GE is to blame for your elders warning you not to sit too close to the TV. In 1967, they manufactured a color TV which emitted excessive radiation due to a “factory error”. GE fixed the problem going forward by putting a leaded glass shield around the tubes. – WTF Fun Facts
Hey there! For the non rom ask meme, I'd love to hear more about your 10048 hcs if you want to share. How about 3,5,6&14?
hello! oooo i love talking about 10048.. guilty pleasure electric couple! seagull and guard dog! (under read more because there's a lot of text!)
link to the ask game
1. In what ways are they good and bad for each other?
starting with the good:
they are on the opposite ends of the neurodivergent spectrum but there might be a common ground they both can touch on. spanner is the passive but perceptive type, byakuran goes into mania territory.
they both like sweet things. spanner prefers strawberry flavor and byakuran likes plain vanilla marshmallows. a classic flavor combo!
byakuran is willing to provide if you meet his standards. spanner is talented and doesn't ask for much. from a business perspective, it's also a good match!
there's attraction and genuine interest from byakuran's side- "what's so wonderful about this person, who has managed to catch and keep sho-chan's attention?" i feel like he considers all of shoichi's family and friends as his proxy-property….
byakuran is very used to people who worship him. spanner may be a bit of a simp (especially towards shoichi) but he also sees so much more… and expresses it bluntly. i don't think he particularly likes byakuran in the beginning. that might catch byakuran off guard in a good way. refreshing.
spanner is a curious person. he thought tsuna's abilities were interesting, so im sure he'd find byakuran's wings and healing powers pretty cool… they can play doctor in some dingy basement as a bonding experience.
and the bad:
spanner, while stubborn, has vulnerabilities that make him easy to exploit (homeless, no support network, eagerness to be 'useful', tendency to idolize others, easily distracted by his interests). byakuran is like a bloodhound when it comes to people's weaknesses. he would absolutely sink his teeth into that.
overlap with feelings regarding shoichi. i know we're talking about 10048 but shoichi still plays a key part in their dynamic. he's the person who linked them together. are they together because of him, or is one of them sticking around just to get closer to him? things like that..
unpredictability and trust issues from both sides. spanner is the neutral type and will always ultimately follow his own interests. byakuran wants 100% of everything and no compromises. danger zone...
spanner needs routine and lots of quiet time. byakuran needs constant stimulation and chaos. irritation WILL be inevitable.
5. Is the relationship living up to their initial expectations?
it starts out really weird and spanner especially would feel super uncomfortable. there's a long denial & chase phase. later though... it might get so good it scares them both. vulnerability is like poison to byakuran, and spanner feels like he's doing something unforgivable. he is definitely pent up in a lot of ways. they're sexually compatible, and once they get to it, they'll be unraveling tons of frustration.
6. What made them become a couple? What keeps them together?
depends on the timeline! (picked two for closer inspection!)
TYE:
they end up hanging out while shoichi is at school. i believe spanner is the type that skips higher education (academic world is a hellscape for many autistic folks, and spanner just doesn't seem like the type who'd mix well with homework deadlines and group work. he's brilliant, but needs to do thing his way).
byakuran is…?? what does he even do. no way he goes to school in this timeline. i just assume he lives on that prison island and is sometimes hired for his healing abilities. we don't even know how old he is. IN ANY CASE. TYE 10048 has the highest success rate. somewhat peaceful setting, shared interest (the IBS ginger), and a lot of free time. spanner will become one of the dogs they put with cheetahs to keep them from going crazy in captivity, and byakuran is finally experiencing some proper intimacy for once in his many lives.
TYL (post canon. i saw your tags on one of my drawings! so here's some mini-lore!):
future timeline where byakuran survives the X-burner. with his remaining flames he was able to keep himself alive and heal to a certain point (= why we draw him with patches of uninjured skin). he was kept in a coma in an underground facility. as dangerous and untrustworthy as he is, even with the flame suppressing devices, he still holds tons of information that is immeasurably valuable. he's later moved to shoichi's house to recover, where he gets to live as a part-time test subject and full-time nuisance. many complex feelings are present: shoichi has to face the consequences of his own actions and see his ex-best friend now in a horrible state, and spanner needs to care for and share the house with the guy who got between him and shoichi. byakuran of course protests against shoichi, so spanner has to do most of the nurse work. they'll bond slowly, through awkward but intimate moments and pure animalistic rage towards one another (or the third person involved). spanner, however, has a good heart.. eventually he'll start feeling uncomfortable about the tests that they're ordered to perform on Byakuran. the delicious realization of "im not ready to forgive you, but you don't deserve to be treated this badly". byakuran at this point has little to no will to live, as he has to tolerate this New Game + round. but even so, a confusing love begins to bloom…
14. What's an opinion they'll never agree on? How do they deal with that?
this one's hard.. hmm. maybe something related to the ways they view / experience humanity.
spanner has definitely lived a lonely life, but still understands and accepts the comfort of human companionship.
byakuran, on the other hand, is a denier of the Human Experience. he's always surrounded by people, but hasn't let anyone in after shoichi (you know, that's why shoichi's betrayal got under his skin. he was clearly pissed in his own way. the only person he ever felt something with turned against him... territorial aliens do not like that). it's important to remember that byakuran doesn't hate humans, he has just had enough of feeling like an outsider and ended up going bonkers about it.
how do they deal with this issue? um… (not so) gentle persuasion. either emotional manipulation or physical activities. spanner will continue to be himself. probably believes that if he cooks well enough or distracts byakuran with his down-to-earth statements, he'll calm down. will it work? who knows! but it will be entertaining to observe.
