#also don't worry about what they're standing on i just suck at perspective

[faemorningstar]

Happy Birthday Cody?

it's April Fool's Day, but the joke was never funny in the first place

also upcoming spoilers for TD Monsters but don't worry about it

[monstermoviedean]

oof man i have enjoyed destiel and cas a great deal but the more i rewatch and explore meta lately the harder it is to see any of that as actually any good for dean. even from a platonic perspective. like all of the heavy lifting is always on him and cas is just.. so terrible for and to him so much of the time - sometimes unknowingly sure but largely with full awareness and he never apologizes or grows from any of it in any kind of meaningful way which makes even his (arguably) good intentions meaningless. the highs can be so high don't get me wrong but the lows are just egregious. and constant. most of the time it feels like cas exists entirely to either create new problems or make existing problems worse lol idk just venting i guess. cas is a great character and i love how messy he can be but he gets off way too easy in canon and especially fanon imo.

first off, this ask made me want to give you a very big hug, anon. so if you're so inclined: *very big hug*

(long response ahead)

i probably wouldn't go so far as "terrible" but that's just me! i would say that a lot of the specific issues cas has lead him to actions that activate dean's specific issues. the big one for me is cas needing to feel worthy and capable, which leads him to do things on his own pretty frequently. that is absolutely understandable and valid for him, and i don't want to criticize him for it. it just happens that this is varying levels of upsetting to dean because he cares about cas, worries about cas, and doesn't want cas to leave or be silent for extended periods...which cas often does.

where i will criticize cas is how no matter how many times dean begs cas to keep him in the loop or hell, just even pick up the phone every once in a while, cas never really changes this behavior. i think there are a lot of issues between dean and cas that are caused by different needs or unintentional miscommunication of those needs, but this stands out to me as an area in which dean has a specific need, he communicates that need clearly, cas clearly understands the need, and cas ignores the need.

i do agree that cas is less apologetic than he could be and does not meaningfully grow in terms of some of his most harmful tendencies. i'm like, 50/50 on whether that's a cas issue or a writing issue. i think it's probably both, but the balance shifts day to day for me honestly. also i think you could make an argument for this problem being one that is manufactured by chuck, if you wanted to. but that doesn't make watching it any less frustrating.

cas creating or exacerbating problems - i hadn't thought about this! i think after s6 this tends to be more of a writing problem than a cas problem, but i do see what you're saying. and that makes it even worse in that basically cas sees himself as an eternal screw-up, and the events of the show don't do a lot to contradict that. it's possible that cas thinks the one thing he didn't screw up was dying to save dean, and that fucking sucks. that sucks hard.

cas getting off too easy in canon - agreed. and i think it's partly because dean almost always forgives him, very easily. i think dean acts as our emotional conduit for the show, so if dean forgives cas, we're supposed to forgive cas. and he almost always does! cas getting off too easy in fanon - EXTREME agree. i'm expecting angry anons just for suggesting cas sometimes does things wrong lmao.

now, here's why i still love destiel and always will (and if this doesn't work for you, no worries! just my two cents). i think all of their issues have a simple, if not easy, fix: time and space. if they could just stop running, stop feeling like they're under attack from a million different angles, take a second to breathe and think and reflect in safety - they could address a ton of their issues. a lot of unintentional miscommunication happens because they're in a hurry, or they get interrupted, or because there is something so pressing and urgent that they can only talk about plot-specific information and anything else feels extraneous. if they get a second where they can sit down and say, hey, this has been bothering me, can we talk? they can address it.

i think for a lot of their relationship dean is so scared of cas leaving that he leaves many things unsaid, afraid that revealing too much will scare cas off. but after 15x18, when he knows for sure that cas wants to be with him? i think dean would find it much easier and less scary to talk to cas about how cas' actions affect him. i also think cas would be more willing to listen and understand dean's feelings, and to talk about his own feelings. i really believe they could make it work if they weren't constantly in crisis. and we have only ever seen them in various levels of crisis.

[ihavenoideamanokay]

okay I've given up I'm gonna rant about the blue beetle movie because OH MY GOD

I wanna watch it again but I don't wanna go back to the theater I just wanna buy it already so I can watch it over and over and over

IT WAS SO GOOD

spoilers ofc so be prepared (also this is gonna be really long)

my one complaint. is khaji having a feminine robot voice. because I'm used to young justice where they were just a slightly more murderous sounding jaime which I think is perfect. idk it just feels too much like a marvel movie with the female robot suit. IT WAS BETTER THAN A MARVEL MOVIE THOUGH HAHAHAHA-

(for the record I usually say they/them for khaji bc they are a bug robot thing I don't think they understand or care about human gender but I'm stuck between that and that one venom post where they say venom uses he/him sometimes to match eddie's gender BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE KHAJI WOULD DO THAT 💀💀)

anyway I loved the movie soooooooo much and I love boostle being gay (and wasn't prepared for ted having a wife) so I was worried that ted had a daughter but she was AWESOME I LOVE HER SO MUCH

I especially love how nice she was???? her only surviving family member is a complete jerk and it never rubbed off on her, no matter how done with it she was and all that

I have a family member who, like vIcKy, is just mean to everyone for no reason (okay victoria kinda had a reason I'll get to all that later) and if I'm around her for too long I start wanting to match her energy. like yell back. I'M A HORRIBLE PERSON? LOOK WHO'S TALKING! that kinda stuff. but JENNY DOESN'T DO THAT I mean she still stands her ground and all that BUT she never sinks to victoria's level and that's amazing.

anyway on victoria's reasoning yeah I get it, it totally sucks that you helped create the company and it never got passed down to you, and I'm not trying to invalidate that in any way, I'm just saying, think about it from a different perspective. she could've been a psycho from the beginning. creating weapons will probably make you feel horrible and depressed because you're killing people! I just think we don't know if she cracked because of that and that's when she started seeing people as expendable, or if she was born like that, or if she became like that because of the sexism! I was just thinking about it and I feel like there's a possibility that their grandpa thought she was being a little too aggressive or something and that's why he gave the company to ted. of course, I'm not saying that's what happened, just that that's an interesting thought I had.

NEXT this is dumb but I'm too bi for that movie I saw the main couple and went IVHVAJBKSBEJV THEY'RE BOTH SO PRETTY WHAT 😭😭😭 (well it was more like I went yeah the guy who plays jaime (I'm sorry idk any actors) is pretty and then jenny came on and I just. oh no. then they flirted and I was like NO WHAT-

okay I love the family relationships in this movie because they're all so different. I mean you have jenny and her mom who she didn't really know (because she died), then her dad being distant, then her and her aunt constantly hating each other but being too scared to do anything about it. of course they didn't wanna kill each other because ✨lawsuits✨ but they wanted to get rid of each other because victoria was doing horrible things and jenny was getting in her way. then you have jaime's family which is a disaster in the best way possible. I love how we didn't see them that much but could still tell exactly what was going on there. you get that they're all super close (you even get that there's no privacy💀) and they're all like best friends. I feel like his mom should've gotten a bit more characterization, but whatever. I mean her husband died?? and we barely see her???? idk. I just like how drastically different it is from the kords like I think it's cool.

I realized after the movie that. his grandma never saw him transform the first time. and she probably saw the hole in the roof and, knowing her, did not care. then when he comes back they saw khaji attached to him and she was probably filled in, but. we never saw her reaction. I think it was a good decision not to show it, because she'd probably react in some way that mentioned her fighting people in the past and all that.

okay this is another cursed thought but what happened to jenny's motorcycle at the end? she drove it over but then jaime flew her away. did she leave it there and just make him pick her up later to get it? did he go back and fly it to her?? motorcycles are heavy man I don't think that would be fun. did he drive it to her???? did he just leave it there??????? did he fly her everywhere after that??????????? people will guess your secret identity man. also did milagro steal it because that is totally a milagro thing to do-

OH YEAH let's talk about how they all hated jenny when jaime transformed because as funny as that was. guys. she literally told him not to open it. (honestly I feel like it's an insult to khaji's intelligence that they thought they couldn't get out of a fast food box but that's just me.) and I totally get that they hated her because she was a kord and victoria was being horrible but like THEY JUSTIFIED IT AS "YOU DID THIS TO HIM" AND I FEEL LIKE OUT OF EVERY COMPLAINT THEY HAVE WITH HER THAT'S THE WORST ONE TO USE. SHE KINDA GOT JAIME AND MILAGRO FIRED AS WELL although that's also because milagro was breaking rules and jaime's just too good of a person to not yell at victoria. WAIT WHAT ABOUT THE FACT THAT SHE SAID "PROTECT IT WITH YOUR LIFE" KNOWING FULL WELL HE COULD ACTUALLY DIE THAT'S A GOOD COMPLAINT but like we can excuse that bc we love her here

okay so yes the scene where he talked to his dead dad was fine and all like I like it but. PLEASE. THE CGI WAS SO BAD IN THAT ONE PART. like the rest of the movie was fine BUT SERIOUSLY COME ON GUYS but in other news I love that scene because anything that has khaji just. vibing. is the best. and then having jaime accept them and stuff.

I just realized this movie could totally be a queer metaphor because of the whole acceptance theme?? I mean it's not like THE QUEER METAPHOR MOVIE EVER it's more like hey self acceptance. I mean you have to come out to yourself before you come out to others so idk that's just random

anything that has khaji da and jaime being best friends is automatically amazing. so my favorite arc in young justice is the reach arc (because I'm a sucker for possession and it was just totally well done) and my absolute favorite part of the arc + favorite blue beetle moment + possibly favorite part of the whole show??? is when khaji says the "then you haven't learned anything from our time together" line (that jaime says like an episode or so before I think) and every time I rewatch that I'm just like 😭😭😭😭😭 because they're besties your honor (or in love idk that ship isn't my first choice but I don't have a problem with it) and it's so so so good

I was so worried the movie was gonna be bad because I've only seen one recent dc movie (okay it was half of one) and I'm going to be honest I was not engaged at all I was kinda bored (I don't wanna say what movie it was because it's a very very hot take) and I was like oh no what if this movie does it too. nope. I also was really really hoping that they'd actually be like yeah the scarab's name is khaji da AND THEY DID I WAS SO HAPPY

oh my god I was looking at the cast and they listed victoria's assistant scientist guy as dr. sanchez. NOW I'M NOT THE SMARTEST BUT I'M PRETTY SURE THAT'S NOT HIS NAME- WASN'T THAT A WHOLE PLOT POINT 😭😭😭

that's all I have to say for now, there will probably be more later

[ghostlytuxedo]

This is a Toph appreciation post explaining why I think Toph from Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of the best, and least offensive, blind characters in popular media, from the perspective of a blind person with ADHD who sucks at explaining things.

This would've been more fitting when I was seeing a rise in "inclusive" media adding blind characters as some kind of uncomfortable attempt at comic relief, but I'm making it now.

Limitations:

While Toph does follow the "'blind' character who can 'see' via powers" trope, she still has some physical and social limitations due to her blindness. I normally wouldn't give super senses or alternative vision a representation pass without major physical limitations despite it, but I'll defend Toph because of how well-written her character and how her blindness is relevant to her was.

Physically, she can't see visual details such as pictures or print. Print being the only in-universe medium, she can't read or write. Even with bending, she is essentially nearsighted, and she can't feel anything she isn't vicariously in physical contact with through the earth. Other elements, loose material such as sand, and wearing shoes also block her ability to feel. That ability being blocked causes her distress, but so does taking away blind people's canes, their substitute 'eyes.'

Socially, she has to prove to her family that she isn't as helpless as they think she is. She proves it by using her bending equivalent to vision, but let's imagine her bending as an accommodation. Being held back by overprotective parents who don't understand that she can do most of the same things anyone else can, she just has different ways of doing it, is a realistic situation.

After being made fun of for her makeup, she glumly claims one of the good things about being blind is that she doesn't have to worry about how she looks. However, she does care about how others view her, even if by all logic appearance shouldn't matter. When you can't see yourself or others for comparison, you have to rely on what others say, and trust they'll tell you the truth whether you stand out or not. It can be very stressful.

Comic relief:

Most blind comic relief characters are varying degrees of incompetent, infantilized, nutty buffoons, who lack caution or awareness of their actions, and don't know how to adapt or preform basic tasks non-visually. The audience is expected to laugh at them rather than with them.

Toph, on the other hand, is witty. Her blindness isn't the focus of her character, and presents comedic opportunities naturally in the form of her own sarcasm when people forget she can't see, and snarky remarks similar to 'blind jokes' many blind people make on a regular basis. I could make a whole post dedicated to examples, but for now, I'll list a few.

When they're looking for the library, she gets irritable and shouts, "There it is!" When the group looks over, she says, "That's what it will sound like when one of you spots it," waving a hand in front of her eyes to remind them that she can't see. When asked if she wants to go into the library, she says, "I've held books before, and I gotta tell you, they don't do it for me," referring to how she can't read them. When Sokka holds up her wanted poster and rhetorically asks what it is, she retorts, "Well it sounds like a piece of paper, but I guess you're referring to what's on the piece of paper." When Katara calls her makeup pretty, Toph says she'd return the compliment but she can't tell. When Sokka makes bad art, Toph says she thinks it looks perfect. And, while using a disability to cheat security in real life is bad, come on. Seeing eye lemur? Sign me up.

What makes these moments funny, though, is that they aren't the majority of things she jokes or talks about. They come up because they're just the type of thing she'd say, similar to making fun of people or praising being back on solid land before making a snow angel in literal rock. She's genuinely a great character on her own. And when she does fail to catch things because she can't see them, or put wanted posters up facing the wrong way, or complain about her feet not being able to see, it's still funny because, unlike characters in other media, it isn't overdone, it's realistic, and she is well aware of her actions. She works because 'blind dumbass' isn't 90% of her personality, and she isn't the only character taking on the role of comic relief.

Conclusion:

I want to see more Tophs in fiction. Give me more blind characters who are confident in their abilities and act like normal human beings who just happen to be blind for effing once.

[guardian5tiger3]

Pick a photo tarot readingg

1 2

3 4

Group one

I feel like you all are struggling financially or dealing with some sort of insecurity in terms of your stability. I think this is a phase you're going through in a way, and from a spiritual perspective it seems like you all are learning something or many things from this somehow. And it's coming out really positive here actually. It seems like you're all on a spiritual journey and this is a part of that. One thing, it seems like if you had the money aspect of life figured out as of now, you wouldn't grow as much as a person. It seems like a few of you here are needing to know and or realize something about how money works when it comes to maybe the economy or just other people. Maybe you're meant to end up helping other people in regards to money. It also seems like for a lot of you, somehow , you wouldn't meet the people you're supposed to if you weren't on this path. I think you all are definitely gonna be alright no matter what and that spirit won't let you fall if that makes sense. I'm really picking up on that you all should embrace the rawness of not having or needing much at all and to let that help you grow and shine as a person. Soul speaks louder than say fancy clothes or anything. If any of you are worried about food specifically there are definitely places and people around that would help you out if the situation is that severe especially if you're in America ok. I'm really feeling that they just want you all to sort of relax, especially at night. Just appreciate the moment. A person could have nothing to their name and nowhere to go, but they still have stars to look at every night.

Group two

You guys are definitely going somewhere, or something is happening. I'm really getting something about the word destination. It seems like whatever is going on with or around you might have some more negative side effects. I'm kind of thinking about turbulence, like when you're in a plane and it starts shaking. And you all might be a bit sad or something. I heard on edge. I saw one of your guys fish tank very cool. So it seems like spirit wants you all to find some form of peace somewhere somehow in some way. Maybe meditation. I feel almost frustrated like, you may be past this and trying your best and don't know about anything that might help or even what you really need. One thing, I see if you go outside or to a store or stores and possibly talk to strangers there, or for some of you someone who is stable minded or you get along with conversationally.. and also just being outside would help. Sitting in the grass. Also getting good sleep and doing everything you can to feel mellow before bed time. I'm seeing you may need to have patience with either yourself or a individually for most of you I'm getting they're female if that's the case. If someone in your life is trying to bribe you or something like that, I would say stick to your morals and stand very strong and be punk about who you are. F em . Seriously. But it's your decision to make. I just feel like this person kinda sucks for that. Like that's manipulation. And why hold out on giving someone something if u can just to bribe them or whatever it is. Not cool if you ask me. I think spirit wants you to just make whatever decision makes you feel the most empowered. But don't screw yourself over if possible. I don't know.

Group three

I'm already picking up on a fence so some of you either live in the suburbs, have , or will, or want to I suppose. Or someone here there's a dude in your life that wants to. You guys either wants to, are, or are being encouraged to do something out of the norm in a way. Maybe leaving and going somewhere new. Maybe doing something new. Are you serious sorry everyone one of you is younger trying to stain a store for fun lol I will not say anything more about that but it's funny. Go for big corps capitalism is evil anyway. Regardless. Sorry. One of you has a dog they're encouraging you to not do some type of idk if it's surgery or something that could possibly be cruel or just you don't know if you want to do it it could even just be a shock collar I know I never liked those. But yeah don't do it whatever it is. If you know someone is abusing an animal then do something /say something about it please . So yeah one of you is going to be or is at a place where there is a older fence I think right, and when you leave you should be careful. Just cautious Incase anything might happen. If a dog is barking a lot that's a sign. If there is a kid playing with a hose by a fence for one of you I saw that I don't know why but it might be sort of like deja Vu, as in that moment is just significant somehow and maybe we don't get to know why. One of us I'm ngl you're under threat of being initiated into some bad group you really don't want to get involved with so lay low and if you're a loner keep being a loner for a while there's nothing wrong with that. Someone has a mom she's older I think she is latina or something but I'm not sure. hug her and mean it the next time you see her it will mean a lot.

Group four

(could be other pets. I'm now picking up on a bird. General message a pet is trying to communicate something to you.) So y'all have dogs. This is the dog lover group. Oddly a lot about dogs in this whole reading for everyone but y'all have a pet dog I think the relationships y'all all have are super cute and sweet. Ok so someone here you go to school you love to come home and chill with and see your dog right I heard sweetheart maybe that's just how your dog is or you call someone that or someone calls someone that I have no clue just heard the word ok. Basically though about the person that goes to school your dog wishes to tell you that something is going on when you're gone and it's not good and I'm not sure what it is but you ought to get to the bottom of it . I'm mainly feeling neighbor maybe it's a roommate I don't really know what's going on I think you have to find a way to find out or just take steps to protect your dog. If they don't like loud noises if that's the case someone has a neighbor that makes loud noises this could be a different person, and your dog doesn't like it. I'm getting construction stuff. I would hope there's some type of thing you can get to cover their ears maybe??, I don't know..

If someone's dog has been acting weird like unruly in any way they're also trying to tell you something ,reminds me of so many movies like say a movie a pet is acting out and the owner is like dang it stop and the whole time the pet is like no dude your girlfriend is evil. I don't know. Just pay better attention I suppose.

If you're dog is more than usually lately having problems regarding a door in your house front back whatever. You might want to invest in some security for the door.

If you don't have any pets and you read this far it's either another pet you should pay attention to their behavior or most likely you should uhh think about getting a new pet 🥲or you'll find a stray or something. Dude keep it. That's like, destiny. Peace.

[starseneyes]

Spock / Nurse Christine Chapel - Star Trek: Strange New Worlds S2 Eps 8 & 9

So, I was gonna wait until the Finale to do another Meta, but then I saw all the Chapel hate coming out after 9, and I felt the need to insert my (uneducated) opinion.

SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers are like garlic for me. If the recipe calls for a clove, I'm adding a head. So, if you dare eat this Spanish/Ukrainian princesa's babaganoush, then this spoiler-filled Meta is for you!

Everyone clear on how this thing works? Brilliant. Let's dive in with kleenex in hand.

"Under the Cloak of War" AKA "You Had To Be There"

"The ally ambassador must have many interesting insights on delicate matters of diplomacy." ... "Christine." "What? Oh, you're doing the word game. Um, I'm sorry. I don't really have one right now."

The staging of this is so haunting and beautiful. Spock has his back to the situation, because he was never really apart of it. Spock didn't see the ravages of the Klingon War up close.

Christine faces it head-on, refusing to look away when it might be healthier for her. She shouldn't even be here. But the Veterans are forcing themselves to put on a good face for the sake of Starfleet.

And, ugh, that kills me inside. M'Benga writes it off, saying he's survived worse than polite conversation. True. But that doesn't make any of this right.

Spock is worried about his not-girlfriend, but he has no idea how to help her. He can't understand what she's been through, but she won't/can't help him understand.

And, please don't misread this as a criticism of Christine. She is under no obligation to help Spock understand. But he cannot understand it, and from his perspective, he's trying to. He never will.

"You are under duress."

Spock shifts from standing in front of her to standing alongside her. I love that choice. I don't know if it was writing, acting, directing, or something else. But it shows the shift in him turning that blind eye (intentionally or not) to standing with her.

Also, gosh, he knows her. He's observant of her. He's paying attention.

He wordlessly looks down to the glass in her hand.

"Quite understandable. I do not know much about your service in the war, but... I am available if you ever feel the need to share." "Yeah, I don't, so let's just change the subject, yeah?"

Her duress increased. The exact opposite of what Spock hoped to achieve in telling her that he was there for her.

"I just wish he would shut up for one second about all this amazing peace he's achieved." "I can help with that."

There's vulnerability in her eyes as she looks over to him, because she really doesn't want to close herself off to him.

She doesn't want to deal with all that she lost during the War. And, in a small part, what she's going to lose shortly based on Boimler's words.

Spock strides over to the Ambassador, inspired by Christine's previous words, "let's just change the subject" and he puts it into practice. As conversation shifts, he looks to her.

"Did I do right?" his eyes ask. Because all he wants is to help her. She offers him a small nod and smile in return. Yes, in a small way, this is actually helping.

"Okay, I'm gonna go see if she needs anything."

It sucks that their first time sitting alongside one another at a dinner now that they're dating is one... like this.

There's nothing to report here on them besides the fact that Christine takes the out to leave and check on Erica while Spock sits in his chair stewing over what he could have done differently to help.

Spock earnestly wants to help. He doesn't know how. And Christine doesn't know how to tell him what will help because nothing will help.

"I want to apologize for my part in last night's dinner." "You don't need to apologize. None of this is about you. You just see me going through something and our closeness makes you feel responsible."

Spock is still looking for some way to help her. But Christine is still living in moments long since passed. And he can't get there because he's never been there.

But, she's right. Their "closeness" factors into him wanting to help. We know from the future that Spock cares deeply about the people he holds closest and would do anything for them.

"You're not." "I understand." *Spock looks around to see no one there* "That is not true."

Spock steps into the corner and Christine leans against the wall. They both relax into their positions almost effortlessly, but they aren't alongside one another anymore. They aren't facing anymore. They're separated with feet planted almost perpendicular.

This is where their paths diverge. No longer towards one another. No longer alongside. This subtle blocking choice shows us we're at the beginning of the end.

"I am having difficulty watching you experience such obvious distress. I want to help."

I love the clear communication on his end. Truly! Spock is laying it all out for Christine.

"But it would appear all that I am doing is making it worse." "War, it doesn't leave you. It can, it can bury itself, but it's-it's always there."

And she's trying to give him insight. But how can she truly explain? She can't.

"I researched J'Gal. It was a forward operating base. The data suggests the loss of life was disproportionate-" "J'Gal is not a statistic, Spock. J'Gal is what it is. War, it makes sense if you've been there, but it will never make sense."

That last line. Wow. I have nothing to add.

"Like I've been trying to tell you, I just need some personal time."

Like you've been trying to... huh? She's not even looking him in the eye while she says this. Because she's taking this opportunity to take that "closeness" that makes him feel responsible for her and push it away.

Maybe she's been trying to say this, but not saying this. We know Christine's not the best at communicating what she wants in a relationship.

And we know that right now he is making it tougher on her. Even he realizes it. But what he doesn't know is that in giving her this space, now, he'll never regain back what he thought they had.

"I understand. You require personal time away from me."

And he'll give it to her. He'd do anything for her. For goodness sake, he almost started a war for her when he was still in a fully-committed engagement. Of course he'll give her space if that's what she needs.

He only hopes she'll close the gap when she's ready. But poor, sweet, Vulcan/Human boy... you aren't ready.

"Subspace Rhapsody" AKA "Don't Go Breakin' My Heart"

"Oh, I have to talk to Spock."

But. She. Doesn't. Christine doesn't like truth-filled conversations with the people she's dating. We know that this is a core flaw in her attempts at relationship—she has no idea how to effectively communicate with a romantic partner.

She's not going to talk to him... and instead he's going to stew (and eventually make his own stupid decision) because they're not communicating at all.

I feel like Christine was one of the best at communicating with Spock pre-romance. They built this really beautiful friendship. And even as they were in the early stages of their dating relationship, that connection still seemed strong.

But J'Gal tested them in a way neither predicted. And that would have happened whether or not Boimler dropped the future truth bomb.

Christine has a lot of PTSD that is unprocessed. And Spock lacks that understanding because he has never shared those experiences. I've seen relationships implode more than once when one partner had PTSD. It's brutal.

And enter this huge opportunity for Christine. She once told Spock that relationships are about mutual sacrifice, that one puts the relationship above work. But that's not how either Christine or Spock operate.

In a parallel universe, they could discuss this openly and honestly with one another. But this Spock and Christine have communication issues that they'll sadly never resolve (at least so far as we know canon).

"Unfortunately, we have had another communication failure."

Dana Horgan & Bill Wolkoff (the screenwriters of this episode), I love you. To have that line as the verbal cue to switch scenes was so bloody perfect, especially considering the state of the Spapel relationship. These two are definitely experiencing a communication failure.

"Is that transmission regarding Nurse Chapel's recent fellowship application? Was the news... favorable?"

Oh, dear, how long has he been giving her "personal time" that he's asking Uhura for updates?

"I don't look at personal correspondence." "Of course, that would be unethical."

And, look, he's not trying to spy. But he does want to know. And he wishes Christine would be the one to tell him. Our poor boy has been doing everything he can to help her—including giving her space.

But while he's been wishing to be close to her, again, she's been widening the gap.

"You and Nurse Chapel have become close, haven't you?"

Okay, so the whole crew isn't aware that these two are shacking up. But, we've seen Uhura be hyper-vigilante about the connection between Spock and Christine since Season 1. She was the first person to call it out.

And Spock really isn't sure what to say. In his mind, they are still an item, even if they aren't a "couple", right?

"I suppose it would be accurate to say that we are more than colleagues." "There's that classic Vulcan romance I've heard about."

She means it in a ribbing way, but it hurts. Uhura notices, and makes the adjustment, like any good communications officer would.

"Why don't you ask her about it?" "Of late, our communication has faced challenges."

Gosh, he needs this. In the absence of Christine, he needs someone he can talk to. Someone who can see the whole of him and truly listen. To make Uhura that foil considering the TOS-era friendship they seem to have makes total sense.

Spock Presses the Issue

It feels like Uhura and Spock both thought he'd be the one to sing when this was pressed. Was it a stupid move? Gosh, yes. But if characters didn't make mistakes, we'd scream and wail about their plasticity and lack of organic truth. They have to be flawed to be well-rounded.

But, Spock's mistake leads to one of the most energetic songs of the episode, and a lot of unspoken truths.

"Christine. Logic would dictate you are toasting good news regarding your fellowship. So, allow me to offer congratulations." "Thank you, Spock." "I am curious why you chose not to inform me. Was it an oversight? Or was it intentional?" "Can we, um, can we talk about this later?" "I am just curious."

Again, Spock pressing this in front of everyone was asinine. I'm not glossing over that. But her hiding it from him was stupid, too. They are both in the wrong in how they handled this situation.

But I truly believe Uhura though Spock would be the one to sing. They were trying to incite a song, and she could already tell he was o the verge of emotional when it came to Christine and this fellowship.

But, Christine busts out with absolute glee. And she deserves to be gleeful. A partner should never be her whole life.

And I truly believe she never would have told Spock in front of the entire bar under any other circumstances. We already set it up with La'an warning Pike and then Pike and Batel exposing themselves in front of everyone.

To borrow the phrase from Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, these are "heart songs". These are things that dwell in the deepest part of selves that would never come out under normal circumstances.

Pike would still be lying to Batel. La'an wouldn't have run off to hide in her quarters because she was belting truths. And Christine would have dealt with Spock in her own time... even if that was still a bad choice.

The song forced Christine to share this truth.

And, gosh, there are so many lyrics in here that show Christine's state of mind. The validation. The freedom. The future that she already knows she doesn't share with Spock.

Christine has applied to something that only a handful of people get into every year, and this isn't a 2-month trip that she'd return from. This could be the start of an entirely new path for her. She may never come back to Enterprise.

And, from his perspective, I see how cold-hearted it seemed. But I do not begrudge her going after her dreams. I simply abhor that she cut Spock out entirely prior to this big musical number.

But... our characters have to make mistakes. Otherwise, we'd be watching "the perfect people" do nothing every week.

"If I need to leave you, I won't fight it. I'm ready."

She speaks the line the last time... "I'm ready." It's spoken outside of the song. She means it. And it crushes him.

He turns over that left shoulder... but away from her, this time. He's spent the entire song standing still while the world around him moved, while she moved the world with her words. And now he feels out of place in a realm where she thrives.

Her spark is ignited, while his flame painfully claws at the last threads of wick before dying.

Uhura and Chapel are the only ones who watch Spock go—who understand what really happened there. We don't see Christine's reaction, but we see Erica smiling up at her.

Christine meant it. She's ready to move on. But it does kill me that she doesn't try to go after him, to seek him out, to make sure he's okay.

Again, our characters have to make mistakes. They have to screw it up. And in how she handles breakups, Christine consistently screws up. It would be out-of-character for her to handle this one well.

Again, I don't blame her for breaking up with him via song. He pushed her to sing by pushing the issue. But her actions before and after are entirely her own just as much as his to push was his. They're both idiots.

"I didn't expect Christine to be so definitive about ending our arrangement."

He doesn't even refer to it as a relationship. But, since he's opened up to Uhura at the start of the episode about them being "more than colleagues", he feels freer to speak.

He also feels exposed.

"Relationships can be difficult, Spock, and you're Vulcan" "But I am also human."

Oh, my sweet boy. You finally got there. You finally learned to embrace both sides of yourself only to experience your first true heartbreak.

And now you'll endeavor to do what so many other humans have done before you—shut out the pain.

"I feel things differently. Bigger. I see her logic and, yet, I am hurt."

Gosh, the pain. Listen to his emphasis on "hurt". This is where Ethan Peck's vocal inflection and range really sing (pardon the pun).

Uhura has never seen this level of emotion from Spock. But they are becoming friends, which is welcome and needed for both their stories. And he's opening up in a way he won't, again, for a very long time, I suspect.

"I am left behind."

I hate to say it, but I imagine this is how T'Pring felt when he took off on their engagement night. There was always something Spock seemed to be choosing over her.

The difference is that Spock thought he and T'Pring's relationship could weather all his other duties. With Christine, that isn't even a possibility she's willing to entertain.

She's done. It's over. And he's hurt.

The Music Swells

Spock and Uhura lock eyes. They both know a song is coming on, but I love how he doesn't run away, and she stays there with him.

If anyone knows what it is to be alone, it's Uhura. She's the one who pressed him to press Christine, so she's not leaving his side, now.

And it's Christine's Song. It's their song. Oh, gosh, this hurts. I didn't call it right on them sharing a song in terms of a duet, but in this melody, they share the two sides of the same song—one elated, one defeated.

Though, Spock's in the minor key where Christine was in the major. So, even though the melody and rhythm are matching, the songs aren't quite the same, even in construction. Damn, this is masterful.

My husband, who started playing piano at age 5 and studied for 21 years, said they gave Spock and Chapel the "Les Mis" treatment, and I about died laughing. He's not wrong.

"This news really changes everything-"

Starting the same way, too, whew. This is already super painful. Christine's version was a boisterous, celebratory tune with raucous dancing, cheerful backup vocals, and lots of pageantry.

Spock is in the echo chamber of Engineering. Without Uhura, he would be utterly alone. But there's no one to sing with him. His voice rings out alone.

"I can't believe how wrong I've been. Convinced myself we shared the same feelings. I won't make that mistake, again."

And Uhura can't interject to tell him about interdimentional space and everything that Christine said there. It's not her place. But, damnit, communication would have changed this whole story.

"For her I set aside my need to analyze. Now I'm wrecked and searching for Why. I'm the Ex."

Beautiful play on words. Though, I'll admit a small part of me was mentally breaking into the Calculus song from 2gether (yes, I'm that old).

While the other song was more hilarious, this one's eloquently and agonizingly crafted. It makes so much sense that our favorite Science officer is merging math and music, as only the best STEAM students can.

"I've got no one but myself to blame. I betrayed my core philosophy. Unending reason must be my true north, lest I drown in this sea of pain."

Imagine you've grown up in a constricted world and when you finally decide to break out of that and test the waters, your boat is capsized by the person you trusted to help you steer.

Spock took a great risk with this relationship, and he knew it. But he never predicted it would end like this. Yes, Christine was upfront with not wanting to label it and not wanting to tell Starfleet. She didn't pretend in any way.

But Spock still hoped. And now that hope's been dashed.

I think a lot of us have been there—having our hearts broken by someone we really trusted. Gosh, I remember my first boyfriend.

He broke up with me over the phone on my birthday, which happened to be the week of Prom. Oh, and he was cheating on me because two months in on my first relationship I wouldn't sleep with him. We still went to Prom together because I thought I could win him back.

Seventeen-year-old Rachel wasn't that bright. But she was hurt. And she had hope that she was wrong to be guarded, that it was okay to let those walls down a bit and let someone in.

"I'm so dysfunctional, weak and emotional, feelings I just can't contain. Escaping this misery, you're breaking free, not a possibility.

Uhura's brow furrows as she listens to him talking about himself so harshly.

"Weak and emotional" is a gut-punch to me considering how a season ago in episode 9 Spock was lamenting his weakness while Christine cupped his face and told him it was his emotions... and that they didn't make him weak... they made him human.

"I solved for Y in my computation but missed vital information, the variable so devastating... I'm the X."

Watch how he looks to Uhura mid-phrase. He nearly forgot she was there listening to him bare his soul. But he can't stop it as it's flowing out. He has to finish the song, no matter how painful.

"I'm the ex."

He speaks the line the same way Christine spoke her last line. Because, it's real. It's true. And it hurts like hell.

"I am sorry."

He's near tears, again, and it's all wrong. So far this season Christine, M'Benga, the transporter chief, and now Uhura have seen the Vulcan near-tears or crying. He can't have that, now. Before, he allowed himself the vulnerability. He tested the bounds of his humanity.

Never again. He refuses to let himself be hurt like that, again.

"So far, we've only witnessed people being torn apart by this event." *pointed camera on Spock*

Look, we all knew this was coming, right? This story is set in canon, and canon dictates and Spock and Christine are not together in TOS-era.

And Spock has already started to bottle up those emotions that plague him. We saw that he can pull it together quickly enough, as demonstrated in the season opener.

Yes, this will take work, but he's willing to do whatever it takes to never feel this pain, again.

The Missed Moment

At the end of the big musical number, everyone's feeling connected and elated. There's hugging and congratulations. But when Christine turns to Spock, there's a wall there.

She didn't expect that. You can tell she didn't expect him to wall her off so swiftly, though it's not entirely unexpected. And she's not going to chase after him.

But it still hurts. I mean, we all saw how broken-hearted she was at Boimler's news that she wasn't even a footnote in Spock's written story.

And I posit that's part of why this isn't harder for her—she's been letting go for weeks. Pulling away. Making space. But Spock's had mere moments to wrestle with the consequences of giving into weakness.

A few weeks ago, he would have been laughing and hugging with all of them. He was reveling in testing the waters of his humanity while basking in the love of this beautiful, human woman. So much changes in the course of a few weeks.

Look, I'm thrilled for Christine. I am definitely not a woman who thinks any woman should change her plans for a man. But celebrating with her friends over champagne before telling Spock was tacky.

And I'm not excusing him pressing her in front of their friends for an answer. While he did it under the guise of duty (and we all know how married Spock is to duty), it was a bad call.

But they're both in the wrong. Spock was right at the beginning of the episode—their communication is a problem.

And, now, their paths are potentially, permanently diverged. I say potentially because there are dozens of possibilities.

Maybe they try, again, but something external pulls them apart. Maybe they get together in another timeline. Maybe years after TOS they reunite. We can dream, right?

In the season finale, there'll be awkwardness between them, I'm sure. This looks like the Gorn issue is coming to a head, and we know from early promos that there's footage of the pair of them together in space suits.

Will it be a final coda on their relationship? I suppose we'll find out together.

There were so many little things that made me squee during this episode. Paul Wesley's voice reminding me so very much of 1960's-era Disney princes, the Gilbert & Sullivan reference, the Buffy-coded Bunny reference, Uhura's amazing earrings that were giving me major Nichelle Nichols vibes, the raucous joy of Chapel's number, the crispness and clearness of Chistina Chong's vocals, M'Benga's surprising range, the varying styles and eras... so much. I could go on and on and on.

And, I'd be so remiss if I didn't call out two things in this episode that took my breath away beyond the obvious Spapel:

"You see the connections between us when all we see are the empty spaces."

This line skewered me so beautifully. I'm a communications person. I have two degrees in it. I held together a group of friends who met at college orientation through our four years of school, and we've been together over 20 years, now.

This line is so beautiful and so meaningful. I will think of it often. Because we need people like that in the world. They're the connective tissue.

And this line captures why so beautifully with so few words. That's masterful. In a season that's all about connectivity and communication, this line stands out.

Celia Rose Gooding

No quotes needed. She's simply sensational. I like to think Nichelle Nichols is looking down on her with a proud smile on her face. Her entire solo I had chills.

Yes, there was another episode this season that focused on Uhura, but I really feel like this was her show.

We saw how she flawlessly handled all of the communications issues early, how she worked beautifully with Spock, how she cut loose with her friends with a musical number while working, and how she ultimately saved the day.

She is a marvel to watch, and I'm so grateful she had an opportunity to shine as she did in this episode. I've loved her performance up until now, but this episode is the one where I was completely wowed. What talent!

Truly, everyone was amazing this week. Yes, she was a stand-out, but everyone poured their hearts and souls and songs into this. It shows. And it's magical as a result.

My predictions for this episode weren't quite right, but the spirit sadly was. Now we get awkwardness next week in space suits. We all know how that ended for B'Elanna Torress and Tom Paris, but I doubt Christine and Spock will have such a positive experience.

Maybe some sort of resolution, but Spock's declared he won't make the same mistake, again. He's walled off that part of himself already. Christine won't be able to access it, again.

Unless, of course, I'm completely wrong and Season 3 opens with them in a parallel universe where these crazy kids get it right. But, what fun would that be?

Look, we all make mistakes. Characters make mistakes. They can't magically be completely different versions of themselves because it suits a happy ending. We all knew this wasn't a happily ever after story.

We knew it'd be messy and painful. We knew it'd end in tears. But, the writers, directors, and performers (not to mention the rest of the incredible crew) have given us something really beautiful, here. It's achingly beautiful. What a privilege to witness it.

Thanks for reading, my friends. Be kind to one another. Build one another up. And never forget that you have intrinsic value and worth that nobody can take away.

Look for the connections in the empty spaces. They're there. We're here. And you are not alone.

[jouska-the-deer]

I see a lot of people not liking the way Shadow is portrayed in the Twitter Takeovers and while I do also have issues with some of the stuff they've done with him I feel like people are placing their discontent in other places than me.

Like... it literally does not impact Shadow's personality if he likes eating coffee beans or smells like lavender or has a routine for making his bed. All those small quirks of his day-to-day life literally would not affect how he acts in the games even if the Takeovers were canon. People can be serious in some situations and have goofy seeming interests in others.

Meanwhile I more take issue with the way his dialog is written to make him more rambly than he is in the games (Oddly in the recent Takeover Knuckles specifically commented on the fact that Shadow only talks when he needs to, contrasting with some of Shadow's very meticulous answers in the takeovers) as well as making him more aggressive toward the other characters, specifically Sonic.

The last point kinda goes the other way too. In the recent Takeover, someone asked everyone to give their opinions on Shadow, and Sonic straight up calls him edgy and has to admit that he respects him.

Firstly... Shadow is only really edgy in the perspective of him as a character who goes against the norms of the children's games he's a part of. "Edgy" when referring real people (as would apply to Sonic talking about Shadow) implies a sort of "try hard" personality that Shadow just doesn't have. Shadow is cool and doesn't fake it. Infinite is edgy; Shadow isn't. Worse yet, Shadow has not done anything that Sonic hasn't also already done, (besides use guns that one time). So, is Sonic calling him edgy for being black with red highlights? That's rude.

Second, I think the part where Sonic was reluctant to say he respects Shadow is even worse to be honest. Not only would game Sonic not have a hard time saying he respects Shadow, he'd also consider him a friend. They butt heads and bicker sometimes but there's no bad blood between them; They're just super competitive people who enjoy having someone around that can evenly match their skills. I don't even think Shadow would pause to think about if he respects Sonic or not. They're very similar in a lot of ways and politeness is one of them. Neither would genuinely struggle to point out the strengths eachother has.

I like the Twitter Takeovers for their goofy moments and little peeks into what the daily lives of these characters could be like, but I do genuinely worry that people will let the sitcom-esque portrayals of the cast influence how they perceive their game counterparts. People already confuse Sonic X, Prime, and the IDW comics as being canon to the games, since they're not as visually non-canon as the movies and Boom as well as taking more inspiration from the games, so I wouldn't be surprised. It also doesn't help that the Takeovers do throw in some stuff that genuinely seems to be trying to explain game canon the way that the TailsTube videos have.

Anyway, Shadow's favorite flowers are lantanas and I think that's neat. Sucks that the Twitter Takeover writers think he and Sonic have a hard time standing each other, though.

[nellie-elizabeth]

Grey's Anatomy: Burn It Down (20x10)

Ughhhh. Wow. That was not a good finale for me, for a lot of reasons.

Cons:

Gosh, where to even start, my list of grievances is so long. I guess let's go with a couple of the smaller irritants first: Jo being pregnant is such a no from me. And her not telling Link about it? What? Yeesh. I guess I'm glad that her dramatic passing out was just exhaustion and that she's fine, just pregnant, but I'm also very grumbly about the whole thing. It does seem like this show prioritizes storylines that I'm less interested in, and pushes aside the things that would really compel me.

Case in point number two, Lucas and his future fate. I wanted to be moved by everyone showing up to plead his case in front of Catherine, and in a way I was: good on Bailey and the interns for standing up to Catherine Fox, she badly needs to be told she's overstepping, honestly. But Lucas is just so fundamentally uninteresting to me, that the idea that the cliffhanger of the whole season is "but what about Lucas's career" just... sucks, from an investment perspective. Yasuda and Kwan and Jules are at this point far more interesting to me, and I like Simone a lot when she's not tied up in Lucas's drama. I'm just bummed about where the story investment is going, is I guess what I'm saying.

There's been a lot of retreading familiar ground this season, as I think at least for some of the characters, this show is really showing its age. Never have I felt that more than with Richard. Holy shit, Richard's role in this episode pissed me off like you wouldn't believe. The wishy-washy way he's almost retired or stepped back from surgery over the years makes every story like this feel like the boy who cried wolf, but honestly? Fingers crossed he actually finally fucking retires. Why? Well, so we can stop hearing about it, for one, and also... he killed a man???

I was honestly flabbergasted by the handling of this patient's death in this episode. The fact that Richard can wax philosophical about his past and say "it might really be time for me to put down the scalpel" after he realizes he made a totally preventable mistake and it resulted in a patient's death is just... so off, tonally, to me. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Isn't this the kind of shit that should get Richard, and the hospital, into big, big trouble? Should we have seen the consequences through the reactions of this dead man's family or something? It just felt so flat! Someone tell Mika and Jules that they're not responsible for this man's death! And someone take Richard's badge away from him. Go on, Catherine, you're kicking every damn body else out of this joint, why not add your husband who clearly can't do his job anymore?

Before we get to Catherine, and oh boy are we getting to Catherine, let's talk about Bailey. I love Bailey, I love Ben, but this was another story that felt like such a retread of things we've seen a million times. Bailey being affected by Ben's job, worried about him constantly, it's nothing new - we see it all the time, whenever they want to amp up the potential drama here. Ben, evidently, survives the finale of Station 19, so I think hopefully we can put this to rest. I'm seeing rumblings that Ben might be coming back to surgery and thus jumping back over to Grey's. Wouldn't be mad about it, to be honest. Let's set this whole firefighter husband worry behind, for Bailey.

Then there's Nick and Meredith. Not much to say about this. I find them boring. I don't get why Meredith is invested in him. He is a nothing character with nothing interesting about him whatsoever. I hate that because of Meredith's part-time status on the show, we're probably just going to keep seeing the two of them go along in their boring relationship for the rest of however long this show goes. I wish Meredith could have been sunsetted off the show with a character I give a damn about.

And last but not least in my long list of complaints... yeah. Catherine Fox. You know, I've struggled to figure out my distaste for this character for a long time. Grey's is filled with brilliantly complicated characters, in particular it's filled with women who do bad things for good reasons, or even for bad ones, women who have egos and ambitions, women who refuse to fill a palatable role to make everyone comfortable. I'm fine with a flawed character, I'm fine with Catherine being in the wrong sometimes. But yowza! Her ego trip, her inflated sense of her own importance... I cannot with her! Do you know how much a character has to be pissing me off for me to take Owen's side on something? But when he snapped at her to let Teddy help with the surgery, I was cheering him on!

The pettiness of taking Meredith and Amelia's research away and giving it to Tom Koracick? Now, don't get me wrong, if this means we'll see Tom next season in some capacity, I'm all for it, but in terms of Catherine's actions here? It's aggravating beyond compare. Her playing politics with information that could actually save so many lives? Her complete lack of awareness that she's the one who fucked up by trying to silence Meredith in the first place? The absolutely petty move of cutting Owen's badge access off, along with Teddy's and Amelia's? Like, what the fuck did Owen do except snap at you a little bit for trying to stand in the way of a firefighter's life being saved? The audacity of her firing him too for that? Seemingly? Yeesh. Take several seats, Catherine Fox.

Pros:

Despite my many complaints about this episode, there were actually several moments I enjoyed just fine.

Catherine being annoying did allow for Owen to be a badass, and for Meredith to be even more of a badass. When Catherine says she's just like her mother, Meredith says "good, that means I'll win." Hell yeah, Mer. You tell her.

I also love Amelia so much, and I think the friendship between Amelia and Owen is honestly very charming and mature, so good for both of them there? I loved when Amelia asked him for advice and Owen said that she'd never taken his advice before, so why start now? He does eventually tell her that he personally wouldn't be giving the research to Tom Koracick, but that's just because he has extremely legitimate reasons to hate that dude.

I'm grieving hardcore for Yasuda not sticking around next season, and I hope there's a way for her contract to get renegotiated or something! Because that Yasuda and Jules almost kiss? Yes please? I haven't felt this invested in a romance that probably won't even happen in a long time on this show. But even without it being definitively a romantic thing, I love their friendship so much. I hope someone tells them right away that they aren't responsible for the death of that patient!

I'm still not "on board", exactly, for the Winston/Monica thing, but I suppose I can enjoy it for the drama for the time being? I do want Winston to be able to find happiness, honestly. I just hope Amelia/Monica is a thing we get to see in the future, too.

I'm also still in denial about Schmitt leaving next season, but I did like how annoying he was in this episode, honestly. He can be kind of a lot to handle, and I like that he's allowed to be a little more openly frustrating sometimes. Him being annoyed with Jo for not telling him she's pregnant was such a funny bit, as he realized what he had inadvertently done.

As boring as I find Lucas, I did like the little plot thread where he helps with the app to connect people who are trying to find each other. And I like that Dorian is finally discharged from the hospital - a happy ending for that patient was sorely needed after everything he's been through!

So... yeah. All in all, I'm annoyed with this episode. I'm annoyed with Catherine, I'm annoyed that Jo's pregnant, I'm annoyed that everyone's focused on Lucas, I'm bored by Nick. I'm happy that Dorian got discharged, and I'm happy that Meredith is standing up for herself, I guess? We'll be back for hopefully a bit longer of a season twenty-one. And we'll find out what the heck is going on with Kwan's amnesiac ex-fiancee... man, this show can be endearingly ridiculous sometimes.

6/10

[c2-eh]

I'm so upset with all of this. I know carlos will find a good seat, I'm not concerned about that.

But the way it happened that kills me. I know it was probably leaked but it gives such a bad taste. Like they are just throwing him away like nothing. And he clearly adored ferrari. I don't think he was expecting either, it feels to me like the moment they heard lewis wanted to come they just got rid of him.

I'm also worried about Charles. He is already so disrespected by everyone and I think it will only get worse. The amount of people I already saw saying he is mentally weak and will crumble with lewis makes me want to leave social media. Also ferrari signing lewis is like they're saying "we don't think you good enought to win".

I kind of wish they both got away. Ok you don't think we are good enough so we're moving lol. I know charles would never do this because he loves Ferrari, but I have a bad feeling they will end up doing to him the same thing they did to carlos.

Not to be a downer but I'm kind of hoping this ferrari "greatest deal" ends up flopping hard.

It was poorly executed and frankly so disrespectful from Ferrari how they announced the whole thing but yeah what's new, they suck anyway. And yep that's pretty much what happened. They got a chance to sign Lewis and sacked Carlos immediately (which ok, I kinda get it from their perspective, it's just disgusting how they went on about it)

Charles is not mentally weak omfg and ppl that say that are weirdos. The point of this all is about Ferrari and how much that team will stand behind him now that they signed Lewis, because you can't do this on your own. It's not about Charles, because he IS capable of beating a world champion, this is about how Ferrari will act now.

I only wish for Carlos to have a seat in a good team and for Charles to slay, that's all.

[juniperhillpatient]

The Awakening

It was interesting to re-watch this episode because I remember being annoyed with Aang a lot during Book 3 the first time I watched this show & because the comics/parts of fandom / more thinking about it have increased my dislike for the Katara/Aang romance, I expected to be angrier at Aang. But, I actually feel like thinking about it more made me less mad at Aang for running off & behaving the way he does than the first time I watched.

I still don't think it's fair to send Katara away when she's trying desperately to help, but I get why he does it. Aang has spent the entire series learning to accept his destiny as the Avatar & a huge part of that is being a symbol of HOPE for the world. Learning that he has to be a secret now? That the world thinks that he's gone & that he failed? I can see how that would lead someone to push people away & want to do everything alone...Especially because Aang is also struggling with how awful he feels about the fall of Ba Sing Se. So, I hate how he pushes Katara away, & I hate that he tries to abandon the Gaang, but...I'm still sympathetic to him, possibly more than the first time that I watched, having put more thought into it.

Alright, shocking to no one the dynamic between the Fire Siblings is the most interesting part of this episode to me. I also found the scene where Mai checks on Zuko & tells him not to worry really cute. I need more of the Dangers Ladies Feat. Zuko as a group in my life. I'm sad we didn't see Ty Lee, but I guess there wasn't time. Zuko is struggling with fears about coming home & it shows.

[ID: Azula standing & looking at Zuko. end id]

Alright. The turtle duck pond scene. Let's talk about it.

Everyone shut up I am thinking about how cute it is that Zuko goes right to the turtle duck pond to feed them it's probably one of the few places on the palace grounds he finds comforting...

The million-dollar question in the fandom seems to be - did Azula already know that Aang had survived?

I obviously have a bit of an agenda here I won't deny that. I'm a huge fan of Azula. I do think she was redeemable, & I have chosen fire siblings reconciliation as possibly the main focus of my fandom experience or at least A Main Focus. So, like, I'm not gonna pretend to be unbiased. BUT I do think that I've hopefully made it clear that I'm not interested in denying anything evil Azula did, or making her a victim where she wasn't, or whatever. I just like to examine character motivations & make them make sense. So - long story short - I do not think there is any way Azula could have possibly known that Aang survived before Zuko gave it away because he sucks at lying.

Let's look at the scene in context:

Azula: You seem so downcast. Has Mai gotten to you already? Though actually, Mai has been in a strangely good mood lately. [smiles]

Zuko: I haven't seen Dad yet. I haven't seen him in three years, since I was banished.

Azula: So what?

Zuko So, I didn't capture the Avatar.

Azula: Who cares? The Avatar is dead ... [Zuko looks away.] unless you think he somehow miraculously survived.

Contrast this with the way they were both welcomed home - as war heroes. Lo & Li give a huge speech about how Zuko & Azula are heroes & amazing & everyone should love them etc (& they're so right.)

I have consistently brought up Zuko's inability to lie throughout this rewatch & I think it bites him in the ass here. Azula is smart. She's a good lair herself, & she can pick up on it when other people do it - especially Zuko.

So, I think that Azula's original intention was to bring Zuko home as a war hero. She genuinely viewed Ba Sing Se as a victory & believed the Avatar was dead & the Fire Nation was doing amazing & to her, that was great. I think that what people who want to view Azula as an evil mastermind forget is that she kinda still IS one if you read it from this perspective, you just need to keep in mind her ACTUAL motivations. Azula's world doesn't revolve around bringing Zuko down, her world revolves around SERVING THE FIRE NATION & her father. Azula bringing Zuko home a hero doesn't take away her villain card or whatever it is people who refuse to see it this way are worried about. It just remains consistent with her motivations. Azula would want to see the royal family intact. You have to remember, Azula views herself & the Fire Nation as the GOOD GUYS. It's what she's been taught. They're not, & pushing Zuko to betray Iroh was objectively bad for the protagonists. But from AZULA'S perspective, she was doing a good thing for the royal family.

I also do think that yes, Azula wanted to help Zuko. The thing about Azula is that she is on the wrong side of the war, but she's not an unfeeling monster, she's a teenage girl. She likely did miss her brother & think she was doing him a huge favor.

The Bedroom Scene Tm. I said I had a controversial reading & you all assumed I meant Zucest vibes. And I did. But I also actually meant I just STILL don't view this as Azula being an evil monster lmao & I mean, that's not controversial among Azula fans, but it kinda is in the larger fandom.

[ID: Zuko glaring at Azula while she smiles. end id]

Zuko confronts Azula, & she teases him & insinuates that the Avatar might be alive. I read this as Azula trying to sus out whether the Avatar is still alive, TBH. Then, Zuko all but confirms what she already got from their turtle duck pond conversation.

So like, TLDR: Azula wasn't ORIGINALLY trying to use Zuko as a fall guy but once he made it obvious the Avatar might still be alive, THEN yeah, she was trying to save her own ass.

Oh, okay, & some quick criticisms of the #Narrative Framing or whatever...This is the first episode where we get a clear view of Zuko. I want to say that I do really love the scene between Zuko & Ozai contrasted against the scene between Katara & Hakoda, that was just an excellent parallel. It also shows us that our main villain is becoming a major player. I'm ok with Ozai as a background figure throughout Book 2, but I think that Book 3 would have been stronger if they leaned more into Ozai as the Big Bad rather than continuing to frame Azula as the Big Bad like she was in Book 2. This season we get a lot more of Azula's interiority as a character, & more sympathetic moments.

And just to be clear, I'm not against the fact that Azula is still a villain. Sorry fellow Azula Redemption truther girlies, but I'm of the belief that there was not time for her to have a redemption arc in Book 3. It could have been hinted at, we could have gotten a more hopeful ending, but there wasn't time for her to abandon her loyalty to the Fire Nation. So, I'm NOT saying "it was time for the show to STOP framing Azula as a villain." I'm SAYING.....Well, they could have given us more scenes with Ozai like the one in this episode to really concrete his spot as the Big Bad Tm. I liked what we got in this episode, I wish we could've gotten more. I guess that's what I'm trying to say.

Alright, so I've rambled enough about the Fire Nation royal family....Uh....There are other characters in this show...

I have nothing much to say about Toph or Sokka in this episode other than that Toph gets +1000 iconic behavior points for using metal bending to defend their ship. Katara gets +1000 for her use of water-bending to help. I don't dislike Sokka in this episode, he just didn't do much worth analyzing.

The only other scene that I want to focus on before I end this incredibly long review.....Is one of my favorite scenes in the series. I love the scene between Katara & Hakoda.

The entire buildup of Katara acting distant & angry from her father & talking about Aang prioritizing the greater good over what she needs & Hakoda realizing that she's talking about him too is just...STELLAR writing. I get emotional every single time. I also think that these feelings Katara is having, serve to explain further why she let Sokka reunite with their father last season rather than going herself.

[ID: Katara crying as she hugs Hakoda. end id]

Katara: [Embraces Hakoda.] I understand why you left. I really do, and I know that you had to go, so why do I still feel this way? I'm so sad and angry and hurt!

Hakoda: I love you more than anything. You and your brother are my entire world. I thought about you every day when I was gone and every night when I went to sleep, I would lie awake missing you so much it would ache.

I'm not crying, you are.

And the ending of the episode serves as a nice thesis for the season. Aang does return to the group & agrees to go undercover. Having to hide his staff & his arrow....That's pretty sad. I think it shows how much Aang has grown throughout the series so far that he is willing to do it though. That's all I have for now!

[mcclainwilla]

Writing Fight Scenes, Part 3 - Being Hit

Today's topic kinda made me giggle. We're gonna talk about Being Hit.

If your character is hit in a squishy spot, they're going to react very differently than if they were hit in a non-squishy spot. Also, if your character has no fight experience, they will react very differently than if they've been sparring since they could walk.

It has occurred to me that not everyone has had the pleasure of being punched! So don't go do irl research; I have already done it for you!

Edit: Holy shit I forgot to mention that I did martial arts for about five years, so don't worry about me! Everything is fine!

Getting hit in the face

On either side of your face, curving from your temple down your jaw, is a C-shaped zone. 'C' stands for 'consciousness'. This is the knockout zone. There are two main knockouts (I named them myself):

Teleporting - you only lose consciousness for a moment. From an outside perspective, a character that teleports will get hit, fall, wake up upon hitting the ground, and probably deny that they passed out to begin with. From the first person perspective, the character will be standing, and then they'll be sitting with no memory of how they got there

Actually passing tf out - your character will take longer to wake up and when they do, they will be disoriented and have a hell of a headache. Both kinds of passing out are an indicator of brain trauma, but if your character is out for a hot sec, they almost def have a moderate concussion

Observe both of these in action by watching UFC fighting. Not kidding. It is very informative

Getting hit in the c-spot (I'm sorry. No I'm not) isn't the only way to have your day ruined tho

Getting punched in the eye is the Worst Thing Ever I don't care how much experience your character has, if they get punched in the eye they will have to take a moment. It doesn't always hurt too badly, your brain just goes 'hey what the Fuck was that'

Getting hit in the nose does hurt. I know you've heard that it can kill you (nose bone -> brain) but that is sooo rare, so. Don't worry about it <3

If your character gets hit in the mouth, they might lose teeth. They will almost definitely cut their lips/cheeks on said teeth

Getting punched in the ear hurts a surprising amount. Getting punched behind the ear is 1000x worse. There's a soft spot right behind your earlobes/jaw (that's where your eustachian tubes are. If you even care)

Your brain stem (back of the skull, right above your neck) is a second, more deadly knockout zone. If your character is just friendly sparring, do not let them hit to the back of the head

Conversely, it's pretty okay to get hit in the forehead. It'll maybe make your character's eyes water, give them a headache, but it won't end a fight. There's lots of bone (armor) there

Getting hit in the body

I'm just going to go down the line

Throat - bad. Chances are, it'll do some damage, but even if it doesn't, it's kinda like getting punched in the eye, where it just feels Wrong. (Also there's two main regions, the neck part (larynx) and the collarbones part (trachea). Both suck)

Ribs - it's not great, but it's better to get hit in the ribs than in the things those ribs protect. There are twelve ribs on each side, but only ten of these wrap from the spine to the sternum. The bottom two, called the floating ribs, do not attach to the sternum; they're easier to break and hurt way more when hit

Diaphragm (squishy bit right in the middle of your chest, where your ribcage ends) - hurts so badly. Your character will probs get their breath knocked out (their muscles spasm, preventing them from drawing a breath. They can only make wheezing sounds. Very undignified)

Liver/kidney - the liver is in the front right side of the body, underneath the lower part of the ribcage. The kidneys are in the back of the body, underneath the lowest part of the ribcage. Your character doesn't want to get hit in either one - they'll make a loud 'hnnnk' sound and it will be embarrassing

Stomach - like the ribs, it's not great, but there are worse places

Groin - take this with a grain of salt, I don't own a ballsack. Reportedly, getting hit in the loverman hurts immediately, but getting hit right where you sit will knock your character to the ground - then, after about three seconds, it starts hurting

Newbies Vs. Pros

There's not a ton for me to say on this one

For a newbie, getting hit in a squishy spot is (understandably) the Worst Thing Ever. It's not unreasonable for your character to end up crying, less from pain and more from surprise/fear

For pros, getting hit in a squishy spot still hurts, they're just able to tune it out more. And, characters with more experience may entirely filter out the pain from hits to places like the shoulders/hips/other not-so-sensitive areas. They may only realize they were hit a day later, when the bruise pops up!

I'll probably cover things like nerve bundles in another post, this one is already too long as is. Whoops. I hope y'all are able to make use of all the times I was hit during my adolescence

[scoobydoodean]

could I ask something? and I really don't mean to be rude, but you've said a couple of times now how much you like that 'blame it on the girls' dean amv and I was just wondering why? cause I've watched it a few times and I don't think I see what you see in it. trying to decipher the like, 'thesis' of the video I could only come up with "well dean is the one needlessly overcomplicating his own chances at happiness and nothing else is standing in his way. he should just realize how lucky he is to have so many great things in his life and stop blaming his dissatisfaction with life on other people" which is not something I'd agree with but maybe I'm not giving the editor enough credit? maybe I'm just reading into it too deeply? idk, but if you feel like it please do tell me why you enjoy it so much. sending love your way

No worries—I can see why the video might be taken that way. I don't think the person who made the AMV intends the message to be "Dean is just overcomplicating things" at all though. I think the actual message the creator is trying to convey is that Dean's capacity to build bonds with others and how people tend to kind of fall a little bit (or a lot) in love with him and be pulled into orbit around him is really fascinating and special, but that it's a double-edged sword for Dean—that he loves really deeply in return and that it ends up causing him a lot of pain (and also guilt) when he loses people. There's a few things they did to kind of alter the meaning of the original song.

In the original song, it opens with the singer talking about a conversation with the subject of the song at a bar. The guy at the bar says, "My life stinks" and the singer notices the guy is really attractive and looks wealthy and says "Dude, your perspective on life sucks". In this AMV, they replace that with Dean saying, "I'm past saving". So instead of being like "Hey, you're hot and rich so you should be happy???" (and obviously Dean isn't rich lol) I think what they're trying to say is that even though Dean isn't always the biggest fan of himself, a lot of people he crosses paths with are? He has a tendency to view himself as disposable, and he's had some run ins with suicidal ideation, and other characters (ex: Sam) don't... blame Dean for that (unless they're being particularly shitty) but they're like "Dude we love you so MUCH???" That's the common defense. I think that the love that a lot of people Dean crosses paths with throughout the show have for him and how quickly those bonds are sometimes developed between them and Dean is more of the point of the first section of the AMV (though I also just think the person who made the AMV was like "Lol great opportunity for bi!Dean thesis (ex: the siren).

During the segment of the song with just the piano, they show a lot of the people who have loved Dean getting killed. There's no implication like that about the subject in the original song. I think the AMV maker added this as a way of showing that "Hey—Dean does actually have a lot of bad shit going on that really hurts?" I think what they're actually going for here is that this love is a double-edged sword for Dean. He does form these bonds super easily through most of the show—a lot of people feel instantly connected to him—and that's great—but then those bonds are so often stripped away from him so painfully? He's cared about so many people who also cared about him, who then died, and he's often shown to feel the pain of that more than anyone else does. His negative view of himself is actually also connected to how many people he's loved and lost and how he blames himself for most of their deaths because he was made to feel guilty for things that weren't actually his fault/his responsibility since he was a child and developed an overactive sense of responsibility to others. In that same conversation where Dean says he's past saving, he also calls himself poison—because people who get close to him get hurt or worse.

They follow up what I mentioned in #2 with some pretty heavy scenes for Dean overlaying the words, "You'd think he's living at ease" (as if to say—he's NOT). They have 1) Dean crying right after Cas tells him it's his job to stop the apocalypse and he finds out he broke the first seal (a moment of serious guilt and pain for Dean), 2) Dean forgetting himself and everyone he loves in "Regarding Dean" (Dean DOESN'T want to forget the people he loves—it's what makes him HIM—but do you remember how unburdened he was in that episode?) and 3) Dean crying sitting on the ground in the dungeon after Cas died literally from telling Dean he loved him... which might be the most painful commentary on Dean's love as a double edged sword in the series. (Like. It's a beautiful scene imo, but also... there's this horrible cruelty to it as well?)

On the line, "Are you wishing you were ugly like me?" There's a clip of Demon Dean opening his eyes for the first time. Demon Dean hated everyone that the real Dean loves, and connected his lack of love for his family to freedom from the guilt that Dean always felt. Cas calls back to this at the end of the episode where they're curing Dean when he says, "I can see his point. Only humans can feel real joy, but also such profound pain."

Anyway, that was kind of rambly but I hope that helps.

[rocksalt-and-pie]

i've decided not to care about marvel spoilers anymore btw. why? spite. those are multi million dollar franchises that are 99% cgi being treated like they're some kind of classified top secret information files from the cold war or something to the point where the literal actors don't know for sure what movie they end up being in (which is fucking ridiculous), just because marvel realized that by making their content feel hyper exclusive they can make more money with it. feel free to send me the entire Spiderman No Way Home script, i don't care. im not gonna go out of my way (let alone spend money on it, imagine that lmfao) to watch it and I know I won't be able to completely avoid any spoilers whatsoever anyway. it's really not that big of a deal to know of some scenes that weren't in the trailer even if they made it feel like it is

[beepboop358]

Hi. I am/was a mileven defender until I saw that scene in the van and Mike's copy pasted monologue that felt like it wasn't even meant for El but for Will.

As a straight person, I don't think I can relate to a queer person's frustration or anger over Season 4 even if I tried.

And I'm sorry but that's why it's hard for me to understand why you guys have given up on your ship when it's obvious that my people are the ones that should be getting prepared for a massive straight bait.

I hate to even think about it and it saddens me to the core but Mike is clearly projecting. He doesn't feel about El the way he feels about Will and it shows. I think El truly loves Mike tho so it's even more frustrating to me.

I wanted mileven to work so badly and I still do but given Mike's strange behavior and the way Will and Mike look at each other and the way they stand side by side between two other canon ships in the final scene and actually all their scenes together, it's hard to not to believe that your ship is the one they're going for.

I guess it's a good thing that they are planning on making the gay ship endgame. I know you guys need some decent representation and I'm sorry about the people that are mocking you for it on Twitter or in real life. All of that doesn't mean I suddenly started shipping them tho. I'm still clinging on to mileven. Probably forever.

I just wanted to acknowledge that I think it's weird that many of you have lost hope. But again, I can't really relate to the things queer people are experiencing and going through on a daily basis so I want to apologize if anything I just said was insensitive.

hello!

This was really interesting to read, thank you so much for sharing, genuinely! I hadn’t thought about it from this perspective before because i’ve mostly seen mike/el fans only celebrating after s4, and i’ve gotten several rude messages since vol. 2’s release over me being delusional and crazy for thinking byler would ever happen. It’s super interesting we are both doubting our ships and convinced the other will now be canon after s4… and I find it really fascinating that as a mileven shipper you thought Mike’s speech to El sounded like it was meant for Will…

I still have faith that byler could happen, and the ending shots really make me think it will, but i’m worried that they won’t be able to fix the damage they did to it in s4 fully, in s5, because I thought the writing in s4 was very different than what we have previously seen in the show, and so many characters didn’t get the development i thought they deserved. Regardless of whose ship ends up being endgame, I just hope that they fix it and actually resolve something in s5 so it ends on a healthy note for the couple. I believe everyone should ship whoever they want, so its totally fine by me if you don’t ship byler. Also, thank you <3 It definitley sucks to be mocked by so many people rn LOL.

I hope you’re well! xx

[my-mt-heart]

Hello there! I have a random question, and I wanted to ask you. I remember being in school, reading and watching Of Mice and Men. And Curly's Wife was seen as the resident whore, even though all I am getting is that she was just lonely. Being around a bunch of men and the book having been written by one, I feel like they dominated the narrative of her character, while her perspective was drowned out. I feel similar to Carol's character in some ways. She's battling with a lot of self hatred, loneliness, feeling like she is the bottom of the barrel (especially where Daryl's concerned)...and Ed (kind of like Curly) was mean and abusive to her. Curly's Wife is known by just that. We don't know her name. For Carol, we don't know her maiden name.i also notice throughout the series, Carol struggles with what her true identity is, since it keeps getting taken away or "burned" away.

Sorry for that long intro, but my question is, how come in television and in books, people can't see a hurting heart, particularly when it's a woman's? The sacrifices Carol makes, I can see how much it bothers or hurts her. But I have spoken to someone who is a Donnie shipper (who only started watching at season 9, wth??) And they said they wanted to punch Carol for saying "what took you so long" to Negan after getting rid of Alpha. I asked her how come she didn't want to punch Daryl, who said that Negan "took his sweet time" doing it, too. I know a lot of people love Negan (not me). I don't hate him, but the way I see it, Carol was doing Negan the favor. Carol would have tried to do it herself, but Daryl kept following her and getting in the way. I thought it was obvious from their scenes that Daryl didn't trust Carol by herself and he pretty much said so in "Squeeze". He was constantly worried about her. She couldn't get away to face off against Alpha, alone and she was trying to keep Daryl from getting involved. Remember in "Open your Eyes", Carol tells Daryl "If you want to sit this one out, I get it." She was constantly trying to dissuade him from participating in her bone with the Whispers. Getting someone like Negan to do it was more strategic. Why can't the viewers who cover the show not see what psychologically is going on with Carol or women in general and convey it accurately?

P.S. I know misogyny exists, but I am not trying to say "men suck, free women" or anything. I love men as a spieces. I just cannot understand why viewers regardless of gender cannot see how long and how much one of the longest standing characters, has been hurting?

Thanks in advance for answering.

As far as women in television go (can't speak too much on books), this is where @laur-n-peace and my favorite subject "internalized misogyny" comes into play. People get offended at the mere suggestion of it because they think they're being accused of hating women, but that's not it at all. We all have preconceived notions that are hard to shake, and as a result, male characters are more easily forgiven while female characters are harshly condemned for their actions. Skyler White in Breaking Bad is a really good example. I could write a whole thesis on her, but let's focus on Carol. Like you said, there are many different things that factor into her choices to go after the horde, release Negan, etc, but people would rather just call her reckless or crazy and leave it at that. And what's worse is it takes so much effort on her part as a character and on the part of the people writing her character to overcome this supposedly simple recklessness. It's unfair and I wish more viewers/reviewers would try harder to understand all of her layers.

^Sorry this isn't really answering your question and more so just acknowledging that you are correct in bringing it up.

[seeingteacupsindragons]

Something I've had trouble with is incorporating politics into my fantasy world in a nuanced way. Do you have any advice on how to go about it? (By the way, I agree with the previous anon. Your advice is always so comprehensive and covers so many different, important areas.)

I appreciate that! I try to cover a lot of potentialities, because I think it's important to recognize all writing is different and happens differently for everyone and is going to look different—I want to offer advice to help people write what they want to write, not just...tell people what to do.

Anyway...yeah, I...gave up on writing political intrigue secondary-world fantasy...a while ago. It's great to read! I cannot write it for love or money.

Of course, I had largely given up on high fantasy and secondary-world fantasy in general (I'm much better at contemp fantasy, I think, or at least a secondary world more analogous to our world than typical), and then the book I'm revising now...happened...so who knows.

All of which is to say, this is not exaaaaactly my field of expertise. I suck at stuff, too, y'know.

But let's try!

This depends, I think, depending on how important it is to your story. If you are writing political intrigue, it needs to be a lot more nuanced and prominent than it does if you're simply using it as background radiation for the world you're writing. Basically, you need to be better at writing politics, because it's the core of the story. If you want people to really get invested and pay a lot of attention, it needs to stand up to more scrutiny, because it's going to get more scrutiny.

And obviously, if you're writing about a young girl discovering she has magic, politics might be less relevant than if you're writing about a young noble trying to change the system of inheritance.

Nuance is also basically a product of realizing things are complicated and not binary systems and very few things are black and white or right and wrong and people believe things and do things for actual reasons. There's always history and backstory to everything people do, even the side characters and antagonists.

So I'll take these two example plots I suggested above and suggest ideas how to incorporate politics into them.

Girl discovering she has magic:

Some people might oppose her becoming a wizard.

There will be multiple reasons, some more valid than others. Even if multiple characters could frame it as "because she's a girl," you have people who would oppose it:

Because they don't think girls can have magic. But why not? Were they told this growing up? Is there a reason people think magic comes from manliness? Has anyone seen a female wizard before? Are they confused or hostile?

Because being a girl with magic would throw the entire wizarding institution into disarray. Maybe it's a really dangerous time to have the realm's wizards in disarray! Maybe they're working on something so volatile and delicate that any social upheaval will come with consequences, even if in the end the results will be the better for it. This is a valid fear!

Because girls with magic are shunted off into convents or other areas to use their magic and she has chosen to use it somewhere else that society sees as more or less valuable. Maybe society says she should use magic to prepare medicine or become a priest and she wants to use it to build houses. IDK.

People will react differently to her having magic.

Maybe her best friend thinks it's super cool, but her mother is worried about her, and her father never wants to hear about it again. People having diverse opinions on the same event is part of what makes Nuance. They're coming from different perspectives and thinking about difference consequences.

So I think it's important to ensure multiple perspectives are being validated, and that even if in the end they're unhelpful or wrong, they need to be given validity as something that was thought out and reasoned and isn't inaccurate.

Noble trying to change how inheritance works:

Firstly, we have to address why this matters to this noble. Is it affecting them personally? Someone they love? Or do they just think it's unjust? Do they really hate someone set to inherit something they think is unfair?

And then you should ask: Why do they think the current system is unfair, and what do they think would be more fair? Why do they think that? Who taught them those values and why?

And once again, you're stuck discussing why people oppose them. Does the noble want to change how things were inherited 50 years ago? How do they exactly plan on enforcing that? How much of the country do they want to rip out and do over? Do they only want to change it into the future, and do people think that's fair?

How is the noble planning on enacting their plans? Do they have a spot on legislation? Do they want to convince all the nobles? Do they want to convince the public? Are they expecting a loud rebellion or just convincing a lot of parents to change their wills quietly and without legal backing?

There's a million ways change can take place, and a lot of them should be acknowledged.

So I guess at the end of the day, I think the way to really add nuance to things is:

Add consequences even for the "correct" action to validate why it might have been a messy thing to do and why it hadn't already happened

Allow sympathetic characters to have doubts and misgivings

Really deeply consider methods and what would be effective and why someone would choose a method

Really explore your characters to understand why they think and feel the way they do