#and neither of them can comprehend how the other one feels about the issue

[thesupernaturalhouse]

(This is a helluva boss critical psot so, feel free to move on)

So I've watched Bojack Horseman, it's a good show, I've also seen deep dives, and i guess HB takes some inspiration from the show so I just gotta say....S2 Stolas is just a worse written version of Mr. Peanut butter

Doing grand gestures to make himself feel good even if he knows the other person won't like them, diane told PB multiple times she hated grand gestures and was uncomfortable with them and he kept doing them, and he still gets upset and confused when she doesn't like them.

Stolas needed months to have his feelings sink in and propose the crystal yet didn't give Blitz a single minute to do that same after he thought it was fake. He didn't do this big gesture for Blitz, he didnt take in account Blitzs feelings, he did it for himself to feel good. And when Blitz responded, rightfully, negatively Stolas got upset. Though unlike PB Stolas doesn't even try to talk to Blitz about it and sort it out.

Jumping from one relationship to another almost immediately after a break up, one even during his divorce proceedings, and of course the cheating. Which Stolas cheats on Stella and jumps to the succubus at the party when Blitz is struggling to comprehend snd figure this all out.

Another comparison is the fact they run circles around the truth. Like in the fracking episode, diane and Mr. PB are in a fight, she asks him to drop out of the race otherwise she's gonna ahve to post an article about him

He keeps running circles around the problem and not addressing the truth. "I hear what you're saying and I will try to be more conscious of your needs" despite the fact it's not about anyone's needs. It's about how he lied and it is physically hurting them. They can't touch the sink without getting 3rd degree burns

Kinda like how Stolas runs circles around the truth with the full moon deal. He acknowledges the relationship/deal was bad....but he never actually apologizes. He ignores the real issue in all this

He doesn't even let Blitz have a few minutes to think and have it sink in depsite having and needing months himself! And instead of talking about it, he leaves and then throws Blitz out when Blitz makes really good points.

He actively avoids the issue, like Mr Pd with Diane

Unlike PB and Diane though, where neither are in the wrong and they just werent right for eachother. Stolas and Blitzs relationship and zatolas' actions actively back up Blitzs thoughts and feelings on their relationship

And the thing is, is that it makes for an interesting chracter, Mr peanutbutter is interesting and great, i mean we love him for the complex character he is.....but it doesn't work for Stolas because his self unawareness is seen as an excuse and something to make him more sympathetic, not a problem

Unlike Mr peanutbutter where it IS a problem and it's shown as a problem and is addressed, it's why near the end of the show he relaizes that he IS THE PROBLEM and ends up happily single taking a break from dating to actually learn form his past relationships where as before he'd jump to relationship after relationship to avoid having to deal with being alone and with his thoughts

It's character growth. But Stolas won't have that because he's gonna end up with Blitz with none of his past actions addressed. Or if they are, they'll be watered down, probably retconned like s2 has been doing. Which isn't good.

Tldr; Mr peanutbutter and Stolas have some similarities, but where as Mr peantubutter is specifically written to be self unaware so that he can grow as a chracter, Stolas gets his self unawareness used as an excuse so he WONT have to grow. Ultimatly making him a worse written version of Mr. PB

[corrodedbisexual]

bound, beautiful, beloved

Steddie | E | ~7.8k | AO3 link

Written for @steves-strapcollection's birthday! 🥰 I hope you have a wonderful day dear friend and co-member of the sacred cult of Good Boy Eddie. 😂 Happy birthday!!! 🎉🫶

Featuring: Porn with Feelings, Fluff and Smut, Dom/sub Play, Shibari, Vibrators, Lace Panties, Prostate Massage, Overstimulation, Dirty Talk, Praise Kink, Nipple Play, Body Worship, Hand Jobs, Blow Jobs, Dry Humping, Mirror Sex, Rimming, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, Laughter During Sex, Making Out, Aftercare, Post-Coital Cuddling, Light Angst, Romance, Self-Esteem Issues, Trauma, Insecurity, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Non-Sexual Bondage, Tenderness, Banter, Dorks in Love, Dancing, Massage, Established Relationship, Top/Switch/Soft dom Steve Harrington, Bottom/Switch/Sub Eddie Munson, Eddie Munson is Steve Harrington's good boy, POV Steve Harrington

Steve's boyfriend looks like the ultimate wet dream. There’s never a time he doesn’t find Eddie the most beautiful and sexy person in the entire world, but this view, right here… this definitely takes the icing on the cake. Steve can still hardly believe they got to this point. It took two weeks to bring this particular fantasy to life. But really, they have been working up to this kind of moment for much, much longer. *** A story of Steve and Eddie growing into their intimate relationship, full of playfulness, amazing orgasms, developing trust and confidence, and above all else, unconditional love.

Snippet below!

Steve licks his thumb and exaggeratedly loudly flips another page of a sports magazine in his hands. One he definitely hasn’t managed to comprehend a single word of, while all his senses are attuned to the sounds coming from the foot of the bed.

The constant buzzing noise. The harsh breathing. The occasional whimper, or sheets rustling, or the springs inside the mattress creaking slightly.

Unable to help himself, Steve once again glances over the edge of the page at the absolute erotic masterpiece that is his boyfriend. He’s not sure why he even decided on this absurd game of mock disinterest. He’d rather be watching the sight in front of him the entire time, not pretend to be reading the magazine he can’t give a single fuck about right now.

Eddie’s sitting back on his heels, his shins bound to his thighs with a gorgeous diamond patterned leg tie. Another piece of Steve’s handiwork is a harness woven across his hips, snug underneath his balls and framing his crotch in a way that makes Steve’s mouth water every time he looks. Besides the bright red ropes, the only clothing on Eddie is a matching red pair of lace panties. Eddie’s cock is straining desperately against the delicate fabric, a dark wet spot already visible below the tip.

Eddie meets his eyes briefly, his pupils blown, lips parted, face and chest flushed. Then, he drops his head and groans, trying to grind his hips back into the source of his sweet torture, to no avail. Everything Steve’s done was to ensure he would neither be able to escape it, nor attempt any extra stimulation.

Of course, potentially he could. His hands were left untied, but untied doesn’t mean free. They are bound by Steve’s firm command, right after he finished all of his rope work, gently tugging on Eddie’s wrists and guiding them down to the mattress. “Hands against the bed, baby. Keep them there. You can be a good boy and do that for me, can’t you?”

And so, Eddie’s hands stay in place, squeezing and clawing at the sheets to either side of his bound thighs.

Steve glances at his watch. It’s only been ten minutes, yet Eddie already looks like a fucking wreck. Steve can see how hard his arms are shaking, how he’s likely desperate to touch himself through the soft lace that must feel like absolute torment on his leaking dick. Creating pressure but no friction. Steve’s tried them on once, so he knows what it’s like when you’re hard, to feel every swirl of that beautiful pattern against hypersensitive skin.

Other than being pretty (so, so pretty stretched over Eddie’s equally pretty cock, hard and thick, with a prominent contour of veins now standing out against the lace), the panties serve a very practical purpose. Steve couldn’t quite figure out how to keep the magic wand in place where he wanted it with only ropes, and this solution was just genius. The handle is tucked into part of the hip harness underneath Eddie’s ass, whereas the head of the device is firmly held by the elastic of the panties, pressed snug against his taint, sending steady vibrations to his balls and prostate. Lowest speed setting. Not enough to push him to the brink, just enough to slowly drive him mad with the relentless teasing.

“Ah, I see you’re… not enjoying your magazine… much..?” Eddie catches him looking and grins, way too cocky for the situation he’s currently in. As if on cue, his dick twitches again in his panties, and he groans, sucking in his stomach and uselessly rolling his hips again, as if trying to grind on thin air. “Oh fuck. Jesus. How much longer?..”

“What, you’ve had your fun already, baby?” Steve teases and clicks his tongue. “I did suggest fifteen minutes. It’s you who insisted on twenty, remember?”

“Uhhhh,” Eddie croaks, wriggling his hips again and slapping one palm several times against the mattress. “Ohhhh, holy ssshit. I regret everything.”

“No, you don’t.” Steve smirks.

“No, I don’t,” Eddie admits with a miserable chuckle and dramatically flops down on his face, ass in the air, letting out a long, frustrated growl muffled by the mattress, before pushing himself back to his heels.

Steve abandons the stupid premise of reading his magazine and just sits back, enjoying the view. He squeezes himself through his boxers; obviously, he’s not unaffected. His boyfriend looks like the ultimate fucking wet dream. There’s never a time Steve doesn’t find him the most beautiful and sexy person in the entire world, but this view, right here… this definitely takes the icing on the cake.

Steve can still hardly believe they got to this point, when Eddie would take the initiative and present his own fantasy for Steve to fulfill. No more shyness about it, just unconcealed arousal and eager submissiveness when they first started talking about this kind of scene, both equally horny by the time they finished merely discussing the details. Steve spent days figuring out the right kind of weave for this; then, he’d just have Eddie kneel on the bed, getting used to the position, checking every few minutes if his boyfriend was comfortable, gradually increasing the time he spent bound every night up to an hour; beyond that, Eddie’s muscles were starting to cramp up.

It took two weeks to bring this particular fantasy to life. But really, they have been working up to this kind of moment for much, much longer.

Read the rest on AO3

[ghoststookournightmares]

Why did Nick's goodbye affect Boston that way?

I think it's hard or jarring to understand why Boston felt like he was coming undone listening to Nick when the most stuff they did was just f**king. The thing is even if they were doing the nasty 80% of the time, that 80% was when Boston was the happiest. And Nick did LOVE him, like love him. And I mean of course what Nick did wasn't just stalker-ish, it was what stalkers do!!! BUT, I think what happened is that neither of them is completely mentally A-OKAY... They both have their issues and Boston especially has always shunned connections, especially long-lasting ones, because he knows he'll leave and that is just burdensome, so he treats everything as use and throw, hurting so many people in the process.... And I don't know, but I'm speculating he also treats the concept of LOVE similarly, probably after watching his parents, coupled with the fact that Boston uses both himself and others with sex as a currency in exchange for something like a good time, a power play, a way of feeling good about himself, a trade-off, a way to obtain conquests, which at the END OF THE DAY makes Boston extremely lonely... He is a human and you can't avoid connections just like that... BUT NOBODY SEES/OR SAW THE HUMAN BOSTON, not the evil, villainous slutty, assholey Boston, but also the artist Boston, the humane Boston underneath..... UNTIL MR. NICHOLAS ARRIVES.

And I'm very intrigued by Nick's character too, I wish we got some backstory... But Nick as we can see is very naive, very impulsive, and introspective but strangely and foolishly thinks that he is clever... He has abandonment issues, and self-esteem issues too... But what he has that Boston never had was EMPATHY, intense EMPATHY, or clinically illegal empathy, with which he sees the world. And he in his own warped mind accepts Boston, good, bad, and ugly, and even if to Boston they were just FWB, those times he spends with Nick are enjoyable, happy, pleasurable (in a different, not exactly sexual way) unknowingly allowing Nick to burrow under his skin. And even though Nick loves Boston, most assuredly, still he does feel upset too... And we saw that when he told Mew about Gap... But the thing is Nick feels things deeply, more deeply than the others, and in a way he is softer, gentler, and more straightforward than probably anyone Boston has ever known.

And before Boston could even comprehend what had happened in his strictly FWB relationship with Nick, he was ALREADY ATTACHED TO him. He never considered that he would be the one pining for something other than sex, but he did, and that's why Nick's betrayal seemed so drastic for him. Because he genuinely was becoming fond of Nick. But Boston would never have acted on this feeling, instead choosing to bury it away IF NICK HADN'T GIVEN HIS FINAL GOODBYE MONOLOGUE TO HIM.

Nick changed the trajectory of their relationship. THE FIRST PERSON TO SAY SORRY TO BOSTON. To say that I appreciate you, I think you're not a terrible person even if you think so, and I appreciate your dreams and hope you achieve them one day and I love-you-enough-to-let -you-go.... And finally goodbye my lover, I wish you nothing but the best, shook Boston because not only was Nick brave, he was vulnerable, he owned up to his mistakes and he affirmed that yes, you made me happy and I see you, all of you and I still love you. It broke Boston to be 'loved' at all, but in this way by a man, he cheated on and broke his heart.... Also, I want to add, that a lot of people make fun of how Nick eavesdropped on other of Boston's hookups but poetically it is so ironic because in that moment Nick was actually grounding Boston away from another one of his meaningless hook-ups, stopping him from running away from his actual thoughts and processes... And what was very interesting was it was Nick apologizing and bidding him farewell, but it was Boston who couldn't meet his eyes. I would also like to add, that honesty is Boston's saving grace, something we also see in Nicholas in episode 9, like two peas in a pod.

Lastly, I think all credit goes to Mark and Neo for fleshing out such complex, selfish, almost-criminal characters with such finesse, humanity, and vulnerability with so little screentime.

[daisyblinder]

Darling / Arthur Shelby x reader

🦋 Summary: Being there for everyone else takes it’s toll on you. But Arthur is there to catch you

🦋Warnings: Mental health issues, emotional trauma, cursing

Based on this request, hope you like it🧡

”John-John, no”, you whisper taking away the whiskey bottle from the poor mans hand. He had just lost his wife, the mother of his children.

Sitting at the table, he hangs his head, looking into his now empty whiskey glass.

In this moments it dawned on you how young he truly was. Young widowed boy with burdens on his shoulders no one should have to face.

”What the fuck am I supposed to do? Me kids will run me crazy, I can’t be a mother to them, I barely have time to be a dad”, he admits brokenly. You sigh and pull a chair from next to him. Gently bringing a hand to rub his back, you try to find the words.

But there were no words. What could you say to him to make him feel better?

”You are a good dad. With everything you do, you are doing wonderfully John. Your boys wouldn’t be so at ease running to your arms, or Katie with falling asleep next to you, if you weren’t good for them”, you soothe. "Martha knew who she had her babies with. She knew if anything, anything, were ever to happen, you would take care of them”

Your words break a sob out of the Shelby boy. Soon sobs wrack his strong shoulders. You wrap your arms around him as tight as you can, trying to will away his pain and take it yourself. You know it’s not possible but you will keep trying to take their pain away as long as you live.

 ***

Your tender fingers ran through Ada’s hair, her head resting on your lap. You were still trying to comprehend the news she had just told you.

 She was pregnant with Freddie Thorne’s baby. A wanted man. You were terrified for Ada, you did not want the poor woman to end up in the teeth of the town’s bitches nor did you want her to end up dying terminating the little life born of love.

When she came to you and told you she needed your help; ”I just need someone to listen, Y/n. I knew I could come to you”, you welcomed her with warm, open arms. But once again, you felt like all the help you could offer fell short. How could you not do more?

After a long conversation and quite a few tears, Ada had rested her head on your lap. You tried your best to soothe her to sleep, God knows she needed the rest and comfort.

 ***

The boys had dragged you to the Garrison to celebrate. Even with all the whiskey running through you, you could see that there was something odd about Tommy. But only once John calls for a second bottle, you see why.

Smiling to yourself, you nudge at Arthur next to you holding you under his arm. You gently nudge your chin towards his brother for him to take a look at Tommy’s eyes following the new barmaid like a hawk.

 ”He is smitten”, you whisper leaning your lips right to Arthur’s ear, not wanting anyone else to hear. You were the same age as Tommy but your maternal instincts had always made you like an older sister to the boy.

Seeing him smile, like he was now, was like sunshine to your heart. You knew that the boys who went to war never came back; but you knew there was a future for them. Only if someone took time to take care of them.

 ”That’s good”, Arthur mutters nodding. Both of your minds go to Greta. Before Arthur offers you a sip from his glass again and you sink further under his arm.

"I'm a little smitten too", he playfully whispers into your ear. You giggle and rest a hand on his chest.

"That's very, very good", you admit looking up at him with adoring eyes. Neither of you knew what you were, but you were content with that; for now. But you were waiting for your kiss to happen soon. Or you might just explode.

You moment is broken by a fight breaking out in the other corner. You did not mind the peaky company, the fights and the loud laughter usually but suddenly you start to feel like the walls are closing in.

 ”Can you walk me home?”, you ask Arthur suddenly, your heart beating too fast. Arthur furrows his brows, before he downs his glass and nods. ”Be good, boys. I’m taking the lady home”, he calls as he stands and offers you his hand.

 Before you take your leave, you lean down to hug Tommy, making sure that the barmaid doesn’t see and get confused. ”Have fun, Tom. She is looking at you too”, you whisper smiling though your heart is still going wild.

 Tommy smiles at you gratefully and nods. You would take his secrets to the grave if needed. And that’s why you were valuable to every Shelby. You were their breathe of fresh air.

 **

That night right after Arthur had gotten you home, you had collapsed into your bed crying. Your whole body was shaking as your tried to calm yourself down.

 It was all coming to you at once. When you took care of the Shelby’s, you were able to handle your own mind. Your own past. But when you were alone, it was suffocating you.

And though you loved the Shelby’s relying on you and coming to you when they needed help, it was getting tougher and tougher to act like you are feeling good enough to support their weight too.

You wanted to support them, you wanted to help them but you were so tired.

With everything changing, you started to realize how much of your past you had just hidden and tried to get away from without having to bring it back.

But how could it work like that?

**

Arthur could see there was something wrong with you. When he had walked you home, you had crossed your arms and hugged yourself like you were freezing to death. Usually you’d walk right against him and slowly wrap your fingers around his.

 He could see you were not holding yourself for cold. He had been there. But he dared not to ask yet what was wrong. He needed to make sure you were ready to talk, because from the look in your eyes, he could see you almost begging him not to ask anything.

So he just gently laid a coat over your shoulders and made sure you got home safe.

 **

Tears try to push into your eyes as you look at Tommy who growls while looking at the books. You had done your best, you knew they were not right, you could not get them to match and quite honestly; you were too exhausted to try again.

You felt awful, you had not slept properly in two days because lying in bed caused the body shakes and memories to come back.

 ”You want to explain to me why in here this says 96 and here it's 98?”, he asks you clearly frustrated. You look around, seeing Johnny, Charlie and Arthur turn towards you hearing Tommy’s slightly raised voice.

 ”I-I must have mixed them up”, you try to frailly explain, wanting him to go easy on you. But he doesn’t. Why would he? You had made a dumb mistake.

 ”Must have? Must have? I fucking must have mixed up me own memories with dreams because I thought you could read”, he grunts slamming the book shut before cursing and walking off.

 The tone of his voice awakened something in you. It awakened memories, the memories that made you remember why you did not want to take care of yourself.

It was just a matter of time the Shelby’s realized you were not worth their time now that you had started fucking up.

 You feel paralyzed with humiliation and anxiety as you start shaking right in the middle of the men. Your mind too far gone to figure out how to get out.

 A pair of hands come to rest on your arms and lead you to Arthur’s office. You try to get words out but you can only wheeze and sob while gesturing to your chest.

 Arthur shuts his door, his own heart hammering. He was mad at Tommy for taking his frustrations out on you, he was angry for not stepping up to defend you but most of all he was worried sick.

 Cupping your face between his hands he forces you to look at him. ”Darling, look at me. Let’s breathe”, he starts instructing. ”Just breathe, nothing else. Let’s just breathe”, he soothes bringing one of his hands down to grasp your own to bring it to his chest.

You look at him and slowly start to match your breathing to his, following his pace as he takes a breath in and blows it out. You feels his heart beat under his rising chest. When your breath evens out and you start to feel slightly lightheaded, you throw your arms around him.

 ”I’m sorry”, you sob feeling his arms wrap tightly around you. One hand coming behind your head to hold you closer, for you to burrow against his shoulder.

 ”Don’t be sorry love. Never say sorry to me”, he whispers in your hair laying a small kiss there. You tighten your arms around him, his scent and the feel of his warm, strong body against yours giving you the feeling of security.

 He was holding you, he wanted to be near you. Arthur was always there for you. ”Arthur?”, you whisper softly, letting out a light sniffle.

”Yes, love?”

”Can you hold me a little tighter?”

 His arms tighten around you the second you say the words. ”If you asked, love, I’d never let go”, he murmurs, drawing you out of your mind fog.

 You’d always known there was something unspoken between the two of you. You had a bond with every Shelby sibling, but Arthur was special. With Arthur, you let your guard down.

His eyes always spoke to you in away no one else’s did. With him you never felt like you needed to make sure he wouldn’t leave you. You knew he wouldn’t. And he knew you wouldn’t leave him either.

He still remember the time you saw him for the first time after he tried to...end it all. He'd tried to hide his scar but you'd stopped him.

Your eyes had been as loving as they always were, not mocking, not judging. Full of tears and swollen, but loving. Then you had hugged him and laid a kiss on his wound, and asked the simple question:

"Do you want to take a nap or are you ready to talk, sweetheart?"

 Pulling away lightly you stare at him with glassy eyes, Arthur’s whole face soft with worry and care. ”Please kiss me”, you whisper, your hands holding onto his coat tightly.

 Arthur’s brows rise as he slowly bring both of his hands to cup your face again. ”Come here”, he mutters before pressing his lips against yours.

Languidly your tongues dance against each other, your hands slowly making their way to hold Arthur's face when you begrudgingly pull away.

"You're so beautiful", you whisper fingers stroking his high cheek bones, going over the edge of his mustache as your face breaks into a tender smile.

"so fucking pretty", Arthur smirks wiggling his brows, making you snort and rest your forehead against his cheek.

"I was trying to keep this sweet", you huff jokingly. The lighthearted conversation easing you away from the shame of the earlier break down.

Arthur snorts, wrapping his arms around your waist to bring you flush against him. "You like me when I'm a menace", he says softly.

You nod, with a gentle grin. "and you love me even with my broken bits", you offer heart beating waiting for his answer at your statement.

His lips meet your forehead and you can feel his smile under his mustache. "Aye, my darling, that I do. Shit, I should have been a sneaky bastard too and said you loved me being a menace", he makes you giggle again with his stupid joke, but then he turns slightly more serious.

"but do you want to take a nap or do you want to tell me what's bringing you down?"

"You saw-"

"We both know there is more to it than Tom, love", he interrupts you gently. You sigh and nod against him, feeling tears trying to make their way up again.

"Can you take me home, nap with me a little and then we'll talk?" you ask timidly. You knew he had a busy schedule, and with you angering Tommy, it was not ideal for him to just leave and take a nap with you.

"Whatever my darling needs", he proclaims with a soft grin, pulling away from your embrace to look you in the eye again.

You'd never get tired of hearing him call you that: His darling.

[shiningshenanigans]

So, about Loki and Sylvie’s dynamic in Episode 2…

This episode was hard to watch. It’s painful to see these two characters who we know love each other wrestle with such deep-seated issues in their relationship. The gap between expectations and reality for their reunion scene, what we hoped it would be vs. what we got, is pretty glaringly huge. 

It’s interesting to think about how most of the reunion fics people have been writing for the past two years have been variations of the same thing: Loki searching endlessly for Sylvie out in the multiverse, finally finding her and welcoming her back with open arms; Sylvie, tentative and rageful at first, but eventually breaking down in tears and melting into his embrace. We all wanted a big, emotional moment for them, full of kisses and hugs and apologies and “I love you”s. What we got instead was awkward tension and a lack of vulnerability from both parties. 

That sad part is, this is just what happens in human relationships sometimes. Sometimes you can’t resolve everything with one conversation. Sometimes fear, insecurities, pride, or just poorly timed interruptions keep us from mending what’s been broken between us and the people we love. 

But, there’s still a reason that we wanted to see the reunion scene play out this way, à la Hosea and Gomer or the prodigal son returning home after wasting his father's money. We long to see forgiveness and repentance play out in relationships, because that’s what unconditional love looks like. That’s how the conversation should have gone, and would have gone if these weren’t flawed, complex characters that we’re dealing with. Sylvie should be feeling remorse for what she’s done. Loki should be prioritizing Sylvie’s emotional well-being above his own needs. Under the surface, I think that that’s exactly what’s happening. But neither of them are vocalizing it properly, and that’s what’s creating the tension. 

Sylvie, I think, is clearly in the wrong. I say that as the biggest Sylvie stan ever, so hear me out. Her actions and anger towards the TVA have always been completely, 100% justified, but she’s being really short-sighted at the moment. She thinks she can settle down in her own timeline and forget about everything, but sooner or later the consequences of her actions are going to come back to haunt her.  

If you think about it, killing HWR didn’t really do that much to free the timeline. The TVA didn’t even know that HWR existed, and he seemed to be running everything on autopilot. If Sylvie had made it all the way to the citadel by herself, without ever meeting Loki or Mobius, the TVA might very well have just continued to prune branches and hunt her down, with no real knowledge of what happened behind the curtain. 

The real reason the TVA stopped coming after Sylvie is because Mobius and B15 put out an order to stop pruning branches. While Loki and Sylvie were making their way to the citadel, they were down in the TVA changing hearts and minds, transforming it from the inside out. That’s not to diminish what Sylvie did - after all, it was her fighting spirit that inspired the change in the first place. But in a roundabout way, Loki is really the one who set her free from her life on the run. He was the bridge between her and the TVA, the one who brought her story and the all evils of the TVA to the light. It’s really his influence that has made her new life on the timeline possible, but she doesn’t comprehend this yet. She can’t, with all of her unhealed trauma. In her mind, she’s her own hero. She saved herself.

It’s interesting to note that when Loki asks her what she’ll do if HWR shows up again, her answer is, “Kill him”, with that smug little smirk on her face. This has been Sylvie's go-to solution for all her problems ever since we met her. Minute men chasing her down? Kill them. Timekeepers trying to control her destiny? Kill them. Clown interrupts her plan to kill said time keepers? Kill him. Weird man in a purple robe trying to take away everyone’s free will? You guessed it: kill him. What she doesn’t realize, though, is that this mindset makes her no different from the corrupt TVA agents she hates so much. People making choices that lead to chaos and multiversal war? Prune them. In other words, kill them. Loki’s love for Sylvie, and his friendship with Mobius, has taught him that life has value, and now he’s doing everything he can to protect it through the TVA. But this isn’t a lesson that Sylvie has learned yet. She’s only thinking about the value of her own life - not the lives of others. Not really. Not yet.

Also, how happy could she really be in her little 1980s McDonalds world? Yes, she's experiencing stability for the first time in her life, and don't get me wrong, Homegirl totally deserves the chance to rest and live a normal life for a little while. But, at the same time, how many people in her new timeline could ever really, truly understand the life she’s lived? She deserves to have people like Loki, Mobius, B15, Casey and OB in her life: fellow variants who can relate, on some level, to the trauma that she’s been through. She deserves the chance to explore and embrace her Asgardian heritage, her Jotun heritage, even. With Loki in particular, she has the opportunity to be in a relationship where she is fully known in every way possible, seeing as he’s literally a masculine version of herself. She deserves that kind of intimacy in her life, and it won’t be long before that lack of connection starts to leave her lonely again. She may say that she’s not running from anything, but she is. She’s running from herself, from her own story.

Loki’s not off the hook, either. He made some major missteps in the way he approached this conversation. It really should have been his responsibility to lead with love and prioritize Sylvie’s emotions over his own. And while I think he tried to do that… he failed pretty miserably. 

I have a suspicion that he was disappointed, a little hurt, even, when he learned about Sylvie’s new life on the timeline. Afterall, they had kinda made plans to do that together when all was said and done. It probably stung to learn that not only was she ok without him, she was also happy and thriving in her new life. This is honestly the hardest part of learning how to love someone selflessly. You tell yourself that you want what’s best for them, but… can you accept it if “what’s best for them” has nothing to do with whether or not you are an active part of their life?

A lot of Loki’s desperation to find Sylvie in the first episode is fueled by uncertainty–not knowing where she is and wanting to make sure she’s ok. When he learns about her new life, a lot of that urgency goes away. But, he still wants to see her, and he feels like he needs a “reason” for it. So, he hides behind his encounter with her in the elevator as his way in.

What Loki should have done in this moment was be vulnerable with her. He should have asked her how she was. He should have told her the real reason he came: because he loves her and wants to fix things between them (and also protect her from an impending multiversal war, but that’s a conversation for later). He got this so right when he threw himself under her blade at the citadel, holding her gently and assuring her that he knew how she felt. But sincerity and truth-telling, vulnerability, are all still new to him, and while he’s not hiding his feelings anymore, you can tell he’s still struggling to express them.     

He’s too in his own head during their conversation. Her cold attitude and the time limit she’s placed on the talk have left him scrambling for words, so instead, he chooses to put up his own walls rather than chip away at hers. He tells her about what he saw in the future and asks her for information. He starts talking about TVA business and multiversal wars (the absolutely last thing she wants to hear about) and tries to force his viewpoint on her again rather than actually trying to clear the air.  

They both have so far to go to reconcile their relationship, and it's tough to watch. It makes me miss their bond in season 1, their playful banter and the inherent sweetness of their honeymoon phase. Is it possible that they’re drifting apart intentionally, that they won’t end up together in the end? Yeah, sure. Marvel doesn’t really have a great track record for ending romances on a positive note. But I really hope that all the angst is building towards something satisfying in the end. It is, after all, only episode 2. We’ve got the whole rest of the season to go!  

[angryteapott]

I think one of the things I actually like about Fang Duobing's and Di Feisheng's relationships to Li Lianhua is that they don't get him all the way, but truly understand a specific part of him.

The part that Fang Duobing gets is they both have a genuine desire to do good. I'd also argue that both of their ideas of good can be hypocritical and inconsistent in similarly emotional ways. I think Li Lianhua becomes truly interested in Fang Duobing for the first time when he tries to get justice for those unrelated guards, and over and over it's shown they share each other's overall goals even when they're supposedly not working together. They share the same broad ideal.

But Fang Duobing has a very different view of their current world and what people owe each other- twice in the conversation at his shiniang's house Fang Duobing brushes off Li Lianhua's regret, and especially earlier in the story he sees the world as something that can easily be reverted back to righteousness through personal effort- the difference between becoming a detective and trying to change the institutions of the world by founding a court. Li Xiangyi saw the world's structure as something that needs correcting, and while he gives that up Li Lianhua sees how circumstances push people. This makes perfect sense; Li Lianhua was orphaned and treated unfairly, only rescued by others while Fang Duobing is a rich kid whose struggles (being sick) were overcome by personal effort (and expensive medicine, which he would take for granted) which rings as ableism to me as a plotline but im not disabled so idk

Di Feisheng gets this other half- he intimately knows how viscerally cruel and unfair the world is, and so he gets Li Xiangyi's need for excellence and control issues and Li Lianhua's sometimes cold eyed assessment of things. But he wasn't rescued nor allowed to save others so he sees that cruel world as something he can act honorably within but whose dog eat dog nature he can't change- be a swordsman not a hero.

Neither of them get how Li Lianhua's drive for good and his knowledge of the world's injustice create guilt for his what too bold actions (which FDB endorses) in a cruel world (which DFS sees as inevitable) resulted in, driving him to egotistically and self destructively attempt to "finish his business". They also didn't truly get his love of a simpler life, his exhaustion with pain and striving, and how he was ready to let go. In part because he never told them that in a way that wasn't tainted with guilt or lies my guy stop saying it in ur bs tone and just say how ur feeling i swear to

So neither of them really understood him fully, which is human especially when someone's lying to you 24/7 li lianhua im in ur walls. Understanding something fundamental about someone doesn't mean comprehending their every thought.

I think what makes Fang Duobing closer to understanding him in the end is that he was trying so hard to listen and understand Li Lianhua, constantly trying to meet him three quarters of the way there. That's why I'm obsessed with that conversation at Madam Qin's- Fang Duobing misunderstood and denied his regret once then twice, then said, fine, you're right. You should've tried harder in that relationship, and I should've tried harder in ours. We already said we're friends. I was wrong for the moment where I wasn't reaching out for you. But Li Lianhua never reached back.

[madaboutmunson]

Again - Part 10

Part 1 | Part 9 | Part 11 | Full list of Again series links

Steddie fic where Steve and Eddie are in their mid 30's and everyone has sort of drifted apart

Taglist: @adaed5 @grtwdsmwhr @swimmingbirdrunningrock @mightbeasleep, @jewellthebooknerd

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Steve returns to his food and tries to shake off whatever that just was.

"So, what exactly were you both up to on the court before I got out there?" Steve directs his question at Corey and Morgan. They look wide-eyed at their plates, then exchange a glance biting their lips back, and then turn to Steve. Bravely Morgan speaks first.

"Well, I was just trying to show him that he doesn't need to be the tallest guy out there if he's got a good team around him."

"You know what, Morgan, you’re absolutely right. Thank you. Though I'm sure it won't be an issue for long, Cor, you're only eight. You've got loads of time" Steve smiles hugely at the boys and looks pleased. Even though their generation seems to be in the throws of glamorising violence, extreme sports and derogatory behaviour, it was great to see two kids being kind to one another.

Mouth half full of food, Eddie speaks, "And how exactly did you do that, hmmm?" The boy's beaming faces turn to alarm, and Eddie turns calmly to Steve, "Vague answer. They're hiding something" Eddie pokes at his food again and takes another bite. Then, turning back, he looks between them, putting down his fork and steepling his fingers to his mouth, "Let's break this down, shall we? Something around height and other people…sooooo, ah, you threw him up in the air at the basket" Morgan looks very nervous again and is flanked by Beans.

"Flipped", Corey adds with a smirk, and Eddie returns an impressed eyebrow raise.

Steve puts his knife and fork down and says slowly, almost like he's trying to comprehend it simultaneously, "You were flipped through the air at the hoop?!" His hand rubs at his chest.

"Told you it would give you a heart attack" Corey laughs and shakes his head.

Steve feels awkward. Yes, the thought of his boy getting flipped through the air like a pancake at a metal hoop was terrifying, but he didn't want to seem like a complete spoilsport. Neither of them was harmed, and he guessed Morgan was probably only doing it to win over Corey, at which he had succeeded where many had failed. Steve feels Zee staring at him and turns to see a slight pleading look in her eyes. Steve swallows, "Well, you know, neither of you is hurt, so I'm not gonna make it a big thing. Just um, maybe something less risky next time, right guys?"

"Right," the boys say in unison, but one with defeat and the other with relief.

Steve turns to Eddie and mouths silently, "Was that ok?" He could feel the worry creasing on his brow. He knows how to speak to his kids but doesn't want to overstep with Morgan. Eddie looks at Steve with a sweet smile, and under the table, his knee nudges Steve's leg.

"Perfect", he mouths back, and Steve grins back like he won the jackpot or something.

The meal goes by with them generally chatting about school, D&D and music, mainly letting the kids take the lead on conversation until it's time for dessert. Eddie dabs his mouth with a napkin and asks, "Kids, think you can clear the table for dessert if we go get it? I mean, Steve did kinda do all of this." 

"It's fine, really. It won't take me five minutes," Steve says, quickly reaching for some of the dishes. Corey slaps his hand away.

"He did a lot today, didn't he?" Zee agrees with a beaming smile, but not without a small amount of teasing, "Sure, why not, right?" She looks over at Morgan, who agrees immediately, which prompts a shrug from Corey, who starts piling up some plates.

"Onward! To the castle! To retrieve the dessert in distress!" Eddie booms, leaping out of his seat and tugging at Steve's arm. With a jolt, Steve follows him out to the motorhome.

Eddie pulls out the steps and opens the door waving Steve inside first. Ascending the stairs, Steve is quite unprepared for the beautiful aroma that hits him from a space occupied by one grown man and a teenage boy. Was that peaches? Once inside, Steve takes the place in, and guiltily he thinks this place is a lot tidier than he was expecting. Eddie wasn't gross or disgusting, but he was, as it said on the outside of his home, a hurricane. Steve remembers piles of utter chaos around his room in the trailer, and sure sometimes he might forget where something was and get wound up about it, but eight times out of ten, he could walk straight up to one of the said piles or boxes and reach in and find exactly what he was looking for. This place looked terrific, sure the teal furnishings were a bit much, but Steve could see that Eddie mostly tried to cover those with throws or cushions made out of band flags or crocheted material. Above all else, he's surprised about how roomy it was besides the narrow mini hallway towards the back. 

"Wow, Eddie, this is amazing!" Steve says, and it's genuine, he always dreamt of owning something like this, but his life had been a little different in that dream. Six little nuggets instead of two and Nancy instead of no one. Eddie's comment from earlier repeats in his head. I'm really happy that all the choices I've made led me right here. Steve couldn't have agreed more. Eddie steps inside, too and shuts the door behind him.

"Sorry, old habit." He says awkwardly, turning and opening it again.

"If I got yelled at as many times as you did for leaving it open, I would always close it behind me too," Steve laughs, remembering, "How is he?"

"He's old and crabby, you know, like always", Eddie jokes, as he points to a photo hanging up, "That was his sixtieth birthday. I wanted to take him to see the Chippendales but his old man, Jack, got all uptight about it. So we had a meal out…and then I took him to see the Chippendales… in Vegas… the very next weekend" Eddie smiles fondly at the picture, "He's doing good for his age. It's why I don't like to stray too far from the remains of Hell-kins for too long these days. I know he stays there because Jack freaks out every time he goes somewhere new, you know. Sometimes he forgets who we are or when he is, and Wayne, gods love him, does everything he can to help him." Eddie folds his arms around himself and looks at the picture of him and Wayne, "It's diabolical, isn't it?"

"What is? Steve asks, looking at the picture. Wayne still had that sparkle in his eyes and that huge smile that was solely reserved for Eddie as far as Steve had seen. He hadn't known him long, but Wayne's impact on him had been tremendous. He made Steve think that along with the criminal track record, the other thing the Munson name should be known for is melting the iciest of exteriors and making people feel at ease. Well, on the right side of them, cross them, and they'd give you hell. Wayne was one of the few positive parenting role models that Steve thought about when dealing with his own kids. How he managed Eddie daily was nothing short of a miracle, but Eddie gave back that love and care in his own unique ways in droves.

"That destiny made him wait for his person for so long and then took him away in less than half the time he waited" Eddie shakes his head, "Always gotta be looking after something or someone, huh,  Uncle Wayne?" he says planting a kiss on his fingers and gently places them on the picture. Eddie turns back to Steve and kicks at the floor a little, glancing down as he does, "He says hello, by the way." He says, looking up with a shy smile, and it's like something in Steve shifts again.

"He remembers me?" Steve says softly like he can't believe it.

Eddie snorts out a laugh like Steve's question is ridiculous, "Of course he does! His little Sunshine Steve? Christ, he wouldn't shut up when I told him I saw you at the library. Steve this, and Steve that. Practically swallowed the phone with the gasp he took when I said you had kids." Eddie pretends to be annoyed, but a laugh makes a smile break out across his face, creasing up his scars. Steve half smiles at Eddie and then at the picture. He always used to call him that, Little Sunshine. Even though when they met, he was almost a full-grown adult. Ah, here's the lil' Sunshine we've been waiting on he can hear Wayne gruffly say with a smile from the seat on the front porch of their replacement trailer. Even just recalling his voice saying it warms Steve's heart, someone older than him treating him with fondness, with a nickname he didn't even have to earn. Fond memories like that make him sure that Wayne is the most incredible grandfather to Morgan too. It's weird how you can know someone your whole life, and they just don't have the same impact as someone you knew for a blip of that. The time between Wayne getting a new place and Eddie leaving Hawkins was short a few months. Steve halts his brain from travelling down this painful road. They'd had a great day, and he didn't want to ruin it now.

"Would you say hello back for me next time you speak to him?" Steve asks tentatively.

"Of course, even though I'll have to sit through him going on and on about you" Eddie flails his hand in the air and then pushes his hands into his lower back as he tucks in his bottom lip, "But you'll totally owe me a huuuuge favour then, Steve" he sways from side to side a little looking directly at Steve now, "but I digress. The tour"

Eddie shows him around the Four Winds Hurricane. He's only had it a few years and got it at a steal because although it was only a few years old, some damage slashed the price. Luckily Eddie was able to fix it easily by himself. The kitchen has a full oven and gas stovetop, above it a microwave, to the left of that two small sinks behind them a refrigerator littered with notes, postcards, pictures and novelty magnets, and a small table with two chairs tucked underneath it. The snug hallway has a vanity area, wardrobe, and bathroom. There is a bedroom which is currently closed off because it's summer, so it's Morgan's space. He reassures Steve that he always gets Morgan a new mattress for the summer and laughs heartily. Then they move towards the front of the vehicle, where a sofa pulls out into a bed on one side, in front of that the driver and passenger seats, a TV in the centre console between them. Eddie sits side-on in the passenger seat and pats the driver's one, "Wanna try it out?" He beams up at Steve, who excitedly gets in the seat, "You wanna take her for a spin?" Eddie tempts him, and boy does he, but Steve doesn't really want to stray too far from the kids.

"Maybe next week?" Steve asks with a regretful smile.

"Sure thing", Eddie agrees as Steve reaches out to get a feel for the steering wheel. As his hands grip around it, his mind does that channel flip again, except this time he knows exactly what it was. He can still hear the yelling and screaming, remembering when they stole the RV with Eddie's help from the trailer park. He remembers talking to Nancy. Brain static. He looks down. He's in a jacket with patches and a protective vest and driving, but there is silence, which is worse than the yelling and screaming. His stomach sinks, crushed under the waves of dread. He looks over his shoulder and can see Eddie in the backseat. His scarless pale face emphasises his dark eyes looking out the window in trepidation. He won't look back at him, and Steve knows why. 

Steve's driving him to his doom.

"STEVE!!" he hears suddenly and is jolted out of his memories. Eddie's hands are clamped on his shoulders so tightly it hurts, his eyes wide with fear. Steve blinks, and Eddie inhales sharply, releases him and flops back in his seat with relief, "Jesus Christ, Steve. What the fuck?!"

"Eddie, I'm so sorry. I just- When I- You know what, it doesn't matter, are you ok?" Steve thinks about explaining, but it will just make him sound insane.

"Oh, it matters! The last person that froze on me fucking levitated and snapped into a million pieces. Did you see anything? It can't be him, right? He's gone, isn't he?" Steve can feel the panic start to work Eddie up again.

"Listen to me", Steve speaks calmly, reaches out and puts his hand on Eddie's shoulder, rubbing it soothingly. "He's long gone. This is gonna sound crazy, ok, but when I touched the wheel, my brain just took me back to driving that stolen RV. Some kind of memory trigger. I didn't mean to scare you."

Eddie's face relaxes again a little, but his brow is still pinched in concern. He's not looking at Steve. Instead, his eyes search some imaginary far-off point beyond the floor. "You called for me. I answered you, but you just sat there. Like, frozen." his voice trembles when he replies.

"Hey, we're ok. You're safe. Nothing bad is gonna happen, ok? I'm here. The kids are inside. It's all gonna be ok, Eddie. I promise," he says reassuringly as Eddie hides his face in his hands.

"Sorry, Steve. I just panicked, you know. I should have thought about it before asking you to sit in that seat." Eddie closes his eyes and sighs before sitting in his seat towards Steve, "Does that happen often? I know you get lost in your thoughts sometimes, but that wasn't the same as earlier. I was calling you for a while there," Eddie asks with concern.

"The dog normally helps. She can tell, barks, and it pulls me out before it gets too much. Before I got her, someone was usually around, you know. Jenny or the kids. In answer to your question, it doesn't happen that much, mainly because of Beans. It used to happen more years ago, and it's happened twice today. Earlier wasn't so bad because it was something I didn't know about, so I didn't think it was the same thing, but this was something I've recalled a thousand times. The detail is so strong, and it just sort of pulls me right back into it," Steve sighs in frustration. "I'm not making much sense, am I? God, I must sound insane to you" Steve rubs his eyes with his fingertips in frustration. He feels Eddie's hand on his upper back.

"Nothing you could say to me would ever make me genuinely think that Steve. Not a thing in this world or any other." Eddie says gently, and when Steve finally looks up to check in his eyes if he's telling the truth, he adds, "I promise," offers him a small smile and points at the window, "Do me a favour, pull those curtains shut. I wanna show you something." Steve eyes him curiously. "Don't worry, it's nothing lewd, Steve. I use it when I can't sleep cus of the nightmares" Steve pulls the curtains across, and Eddie gets the others and shuts the door, and the motorhome descends into darkness, where Steve can just about make things out. Eddie guides him to the little sofa by the forearm, "Sit down here and look up".

Steve sits on the sofa next to Eddie. The seat is large enough to have space between them, not that Steve would mind greatly if there wasn't. He looks up at the ceiling and can just make out the ripples of the dark fabric that he's now only noticed attached to this part of the ceiling. There is a click to his right, and tiny dots of light appear across the dark space. Then he starts to make out some patterns and lets out a happy exhale of realisation. It's part of the night sky, in miniature. They sit silently for a little while, and Steve feels his heart rate slow down and a fuzzy peaceful feeling swim over him. He remembers this, only this time, neither of them is drunk, high or both. It almost overwhelms him to know that Eddie uses something from their shared past to comfort him, just like Steve does.

"I'll say this for it, it's much comfier than a car bonnet or trailer roof," Steve says quietly as if to not disturb the fake stars in their pretend sky. 

"Yeah, and I don't have to wait for a clear sky either. It's always here," Eddie says, and Steve can hear the smile in his voice. A few more moments pass in the dark and quiet.

"It was just cheap bourbon," Steve says, eyes still trailing over the lights.

"Huh?" Eddie almost laughs.

"In the decanter upstairs, it's not the expensive stuff. I tried that, and it tasted much better, but it didn't help", Steve adds, "So I went to find the cheapest bourbon I could, and honestly, it's disgusting, but it works" Steve feels Eddie's hand find his on the seat between them.

"Like we used to drink,'' Eddie softly confirms he understands, and Steve hums in agreement, pushing his hand further into Eddie's. There is another quiet patch before a solemn "I'm sorry I left, Steve" breaks the silence.

"No, please. I don't wanna hear that, Eddie. Don't be sorry for leaving, it really doesn't matter. Thank you for coming back," Steve says with a smile illuminated by the dim, warm white lights. He feels a squeeze on his hand and returns it. Then two squeezes which he returns again. Then an exchange of three, Eddie laughs gently in the subtle light. "Thank you for this. For everything, really. No pressure, but I'm really happy you're back, no matter how long." Steve manages to say the words but doesn't dare to deliver them directly to Eddie, so he sends them into the air above them, "We should probably go back to mine, though. We've left three kids in a kitchen by themselves," Steve says, making Eddie chuckle. He pats Steve's hand as he lets it go, clicks the lights off and gets up to open the curtains.

Eddie picks up a dish towel and opens the oven retrieving a very ornately decorated pie. The pastry lattice work on top is a beautiful golden brown adorned with other pastry embellishments made to look like leaves and berries. "Eddie, don't you have any oven mitts?"

"Yes, they're in the drawer!" Eddie says, shutting the oven, waving his hand a little as he places the pie on the stovetop.

"Then why aren't you using them? You'll burn your hands!" Steve says like he's telling off one of the kids.

"I'm a grown man Steve. I can stand a little heat from a pie, from an oven that wasn't even switched on," Eddie says with a bit of sass.

"Oh, is that so?" Steve says, putting his hands on his hips and leaning into his space a little, making Eddie grin. "Well, it will be pretty painful to hold my hand again with burnt fingers, won't it?" Eddie blinks and hurriedly retrieves the oven gloves from the drawer and puts them on. Steve smiles satisfactorily, and Eddie pretends to be really put out by the request, but the corners of his mouth curl up occasionally.

"We'll get the door for me then, Mr Health and Safety, or have I gotta do everything around here?!" Eddie says in a false annoyed voice, picking up the pie in his oven-mitted hands. Steve opens the door for him and lets him out first as they return to the house.

As they open the door, Steve can hear the kids deep in debate about something,

"Seriously, you can't truly believe that?" He hears Corey scoff, "Like, he's great and everything, but cool is not a word I'd associate with him. You haven't seen his dancing."

"I hate to do it, but I agree with my brother. He's the best but cool, no," Mackenzie giggles, "Is this something Eddie told you? Because I can tell you this for sure, he is definitely biased regarding Dad. Like, majorly!" Steve turns and looks at Eddie, who shakes his head and shrugs.

"No. He has never said anything like that. Well, not directly. I've got this book. I've had it since I was a kid. Eddie made it for me." Morgan starts, and Steve looks at Eddie again, who is picking up his pace towards the kitchen. Steve catches up to him, silently stops him, points at the telephone table, and Eddie reluctantly puts the pie down. "I was sick a lot when I was little, always in and out of the hospital, and he told me these stories a bunch of times. The main character in them was my favourite, and I asked him if he'd write them down so that other people could read them to me when he wasn't around. Well, Eddie, being the way he is, didn't just write it down. He made me a whole damn book. It's a story about a Prince. In the beginning, he's mean because that's how all the people in his kingdom are. Then one day, he meets a princess, and he falls in love, but she's not all she seems. Secretly she's a badass monster hunter, and unfortunately for the Prince, she is so deep in the grief for her friend that she can't love him back. So the Prince is horrible to her and banishes her from the kingdom. He asks his advisors for help when he realises his mistake, but they only know meanness and cruelty, and the Prince can see what a terrible place his kingdom is for the first time. The Prince knows that deep down, he isn't mean and cruel, but it's all he's known his whole life. He goes to find the princess to apologise, but when he gets there, he doesn't find the Princess. He finds her as a monster hunter trying to save a young boy with his brother. The Prince, seeing her with another man, is heartbroken and nearly goes back home to his kingdom, but he hears her scream and charges into battle. He finds a magic mace, and together they defeat the evil monster and save the boy. But that's just the first story. The Prince becomes a monster hunter too. He battles monsters and bad guys and, through the Princess, makes a whole new group of friends that they protect fiercely and save the world." Steve looks over at Eddie, who is busy looking around the hallway, avoiding his eyes, foot tapping.

"Ok, great story and everything, but what does that have to do with Dad? He's not an author," Corey laughs.

"Wait a minute," Zee says thoughtfully, "Did one of these stories have a super brave bard in it who looks after people in the village? Like the pied Piper, but he saves a whole town instead of leading all the kids away? I can't remember it all now" Eddie's eyes shoot to him, and suddenly the ceiling fascinates Steve.

"No...oh hang on, actually…there was a bard, but he wasn't brave, he was a coward, he disobeyed the Prince's orders, but the Prince saved him and carried him all the way home." Morgan says curiously before continuing, "But my point is the Prince in my stories is your Dad. Obviously, the monsters are a metaphor for something, maybe like bullies? I don't know. Your dad is a hero."

"It could be anyone, though, right? So how do you know it's our Dad?" Zee asks.

Morgan clears his throat and, in a theatrical voice, says, "For the Prince, despite the cold-heartedness that surrounded him, had glorious hair and handsome eyes of warmest brown. The gods themselves spilt their honey to give him golden sparkles in his eyes, so he would never know true darkness, and upon his golden skin, they mapped the stars, so he would never lose his way" Steve notices Eddie is blushing a little and decides to cut him some slack. He nudges him and points at the pie and then at the kitchen. Eddie gives him an apologetic smile, picks up the pie and walks into the kitchen.

"I don't get it," Corey says, and there is a slight clattering of plates.

"I do," Zee says softly.

"Get what?" Says Eddie, and Morgan gulps nervously at his sudden presence as he places the pie on the table.

"Oh, all the hype around Britney Spears", Zee replies quickly.

"That's not-" Corey starts before yelping as Zee rushes towards him, and he runs around the table back to his seat.

"Wow, this looks great, guys!" Steve says as he grabs a knife and a pie server from the drawer. 

"It's a peach Melba pie," Morgan says excitedly, "it's got peaches and raspberries in it. I hope you don't mind Mr Harrington. I made a little batch of creme anglaise, or it's nice with ice cream too, or just on its own, well, if you like those flavours. Do you like peaches and raspberries?" Morgan rambles, and Eddie pushes his hands out before him, encouraging him to relax. Steve turns to Morgan with raised eyebrows and a smile.

"You just whipped up a creme anglaise?" Steve asks in surprise.

"Yes, sir. Only learned to make it this summer, and it goes really nicely with so many desserts. You can make it thicker, and then it's more of a custard like British people have, like the consistency of a vanilla pudding almost" Steve can see the enthusiasm on his face, all wide eyes, solid eye contact and animated hands, just like when Zee would tell him of her D&D escapades. Steve hands the utensils to Morgan.

"I'm impressed by our manners Morgan, but Steve is fine. Why don't you serve the dessert how it's supposed to be? I'm happy to try your recommendations," Steve says kindly.

Morgan straightens up and positively beams at Steve, "Ok, yeah, I can do that. Um, ok, so" he excitedly gets up and starts serving a pie slice for everyone. Zee seems to get the biggest and most decorative portion, "So, um yeah, you can try a bit of it on its own, and then I'll pour you a spot of the creme anglaise, and you can try that, and if you like it, you can have as much as you like." Morgan sits in his chair but doesn't touch his pie. His fingers tap together nervously as he watches everyone else. Steve tastes a small piece of the pie. Initially, he tastes the flavours he expects of the peach, raspberry and pastry, but then the layers start to come through the crisp, sweet butteriness of the pastry, the slight detection of spices mixed in with the fruit, and his taste buds are in heaven. Steve emits a noise of bliss that potentially should not be heard at the dinner table, making Eddie nearly choke on his food.

"Wow. That is really something else. Where did you get this?" Steve asks about to take another bite before a very pleased Morgan gets out of his seat, stops his hand before he takes another forkful, pours a little of the accompaniment onto the pie and stands back to watch him. Steve would have gladly finished the pie as is, he's still determining how this sauce will improve on the most delicious pie he's ever eaten in his life, but he tries it anyway.

Of course, he's wrong. The addition was perfect. The tartness of the fruit and spices burst through the creamy soft vanilla on his tongue, and it is incredible. He shuts his eyes a moment to savour it, and when he opens his eyes, he looks happily at Morgan, "It's good. Really good, Morgan." He moves around the table, doing the same for everyone else except for Eddie, whose slice Morgan covers entirely, and circles back to Steve.

"Do you want any more si-Steve? Morgan asks

 "Sure do!" Steve enthuses, and Morgan pours a zig-zag over the rest of Steve's pie. 

"That should be a good balance," he says, sitting back down to eat his own serving and putting the pouring jug between them all, which Eddie immediately reaches for, receiving a cautioning look from Morgan. Eddie huffs and goes back to his pie.

"I, um, I made the pie," Morgan says nervously, not taking his eyes off his plate.

"You did not!" Corey blurts out, traces of raspberry around his mouth, reaching for the jug. "You must have got this from one of those fancy bakery places. Like the one Val used to work at," he says, pouring the addition onto his pie. Steve instinctively goes to tell Corey off, but Eddie nudges his leg and shakes his head with a little frown. 

"I'm totally serious, dude! I made it in the RV!" Morgan says back quickly.

"Did not!" Corey says, taking another mouthful.

"Did too!" Morgan rapidly fires back to a grinning Corey.

"You did not! I didn't see you make it, so I don't believe you!" Corey says and exchanges a glance with Zee.

"Yeah, for the second time today, I have to begrudgingly agree with my brother. We didn't see you make it. This could be from anywhere," Zee says with a disappointed tone.

Morgan points at Eddie, "He saw me make it."

Eddie looks at the pouring jug and then at Morgan, "Technically, all I saw was it come out of the oven. But, unfortunately, I was busy working."

"Noodling on your guitar, you mean?" Morgan says in frustration before looking at Steve with hopeful eyes, then just out of the corner of his eye, Steve catches Corey sending a wink to Eddie, and Zee giggles 

"If it's worth anything, Morgan. I believe you, but to prove these naysayers wrong, maybe you'll just have to come back and make another?" Steve suggests.

"I could do that? I mean, yeah. I could do that! Then you'd have to believe me," Morgan says, questioning at first and then slipping into confidence.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to come back then," Eddie says, sighing, trying his best not to smile. Steve hooks his ankle around Eddie's under the table, and after taking in the initial cute jump of surprise he does, Steve goes back to finishing his pie.

One communal table clean up and two very heated games of go fish later, it's time for Eddie and Morgan to head home. Steve really should be used to card games getting out of control between his kids, but add Eddie to the mix, and it was chaos. At least Morgan was a small oasis of calm for Steve to smile over at whilst the arguments ensued. Steve wasn't sure how the goodbyes would go, but unfortunately, it was just a wave exchange this time. 

As the kids are getting ready for bed, Steve hovers in the door frame of his bathroom. He isn't entirely sure why, but they always brushed their teeth together in his bathroom every night they were here. Though he could guess it probably had something to do with the amount of toothpaste, they'd get all over his mirror.

"So, er, did you enjoy today?" Steve asks. He gets enthusiastic nodding in response over the sound of vigorous brushing, "Happy for them to visit again?" Immediate nodding from Zee, a thoughtful pause and then a nod for Corey. "Cor?" Steve inquires, and Corey swills out his mouth to speak.

"I liked them well enough, it was fun, and the pie was great, but um…Ken can handle herself, I think. I'm just a bit worried about you, Dad," Corey says with genuine concern, and Steve tries his best not to laugh, "This Eddie guy, he's funny and cool, I guess, but he's not like you. He's kinda crazy, and I don't want him to make you big sad, is all. You know, like some of the other dates." Steve's heart sinks. He thought he'd hidden his disappointments well enough over the last few years, but clearly not as well as he thought. From the use of big sad, this is something Corey had asked Jenny and Val about. "But I know those kinds of things can't be predicted. Otherwise, people wouldn't try, would they? Everything would just work out forever," Corey adds thoughtfully, looking in the mirror, and that guilt creeps over Steve again about his failed marriage. 

"Hey, you've got nothing to worry about, especially no need to worry about me. I can look after myself. It's only because you've only ever seen the Dad side of me you think that. I used to be quite the force to be reckoned with in my youth," Steve says with a smile at them both in the mirror, and Zee and Corey share a wide-eyed glance between one another. 

"How mean are we talking exactly?" Zee asks cautiously.

Steve hides his smile, not wanting to let them know he heard them talking, "Oh, absolutely devastating", he says seriously, folding his arms, "Positively medieval", he adds as they exchange a gasp.

[silver-wield]

im the one from before, i've seen the update about the Nomura statement. So it seems they didn't get it wrong in spirit or meaning BUT the decision to implicate "not so pitiable" is like saying it's pitiable but not so much. Compared to "they have a good relationship" which is more direct and doesn't sound 50/50 like they're not so sure. You don't have to be a genius to see that the translation isn't exactly doing the right job of conveying Nomura's statement. Hence why people still hone it in that "she is pitiable" in the comments. Dumb cleriths or not. I've seen it once on discord (under the stars), a member of that shinra archeology stating for example that they're well aware that Cloud DID NOT imply to have feelings for both women, like 0% proof BUT they got to say it and cop out due to not wanting to sound biased on other sides. I suppose they decided onto the 325 version and an implication that doesn't sound as good as " she's not pitiful, she has a good relationship with cloud" because it might sound biased. But in doing so, they're creating more havock than good. Shipping matters or not, they're not helping Tifa's character at all, neither Cloud's. Until they get a clearer canonical confirmation that Cloud is into Tifa and that he isn't into aerith etc. They cannot move pass being 50/50 when pushing out statements and I'd say. Fck them, it's like it's better if they actually just shut up to begin with.

and the people conveying "its stated in the source/website" that there's a LT going on is like sating you lost the part where it was clearly a red herring all along. Words and statements are powerful... Why else would we be so pissed with SENA to begin with. I mean it when I say people have their eyes closed and lack empathy to understand FF7 and it's characters. It's a real shame. I hope moving forward EC and the trilogy or more would completely just put a nail in the coffin in all these. I'm tired of the weekly basis of defending a story that's so easy to comprehend. Sorry, my statement is long, I just wish to convey my disapproval to someone who knows more than me but I as a private person being anonymous is the best I feel like doing it due to my anxiety. Thank you for this opportunity.

They deliberately fucked with the phrasing to alter the meaning and make it more negative than it is. The statement is actually quite positive, but you'd never know it from the way they talk. They're always trying to make Tifa out to be this pitiful figure who "deserves better", even though she's really happy with Cloud and they have a good relationship.

And you'll also notice the only time they ever share anything about Tifa is when they think they can shit on her and Cloud's relationship. There's so many quotes for cloti, but they never include them. They only focus on being negative and trying to inflate their non existent bullship instead.

And when we call for sources they make bullshit claims about copyright. Because a 20+ year old magazine, which was issued in the thousands and we're asking for a snippet of would really piss off SE, who have no affiliation with the company in question, and said company also wouldn't give a shit about a tiny extract being shared when people have in the past shown entire page scans, but sure, y'all hide behind the word "copyright" like we don't know how copyright laws work 🙄

Btw, I'm a copy editor, so I know how copyright laws work for several countries 🤷

[dabistits]

I was thinking abt that post u made regarding the villains' endings. Not to rain on anyone's parade, but the fan theory of Dabi reborn like a phoenix as a baby, or Tenko being ripped out of Shigaraki a la Meteora Butterfly (SVTFOE), is still a route that robs these guys of their agency and history, and the fact that this is seen as the best compromise by a lot of the fandom (and very possibly Hori, himself) overlooks that. "Conform to the heroes' position so you don't die." I guess it comes down to whether to prioritize villains' well being over their goals/values at this point. ('Cause obviously the heroes are gonna win and we already know how Hori feels about Things And Stuff.) I don't think I like Any of the alternatives, just bec of the story's History/Trajectory (and Lean the story has on Society Subjects.) F in chat.

thank u for bringing back this info from the trenches🙏

is still a route that robs these guys of their agency and history

what you said here really gets to the crux of the issue imo! having that as a "solution" implies so many things... that the villains, having already experienced their trauma, cannot live on happily with that history; that hero society can't respond to their history if they continue to exist in a way where they can still have opinions about their experiences; that the only path forward, whether "redeemed" or not, is for their history to be erased so they can be returned to an ontologically "pure" state as a baby, neither able to comprehend the consequences of their actions nor describe why they took those actions in the first place.

what does it say about our ability to contend with trauma and harm (to others and against oneself) if the answer here is "return to a state where those things never happened in the first place"?

plus, this whole desire reflects a great deal about who ppl think is worth and not worth saving. shigaraki tomura can't be saved, but tenko can; dabi can't be saved, but touya can. we'd rather deal with the innocent child than a traumatized child who has now become an adult and has all the agency of an adult and the ability to say nasty things about and lash out against our world. the desire to separate them into an innocent deserving victim versus an unsalvageable villain, as though you can save one (or imprison one) without doing the same to the other. anyway i've already complained about this, apparently the fandom thinks it's a great idea though.

realistically, i'm not sure if it'll happen or if it's too farfetched... though probably not as farfetched as bakugo getting a man for his heart, so🤷

[the-heaminator]

chapter 3 of the ace family thing

As previously mentioned, the two fell asleep directly after school, without eating anything at all, and naturally they grew hungry soon enough. The sun had already long since set, and it looked like midnight from how dark and quiet the house was, though it was only about 9 in the evening, the two holding eachother tight through their thick blanket to ward off the cold (their father did not trust the heating not causing a fire when he wasn't around) but Alfred was hungry.

He was also just so warm though, with Matt clinging to him like a heat backpack, both were far overdue for a haircut and Alfred's hair had started to creep onto his neck, while it seemed Matt was too far gone at this point, hair being around chin length and was quickly lengthening, but he seemed to like it like so.

He tried getting out of the bed without alerting Matt, but that failed pretty spectacularly as he knew full well that he woke at the drop of a hat, and so when the inevitable occured he felt a little bad but knew it was a necessary sacrifice. Plus he knew Matt would also be hungry, he was almost always hungry to be fair.

"Matt, Matt, I'm hungry," his sentence trailing off at the end as he whined like the small child he was.

Matt, in his weary state took a good few moments to comprehend what on earth Alfred was saying, before sitting up -a mistake on his part- and laying down immediately after due to dizziness.

"You're hungry Alfred?" Matt checked the bedside clock, which read 9:13 "At this time?"

"Yesssss." Alfred whined.

A childish imitation of said whine and a smack later the two were up and hunting around the kitchen for something to eat, they were not allowed to use the stove just yet and neither trusted the toaster despite their father using it every morning without much of an issue. But for them it smoked and smelled like burning whenever it was turned on so that was a big no no.

The fridge was quite empty, nothing much of merit to eat in it that could easily be prepared by a child, there were a few tins of beans but they were very high up, and thence a mission was started, to obtain the beans and open the can without cutting fingers, bean tins were very very sharp as Matthew had found out completely by accident on a night such as this. A chair to the counter because they weren't exactly sure if directly climbing onto the counter was the safest thing to do at the moment because Matt and Alfred both swear on their life that they've seen evidence of termites, and that is never a good thing for anythings structural integrity, so a chair it was, and to their credit they did manage to get down the beans and open them without much hassle, which left microwaving it.

Microwaved beans tasted worse than beans warmed on the hob but no one trusted the hob in this house, it having a tendency to flare up and burn whenever the fuck it wanted to, so it was good for the children to stay away from it, and so they sat on the cushy sofa and ate their microwaved beans; he sofa in question being who knows how old, from a disrepuatble secondhand shop and being one of the many constants in the twins' life, as well as in Arthurs, it being the place where he slept every night after all; it was well worn and incredibly comfortable, though you could occasionally feel the springs if you felt hard enough but no one did that, and Matt decided to bring their blanket, almost drowning in it until he threw it onto the sofa and crawled into it with Alfred, where they stayed long after their beans were finished, too warm and tired to really want to move, and despite having only just woken up fell asleep again, once again curled up in each others arms, snoring peacefully as the night progressed; the silence comfortable and warm, lulling them deeper into their blessed slumber.

That was how their father found them that night, on the sofa sleeping soundly, and he had not the heart to move them, the boys did still have school and it would be mean to wake them up now, it was slightly past 3 in the morning you see, and so naturally Arthur decided to join his children on the sofa, he was a bit too tired to eat right now, and they did look so warm tucked up in their blanket like that. So he settled down on the sofa, and started to snore almost immediately, his back would regret sleeping upright, but his back was always regretting so it can't have been too bad.

And so repeated the cycle, wake up, work, school, home, eat, sleep, wake up, work, school, home, eat, sleep.

That was how their life was, it was slightly more interesting for the children, after all they did still have all those different subjects, they both had a friend, and sometimes, sometimes, it made Arthur wish he hadn't wasted his childhood in the way that he did, he chose not to remember those years, he started anew at 18 (more as he was kicked out at 18) and it did seem to be getting better, he had a decent income, then that bitch entered his life, and everything had been a steady downward spiral from there.

He knew it was horrible of him to blame his children for his own woes when he knew that it was only him and Francene who were to blame, but in the heat of the moment his mind often resorted to lashing out towards his children, albeit mentally, and such guilt constantly weighed upon his mind, they did nothing to deserve his mental berations, but he was tired, just so tired of everything.

Physically exhausted constantly, he knew colleagues at both of his jobs made jabs at his expense, often telling him to lighten up using far stronger words than the ones mentioned, or seemed to be worried for him, lecherous bastards only needed something from him when they did so, so ignoring them seemed to be the best course of action, he had figured that out long ago, maybe a little too early, but he had found out anyhow.

Mentally it wasn't much better, and one could argue that it was in fact worse, he would be hard-pressed to remember when the last time his last proper meal was, but that was mainly because he just hadn't been hungry for a long time, he knew not of why this was happening, he could scarcely remember a lot of things now that he stopped to think about it, entire days were blank spaces in his mind, and while he knew he should be concerned, he just had not the energy to do so, and he hadn't for a long time.

But maybe just for a bit he could be with his children, safe and warm like he wanted them to be, them all to be, an idea that seemed to be going so horribly wrong in his mind.

[stormbabylore]

The final round in this series of love-related asks!

ˋ°•*⁀➷⁠ Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4

Round 5: makmur, mille-feuille, and pan dulce!

10. makmur - what role does forgiveness play? ─☆─ I haven't yet written out how Aeryn responds to and then addresses the various circumstances in which Urianger betrays her trust, but she spends a very long time just not dealing with it. That kind of betrayal from someone she so deeply cares for is incomprehensible to her: she's experiencing it - and all the pain and anger that comes with it - for the very first time. All those negative sensations exist in direct opposition to the comfortable security of Urianger's nearness, and she still desperately craves that stability - so she shoves all those new, negative feelings away, bypassing the need for forgiveness entirely. Aeryn says she forgives him - and I think she believes she has - but she doesn't yet know what that really means. My tentative headcanon is that she doesn't properly address the initial pain of his betrayal until his later secrets emerge in ShB. Her own potential demise and his actions (desiring to be at her side regardless of the outcome) would force her to confront those feelings and realize she never truly let any of it go. Once she does let it out, she'll begin to comprehend how enormously difficult true forgiveness is - perhaps even recognize that she doesn't know how to forgive. It's something they would work toward together post-ShB: his properly earning her trust, and her properly forgiving him. (All this to say that yes: forgiveness is pretty integral to their partnership and a necessary step in their growth together.) 11. mille-feuille - do they believe friends can become lovers? if so, when does love transcend from platonic to romantic? if not, why? ─☆─ Aeryn's notions about love, friendship, and affection are relatively simplistic (even childlike), so I doubt she'd consider the question with any kind of complexity. Her immediate experience suggests there is little distinction between friends and lovers; but she feels she has no right to define anyone else's experience. She's just trying to become comfortable with her own. Aeryn (in main canon) never really comes to understand what a "lover" (by the standard definition) even is. Clearly she does grow to experience a love beyond friendship, but I think that elevated level of caring manifests differently for her. She would likewise have a very difficult time answering the question of when/how love shifts from platonic to romantic, because to her, they aren't mutually exclusive. She feels that the way she loves Urianger is exactly the same as the way she loves others who are important to her, except there are a few ways she expresses that to Urianger that are unique. They have both platonic and romantic affection between them - but if they ever stopped expressing romantic affection for each other, Aeryn wouldn't feel she loved him any less, because to her the love itself is the same. They're just showing it in a different way. 12. pan dulce - do they have an "i can fix them" complex? or are they one that needs to be fixed? if neither, how do they feel about the idea? ─☆─ I don't think so? She and Urianger both have their issues, but the arc he experiences (and how I have chosen to embellish it) works quite well alongside the arc I've imagined for Aeryn. Neither of them "fixes" the other, but they do grow to be different people along their respective journeys, and that's in part a result of their knowing one another. I guess I subscribe to a school of, "I grew in a positive way because I needed to, and you helped me understand that need," as opposed to, "I was broken, and you fixed me. I changed for you." That being said… Aeryn is wildly over-trusting. (Game lore commands it.) She will repeatedly give obviously untrustworthy characters the benefit of the doubt, even when she might experience wariness or suspicion toward them. I don't think this comes from a place of thinking she can fix broken characters but rather a place of giving them every opportunity to make better choices for themselves - because the alternative is fighting them, and that's generally the last thing she wants.

And that's all of them! 𓆩♡𓆪

[christ2525]

Jesus of Nazareth :Birth, Biography & Teachings

Jesus was the Savior (Christ), the Child of God who was executed for the transgressions of humankind prior to miraculously coming back to life, as indicated by Christian Good news accounts and early Christian compositions.

As per the Stories of good news, Jesus, who was brought into the world around 4 B.C., had the option to perform heavenly accomplishments like mending a great many illnesses by just contacting individuals or addressing them. He apparently additionally been able to stroll on water, in a split second make immense measures of fish and bread, revive the dead, miraculously come back to life himself, quiet tempests and exorcize devils from individuals.

Here are the Jesus of Nazareth :Birth, Biography & Teachings

The tales told about him have driven numerous researchers to investigate these inquiries: How was Jesus truly? Did he truly exist? Today, large numbers of the otherworldly accomplishments Jesus is accounted for to have performed are viewed by researchers as difficult to do — unquestionably by somebody who lived a long time back.

Attempting to comprehend what Jesus was truly similar to is confounded by the way that the earliest enduring texts that examine Jesus date to the second century A.D., around 100 years after the existence of Jesus — albeit, probably they were duplicated from archives that date to the primary 100 years. In 2015, there were claims that a duplicate of the Good news of Imprint dating to the primary century had been found, in spite of the fact that it presently creates the impression that this duplicate dates to the second or third century A.D.

Regardless of many difficulties, late archeological and authentic examination has permitted researchers to reveal insight into a few parts of Jesus' life, for example, what he resembled and what life resembled in his old neighborhood of Nazareth.

Supernatural occurrences A prophet and instructor of morals, Jesus was likewise a healer and wonder specialist. In the first 100 years, healers and wonder laborers were genuinely notable, however not definitively normal, and were not viewed as godlike creatures. Jesus himself allowed that others were equipped for performing wonders, like expulsions, whether or not they followed him (Matthew 12:27; Imprint 9:38-41; 6:7). Hence, the meaning of this vital part of his life is habitually misconstrued. In Jesus' time, it was acknowledged that individuals could mend and perform nature wonders, like causing precipitation. The inquiry, by power, or soul, they did as such. A portion of Jesus' rivals blamed him for projecting out devils by the sovereign of evil presences (Imprint 3:19-22; Matthew 12:24; Luke 11:15). He countered that he did as such by the soul of God (Matthew 12:28; Luke 11:20). Clearly, many individuals deviated, yet this was the issue in the course of Jesus' life — not whether he, similar to a couple of others, could perform supernatural occurrences, however by what power he did as such. In his own day, wonders were evidence neither of godlikeness nor of messiahship, and, probably, they may be utilized to approve a singular's message or lifestyle.

What are the attributes of Jesus? During the Last Dinner, Peter asked the Hero, "Master, whither goest thou?" Jesus answered, "Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; yet thou shalt follow me a while later" (John 13:36). Still confounded, Thomas answered, "Master, we know not whither thou goest; and how might we know the way?" (John 14:5).

Now and again we might feel, similar to Thomas, that we are lost, not knowing the correct approach. Be that as it may, we can trust the Hero's certain response: "I'm the way, reality, and the life; no man cometh unto the Dad, yet by me" (John 14:6).

As we concentrate on these 10 qualities of Jesus Christ and attempt to foster them in ourselves, we can realize that Jesus Christ is the method for truing joy and happiness.

Dependable

One of the qualities of Jesus is faithfulness.To be dedicated is to expect and follow up on things which are not seen, which are valid . In mortality, Jesus Christ did everything with an otherworldly conviction, in any event, performing strong marvels like strolling on water.

He requests that we practice confidence in Him and His motivations by confiding in Him and keeping His decrees.

Determined

Petitioning God is unadulterated correspondence with our Dad in Paradise. Jesus Christ implored frequently for companions and adversaries as well with respect to help during preliminaries. We also approach divine assistance and direction through supplication. We can follow the Hero as we supplicate day to day, communicating thanks and looking for divine help with our lives.

Astute

From His earliest minutes, "Jesus expanded in shrewdness and height, and in favor with God and man" (Luke 2:52). Generally speaking, the Guardian angel utilized the sacred texts to reprimand wrongdoers and show significant standards. We can moreover increment in shrewdness as we concentrate on the sacred texts.

Highminded

Jesus Christ is unadulterated and highminded. Assuming we are to be prudent like the Friend in need in a messy world, we should get some distance from things that contaminate our psyches, bodies, and spirits. Selecting cautiously our amusement and effectively keeping away from erotic entertainment will extraordinarily build our uprightness and tidiness before the Master. Regardless of the past, decide to be prudent today.

HUMBLE

Jesus educated, "For I descended from paradise, to avoid mine own will, however the desire of him that sent me" (John 6:38). As we shift focus over to the Rescuer's model, we will present our will to God in modesty and confidence in His arrangement.

Dutiful

The Hero was completely submissive in every way. He guarantees, "If ye keep my edicts, ye will stay in my affection" (John 15:10). Submission is a decision to believe God more than we trust our own restricted information. We can fortify our dutifulness each great decision in turn.

PATIENT

The Rescuer persistently hangs tight for us to decide to follow Him. The sacred texts instruct, "View, hath the Master directed any that they shouldn't participate in his decency? See I say unto you, Nay; however all men are special the one like unto the other, and none are taboo" . We can follow His model by practicing persistence with others and ourselves in our endeavors to move along.

Magnanimous

Good cause is Christ's unadulterated love, which He gives openly to us every day. He scolds us to adore God and love our fellowmen (see Imprint 12:30-31). We can show love to others every day through little and basic thoughtful gestures. Each time we connect with one more infatuated, we mirror Christ's adoration.

GIVING

Jesus Christ's service was loaded up with administration, frequently given en route. He recuperated one lady as He ventured to raise one more from the dead (see Imprint 5). To be like Him, we ought to open our eyes and hearts to the necessities of others along our way and give significant assistance every day.

Excusing

According to with great enthusiasm the Friend in need, "Yea, and as frequently as my kin atone will I pardon them their sins against me" We can foster this quality as we genuinely excuse the people who have violated us. To pardon is now and again troublesome. In any case, to keep pardoning is subjugation. As we excuse and trust the Master, our hearts will relax and we will be liberated to turn out to be more similar to our Friend in need.

[brighteduworld2]

How to Treat Your Patients with Respect and Commitment

The Next Mbbs News Is There are plans to launch the National Exit Test (NExT) in 2023 to standardise the country's medical entrance exam for postgraduate medical programmes.

 How Our Nurses Treat Patients with Respect and Dedication

In Universal City and other cities, Pegasus experienced in-home nurses provide treatment for patients with a range of medical issues. Despite their ailments, they treat their patients with dignity and care. Our career home health care nurses are aware that providing devoted care includes having a courteous attitude.

 Because respect has diverse meanings to different people, it is frequently simpler to spot the lack of regard. But fundamentally, respect is a representation of your feelings toward another person. When people are not appreciated, they do not feel valued.

 Respect can be summed up as care for others' emotions. That may entail respecting their desires and rights. Consideration of their culture and traditions is also necessary, particularly while providing professional care.

 Respect also means not holding others to your own standards. Everybody has the right to conduct themselves however they see fit. That can be at odds with your education and experience as a doctor.

 Nevertheless, obey their preferences unless doing so will actually cause them harm. You have to deal with feeling overly protective of your patients as a caregiver. You want the best for them after all.

 Guidelines For Respect

Respecting others entails giving them the best. One means of achieving this is by letting them maintain their dignity. One can:

 If the door is closed when you enter your patient's room, always knock. If it's not, say hello to them before you enter.

Even if your patient has cognitive impairment, refrain from using baby jargon. Even if you have to say things more than once, talk to them like an adult. You can never be sure how much they comprehend.

Avoid talking to others about their health without getting their consent. Use their name and include them in the dialogue if you feel comfortable speaking to their family members or other medical professionals. Avoid chatting with them while they are present.

As much privacy as it's possible to provide your patients. If you are assisting them with grooming, bathing, or closing doors, close the doors.

If at all possible, go over options with your patient. Consult with them and pay attention to their problems. Include them in selections regarding your care.

Encourage family members to use these principles as well. While attempting to give your patient quality care, they can accidentally offend them. They have a close relationship with the individual and are prone to disregarded their feelings.

 Effective Communication Is A Component Of Respect

Healthcare professionals may not always treat patients with respect in clinical settings. They make an effort, but time constraints work against them. As a nurse providing home health care, time is in your hands.

 Your schedule is in your hands. You have the discretion to give each person as much time as required to express their concerns. If a technique or treatment is necessary, you give them the non-medical justifications they require to comprehend.

 Withholding information from your patients is neither useful nor respectful. They have a right to be informed of the justifications behind certain processes or actions. Describe what you're doing and the reasoning behind it.

 Honesty Is A Symbol Of Respect

Honesty is a further facet of respect. Regarding the diagnosis and outlook for your patient, you can be honest. You obviously don't want to dash their hopes, but they need solid facts to make decisions.

 Generally speaking, patients who feel their sentiments are valued will be more compliant with their care. People need to believe that their actions are under control. Encourage their inquiries and reassure them that you are a team providing their care, and that they are.

 Dedication to completing everything to your best ability demonstrates Respect

By becoming the greatest nurse you can be, you are committed to enhancing the quality of life for your patients. You are conscious of your duties as a caregiver. You don't lie to your patients or breach your promises to them.

 Although you are patient, you also act when it is required. Your top priority is the health of your patient. You represent them in front of various organisations and experts.

 You receive the education and credentials required to deliver cutting-edge care. You are practical but not averse to utilising new technology. You take care of yourself and keep a healthy work-life balance.

 Teaching patients how to take care of themselves doesn't make you feel intimidated. You value the assistance that your teammates can provide. Working with people in less-than-ideal circumstances is something you can do.

 You behave with the utmost integrity towards patients and coworkers. You have a cheerful outlook and seek out the positive in other people and circumstances. And if you do make a mistake, you take responsibility for it.

 You value your patient's dignity above anything else. Instead of focusing on their illness, you see them for who they are: real people. Even if you disagree with their decisions, you accept their right to make them.

 Pegasus is a Joint Commission accredited home health care provider and a licenced home care business. Our in-home caregivers respect each patient's dignity in Universal City and all of our other locations. Our career home health care nurses are committed to fostering a sense of safety and respect for our patients.

The NEXT Exam for MBBS will be a considerably lengthier exam than the FMGE and NEET PG exams since, unlike the latter, it will NOT be a 1-day exam but rather a "3-day exam," as per the Exam pattern of the National Exit Test that is now known. Students will be required to complete MCQs, short answer questions, and long response questions as part of this.540 Multiple choice questions will be in the NEXT question paper.

[astro-lekha]

Who Is Not The Soulmate Of a Scorpio? (Worst Romantic Pairings!) || AstroLekha

It's crucial to understand who isn't, who rates lowest, and which signs might even be referred to as "zodiac enemies" when determining who Scorpio soulmate is. The signs of fire and air are typically the least compatible with Scorpio.

But keep in mind that astrological compatibility and soulmate potential go beyond star signs! The Moon, Rising, Venus, and other planetary placements of your sweetheart or companion should also be taken into account.

1. Aries is the most combative sign.

Simply put, sweet Scorpio prefers Aries because he is too combative, bully-like, and domineering. There are some significant conflicts present. Scorpios will probably start to resemble their fiery spouse more and more with time, becoming less sensitive, selfish, and gently sympathetic and more like them in terms of insensitivity and love of chaos.

They might not even be aware of it at all. Scorpio's worst traits, including its primitive, domineering, control-seeking, emotionally insensitive, and unempathetic sides, are brought out by Aries, especially a less evolved, lower vibratory Aries.

2. Gemini: The flimsy chameleon.

They are initially a little too superficial for Scorpio's profundity, but they will be drawn to the shared and highly regarded color, charisma, and originality. Each would need to make significant sacrifices, though, in order to live long.

Gemini will feel constrained and repressed, while Scorpio will feel emotionally (and possibly spiritually) unhappy. Gemini thrives off of an educated, vivacious, and optimistic (i.e., superficial, to Scorpio) attitude and has a strong need for many friendships and acquaintances.

Scorpio favors emotional depth, sensitivity, and a strong magnetic connection. Because neither will completely comprehend how the other works, there will eventually be a lack of respect as well as unity, harmony, and joy.

3. Leo: Contraries may fascinate, yet...

An "incompatible" connection might potentially develop into a soulmate relationship.

Leo is a perfect illustration of this- similar to Taurus, Scorpio's opposite, there are loads of variances that can make both partners grow and reach unknown portions of themselves. However, there are some very, very obvious, fundamental differences.

Leo is all about glitz, luxury, chasing the limelight, and shining in a way that frequently dims the light of those who are more sensitive, introverted, or artistic. The gentle and modest artist is a Scorpio! There is a lot of passion and inspiration present when fire and water combine to produce steam. However, there are eventually too many errors, disputes, and conflicts to ignore.

4. Libra: In the midst

Of all the fire and air signs, Libra has the greatest potential for a long-lasting soulmate relationship. Venus, the planet of femininity, rules Libra, giving them a more delicate and feminine side.

Scorpio sees a lot of favorable qualities and potential for harmony in their relationship because they are both equally rational, cerebral, inventive, and intuitive. Additionally, Libra is a balance of the masculine (air sign) and feminine (feminine planet) aspects, desiring peace and harmony while abhorring strife.

In addition, Libra has a strong sense of sensuality, creativity, and imagination. Overall, this has a lot of potentials. The domains of sex and intimacy need improvement.

5. Sagittarius: Short lifespan

Despite the fact that they find each other to be very attractive and entertaining, there is a lot of friction and drama in this relationship and there is little to no trust. Issues with longevity, security, dedication, and trust are critical.

One of those "friends with benefits" friendships may be created with this. Scorpio, however, seeks something more profound, endowed with compassion and soul. Sagittarius people are often free spirits who prefer various partners or to be a little bit player- or polyamorous. However, they may also be affectionate and loving.

many perspectives on the same coin. For the upbeat and energetic Sag personality, Scorpio could also come across as melancholy and mellow.

6. Aquarius: Cold and emotionally detached

Despite the fact that both Scorpio and Aquarius are practical and resourceful, as well as having a similar artistic, creative, and imaginative vibe, they operate in quite different ways. The partnership won't work until Aquarius has their Moon, Rising, and other placements in more delicate and feminine signs since Aquarius' emotionally cold and distant character will be a constant issue.

It's sad because we score highly on having similar values and interests. Simply put, whereas Scorpio "feels," analytical Aquarius will "think" their way into the relationship, including romance and sex.

I appreciate your interest in learning about the ideal and ideal-worst Scorpio soulmate.

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[wambsgraham-archive]

See the thing about Shiv and Tom is that they love each other in opposite ways, which makes them fundamentally incompatible, and it also means they have to have opposite betrayals. 

Tom loves in the traditional way—in the affectionate, physical, emotional way. Tom’s a social climber and is shooting for CEO, but he also really genuinely loved Shiv in that romantic sense before it all fell apart, and the thing that mattered most to him was that she do the same. Yeah, he was hurt when she pulled the switchup and said she wanted to be CEO instead of him, and he’s bitter that she keeps leaving him in the sidelines of her plans for the future, but none of that will ever compare to the ultimate betrayal he felt on their wedding night. She cheated on him, and she doesn’t love him, and she pushed him into an open relationship he didn’t want, and that is the worst possible thing she could have done.

Meanwhile, Shiv is a Roy, and the way she loves has been twisted by her upbringing—by a father that kicks the things he loves just to see them come back. In her relationship with Tom, she can’t or won’t offer him much affection in the traditional sense, and certainly no emotional support, but what matters most to her is the preservation of them as a team. She can insult him, cheat on him, and throw him under the bus, but she would never ever have actually tossed him aside. She flips the script in season 2 when she says that she wants to be CEO, but in her mind, so long as they’re still intact as a team pushing forward together, it’s not an issue. Not a betrayal. She can endorse throwing Tom to the DOJ while they talk on the yacht, because it makes her look like she’s thinking business, which she can use to work things through with Logan later. She can send Tom to jail because it’s his own smart idea, and it wouldn’t be for all that long anyway. What’s a year apart to a team like them?

The one thing Shiv has never done, the one thing she would never do, is directly undermine Tom’s position with Logan, because in a Roy child’s mind, one’s relationship to Logan is the most important thing in the world. By selling her out, Tom has destroyed her in the worst possible way, and he’s ripped apart “the plan” and their team in the process, seemingly out of nowhere.

Because the thing is, I don’t think Shiv has ever understood just how badly she hurt Tom by cheating on him. I don’t she can comprehend how the constant flow of insults and refusal of affection must wear down a man like him. She knows Tom’s unhappy, and she knows their marriage is in a bad place, but Shiv Roy is nothing if she loses the ability to tell herself she’s not the villain, which means she can never let herself understand just how badly she’s hurt her husband. And all that means that, even if some part of her knows it, she can never ever acknowledge that cheating on Tom, lying to his face, and denying him “love” on their wedding night was the worst thing she could have done to him.

So in Tom’s mind, he has spent almost his entire relationship with Shiv being beaten down. In Tom’s mind, this is him finally leveling the field—finally lashing back out and hitting Shiv with a betrayal as good as he got, because he’s fucking fed up and she deserves it.

In Shiv’s mind, though, what Tom just did to her is worse than anything that she has ever done to him. In Shiv’s mind her husband that she has always tried her best to love in her own way just slapped her in the face with the worst possible sleight, and she has no idea where it came from.

TomShiv as a team is finally dead, and the tragedy of it all is that neither of them can even understand how the other is feeling about it. Shiv can’t see that for Tom, their relationship has been floundering and dying since their wedding night, and Tom can’t see how much Shiv really did rely on their alliance as a given despite everything, and how she could never let herself understand how she was hurting him.

[hello-nichya-here]

If Iroh doesn't acknowledge Azula as a victim of abuse, that means he can't relate to her, therefore Iroh either wasn't abused by his family or he was abused in a different way from Azula. Or maybe the truth is he just doesn't want to understand her. I really don't get why he's more sympathetic toward his brother who mutilated his beloved nephew's life. Like, what is he thinking, exactly? Perhaps his reasoning isn't supposed to go side by side with logic, but rather with feelings or sth. Here are my only guesses why Iroh doesn't care about Azula

1) She reminds him of his younger self that he wants to forget (which I don't even think has a point in saying how much is unfair to Azula)

2) She's a "hindrance" to Zuko

Sexism??? Idk. Actually no I don't think Iroh is a sexist based on his interactions with other women we saw so I'm not counting it, but you're welcome to correct me.

Iroh is not dumb enough to not comprehend what kind of situation Azula is in, but he's selfish enough to do zero shit about it. And for the ppl yelling "he was protecting Zuko from her" bitch pls. Azula didn't harass Zuko from the day she was born yet even when she and Zuko were children and their relationship wasn't so fucked up (which Iroh totally could have interfered with after he came back from war and even prior to that) he didn't give a shit. This man never cared about his neice, even before they became enemies. (No, the doll was not him showing her love lmao) Tell me then, if Iroh genuinely wants to guide Zuko on the right path and shield him from misfortune, why has Iroh never tried to pit Zuko against his real abuser, Ozai? Or do you want to tell me that Azula has somehow abused Zuko more than him? Why, throughout Zuko's whole journey, has Iroh never told his nephew that the way he was treated by his father, was wrong? Honestly I wouldn’t bash Iroh sm if he set Zuko against both of them yet here we are. Like really, Iroh? You think if Zuko puts her in her place and murders her, he's not going to lose it and be relieved or vice versa? You think making kids nemeses is going to lead to any good? Wisest character", my ass.

Warning, this is gonna be LOOOOONG and I'm gonna answer to your questions along with this ask I got from @profoundkryptoniteblaze after I pointed out another flaw of Iroh's because there are some points you both brought up that can be combined.

***

"If there was ever any moment in which Iroh could be seen as endangering Zuko, it was that one - hell, Iroh realizing he almost got his "son" killed was probably why he was following him during "The Chase" and tried to reason with him in "Lake Laogai."

Y'know it really gets me thinking if Iroh never learned anything from indoctrinating and sending his own son to death and only realizing the wrong of his actions after having lost him. Iroh let his other son chase after false hope and waste his life, exhausting himself physically and mentally for three years and was never shown trying to pry him away from Ozai or the FN's toxic mentality. Later he helped Zuko chase and almost capture the avatar at the north pole, the latter would've been frozen to death as a result had it not been for Aang's sympathy (honestly not just Iroh and Zuko but the whole world is lucky that he's so patient and compassionate) And then Iroh calls Zuko out for his recklessness in "Lake Laogai". Like what, weren't you the one who-- ah nevermind. I've only scratched the surface about how Iroh failed to guide Zuko and yet neither he, nor Zuko, nor the fandom seem to realize it.

***

To really understand the issues with Iroh, we need to look at the context behind his actions BOTH in universe and in the sense of "He is a fictional character and can be whatever the fuck the writers say he is."

Iroh as a result of issues with the writting

When Bryan and Michael were still toying with ideas to figure out what story they wanted to tell, Iroh was NOT the character we saw in the show. He was originally meant to be a twist villain who was intentionally giving Zuko terrible advice, to make sure he would never capture the Avatar and be able to come home.

That idea was scrapped and replaced with Iroh being a grey character. He was likeable, nice, and even kind, but he was on the wrong side of this conflict. He could be wise, but he could also give Zuko bad advice, the difference being that he didn't mean any harm and genuinely wanted the best for his nephew. He is far from perfect, but there is more than enough evidence that he can redeem himself.

Then, the writers thought of ANOTHER Iroh. One that had already gone through his redemption and is as perfect as a human being can be. This was the Iroh they decided they wanted.

The problem is that they only realized that was what they wanted in book 2, once they had decided that Azula would be both Aang and Zuko's antagonist, meaning the audience had already seen the morally grey Iroh, and thus they couldn't just go back and rewrite the story with that new version of Iroh in mind.

So, they had three options:

1 - Throw their new idea in the garbage can and stick with the one they had already spent over a season developing.

2 - Give Iroh a deep, complicated, time consuming character arc to lead him from point A to point B. This woudly likely force them to have more than jus the three seasons they were planning, and was a bit of a high risk, high reward situation, since it'd be hard to make a grey character naturally become basically perfect, but it could pay off if they did it right.

3 - Retcon the past season, acting like Iroh was ALREADY perfect and thus didn't need that major character development, pretending he had always been working behind the scenes with the White Lotus to end the war and never acknowledging that he spent all of book 1 trying to help Zuko capture Aang.

Bryke chose option three, and when we combine that with the fact, to this day, they don't seem to realize that Azula is an abuse victim and child soldier, makes Iroh's flaws and antagonism towards her a bug instead of a feature, since he is now meant to be perfect instead of a deliberately flawed character, whose opinions should NOT be taken as absolute truth.

Iroh in universe

When it comes to the Fire Nation royals, we need to remember that, on top dealing with the cicle of abuse, they're also fighting two wars - one against the nations they're invading, and other amongst themselves, to see who will be Fire Lord - that made their already fucked up family even worse.

Ozai tried to steal his brother's throne, and to assure her son wouldn't die, Ursa had to help him commit treason by killing the Fire Lord and usurping the throne of the rightful heir (Iroh). And Zuko, even though he loved Iroh, didn't recognize the fact that his father had no right to throne until the series finale. He went so far as once referring to himself as rightful heir to the throne due to being OZAI and Ursa's son - and that was while he was banished and being hunted down by Azula, who is either the Fire Lord's heir or the usurper's heir depending on whose side you're on.

But why would anyone side with Ozai? Simple: the Fire Nation has a noticeable pattern of thinking ANYTHING is fair in the fight for power, which makes sense considering they're imperialists that think the whole world belongs to them just because they said so.

THAT is how Iroh was raised to see things. Sozin, his gradnfather and Fire Lord, decided that he could murder his best friend, kill 1/4 of the world's population, and take over territory that belong to the other nations just because that was what he wanted to do. Azulon followed in his footsteps, and had no problem sending his own son into the battlefield - something Iroh also did, and then paid the price.

Lu Ten's death shook him to his very core - but it did NOT make him change sides. Neither did Ozai stealing his throne, nor him disfiguring and banishing Zuko. He was so passive by that point that Ozai just allowed him to stay in the Fire Nation, and even be a part of war meetings.

In said meetings, no woman was ever present, because the only three female warriors we see are Azula, Mai and Ty Lee (a princess/prodigy and two noble girls who are best friends with said princess). The only other women in see in anything close to a position as part "Fire Nation army" was the female guard that Iroh befriend AND the guard at the boiling rock. We also know that Azula would have been the first female Fire Lord ever, which all but states that, even if Ozai had been the heir and Azula had been his eldest child, the throne would have still been Zuko's, because women don't get to be rulers in the Fire Nation. It is very likely that being married to a ruler and having his heirs is the highest position a woman could have in their society. Royal and important, sure, but always in a supporting role.

This, obviously, affected Iroh too. While he doesn't really seem to think anything of women being warriors (which makes sense considering he spent life attacking other nations, and thus probably fought women sometimes - we saw women fighting in the Southern Water tribe and let's not forget the Kyoshi Warriors), we cannnot forget he did things like take advantage of the fact that June was paralized to show that he CAN be a bit of a dirty old man, and that his idea of a perfect gift for AZULA of all people was a doll.

However, that doll also reveals something important: Iroh DID once view Azula as a child, and as someone he had some sort of obligation to - hence him being "fair" and getting her a gift too since he had gotten one for her brother.

But the main problem when it comes to Iroh and Azula's relationship (or lack there of) is also clearly already there: Iroh has no idea who his niece is as a person, and assumes he can figure that out by just using some concept of what she "should" be like, based on her position in their society.

At that point, she is just a little girl. Little girls like things like pretty clothes, playing with dolls, and talking with their friends. Not something he can relate to, but not something that gives him a reason to hate her. She is also a princess, and thus important, worthy of praise and respect, and to be protected by all - just not as much as she would be is she were a prince.

But as we know, Ozai sees things differently - but that doesn't exactly means he sees Azula for who she is either. She is the second child, like himself, meaning she is not meant to inherit anything, only support her older brother. She is also a prodigy and incredibly smart, which could make one wonder if maybe she wouldn't be a better Fire Lord than the actual heir. Ozai was projecting onto her from the moment she was born, hence him naming her after the Fire Lord - after his abusive father that never gave a damn about him.

And that leads to another thing that makes Iroh not as perfect as the fandom sees him: Ozai's dynamic with his own children mirrors how Azulon raised him and his brother. One was the good for nothing child, the scapegoat, the disgrace of the family. The other was the golden child, the one who was absolutely perfect - because they HAD to be. Let's not forget that Azulon's idea of defending the rights of his favorite son involved making him grief both for his son AND his nephew. He also didn't give a shit about the fact that Ursa, Azula and especially Zuko, the one whose death he was ordering, had nothing to do with this shit. Azulon believed EVERYONE had to pay because ONE person fucked up.

This suggest that, even being the favorite, Iroh likely got screwed over by his father many times, and his continued support of him until his death AND the fact that he NEVER said a single negative word about him suggests Iroh is looking at Ozai's treatment of Zuko and Azula, seeing their own dynamic with Azulon in it, and thinking there's nothing wrong with it. I've said it many times, but he is the classic case of "That's not abuse! My parents did that to me and I turned out fine!" when they're not, in fact, fine.

Either way, due to still being too broken after losing his son, he isn't interested in this proxy-rivalry with his brother. But he did develop a genuine bond with Zuko - the first-born. the "heir", the son his brother looks down on. Which means he is sort of having a "passive" role in this weird dynamic, while Ozai is holding all the cards, and likely believes that Iroh is only "choosing Zuko's side" because he is also a "useless" son who just happened to have the luck of being born first.

For many years, Iroh isn't acting, he is reacting. Ozai wants the throne? Fine, let him have it, it's not like Iroh is in any condition to actually deal with that kind of stress anyways.

Ozai is playing favorites? Not great, but hey, isn't that what ALL fathers/Fire Lords do anyway? Either way is not like he has the authority to tell his brother how to raise his kids. It's too late for him to fight for the throne now.

Zuko needs someone to help him on his doomed mission to capture the Avatar? Fine, Iroh will go with him. He likes the kid.

The Avatar IS alive after all and Zuko is actively hunting him down? Well, those were the Fire Lord's orders, guess they must capture him.

Zuko wants to go capture the Avatar alone, in enemy territory, at the risk of freezing to death if he doesn't find some decent shelter? Well, it is his mission, he calls the shots.

Zuko is upset that his father doesn't love him? Why not tell him that Ozai DOES love him, and that's why he banished him? There's no way this could backfi- WHY WON'T ZUKO LISTEN TO HIM? WHY IS HE BELIEVING AZULA'S OBVIOUS LIE THAT OZAI WANTS HIM HOME?

But then we have the chain of events that make Iroh snap out of it: Zhao tries to kill Zuko, then kills the moon, and, finally, Ozai sends Azula to capture them.

Nearly losing someone he loved again, having his nation do something ungodly dangerous and stupid just to win more power, and then being actively hunted down forces Iroh to wake up and be the Dragon Of The West again.

But he did not heal. He did not change his mentality. He never understood just how horrible of a situation he was put in by his father - and that he is essentially giving into Ozai's game, in which they use Zuko and Azula as a way to hurt each other.

And we have the final piece of this puzzle: Azula is now, officially, his and Zuko's enemy. She is Ozai's heir, is trying to capture them, and her goals are to help the Fire Nation win the war - something Iroh can no longer accept.

He changed sides, but in his mind it is still "Us VS Them", and Azula now happens to be on the side of "Them." She is a soldier of the enemy, and can rival Iroh's chosen heir.

She is in the way, and in a war, people like Iroh are expected to either capture or kill "obstacles" like her. So, he does that, and expects Zuko to do the same, for his own good, because this is war, and if they don't win, they'll be at Ozai's mercy - and we know he doesn't have much of it to offer.

She is also someone who is going against what is "right." She is rebelling against her uncle and true Fire Lord, as well as her older brother and future ruler. They are above her in the Fire Nation's laws and social hierarchy in every way (status, age, gender, etc), and yet she is supporting a traitor who stole the Fire Lord's throne. She needs to be reminded of her place, and she can either accept that or deal with the consequences.

It never occurs to Iroh that it doesn't have to be this way, because this is all he has ever known.