#value alignment

[camilofebrero]

discovering myself, and what freedom looks like for me, always

[gent-illmatic]

2025 IS NOT FOR "PLAY PLAY" .

[bixels]

Taking the current topic as an excuse to ask you to tell me all the reasons you love Rarijack. Your art for the ship is so sweet and intimate I'd love to hear any in depth thoughts you have.

Breathes in.

I think what makes their dynamic really strong is that they have opposing personalities but aligned values. It's deeper than just "opposites attract." Rarity's fancy, prissy, and femme while Applejack's modest, rough, and "masculine." But both value hard work (to the point of being workaholics), their families (both have guardianship over their little sisters), running successful businesses, and eventually each other. Their relationship can be boiled down to, "Despite our differences/disagreements, I still like you because we value the same things."

We see their relationship develop so much. In the first season, they can't stop bickering about surface-level differences. By season four, they still bicker, but will mend their relationship because they can't help but do nice things for each other. In Trade Ya, they start off arguing over personality differences (Applejack likes old junk and Rarity likes useless crap). Then they pivot and start arguing that they value their relationship more than the other. In the end, they mend things by sacrificing their needs and buying each other a gift. Even if they don't understand it, they know it'd make the other happy. And that's all that really matters. It's a genuinely sweet moment that shows how arguing can be healthy and necessary for relationships to strengthen.

We even see them dropping their hang-ups about each others' personalities. In Made in Manehattan, when Rarity runs off in dramatics about someone's fashion, AJ doesn't roll her eyes or scoff, she smiles. Oftentimes, their conflicts are very common domestic conflicts romantic couples face. Applejack's Day Off is about a woman's inability to balance work and life and find time to properly spend with her partner, causing her partner to feel neglected.

By season seven, they're actively participating in each others' interests. Any problems or conflicts that arise are dealt with, and they come out the other end stronger and closer. In Honest Apple, AJ pretty much spells out why their relationship works so well: even though she doesn't understand fashion, she can recognize and appreciate how much work it takes and wants to respect that. When she realizes her mistake in the episode, AJ goes above and beyond to fix things and apologize to Rarity. They care about each other so much.

The two go out of their way, sacrificing their personal desires and beliefs and doing things they normally wouldn't, to make the other happy. That's just love.

There's Simple Ways, where AJ gets stuck in an unwanted love triangle between Rarity and her hipster crush. And her frustration and anger can be so easily interpreted as AJ finding herself in a terrible position; the girl she loves wants another man, and that man wants her.

I dunno. I've always had a preference for opposites attract ships, but Rarijack's stuck with me like a brain worm because they have the perfect chemistry. The way they show they care, or do things for each other, I've always read it as the truest representation of romance in the show.

[artbyblastweave]

Funniest thing I've seen recently, and not funny in a ha-ha way, more funny in a "the endless entropic void gnawing at my will to live" way, was somebody asking around for alternatives to Neil Gaiman, in the light of Neil Gaiman's ongoing fall from grace. As though what we're currently sitting through isn't the collapse of the carefully curated "Good Guy Neil" image that caused people to parade Gaiman as the same kind of preferred progressive alternative to, say, Rowling. As though we won't be in the same goddamn situation in a few years or months, with some number of the new progressive sci-fi/fantasy darlings- not all of them, to be clear, but at least some of them- when their impeccably-curated marketing implodes in on itself and they're revealed to be the same kind of sex pest or abuser. Can you not see the wheel to which you are strapped. The game of human pinball you are condemning yourself to with this mindset. Maybe you do see, and you're just resigned to taking it one soul-crushing disappointment at a time, one "I never would have guessed" after another. I mean I think we all need to get resigned to that one way or another, sun's gonna go out before it stops happening

[owlheartt]

Something I really like about timebomb is that Ekko actually knows what he's getting into.

I'm not really seeing it get talked about but in season 1 they mention that Ekko and the firelights help people addicted to shimmer get off it and lead more fulfilling lives within the community. I should probably rewatch the scene for the exact wording (might be misremembering tbh) but that comment implies A LOT.

First: Ekko's mission is helping people where he can, he would probably try and help Jinx even if he wasn't in love with her

Second: He has experience dealing with severe mental illness as that often goes hand in hand with drug abuse, namely depression/suicidal ideation like what Jinx was exhibiting

Third: He's probably mapped out best course of action FOR dealing with this and has already figured out his own limits/boundaries. Meaning he knew what he was getting into trying to talk Jinx out of suicide, and was thus more equipped to deal with the aftermath

Fourth: He's probably helped ex members of Silco's gang. The firelights seem to have a theme of healing and repairing and recovering, so they've probably also learned to forgive. If they're mission is to rebuild the lanes into a safe space, they can't exclude people they don't like, they have to make room for them. I think they fought Silco out of necessity, and I doubt Jinx would be the first person they help who's killed one of them.

These all might be a bit of a stretch but I think it really fits. Beyond that, it shows that Ekko can ACTUALLY help Jinx. As much as unconditional love can do, Ekko has the tools for Jinx's recovery and a path ready for her. He also probably knows that her "healthy" will look different from AU Powder's "healthy." On top of that, I expect he knows how to respect her even in the middle of psychotic breaks and won't agitate her already frail mental state

[turtleblogatlast]

Something I love to think about is every iteration of Leo’s relationship with Splinter and how Splinter’s interests always define how a Leo presents himself.

I used to abide by the idea that a Leo will simply emulate his Splinter directly, and to an extent I still believe that to be the case, but moreso I think Leos have a tendency to mold themselves into what they believe is their Splinter’s ideal son - someone who embodies all the traits Splinter has explicitly shown to admire or value in a person.

Most of the time, they try to be a dutiful and honorable boy abiding by the full extent of ninjitsu teachings. Then you have Rise Splinter, who very much still has undeniable prowess in the art of fighting and being a ninja, but when it comes to how he shows his interests to his boys…one thing reigns supreme.

Acting. Shows. One liners. Flamboyance in the name of gaining an audience’s attention.

He showcases Lou Jitsu movies on repeat for the boys, passing down the morals and words from those movies to them with no small amount of pride. All while fully expecting them to respect these teachings.

So, of course, Rise Leo picks up on this. He’s a Leo, after all, as much a daddy’s boy as any other variation of him, only he clocked his father’s interests to be different than most others. He picks up on the art of showmanship, of keeping things to himself so as to be a more exciting twist later, of treating the world as a set to act in.

He’s an actor, not just because Splinter himself was one, but because Splinter likes acting and showed one particular actor (unknowingly to the boys, it was himself) as the pinnacle of all his teachings. As someone to value and admire. And even more than that - Splinter focuses on the character the actor is portraying rather than just the man himself.

And I think this is all even more interesting when taking the turtle tot short into consideration, because very, very briefly, just as with many times else throughout the series, we see how easily Rise Leo aligns with his other selves, seeming to pick up the sword easier than his brothers do their own weapons - after quoting Lou Jitsu of course. After emulating his idol - the person who his father seems to admire so much.

Point being, it’s so interesting to see how Leos tend to mold themselves in one particular way throughout every variation - that being, what their father is shown to value most in people.

[remus-poopin]

The “A very frosty Christmas” chapter in HBP is so interesting to me in terms of understanding Lupin’s relation to the werewolf community. The standout line to me is this:

“‘I am not complaining; it is necessary work and who can do it better than I? However, it has been difficult gaining their trust. I bear the unmistakable signs of having tried to live among wizards, you see, whereas they have shunned normal society and live on the margins, stealing — and sometimes killing — to eat.’” (HBP, 334)

The framing of this is interesting, he didn’t say: “wizards have shunned them from normal society therefore marginalizing them so they have to steal and sometimes kill to eat”, no he puts the werewolves in the active role as if they are making a sort of choice. It effectively takes the blame off of the wizards that oppress them.

I think he might feel that it is a choice they are making. He has tried very hard all his life to fit into wizarding society. Everything he does is in an attempt to appear non threatening. He has made a choice to not live in the werewolf colonies, he’s made a choice to hold jobs, he’s made a choice to socialize with other wizards, he’s made a choice to appear civilized, he’s made a choice to conform into wizard society-

yet he is still not accepted.

The issue is not the werewolves disregarding society but a society that fundamentally disregards their humanity.

On some level he must know this yet the way he speaks about his community is dripping with a sort of self loathing that pushes for a drive for assimilation (something you can find in most groups of marginalized people).

He holds these views of achieving social mobility through the appearance of civilization while being walking proof that werewolf assimilation is futile, so he has to construct mental barriers to avoid being crushed under the weight of his own hypocrisy.

[mollysunder]

Has anyone else noticed that Mel's office resembles the Lamb's cave in the Blood Sweat and Tears mv?

The geometric design gives the illusion of Mel's space being cavernous. Mel also decorates her office with the same red rock the Lamb is surrounded in.

In the Lamb's domain she hand picks warriors to fight and decorate her space, meanwhile Mel's office is framed by a large mural of faceless warriors that surround her in defense.

On top of that the way the Lamb was introduced is nearly the same way Mel was. In both scenes, we have this mysterious but clearly clever individual offer a person with high esteem a gift (using the same hand btw).

Without any context the one to receive the gift assumes it's of high value and a reflection of their superiority, when in reality it was play on the receiver's ego by the clever gift giver.

And just like Mel with Hoskel, the Lamb had fooled Ambessa for the rest of her life by letting her believe a false interpretation of the vision she was given.

It was likely in Ambessa's final moments did she realize how wrong she was about everything from the vision, the throne, Mel, and how they were all meant to come together and how they all will come together without her.

[kasieli]

When they said “blend in with the crowd,” they didn’t mean that. | From this scene in Winter Soldier because I saw it again and had to recreate it with these two

Bonus:

Feat. Poppy forgetting that Ominis is blind

[hughesybear]

Vancouver Canucks team president says there is no good solution in rift between Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller

Jim Rutherford, president of hockey operations for the Vancouver Canucks, made a career as a small 5-foot-8 goaltender by overcoming any obstacles in his way, but he’s facing one now that he can’t seem to get past. He has two star players who apparently can’t stand one another: top centres J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson. And it’s put him and the organization in an unfathomable bind.

In the past, he has always felt like he could find a solution to any tricky situation, Rutherford told The Globe and Mail during an interview on Monday, “and I felt like for a long time that there was a solution here because everybody has worked on it, including the parties involved.”

“But it only gets resolved for a short period of time and then it festers again and so it certainly appears like there’s not a good solution that would keep this group together.”

While that may not come as a huge surprise to the Vancouver market – both players’ names have been connected to trades amid reports they have repeatedly clashed – it is still sobering to hear when the president of the team confirms it. And then when he admits there is no solution that is likely to make anyone happy, well, then, reality really does sink in.

Of course, personality differences exist in every NHL dressing room. For as long as the league has existed, there have been situations where players haven’t liked one another. You would think that in this case, an alpha male who likes to push his weight around like Miller, 31, and a more sensitive and soft-spoken player like Pettersson, 26, could put their differences aside for the good of the team. But apparently not.

“We’ve had those conversations and I think the parties understand that and I think they’ve tried,” Rutherford told me. “As you know, sometimes emotions get deep and as much as people try sometimes you can’t get over it. It certainly appears that’s what’s going on here.”

It is, to put it mildly, a problem that could end up impacting the Canucks for years.

“We’re talking about two of our top players,” Rutherford said. “Certainly, our two best forwards. It can really be tough on a franchise – not only present but into the future – when you’re planning on peaking this team into a contending team and then you find out that’s not going to happen. Or at least it’s not going to happen with the group we have now. Then you have to put together a new plan.”

Last year, this situation seemed, well, unimaginable. The Canucks played a feisty, tightly-structured game that took them to the seventh game of the second round of the playoffs, which they ended up losing to Edmonton Oilers, an eventual Stanley Cup finalist. It was a safe assumption that the team would take another step this year, and Pettersson in particular would be back to his old, prolific self. But that didn’t happen.

Pettersson hasn’t looked anything like the player who earned an eight-year, nearly $93-million contract last March, making him one of the top-paid forwards in the league. It’s often seemed like the burden of expectations that come with that sort of deal has been too much. Or maybe it’s been the problems he’s experiencing with Miller that has shaken his confidence. Doesn’t matter. He’s been a shell of his former self.

Miller hasn’t looked like the dominant player who roamed the ice last year either, one of the top two-way centres in the NHL. He missed 10 games this season when he had to step away from the team for personal reasons. Who knows if the situation with Pettersson has impacted his game as well. How could it not if it’s as bad as Rutherford makes it out to be?

But the whole team hasn’t looked like the same either. This year’s version has, in recent weeks, taken down Toronto, Edmonton and Washington – three of the top teams in the league. But then other times, far too often, they have looked disorganized and disengaged. That’s the maddening part about it.

“When you don’t have chemistry, it’s hard to be that consistent team because there’s too much going on in the room for everybody to concentrate on what they’re supposed to do,” Rutherford said.

I asked Rutherford if he means the Miller-Pettersson drama has impacted the entire team.

“Yes, yup,” he said.

Rutherford and his general manager, Patrik Allvin, are uncertain if removing one of either Pettersson or Miller will fix the problem. “We don’t know,” Rutherford said. “We’ll just have to wait to find out. We’ll have to take it a step at a time. If we try and do it too fast, that’s really when you can make some mistakes.”

Of course, the Canucks’ problems are no secret. The entire world knows. This includes general managers who have been circling the team like vultures looking to make away with an outstanding meal for very little cost.

Rutherford said he’d been doing the same if he were in their shoes. But he didn’t earn the reputation he has by buying high and selling low.

If the right deal doesn’t come along, it’s conceivable that both players could finish the season on the team. He said he’d rather not have to trade either player.

As much as he wants to fix the problem, he has to be smart about it. He can’t just sell Pettersson and Miller for multiple first-round picks and start over, for one simple reason – superstar defenceman and captain, Quinn Hughes.

Hughes is just 25 and entering his prime as a player. He could win multiple Norris trophies before his career is over. He does not want to be part of any rebuild in Vancouver. A retool perhaps, a rebuild definitely not.

“If we were going to completely start over that means he goes,” Rutherford told the Globe. “And we’d like to figure out a way that he’s here forever.”

What does that look like?

“We’ll have to do the best we can in trades,” Rutherford said. “Whatever assets you get in return, you may turn them into something else. And we have to work our way back into being a contending team.”

Still, any way you look at it, the Canucks are in a vulnerable – scratch that – are in a lousy, horrible, rotten, just-about-as-bad-as-it-gets position. Both Miller and Pettersson are No. 1 centres. In these times, you don’t trade a No. 1 centre and get a No. 1 centre back. “Those deals aren’t going to be there,” Rutherford acknowledges.

“So yeah, if a centre goes out of here we have to get some kind of centre back but it’s not going to be the same as the centre going out. It might not even be a No. 2 centre, but you’d have to do the best with what we have until we figure out how to fill that spot back in.

“And then, of course, you have to get extra things [in any trade] that you can either use in the future to flip for NHL players now or for other positions or things like that.”

This won’t be music to the ears of Canucks fans, but Rutherford is just being honest. It’s not like he asked for this nightmare to be foisted on him because he was bored with winning.

What the Canucks look like at the end of this season is anyone’s guess. Odds are they are going to look a lot different and likely a lot less appealing. At least for a while.

[callous-and-misunderstood]

doing a half-assed rewatch of D2 as i work on a fic but. a thought on the Cotillian fashions--

Uma's dress is much more complimentary of Ben's. She has the gold, in jewelry and accents, and the military-esque epaulets which compliment Ben's gold and military-esque jacket. They're both in mostly blue, sleek looks.

They feel coordinated and intentional, presenting a united but independent front/pairing.

Mal's dress, especially before her transformation (dragon and literal), is very... individual. Obviously part of her journey over the course of this movie is to learn how to balance two parts of herself.

But the complete juxtaposition of her dress next to Ben's really speaks to the way their relationship plays out. She has no gold, no blue. She has yellow and purple (and later purple and black and green). The yellow is the same yellow that Belle wears, rather than anything that Ben is wearing. She has voluminous skirts that take up space, literally separating her from her friends and from Ben.

Mal does not compromise with Ben, does not compromise her chosen identities. She maintains her individuality, even if it isolates her.

Staying true to yourself is a good message for a regular relationship, but as rulers, not as much.

And of course, Uma and Ben's coordination can speak to the spell Uma has Ben under. But both their costumes are true to their characters without any huge adjustments, where for Mal to match Ben it would have to be a very different dress.

So just some thoughts on how Mal and Uma are presented in juxtaposition to Ben at Cotillion.

[deliriuxe]

@megalommi yeah no I'm definitely not normal about these two sorry to say

[creekfiend]

pip do u ever wish u had a caring and dedicated handler like those dogs who their people refer to as Big Feelings Dogs. or that people interacted w u using non aversive methods. the more i look into dog training the more i wish for this. life is ruff

bro, yeah.

I think even if you can't get treated that way by Most people you are interacting with and you CERTAINLY can't get treated that way my institutions, the people who you come home to should at least be gentle with you and take you in good faith and proactively consider your wants and needs. like. your loved ones at least should do this. it can be hard to find people who are in the habit of it. but it's pretty great if you can. and then it's like you can do it for EACH OTHER which is even better bc you're on a beautiful journey of Be Nice To Each Other (And Yourself) together

[fromtheseventhhell]

Remember George's outline notes that had "joy of giving" and "mercy at the gate" for Arya? Mercy is crossed out and we obviously have that as her sample chapter, so what if Arya's next alias is "Joy"? Over-thinking the significance of that phrase and how it could apply to the rest of her Braavos arc🤔

[jtargaryen18]

While we're all thinking about the future...

Check out the app Goods Unite Us. It's an excellent app for letting folks know which brands and businesses have supported political parties that align with their personal values. I like the idea of helping brands and companies that value ME.

[joelsdagger]

it's election day!! so a little reminder;

if you’re in line at your polling place when they are supposed to close—STAY IN LINE!!!!!!

if you make a mistake on your ballot—ask for a new one.

if the machines are down at your polling place—ask for a paper ballot.

if you're experiencing trouble, intimidation, or questioning while voting—call the election protection hotline;

for English: 1-866-687-8683

for Spanish: 1-888-839-8682

for Arabic: 1-844-925-5287

for Bengali, Cantonese, Hindi, Urdu, Korean, Mandarin, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and more: 1-888-274-8683