Spring was in full swing, and sitting here listening to them argue was just too boring. Steve suggested taking a stroll on the beach, and also to see the seaside environment here; having a beach wedding wouldn't be too bad either.
The others had no objections, so Peter went upstairs to ask the ladies for their opinions. They weren't too keen on just sitting on the beach, but Carter found a shopping district nearest to the beach on her phone, and they decided to go shopping.
The gentlemen didn't mind, so both groups set off together. However, since they had different destinations, they still split into two cars. Peter drove with Stark and Steve, along with Jarvis, while Shiller took Strange and Iceman Bobby, along with filming Eddie in the back seat.
He was checking the footage he had just shot, and Shiller glanced in the rearview mirror to see that the focus of the recent shot was on the ladies.
As expected, Wanda and Polaris started arguing again, but with the kid around, they didn't go overboard, just exchanged a few sharp words. Judging by Eddie's expression, he was likely choosing which words to mute.
"Are the ladies doing okay?" Shiller asked with concern.
"They seem a bit restless, full of pressure." Eddie replied without lifting his head: "I can't remember how many times I felt like running away."
"Is it that terrifying, worse than interviewing politicians?"
"Politicians are never terrifying; they understand the media too well," Eddie said. "I could hear their answers before even seeing them, completely predictable. But it's not the same with the girls, they speak as if to surprise everyone."
Strange chuckled and said, "It seems your pursuit of that lady isn't going smoothly, does it have anything to do with you not feeding her dog recently?"
Eddie pursed his lips and complained, "When will you ever shut your mouth? There's a reason why Tony dislikes you."
"Because I like to speak the truth, and you all prefer insincere flattery," Strange pointed out sharply, "or maybe it's because you claim to like speaking the truth, but understand more than anyone else that the truth isn't always pleasant to hear."
"My connection with her isn't just about a dog!"
"What else is there?"
"There's also dog food." Venom's raspy voice echoed in the car, "He actually went and asked which brand of dog food was better."
"That's because I was thinking of getting a dog too…"
"In your dreams!" Venom said, "You know that I would eat it on the very first night, not leaving a single hair for you!"
"Seems like he's also an obstacle to your love life," Strange said sarcastically. "I'm not talking about the dog, but the pile of mud inside you."
"I am NOT a pile of mud!!!!!"
"Okay, okay, Venom…" Eddie soothed patiently, then added, "Knowing he has a temper, you still have to provoke him. If he bites you one day, I won't reimburse the medical expenses."
Shiller noticed that Bobby seemed a bit downcast, and asked, "What's wrong, Bobby? You look like you're out of sorts."
"It looks like your path in love isn't smooth either," Strange interjected timely, "But it's never going to be smooth for anybody with that green-haired girl."
"It's not about Lorna, I'm just thinking about our future work schedule. She doesn't want to go to the Andromeda Galaxy anymore, but they desperately need people over there, especially me, and I don't want to leave her behind..."
"Afraid someone else will take advantage of your absence? Or are you the one who took advantage while she was vulnerable?"
"Alright, Lorna broke up with Summers before, because Summers always meddled in her plans, trying to control her, and Lorna couldn't stand it..."
"So she turned to you, a pitiful rebound guy?"
"I really don't know how he can say such things." Bobby said with a resigned smile during a backstage interview, "At that banquet, it indeed was Tony's fault for not maintaining enough respect for the medical profession, but at the same time, I understood that Dr. Strange wasn't entirely innocent either; his words were too harsh."
"Stephen's like that with everyone," Eddie rarely appeared in a backstage interview, but here he commented, "Liking to speak the truth and insisting on expressing it in such an ugly way are not the same. He deliberately attacks others to stand out, making it seem like Tony can't stand him, but it's really because only Tony is shameless enough to stand up to him."
"Haha, did he really say that?" Stark, who was in the backstage interview, seemed genuinely amused and grinned, "Because he can't get along with anyone, he uses direct attacks as a way to show he doesn't want to engage with them, thereby covering up the fact that he can't make friends and that he is a loser, the pitiful one always on the fringes of a group."
"The origins of Stephen Strange's aggressiveness are complex," Shiller said during a backstage interview, gesturing in front of his chest. "People show aggressiveness sometimes to express emotions, sometimes to feel secure, or maybe they are one and the same."
"Expressing emotions can help one feel relaxed, to shed the stress of the moment, giving a sense of security. But if someone is always in a state of aggressiveness, it only proves that this posture of aggressiveness has not allowed them to truly express their emotions or to feel relaxed and secure."
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"We call this false aggressiveness. It's not just bluster; they really believe that by verbally attacking others and making them uncomfortable, they can achieve emotional catharsis. But in reality, they can't," said Shiller.
Speaking words that make others uncomfortable and observing their uneasy expressions, in fact, they do not feel elated or proud. However, they hypnotize themselves into believing they do and cling to this as if it's the only lifeline left to them, which means their other emotional outlets are completely blocked off," he continued.
Over time, they actually come to believe that they can derive pleasure from others' discomfort. But fake is fake, emotions aren't truly released, and the pressure isn't genuinely relieved. This habitual aggression does nothing but further block their other emotional channels.
They feel this void and only think that they aren't aggressive enough, believing that their malice is insufficient. Only by making others more uncomfortable can they feel happier, leading to ever more extreme and emptier behaviors."
"This is a very typical process where psychological issues evolve into symptoms of mental illness. Patients in the advanced stages may exhibit symptoms of schizophrenia, such as constant muttering, loud cursing, and a loss of logical speech," Shiller explained.
Leaning forward slightly as if the person filming had asked him a question, Shiller nodded and said, "Yes, it's not surprising. There are many such people in life; you're not the only unlucky one."
Then the person asked another question, and after hearing it, Shiller said, "The causes... are complex, mostly stemming from the shutting down of other emotional outlets. For example, neglect by family members in childhood or being overlooked by social groups as adults leads to their lack of other emotional outlets."
"Steven is not entirely like this, although he likely had a period where he couldn't fit into the circles of the big city dwellers. But his talent is great, and he works hard enough. He became famous early on, so he hasn't been continuously ignored."
"In my judgment, his condition arises from an excessive focus on himself, or rather his concentration that far exceeds that of ordinary people. This focus is the foundation of his success and also the root of his mental instability."
"Because he is so concentrated, he never thinks about other ways to express his emotions outside of himself. He believes that by being sufficiently focused, nothing else is worth pursuing. He does the same in practicing magic."
"For performing surgeries and practicing magic, this is a one-in-a-million talent. But for being a normal person, it's a bit morbid."
Shiller paused again, clearly listening to another question, then he said, "Of course there's a solution, but this isn't some acute disease; there's no magic bullet. What's required is the dedication accumulated over many years, and I can only ensure that Steven doesn't get worse."
Strange's words made the atmosphere in the car turn completely cold. Iceman glared at him, but Shiller, turning the steering wheel, asked casually, "What about you? That lady the teacher introduced you to last time, what do you think?"
Eddie perked up his ears immediately, and even Venom popped his head out from his shoulder. Both pairs of eyes glittered with identical sparks of gossip.
"I don't have time to think about these things right now," Strange said, awkwardly turning his head away. "I have more important things to do."
"Yes, staring at the teleportation gate logs is quite important," Shiller said with a smile. "You must be disappointed not to see the name you were hoping for, right?"
Eddie and Venom were practically squeezing into the front seat, their eyes rolling around, faces full of "Who? Who on earth is it?"
Bobby displayed a look of disdain and said, "So you're lovesick? I'd rather be the back-up. At least Lorna knows I like her, and my competition with Summers is fair."
Strange narrowed his eyes at Shiller, then suddenly revealed a look of recognition and said angrily, "Did you use that Mind Reading Technique again? You damn psychologist…"
"Let me say it again, I can't read minds," Shiller sighed wearily. "This is another common misconception about psychologists. We really can't hypnotize you when you're not looking, then learn the deepest secrets of your heart. It just doesn't work that way."
"Then how did you know I was staring at the teleportation gate…"
"Because you were just staring at the teleportation gate," said Shiller. "You don't think your silhouette standing alone at the top of Kamar-Taj Tower looked lonely and desolate, do you? That's incredibly silly."
Strange glared at Shiller.
But the topic was successfully diverted, and the remaining two in the car were speculating about who it was that the Supreme Magician, who seemed to have no worldly desires, was actually into.
Lost in his own thoughts, Strange heard Shiller speak while driving, "If you've closed off all your other emotional outlets and only left yourself one, then you're doomed to be as frenzied for that single lifeline as the other Stranges."
"I would never do that!" Strange raised his voice. "I couldn't possibly abandon my career for an affair, let alone destroy the cosmos. That's the behavior of a madman!"
"I'm surprised you don't think of yourself as a madman," Shiller said, feigning astonishment. "Had no idea you and Tony had such high opinions of yourselves."
"I'm not like him at all!"
"No, you two are exactly alike, both egomaniacs."
"Is this the level of a professional psychologist? Is this all you've got?"
"Yes, but it's more than enough to deal with you self-important fools."
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