#i know some people went scorched earth on them i actually bear them no ill will

[shhhhimwatchingthis]

Watcher truly burnt through their audience's good will and tainted their brand with that 'goodbye YouTube' thing. We know this, obviously, the immediate aftermath was swift and unanimously negative. But wow, are the effects still being seen.

I just found out the new ghost files season premiered two days ago and I have seen no one talking about it on this site.

Shane and Ryan visit a haunted site where a ghost named Big Dick Tom is known for sticking his finger in peoples butts and they on camera ask for their soft little holes to be fucked to prove the existence of ghosts

AND NOTHING

one of the spirit boxes says the word Knot and I have not seen a single meme about it. On the werewolf fucker site!

another spirit box tells them to beg and after a pause they in sync go yeah. OK. Sure. And crickets. On the kink site?

I dunno maybe they'll earn people's trust again, but it is Wild and kind of sad to see such clear decline in fan enthusiasm

audience decline can happen for loads of reasons, usually quality decay or cast/creative changes. People have noted they've been enjoying the watcher iteration of the show less than ye olde buzzfeed days but they were still watching anyway!

this their BIG IP. but its (comparatively) dead in the water.

the question is

who's watching watcher?

[loversamongus]

Controlled Emotions | Zuko x Reader

a/n: all these fics end up being the reader as an advisor, I have zero creativity. anyways this is inspired by the song “every single night” by computer games because I was listening to it one day and the first lyric just screamed zuko to me idk so here it is. also i didnt proofread this oops

word count: 1.5k

fic taglist:

Advisor meetings have been tense lately. While a mixture of advisors in age, gender, and political leanings was ideal for gaining multiple perspectives on an issue, it also led to frequent arguments about what was best for the Fire Nation and deadlines being pushed back until the majority of advisors have come to an agreement. Though rewarding at times, the job was certainly frustrating. But all that paled in comparison to the most recent audiences with the young Fire Lord. 

Frustrated by another deadline requested to be pushed back, the Fire Lord’s temper had surged throughout the throne room. You didn’t disagree with him either. People in a small fishing village were becoming seriously ill and many signs seemed to point to the mutations and disease in some of the fish from the river as a result of years of pollution from war efforts. 

“It is not your fault the regime before yours was so ignorant of the people’s needs and other environmental factors.”

“In all honesty, who in their right mind would eat a fish with two heads anyways?”

“The river had been supposedly cleaned by the Avatar and his friends shortly before the end of the war, shouldn’t the responsibility lie with them?”

One after another, an advisor countered the Fire Lord’s efforts to financially back abundant medical aid for the fishing village. One after another, flames grew higher and higher nearly scorching the ceiling as the Fire Lord sat quietly. You noticed his scrunched up expression and knew it was only a matter of time before--

“Am I not, as Fire Lord, responsible for everyone living in the Fire Nation? Am I not, having been Prince of the Fire Nation during the war, responsible for how the war had affected our people? How can we sit here and deny help to our own people who are suffering?!”

After an uncomfortable silence, only one advisor stood up to speak. “And what, Fire Lord Zuko, do you plan to do about those injured in the fights breaking out in the colonies? Or the troops returning home from war injured and jobless? Or the villages in the Earth Kingdom burned down by our nation’s doing? There are many responsibilities this nation bears but solving these problems must be done with appropriate organization and objectiveness, not youthful bullheadedness.”

And with that, the audience was dismissed. 

With no clear resolution in sight, you had made your way to the advisors’ chambers to work on new proposals despite the late night. Getting down the business is usually easy but the otherwise empty and quiet workspace was not as calming and focused as you had hoped. It may have been well past sundown, but bright bursts of light kept erupting and peeking through the windows of the chambers, distracting you every time you went to read or write a new sentence. Having been an advisor for some time now and becoming familiar with the layout of the palace, you knew exactly where the light was coming from.

Abandoning your work, you walked the grounds until you reached the gates of the training space. Sure enough, your suspicions had been correct as you eyed Zuko in the center of the pitch running through different firebending forms. It was a surprise however that only the fire blasting from his fists and feet was what distracted you from your work. You hadn’t heard the angry grunts and yells from the advisors’ chambers.

The sound of the gate closing behind you was enough to make Zuko stop and look up at you. But he simply acknowledged your presence with a nod before continuing into the next set of firebending forms. You took a seat to watch on the sidelines. The silence did not bother you. In fact, it gave you time to relax from your role as advisor to the Fire Lord into friend. Or something more. The details of your relationship with Zuko have not really been sorted out or discussed but either way, you knew your role right now was to be supportive yet honest.

“He was right, you know.”

Zuko let out a low grunt as his response before letting more fire blast from his fist.

“It’s not that the other advisors don’t want to help the village. It’s that we have to divide our resources and aid equally. If we send all our healers to the village, none will be left to take care of the returning troops or the colonies or the elderly in the capital city.”

There was no grunt this time but more flames spat from his fist as he punched it forward through the air.

“And it’s incredibly admirable to see you so compassionate about your people but it would be nice to get through one meeting this week without scorching the ceiling tiles.”

“So am I supposed to rule without a conscience?” he asked coldly without looking at you, the anger he was restraining palpable in his voice.

“No,” you replied levelly. “You heard what Ji said. Objectively does not necessarily mean without a conscience. Actually,” a bit of laughter bubbled up into your conversation. “He suggested you talk more with Katara. ‘Now that’s someone who can keep their emotions in check,’ he said.”

“Having been on the receiving end of her wrath, I beg to differ,” Zuko sighed and released his fists before joining you in the stands. “And I have talked to her. She just laughed at me. She said, ‘Now you know what it’s like not to be taken seriously because you’re too emotional.”

You shifted your body when he sat down beside you so that you could still face him. He did not face you, however, and continued to stare forward at the training grounds and into the night sky. “No one is telling you not to feel or have emotions, Zuko. Just that they shouldn’t control you so much, or cloud your judgment.”

“You sound like Uncle,” he groaned before flopping backwards onto his back. In moments like this, you really realized how young the Fire Lord was. He was still mature and doing his best with such a large responsibility, but despite being five years into his reign, that moody teenager still presented himself at times. 

Leaning onto one arm so that you were closer to Zuko, you laughed softly, “I’m wondering if I should find that flattering.”

Zuko ignored your lightheartedness and continued. “People are always telling me, ‘don’t let your emotions control you.’ But why? Without them, I never could know you.”

“What do you mean?” Your eyes remained fixed on him as you tried to sort out your confusion.

“Do you remember one of the first advisor meetings you were a part of?”

“The one where we were discussing having the Kyoshi Warriors acting as your bodyguards over well-trained firebenders much more familiar with the palace and the land? Absolutely. That was when we discovered your throne wasn’t fireproof.”

“Right. And I came here to blow off some steam and you followed me to say that you were on my side and would work on getting the other advisors to agree to letting the Kyoshi Warriors be my security.”

“I didn’t follow you...”

For the first time that evening, Zuko looked at you with a knowing and pointed grin. You rolled your eyes and urged him to continue making his point. “Anyways, go on.”

“If I hadn’t been feeling so angry, I wouldn’t have come here and you wouldn’t have followed me and we wouldn’t be... I don’t know... us.” He sat up and was so close now that your shoulders brushed against each other.

“It’s not just through anger that I’ve gotten to know you either,” he continued. “When I was anxious about a speech, you were the one who volunteered to work on it with me.”

“You made fun of the way I clapped and said people don’t clap that enthusiastically for common budget updates,” you drawled.

“When I was excited about Uncle coming back to visit, you helped to make sure everything was arranged to his liking.”

“You told me never to tell your uncle that my taste in tea may be superior to his,” you proudly added.

“And when I was sad that you had to leave on a trip to the Earth Kingdom, your letters made me smile because I thought at last someone who has worse handwriting than I do.”

“You take that back!” you gasped, pointing your finger menacingly at Zuko. 

“My point is,” he grabbed your hand in his. “If I was cold and stoic as some of these advisors seem to want me to be, I wouldn’t have gotten to know you. So I’m not going to change the way I feel.”

You smiled softly, happy to see this side of Zuko. The nature of your relationship still felt undefined and you were sure the two of you would figure it out. Eventually. It was a discussion to be had, but one for another day, as this day was nearly over.

“That’s nice,” you playfully patted his hand. “But the next time you decide to feel something, maybe you could do so without destroying the ceiling. Or distracting me with your firebending while I’m trying to do my job.”

You stood up and began to walk away from the stands and out of the training grounds, leaving a smiling Zuko behind you.

“You’re the one who followed me!” he called out.

[comebeforegod]

How Did He Keep Faith in God When Unhappy Things Happened

By Fang Shu

One day at noon, Fang Shu, dispirited, sat under the big locust tree near his door, thinking: “These years, except for when I had to work, I have spent all of my spare time busying about in the church; I also gained a lot of the Lord’s grace. But recently, the business has been pretty slack, and my stomach trouble flared up again. Why didn’t the Lord protect me? Has He abandoned me?”

He was lost in thought when he suddenly heard someone calling his name. He looked up and saw his close co-worker, Li Yi.

Li Yi said as he parked, “Today, I came to town to take care of something, so I just dropped in to see you.”

Immediately Fang Shu beckoned him into the living room. When seeing Fang Shu looked a little peaked, Li Yi asked with concern, “Brother Fang, you look kind of pale. You’ve lost weight. Did you encounter any troublesome matters?”

“Alas! Recalling my faith in the Lord these years, I have been blessed by the Lord and received a lot of His grace. But now, my spirit is dark inside and I cannot feel the Lord’s presence. Especially these past few days, I have got another attack of stomach trouble, and my business has not been good. To be honest, faced with these unfavorable things, I have some weakness in my heart. I have been thinking, ‘Why didn’t the Lord protect me?’ Alas! I feel somewhat stuck,” said Fang Shu sadly.

Hearing his words, with a smile Li Yi said, “Brother Fang, your point of view about faith in God is incorrect. In the face of setbacks or illness, it is inevitable for us to become somewhat negative and weak, but we cannot misunderstand or complain about the Lord. Instead, we should seek the truth and the Lord’s will in these things.

Actually, my past state was the same as yours. At that time, when I saw everything at my home went well and smoothly, I had great faith to expend for the Lord; yet when I encountered setbacks in my life and also had a relapse of hypertension, I lived in the complaint toward and misunderstanding of the Lord, thinking that the Lord didn’t protect me and had abandoned me. Later, my brothers and sisters came to help and sustain me. And I also read the testimony of Job. In the face of his trials, where he lost all his possessions and sons and daughters, and his body became covered with sores, he did not sin with his lips or complain about God, but instead prayed to God to seek out His will. Then he got to realize that all the things that befell him was permitted by God, so that in the end he was able to absolutely obey God and said the words that praised God, ‘Jehovah gave, and Jehovah has taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah’ (Job 1:21).  He stood witness to God, causing Satan in the end to retreat in humiliation and he therefore was approved by God. Through brothers and sisters’ fellowship and Job’s experience, I came to know that in the setbacks I encountered and my illness were God’s good intentions. Then, I no longer misunderstood the Lord, rather, I was willing to seek the Lord’s will in the environment that He had arranged for me.

Afterward, I saw two passages of words in a book and they allowed me to have some understanding of my incorrect views on and intentions in believing in God.”

Saying this, Li Yi took a tablet computer out of his bag, and then read, “Most people believe in God for the sake of peace and other benefits. Unless it is to your benefit, you don’t believe in God, and if you can’t receive God’s graces, you fall into a sulk. How could what you have said be your true stature? When it comes to inevitable family incidents such as children falling ill, loved ones going into hospital, poor crop yields, persecution by family members, you can’t even make it through these things that often happen in day-to-day life. When such things happen, you’re thrown into a panic, you don’t know what to do—and most of the time, you complain about God” (“Practice (3)”).

“How many believe in Me only so I would heal them? How many believe in Me only so I would use My powers to drive unclean spirits out of their bodies? And how many believe in Me simply to receive peace and joy from Me? How many believe in Me only to demand from Me more material wealth, and how many believe in Me just to spend this life in safety and to be safe and sound in the world to come? How many believe in Me only to avoid the suffering of hell and to receive the blessings of heaven? How many believe in Me only for temporary comfort but do not seek to gain anything in the world to come?” (“What Do You Know of Faith?”).

After finishing reading these words, Li Yi said sincerely, “These two passages of words reveal our wrong perspective of believing in God in order to obtain blessings and peace. I thought about myself. When the Lord blessed me with peace in everything at home, I actively sacrificed for Him. But when something unfavorable happened to me, I complained about and misunderstood the Lord, read the Bible and prayed to the Lord less than I used to, and even had no enthusiasm in expanding for Him. Actually, God is the Creator and we are created beings. Not only does God supply us with all things necessary for our survival, such as food, sunlight, air, water, and so on, but He also provides us with all the truth we need. God has given us too much. So believing in and worshiping Him is totally justifiable, and is also our responsibility and duty. Thank God for revealing my wrong viewpoint on belief in Him through these setbacks and for allowing me to see that I simply was not a true believer of Him. My faith couldn’t stand the test of God, so how could it gain His approval? But Job is different. Regardless of whether he obtained blessings or suffered misfortune, he never lost his faith in God. This is what I should truly emulate and pursue. At the thought of this, I silently prayed to the Lord, ‘Lord! I’m willing to turn around my incorrect viewpoint on my faith in You, commit my illness and these unfavorable things I’ve encountered to You, and obey Your orchestrations and arrangements. No matter what kind of environments You arrange for me, I will stand witness to satisfy You.’”

Fang Shu nodded and said, “Yeah! Comparing myself with Job’s testimony and your experience, I see my viewpoint on my faith in God is indeed wrong. I really feel indebted to the Lord! Now I have had some understanding of the Lord’s will. If my business hadn’t got bad and I myself hadn’t got another attack of stomach trouble, I would still believe that I was loyal to the Lord. Now I see that I am far from being up to His standards.”

Li Yi said, “Thank the Lord! It is by the Lord’s grace that we can know these things. Brother Fang, read this passage.”

Fang Shu took the tablet computer and read, “It is the belief in God so that you may obey God, love God, and perform the duty that should be performed by a creature of God. This is the aim of believing in God. You must achieve a knowledge of the loveliness of God, of how worthy God is of reverence, of how, in His creatures, God does the work of salvation and making them perfect—this is the minimum that you should possess in your belief in God. Belief in God is principally the switch from a life in the flesh to a life of loving God, from a life within naturalness to a life within the being of God, it is coming out from under the domain of Satan and living under the care and protection of God, it is being able to achieve obedience to God and not obedience to the flesh, it is allowing God to gain your entire heart, allowing God to make you perfect, and freeing yourself from the corrupt satanic disposition. Belief in God is principally so that the power and glory of God may be manifested in you, so that you may do God’s will, and accomplish God’s plan, and be able to bear testimony to God before Satan. Belief in God should not be in order to behold signs and wonders, nor should it be for the sake of your personal flesh. It should be for the pursuit of knowing God, and being able to obey God….” (“All Is Achieved by the Word of God”).

Having finished reading this passage, Fang Shu said, “Thank the Lord. What on earth we should pursue in believing in God is very clearly explained in this passage.”

Li Yi said, “Yeah! In our belief in God, we must have the right viewpoint of pursuit in order to be able to bear witness for God in trials and refinement. As God is the Creator, while we are nothing but a small creation, we should have sense before God. We shouldn’t reason with God or make a deal with Him, but should grasp His intentions in all unfavorable things and obey His sovereignty and arrangements, pursue to know God, love God and satisfy God. Such a viewpoint of pursuit is praised by God.”

With emotion Fang Shu said, “Brother Li, your fellowship allowed me to understand God’s good intention in saving me. In believing in God, I shouldn’t conduct transactions with Him, always considering Him to be a cash cow and a doctor. Now I willingly commit my difficulties to God, and I will not ask to enjoy His grace, but only ask to believe in God with a heart of obeying and loving Him. Regardless if I get better or not or whether or not my business picks up, I will be willing to submit to God’s sovereignty and arrangements.”

Li Yi nodded and said happily, “Right. As long as we put right our views on believing in God and focus on seeking the will of God, God will lead us to understand the truth.”

Now, outside the room, the broiling sun scorched the ground, and the shrilling of cicadas in the trees made people feel more restless. Inside, Fang Shu, however, felt particularly happy.

[focusontheeasternlightning-blog]

How Did He Keep Faith in God When Unhappy Things Happened

By Fang Shu

One day at noon, Fang Shu, dispirited, sat under the big locust tree near his door, thinking: “These years, except for when I had to work, I have spent all of my spare time busying about in the church; I also gained a lot of the Lord’s grace. But recently, the business has been pretty slack, and my stomach trouble flared up again. Why didn’t the Lord protect me? Has He abandoned me?”

He was lost in thought when he suddenly heard someone calling his name. He looked up and saw his close co-worker, Li Yi.

Li Yi said as he parked, “Today, I came to town to take care of something, so I just dropped in to see you.”

Immediately Fang Shu beckoned him into the living room. When seeing Fang Shu looked a little peaked, Li Yi asked with concern, “Brother Fang, you look kind of pale. You’ve lost weight. Did you encounter any troublesome matters?”

“Alas! Recalling my faith in the Lord these years, I have been blessed by the Lord and received a lot of His grace. But now, my spirit is dark inside and I cannot feel the Lord’s presence. Especially these past few days, I have got another attack of stomach trouble, and my business has not been good. To be honest, faced with these unfavorable things, I have some weakness in my heart. I have been thinking, ‘Why didn’t the Lord protect me?’ Alas! I feel somewhat stuck,” said Fang Shu sadly.

Hearing his words, with a smile Li Yi said, “Brother Fang, your point of view about faith in God is incorrect. In the face of setbacks or illness, it is inevitable for us to become somewhat negative and weak, but we cannot misunderstand or complain about the Lord. Instead, we should seek the truth and the Lord’s will in these things.

Actually, my past state was the same as yours. At that time, when I saw everything at my home went well and smoothly, I had great faith to expend for the Lord; yet when I encountered setbacks in my life and also had a relapse of hypertension, I lived in the complaint toward and misunderstanding of the Lord, thinking that the Lord didn’t protect me and had abandoned me. Later, my brothers and sisters came to help and sustain me. And I also read the testimony of Job. In the face of his trials, where he lost all his possessions and sons and daughters, and his body became covered with sores, he did not sin with his lips or complain about God, but instead prayed to God to seek out His will. Then he got to realize that all the things that befell him was permitted by God, so that in the end he was able to absolutely obey God and said the words that praised God, ‘Jehovah gave, and Jehovah has taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah’ (Job 1:21).  He stood witness to God, causing Satan in the end to retreat in humiliation and he therefore was approved by God. Through brothers and sisters’ fellowship and Job’s experience, I came to know that in the setbacks I encountered and my illness were God’s good intentions. Then, I no longer misunderstood the Lord, rather, I was willing to seek the Lord’s will in the environment that He had arranged for me.

Afterward, I saw two passages of words in a book and they allowed me to have some understanding of my incorrect views on and intentions in believing in God.”

Saying this, Li Yi took a tablet computer out of his bag, and then read, “Most people believe in God for the sake of peace and other benefits. Unless it is to your benefit, you don’t believe in God, and if you can’t receive God’s graces, you fall into a sulk. How could what you have said be your true stature? When it comes to inevitable family incidents such as children falling ill, loved ones going into hospital, poor crop yields, persecution by family members, you can’t even make it through these things that often happen in day-to-day life. When such things happen, you’re thrown into a panic, you don’t know what to do—and most of the time, you complain about God” (“Practice (3)”).

“How many believe in Me only so I would heal them? How many believe in Me only so I would use My powers to drive unclean spirits out of their bodies? And how many believe in Me simply to receive peace and joy from Me? How many believe in Me only to demand from Me more material wealth, and how many believe in Me just to spend this life in safety and to be safe and sound in the world to come? How many believe in Me only to avoid the suffering of hell and to receive the blessings of heaven? How many believe in Me only for temporary comfort but do not seek to gain anything in the world to come?” (“What Do You Know of Faith?”).

After finishing reading these words, Li Yi said sincerely, “These two passages of words reveal our wrong perspective of believing in God in order to obtain blessings and peace. I thought about myself. When the Lord blessed me with peace in everything at home, I actively sacrificed for Him. But when something unfavorable happened to me, I complained about and misunderstood the Lord, read the Bible and prayed to the Lord less than I used to, and even had no enthusiasm in expanding for Him. Actually, God is the Creator and we are created beings. Not only does God supply us with all things necessary for our survival, such as food, sunlight, air, water, and so on, but He also provides us with all the truth we need. God has given us too much. So believing in and worshiping Him is totally justifiable, and is also our responsibility and duty. Thank God for revealing my wrong viewpoint on belief in Him through these setbacks and for allowing me to see that I simply was not a true believer of Him. My faith couldn’t stand the test of God, so how could it gain His approval? But Job is different. Regardless of whether he obtained blessings or suffered misfortune, he never lost his faith in God. This is what I should truly emulate and pursue. At the thought of this, I silently prayed to the Lord, ‘Lord! I’m willing to turn around my incorrect viewpoint on my faith in You, commit my illness and these unfavorable things I’ve encountered to You, and obey Your orchestrations and arrangements. No matter what kind of environments You arrange for me, I will stand witness to satisfy You.’”

Fang Shu nodded and said, “Yeah! Comparing myself with Job’s testimony and your experience, I see my viewpoint on my faith in God is indeed wrong. I really feel indebted to the Lord! Now I have had some understanding of the Lord’s will. If my business hadn’t got bad and I myself hadn’t got another attack of stomach trouble, I would still believe that I was loyal to the Lord. Now I see that I am far from being up to His standards.”

Li Yi said, “Thank the Lord! It is by the Lord’s grace that we can know these things. Brother Fang, read this passage.”

Fang Shu took the tablet computer and read, “It is the belief in God so that you may obey God, love God, and perform the duty that should be performed by a creature of God. This is the aim of believing in God. You must achieve a knowledge of the loveliness of God, of how worthy God is of reverence, of how, in His creatures, God does the work of salvation and making them perfect—this is the minimum that you should possess in your belief in God. Belief in God is principally the switch from a life in the flesh to a life of loving God, from a life within naturalness to a life within the being of God, it is coming out from under the domain of Satan and living under the care and protection of God, it is being able to achieve obedience to God and not obedience to the flesh, it is allowing God to gain your entire heart, allowing God to make you perfect, and freeing yourself from the corrupt satanic disposition. Belief in God is principally so that the power and glory of God may be manifested in you, so that you may do God’s will, and accomplish God’s plan, and be able to bear testimony to God before Satan. Belief in God should not be in order to behold signs and wonders, nor should it be for the sake of your personal flesh. It should be for the pursuit of knowing God, and being able to obey God….” (“All Is Achieved by the Word of God”).

Having finished reading this passage, Fang Shu said, “Thank the Lord. What on earth we should pursue in believing in God is very clearly explained in this passage.”

Li Yi said, “Yeah! In our belief in God, we must have the right viewpoint of pursuit in order to be able to bear witness for God in trials and refinement. As God is the Creator, while we are nothing but a small creation, we should have sense before God. We shouldn’t reason with God or make a deal with Him, but should grasp His intentions in all unfavorable things and obey His sovereignty and arrangements, pursue to know God, love God and satisfy God. Such a viewpoint of pursuit is praised by God.”

With emotion Fang Shu said, “Brother Li, your fellowship allowed me to understand God’s good intention in saving me. In believing in God, I shouldn’t conduct transactions with Him, always considering Him to be a cash cow and a doctor. Now I willingly commit my difficulties to God, and I will not ask to enjoy His grace, but only ask to believe in God with a heart of obeying and loving Him. Regardless if I get better or not or whether or not my business picks up, I will be willing to submit to God’s sovereignty and arrangements.”

Li Yi nodded and said happily, “Right. As long as we put right our views on believing in God and focus on seeking the will of God, God will lead us to understand the truth.”

Now, outside the room, the broiling sun scorched the ground, and the shrilling of cicadas in the trees made people feel more restless. Inside, Fang Shu, however, felt particularly happy.