#this anniversary doesn't feel like much of an achievement but it is what it is

[deepersea]

happy holidays and my yearly thanks to everyone for reading and enjoying my writing! for the comments and asks and kudos and and and... even if i haven't been active as much and did disappear off the face of the earth occasionally, i've always been delighted and so very grateful for people stopping by in my personal corner of the internet. 2024 sadly hasn't been remotely as productive or fulfilling as i would have liked, but i'm a stubborn, stubborn woman and i have hope that things will work out better in the future, meaning i'll hopefully be able to sit down with my fics-to-be to the degree i want to.

[aperrywilliams]

Under the Rain (Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader)

(Not my gif. Credits to the creator!)

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Author Masterlist

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Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader.

Summary: Reader is waiting for Spencer in a restaurant to celebrate their 2nd anniversary. What happens when Spencer doesn't show up?

Word Count: 2.3k

Warnings: Angst with a happy ending. Spencer fucked up but Reader loves him.

A/N: It's winter on this side of the world, and the rain makes me kind of sad.

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Is there anything worse than your boyfriend standing you up in a fancy restaurant on your 2nd anniversary? Yes, being stood up by your boyfriend in a fancy restaurant on your 2nd anniversary day while outside it’s raining cats and dogs.

That's worse. And pathetic.

You feel pathetic, sitting in that chair, all dolled up and waiting. You arrived at 19:30, and now your watch reads 20:45. No sight of Spencer.

What the fuck?

He was the one who suggested a romantic dinner in this very restaurant. He was the one who told you to make reservations. How could he forget it? You knew there wasn’t an active case. The very Penelope told you it was paperwork day when you texted her in the afternoon.

In the past hour, you dialed his number several times. You were worried at some point: what if something terrible happened to him? But you know bad news travels fast, so you assumed he didn’t show up just because he forgot. Deep down, you wanted there to be another explanation because if he only forgot, that would strengthen the idea of how little you mean to him.

Sensing the pitiful looks the hostess and the waitress sent you occasionally, you only wanted to dig a hole and disappear.

When the clock marked 21:00, you gave up. You asked the hostess for your coat and left the place completely silent.

The rain pouring outside was the perfect scenario for your current mood. You thought about calling a cab in front of the restaurant, but you only wanted to be far from that place as soon as possible, so you started to walk in the rain.

Goodbye to the stylish hairstyle that took you hours to achieve. Goodbye to the makeup you put so much effort into doing.

Striding along the sidewalk, you made sure to step on each water puddle you found along the way as you recalled every moment in the past months you felt Spencer away from you. And not only physically as when he was in a case. It was more than that. It was each morning he didn’t say I love you before leaving your shared apartment. It was each text he didn’t send telling you he was coming home or leaving for a case. It was each coffee you didn't share in the morning. It was each animated chat in the middle of the night you didn't have.

Were you being dramatic? You knew Spencer’s tendency to distract and engage in whatever his job could present him. In any other circumstances, you could have understood. Not tonight, though. Not when it was supposed to be your night together celebrating this milestone. The two years of love you thought were strengthening your relationship. How blind you have been. How naive.

You kept wandering on the streets with no destination. You didn’t want to come back to the apartment. You didn’t know where else to go either. So you kept walking.

-

Spencer Reid is a man with an eidetic memory. Everybody knows that. He can remember every piece of information people usually wouldn’t recall. He knows almost everything about anything. But even with his big brain, he sometimes has trouble keeping track of his own life. Like today.

Engrossed in a pile of manila folders from old cases, he lost time. A task meant to take just an hour or so kept him occupied and entertained for almost four hours. Emily’s voice was the only thing that brought him back from those files to reality.

“You still here?” Emily asked with a frown. Spencer looked at her oddly.

“Yeah. I was looking for patterns in our last cases in the northwest. What Tara said about the mixed murder weapons sounded familiar to me,” he explained before rubbing his eyes. He didn't notice how tired he felt until Emily interrupted him.

“Spencer, it’s almost 10 pm. And there is no active case. You can resume this tomorrow. I even thought you had plans today?”

‘10 pm’ and ‘plans today’ was enough to bring Spencer to realization.

“Fuck!” He yelped, jumping from his seat and freezing immediately, not knowing what to do.

“What?” Emily asked, seeing the panic in Spencer’s eyes.

“Shit. Shit. Shit,” he repeated over and over as he reached for his phone in his satchel.

“What is it, Reid?”

“Emily. I was supposed to be in a restaurant with (Y/N) tonight! It’s - uh - it’s our second anniversary,” he, visibly embarrassed, finished the sentence.

Emily shut her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Are you fucking kidding me, Reid? How on earth do you forget something like that?”

“I don’t know! I - I don’t really know. Fuck. I’m an asshole!” He checked the phone: twenty missing calls. Why he left it on mute?

“Stop complaining and do something! Come on! Move your ass out of here if you want a chance of not being precisely kicked in the ass by her,” Emily instructed. She knew Spencer needed directions when he was freaking out.

Spencer rechecked his watch. It read 10:05 pm.

Swearing under his breath, he dialed your number, which went straight to voicemail. Putting his coat on, he tried again while rushing to the elevator. Maybe you were still at the restaurant? Getting in the first cab he found, Spencer headed there.

Once he arrived, he asked the hostess about you. The girl told him you left after 9 pm.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

He called you again with no success. This time you turned off your phone. Spencer’s stomach was a knot, and his heart hurt imagining you sitting alone, waiting for him.

Were you at home? Spencer guessed you wouldn't want to see him, so it was less probable. Should he go there anyway and wait for you? No. You deserved better than that. He would look for you even if it could take all night. Taking a cab, he decided to check the apartment - just in case - and grab his car keys.

As expected, you weren’t in the apartment. Spencer faced the darkness and coldness of the place, and a chill ran down his spine—the fear of losing you forever.

In the car, he thought, where you could be. It was still raining, and Spencer feared you were getting soaked and frozen, God knows where.

It was at this kind of moment Spencer wanted his eidetic memory, and all the knowledge in his brain could help to compensate for the dose of common sense he lacked.

‘Come on, Spencer. Think. For once in your life, do it for what is really important for you.’

-

Spencer parked and rushed out of the car, hoping his hunch was correct. He was in a park. Not any park, though. It was where he met you three years ago—where his life changed forever and for the better for once.

You were in a swing, moving softly back and forth, your feet touching the ground. Your eyes focused on the rain collecting in the nook you created with your feet in the mud.

“(Y/N)!” Spencer called once he spotted you. The rain muffled the sound of his voice.

Your eyes didn’t leave the ground. At first, you thought you were imagining things. It could have been wishful thinking that your boyfriend really cared about you. He called again, and now your brain obliged your eyes to look toward the voice’s source.

Spencer was in a corner where the park's playground began. He was looking at you and wanted to run to you, but the fear you could run away made him stay there, as the rain dampened him.

The sight of you broke him. You were utterly soaked. Your coat and lovely black dress were ruined, and your face with traces of smeared makeup. He could even spot your bloodshot eyes, swollen from crying.

He caused that. And Spencer hated himself for it.

Seeing you didn't say anything, barely acknowledging his presence, Spencer dared to take some steps forward. Your numb body didn't even flinch.

“(Y/N). I’m sorry,” were his first words. Expectable but useless for you. “I fucked it up. I’m sorry. I should have been there. I wanted to be there with you,” he apologized, giving a few steps closer to you. Not looking at him, you mumbled.

“But you weren’t. And if you really wanted to have been there, you would have.” Your voice was low and husky. You sounded tired and defeated. It was worse for Spencer. For him, you should be yelling. Telling him how hurting you were. How an asshole he was.

“Baby, there is no excuse for what I did. The last thing I want in my life is to hurt you. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Spencer’s voice broke with each word.

What had he done? Why? How can he be so stupid? He loves you. You’re the most important person in his life, so why did he do that to you? How can he fix it?

Still not looking at him, you spoke again.

“I can’t understand, Spencer. It was our anniversary. You were the one who suggested doing it,” you remind him. He nodded, kneeling in front of you. It didn’t matter the mud, and it didn’t matter the rain still falling. Spencer needed to look at your eyes to explain himself.

“I’m an idiot. I lost track of time and forgot,” he mumbled. You held up your head and finally looked at him.

“You forgot? So it's true I’m not that important to you,” you concluded sadly. Spencer’s eyes widened.

“No! Don’t say that!” he pleaded.

“Am I wrong? I don’t think so.” Your chin wobbled, but you needed to say it. “I know your job is important, Spencer. I do. And I never wanted to compete with that because I thought I didn’t have to. But after these past months, I think I need to get used to the idea I lost you already,” you acknowledged with a pained sob betraying you. It was the pang of the meaning behind your own words.

The memories of the past months flashed before Spencer's eyes. And there he saw it. The kisses he didn't give you, the 'I love you' he didn't tell you. The nights he didn't sleep by your side—all the things he has been missing.

He realized that although he never doubted his love for you, he stopped nurturing it and took it for granted.

Crying, he took your hands, and by divine grace, you didn't push him away.

No words he could say would be enough to convey how sorry he was. But he needed to try because he didn’t want to lose you. You needed to know he loved you and that you owned his heart. You needed to know he just realized he made a mistake, and he wants to fix it.

“The first time I saw you in this very place, you were slowly swaying in this exact spot with your eyes focused on the book in your hands. I was so mesmerized that I never thought I would get the nerve to talk to you, you know? But I did. And when I saw the warm look you gave me when I asked you if you had read the author's biography, I felt my heart warming as never before. And when I heard your laugh after I clumsily tried to flirt with you? I swear it was the sound I wanted to hear for the rest of my life,” Spencer confessed, eyes sparkling at the memory. You fondly recalled it too. You never liked to talk with strangers all of a sudden, but with Spencer? It felt natural and right.

“You let me in in your life. You opened your heart to me and taught me how to do that too. You realized I’m not the best student in those matters, though,” he chuckled, seeing your nod.

“Despite that, you believed in me. You gave me a chance to love you, and I swear loving you has been the most natural thing that has ever happened to me. You have made me so happy (Y/N). You have no idea. And that is the problem. I have not known how to love you the way you deserve. I hadn't realized what I was doing. I'm sorry. I spent much of my life fending alone, not walking with anyone by my side. And I know that does not excuse my behavior. Even so, I dare to ask for an opportunity to prove you do not have to compete with my job. Give me a chance to prove to you I can be better. I can be the man who deserves your love. Please let me gain back your love and the privilege to hear you laugh again."

Spencer was almost out of breath when he was done speaking. You mulled in his words as his hands enveloped yours, patiently awaiting your response. Would you give him a chance?

As the rain continued pouring down, your eyes focused on him, still kneeling before you with hopeful eyes.

You know he loves you. Even if he needs to be better at proving it to you. And you love him even if you feel hurt for what he did. You both would have to work to make it work. You both deserved the chance, though.

The answer to his question was clear then.

You hopped off the swing and kneeled, not releasing his hands grasp and pulling him to catch his lips with yours. He kissed you back with everything he had. When both parted, you smiled at him, and Spencer was trying to figure out what that meant. You spoke to make it clear.

“Please, just don't make me regret being in this same place three years ago.”

Spencer earnestly shook his head.

“I won’t. I promise,” he told you before kissing you again under the rain.

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Spencer Reid's Taglist: @dreatine​ @nomajdetective @jayyeahthatsme @rosalinasam2 @averyhotchner @tvandfanfic​ @lovelyxtom @princessmiaelicia @pastelbabygirl19 @reidsbookclub @alexxavicry @gspenc @spencerreidisbae123 @calmspencer @pauline5525mgg @disaster-in-waiting @anamiad00msday @milivanili99 @laylasbunbunny @leahblackk @miaxx03 @missabsey @taintedstranger

[astraystayyh]

SKZ as oddly specific love languages

fluff, pre-established relationship!! mention of vomiting in lee know's part

i have an 80 pages thesis to write but this is what i do instead........

Chan : reminding you to take your medicine

whenever you are sick this man would turn his dad mode ON

he would put alarms in his phone for your medicine and reminds you to take them each day. without fault.

lowkey takes better care of you than he takes care of himself

if it's a nasty medicine, he will send you something along the lines of 'i know it tastes like shit but you can do it baby!!'

will congratulate you as if you've achieved a big milestone when you just took your medicine, but it's so endearing????

bonus : would search up what vitamins you might need and buys them for you because he needs you to be healthy, always

Minho : holding your hair while you vomit

being sick is never fun but minho is extra gentle with you during those days

if you get dizzy and need to vomit multiple times, he'd sit down with you on the bathroom floor, your head on his lap while he plays with your hair gently

and whenever you get the urge to puke, he'll hold your hair for you and rub soothing circles on your back

"you are doing so good baby"

will make sure you are hydrated afterwards!!

brushes your teeth and washes your face for you

he won't ever make you feel bad he'd just be like "what do you need? whatever it is i got you"

bonus : will so make you soup and feed it to you like a baby

Changbin : walking on the right side of the road

he doesn't even realize he's doing it

but whenever you are walking together he would make sure he's on the side near cars

will be talking to you and smoothly switch sides

his arm will always be on your shoulders or on your lower back HE JUST HAS TO TOUCH YOU!!!

he just needs you to be safe at all times

if you are bad at crossing roads (like me) he will hold your hand and do it

not in a patronizing way, more in 'please don't get yourself killed i need you alive'

bonus : he will tie your shoelaces for you in the middle of the road :(

Hyunjin : Writing you love letters

this man will definitely write love letters

for every anniversary you will get a handwritten one that's a given

but you'll also get ones on random days

i feel like he has so much love for you and he will feel it at random times and he'll be like i need to write this down!!!!

will also write you loving sticky notes and put them everywhere

on the fridge, on the bathroom mirror, on your bookshelf EVERYWHERE

they will be compliments like 'you look so pretty today', or just 'i'm so proud of you', or 'dont forget to drink water!!'

bonus : will text you every love poem that reminds him of you

Han : Letting you choose a movie to watch

this man loves his movies but he loves you more!!!!

will host movie nights with you religiously

makes a pillow fort and buys all the snacks you want

then he'd let you pick the movie

he may not even like the genre but will watch it just for you

also he watches you more than he watches the movie

he just loves seeing your face light up when it's a scene/actors you love

he's the embodiment of 'your happiness is my happiness'

bonus : if you ever cry during a movie i feel he will cry too LMAO literally feels your emotions as his own

Felix : Saving you the last sweet treat

ok we know felix will bake for you BUT he loves sweets too right

but he will always save you the last treat

last brownie ? yours, last cookie ? yours, last piece of cake? YOURS

he won't outwardly say it, and he might even be craving it but if you ask him if he wants it he'll say 'no go ahead baby it's yours!'

he loves making you happy and if it's through simple things as this then he's all in

also wants to make sure you are eating well

will literally fight you if you try to feed it to him "NO YOU EAT IT BABY"

bonus : when you get any cravings this man will go out at the crack of dawn to get it for you, he's just so in love

Seungmin : Making a fool out of himself to make you laugh

this man is pro at roasting

you will match his energy of course and he loves your bantering

loves to make it look as if YOU are obsessed with him (which you are but he is too so it's okay)

but when you are feeling sad he will literally go :((

needs to cheer you up AT ALL COSTS

so he will start making fun of himself or making stupid comments that make him look like a dork JUST FOR YOU TO SMILE

if you are crying and he makes you giggle he'll be like BINGO

will literally make you laugh so hard you forget why you were sad in the first place

bonus : definitely will tickle you until you can no longer breathe and then he will pepper your face with kisses :,)

Jeongin : creating curated playlists for you

my man jeongin loves his music and he loves you

he will of course have the lovey dovey playlist of soft songs that reminds him of you

BUT he will go above and beyond

will make you a playlist for your each mood because he knows you so well

like a playlist named 'when you feel like crying also why aren't you texting me rn'

or 'for when you want to feel like a bad bitch (which you are)'

or even music he thinks you'll like while getting ready or doing chores

he's not always there but he feels that if you listen to the playlists he made you he will be there with you

bonus : will definitely share his earphones with you and thinks it's so cute when you lay your head on his shoulder:(

[batmanfruitloops]

Happy 1st Anniversary to the Batmanfruitloops!!! 🎉

Whoo! This is such an achievement, but also it's such a crazy thought that it's been a WHOLE YEAR??? It means a lot that so many other people like our au as much as we do, and even more that we've been able to make friends; we want to thank all of you new and old for joining us here to have fun and enjoy the journey of our au!

With that said, I'd like to share some old art that's "behind the scenes" stuff from out time since we started our au.

also if you've been here since these were the profile picture and banner, you're a real one;

Fun fact, I (Sarsee) don't like fruit loops, but it was the first thing I thought of to name the blog, plus it was memorable. The au name being "Batman: A New Gotham" came later! Double plus, the abbreviation is BANG and I find that coincidence just delightful.

One of favorite changes that happened out of nowhere was John's eyes changing from more round to almond. He used to look a lot more like the Telltale Joker, but I feel like his current eyes fit better with his personality in our au. This also isn't going to show up because it's file names, but I had originally wanted to call the Joker "Jbird" like Batman calls him in the Lego Batman movie. (for context, it's the scene where Joker is tied to a bunch of balloons - you know the one - and side note, I want to redraw a screenshot from that with our Joker eventually) I don't have any pictures with a "Jbird" design because I never got the idea to work, I just thought it could have been interesting considering Joker works with Batman in our au and that would put him on theme with the Batfam being flying mammals/avians.

Most of the other original designs aren't too drastic either - or at least it doesn't feel like it to me. Scarecrow and Riddler have changed a lot though. And I think the changes that came about with Fluffy joining on board were much needed (Scarecrow's costume was always done by Fluffy, but I designed him out of costume originally -I was originally making the au myself, but that didn't last long when we started yapping about ideas to one another and never stopped) She also couldn't understand how I stylized his hair, so it became puffy and unruly instead of curly and gelled back. Ed can still gel his hair if he wanted to, just for special occasions.

Some old sillies as well from Fluffy;

we find the contrast between Batman vs. Scarecrow and Joker vs. Riddler very funny because it's so drastically different. The Joker and Riddler never really try to hurt each other, they just like to play into the dramatics and vibe while still on their separate sides. Batman and Scarecrow want to tear one another's throats out and watch them suffer for it because they have no idea what's going on in their heads.

with the villain!joker timeline, there's an alternate version of the Goon squad (Dork Squad + Joker) where it's Harvey instead of the Joker. Or as well, there can be all five of them. Harvey is the only person who can scruff Jo like the gremlin he very much is and he'll just let it happen.

I don't know if this will show up in the comic anymore, but at one point the Joker was going to refer to Scarecrow and the Riddler as Samhain and a leprechaun because they're both partially Irish - couldn't really be that specific with voice claims, and they'd be offended

and lastly, Ed gets cranky when he's tired

Batman and Riddler are the only two to get digital references at the time and man, do I much prefer how streamlined the final ones look. I mean, what was the dingy brown I had behind Batman? For a split second, Ed's coat was almost purple, but thankfully, Fluffy convinced me otherwise and suggested his shoes be purple. This is also before his vest, and now there's an in story reason for why he doesn't have it in the beginning. Also look at how skinny and tall Ed looked!! (he was still short, he's not allowed to be tall in our au)

That's all I have for now, we'd love to hear any thoughts/memories/etc. in the comments!

Love, Sarsee and Fluffy, your batmanfruitloops creatures

[pleasantlycrazyworld]

Hi I just finished reading the steve harrington x reader imagine where its their one year anniversary and reader finds out about the bet, I was wondering if you could maybe do a 2nd part where Steve somehow finds a way to win reader back and decide to still be bf and girlfriend rather than start all over again and steve asks reader out officially (since he asked her out bc of a bet originally) and they have their date where he reasks her to be his gf, then time skip to where its their 2 year anniversary and he proposes🤍

I got so carried away....oops? Over 4k words

I didn't get into the propose but I totally can if anyone wants me to! I hope you enjoy and it was worth the wait, I am thinking of making an alternative version of this where the reader doesn't take him back, if you want tagged lmk!

Steve was not the same without you. Anyone and everyone could tell. He showed up late to work, never talked to the customers, and he hasn't spoken to Robin, Nancy, or anyone from the group for that matter. He just wanted to disappear into his bed and never be discovered.

However, just because he was in his bed didn't mean he slept. No, he hasn't slept since you left, and if he did, it was for minutes at a time. Instead of sleeping, he just stared. Stared at your side of the bed, stared at pictures of you two together, stared at the ring that haunted him. All he could do was stare.

You weren't doing any better. You didn't just lose Steve but you lost your best friends too, being betrayed by your boyfriend hurt but being betrayed by who you considered the closest friends in your life hurt you the most. You couldn't bring yourself to reach out, anytime the phone rang you just let it ring, anytime there was a knock on the door you just waited under mounds of blankets for the person to leave. Everyone was concerned for the two of you but no one knew how to help, that is until Dustin went and forced Steve to get out of bed. For a 15 year old Dustin was surprisingly strong, Steve found this out when he was dragged out of his bed and into the shower. "You are showering. You are going to make yourself presentable and you are going to go talk to her. At least make sure she's still breathing." Dustin rolls his eyes but he misses how Steve's breathing got caught in his throat hearing that you weren't doing well, even if Dustin just briefly mentioned it.

Steve didn't care about himself, he lost you and that ended with him losing himself, but he never stopped caring about you. He rushed through the shower and hurried to get presentable once again before dragging his ass to the car and headed to your house after making a quick stop to the flower shop. The entire ride to your house he gave himself multiple pep-talks. "I'm a douche....this is noticeable, everyone can see that but" he sighs softly and shakes his head as he feels tears starting to form, "But with you...god y/n with you I wanted to be better. I will be better for you, I want to be the man you deserve even if I can never achieve that. Fuck maybe I'm just selfish...I definitely don't deserve you, no one...no one deserves an angel like you." When Steve pulls into your driveway tears are falling freely down his cheeks, he gets out of the car and grabs the flowers he bought you while choking back sobs. He doesn't bother knocking, if what Dustin told him he knows you won't bother answering the door. Even though you've been apart for weeks now he still has keys to your place so technically....not breaking and entering???

He softly walks through your home trying not to disturb anything, not wanting to taint anything more than he already has. He is in front of your bedroom door much quicker than he was prepared, the door was already opened and the sight before him destroyed his already broken heart. In front of him was the love of his life, under mounds of blankets with the only evidence of life being the slow rise and fall of the blankets.

"Oh princess..." he softly speaks breaking the silence. You jump slightly, blankets falling off your figure, at the sound of a familiar voice, a haunting voice. "Steve...." Your voice creaks and your sight blurs, sitting up straight you feel your breathing stop at the sight of the man before you. Even though he tried his hardest to look presentable for your presence he was still a clear mess. His hair was disheveled, his cheeks were blotchy and eyes bright red. He walks to your side slowly as if he was approaching an injured animal, "Princess I..." His voice cracks and lip quivers as a sob wins the fight he was trying to win. "I am so sorry! I-I never...never meant for this to happen, never fuck i never wanted to hurt you. I was going to tell you but everything was going so well I just didn't want to lose you" Your throat gets tight and begins to burn as you fight the tears that were determined to fall. "Steve I...I loved you."

Loved....Loved....past tense....loved

"No....baby no not loved... I love you. I love you. How can I fix this? There has to be a way to fix this I...fuck I can't lose you forever. This might have started as a bet but my love for you was never apart of it. I've never loved someone as much as I love you"

A scoff and an eye roll is what he's met with, causing him to panic even more at the thought of never having you in his life again. But then you move closer to him and you take the flowers from his hands. "We can try to start over..." You whispered softly

----Time skip-----

It's been two years since the break up, it's been two years since starting over. And things had never been better, Steve never wanted to lose you and tonight he's hoping that he can assure that you'll be his forever with a ring on your left hand.

Tagging: @emmyshortcake @succubusmunson @bloodthirstybreedingbunny @ghosttownwherenoonegoes @keerysfolklore @eddiesguitarskills @mystargirl-interlude @lofaewrites @sweet-villain

[makoodles]

So tiny thought but something I've been thinking of is if Na'vi have anniversaries like we do because I haven't seen anything about it. Honestly when I think of them, I feel like they just love and appreciate their partner so much every day of the year that a yearly celebration isn't really needed.

So, imagine their confusion when their little human mate gives them a gift, maybe something like a handwoven bracelet or necklace they've been learning to make in secret in appreciation of them and their culture. Now of course this isn't the part that confuses them but the overly excited and pleased "Happy one year anniversary!" shocks them a bit, their curiosity of what it means though quickly buried in their appreciation and their mate's excited babbles and questions of if they like it and wondering if it fits alright.

Then they go along in their day like normal, though now brandishing their newly gifted piece of jewelry which just so happens to catch the attention of a very curious (read: nosey) Jake.

Now if it's Neteyam I could see him as a bit embarrassed when he realizes that he's been rambling for nearly an hour to his father of the gift his mate made him, only stopping when Jake shifts in his seat to stretch his back that's been curled to listen to his son's practical speech about his mate. Neteyam flusters at Jake's brow raised in amusement as he chuckles and slightly teases his son. Neteyam wrestles out from under the hand ruffling his hair, snickering at his father's affection before pausing, remembering one detail he forgot to mention to his father which he's quick to bring up now. Jake blinks owlishly at the suddenly serious expression on his son's face, only to have to bite his lip to hide his chuckles when Neteyam asks so seriously what an anniversary is. He's quick to explain, Neteyam recognizing somethings he's seen his father doing for his mom over the years though as Jake gets into the important bits and the reasoning behind an anniversary, he notices his son's expression turning dreadful. He stops his explanation, cautiously asking his son about the change in his mood only for him to frantically explain that he's made a grave mistake and has undoubtedly upset his mate for not having anything to give them in return. Before Jake can even get out another syllable his son is booking it to the human outpost, rushing in so quickly that he forgets to grab one of the little masks he loathes so much as he rushes to find his mate. And once he finds them, boy are they confused when they don't even have the time to wave hello before they're brought into a bone crushing hug, Neteyam falling to his knees so harshly the clang echoes through the room. Not that he cares, he's too busy shoving his head into his mate's neck, nuzzling there as he apologizes more furiously than he used to apologize to his father for something Lo'ak did when they were still kids. His mate just listens, patting his back and running their hand through his hair soothingly until he finally stops babbling and pulls away with a face so pitiful and sad that not even a kicked puppy could achieve...and then they can't help but laugh. They try to hide the sound behind their hand, but Neteyam's ears have already twitched forward to hear it, expression shifting to bewilderment. His mate is quick to explain that he doesn't need to apologize because in human culture it's not uncommon for the men to forget about special events like an anniversary (sorry guys) and now he looks as if he wants to crawl under a rock somewhere and die for making a fool out of himself. At least until his mate's words actually register and he realizes that he has the chance to prove himself better than the other male demons. So you can bet your ass that he's going to make the rest of his mate's day absolutely perfect. Though in the brief time they are left in the village as he makes preparations, they are cursed with teasing remarks from Jake about the little freak out his son had, also met with his howling laughter when his son's mate mentions in a deadpan that Neteyam was so worried he'd messed up that he bolted in without a respirator mask and they had to frantically rush to get him one to keep him from blacking out as he was practically hyperventilating after his hurried apology.

Now as for Tsu'tey he's confused in a similar fashion on what his mate's words meant, sitting on a log by the training ground and thoughtfully tracing over his new piece of jewelry in admiration instead of coaching the young warriors like he's supposed to be doing. His distracted state his noticed by Jake who is quick to tease him about his rare lack in focus. Tsu'tey is all scowls and bared teeth at the jokes of his nosey Olo'eyktan but his threats are silenced when Jake questions where he got the new jewelry from. Now instead of lashing words Tsu'tey speaks with an endeared tone and flicking tail as he mentions how his mate gave it to him, claiming that it was something they called an "anniversary gift". Tsu'tey doesn't notice the mischievous smirk on Jake's face before he's wiped it off for a look of faux surprise and lets out a dramatic gasp. Tsu'tey's ears tilt back, eyebrow raised but he gives no other reaction at Jake's outburst, completely used to his loudness and weirdness. Though that soon changes as Jake starts asking him if he got his mate anything for their anniversary. Tsu'tey, confused at Jake's line of questioning, asks what he means, and Jake is quick to put on the best and most dramatic performance of his life as he explains to Tsu'tey the importance of an anniversary and how his mate must be upset that Tsu'tey turned out to be just like all the other sky demons and forgot to do anything special for them. Tsu'tey practically seethes at even the idea of him being compared to an inferior male human until Jake's words click and then he's left absolutely appalled with himself that he didn't know such an important thing he's supposed to do for his mate. He's nearly drowning in grief and guilt at his imagined scenarios of how upset and sad his mate must be, and he doesn't even realize he's asked Jake what to do until Jake is listing a bunch of things humans who are dating do for their anniversary. After he's listed some things Tsu'tey is quick to rush off and combine nearly everything he heard to make up for his mistake and quell his mate's possible anger with him.

His mate on the other hand is blissfully unaware of what's happening until Jake comes and gets them saying they have to come to the village, expression nothing short of coyly amused as he says there is something they really need to see. His little human friend thinks nothing of it, at least until they see Tsu'tey rushing around like a chicken with its head cut off. Worried they quickly approach him to ask what's wrong, only to yelp when he falls to his knees and pulls them into him, apologizing so profusely that he barely even breathes through his begs to be forgiven and hurried explanations of what he planned to make it up to them. He only actually stops when his mate presses a hand over his lips, saying how they didn't expect him to know what an anniversary was as they've never seen the Na'vi celebrate one before and how they weren't expecting him to actually do anything for them as they really just used it as an excuse to give him something nice. He blinks owlishly, before his gaze hardens in a glare at Jake who's currently muffling his laughter over his mate's shoulder, now realizing that he was dooped by the idiot he calls an Olo'eyktan. Nevertheless, he softens his gaze as he meets his mate's, reaching up to move the hand from his mouth, lacing his fingers with their own only after he's pressed a loving kiss to their tiny palm. He's quick to compose himself, only his tail coiled by his ankles proof of his embarrassment of how he acted and how easily he was tricked by Jake before explaining to his mate how he wishes they had told him themselves of the importance of an anniversary so that he could appreciate their culture as they do his and how if it makes them happy he'd give anything to make sure it stays a tradition for them no matter if it's not something the Na'vi typically do. His mate's heart is warmed and they bring him into a tender kiss, pulling back with a joking smile and asking what he had planned then. Tsu'tey returns the smile with one just as bright, telling them to give him one moment to put the last touches on it. And so his mate is left alone as he finishes his preparations...kinda. In normal Jake fashion he is quick with his smug confession of how without him Tsu'tey wouldn't have known what an anniversary was and wouldn't have gone out of his way to do something for them, so his friend really has to thank him. To his surprise they do though they also say he really didn't have to tell him as they wanted to do something special for Tsu'tey without expecting something back. This goes on for a bit and said man is thoroughly confused when he comes to get his mate for their anniversary celebration only to find them swinging a stick at a laughing Jake because he threatened to tell Tsu'tey that married/mated couples actually do something much grander for their anniversaries then what he was telling Tsu'tey before.

mannnnn this is so detailed and perfect agkdfgjhdkgh im obsessed

neteyam is such a sweet baby boy, and tsu'tey is just pure chaos gksdgfhjksjdgh i love them!

and jake being a nosey little interfering shit in both AHHHH he's such an instigator lmaoooo i'm so obsessed

i love my boyfriends

[sonadowkismesis]

Shadow is aplatonic: an argument.

"Friends? I'm only temporarily working with you to achieve a goal. Don't get the wrong idea."

from Puyo Puyo Quest's 25th Anniversary event

@apl-swag-bracket

What is aplatonicism?

Here is a quick definition to catch you up.

The aplatonic spectrum, otherwise known as the aplatonic umbrella, is a group of platonic orientations that fall under the umbrella term of aplatonic. Those on the aplatonic spectrum may lack platonic attraction or feel it so little that they relate more to aplatonic experiences. The common link between those on the aplatonic spectrum is that they do not feel the "standard" amount of platonic attraction or they don't feel it in the "standard" way, that alloplatonic individuals do.

Here is some more reading you can do on the topic.

Resources about aplatonicism are scarce and anyway, this is meant to focus on character analysis first and foremost, so forgive me if I cut this section short. Anyway, I believe I have given enough context, so let's get into the meat of this post.

Is Shadow aplatonic?

As stated outright in the Sonic Ultimate Character Guide, Shadow is a loner who relies on himself first and foremost.

from Sonic Ultimate Character Guide (2016)

He is extremely individualistic and doesn't compromise for the sake of others. He prefers to act alone rather than as a team, believing the latter to be futile, and will even choose violence over cooperation to get his way.

from "Team Sonic Racing Racers!" Interview (2019), IDW Sonic the Hedgehog (issue #09), Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) and Sonic Rivals 2 (2007) respectively

If he teams up with others with cooperation in mind, it's always in the interest of a higher purpose. He'll actively ditch crowds and avoid gatherings once the action is over.

from IDW Sonic the Hedgehog (issue #11 and #31 respectively)

Most of his interactions with the rest of the cast follow this pattern, however there is some nuance to be considered when looking at his dynamic with a select few characters.

Rouge and E123 Omega are two characters Shadow has often been partnered with. Although the word "allies" would be more appropriate to describe their relationship, they're easily the ones Shadow is closest to out of everyone else. In the case of Omega, Shadow even displays bouts of camaraderie, likely due to the fact they share a similar mindset.

from Sonic Heroes (2003)

from Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (2008)

from "Team Sonic Racing Racers!" Interview (2019)

Another notable dynamic that stands out is that between Shadow and Sonic. Shadow's attitude towards him could be much the same as with everyone else if it weren't for their rivalry. Although Shadow is always focused on his goals above all else, Sonic's presence brings out a competitive side that distracts him and pushes him to act recklessly.

from "Team Sonic Racing Racers!" Interview (2019)

from Team Sonic Racing (2019)

Shadow doesn't see Sonic as his friend, but considers him an important part of his life despite himself.

and lastly,

from Sonic Channel's Shadow character bio

Conclusion

Shadow doesn't feel the need for companionship and doesn't seek to bond with others if he doesn't have an ulterior motive. He's a loner and a misanthropic, and would rather work alone to achieve his goals in the most efficient way. Because of his standoffish personality, the few close/intense relationships he has are with people who are "like" him in some way, given the impression of an unconventional connection in a very tangible and grounded manner, and not so much driven by feelings of affection or love. Hence why I think Shadow is aplatonic or is on the aplatonic spectrum... I rest my case.

(I would have liked to give more examples, but the 10 image limit makes this very difficult haha)

Here's where you can read the translated version of the TSR Interview (which I referenced a few times) in its entirety.

Here is Shadow's official character bio.

[lemon-natalia]

Gideon the Ninth Reaction - Chapter 16

hell yeah, they're working as a team properly now!

i don't know why but i feel kinda bad for the dead amalgamate monster, i was starting to get a little attached :(

and another key!! one step closer to opening another locked door, the question is which one ... maybe the mysterious door X-22, but could really be any of the six locked doors Harrow mentioned earlier

ok whatever Harrow was doing seems to have worked the other way around and let Gideon in on her Necromancy-Vision, but from her reaction that doesn't seem like it was meant to happen. perhaps thats what the test was trying to find out, see if the candidates could achieve that level?

Harrow finally giving Gideon a compliment is quite satisfying. these last couple chapters have gone quite a way in making me appreciate Harrow as a character more

I feel like they're in a bit of a false sense of security rn, like somethings gonna attack them

Wait

Nope nope nope nope!!! 😢😢

I knew someone was gonna die sooner or later but why did it have to be Magnus and Abigail!?!! i literally gasped and punched my book when i read that last sentence

i am sobbing, Tamsyn Muir this is not okay to do to a person

y'all just really let me sit here and talk about how much i liked Magnus huh. at least they got one last cute anniversary dinner together, RIP

[sweetcheeksschemmenti]

As Long As You’ll Let Me (part 1)

Melissa Schemmenti x Original Female Character

Warnings: Joe is an ass, implied cheating, no other warnings yet

Summary: Melissa realizes her life is not at all what she expected but can’t find the courage to leave it all behind. That is, until Joe breaks her heart one last time and she finds herself in the arms of someone who truly cares. Through thick and thin Calliope never fails to be there for Melissa, even when Melissa breaks the younger woman’s heart.

tl;dr: Melissa learns how to love and be loved.

Chapter 1: Is There Life Out There

“She married when she was 20

She thought she was ready, now she's not so sure

She thought she'd done some living

But now she's just wonderin' what she's living for

Now she's feeling that there's something more

Is there life out there? So much she hasn't done

Is there life beyond her family and her home?

She's done what she should, should she do what she dares?

She doesn't want to leave, she's just wonderin', is there life out there?”

-Reba McEntire, Is There Life Out There

💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚

Listening to her husband and his buddies cheer as their team scored in the other room, Melissa paused her cooking and stared out the window at the freshly fallen snow. For the last fifteen years, her entire life revolved around Joe and his wants and needs. If he wanted to host a super bowl party, she played the perfect hostess and stayed in the kitchen while everyone else enjoyed the game, occasionally handing the guys a beer. If Melissa was invited to spend an evening with friends she had to decline because Joe needed her to make dinner. Joe this and Joe that. Joe. Joe. Joe.

She couldn’t remember the last time they did something she wanted to do. She tried the think about their travels and dates, but all that came to mind was their many trips to the time share cabin that Joe picked. Her mother repeatedly told her when she was younger that her twenties were the prime time to see the world and experience the wondrous things life has to offer. So, as a teenager, Melissa made a list of places she wanted to see and things to do before she turned thirty. Remembering the list, she rifled through the junk drawer and pulled it out.

Smoothing the now yellowing sheet of paper, she read:

- [ ] Road trip down California’s coast

- [ ] Visit Sicily

- [X] Fall in love

- [X] Graduate college with a teaching degree

- [ ] Get a tattoo

- [ ] Ghost tour in Savannah, GA

- [ ] The Outer Banks, NC

Melissa let out a sigh, she’d achieved two of those things- well, only one if she was honest with herself. She did what she was supposed to do, what she was told her whole life she had to do. She married her high school sweetheart, graduated with a degree, became a teacher just like her mother.

When Melissa married Joe nearly fifteen years ago, he was so in love with her. He bought her flowers every Friday, took her out to fancy restaurants just because, told her she was beautiful and meant it. Somewhere along the line, though, they fell into a dull routine. Joe bought her flowers only for their anniversary and her birthday. Melissa cooked for him almost every night and he did the dishes. Joe kissed her on the cheek before work each morning as she tied his tie. Each action lacked what they both craved, what they once had.

About a year ago they decided they should try to date each other again. They would go to their favorite restaurant on Saturday nights and enjoy a delicious meal that Melissa didn’t have to cook. At first, Melissa thought it was a nice change of pace. Until Joe started skipping out on their dates for weekend business trips to Boston. She found it odd that after eleven years with the company the first out of town trips just so happened to be when they had time together. After the first couple of trips, she noticed a big change in the way he treated her. On their date nights he would barely look at her, would compliment or flirt with any other woman but her. He started making comments about her weight and told her to diet. He became a vile man, someone she no longer knew. Despite these things, Melissa stayed. She was never a fan of change, good or bad, so she sat complacent with her misery and heartbreak.

“Melissa, can you grab us another round,” Joe shouted from the other room, bringing the redhead back to the present. She shook her head and blinked back the tears threatening to fall. She grabbed five ice cold beers from the garage and sat them on the coffee table for the guys. They mumbled their thanks and she went back to the kitchen to see the pot boiling over on the stove.

“Fuck!” Melissa rushed over and turned off the stove, moving the pot to a different burner so she could clean up the chili. Many paper towels and one first degree burn later, the kitchen was back to normal. She took her place staring out the window once more, thinking about what would happen if she did leave. If she did what she wanted for once instead of what she was told.

The following weekend Joe took Melissa out to their favorite restaurant after his boss called and cancelled his trip. When they arrived they asked for their favorite waitress, one Melissa had quietly grown particularly fond of. “Does Callie have an open table for us,” Joe asked the host at the front.

“Absolutely! She always has room for you two. Right this way,” he beamed as he grabbed menus and led them to their usual table in the back corner. Once they were seated he told them he’d send Callie over as soon as he could before he disappeared.

Through the hustle and bustle of the busy kitchen, the host dodged servers with hot plates to get to Calliope. “Cal, your regulars are here! Table 75, all yours.” He started to walk away before she whipped her head around, angry she had been triple sat.

“Ugh, which ones?” She slammed her server book on the counter and began to grab another basket of bread rolls.

“Jessica Rabbit and her troll of a husband.” He ducked to avoid the roll she chucked at his head. Callie absolutely adored the redhead, but her husband was a horrible human being and she simply did not have the patience to put up with his crudeness and the belittling of his wife. She sucked it up though, and grabbed their drinks from the bar before heading their way.

As she approached the table she could already tell it was going to be a rough evening. Joe seemed to already be a little tipsy. She took a deep breath and walked up. “Howdy! Bud light for Joe, and a glass of red for the prettiest lady in Philly.” She placed the respective glasses in front of them as well as the basket of rolls and looked right at Melissa just in time to see the blush creep up onto her cheeks. Her shy smile quickly faded as Joe chimed in.

“I don’t know about all that, now. You give her a pretty good run for her money,” he chuckled as his eyes passed over Calliope’s cleavage and curves, completely unashamed. Callie noticed the hurt in Melissa’s eyes before the woman masked it with a fake smile.

She refused to acknowledge his remark and addressed Melissa instead, “If you ever decide to leave his ass, let me know. I’d treat you right. We having the usual tonight, folks?” She winked at the older woman, ignoring Joe’s glare. Melissa gave a stiff nod and took a large sip from her glass. The couple ate their meals while Joe ranted about work stuff and Melissa nodded along pretending to care. After checking in and refilling their glasses a few times, Cal stopped at the table before she ran to print the check to see if the couple wanted to share a dessert.

“Anything sweet tonight? We just added chocolate cheesecake to the menu, it’s better than the Oreo pie we had a while back.” Calliope smiled at the redhead.

Joe chuckled, “You ain’t on the dessert menu by chance, are ya?” Both women stared blankley at the man. He cleared his throat and said, “No dessert tonight. I’m sweet enough and the missus here needs to drop a few pounds. I’ll go ahead and pay now.” He handed her his card with his shit eating grin.

“I think you’ve got that backwards, Joe, but alright,” Cal scoffed. “I’ll be back in a minute.” She again winked at the older woman before making her way to the computer. Once she returned, Cal said her goodbyes and walked back to the server’s hallway to put in another table’s order and wait for the inevitable visit from Melissa.

It was the same routine almost every Saturday night. Joe would flirt with Callie, Callie would flirt with Melissa. They’d order their usual meals, eat in near silence. Joe would pay the bill and not tip, Melissa would excuse herself to the restroom to find Callie in the server hallway and slip her $20 so he wouldn’t see.

From time to time, Melissa would dine alone while her husband was out of town on business. On those nights, Cal would drop off a brownie sundae at the table and tell her the kitchen made an extra by accident. In reality, she used her employee meal to cover the dessert just to put a smile on the woman’s face. She would do anything to see her smile. Melissa would stay well past close to talk with Callie in the dim lit dinning room once she was cut for the night, often being the very last customer to leave. Conversation after conversation, Melissa revealed more about her relationship with Joe and it broke the server’s heart. Cal met a totally different Melissa when she dined alone. The woman was strong, witty, kind, incredibly smart and outspoken. It made seeing her look so small with Joe even more unbearable. Melissa did not deserve to have her heart broken over and over by the man every day. She deserved to be loved gently, to be treasured.

As she stood at the computer tapping away at the screen, she felt a familiar presence behind her. She turned around to see Melissa holding out a twenty dollar bill with a sad smile. “For you, thank you for being so wonderful as always. And per usual, don’t let Joe find out, please. He’s blowin’ all his pocket money in Boston these days so he’s trying to control my spending now too.” The redhead rolled her eyes and shoved the bill into the server’s hand.

“Thanks, Melissa, I truly appreciate you,” Callie said as she grabbed Melissa’s wrist and pulled her close. Close enough that she could smell her perfume. She whispered so no one else could hear, “I meant what I said. I’d take good care of you. You’re a beautiful woman worth so much more than what you get from Joe.”

Melissa blushed and pulled back slightly to look at the younger woman. “I know, Cal-“

“See, I don’t think you do. Why do you stay with that asshole anyway?” She turned to finish placing the order at the computer.

The redhead furrowed her brow. “I- I don’t really know if I’m bein’ honest. I guess I don’t have a good reason to stay aside from the fact that he’s all I’ve ever known.” Tears formed in the corners of her eyes and she tilted her head back to keep them from falling. Callie stepped forward again and brushed her thumbs under the woman’s eyes to dry them.

“No reason to stay is an awfully good reason to go.” She grabbed a pen from her apron and scrawled her phone number on a napkin, handing it to Melissa. “If you ever need a friend… or more, I’m here.”

They shared a quick hug and Melissa made her way back to the table to grab Joe and head out. Melissa spent the entire drive home pondering what the waitress said. Maybe Calliope was right. Maybe no reason to stay was a pretty good reason to leave.

[hello-nichya-here]

[Context: It's a modern AU, where Zuko enlisted in the army and was called up, but before he goes Azula reveals that she's pregnant, so he leaves her a letter.]

I know you don't like this and you'll probably make quite a scene before I leave, but I had no other choice.

As for our parents... well, "crazy" is an understatement. When they find out I got you pregnant, it'll be like starting a fire in the middle of a dry forest. I think deep down our parents know that as much as they wanted to break us up, it was too late. Now all we can do is laugh at the irony — and try to be better parents than they were.

I couldn't sleep last night, so instead I made a list of potential baby names (!!!). These are just ideas, so feel free to circle the ones you like and cross out the ones you hate.

What do you think our child will be like? I like to imagine that he will have your eyes and my chin. Your smile and my hair. Your creativity and my sense of humor. As long as he doesn't inherit daddy's laugh, I'll be happy. Oh, who am I kidding? I'll be happy no matter what. They could be exactly like you or nothing like any of us and it wouldn't matter. This child will be fed up with how much we will love her.

Oh, wait - last name! What are we going to do with her last name?! So, our... What are they? I never stopped to wonder... Forget I suggested that...

OK! So! NAMES I LIKE!!!!!!!!! (Includes girl names, boy names, gender neutral names, because hey, a good name is a good name. And at some point, she might want to change her name anyway, which is cool too):

Azari – Almost a pun on "Azula", but let's pretend it's original. If she pulls you, I know the fire will be guaranteed.

Rina - Our grandmother's name was Rina. I never met her, much less you (she died when our mother was pregnant with me), but I heard a lot about her. And this would mean a lot to Mom.

Renzo – A boy who taught me how to throw the first punch in a fight. A true playground hero.

Sozin – If we are going to have a complicated heritage, we might as well embrace it from the very beginning. And who knows, maybe he will reinvent the idea of “greatness” one day.

Kai – I admit: I like this name because it sounds light, like wind. It would be nice if he/she had that calm vibe in the middle of the chaos we call family.

Ren – Because "lotus" sounds poetic, and I wanted him/her to have something that referred to new beginnings, since our lives are full of them.

But there is one name in particular that is my favorite. And I also think you'll like it.

Izumi – The name is a tribute to that fountain where we kissed for the first time when we were children. I remember the cold water on our feet, and how strange and sweet it felt at that moment—but somehow it felt more than wrong; It felt right, like the whole world had stopped for a second. If it's a girl, I want our daughter to carry that memory with her, even if she never has to fully understand what it meant: that sometimes, from the most unexpected and complex situations, something beautiful and unforgettable can emerge.

Anyway, that's what I have for now! When our son actually gets here, we'll probably we will have considered all existing names, which I accept without any problems.

I promise to call you every night. I love you.

~ Zuko

[Letter in Azula's school locker]

HAPPY ONE MONTH ANNIVERSARY!!!! I know it's cheesy to celebrate a month of relationship, but in this world? I'd say it's quite an achievement! I love you!!!!!!!!!!

Zuko

I owe you a trip to the waterfall, there you can shout as much as you want! 😈

***

My God, they're so fucking cheesy, I love them

[greatwesternway]

What are some of your favorite pieces of '30s Zephyr-related merchandise?

So in the 30's there wasn't really much in the way of merch as we would think of it today. People weren't enthusiasts about a thing they way they can be now, so there wasn't as much market in the 30's. Most of the Zephyr themed items available were practical items like matches and playing cards you could buy from the dinette.

Here's a matchbook from the Pioneer Zephyr:

Some playing cards from the Twin Zephyrs (I actually have these ones!):

And, in my search for these pictures, I found that Silver Meteor even got to be on the Vista-Dome pack!

Beyond this kind of thing, there really wasn't merch so much as people trying to borrow that Zephyr cache for themselves. People named their businesses for the train and aesthetically, you could imply Zephyrness. In some cases, throwing the word "Zephyr" on was actually more a shorthand way of saying an object was streamline moderne for people who maybe didn't engage with aesthetics in their day to day but did know about that shiny new train. This "Zephyr" teapot is an example of this.

And of course there was some more blatant kinds of stolen valor like this tin lunchbox made to look like a vague approximation of the train.

That said, there are a couple of circa 30's Zephyr things that I think count as merch in the modern sense.

The movie starring the Pioneer Zephyr, The Silver Streak, had a Big Little Book to accompany it (which is good because the movie is kind of hard to follow once the train gets going).

I think the most interesting piece of 30's merch, though, is the Buddy "L" Zephyr ride-on toy.

The original (which sported the accurate silver paint job) was large enough for three small children to scoot about on. Later, they released shorter two- and one-car models in yellow and red respectively. I honestly wish the MSI had one of these.

But I think my favorite 30's merch - and we write this as being Pioneer's favorite as well - are his commemorative letter covers.

For the train's various milestone achievements, people could send a self-addressed stamped envelope to the train and the Railway Post Office would stamp it with commemorative artwork and mail it back to them. I've collected most of them, including the ones the MSI made for his 50th anniversary, although I think there might be a 20th anniversary one that I don't have yet.

Pioneer likes these best because it's very inexpensive and doesn't require the person to actually be on his train, so it was accessible to the most people. It also just feels more personal. It's a little like he actually gets to engage with the post beyond his usual capacity. The people who sent in for his letter covers would have been enthusiasts for him (or for letter covers) in the way that we think of now and he'd have loved getting to send a bit of himself to them for it.

We rather hope he gets to do it again for his 100th anniversary.

[beautiful-basque-country]

@numantinecitizen: Thing is what you described is most of history, only in the last 200 years have we really had the means to end the cycle of violence and oppression (though it continues), but any "great" civilization of ancient times was founded in this way. I do agree though its creeps me out when people glorify Rome or some other empire too much, we must be aware of all the aspects and the human cost to achieve the technology they did. I remember reading about a Dominican professor who works in "the classics" and he is really contraversial and pisses off other people in the field, because A he doesn't thinks the classics should even exist as a separate field of study, its blatant eurocentric propganda that acts like Rome and Greece are founding fathers of all (white) Europeans, which is nonsense, and B as a black Dominican he focused especially on the history of slavery in Rome, and its sickening seeing things like ancient Roman slave collars saying "if lost please return to owner".

Yeah, of course, I'm a aware that history is a string of conquerors and conquered, but I mean, I think in this day and age we should be more conscious. One anon told me about sickening La Entrada in New Mexico, and how for many people it's just a parade and a festive day and how they don't take it too seriously, while it's actually hurtful for native people. I can see how many of these parades started as victory anniversaries that also served as a reminder of who was in charge for the conquered; as time went by they evolved to something like a party day for many, but still for some descendants of those conquered it's still as hurtful as it was for their ancestors.

That professor is totally right, btw, I'd love to read some of his essays on the matter.

And regarding the Roman celebrations, maybe I'm reading too much into them, but I feel there's also a really big racist ingredient there. I mean, there aren't celebrations of how the Muslims beat the Wisigoths' asses, or recreation of battles that Christians lost. However, we have recreations - and celebrations! - of the Carthaginians or Cantabrians losing to Rome 💁‍♀️.

There's still many people that say that Spaniards and Italians are half brothers because they all come from the Romans, as if 1) there was only one color and culture in the Roman empire and 2) nobody else had come and mixed with Iberian people since Rome fell.

I can understand that Italian and Spanish are very similar and there's a closer culture between the two than with, let's say, Morocco. But there's also this racist undertone there like, call me descendant of Romans or Wisigoths, but don't call me descendant of Moors. I don't know if I make sense.

[sapherin]

Today marks the two year anniversary of me endlessly stanning Eusine and Morty by complete accident of me googling “Ecruteak City”. Thank you sacredshipping for being the best thing to happen to my artistic career.

⭐️🤍💛🧡❤️ 🩷 🎈💚💙💜🤎🖤⭐️

You clicked on this and now you will be subjected to my backstory and feelings with this ship. (If you asked why I like this ship elsewhere there’s barely anything new here sorry lol)

When this couple had its heyday on Bulbagarden forums ~12 years ago I absolutely did not care for them. I didn't get the appeal whatsoever, I thought they were both own'd losers who were just friends and nothing more. I did think they had some cool fanart but that was it. Silver in any iteration was my favorite Johto character at the time and I was all into Silver/Lyra or Ethan or PreciousMetalshipping, the last ship being my goto ship to make my whole personality at the time. Nothing about them really "clicked" to me until I started watching HGSS longplays for PleinAirpril references back in 2021. Somehow just the mere image of seeing them together in the Burned Tower and thinking about Eusine and Morty for more than 5 seconds was enough to make go "oh shit they're gay." And lo and behold I'm stuck here 2 years later stanning this damn ship. I mean that last sentence in the most cheeky way possible since it's obvious at this point that MinaMatsu/Sacredshipping makes me so happy and I want to draw them forever. I got to do so many fun new things with my art and meet so many kind people because of my crazy dedication to them...I owe a lot to them.

I guess what really makes MinaMatsu work for me is the fact they're essentially the same character. They both start out confident in achieving their goals, get their egos put in check by the player (Eusine just refuses to lose right away) and ultimately fail to obtain their goal. Obviously what makes them fun is their opposing personalities. Morty takes a more passive, introverted approach to meeting Ho-oh with his secret training believing he can become the person that is worthy of it. One day he'll become the strongest and coolest Ghost-type trainer to have ever live and Ho-oh will go "wow he's so cool" and swoop down from the heavens before him. Meanwhile Eusine decides he's already worthy of Suicune, will show the entirety of Johto and Kanto his fixation of it, and will chase it down and give it no choice but to chose him. No one else had his undying dedication to track down Suicune, did they? No need to train like Morty does, Eusine got all of the worthiness in the world. They have clashing personalities and yet they're still good friends which is so sweet. It's just so heartwarming to see men with similar goals and different perspectives on how to obtain that goal just get along and enjoy each other's company. Perfect harmonious duality. I'm not going to go too much into how I see others interpret them but when I see people headcanon them as rivals or them secretly not liking each other (groan) because of how they behave I'm just like...why. If you want a rival-to-lovers m/m relationship in pokemon, Reguri and Raihan x Leon is Right There. That's a whole new ship. Morty never says anything demeaning about Eusine’s endeavors or Eusine himself in his in-game calls to the player. (No, Morty saying he doesn't care for Suicune that much unlike Eusine doesn't count.) Morty literally leaves his place of work to be with Eusine in the Burned Tower. Clair has definitely yelled at him for that. That's not "he secretly hates Eusine" behavior y'all but I actually played the games so idk.

Ok ok back on topic now that I pissed off somebody out there. I just love how they're both mystical freaks. Morty having this supernatural connection to Ghost-type Pokemon and his strange abilities to foresee possible futures and communicating to ghosts just makes him an easy character for me to fall in love with. Weirdo probably hangs out more without dead people than living ones. Eusine being...Like That and his bottomless desire to research every aspect of Ecruteak City's past and be Suicune's friend is also fun to watch. Suicune please say Eusine is cool its what Granddaddy Eusine would want. Masters EX does confirm that Morty once lived in a sheltered world and didn't have many friends - must be hard when you're the freak of the week - so it's possible that Eusine is the person he's closest to. And why wouldn't he be? They both otherworldly guys that chased a lifelong dream and failed, but at the end of it all they still have each other. It's a nice touch that the HGSS credits have them walking together chasing (presumably) another Suicune...they'll probably never give up on anything as long as they have each other. Their dreams will never turn into nightmares when they're together.

Like a perfect couple they complete each other...if they melted and fused together they'll be the gayest most powerful mystical freak that both Ho-oh and Suicune would have to recognize as worthy. I don't know where that thought came from but I'm keeping it. They're puzzle pieces I guess is what I'm getting at. I could go into how cute they are in Pokespe, the gay anime episode, and how Masters EX basically confirmed Morty idolized Eusine more than anybody (I think I rather wait until Eusine get implemented before I dive into that), and how Fall Morty is the both the worst and best possible thing to ever happen to me since his design alone immortalized my MinaMatsu mania but I'm keeping this babble as short as possible and ending it here.

I just want a give a big thank you those who drew this ship for me whether it be gift art, art trades or commissions...I want to make a silly little booklet or some type of showcase page with all the art you lot have given me. I haven't set my mind on anything just yet. I cherish everything here so much.

Counterclockwise from Top Left to Bottom Right - @/nitunio, @/ghoasttoasties, @/lalalettie on Twitter, @/plushiesnextdoor on IG, and @/northernmei on IG Uhhhh I should leave you with a little something for reading all of that junk…here’s a little preview of what I got in the works 

Ok that’s it bye I should log out

[demonsonthemoon]

Keep Me Safe

Fandom: Les Misérables Pairing: N/A, mention of platonic Jehan/Grantaire Word Count: 3074 Rating: Gen Summary: It's Valentine's day, and Grantaire sits alone in his kitchen with a flatmate who won't leave his bedroom. But maybe he doesn't have to stay alone. Notes: Oh boy. Forgive me if this note gets a bit emotional, but it's hard not to feel anything when this fic celebrate the TENTH anniversary of me meeting the amazing @anastasiapullingteeth. Two arospec people meeting each other on Valentine's day through a Jetaire fanfic, and then staying friends for ten years after that... how freaking awesome is this? Thank you Caro for still being in my life after all this time. The moments we share are always precious to me. Thanks to you, I always look forward to February 14th, and that is no small achievement. Love you, duckling! Title from "Ibuprofen” by Bears in Trees. The song was a big inspiration for the fic and it means a lot to me, so I really recommend you listen to it!

Read it on AO3

“Dinner's ready,” Grantaire calls out across the flat. The cheese on top of the lasagna looks slightly golden and the smell of garlic bread permeates the kitchen. Grantaire is sweating from the heat of the oven, as well as from the cooking and the dishes he just did.

The table is set for two, and he hopes...

He hasn't made a point of the date. Neither of them are really into the idea of celebrating Valentine's day. Considering they're non-monogamous, that Jehan is aromantic and that they've both listened to one too many anticapitalist rants by Enjolras, the holiday doesn't hold much appeal.

But Grantaire had time on his hands today, so he cooked a nice dinner from scratch and-

“I'm busy right now, I'll eat later.” Jehan's voice carries through the closed door of his bedroom.

Grantaire sighs, tells himself he's not disappointed. He would have been happier if Jehan had joined him, but this is the outcome he expected. His thoughts don't sound very convincing even to him as he puts the bottle of red wine he bought in the cupboard under the sink. He's not going to drink a bottle of wine by himself. Not tonight. That would only make things worse.

Would be a waste to, considering how expensive the thing was. That's what he gets for falling into the trap of Valentine's day marketing.

He's barely seen Jehan for the past two days, but this isn't exactly a surprise. Grantaire isn't worried about that. He's worried about his friend's behavior the weeks before that, the ever-present melancholy, the repeated absences at friendly gatherings, the aggressive defensiveness whenever this was pointed out.

Grantaire eats the lasagna in silence, scrolling through his phone all the while. He doesn't touch the garlic bread, leaves it in the turned off oven to hopefully stay warm.

His fingers hover over the Grindr app. He wants to get out of his head. Jehan's bad mood is starting to feel like a miasma, clinging to Grantaire's edges and slowly corroding his own will. He feels tired these days. Mean. He knows that the more he tries to keep his words soft and sweet for Jehan, the more they come out biting in front of other people. This isn't what Grantaire wants. It's not who he wants to be. It's not what he wants for Jehan either, but he's running out of ways to try and help. Surely he's not the only sad fuck out there who's lonely on February 14th and desperate for something else?

He locks his phone again.

Yeah, he's lonely and slowly reaching the point of touch starvation, but he's not in the right mindset for a casual hookup. Because he doesn't want to fuck some nameless person. He wants to feel close to Jehan.

It's not unusual for them to not have sex with each other for several weeks. But they haven't shared any kind of physical intimacy in at least ten days and it's starting to get to Grantaire.

The thing is... while he enjoys being held through his breakdown, feels anchored by having arms around him even if his head is too loud to do anything but sit in silence, he knows that's not the same for Jehan. Grantaire doesn't want his friend to snap at him like he did last week. He doesn't want to push himself onto him, doesn't want Jehan to accept his affections just to get him off his back.

Jehan wouldn't do that. He wouldn't manipulate Grantaire like that, wouldn't play with his feelings. Jehan has always been clear about his wants and needs, he's never led Grantaire on. He's nice.

But wouldn't it be the nice thing to do, to go along with Grantaire's own desires? Wouldn't it be easier for everyone?

Jehan probably wouldn't do that, but can Grantaire be sure? Considering that his roommate is currently locking himself up in his room and not talking to him, can he be certain that he hasn't been making Jehan feel uncomfortable all this time, that the other man hasn't just finally reached his limit and is just too scared to admit it to Grantaire? Too nice to hurt him in turn?

Grantaire breathes. In and out. He's spiralling.

He gets up and washes his plate. He covers the dish of lasagna and puts it in the fridge. He keeps the garlic bread in the oven still, even opens the door a little. He's hoping the smell will be enough to lure Jehan out at some point in the evening at least.

Grantaire can feel his muscles tensing. He regrets having done the other dishes earlier, because now there's too much restless energy in his body and he doesn't have a physical task to do to let it out. He wants to hit something. That would relieve the pressure in his brain for a little while.

He breathes in and out.

Picks up his phone again and opens the Signal app. He could text Bahorel, see what the girl is up to. She's usually down to hit the gym even at times when their boxing club is closed. Weights and cardio aren't the same as a good friendly match, but it would be better than nothing. Bahorel is good at not asking questions.

But what if Grantaire wants someone to ask questions?

Jehan hadn't been to the last ABC meeting, nor to the night out that Joly and Bossuet had set up as an excuse to flirt with the barmaid of their favorite queer bar. Both times, Grantaire had left early, worried about his roommate. He'd come back to a silent flat and a closed door, which hadn't been more reassuring than if he had stayed out. And then he had muted the group chat in which people were sharing photos of their night out.

Maybe what he needs isn't an anonymous fuck or a work out, but something else altogether.

Maybe what he needs is to not stay alone with his fear and his lasagna.

Instead of tapping on Bahorel's contact, he opens a group chat nicknamed The High Council. It's Valentine's Day, so he knows that Enjolras isn't busy tonight. Courfeyrac and Combeferre might be – it's difficult to keep track of Courfeyrac's relationship status, and Combeferre has been making eyes at Eponine for long enough that Grantaire wouldn't be surprised if there was something going on between them that they were keeping on the down low. Still, it's worth a shot.

Got lasagna and garlic bread to exchange for company and emotional support. Deal of the century if I'm honest. Anyone wants in?

He doesn't send the message right away.

Because the truth is... He would hate it, if it was him. If he was in Jehan's place. He would hate for someone else to invite people into his space. Would hate to be looked at with pity, with sympathy. He would hate for his vulnerabilities to be exposed to others.

He would hate to be a burden to his friends.

He does hate it. He fucking hates asking for help.

But that also means that Jehan would hate the way Grantaire feels right now. He would hate to be the cause of such helplessness.

So Grantaire pushes through his instincts and hits send.

Sometimes what you want and what you need aren't the same thing. Isolating yourself to deal with your issues isn't always the kindest thing you can do.

Grantaire repeats these thoughts over and over in his mind, hoping he can force himself to believe them.

He drops his phone beside him so he doesn't stare at the text conversation. He's not sure he can fight against the urge to delete the message before anyone has a chance to see it.

He stares at the ceiling instead. It's only marginally better than staring at a screen.

Grantaire can hear soft music coming from Jehan's bedroom, but there's no movement to accompany it. Maybe Jehan is also staring at the ceiling.

Grantaire wants a glass of wine.

Grantaire wants to find a hookup who will share a joint with him before letting him fuck them and who won't ask any personal question and he wants to slam the door on his way out to make a point to Jehan.

He wants to turn the oven back on with the garlic bread still inside. Maybe then it would smell bad enough for Jehan to come out and check what's going on.

Fuck. Being a good person is exhausting.

His phone vibrates with a notification. He doesn't open it right away. Better not hope too much, lest you be disappointed. It could be anything. Maybe someone messaged him on Grindr.

He closes his eyes after a few seconds. Hard. Just enough that it hurts a little, that he can see phosphenes.

Then he checks his messages.

👼 and I are on our way, keep the lasagna warm and cheesy 👌

The text is from Courfeyrac, and a few seconds later a new bubble appears with Enjolras' name.

We've already had dinner.

Followed by another message from Courfeyrac: I said what I said.

He should feel relief but is instead filled with dread. This has to be a fucking mistake. He's just proven to his friends that he's a deadweight. Not even capable of helping his closest friend. Not capable of helping himself.

What if Jehan hates him for this? For meddling? It's not any of his fucking business, what Jehan does in his bedroom when he doesn't want company. It's not Grantaire's business if he decides not to eat.

It certainly shouldn't concern Courfeyrac and Enjolras.

Grantaire sends a thumbs up anyway.

He puts the lasagna back in the oven, turns it on on a low setting.

He knocks on Jehan's bedroom.

“Enjolras and Courfeyrac are coming over,” he says. He doesn't ask if Jehan is going to join them. Hope not and you won't be disappointed.

He doesn't get any answer.

Grantaire has opened the bottle of wine by the time Courfeyrac and Enjolras arrive. He's poured himself half a glass, and taken out two others to fill.

The table is still set for Jehan. He can just pretend that the plate is for Courfeyrac instead.

His friends know to text him instead of ringing the unsettlingly loud doorbell. Grantaire wishes they'd forgotten, because it might have woken up Jehan. The man probably isn't asleep, but still. It's not that Grantaire wants him to hurt. He just has an easier time dealing with Jehan's anger than with his silence. Anger gives him something to chew on, something to eventually act upon. Right now he has nothing.

He walks down the four flights of stairs to open the door.

“Happy Valentine's Day!” Courfeyrac exclaims as soon as the door opens. He drags Grantaire into a hug and lays a huge smack on his cheek. Enjolras rolls eir eyes at the scene.

Grantaire feels a smile tug at his lips. It's partly just a reflex, the urge to pretend, to always act like everything is fine. But there's also some genuine amusement in it, some contentment from his friend's easy affection, from the warmth in Enjolras' gaze even as ey holds emself at more of a distance.

“I would have brought some chocolate but the only one we had at the flat was Combeferre's fancy not-so-secret stash, and Enjolras refused to stop at a night shop.”

“You would have paid a prohibitive amount of money for sub-par chocolate for the sole purpose of feeding the so-called 'holiday spirit' that only serves to drive more capitalist consumption as well as reinforcing norms around monogamy and amatonormativity.”

“Yes, I would have,” Courfeyrac responds with an easy smirk, unbothered by the well-rehearsed rant. “And it would have been fun! Besides, am I really reinforcing those norms if I'm buying chocolate to cheer up my polya and arospec friends?”

Enjolras frowns at that, and Grantaire ushers the both of them inside before they start a debate in his staircase.

“Oh, it smells amazing in here,” says Courfeyrac as he immediately moves towards the kitchen.

“I put the lasagna back in the oven to warm up, you can check if it's ready. And there's garlic bread over there.” Grantaire points to the counter where the bread lies, covered in a clean kitchen towel.

“Well, don't mind me, I'll make myself right at home,” Courfeyrac responds. And he does just that, opening the oven and quickly touching the top of the lasagna to check its warmth.

It leaves Grantaire staring at Enjolras and looking for something to say.

“Want some wine?” he finally asks, before pouring two glasses at Enjolras' nod.

They both sit down at the table, while Courfeyrac lounges against the counter, nibbling on a piece of garlic bread.

Grantaire takes a sip of his own drink.

“So, is something wrong?” Enjolras asks before ey even tries the wine. Rude. This is actually a good bottle. Grantaire put thought into all of this.

He has another sip. Enjolras just stares at him.

Grantaire sighs. “Jehan isn't eating. I've barely seen him for the past two days, really. I'm worried. I don't know what to do.”

“Bread was for him, right?” Courfeyrac chimes in with his mouth still half full.

Grantaire nods.

“His favorite. You're a romantic, 'R.”

Grantaire rolls his eyes. “Yeah, well. Thought the smell might draw him out. It obviously didn't work.”

Courfeyrac shrugs. “It drew us in, though.”

Grantaire raises his eyebrows at him, but his friend doesn't elaborate, instead poking some more at the lasagna that's still in the oven.

“I noticed that Jehan wasn't at the last ABC meeting.” Enjolras says, finally sipping on eir wine. “But it's not exactly unusual for either of you to skip attendance from time to time.”

“I really don't feel up for a lecture about dedication to the cause, Enj'” replies Grantaire.

Enjolras tuts. “I'm not lecturing you. I'm just saying... this isn't unusual. Jehan gets like this sometimes. He always comes back to himself.”

Grantaire looks up at the ceiling. There might be tears pressing at the corner of his eyes, but no one will be able to prove that. The thing is... The thing is, you only need one time of someone not coming back for the world to change forever. The thing is, Grantaire knows how steep that edge is, he's walked it often enough himself. The thing is, Jehan's depression is often quieter than Grantaire's, but he suspects that the silence only serves to hide the depths of it.

“I'm just scared,” Grantaire finally admits, looking back down at his friends once he is certain that the tears will not fall. “I don't want to fail him.”

“Oh, 'R...”

Courfeyrac walks around the table in order to hug him from behind, the back of the chair probably digging into his stomach uncomfortably. It doesn't stop the embrace from being tight and warm.

“What if we hadn't been able to come tonight,” Enjolras asks in a soft tone. “Would you have thought we'd failed you?”

“What? No. You have the right to be busy. It's not your job to-”

“Just like it isn't yours to take care of Jehan.”

Grantaire feels Courfeyrac nod from where he's still holding him.

“Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that you can be here for him. Just like we're happy to be here for you. And the two are close in a way you aren't with most other people, living together and... such.”

Grantaire can't help but raise an eyebrow at that. Enjolras blushes. It's fucking adorable.

“But you're not responsible for one another even when you rely on each other. Does that make sense?”

“I guess,” Grantaire reponds, rubbing his fingers against the various permanent stains that dot their kitchen table.

“I'm glad you texted us,” Courfeyrac adds from his unrelenting hug. Not that Grantaire is fighting a lot to get out of it. It's nice to be touched. “We want to be here for you, you know? For you both. But it's hard to show up when the things you're fighting are happening in your own heads. Hard to be there for Jehan when he won't let us in.”

Grantaire nods somberly. “Won't even open his door.”

“But you did let us in. So we're here. And it won't solve everything but maybe it doesn't have to, right?”

He finally lets go at that, not even looking back as he walks back towards the oven and pulls out the lasagna.

“Now who wants a piece of this delicious-looking bad boy?”

Courfeyrac eats a huge portion of lasagna, along with some more bread. Grantaire and Enjolras share a small plate between them, almost shyly. Grantaire is almost vibrating at the idea of fighting over who gets the last bite. It's extremely lame.

They chat through the bottle of wine, Grantaire's friends keeping him up to date on all of the gossip he missed, including the fact that Combeferre and Eponine actually do have a date together today and, well, good for them.

It's almost midnight when they all hear Jehan's bedroom door open. There is the slightest pause in the conversation before Courfeyrac keeps describing the extravagant floral arrangement that Joly and Bossuet brought to their favorite barmaid. Nobody wants to acknowledge that they've noticed the noise, in case it makes Jehan retreat again.

But no, the sound of bare feet on the linoleum is faint, but it's coming in their direction.

Jehan is dressed in his pyjamas, his short bob of red hair hanging messily about his face. Grantaire can't help but look for red-rimmed eyes or the bags that indicate sleeplessness. He can't make out anything by the light of their old and shitty halogen lamps.

“Did you leave any lasagna for me? 'the least you could do after making such a ruckus that it's impossible to sleep in here.”

Jehan's smile looks tired, but it's a smile anyway. Grantaire doesn't waste a second before getting up and putting a plate of lasagna in the microwave. He puts the garlic bread in the oven for good measure. It won't be properly warm, but that's no big deal.

It will still make the flat smell like home.

[kitkatt0430]

Spike for character ask game

one aspect about them i love

He's really such a disaster. For every badass thing he achieves, he also just completely screws something up. Kills Slayers, but also gets smacked with an axe by a Slayer's mom and it messes up his day. Makes dramatic speeches and gets immediately captured by the Initiative. Tries to kill Buffy, falls in love with her instead. Makes these impressive plans, gets bored halfway through the execution.

He would absolutely, unintentionally, re-enact Scotty claiming to know the Enterprise like the back of his hand and then immediately knocking himself unconscious from lack of spacial awareness from Star Trek. Just smack his head right into something - probably in the sewers - right after claiming to know the terrain well. That's just Spike's vibe sometimes. :D

one aspect i wish more people understood about them

Spike doesn't actually like himself much. He talks a good game, but even before he got his soul he saw himself as lovable because Dru loved him and when she cheated on him and broke up with him he spiraled because... if Drusilla didn't love him then who would?

Spike wanted someone who would love him when he was vulnerable as well as strong, who could love the poet, not just the monster. Who'd see something worthwhile in him even when he struggled to see it himself.

So if Spike isn't struggling with his feelings of self worth - soul or no soul - then is it really Spike?

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have about this character

He still writes his poetry. After what happened with Cecily, he's always been very careful to make sure no one - not even Drusilla - found it. Though clearly Angelous/Angel did at some point, given that Angel said he liked it. Darla and Drusilla never saw any of it.

one character i love seeing them interact with

Joyce. I think to some degree Spike saw some of his own mother in her. But also he just respected her a great deal. Quite the lady who would go after a vampire with an ax and no training. But would still give him relationship advice along with hot cocoa and marshmallows to cheer him up.

They both needed an adult friend with common interests and found that in each other.

one character i wish they would interact with/interact with more

Darla. I don't think we ever saw Spike with Darla outside of flashbacks and it would have been interesting if Darla had gone to Spike for help when she'd realized she was pregnant. I don't think Darla liked Spike much on a personal level, but she saw how he was with Drusilla. I could see her wanting to put that kind of protective focus onto her own child, especially as she came to realize that she wouldn't survive giving birth and was afraid of seeking out Angel for help.

Future fanfic idea? Maybe. :D

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have that involve them and one other character

The first anniversary of Joyce's death after Sunnydale became a sinkhole, Spike went back to the edge of what remained of the town to leave flowers and pay his respects.

[aseriesofunfortunatejan]

re: Shinguuji's swimsuit design. Unfortunately, I don't think I can find out much more about the meaning of the blue roses without having played Danganronpa S, which I still have no intention of doing. For all I know, it could tie into whatever narration there is, or there could be some link between what colours were used for which characters.

(It just crossed my mind that the designs may have been colour-coordinated for each game, like the 10th Anniversary sprite edits were, but it doesn't appear to be the case at all. On the list of things that Could Have Been Cool.)

The main and possibly only reference we have that I'm aware of is the common meaning of both blue flowers and blue roses, also depicted in Japan, of "achievement of the impossible". It could be a conscious choice to make Shinguuji wear an artificial flower. Something to do with humanity's achievements? Or with effectively bringing his sister back from the dead? Those would be the most obvious readings.

What I find the most striking about it is the complete shift in palette from his official illustration and main design. Roses are present in his main illustration, but specifically red. Not only do we have a good ole case of warm colour VS cold colour - and the perceived opposition between red and blue - I strongly remember a certain friend in highschool being mocked by a teacher for saying blue is opposite to orange and not to red, despite having been completely correct, but I digress - but I would also take into consideration how much more common red roses are, both in general and in design. This is why I find the choice of blue roses to be striking (looks at myself in the mirror, feeling empty. none of this matters. (continues anyway)); as the character designer in the midst of drawing a cool roses design for a character who has already been associated to red roses, it would be easy to default to red on your first draft.

Either way, looking at his official illustration next to his swimsuit sprites, I find the change in palette very striking.

As I've noted before, the khaki green from his regular design is also completely absent from his swimsuit design. That is, however, not unusual when compared to other characters: from the top of my head, Akamatsu's swimsuit is light blue, which is absent from her usual design, Saihara's swimsuit sports colour, which is extremely unusual... Iruma's swimsuit design also departed from her original palette, you get the idea. Just that his palette was changed is not that noteworthy, and it's very likely that there's nothing to it. I just find that the choice of a sleeve with such a pattern showcases a lot more detail than was put in other swimsuit designs, which piqued my interest, and makes me wonder if it happened to be deliberate... or someone just thought it'd be pretty.

I think it was in my previous post about this that I mentioned having just then decided on a headcanon that the cooler blue/purple palette represents Korekiyo while the khaki and red palette represents his sister. This is something I have no "proof" of, aside from blue+purple being used in two designs for Korekiyo, but an idea I like. I wish it were (more of?) a thing.

One element I'm missing is whether Korekiyo's sister appears at all in Danganronpa S. Just looking at his sprites for the game gives me the impression that she doesn't (if not for removing the mask, she is usually represented by make-up and... tiddies) but those are the same sprites that show him grabbing a non-existent cap, so I don't know that they're a good reference for anything.

Due to my negative impression of DRS, it's probably not even worth putting too much thought into, in respect to my headcanon mostly. I still fully appreciate this design choice, which like I said, stands out for being so detailed. It's pretty and I appreciate the prettiness of my pretty boy faves being respected.