rich in life because no matter how many love/crush dramas we had, no matter the distance (different cities and countries), and no matter the different stages of life (some married, some with children, some single, some in a relationship), I still get messages such as "let's save up some money and buy a house here so we can all live together" in the group chat from uni š„¹š„¹ā¤ļøā¤ļø
The soft spoken man that doesn't feel like he's a Devil. That's what you could think of Diavolo when you first met him. His voice is too soft, too gentle. Manly, but not dangerous. Deep, but never trying to intimidate you. That made him look too pleasant. Too nice and kind. Too friendly. It sounds so gentle you won't be able to say āhe's Devildom royaltyā.
He talks without self-aggrandizement. Without showing that there's a gap between you two.
When you look at him, you see it. Pure demon. Great body covered in ornaments. Gold and crystals. Muscle flowing under dark skin. Piercing Golden eyes that stare straight into your soul. Striking red hair, like a flame. Giant horns growing out of them, like two spears coming out of fire. Four wings on his back, opening like a dragon, showing his territory. Casting shadow on your face.
Teached to spread them out, showing dominance as a prince.
When you hear him, you hear a gentle man. Because he doesn't want to be feared. He doesn't want to rule with dominance and fear.
When you see him, you understand why that giant decided to be kind.
Because you can't push the demon royal genes. You can't make him look not intimidating.
He decided to be cheerful and joyful. Because that's what's making him favorable to others. So they hear him, not their ruler. They look up to him, but never with fear.
The contrast between his looks, and voice that wants to tell you āI'm your friend. Don't be scared of me.ā
Yet, that mask can fade when you don't choose your words well.
A/N: oh my... I made Diavolo's liners today before posting this and holy, I love that in dark theme.
So shook that I recognized them! That's Khadija Mbowe, a brilliant video essayist on youtube. Here's a link to their channel. They're brilliant and compassionate. Go check them out!
- I keep thinking weāre lost ...
- And I keep telling you we are not! - said Atsumu, irritated.
- Sure. ā y/n sighed.
Y/n and Atsumu were walking in what seemed to be a circle for the last 45 minutes. The couple went out to explore the city he had a volleyball match in. They thought it would be a good idea to take a short stroll and see the new sights after Atsumu was done with practice. But as fate would have it, they had gotten lost. Y/n was pretty sure they had went past this shopping store at least twice already. She could swear she had already seen those outfits on the mannequins.
The fake blonde was huffing and puffing next to her, looking at the street signs, refusing to check the map on his phone.
āItāll be more romantic to be just us and no phones!ā - he said.
And it was at first! Using the phones only as cameras to take pictures of each other or the things they saw. But it was starting to get ridiculous now.
- Why donāt we sit down and refresh ourselves and we can continue afterwards?
- ā¦ Okay. ā he said, slightly defeated.
They sat at a local cafe, small enough to be considered cozy but large enough to have quite the number of customers. They ordered some snacks to go with their drinks and found a table at the back of the place. The silence continued for 2-3 minutes only for Atsumu to sigh and whine.
- We were not lost! I know which way we have to go! ā he slouched on the chair.
- Tsumu ā¦ we were walking in circles around this part of the street for quite a while.
- Meian-san said we have to take the left on that street! Then we walk for a few minutes and take the right when we see the ice cream parlor.
- Could we have missed a street? Itās a fairly busy section of this city and there are plenty of ice cream parlors around.
Atsumu pulled out a piece of paper with instructions written by Meian. The captain also drew a small map to go with his explanations. Y/nās boyfriend was looking at the paper in annoyance, turning it a few ways. A waitress came to take their plate when she noticed their mood.
- Is everything alright? - she asked.
- Yeah, we just got lost. - y/n replied.
- Weāre not lost-lost! Only a bit confused!
- Okay ā y/n sighed. ā Weāre only a bit lost.
- Hey!
The waitress giggled.
- Can I help you somehow?
- Weāre looking for the flower park. We were told itās beautiful this time of the year. - y/n answered.
- Oh, I know where it is! When you go outside, you need to turn left after the sports shopping store at the corner and then when you see an ice cream parlor ran by 2 teenagers, you turn right and youāll see the park in a few minutes.
- Thank you!
- Thank you! ā Atsumu said, pouting.
- Youāre welcome!
After finishing their drinks, they carefully followed the waitressā instructions. In 15 minutes they arrived at the flower park. It was full of all kinds of flowers, their arrangements painting different shapes on the ground. The park was bustling with people either just strolling or sitting on the benches, enjoying the sight and scents. Y/n and Atsumu leisurely walked around, stopping to take some pictures here and there.
An arch was located in the middle of the park, with a bench decorated as if the flowers from the ground were trying to encapsulate it. They found an elderly couple who agreed to take their picture. The grandma took a few photos, while the grandpa gave some suggestions for poses. The pictures came out great; even the blurry ones had their charm. As they were thanking them and saying their goodbyes, Atsumu noticed a fence seemingly way up high. He grabbed y/n's hand and walked towards what he deemed the way to get there.
- Tsumu, where are we going?
- You'll see!
She was looking around on their way up, noticing how further and further they got away from the park and the city itself.
- Tsumu, are you sure about this?
- Hm? Yeah! Positive!
They reached a tiny forest and Tsumu made his way through the only visible paved path. They soon reached the fence he saw. In front of them was a breathtaking view of the park they were just at and half the city. The first sign of the sunset made the view even more beautiful, giving a sense of magic to their surroundings.
- Woah ā¦
Atsumu was beaming next to her, with a little blush on his face. She leaned over to him and gave him a kiss on the lips.
- This is wonderful, thank you. - she said softly.
- You're welcome, always. - he whispered back.
The couple stayed there until the sun fully set, talking about everything and nothing. Even the night view was fascinating with all the city lights and the soft illumination from the park.
- Soo ā¦ do you have an idea on how we'll get back to the hotel? - asked y/n after a while.
Atsumu just stared at the horizon.
- How about we break the "no gps" rule, seeing how our date is over.
- Oh? It's over already?
- Wh-? I mean, we just have to go back, right? Doesn't this mean it's technically over? - he was sweating.
- Hmm, I don't know. - she cocked her head on one side, seemingly "deep in thought".
- We can continue our date if you want! I'm not sure where else we can go at this time but I'll figure something out!
At this point y/n was full on laughing at his mini panic.
- Relax, I'm just messing with you! It was a long day, we saw plenty. I'm ready to go back, have a nice bath and dive into the soft bed.
Atsumu sighed loudly at her teasing. He took her hand, albeit pouting slightly, and opened the map app to find the quickest way for them to get back to their hotel.
At the hotel lobby~
- About that bath ā¦ - Atsumu trailed off, while they were waiting for the elevator to come down.
- Hm?
- Do you want company?
Y/n only smirked and pulled him into the elevator when it reached them.
During the last few days, Karakura town had been hit with a heatwave, forcing the citizens to mainly stay inside during their off time. Fans with small ice-filled bags was a common sight in nearly all the homes.
Shinji and y/n's home was no exception. The couple was laying on the ground in nothing but underwear due to the temperatures. The fan bringing them some comfort but not enough to warrant a full outfit.
- The news said the temperatures will start dropping this evening. - y/n said.
- About damn time. - Shinji replied.
- Yeah ā¦
A notification popped on y/n's phone. The local theater would host an outdoor screening that night at 10:30pm with complimentary drinks and snacks.
- Hirako.
- Hm? - he lazily turned his head towards her.
- Wanna go watch "Soul"?
- Huh?
- An animated movie, they're playing it in the park tonight. It says here there will be cold drinks and ice creams and other snacks.
- Why not? Sounds more fun of an evening than just sitting here. We haven't done anything this whole week but melt and run for ice cubes.
- True! And it says here that we only need to bring something to sit on.
- It's settled then.
Later in the evening~
The weather cooled down little by little later in the day. It was still warm, but bearable. When they arrived, they were slightly surprised by how many people showed up.
- Guess everyone wanted to go out of their homes. - y/n said.
- Yeah, no shit. Glad the movie theater thought of setting up some fans as well. - Shinji replied.
Several fans, both large and small, were set up around the people who already chose their spot. A few employees were setting up a stand with the drinks and snacks. The screen was already set, just a few things left to double-check. The couple found a spot to place their picnic blanket, while eyeing the snack stand. The moment the stand sign flipped to "open", they stood in sync and skipped to it. The thirst was real.
A few more people joined right before the movie started, however it was not too crowded. Both y/n and Shinji didn't know much about the movie, except it being an animation about a middle-school band teacher who was passionate about jazz.
Seems perfect for Hirako, thought y/n.
Her boyfriend had always been a music lover, jazz more specifically. He told her how back in his days as captain, he had a phonograph that played all his vinyl records. This sparked her to start saving up for his gift, one he could use there in Karakura. She thought it'll be very fun to go vinyl hunting with him and explore his favourite artists. A few jazz-styled cafes were also saved on her phone, hoping that one day they'd be able to visit them during holidays and weekends.
Y/n was happy that the theatre decided to show this movie. She had noticed how he was a bit more solemn and lost in thoughts these past few weeks. She didn't probe, only asked once or twice if he was okay and if she could help somehow. He always answered her gently, saying he was alright and only tired. Some time did pass after the exhausting battle against Aizen but not enough to recover emotionally, she guessed. Y/n knew the history between them ā Shinji was very open and honest with her once they realized what they had was serious and not just a fling or silly flirting whenever they saw each other. She knew about the betrayal and how he and his friends ended up in Karakura. She also saw his wounds, both external and internal, after the battle ended a few weeks ago. Hoping that this change of pace and environment would lift her boyfriend's spirits, y/n settled next to him and waited for the movie to begin.
"So what do you think you'll do? How are you gonna spend your life?" Someone in the movie asked Joe, the main character.
"I'm not sure," Joe replied. "But I do know... I'm going to live every minute of it."
At that point, y/n looked over at him. She couldn't figure out his expression but she had an inkling to what he was thinking about. Being away from Soul Society, from his captain duties, for so long must have been heavy on the heart. Seeing all his former colleagues and friends must have deepened the wound he tried to hide behind his snarky personality. All she could do was lean on his shoulders, a silent way to tell him "I am here". He put his head on top of hers and grabbed one of her hands, squeezing tightly once, thanking her for her comfort.
The rest of the movie was spent in silence, their hands still intertwined, each of them having the same but slightly different thoughts running through their heads. As the movie was wrapping up, credits rolling and other people packing their things, Shinji and y/n stayed as they were. After the credits finished, an employee approached, asking if they needed something to be thrown away. They handed over the empty bottles of their drinks and slowly packed the blanket.
Late into the night~
The sky was clear ā you could see all the stars and the moon provided a nice enough glow to comfortably walk in the middle of the night. The silence continued to follow them, slowly turning from comforting to awkward.
- You know I can feel you stare, right? - Shinji said.
- I haven't even looked at you!
- Precisely.
Y/n grumbled. She knew he could feel the fluctuations of her soul, he used it to his advantage every time she was bottling her emotions on matters that needed to be discussed. Most of the time he offered comfort and patiently waited for her to open the discussion, but this time it felt different. It was different. Just as he had his ways of knowing what was bothering y/n, she also had her ways. He still didn't know how she did it, but she was always there, next to him, when it mattered the most. He sighed and found a bench to sit down, head bent down, trying to get his thoughts in order.
- I was asked ā¦ tsk, damn it! They told me I can go back to being captain of squad 5, if I wanted to.
The air grew thick.
- And? - asked y/n.
- And what?
- Did you accept?
- I'm still here, aren't I? - Shinji answered sarcastically.
- That's not what I asked, Hirako. - y/n sighed and sat next to him. - You still haven't given them an answer, right?
He didn't say anything for a few moments.
- How do you do that?
- Do what? Know what's going on inside that stubborn head of yours whenever you go silent on me? Know that you've been dying, maybe not the right choice of words here, to go back to Soul Society and be a captain again? Know that you're struggling right now because of little old me and all the "what ifs" going through your mind?
Shinji only stared at her.
- You're kinda scary, did you know that?
- Mhm. I thought you liked that in me? - she smirked.
He shook his head in disbelief and chuckled a bit. A few moments passed by before he said anything.
- Yeah ā¦ I still haven't answered them. Some of the guys will not be returning, others are thinking of reprising their positions from before we were shunned. I don't know what to do, I can't lose you.
- But you also can't lose the feeling of wanting to go home.
Shinji lifted his head, y/n was smiling sadly but her eyes didn't show any pain.
- You need to accept the offer.
- But ā¦ - Shinji started.
- No buts! You miss that place and you miss your captain duties! You should accept and go live your life to the fullest.
- "Going to live every minute of it", huh. - he answered, quoting the movie they just saw.
- Exactly!
- And what about us? You can't really come and stay in Seireitei forever ā¦ since you are a human and all.
Y/n snorted.
- What??
- Believe me, I haven't forgotten I'm "human and all" - she air quoted. - Every time you shunpo us somewhere to avoid crowds or when you just hang in the air upside down to annoy me by holding something out of my reach or that time when you-
- Okay, okay, I get it! - he facepalmed and laughed.
- We will make it work until my time comes to be a permanent resident there. We'll visit each other on our days off, we'll take vacations, we'll talk every day. It'll just be a temporary long-distant relationship. I'm sure you can work something out with that old man.
- Hmm ā¦ I might try and twist the Head Captain's arm a bit and let you visit more often, if not daily.
- See! We can make it work, we're way too strong to let this hinder us.
- Ahahah, I love you, you know what!
- Oh, I know! - she smirks.
- Brat! - he pinched her sides.
- And I love you too, you drama queen.
Y/n stood up and reached her hand out to him.
- "I'll go with you." - she said, quoting a line from the movie.
Shinji smirked and took her hand as he stood up.
- "You know you can't do that."- "I know, but I'll go as far as I can." - she smiled at him.
The couple kissed under the clear moonlit sky, knowing they'd overcome the short storm that awaited them.
- Come on, movie nerd. I need your help to fix my bangs, they've become a bit too long for my taste. - he suddenly said.
- You trust me with scissors near your face? Wow, you truly must love me.
He only rolled his eyes and smiled.
- But don't blame me when they come out worse than now! - she quickly added.
- Sure, sure.
I would like to clarify for those who feel death by orca-induced explosion is a sad end for the sunfish, that the article reports that both in this and another similar instance the sunfish were already dead when the 'high-speed ramming' technique was implemented.
It seems that this is done by orcas both as enrichment/ply time and to break prey in smaller pieces for ease of consumption.
It would be like having your mum holding up a steak for dinner and seeing your brother one-punching it in small stir-fry slivers, followed by everyone hollering in delight.
Just remembering you guys that Spongebobās grandma have the same tastes as Squidward and they get along very well. This explains why Spongebob is so fascinated by his artistic talents.
today i learned that the finnish word forĀ āhazardous wasteā is ongelmajƤte, which can also translate as āproblematic garbageā and my roommate and i immediately agreed this is a word that belongs on tumblr.
Side note: polonium-210 is a very dangerous isotope, however it "does not pose a radiation hazard when kept outside the body", as the alpha particle it emits have very little penetration power and cannot pierce even the outer layers of dead skin. It has still killed countless people, though, not because of children's rings, but because of tobacco. Polonium latches onto and concentrates in tobacco leaves, leading to heavy smokers being exposed to more radiation than survivors of the Chernobyl disaster.
It's always wild to me seeing comments about different toxins like this on information about random things in the past, but it's never discussed when it comes to cigarettes.
tangentwithtanner
kianamaiart
blakekathryn
gracieabrams
