feel like expired pudding this fine friday afternoon (aka morning for me)?

[plzu]

might do something insane (restart my og bg3 playthrough despite being deep into act 3)

[thefabelmans2022]

honestly. honestly. honestly. i'm very worried about the referendum.

[bitchthefuck1]

have you watched the pjo show?

I saw the first 2 episodes when they came out at a watch party one of my friends threw, and as soon as they ended I realized I didn't particularly care to keep going. It wasn't like, outrageously bad by any means, I just don't think it gripped me enough to want to continue, and there were enough odd adaptational choices that I thought weakened the story that I lost interest. I might have tuned back in if the changes actually built to something interesting in the later episodes, but from everything I've seen it kinda seems like they just took the teeth out of the story, which was what I was worried about.

That being said, the cast seems really great and well suited to their roles, so like, if they improve the writing and pacing in the later seasons and stop sanding down all the rough edges, I might pick it back up. But otherwise, pass.

[arolesbianism]

Thinks oh so hard abt the spiraling upwards clan founders, especially the birchclan founders. Silly lil kitties who's pasts are drenched in blood with the primary regret of not drawing it sooner

[allthings-acorn]

“R+ training business owners learn to apply their training philosophy to their staff” challenge

[akkivee]

woke up feeling excited for their possibilities!!!!!!!!!!!

[mitamicah]

💛💪🏻

💛: i just think you’re cute!

💪: id fight someone if they talked shit about you

Thank you so much, anon ^V^ <3