#otherwise she wouldn't get it

[sakurasfallingstar]

ShiSaku Week: Day 3

Sakura could only sigh as her training with Annabeth was interrupted by one of her siblings. Especially after they told her "favorite patient" was waiting for treatment.

"You'd think being one of the fastest sons of Hermès, he'd be less injured," Annabeth said.

Rubbing her temples, the pink haired girl apologized the daughter of Athena. Of course her sparing partner understood, as this kind of interruption was not uncommon between the two. It's just on of the many flaws of being head if their cabins.

It also doesn't help that Sakura here, has medical abilities that could rival her father's, Asclepius. It made her a very popular request in the infirmary. It was got the point, that she put a ban on her patient load unless it was really serious (i.e. an arrow to the eye).

However, there was only one person who somehow alway managed to get her to heal him. That man, Shisui Uchiha, son of Hermès.

He was one who didn't let any of her cabin members come near him. Especially when it came time for his vaccinations.

At first she thought it was because he had already known her, being that dhe was childhood friends with his cousin, Sasuke. Then he just became problematic for her siblings. All the way from using his winged shoes to pinn himself to roof, or using his enhanced speed to evade them. In other word he was her siblings worse nightmare of a patient, and the newcomers to her cabin were quick to presudade to dump him on her.

Thus there was a rule in in her cabin; no matter what, whenever Shisui Uchiha showed up at the infirmary the youngest would be sent out to get her to rein him in.

"You know Sakura ," her sibling began, as they walked to the infirmary, "if I didn't know any better I'd say he has a thing for you."

She could see the concern on her siblings face at how fast she turned her head to look at them.

Of course Sakura was shocked at her sibling's hypothesis. In her mind, it seemed preposterous that Shisui would have taken a liking to her. In fact, thing far back as to when she'd be over at Sasuke's home to play, he'd alway pull at her pink locks, and say the most observed things to get a reaction out of her. He'd also poke her forehead a lot which he knew she was self conscious about.

" Trust me when I say this, Shisui does not like me. I am just a familiar to him. The reason being that we knew eachother when we younger, and that's it. Nothing more. Nothing less," she made clear.

Her sibling only shrugged and just came to the silent conclusion that Sakura was oblivious.

By now, every camper knew of Shisui's infatuation with Sakura. That is, every camper besides the woman of his affections.

They'd all seen the way he watches her at she trains with the daughters of Athena. They way he always made room next to him during celebrations.

Even during their interaction with each term, he'd be dropping hint, obvious ones and they'd just go over her head. It was painful to watch for all campers.

Percy remembers when Shisui used a funny pickup line on Sakura, and well, it got her to laugh. That was about it.

Later on he'd find out from Annabeth, that her half sister, Ino, repeated said pickup line that Sakura told her. Though, Ino made it clear that Sakura one hundred percent thought it was a joke.

After telling Annabeth who Sakura heard the pickup like from, let's just say she was pretty annoyed.

Pretty much every camper wants them to just kiss and end their missery...

Walking into the infirmary room that contained the Uchiha, Sakura crossed her arms. There he was, laying down all comfortable in the bed, with messy bandages wrapped around his head.

" So Shisui, what bring you intoday," she asked, as Shisui sat up from the bed.

Now despite, everything Sakura is very fond of the Uchiha. Don't get her wrong, he can be annoying, but he always made her smile in the end.

"Well Doc, you see I was helping the children of Demeter harvest their apples."

Oh no. This us going exactly where she thinks this is going.

Sakura could not help the smile that grace her lips.

"Well, one of them dropped their basket full of apples. The apples where going to hit their sibling holding the ladder steady, and I just couldn't let them. "

"So your in here cause you got clobbered by apples," she said, with amusement.

"What can I say, Doc? I'm proof that an apple doesn't  slways keep the doctor away,' isn't true."

With a chuckle, she walked over to his bed. Allowing her plans to glow green, she placed them on the side of his head. Her eyes closed, as she concentrated; scanning for any for and signs of head injury.

Shisui couldn't help but to relax in her touch. He even brought a hand up to clasp one her own.

It startled her to open her eyes, and for once it felt like they where really seeing eachother.

Time stopped.

Emerald eyes locking with onyx. Their heart beats somehow becoming in sync. Then suddenly they where leaning in, lip centimeters apart when-

"Sakura! We got a code 33," one of her siblings informed her, bargaining into the room.

Sakura had quickly pulled away from from Shisui, and a silence had settled into the room.

"A-am I interrupting something," they asked, looking between the blushing duo.

"No. Anyways, lead the way, and Shisui, you're good to go. I'll see you later at dinner," she said, rushing away to her next patient.

Meanwhile, Shisui was grinning like a fool.

By the end of the day, everyone knew what transpired between the two. So when dinner finally rolled around, and the two were holding hands; the whole camp lost it. Ino even fell to her knees as the rest of the camp cheered.

It was about damn time in everyones opinion.

I want to thank @athelise for their imput on who Shisui's godly parent should be. It really helped a lot.

@shisakuweek

#shisakuweek2023 #shisakuweek #@shisakuweek #sakura haruno #shisaku crossover #shisaku #this was written at 2 am #please have mercy on me #yes #shisui still eats apples #in fact he thanks the gods for the crestion of the fruit because without it he'd still be trying to rizz her up #which by the way would have taken forever #sorry Shisui you'd litterally need to tell her staight out that you like her #otherwise she wouldn't get it #sakura is oblivious #Greek Mythology AU #An apple a day keeps the doctor away #or in this case it doesn't

[kugisakiss]

miss steal your girl

#dcmk #detective conan #suzuki sonoko #mouri ran #sonoran #aoyama gosho is a coward for not entertaining that idea that sonoko is fully capable of stealing ran away #wdym she hurt her wrist and can't be the knight anymore so araide has to step in bc otherwise shinichi wouldn't get jealous??? #shut up and put sonoko in the costume to win ran's heart #my art

[hephaestuscrew]

The role of Pryce and Carter's Deep Space Survival Procedure Protocol Manual in the characterisation, symbolism, and themes of Wolf 359

TL;DR: The DSSPPM is used as a tool to help establish and develop Minkowski and Eiffel as characters: Minkowski as a strict Commander who clings to the certainty provided by a rigid source of authority like the DSSPPM, and Eiffel as the anti-authority slacker who strongly objects to the idea that he ought to read the manual. The way their contrasting attitudes towards the DSSPPM manifest through the show reflect their character development and changing dynamic. The DSSPPM can be directly used against the protagonists by those with power over them, and the reveal of its authorship gives a particularly sinister edge to its regular presence in the show. But it can be also be repurposed and seen through an individual interpersonal lens.

Note: There’s plenty that you could say about the DSSPPM through the lens of what it says about Goddard Futuristics as an organisation, or about Pryce and Cutter as people. Or you could talk about Lambert quoting the DSSPPM an absurd number of times in Change of Mind, and Lovelace’s reactions to this. But in this essay, I’ll be analysing on mentions of the DSSPPM with a focus on Minkowski, Eiffel, and their dynamic.

“One of those mandatory mission training things”: the DSSPPM as a tool to establish characterisation

The first mention of Pryce and Carter's Deep Space Survival Procedure Protocol Manual (the DSSPPM) in Wolf 359 is also the very first interaction we hear Eiffel and Minkowski have. In fact, the first time we hear Minkowski's voice at all is her telling Eiffel off for not having read the manual:

[Ep1 Succulent Rat-Killing Tar] MINKOWSKI Eiffel, did you read your copy of Pryce and Carter?  EIFFEL My copy of what?  MINKOWSKI Pryce and Carter's Deep Space Survival Procedure Protocol Manual.  EIFFEL Was that one of those mandatory mission training things?  MINKOWSKI Yes.  EIFFEL In that case, yes, I definitely did.  MINKOWSKI Did you now? Because I happened to find your copy of the D.S.S.P.P.M. floating in the observation deck.  EIFFEL Oh?  MINKOWSKI Still in its plastic wrapping.

This is an effective way to establish their conflicting personalities right out of the gate. Minkowski's determination to "do things by the book - this book in fact" contrasts clearly with Eiffel's professed ignorance about and clear disregard for "this... Jimmy Carter thing”. Purely through their attitudes to this one book, they slot easily into clear archetypes which inevitably clash. Everything about Eiffel in that opening episode sets him up as a slacker who doesn't care about authority, but the image of his mandatory mission training manual floating in the observation deck "still in its plastic wrapping" provides a particularly striking illustration.

By contrast, we immediately encounter Minkowski as a strict leader who cares deeply about making sure everything is done according to protocol; the intense importance she places on the DSSPPM is one of the very first things we know about her. Her insistence on the importance of the survival manual might seem somewhat understandable at first, if perhaps unhelpfully aggressive, but it starts to feel less sensible as soon as we start to hear some of the tips from this manual:

Deep Space Survival Tip Number Five: Remain positive at all times. Maintain a cheerful attitude even in the face of adversity. Remember: when you are smiling the whole world smiles with you, but when you're crying you're in violation of fleet-wide morale codes and should report to your superior officer for disciplinary action.

The strange, controlling, vaguely sinister tone of some of the tips we hear in the first episode is largely played for laughs, emphasised by the exaggeratedly upbeat manner in which Hera reads them. But even these first few tips give us some initial suggestions that the powers behind this mission might not care all that much about the wellbeing of their crew members.

It says something about Minkowski that she places such faith and importance in a book which says things like "Failing to remain calm, could result in your grisly, gruesome death" and "when you're crying you're in violation of fleet-wide morale codes and should report to your superior officer for disciplinary action." (Foreshadowing the Hephaestus Station as the home of immense emotional repression and compartmentalising...) Having those kind of pressures and demands placed on her (and those around her) by people above her in the military hierarchy doesn’t unsettle Minkowski.

Eiffel groans and sighs as he listens to the tips, but Minkowski seems to see this manual as an essential source of wisdom. The main role the manual plays in this episode is to establish Minkowski and Eiffel as contrasting characters with very different approaches to authority and therefore a potential to clash.

When Minkowski demands that Eiffel reads the DSSPPM, he decides to get Hera to read it to him, asking her to keep this as “a 'just the two of us, totally secret, never tell Commander Minkowski' thing”. Eiffel seems convinced that Minkowski won't be happy with him listening to Hera read the DSSPPM rather than reading it himself. This suggests that (at least in Eiffel's interpretation) Minkowski’s orders are not just about her wanting him to know the contents of the manual, since this could theoretically be accomplished just as well by him listening to it. But she wants him to do things in what she’s deemed to be the correct way, to put in the right amount of effort, and not to take what she might see as a shortcut. It’s not just about the contents of the manual; it’s about the commitment to protocol that reading it represents.

“When in doubt: whip it out”: Hilbert’s use of the DSSPPM

In Season 1, the DSSPPM isn't purely associated with Minkowski. Hilbert actually quotes it more than she does in the first few episodes. In Ep2 Little Revolución, Hilbert's response to Eiffel's toothpaste protest is inspired by "Pryce and Carter six fourteen: “When in doubt, whip it out - ‘it’ being hydrochloric acid.”" This tip is absurd in a more direct obvious way than those we heard in Ep1. While this absurdity is partly for humour, it also casts further doubt on the usefulness of this supposedly authoritative survival manual, and therefore on the wisdom of trusting Command.

In Ep4 Cataracts and Hurricanoes, Hilbert starts to quote Tip #4 at Eiffel, who protests "I'm not gonna have one of the last things I hear be some crap from the survival manual". These moments again place Eiffel in clear opposition to the DSSPPM, but also suggest that Hilbert's attitude towards the DSSPPM - and therefore towards Command - is closer to Minkowski's than to Eiffel's.

When Hilbert turns on the Hephaestus crew in his Christmas mutiny, his allegiance to Command is revealed as dangerous. And here the DSSPPM comes up again. As Minkowski dissolves the door between her and Hilbert, she triumphantly echoes his own words back to him: "Pryce and Carter six fourteen: “When in doubt, whip it out - ‘it’ being hydrochloric acid.” Never. Fails." This provides a callback to a previous, more comedic conflict on the Hephaestus, and reminds the listener of a time when Minkowski and Hilbert were working together against Eiffel, in contrast to the current situation of Minkowski and Eiffel versus Hilbert. But it also shows that Minkowski, like Hilbert, is capable of using some of the more absurd DSSPPM tips to defeat an adversary. And it shows Minkowski leaning on those tips in a real moment of crisis.

Once Hilbert has betrayed the crew in order to follow orders from Command, we might look back on his quoting of the DSSPPM as casting the manual in a more sinister light, and again calling into question the wisdom of Minkowski placing such trust in it.

“It's not that I don't believe it, I'm just disgusted by it”: the DSSPPM as an indicator of a changing dynamic

The next mention of the DSSPPM is in Ep17 Bach to the Future:

MINKOWSKI Eiffel's been spot-testing me, Hera. He doesn't believe that I've memorized all of the survival tips in Pryce and Carter. EIFFEL It's not that I don't believe it, I'm just disgusted by it. I keep hoping to discover it's not true. MINKOWSKI Well, believe as little as you want, doesn't change the fact that I do know them. And so should you!

I think this provides an interesting illustration of the way in which Minkowski and Eiffel’s dynamic has developed since Ep1. They still have deeply contrasting attitudes to the DSSPPM, but this contrast is now a source of entertainment between them, rather than merely of conflict.

Given that Hera wasn’t aware of Eiffel testing Minkowski on the tips, we can guess that it’s a game they came up with while Hera was offline. In the midst of all the exhaustion and uncertainty and fear they were dealing with after Hilbert’s mutiny, this was a way they found to pass the time. It must have been Eiffel who suggested it; Minkowski cites his disbelief as the reason for the spot-testing. And yet she plays along, responding each time, even though this activity has no real productive value.

Minkowski is keen to demonstrate that she does know the tips and she emphasises that Eiffel ought to know them too, but their interactions about the DSSPPM in this episode have none of the genuine irritation and frustration that they displayed in Ep1. It feels almost playful and teasing. Eiffel still thinks Minkowski is "completely insane" for learning all the tips and is "disgusted" by her commitment to memorising them, but these comments feel much closer to joking about a friend's weird traits than to insulting a hated coworker's personality. It feels like something has shifted since Eiffel responded to Minkowski’s passion for the DSSPPM by saying “I'm so glad that your shrivelled husk of a dictator's heart is as warm as a decompression chamber”.

Another thing to note here is that Minkowski's respect for the DSSPPM has clearly survived Hilbert's Christmas mutiny and Minkowski's resulting distrust of Command. From Hilbert's behaviour at Christmas, it's clear that the crew's survival is not at the top of Command's priority list. But Minkowski still trusts the book that Command told her to read. She still thinks Eiffel should read it too. The main figures of authority above her are dangerous and untrustworthy, but she still clings to the source of guidance they provided her with.

It's also worth noting that Minkowski has not just learnt the advice in each of the 1001 tips, but she has memorised (nearly) all of them by number. If it was just about the information that the manual provides to inform responses to potentially life-or-death situations, then knowing the numbers wouldn't be necessary. Nor would it be particularly useful to know them all exactly word-for-word. Minkowski's reliance on the DSSPPM is again suggested to be about more than the potential practical use of its content. It's about showing that she is committed and disciplined and up to the task of leading. She does have some awareness of the strangeness of many of the tips, but this doesn't diminish the value of her adherence to the manual for her:

EIFFEL You're insane.  MINKOWSKI I'm disciplined. Although I will admit they do get more... esoteric as you go higher up the list.

There's only one tip Minkowski doesn't seem to remember, and that's revealing too:

EIFFEL 555? Minkowski DRAWS BREATH - and STOPS SHORT. [...] MINKOWSKI Hold on a second, I know this. (beat) Dammit. EIFFEL Hey, look at that! Looks like there may be hope for you yet. MINKOWSKI Quiet, Eiffel. Hera, what's D.S.S.P.P.M. 555? HERA "Good communication habits are key to continued subsistence. Be in touch with other crew members about shipboard activities. Interfacing about possible problems or dangers is the best way to anticipate and prevent them." This hangs in the air for a second. Then – EIFFEL So you forget the one tip in the entire manual that's actually helpful? MINKOWSKI Shut up.

Communication is a key theme of this show, so it’s interesting that this is the one tip Minkowski can’t remember, perhaps indicating an aspect of leadership and teamwork that she doesn’t always prioritise or find easy.

Eiffel saying “Looks like there may be hope for you yet” seems like just a throwaway teasing line, but it’s got a profound edge to it. A lot of Minkowski’s arc is about learning how to provide her own direction and support her crew outside of the systems of authority and hierarchy that she’s grown so attached to. So perhaps Eiffel is right to see a kind of hope in her failure to remember every single DSSPPM tip – she has the potential to break free of her reliance on external authority.

“Which one was 897, what was the exact phrasing of that Deep Space Survival Tip?”: the DSSPPM in interactions with Cutter

The Wolf 359 liveshow, Deep Space Survival Procedure and Protocol, is literally named after the manual. This suggests, before we’ve even heard/watched the episode, that the DSSPPM will be a key symbol here. Which is interesting because I'd say the liveshow has two main plot points: (a) Eiffel's failure to read the DSSPPM or follow orders in general, the resulting disruption to the mission, and his crewmates' frustration with this; and (b) the looming threat of Cutter, the necessity of keeping information from Command, and the risk of fatal mission termination.

Even without the knowledge that Cutter is one of the co-authors of the DSSPPM (which neither the Hephaestus crew nor a first-time listener knows at this point), there's a kind of irony in the contrast between these two plotlines. On the one hand, Minkowski repeatedly berates Eiffel for not having read Pryce and Carter's Deep Space Survival Procedure and Protocol Manual, which was made mandatory by Command. On the other hand, she is aware that Command in general - and Cutter specifically - represents the biggest threat to the safety and survival of her crew.

Cutter uses the DSSPPM against each of the Hephaestus crew in their one-on-one conversations with him. For Minkowski, he uses it as a way of emphasising the expectations and responsibility placed on her:

MINKOWSKI There are always gaps between expectation and reality, but-- CUTTER But it's our job as leaders to close that gap, isn't it? Pryce and Carter...? MINKOWSKI 414, yes. Yes, sir, I know.

Cutter knows that Minkowski will know those tips and he knows abiding by them is important to her. She's quick to demonstrate her knowledge of the DSSPPM and agree with the tip. There's something deeply sinister to me about Cutter's use of the word 'our' here. His phrasing includes them both as leaders who should be ensuring that things are exactly as expected. It’s almost a kind of flattery at her authority, but it comes with impossibly high expectations. This way of emphasising the importance and responsibilities of her role as Commander is a targeted strategy by Cutter at manipulating Minkowski, designed to appeal to her values.

In Hera's one-on-one, Cutter uses a DSSPPM tip to interpret her behaviour and claim that he can read her motives:

CUTTER This thing you're doing. Asking questions while you get your bearings. HERA Sir, I'm just curious about-- CUTTER Pryce and Carter 588: Shows of courtesy and polite queries are an efficient way to gain time necessary to strategize.

Unlike with Minkowski (or Eiffel), Cutter doesn't prompt Hera to demonstrate her knowledge of the manual. That wouldn't work as a power play against Hera, who would be able to recall the manual (or, rather, retrieve the file, however that distinction works within her memory) but who doesn't care about the DSSPPM like Minkowski does. Instead, Cutter implies that Hera’s behaviour can be predicted - or at the very least seen through - by the DSSPPM, which seems like a cruel attempt by Cutter at belittling her.

For Eiffel, Cutter uses the manual as a weapon in a different way again. He asks Eiffel, "which one was 897, what was the exact phrasing of that Deep Space Survival Tip?", something which Eiffel clearly doesn't know, but Cutter of course does. This puts Eiffel on the back foot, trying to defend and justify himself, allowing Cutter to emphasise his position of power yet again.

The DSSPPM plays a double role in the liveshow. On the one hand, as Minkowski reminds Eiffel, proper knowledge of the manual "would've saved [the crew] from these problems with the nav computer" – some of the tips can potentially save the crew a great deal of hassle, stress, and risk. On the other hand, the same manual is used by Cutter to manipulate, unsettle, and intimidate the crew. There are these two sides to the information given to the crew by Command - two sides to the manual which Minkowski still values.

In another duality for the DSSPM, the manual is sometimes used as a symbol of the relationship between the crew members and Command, and sometimes used to indicate the dynamics between the individual crew members, usually Minkowski and Eiffel. Before Cutter’s appearance in the liveshow, Minkowski and Eiffel’s discussions of the DSSPPM reflect interpersonal disagreements between two people with fundamentally different attitudes:

MINKOWSKI Oh come on, why do you think I keep trying to get you to go over these things? Do you think I enjoy going through them? EIFFEL Yes. MINKOWSKI Well, alright, I do. But this knowledge could save your life.

Minkowski enjoys rules, regulations, and certainty, for their own sake as much as for any practical usefulness. Eiffel very much does not. This is a simple clash of individuals, in which the link between the DSSPPM and Command is implicit. Minkowski doesn't seem to question the idea that the information in the DSSPPM is potentially life-saving, even though she knows Command don't care about their lives. But Cutter’s repeated references to the DSSPPM remind us who made that book a mandatory part of mission training – it certainly wasn’t Minkowski, even if she’s often the one attempting to enforce this rule.

At the end of the liveshow, in a desperate attempt to prevent mission termination, Eiffel promises Cutter that he will read the DSSPPM (the liveshow transcript notes that him saying this is "like pulling teeth"), an instance of the manual being used in negotiations between the Hephaestus crew and Command. All Minkowski’s orders weren’t enough to get Eiffel to read that book, but a genuine life-or-death threat might just about be enough. Perhaps it's ironic that Eiffel reads the survival manual out of a desire for survival, not because he thinks the contents of the book will help him survive, but because he’s grasping anything he can offer to buy the crew’s survival from those who created that same book.

In the final scene of the liveshow, Minkowski catches Eiffel reading the DSSPPM, and he fumbles to hide that he's been reading it, a humorous reversal of all the times that he's lied to her that he has read it. Perhaps admitting that he's reading it would be like letting Minkowski win. Minkowski seems to find both surprise and amusement in seeing Eiffel finally reading the manual, but she doesn't push him to admit it. There's some slightly smug but still friendly teasing in the way Minkowski says "were you now?" when Eiffel says that he was just reading something useful. In that final scene, the manual is viewed again through the lens of Minkowski and Eiffel’s dynamic – Command’s relation to the DSSPPM becomes secondary.

“The first thing I'd make damn sure was hard wired into anything that might end up in a situation like this one”: the DSSPPM as a tool of survival

In Ep30 Mayday, when Eiffel is stranded alone on Lovelace’s shuttle, he hallucinates Minkowski to bring him out of his helpless panic and force him into action. And this hallucination also brings with it one of Minkowski’s interests:

MINKOWSKI Eiffel... I worked on this shuttle. Reprogramming that console. EIFFEL So? How does that help – MINKOWSKI Think about it. BEAT. And then he gets it. EIFFEL Oh goddammit. MINKOWSKI What's the first thing that I would do when programming a flight computer? The first thing I'd make damn sure was hard wired into anything that might end up in a situation like this one? EIFFEL Pyrce and Carter's Deep Space Survival Procedure and Protocol Manual.

Again, a conversation about the DSSPPM gives us an indication of the development of Minkowski and Eiffel’s relationship. Not only does Eiffel imagine Minkowski as a figure of (fairly aggressive) support when he’s stranded and alone, he thinks about what advice she’d give him and he follows it. Rather than dismissing the manual entirely, he looks for tips that are relevant to his situation. He’s not pleased about his hallucinated-Minkowski trying to get him to read the DSSPPM, but that was what his mind gave him in an almost hopeless situation. Some part of him now empathises with Minkowski’s priorities in a way that he definitely wasn’t doing in Ep1. He thinks that the DSSPPM might be on the shuttle because he knows the manual is important to Minkowski. It’s by imagining Minkowski that he gets himself to read the manual in order to see if it can help him survive – he certainly doesn’t think about what Cutter or anyone else from Command would tell him to do.

In the end, the tips Eiffel picks out aren’t all that helpful or informative: “Confront reality head-on”; “In an emergency, take stock of the tools at your disposal. Then take stock again. Restock. Repurpose. Reuse. Recycle."; and “"In times of trouble, an idle mind is your worst enemy”. But Eiffel does use these tips to structure his initial thinking about how to survive on Lovelace’s shuttle. In an almost entirely hopeless situation, Eiffel finds some value in the DSSPPM. But since the tips he picks out are mostly platitudes, the actual wisdom that allows him to survive all comes from his own mind; the tips, like his hallucinations, are just a tool he uses to externalise his process of figuring out what to do.

“Wasn't there something about this in the survival manual?”: Minkowski potentially moving away from the DSSPPM

Given the significance of the DSSPPM in Season 1 and 2 to Minkowski in particular, it feels notable when the manual isn’t referenced. Unless I've missed something (and please let me know if I have), Minkowski – the real one, not Eiffel’s hallucination - doesn't bring up the manual of her own accord at all in Seasons 3 or 4. This might make us wonder if she’s moved away from her trust in and reliance on that book provided by Command.

Perhaps the arrival of the SI-5, which highlights to Minkowski that the chain of command is not a good indicator of trustworthy authority, was the final straw. Or perhaps the apparent loss of Eiffel - and any subsequent questioning of her leadership approach, or realisations about the valuable perspective Eiffel provided - were what finally broke down her faith in that book.

Alternatively, perhaps Minkowski still trusts the DSSPPM as much as ever, but trying to get Eiffel or any of the other crew members to listen to it is a losing battle that she no longer sees as a priority. Either way, Minkowski’s apparent reluctance to bring up the DSSPPM feels like a shift in her approach. 

The associations between Minkowski and the DSSPPM are still there in Season 3, but they are raised by other characters, not by Minkowski herself. The manual is used to emphasise Eiffel’s difficulties when he’s put in charge of trying to get Maxwell and Hera to fill out a survey in Ep32 Controlled Demolition. Trying to force other people to be productive pushes Eiffel into some very uncharacteristic behaviour:

EIFFEL Jesus Christ, what is wrong with you? It's like you've never even read Pryce and Carter! Tip #490 very clearly states that – He trails off. After a BEAT – HERA Officer Eiffel? MAXWELL You, uh, all right there? EIFFEL (the horror) What have I become? [...] Eiffel, now wrapped up in a blanket, is next to Lovelace. He is still very clearly shaken. EIFFEL ... and... it was like an episode of the Twilight Zone. I was slowly transforming into Commander Minkowski. [...] It was a nightmare! A terrifying, bureaucratic nightmare!

This is a funny role reversal, but it shows us the strength of Eiffel’s association between Minkowski and the DSSPPM, as well his extreme aversion to finding himself in a strict bureaucratic leadership position. It also suggests that becoming extremely frustrated when trying to get other people to do what you want might make anyone resort to relying on an external source of authority, such as the manual. I don’t know whether this experience helps Eiffel empathise with Minkowski, but perhaps it might give us some insight into how her need for authority and control in the leadership role she occupied might have reinforced her deference to the DSSPPM.

In Ep34, we get a suggestion of another character having a strong association between the DSSPPM and Minkowski. After the discovery of Funzo, Hera asks Minkowski what the manual says about it:

HERA Umm... I don't know if this is a good idea. Lieutenant, wasn't there something about this in the survival manual? MINKOWSKI Pryce and Carter 792: Of all the dangers that you will face in the void of space, nothing compares to the existential terror that is Funzo.

It’s interesting to me that Hera asks Minkowski here. We know from Ep1 that “Pryce and Carter's Deep Space Survival Procedure Protocol Manual is among the files [Hera has] access to”. Two possible reasons occur to me for why Hera might ask Minkowski about the DSSPPM tip here. One possibility is that Hera thinks that retrieving the manual from her databanks and finding the correct tip would take her more time than it would take for Minkowski to just remember the tip. Which suggests interesting things about the nature of Hera’s memory, but also implies that - at least in Hera's view -Minkowski’s knowledge of the DSSPPM is more reliable than that of a supercomputer.

The other possibility is that Hera could have recalled the relevant DSSPPM tip incredibly quickly but she doesn’t want to, maybe because she resents having that manual in her head in the first place, or maybe because she wants to show respect for Minkowski’s knowledge as a Commander. Either way, we can see that Hera – like Eiffel – strongly associates Minkowski with the DSSPPM.

And Minkowski, even if she wasn’t the one to bring up the manual here, recalls the relevant tip immediately. Perhaps she is moving away from her trust in that manual, but everything that she learned as part of her old deference to the authority of Command is still there in her head. She might want to forget it by the end of the mission, but that’s not easily achieved. The way Minkowski’s friends/crewmates associate the manual with her emphasises the difficulty she’ll face if she tries to move away from it.

“One thousand and one pains in my ass”: The authorship of the DSSPPM

In Ep55 A Place for Everything, Eiffel effectively expresses his long-held dislike of the DSSPPM when he comes face-to-face with both of its authors:

EIFFEL What? What the hell are - wait a minute - Pryce? As in one thousand and one pains in my ass, Pryce? (sudden realization) Which... makes you...? MR. CUTTER (holding out his hand) W.S. Carter, pleased to meet you. 

It’s significant that the two ‘big bads’ of the whole series are the authors of the manual which Minkowski and Eiffel were bickering about all the way back in Ep1. It’s not the only way in which the message of this show positions itself firmly against just accepting externally imposed authority and hierarchy without question or evidence, but it does reinforce this ethos.

By being the authors of the manual, Cutter and Pryce have had a sinister hidden presence throughout the show. Long before we know who Pryce is and even before we hear Cutter’s name, their manual is there, occupying a prominent place in Minkowski’s motivations and priorities, and in her arguments with Eiffel. It’s not at all comparable to what Pryce put in Hera’s mind, but it is another way in which these antagonists have wormed their way into the heads of our protagonists.

Minkowski will have to come to terms with the fact that the 1001 tips she spent hours memorising and reciting were written by two people who would have killed her, her crew, and even the whole human race without hesitation if it served their purposes. We never get to hear Minkowski’s reaction to learning the identities of Pryce and Carter, but I think processing the role of their manual in her life will be a long and difficult road that’ll tie into a lot of other emotional processing she needs to do. Her assertion to Cutter that, without him, she is “Renée Minkowski... and that is more than enough to kick your ass!” feels like part of that journey. She doesn’t mention the DSSPPM at all in Season 4. She’s growing beyond it.

"Doug Eiffel's Deep Space Survival Guide": The DSSPPM as a weapon against those who wrote it

Last but not least, I couldn’t write about Eiffel and the DSSPPM without mentioning this scene from  Ep58 Quiet, Please:

EIFFEL As someone once told me: "Pryce and Carter 754: In an emergency, take stock of the tools at your disposal, then take stock again. Repurpose, reuse, recycle." And right now? You know what I got? I got this lighter from when Cutter was using me as his personal cabana boy. [...] and I've got myself this big, fat copy of the Deep Space Survival Manual, and you know what I'm gonna do with it? [...] Eiffel STRIKES THE LIGHTER. And LIGHTS THE BOOK ON FIRE, revealing Pryce just a few feet away from him! EIFFEL I am going to repurpose it... and reuse it... and recycle it into a GIANT FIREBALL OF DEATH! And he swings the flaming book forward, HITTING PRYCE ON THE SIDE OF THE HEAD. [...] EIFFEL That's right! Doug Eiffel's Deep Space Survival Guide, B-

No one other than Doug Eiffel could pull off the chaotic energy of this moment. It doesn’t get much more anti-authority than lighting the mandatory mission manual on fire and using it as a weapon against one of its malevolent authors. It might not be the wisest move safety-wise, and it certainly doesn’t improve the situation when the node gets jettisoned into space. But there is still a powerful symbolism in taking a symbol of the hierarchical forces that have tried to constrain you for years and setting it alight to fight back against those forces. Eiffel takes his own approach to survival and puts his own name into the title, an assertion of his agency and rejection of Command's authority.

The DSSPPM tip that he uses here is one of those he considers when stranded on Lovelace’s shuttle. It’s understandable that after that experience it might have stuck in his memory.

I can’t help feeling that the line “as someone once told me” has a double meaning here. The immediate implication is to interpret “someone” as being Pryce and Cutter – it’s their manual after all – which makes this line a fairly effective ‘fuck you’ gesture, emphasising how Eiffel is using Pryce’s manual against her in both an abstract and a physical sense.

But I think “someone” could also mean Minkowski. Eiffel uses a singular rather than plural term, there’s already an association established between Minkowski and the DSSPPM, and, in Mayday, it’s his hallucination of Minkowski that gets him to read this tip. She's probably also recited this tip to him at other points as well. Under this interpretation, this line is as much a gesture of solidarity with Minkowski as it is a taunt to Pryce. I like the idea that these two interpretations can run alongside each other, reflecting the duality of the use of the DSSPPM that I talked about in relation to the liveshow.

Conclusion

The DSSPPM is a symbol of external rules imposed on people by those with power over them. These rules can be strange, arbitrary, and even sinister, but for those with a desire for certainty and control, like Minkowski, they can be tempting. And they can have their uses, as well as the potential to be repurposed. Attitudes towards these rules provide an effective shorthand as part of Minkowski and Eiffel’s characterisation. And the clash between these attitudes, and how that clash manifests, can tell us something about how the dynamic between those characters develops and changes.

#Wolf 359 #w359 #Renee Minkowski #Doug Eiffel #Renée Minkowski #I guess I lied when I said I was halfway through at 1000 words #I hope that those who liked my preview post were up for a long read #This is over 5000 words and I still haven't said everything! #You could write a PhD thesis on this #Honestly I feel like this is full of typos and mistakes cos I was kinda tired as I proofread it but I just want to get it posted today #Otherwise I could spend even more time on it and make it even longer... (and also I want it to be out in the world) #But please do lmk if you spot a typo/mistake. I won't be offended #I'd also be interested to hear people's thoughts on any of this #Unimportant point but I'm shaking my head at Minkowski if she wouldn't let Eiffel listen to the DSSPPM instead of reading it #Audiobooks are a valid method of reading. Don't deny a man with ADHD his own approach to absorbing info! #Then again. it might have been an unfounded assumption of Eiffel's that Minkowski wouldn't have accepted him listening to it #I think in school he definitely got in trouble for boasting that he's actually read the book this time when he just watched the film #the empty man posteth

[nefja]

My spoiled dog gets a bedtime treat every night and nothing wrong with that. Any treat is good but - she will not be satisfied unless it's from the jar right beside my bed.

Even if the treats are the same. But if everything is in order then the world is good and just and she can go to sleep.

#otherwise she'll stare at me until I give her a treat from that specific jar #with quick glances to it #she doesn't crave a lot of structure #she wouldn't get any anyway living with me and my life #but this #the bedside jar is important

[dollypopup]

y'all can all cancel me (again) for this, but if there's even a SHRED of 'who should I pick?' from Penelope in season 3, I am tuning out SO fast because like. . .sorry not sorry, there IS no choice. Debling is some crusty OC suitor she barely even knows and Colin is a man who she has been so supposedly in love with to the point where she'd ruin her entire family's reputation to have a potential love story with him. Penelope and Colin have background, years of knowing each other, intimacy that few people in the Ton can boast of having (letters, conversations about purpose, fights and arguments and makeups) and her and Debling have. . .a dance or two at a ball because he's a rebound for Penelope's broken heart. he means nothing. he has no nuance, he has no weight to the story, he is such an afterthought to me. either I wanna see Penelope going 'you know what? I don't even LIKE this dude. he's. . .fine, but I don't care about him even a shred as much as I care about Colin' or the INSTANT Colin's like 'you know what? we should get married' if it's not an immediate 'say less, you're already my husband, try returning me without the receipt, Debling whomst?' then I don't want it!

like. . .it's just so frustrating to see all the 'I hope Debling sweeps her off her feet and she rejects Colin's proposal and she makes him work for it and and and-' nonsense from the fandom and it's always tagged and no matter how many times I block it, it just keeps popping up. I go into the Polin tag for POLIN. I don't give a SHIT about a male love interest other than Colin. Not one. Not a shred. Not an iota.

and also. . .Debling has the 'benefit' of not having depth, or character traits, or HISTORY, so peeps can project onto him however they want, but I'm calling it now, there is NOTHING he could do or be that would make me like him more than Colin. Colin will always hit different, and I will always love him more. and if Pen's not on that same page? lol bye

you want me to believe Penelope and Colin are soulmates and it's romance for her to hem and haw about how difficult a decision it is for her to marry a stranger who knows barely anything about her. . .

when Marina was out here dropping banger lines like 'You were the only man with which I could see myself being happy' and 'I do not care about any of these men, where is Colin?'? like hello??? and she wasn't even fully in love with him!!!! but we'll demonize her until the cows come home in our fandom and make her the villain in Polin's love story for DARING to get in between Polin, yet Debling, a white man, is a darling dear perfect prince for getting in between Polin? existing in our fandom solely so Penelope can be like 'lol, Colin ain't shit, let me entertain any and everyone else'?

if that's the direction it goes then, ten toes down and on my mama, she doesn't deserve Colin and she can move because I'm on my way to court him my damn self

and that's that on that

#you know what? lol it's been a bit since i've posted a controversial opinion #tagging it #polin #sorry not sorry i ship polin. . .so i wanna see. . .polin. . .and i'm getting damn sick and tired #of all the bullshit pen/oc pen/other dude theories and stories in the polin tag #and i don't want polin to lose screentime over a frankly bleh male oc #you can't change my mind #if i don't see at least marina's 'you've seen him with the little bridgertons!' level of squee and 'i only want to talk to colin' #levels of devotion then i don't fucking WANT IT!!!!! #yeah definitely try out the marriage market #realize that NO ONE has a good time on the marriage market #try to get over him w/ whomstever #but then be like 'i don't even LIKE this dude where's colin i miss him' about it!!!!! #because otherwise i am not here #i am asleep #and i am courting colin in your place pen #i'm coming for your man #anti debling #if debling has 100 haters i am one of them if he has 10 haters i'm one of them if he has 1 hater i am the hater if he has 0 haters i'm dead #it's incredibly obvious that 'pebling' is half rooted in a revenge storyline fueled by anger at Colin and his complexity #and half a projection of wanting Penelope to have 'choices' because she is a representation and manifestation of the fans themselves #and so people think an OC that can be 'perfect' for them- whoops I mean Pen (because he doesn't have any real depth or interest) #he's a cardboard cutout we can throw whatever you want onto #so we can make him 'perfect' instead of the much more meaningful storyline of pen and colin both being messy and loving each other more #and part of it is bitterness over Polin not being insta-love #which. . .if it was i wouldn't like them as much as i do #anyways y'all ain't slick #and it's fucking WEIRD to be in a fandom that's like 'i ship this couple but i hope she gets with ANYONE else' #maybe you. . .don't ship the couple?? #like. . .to the point of wanting her necklace to be from debling. . .and her wearing it everywhere??? WHAT??

[paintpanic]

What are your thoughts on Susie?

I'm a Susie enjoyer! She's not one of my favorites, but that's been rapidly changing as of recent. She's fun and cute and pink and a little bit evil. I dig it!

Her story is cool. It's very funny to me that like halfway through Robobot decides to have a plot going on, but I'm into it. Her little monologues to Kirby before boss fights are great and a super fun way to characterize her.

I wish her backstory was clearer and not revealed via Miiverse post. I'd love to know more about her time in Another Dimension. How long was she there? In an interview, Kumazaki says she came back "after [she] grew up". How did she get back? How did her time there influence her ideals and morals? It's something that feels like it should have a much greater effect on her character than it's shown to.

I really hate how she's demonized by parts of the fandom. Like yes she's a bad guy but I'd argue that she's about equally as bad as Taranza, a character beloved by fans and who's bad actions are often glossed over (including by myself). Both of them helped an evil person who was trying to destroy Pop Star and made a main character fight Kirby. The discrepancy in how they're treated by fans feels kind of sexist to some degree to me.

TL;DR: Susie is a character with a really neat backstory and potentially interesting morals to play with. She's not a great person but also free my girl she's adorable.

#i feel like some of the hate towards her is because of the capitalism angle which i totally get. it hits close to home & can be uncomfyish. #but also it's totally because she's a woman. #i've said this in comments before but: #if the person who mechanized MK was a man you'd see a tonnn of people shipping them enemies to lovers style #and it wouldn't be quite as contentious as meta/susie is #that's one of my hotter takes #thanks for the ask! i appreciate getting stuff like this that i can just ramble about. #i have a lot of thoughts on all of these characters but i gotta keep it brief bc otherwise it'd get long and confusing and boring.

[bellaaldamas]

@stupidrant this is the official, SMS approved (hopefully) gif everyone should use whenever they encounter a fandom troll.

#because any other reasoning just wouldn't work on those people #yesterday stumbled across another troll comment (though not a new one) from an Odin apologist #saying that Odin 'never abused Freya' and women like her 'always lie about those things' #alas there's no option to post gif responses in the YT comment section #otherwise I'd be doing that on a hourly basis whenever seeing nonsense like this; or posts about how #'Thr*d and Atreus should get together; because apparently a girl punching a boy in the face before trying to #chop his head off as he lies helpless on the ground (which she would've done if her mother hadn't interfered) after calling him #'a killer just like his father'; or a boy 15 years of age playing a parent to girl's actual parents - one of whom is #a semi-functioning literally gigantic alcoholic who slaughtered this boy's people and bragged about it in front of him - #is a basis for healthy romance #rather than an actual healthy and equal and caring relationship between Atreus and Angrboda #who trusted him when he admitted he had no idea what he was doing and agreed to share responsibility with him #which was supposed to be his all along but that he wasn't ready to take just yet #in addition to opening up about her own pain of losing both parents just to help him feel better #and aiding him in embracing their shared heritage which was what Atreus wanted from the moment he #learned of his giant background and 'Loki' #that is on top of taking care of Fen while Atreus embarked on a quest of his own (both times) and being the only one who could #sooth him back into human form during his animal transformations using only words of support and physical gentleness

[ratpoizonz]

i am forever a believer in the idea that lila is bob's daughter. makes for really good angst honestly

#spooky month #bob velseb #lila spooky month #save me lila velseb save me #like can you imagine having an encounter with a serial killer and then finding out IT'S YOUR DAD. #i like to imagine they had a good relationship otherwise.... like growing up lila always did everything with her dad #and then her ol' pops gets arrested one day and she doesn't know why. she always thought of him as an innocent man who could do no wrong. #i mean. he was such an amazing dad to her and even her friends. so he wouldn't ever hurt anyone. right? #and she doesn't find out why he got arrested until around the time of the events of sm5 #oh and lila is DEVESTATED #on the other hand i can imagine bob being a good grandpa to skid when he was like super super little......... #like he's holding baby skid like Ohh... Ouuhhhhhh i'm a grampa...... #why he decides to go after his daughter and grandson isn't something i've come up with a solid headcanon for yet though tbh #anyone with additional headcanons abt them PLEASE go off abt it #i'm ears 👂👂👂👂👂👂👂 #aubrey rambles

[darkclouds-rainsounds]

The above is a screenshot of one of tropes from Shadoo's section in the SPM TV Tropes page that caught my interest.

“Never mentioned to be killed...” Hm. If I go by my headcanon of how Dimentio fits into the story of the Pixl Uprising (i.e he's both the Magician's son and the surviving apprentice who defeated the Pixl Queen), then that would give another parallel of how Dimentio was once a hero who had a Pixl that could see the truth who stopped an antagonist who had the Dark Prognosticus who several thousand years later switched sides. And by another parallel, I mean it works perfectly alongside this.

The reason Shadoo exists (if they are the Pixl Queen) is because he couldn't go through with killing his sister; he cared for her too much and now here she is stuck at the bottom of the Flopside Pit of 100 Trials and wanting to exact revenge on the Ancients for sealing her away. Based on how Shadoo has a robotic text box and says that they were created by the Ancients, it can be presumed she forgot she was ever human. She forgot who she was.

Fast forward to the events of SPM and Dimentio's intended kill-shot for Count Bleck gets intercepted by Nastasia and knocks her unconscious in addition to injuring her. Either he had the power of that shot just enough to kill Bleck and no further and that's why Nastasia survived, because why waste precious energy? All he has to do is finish Count Bleck off who is already at death’s door thanks to the heroes.

Or Nastasia was just very fortunate to survive a full-powered blast. My money's on something like the former because Dimentio has well more than enough power to absolutely guarantee no one would survive an attack like that. (the average person who isn't a hero or built for combat— which Nastasia very much isn't— anyway.)

Then there's him saving O'Chunks and Mimi from what would have been certain death by teleporting them to Dimension D. We know they didn't end up in the same place as Peach and Bowser because neither they nor O'Chunks and Mimi make any mention of such. Pair that with the fact that the Void can't be seen from Dimension D and thus heavily implying that anyone inside it would survive the Void that would destroy everything else, and you're left with the only explanation of Dimentio having saved them. I do believe that Dimentio screwed up by not only "catching feelings" and he genuinely did care for the other minions deep down as much as he tries to deny that; and I have mentioned in a prior post about him putting all of the people who could have possibly done something about the Super Dimentio fusion in the same place.

If he hadn't cared as much as he did for them and just left them to their fates, he would have won. I feel that the reason why the floor came out under Bowser and O'Chunks is because of Dimentio— because why make a trap like that that is intended to kill any who don't make it out in time and then have it to where after a certain amount of time, it would give any of the heroes still inside who may somehow still be alive an escape and make a comeback? It makes no sense. And it's because of that, that Peach was able to survive by landing on top of Bowser.

Had he only teleported Bowser out and left O'Chunks, and teleported Peach while leaving Mimi, the minions wouldn't have been able to band together with Count Bleck and Tippi to recharge the Pure Hearts and destroy his invincibility. It was his inability to go through with killing them or just letting them die because he actually cared about them— cared too much— that caused his own undoing.

History literally repeats itself if one subscribes to believing Dimentio is both the Magician's son and the last surviving apprentice.

First Shadoo who may or may not be the Pixl Queen, was spared by her brother who couldn't bear to go through with killing her therefore causing future consequences for if she ever gets free. Then the minions— including Nastasia and Count Bleck who for the latter, Dimentio in his ever present wisdom decided to spare killing for later— with their love for each other that was allowed to continue existing all because he spared them for the time being, recharged the Pure Hearts and caused immediate consequences for himself and was the catalyst for his defeat.

In the first instance, he was on the “heroic” side. For the last he was on the “villainous” side.

#super paper mario #spm #spm theory #dimentio #shadoo #pixl queen #this is ofc just a theory since dimentio is an enigma but i see parallels and go 👀 #and also ofc things like nastasia surviving dimentio's kill-shot is just my interpretation of how she did so #and then there's the (fairly popular?) fanon that dimentio teleported mimi and o'chunks to dimension d rather than them flip in on their ow #but we know that they couldn't have done so on their own— at least not o'chunks who is consistently shown to be incapable of flipping #and flipping seems to /only/ work on the person themself and can't be used on selected targets (if that makes sense). dimentio is special #bc he's the only character who is shown to always /teleport/‚ not flip. and we are explicitly shown a scene of him clearly using his #teleportation on peach (he uses his teleportation on mr. l and the other heroes when he explodes them but it's disguised by said #explosions due to how distinct it is and considering how for many years a vast majority of the spm fandom believes he /actually/ killed the #when jaydes herself literally says otherwise‚ those examples of him teleporting people other than himself doesn't count) anyway. point is: #even if mimi could flip in on her own‚ o'chunks wouldn't have been able to get in. probably. bc tippi /does/ show the ability to flip #both herself and the heroes to flipside on several occasions‚ but this ability isn't displayed by /anyone else/ throughout the game so #it's not farfetched to believe that /only/ tippi can flip other people in addition to herself #so i still firmly believe dimentio was responsible for mimi and o'chunks getting into dimension d at the end (plus it's /his/ dimension‚ i #think he has full control over whether someone can or can't enter it) #i did not mean to put an entire essay in the tags oh no

[indydrawsstuff]

cleaned up one of those Tenna sketches a little. @tvlandofficial because.

#My Art #IndyDraws #IndyDrawsStuff #IndyDrawsArt #Tenna #Tenna Fanart #I still think she's badass #just a rough little thingie because uh #i'm still not 100% #but i thought it fitting to mark my recovery with some more Tenna #dude i love her design it's so cool #here have my painterly mess i hope you like it ^^; #i wanna do a color version someday BECAUSE #it wouldn't be technicolor otherwise #but i dunno when i'll get that chance #so ummm here go

[laufire]

[Colonel Brandon's] pleasure in music, though it amounted not to that ecstatic delight which alone could sympathize with her own, was estimable when contrasted against the horrible insensibility of the others; and she was reasonable enough to allow that a man of five and thirty might well have outlived all acuteness of feeling and every exquisite power of enjoyment. [Marianne] was perfectly disposed to make every allowance for the colonel’s advanced state of life which humanity required.

Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen.

#''ADVANCED STATE OF LIFE'' AÑSKLFJADF #she's 17 but she could be a 25yo tumblrina #this and calling him infirm later and saying an OLD 27yo who obviously wouldn't get a husband otherwise could be his wife-nurse askdfajsñfl #(and no this kind of thing isn't exactly making me look at this prospective marriage -iirc- with any kindness lmfao) #talking to the void #books #bookblr #jane austen #sense and sensibility #marianne dashwood #colonel brandon #quotes

[dirtytransmasc]

Hi!!!!

Do you have any hcs for how Alicole would try and solve and argument with the kids? Like, their dynamic (especially Aegon with Alicole cause he’s the oldest) is just so interesting and I’ve always wondered how an argument/disagreement would play out with them

ooh, tasty concept.

with arguments amongst the children, they try and get them to take a step back. they'll each take a kid (or two if it involves all of them) and give them a hug or something of the like, easing the tensions, before helping them come to some sort of compromise or agreement.

when it comes to non petty arguments that every child has, the source of issues amongst the kids is the following;

with Aegon they have to settle his need to compensate for feeling as though he is lacking. he tends to pick on his siblings when he's feeling down on himself. so it's a lot of affirming words and hugs while also chiding his cruel behavior. he's definitely hard on himself about being cruel as well, he doesn't like being mean it just sorta comes out of him when he's not in good spirits about himself. he shoves his siblings away over little things when he's upset which only makes him feel worse in the long run. the whole situation makes it hard to parent, as it's not right how he treats his siblings at times, but it's also awful how he feels and how it presents itself. there's typically long talks after the fact. Aegon's usually in his dad's arms, more often than not, while he mom comforts him.

with Aemond it's cooling his temper and frustration, deep breaths and grounding. they remind him that he can't let every jab get a rise out of him, that he always had them to turn to when he needs help, that he's not alone to handle his anger. they try and learn more and more each time, what triggers his anger, what helps him calm down, what to avoid, etc. sometimes he needs to just be held other times he needs a moment alone to breathe. they also try and help him learn how to self regulate and also make his siblings aware that he's getting upset prior to him lashing out (they also talk to them about it).

with Helaena, arguments tend to be because she thinks so differently from her brothers. not only is she a girl in a house of boys, but also because she's autistic (I was the autistic 'sister' in a house of boys for most of my life, it definitely brewed some unique arguments, and I'm gonna project god damn it), their ways of thinking and doing are so different sometimes that she just loses it. so with her, they let her talk, they let her ramble and decompress until she can ground herself, then they have to try and explain the boys point of views, how they see may not be the right way, nor is hers, neither are, but they have to learn to agree. then it's hugs and kisses and talking it out, before they go back to hashing it out with the boys.

Daeron's the most agreeable with the siblings, very adhd coded in my mind (so I'm going to project my brother onto him cause they're very copy pasted in my mind) so when he gets into an argument it's because he's going too fast, too passionate, and/or too much. so again, like most of their children, it's grounding first talking later. like Helaena, they have to explain that the way he is isn't bad or wrong, but that's sometimes we need to slow down, take a breath, cool off, and than continue.

with arguments they take their kids separately, normally separated into different rooms and they visit them together. depending on the exact situation they may just offer hugs and softness, or they'll play a slight game of good cop/bad cop, though they're careful with it. the goal is to solve the problem, not slap a bandaid on it. they tend to each kids needs before handling the actual issue at hand and then being them together to find a solution.

they can both be soft and stern in their own ways. Cole is typically softer on them, as he gets to their levels, takes them close while talking, but he has a stern voice and makes it clear he's willing to put a foot down if need be. while Alicent tends to be a bit more formal and stereotypically authoritative, sitting at the table with them, even if she holds their hands in hers and pulls their chairs close so she can stroke their cheeks.

normally the kids can make right up, or at least come to peaceful terms, but if it doesn't, cause kids can hold grudges like no one's business, Alicent and Cole are forced to remain wholly neutral which is much harder than one would think. most of their fights that lead to grudges are very childish so it's really just waiting for them to crack and realize it was a stupid argument. this is made easier when they don't get involved, so they just laugh amongst themselves where the kids can't see them, and try and keep face in front of them (they can smell weakness and betrayal. send help. a 4 kids household isn't easy). they definitely have moments where they wave the white flag cause one of the kids accused them of siding. the "get along" shirt is also an active and well worn member of the family (Aegon and Aemond share it often)

this video is very much Aegon and Daeron. they feud often. they're either acting like Aegon is a second dad to him, or they are actually going to war and have been sworn enemies for generations, fighting a battle to honor their forefathers (Alicent and Criston are so tired). speaking of Aegon being a second dad, he definitely oversees a lot of arguments between Daeron and his friends... does he understand little kid drama? no. is it entertaining as all hell? you fucking bet, he wants to hear all about what little James did at daycare.

when the kids are arguing with them, which with the way they run the house is pretty rare, but not impossible, they first take a step back for themselves. they will never show anger or cruelty towards their kids, so they make sure they're ok before they even think about talking to their kids.

talking will always be their goal, they never want to use threats or punishments to get what they want from their kids, and they have different ways about it. because their kids know how their household works, that things work on their time, and that just being open and honest, they really just need a day or two to themselves, if the reason for arguing isn't time sensitive, and then they can just take it out.

Aegon is sulky, he just closes himself in his room or flees to a friend's house (which they let happen so long as he leaves a note, leaves his location on his phone, and checks in every few hours) if its really bad. he'll drag himself back to the kitchen table in 48 hours tops, wanting nothing more than for his mom and dad to love him again (they never stopped).

Aemond is just frustrated past reason, so he'll go out and fence with his dummy or just something physical, then he's more willing to listen to reason.

Helaena normally had a boundary or nerve pushed, which was normally accidental, either cause she was already frustrated with something or something changed and it just put both parties in bad positions. space is all she needs.

Daeron is a bit of all the above. he's sensitive, though hard to cross, its often more about other things, something his parent did just broke the camels back, so a long run brings everything back to reason.

Alicent and Criston care so much about their kids, every argument they have with their kids, typically one-sided as they refuse to truly yell, breaks their heart whether or not they did anything or not. they never plan to punish their kids for arguing, they were kids once and they know that its good that they feel safe enough to stand up and fight for what they believe to be true, that they feel safe to shout and disagree with them. they would rather that over anything else, cause they know their kids trust them.

while they aren't permissive with their kids, their are rules and hard limits, they don't count arguing as something to be punished, and their kids don't tend to strand into punishable territories. so resolving a fight is a long talk at the kitchen table, no man's land so to speak, where all parties air their grievances. the problem is discussed, apologies are said on all sides, and sometimes it doesn't always end in a hug, but it does end in feelings being soothed and bridges mended. no one walks away with hard feelings.

they're not perfect, but they make it work, and because they've put so much time and effort into making their home safe and sane, the whole family in therapy, making active efforts to be nothing like their first "home" true arguments are far and few between, and when they happen they're equipped to handle it. Alicent and Cole are such good parents, their kids love and trust them, theirs so much space to talk and negotiate and handle issues early on that there typically isn't any reason to fight. I think that's what makes them such a good family, cause its so hard for me to picture them actually fighting outside of petty things.

#I genuinely cannot picture this family fighting #like petty things between the kids or teenage angst hurled at Alicent and Criston that they laugh about a few hours later most definitely #they wouldn't be a family otherwise #but I think that real arguments are rare and I love that for them #definitely strived to find the balance between gentle and authoritative parenting so their kids are well structured #handle all of their problems when they were little and now most issues are easy #cyclebreakers fr fr #they're also all mommy/daddy's girls and boys #all their fights are just big feelings that need to be rode out #Aegon yelling at Criston cause he's young and dumb and hurting cause he got his heart broken at school or cause he had to think about #dead dumb dad and his teenage heart is angry and he needs to put it somewhere? I think yes. I also think he cried in his arms a few hours #later and begged for his dad to love him again. cause they're hopeless #Helaena losing her mind at her parents cause she's just so stressed and everything'd out by the world and they just happened to breathe the #wrong way at dinner? again. I think yes. and she felt so bad afterward and goes on a whole vent about school and people and does some DPT #after letting them both hug her really tight so she could calm down #Aemond getting frustrated cause they're “babying” him over the loss of his eye and just ending up a sobbing screaming mess cause he's just #so mad at the world and he doesn't know what to do with himself #Daeron's head getting too loud so he gets super upset and disregulated and starts yelling in his room. not even at them directly until they #come in. he just loses his shit for a minute until he's tuckered out and then he's a mess in his parents arms #teenage angst is a bitch and the source of everyone's problems #alicole #alicent hightower #criston cole #aegon ii targaryen #aegon targaryen #aemond targaryen #helaena targaryen #daeron targaryen #pro team green #hotd

[fru1tt0ast]

erm... i forgot to post this like a month ago when i drew it... ignore that....

also i know literally only one person besides me cares about these two but i HAD TO DRAW THEM.... top ten stupidest crossovers fr

redford, the guy on the left, is @sheisawantedman 's swagtacular florist-murderer character from her evil wicked awesome comic running wild btw GO FOLLOW HER AND READ IT IMMEDIATELY ITS ON TAPAS AND WEBTOON AND COMICFURY and i am redford's number one fan 🐡🐡🐡

#they would be friends and nobody can convince me otherwise #they would gossip so silly together #scouts ma wouldn't even give a swag when she finds out redford is a murderer fr #she'd like. accidentally show up while he's jilling someone and she'd just go oh yea my son does that! it's his job. so proud of him. #they're so very important to me yall don't get it #redford is kinda yellow?? also pale af ignore that i didn't mean to make him THAT pale 🦐 #also idk what i was doing with the clothes i was just farting around tbh #fruit toasts cool art tag btw #scouts ma #scouts ma tf2 #tf2 scouts mom #running wild #tf2 #team fortress two

[monsterhugger]

if you shame or berate people for pirating things. please consider that being able to buy/watch/read/listen to/play things legitimately is a privilege

not even necessarily a "having the money" privilege but sometimes a "living in the right place" privilege or even a "speaking the language said thing happened to be released in" privilege

#getting into arcade rhythm games and fkmt's manga has convinced me piracy is not only okay but morally correct #i would LOVE to play chunithm or read akagi in the legitimate creator-approved way. unfortunately i live in the US and can't read Japanese #thinking abt that old woman yuri mangaka lamenting that english-speaking readers wouldn't be able to read her manga legitimately #to be clear she was 100% not the asshole she was nice abt it #just tragic all around #not to mention fan translators do awesome work for free but you usually don't get fan translations without what is technically reposting #i collect doujin and like so many american doujin collectors i discovered doujin through pirate sites #and i honestly have mixed feelings about it bc it's all art that was reposted without permission #but i've been able to read fanworks i otherwise just couldn't and i've found artists whose work is incredible #and whose books i would love to buy! but it's cost-prohibitive on both our ends #for an artist to get more than an extremely limited run of books printed and for me to pay for international shipping #a book that sells for under five dollars at a convention can be upwards of 20 dollars to buy and have shipped internationally #in a perfect world artists don't die without money and everyone is more normal about piracy

[drakonovisny]

wow, didn't expect such rampant fatphobia in the trans community. just saw a comment section full of people encouraging a girl's eating disorder because she "passeses so well" after losing HALF of her bodyweight in under a year 😬

#i really thought we were better than this #tw fatphobia #tw ed #tw transmysoginy #<- this tag for the shitty implication that she “wouldn't have passed as well” otherwise #fat girls you're beautiful #don't let them get to you!!!!

[riotbrrrd]

Probably could have answered your really interesting essay dissecting that completely point missing review of Uglies with another essay answearing all your points, but was tired this day... and what stuck the most with me was the part about Dr. Cable specifically choosing Shay and her cult because with their self harm they are so much more useful to her as super soldiers because they already proved that they are unstable enough and value their own physical and emotional well-being little enough to go die for her in wars or something on a whim. (And then Tally was pulled into it because of her eating disorder and also because of Shays creepy crush friendship revenge on her).

Because I totally interpreted it this way too, and it also was fairly obvious for me too, but also I was not sure how much of this is in the book and how much of it is just my interpretation. Glad to see it "confirmed".

Dr. Cable is a master manipulator and probably the best tactician in the books, of course she would notice how useful self-destructive tendencies and mentally ill people seeing working for her as a way out of their misery is useful for her. And of course Shay would, and Tally, who IMO is not that good with people even more, not really understand that and think she chose them for being so smart and special instead - and the book is from Tallys view, so of course on the surface it says this.

I mean yeah, there are flaws to the self-harm and eating disorder representation in it, actual people who had these problems and read it said so - but its not exactly promoted either. The books say so in the text.

No problem, we can continue to ramble under Another Uglies Post!

I haven't read these books again in some time, to my memory of it it's never said explicitely yeah, but it feels very obvious especially in the way she admits defeat towards the end, "special specials" and all that. I also think what really drives the point is the perspective shift when Tally gets arrested and discovers just how much she's been built to absorb impacts. And then she dislocates her shoulders on purpose??? like. I actually can't remember if it's fully on purpose, but I do remember that she does Not handle the pain of it normally.

But yeah, by that point, both of those girls are operating on a brainwash made to make them arrogant over another brainwash meant to make them compete for attention. So as we're experiencing the story through Tally's point of view, we are seeing her brain make the kind of logical jumps that make sense from someone who's been a little bit programmed to think she would be Chosen in a crowd!

And, you know, I want to be indulgent and say maybe it's just because we're obsessed with these books and have read them many times, maybe on one reading it's not that obvious, but. There's really A Lot of these books that is textually asking, which parts of a personality are genuine and which parts are the result of outside influence, and can you ever feel the difference? So idk, I think it's fairly obvious that you aren't supposed to take every word of it as authorial endorsement but understand that the characters adopt different, sometimes even contradictory points of view over the course of the series, not because those points of view are good but because they don't/can't know any better or because they have been made to. So I don't think it's that easy to miss.

#then again. I do remember that I tried to make my mom read them and she didn't like them because 'there is too much philosophy in them' #so you know! sometimes a book is not for everyone #but in the case of that video essay I think the person really just. wanted to read something else and couldn't get past the feeling #and it caused them to get very hung up on things in a way they wouldn't have otherwise #but anyway!