#i need to source CDs

[catkin-morgs-kookaburralover]

so depressed I can't work on the assignment due tomorrow - not because of stress, just feeling so awful - so I started listening to music and I may be tearing up a lil bit

#personal #music #judith durham #i need to source CDs #the seekers #they're amazing but the real reason overall was judy durham frfr #Youtube

[lesbiangiratina]

Testament genuinely has 1 of the best pages on the gg wiki shout out to my predecessors.

#referring to whats on the fandom wiki. the bar is low over there but still #so many characters have zero citations meanwhile someone cited the fucking 10th memorial book on their page. #that wasnt scanned until recently. extremely niche source #they didnt know the page number but its okay. i can get that. #i am still adding things… i need to write up something for the xx drama cd its so good for them… and some other stuff… but still. good page #their allusions section is kind of a disaster last time i checked the fandom wiki but the fandom wiki is not my problem. teehee. #the kat goes meow

[thelostboys87]

cd player purchased 😈

#no cause I’m so excited…… #definitely having a bit of a cd moment i don’t have a preference about physical music but cds are so fun to me rn #mainly because I’m scared to spend the money on a record player 👍 #so we will start with cd 👍 #that’s my treat this month cd player + cds 👍 NEED TO GET MORE WHAM! CDS #and lurk all the charity shop cd sections #also the player I got does let you play from phone playlists which hopefully the speaker quality is good bc that would be fun…. #actually hate listening to music on my phone unless it’s through headphones. it’s too smooth and the source is too tiny!!!!

[welcometoteyvat]

tell me why freminet already has more crit rate and crit damage than characters ive tried building for over a year even though i just slapped my random unused artifacts onto him

#to be fair he has no set bonus rn and every one of his artifacts are not useful as set bonus but like #WHY !!!!!!!!!! #can't have shit in artifact rng system #i realized i have legit good pieces... but only 1 or 2 for each set and they're on sets i'll never use except on one (1) character #gilded dreams crit helmet you will always be famous to me. 31 cr and 33 cd AND FOR WHAT. ITS AN EM SET CRIT IS USELESS #anyways i decided to build him on a whim for funsies mostly bc i dont have a good dps on my commissions team rn #yelan is carrying (sexycat emoji) she'll be his support hehe #he's like. 73 crit rate? and 138 cd. which is pretty stacked to me considering he doesnt have any other sources of crit #i have snowtombed starsilver on him rn .. but it's killing me not using the fish claymore T_T i need to put it on him for the bit!! #its just that the passive (burst dmg) isnt super useful rip #gacha logs #ramblings! #also i have no clue how to play phys claymore dpses because i am anti eula anti razor #<- literally just dont have either. razor's dodged me for an entire 3 years now #but frem's so cute.... squishing his cheeks giving him a warm blanket etc #showering him with love (aka going to artifact hell)

[fireandiceland]

one thing you guys need to realise is that I always add the link to any merch or other official stuff from outside sources that I share here in the source of the post

#I got multiple asks for the source of the letter writing set #guys the link is right there #just click the source on the original post #but also the shop only offers shipping in Japan so you need a proxy #I know that CD japan offers proxy services and I’ve ordered from them before #so I sent them an inquiry to see how much it would be #the set without shipping is like 135€ btw #ok that’s it I’ll shut up now #riva.psnl

[bytebun]

hm… although i more or less stopped progressing (purposefully) in my technical art skill, id reached a point where i could easily “see” ways to improve - like if i wanted to work on any particular aspect (perspective, anatomy, style, comic pacing, etc.) i’d know exactly how to go about it

I’d… like to reach a place like that with my other abilities - programming or engineering or design are all just so big that i don’t even know how to identify what i should be pursuing. the sort of stuff i’d really like more experience with (firmware & hardware development) only seem accessible through doing actual jobs involving those skills. i cant see the ”path” to improvement; i dont know what resources i can access (most of the stuff online seems too basic, aka for complete beginners, or too expert level)

but like, ”art” is also such a broad category of skill… maybe its because i know what i want from my art, and not at all from my tech skills…

#I…….. probably I should reach out to people and ask and get mentors and stuff… I would rather die tho LOOOOL #I don’t even know what I would ask like I think I just straight up need an apprenticeship 🤣 which can be achieved by getting a job #but like I don’t want a job (yet) my everything hurts. I just wanna make some cool shit #I think. Well. I’d like to figure out how to use docker properly and ci/cd stuff for projects and probably contribute to a couple of open #source projects to figure out how I want to do my own software set ups #firmware; though…. Mm………. #I COULD get an fpga but what would I even make #like maybe I should just do some stuff for kicks… build a radio or whatever. #some sort of silly thing just to learn how to work with motors and sensors and Bluetooth #AND I really actually need to work on my real time operating systems stuff #This is like… a lot though… each of these could take me months to just #barely scratch the surface of. Which is… fine but also I do need a job at some point #So many things I want to learn I become paralyzed by indecision #I’m still trying to learn Chinese Rn lol #bytebun rambles #actually what I really want to do is a welding course

[apuzzledprince]

GIVE ME A CD DRIVE

#just realized on my way home from work that my car #does not have one #nor does my laptop #i do have a small dvd player that i bought but #i cant use that in the car #i cant use my laptop either but like #PUT THEM BACK #HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LISTEN TO CDS #'But Westley' I hear you cry 'Just use the blutooth connection from your phone' #NO #LET ME SUPPORT BANDS BY BUYING CDS #AND NOT DRAIN MY PHONE BY CONNECTING BLUTOOTH JUST TO LISTEN TO MUSIC I KNOW I LIKE #THE DVD PLAYER CAN PLAY CDS SURE #BUT AGAIN I REITERATE #I CANNOT USE IT IN THE CAR #BECAUSE IT NEEDS A CONSTANT POWER SOURCE AND ALSO JUST SEEMS LIKE A BAD IDEA IN GENERAL #ignore me im rambling #caps

[idsb]

Bestie the realist view is that this has been in the works since January, before she began dating Matty and before he even said the comments. And that when Ice Spice signed on she realistically didn’t know that Taylor would eventually date a man who had openly mocked her and made racist remarks about her publicly. It makes me sick but people have reiterated all day that this couldn’t have been something whipped up last minute.

literally where tf did you get January from lmao what

#also it absolutely could've been #vinyls are what you need 3 months notice for #CD's can get turned around in a week easily #source: I LITRALLY design CD's for people and just cause the whole project was planned #doesn't mean that one collar was #*collab

[gaypleasantview]

⋆˖⁺‧₊☆ 4t2 CD Player by channel4sims ☆₊‧⁺˖⋆

╰┈➤ download here for ts4

⋆ functional radio in 2 versions: stand and wall-mounted

⋆ polycount: 744 (stand ver.) and 434 (wall ver.)

⋆ 40 swatches

⋆ compressed, wall ver. repositoried to stand ver.

Link, swatch and more info under the cut ♡

Hi guys! Today I'm bringing you this super cute music player! It works as a normal radio and comes in two versions. I converted all of the original TS4 CD options, most of which are kpop plus a bunch of other music as well. All textures are 512x512 for better quality.

Both versions are cloned from a table radio because I didn't really like the in-game wall speaker's functionality. Because of that you'll need to use moveobjects on in order to place the wall-mounted player anywhere. You can still place it "on" tables without cheats but it's gonna be really far up the wall. Didn't know how to do it otherwise, sorry!

It has all of the normal radio effects:

Hope you enjoy it!

Credits: @channel4sims-cc for the object and recolors, all of the original owners for the cover art, this source for the graphics in the post

♡ Download ♡

SFS | Mediafire

♡ Swatch ♡

#s2cc #my cc #the sims 2 #sims 2 cc #ts2cc #4t2 conversion #4t2 #ts2 #channel4sims

[theoutcastrogue]

[From a 2014 article by John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats. He's talking about how a random spam email ended up inspiring a part of his book Wolf in White Van. Later, in 2020, the album Getting Into Knives came out, and I think it inspired its artwork too.]

"It took years for me to be able to just reflexively delete spam, or filter it so that I never see it at all. I blame the spammers for this; the quality of their work took a sharp nosedive at some point. But during whatever period of the internet’s growth you’d call the early 2000s, it seemed like you’d still get some winners: things that had been typed up by a person, sent out to a bunch of email addresses they’d bought or rented for 5 or 10 bucks from the only guy who was ever going to make any money in this particular exchange. Most of them went directly, if manually, into the trash; but once in a while, there’d be one that seemed to earn, at the very least, the minute it’d take me to read it.

The one I’m remembering here was subject-lined SUPPLY OF KNIVES. [...] The subject line opened on an all-caps email that boasted, in ornate, antiquated English appealing to the reader’s more refined sensibilities, about the high quality of the knives on offer at an external website. You shouldn’t click on links in spam email. I live my life on the razor’s edge! I clicked the link.

I want to tell you about these knives: They were beautiful. They were weird. They had elaborate designs in the handles, moons or stars of wolf heads, and special grips, and a variety of points. They were made from metals whose pedigrees were described lovingly, and had been struck — smithed? wrought? — via processes I knew absolutely nothing about, but that sounded fantastic, difficult, arcane. It’s the joy of specialized language: When you’re an outsider to it, it can’t help but sound cool.

Of course this is the whole idea of any operation like this. SUPPLY OF KNIVES could well have been, and probably was, a company in Ohio who’d stumbled across an old warehouse full of knives, and knew enough about sales to describe these things in the most exotic terms they could find. I’m pretty immune to pitches: Who likes to feel like he’s being pitched? But somebody involved with SUPPLY OF KNIVES had had just enough authorial flair — that, or true faith — to caption each knife’s mysterious, blurry accompanying JPEG with a description whose constant recourse to specialized vocabularies seemed to say, “You’re not even reading this unless you already know about this sort of thing. Let us therefore speak like the fellow travelers we are.”

It was like a trade catalog for roadside bandits in need of knives.

I can’t speak for everybody, but I know that when I was a child the life of the roadside bandit seemed like a pretty romantic way to go. I looked at all these knives and read the descriptions and was just generally delighted about the whole thing, so I saved the email in a “memorable spam” folder I used to keep that had maybe two other emails in it. A few years later, Apple came out with this robotic-arm-screen iMac you never see any more, and we were long overdue for a new computer so we got that; and then, after a while, I got myself a laptop, because I was traveling all the time, and eventually both the old iMacs ended up in the basement, and they were both asleep but alive until fairly recently, as far as I knew.

But when I went to check for the email, it was gone. The old blue iMac is dead, bricked, lifeless. Searches on the term “supply of knives” on this laptop and on good old robot-arm-screen find nothing. The backup CD for the blue iMac drive is probably in a drawer around here somewhere, but that’s like saying, “The coin I had in my swim trunks’ pocket is probably somewhere in the ocean.” There is no SUPPLY OF KNIVES. There’s only the memory."

[source]

And this is the wonderful cover art of Getting Into Knives. Back cover and promo material below. Note that "Knives International" and "Knives Wordwide" are not real companies, they appear to be a callback to that elusive spam email.

#not that I'm particularly into TMG #but it's interesting #trs #The Mountain Goats #John Darnielle #Getting Into Knives #Wolf in White Van #only knives left #tools of the trade #bandit #prison ballads #tangentially

[dia-souls]

DIABOLIK LOVERS Imajin Tokuten Drama CD “Big brothers' debate, history of the demons?!”

Original title: 兄弟間の話し合い, 悪魔の歴史?!

Source: Fanmade Tokuten Drama CD

Story by: Admin Irsa

Seiyuu: Suegara rie, Toriumi Kousuke, Takahiro Sakurai, Toshiyuki Morikawa, Tomoaki Maeno

Admin's note: Hey! I am back with a new Drama CD. These days I was confused whether I should upload a one shot or a Drama CD, after debate I went for CD as they are easier to write. Tbh this one is rushed as I didn't properly sat and think about scenes. I just wrote what came in my mind as Carla, Ruki and Shu are my favourite ships with Yui. I wanted to make a CD with any topic about them and finally I did. This cd is focused on Shu roasting as his roasting isn't appreciated enough I focused on that, Carla and Ruki are getting roasted. I have zero idea about demon things origin it's all made up and not canon. Again reviews are welcomed 😭 please review as it's the thing that gets me motivated.

Ruki: Oi! What's the meaning of this?

_Ruki entered the music room along with Carla.

Carla: That's should be my line. Woman, why did you call me with this guy?

Yui: Ruki-kun and Carla-san, thanks for coming!

_Yui walked up to them.

Ruki: State your reason here. I thought you finally stepped up your game by calling me alone in this music room, tsk.

Carla: You are truly a dense women with no sense of moral. Calling two men here in this music room, what do you hope to achieve.

_Yui's face flushed.

Yui: No-o.... You both have a misunderstanding... I-I--

Shu: Pwah.... Could you both stop ganging up on her. This shows your mentality instead of her. You are the one delusional for expecting something from a woman like her.

Ruki: Ohh... Sakamaki Shu. How about you remain quiet as you always have been.

_Ruki looked at him with cold eyes.

Shu: Hah! Why? Are you upset that I called you out?

_Shu looked at Ruki with cold eyes too.

Yui: Uhm... Shu-san wasn't cooperating to go anywhere, I had no choice but to call you both here in the music room.

Shu: Exactly! It was for my comfort don't get any ideas you perverts...

Carla: You inferior being dare to talk to a King of First blood like that!

_Carla stepped closer to Shu only for him to be blocked by Yui.

Yui: Carla-san calm down please!

Ruki: Hah! To think you need a woman to protect yourself, you truly are a failure as a man.

Shu: Is it me or are you both ganging up on me... What a pain.

Yui: Uhmm... I called you three here for an assignment.

Ruki: Assignment?? If you needed help you could have approached me privat--

Shu: Well she didn't for a reason and I think I can see why she didn't.

_Ruki glared at Shu.

Yui: Well this assignment is related to "Demons and Their history " I thought you three will be the best to talk about this topic since, I will get to know about history of vampires and founders. You three are the best options so please cooperate with me.

Carla: Hmm... So you want to know about History of founders. This will be a good idea. In this way you will know about your people.

Ruki: "Your people" what do you mean by that Tsukinami Carla.

_Carla looked at Ruki with serious eyes.

Carla: She will be the Queen of founders and as my wife she need to know about her people.

_Shu chuckled.

Shu: People? What people? Aren't founders extinct? Your history is already over.

Ruki: ...............

Yui: ................

Carla: You! How dare you vampire insult my royal bloodline! You scum!

Shu: This scum here at least has its race and isn't extinct like you.

Yui: Carla-san please-e stop I beg you don't!

_She immediately got between them stopping Carla.

Ruki: Livestock don't get in between. You aren't his Knight! Get over here!

_Shu looked at Ruki.

Shu: You need a knight actually considering your powers you half vampire.

_Ruki glared at Shu.

Ruki: You really got some guts for insulting me like that!

Yui: Ruki-kun please not you too!

_Yui left Carla to grab Ruki to stop him from getting to Shu.

Yui: Please! Please stop it!

Ruki: Hmph!

_Yui looked at them.

Yui: Umm.. For starters I have always wondered what's demons origin like how do they came into being.

Shu: In the same way you human exist we all exist that's it.

Yui: Huh? This means God made you all.

Carla: No...No God made us! We are first blood the superior--

Ruki: Hah! So you are claiming you existed from start?

Carla: My ancestors yes! Me? No.

Shu: Obviously you are after product.

Carla: Are you insulting me?!

Shu: Who knows?

Yui: Ohh? I see so that's how it is.... what about vampires? Do you all think Karlheinz-sama is the first vampire to exist.

Ruki: Good question! That man is a God with thoes incredible powers and--

Shu: Here comes his inner fanboy.

_Shu mumbled.

Ruki: Did you say something?

Shu: No...

Ruki: I see as I said. But I believe this isn't the case cuz you see he has a brother--

Shu: It's obvious he didn't crawl up directly from the hell. He was putted in this world by some miserable people. He must have some nasty parents.

Ruki: Don't insult him--

Carla: There was a time when all species were under us founder. We all were on top the most feared. No one dared to disrespect us during my father's time-

Shu: "Was" so this mean you agree to the fact you aren't feared anymore....

Carla: You! Are you picking a fight here?!? I would love to show you what fear is!

Yui: Calm down Carla-san! Shu-san is joking!

Ruki: I would rather say you humbled yourself. It must be because of her. One of us is bound to awaken as Adam.

Shu: "Us" aren't you excluded because you are half blood.

Ruki: ...........

Yui: Shu-san, why are you doing that?! Please stop it! My assignment needs to be completed.

Shu: Pwah... I am so tired could you hurry up and get over with this all.

Yui: Shu-san if you keep saying such things which angers them how am I supposed to hurry up??

Shu: Then you shouldn't have invited these short tempered people.

Carla: Now I get why that guy hates you. You clearly are a disappointment.

Shu: Ouch.. that hurted....

_Shu calmly said closing his eyes.

Ruki: This man infuriates me with his attitude!!

Yui: Please calm down you three-

Shu: Its not "three" it's "two" or" both" will be more suitable......

Ruki: You talk as if you are perfect you are nothing but a disappointment both as son and older brother.

Carla: To think you will be the one leading the vampire clan, I am sure vampire clan will be bound to ruin if the future king is a sloth.

Ruki: Hah! To think you are Karlheinz's son is a big insult.

_Yui looked at both of them angrily.

Yui: You both, it's too much stop it! You are being mean to Shu-san, he --

Ruki: To think you need to relay on others to do your work... hmph a disappointment.

_Shu smiled and looked at them.

Shu: I might be this and that but you both are still not better than me in anything. I still have everything without trying. You both could never. You both sound jealous and envious.

_Shu laughed.

Shu: I will still become king because I am better than my brothers and that old man's sons unlike someone over here I will have actual commerades actual people to lead too......

_Yui's eyes widened

Yui: Look you all, we are diverting from topic this isnt---

Carla: Huh! You really think you will get away by talking like that about me? If I want I could wipe you and your whole clan from this world!!

Ruki: You think crown will be passed to you like that you are wrong Sakamaki sShu. The crown goes to someone who has Eve and you clearly don't have her!!

Shu: So do you have her? You talk as if you have--

Carla: That's my clan will be restored by this woman so put your nasty gaze off from my woman!

Ruki: "My women"?? You are being very bold considering she doesn't even bat her lashes to you!

Yui: You-u.. gu..ys...please listen--

Carla: Your half breed aren't even in race your blood is too impure to be contaminated with someone as precious as her!

Shu: She doesn't deserve to live with a guy who is as twisted as you in first place!

Ruki: Haha! So she deserve a sloth like you a man who sleeps all day and doesn't have a will too live you!

Yui: You... Guys... stop it's enou--kyaaa

_Yui disappeared without them noticing.

Shu: She doesn't deserve someone disgusting like you with such twisted fantasies.

Ruki: She doesn't deserve someone who is a faliure as a man. A man who runs from duties and responsibilities isn't suitable for her!

Kino: You all are right! She doesn't deserve you three!

_They all turned to look at kino.

Kino: She deserve a prince as she is a princess and that Prince is me!

Carla: You! Where do you come from?!

Kino: Listen up buddies from all of your conversation I realized I am the best option for her. So it's better if you wed her to me!

Ruki: You--where is livestock?!

Kino: She is safe and sound with me don't worry I will invite you three to our wedding! Ohh! Your families are also invited!

Shu: Hahh I knew something like this will happen...

Carla: I will destroy you! Give my woman back to me!

Kino: Hehe! Never and We will see that! Sayonara!!!!

#diabolik lovers #dialovers #yui komori #komori yui #ruki mukami #mukami ruki #shu sakamaki #sakamaki shu #carla tsukinami #tsukinami carla #kino sakamaki #sakamaki kino #diabolik lovers drama cd #drama cd

[chrissfawn]

pillow talk

pairing ;; chris sturniolo x fem!reader

warnings ;; lowercase intended and pet names , its all fluff:3

word count ;; 671

a/n ;; ANYTHING FOR AN A+ IS AT 81 NOTES!! also this will be a bit short, just wanted to finish the day with a small little fic for u guys 🫶 also my requests are open!! sometimes idk what to write so if u guys want me to write smth ill gladly do it <3

pink: you

orange: chris

. . . .

“can you go get me some water baby?” i asked my boyfriend as i turn off the sink from washing my face. “yeah of course.” he answered with a nod. he left the bathroom and went up the stairs to go get a bottle of water for me.

i sighed softly as i opened my skincare bag, grabbing my serum and moisturizer. i twirl the tiny bottle and squeezed the sticky liquid on my cheeks and forehead. i rubbed the serum into my skin gently before i opened the moisturizer. i dipped my pointer finger into the container and spread it onto my face.

once i was finished with my skincare, i left the bathroom and went back into chris’ room. i grabbed the lighter and sparked the vanilla cookie scented candle lit. i smiled gently when the scent immediately began to fill the air. i laid into chris’ bed, my head against his pillow as i waited for him to come back from the kitchen. the candle basically being the only source of light in the room.

soon enough i heard the door open. i turned my head and smiled at chris softly. “alright i got your water.” the brunette boy said as he placed the bottle of water in my hands. “took ya long enough.” i giggle, sitting up and putting a pillow in my lap then clicking open the water bottle. “i was helping matt with something.” he said, laying down on his stomach next to me. i rolled my eyes with a sarcastic nod.

“how was your day with aaliyah?” chris asked while reaching out to hold my hand. “it was alot of fun! we went to gamestop because she wanted to get another twd game since her old cd broke.” i spoke softly, my thumb rubbing his hand. “and then we went to wingstop for lunch, ohh! i also bought you the plushie you wanted.” i continued to ramble about my day. chris’ eyes twinkled and a small smile smeared on his face once i mentioned the plushie. “awh really? is it the bunny one?” he asked me, hugging the pillow underneath him. i nodded as my other hand went down to play around with his loose curls. “mhm! it gets here tomorrow i think.” i claimed.

chris hummed quietly as i started to play with his hair, “you wanna go out for breakfast tomorrow?” he asked me softly, melting into my touch. “always.” i smile as i adjust the way i was laying down. i placed the water bottle on the nightstand and turned back to chris. “can we go to barnes n nobles too? i need to pick up the third book of a good girls guide to murder.” i whispered, noticing chris seemed like he was falling asleep. my arms wrapped around shoulders while his arms circled around my waist. “mhm.” he mumbled quietly as he quickly got comfortable into my touch.

the room stayed quiet for a few more minutes until chris started to yap about something. “did you know baby elephants can’t control their trunks?” he mumbled in a tired tone. i smile softly, “i did know that, did you know that otters hold each other’s hand while they fall asleep so they don’t drift apart?” i asked. i could hear chris let out a small giggle. “they are kinda like us.” he muttered. i snickered quietly. “they are, aren’t they?” i was speaking in a calming voice now since chris was now basically half asleep. he let out a small hum of agreement. “i love you” he whispered, his eyes opening and looking up at me. i couldn’t help but let out a small downward smile. “i love you too c.” i whispered back while i pecked his forehead gently. the brunette boy shut his eyes and he hid his face into my neck. “g’night princess.” he uttered into my skin. “goodnight sweet boy.” i breathed as i rested my chin on the top of his head and shut my eyes.

a/n part 2 ;; this was sm fun to write , goodnight babes <3

taglist: @cheetahmadi @mattsluttywaist

#sturniolo triplets #chris sturniolo #christopher sturniolo #chrissfawn #chris sturniolo x reader #chris sturniolo x you #haven yaps

[builtbybrokenbells]

Melodic Memories | JTK | Prologue

In a tattered old box shoved deep down in the corner of an overfilled closet, a lifetimes worth of memories lie dormant at the bottom waiting to be rediscovered.

Masterlist

Playlist: Apple Music | Spotify

Pairing: Jake Kiszka x f!reader

Word Count: 3k

Warnings: breakups, feelings of sadness, crying, high school relationships, angst, fluff, sorry if i miss any!

welcome to the show, everyone 😁 glad to be back with another Jake fic. as always, enjoy, be kind, and don’t mind any grammar mistakes! (this has been sitting in my drafts for SO long)

August, 2014

“Eight songs, Y/N. I sat there for hours, listening to as much music as I could. I sorted through my dad’s old vinyl records, and all of the CD’s Josh and I could find in the house. I searched for lyrics on the internet, I even asked my mom if she had any ideas.” Jake explained, taking a step closer to you. There was a small plastic case in one of his hands, a bushel of hand picked wildflowers in his other, and a look in his eyes that made your heart ache with all of the pain you had been holding back. “This is it; eight songs that tell you exactly how I feel about you. Four that tell you how much I love you, and four that tell you everything you need to know about how I feel about you leaving.”

“Jake,” you whispered, your lips pressed together tightly as the corners of your mouth dipped down into a frown. Your eyes were shining under the warm yellow hue of the ceiling light, the threat of unshed tears growing more imminent with each second that passed. The walls of your childhood bedroom were familiar, but completely different all at the same time. Years worth of cherished memories flashed before your eyes as the boy stood before you amongst half-filled boxes and your torn-apart closet.

“No,” he cut you off, shaking his head so you could not speak any further.

His hair was long, moving against his skin with each turn of his head. It reached the middle of his neck now, and it would only get longer as he continued to grow it out. You couldn’t help but feel that the long hair suited him best, that it brought out the beauty of his face even more than it already did on its own. He’d been talking about it for so long that you could already picture what it would look like on him. You were sad that you would not be able to see it when his mission was complete and the ends of his hair tickled the underside of his shoulder blades.

No, you were sad that you would miss any stage of Jake’s life, devastated that there would be any version of him you were unfamiliar with.

The sweatshirt he was wearing was heartbreaking all on its own; you bought it for him months prior on your three day trip to tour the university you were now preparing to attend. There were bags under his eyes, showing his exhaustion and discomfort with the current arrangement the two of you found yourselves in. His eyes themselves were bloodshot, and worse than that, they were sad. You hated seeing anything less than joy written in his features, because he was a boy deserving of things that were only ever good.

Right now, you knew that what you were doing to him was anything but good, and it was fucking killing you.

You only ever wanted to be the reason for the smile on his face, and now you were the source of his misery; you loved him so utterly and deeply that you turned into the very thing that hurt him.

“You said you didn’t want to make this harder than it needed to be, but it’s going to fucking suck no matter how we do things. I can’t let you leave without telling you—“ he cut himself off, clearing his throat as his gaze flickered to the floor. There were tears glistening in his eyes, too, but he was much more afraid to show them than you were. “I can’t let you go unless I know that you know how much you mean to me.”

“It is hard, Jake. This is the hardest thing I have ever done.” You confessed, sniffling away your sadness as you tried to cement the memory of his face in your brain forever. He was beautiful, and he always had been. His warm eyes spoke love without him ever opening his mouth, and his smile was the only thing that could brighten the darkest of days.

“The whole distance thing is stupid, and I don’t like it. We’ve been together for three years, and I can’t sit at home and act like you don’t mean anything to me.” His words were equal to a stab in the stomach.

You did not intend to hurt him when you suggested taking some time away from each other. You thought it would be easier, that it would make your departure less painful as you both came to terms with the fact you would be leaving him behind, but so far it had been nothing but horrendous. You stayed up every night, staring at the ceiling as you remembered what it felt like to lay next to him. You listened to new music, hoping it would make you feel something other than sadness, but the emotion that plagued you grew tenfold when you realized you had no one to share it with. You checked your phone constantly, hoping to see his name grace your screen, only to find that he was too good at respecting your wishes.

Jake was your boyfriend, and it had been that way for a long time, but he was so much more than just that. He was your best friend, your confidant and the very thing you knew you could lean on in times that were tougher than usual. He was your light in darkness, and he was everything you ever needed all at once. Jake was the whole world, and in that moment, he was yours. As of late, you felt more stupid than ever before, unable to forgive yourself for letting him go. He loved you through the awkwardness of growing into a teenager, and he loved you through the usual triumphs and disasters of high school. He loved you when you thought no one else could, and he did it so well that you had no idea what to expect now that he was not going to be yours anymore.

He stood before you, freshly eighteen with a new found freedom in life. You were just shy of the same age, but the freedom you found did not feel very special at all. You expected your high school graduation to be sweet, exciting and fun, but so far it brought you nothing but turmoil. You scored top of your class and had people throwing scholarships in your face. As much as you wanted to enjoy it, you couldn’t seem to find any joy in the experience. You tried to blame it on your nerves as you spent the summer preparing to drive states away to attend a university that you had only visited once, but you knew it had nothing to do with that. You were thrilled to continue your studies, to pursue something that you had spent your life dreaming about. You were excited to meet people, to grow into the person you were always meant to be.

It was not the school that made your stomach twist with nerves, but the knowledge Jake would not be coming with you. It was the knowledge that after three years, you would have to learn to live without him by your side, and worst of all, you had to digest the fact that he would move on. In due time, his heart and the love he once gave to you would be someone else’s, and he would be happy again, without ever having a second thought about you.

No matter where Jake went, you knew he would flourish, that he would find someone that would love him just as much, if not more, than you loved him.

That thought was comforting as much as it was gut wrenching. Jake deserved to be loved, but you wished you were the person who could love him the way he deserved.

What hurt just a little worse than that was the passing thought that you would never find someone who would love you the way Jake loved you.

You had done everything with him up until two weeks prior, when you pleaded with him to give you some space so you could grieve the fact your relationship would be coming to an end. You did not cut off contact completely, and in that time, you had called him almost daily and payed short visits to his house every now and again. You wanted it to make you feel better, but all it did was make the ache of missing him grow even larger despite him still being there when you needed him. You knew that when you got in your car the next morning, it would be the definite end of the two of you, but it did not mean you were happy, and you were certainly not okay with it.

If missing him while he was still beside you hurt achingly bad, you could not imagine the pain that would come as you drove away from the only thing you ever wanted to have.

The two of you discussed the topic heavily over the last few months, finding yourselves in a great debate of whether long distance would work for the two of you. Eventually, after many tears and lots of sad, sleepless nights, the two of you decided that it would be best to let the loving relationship you had created remain a memory. He didn’t want you worrying about him while you were focusing on your studies, and you didn’t want to tie him down while he tried to make his own life at home.

Although the two of you agreed on the terms, it hurt like a bitch.

“I’m sorry, Jake.” You whispered, your bottom lip quivering as you tried to express your remorse. “I didn’t know how else to deal with it.”

“Just listen to what I have to say, and then you can deal with it however you want.” He tried again, still staying strong despite the pain growing larger in his heart.

“Okay.” You whispered, giving a slight nod as you stepped back and took a seat on the edge of your bed. He followed suit, stopping by your dresser to place the sparse bushel of wildflowers down as he approached you.

He took a seat beside you, extending his arm for you to take the CD. Slowly, you grabbed it from his hands, a slight shake to your fingers as they clasped around the cool, hard plastic. You looked down at the white surface through the clear cover, feeling the first tear fall from your eye. In the familiar, scribbled handwriting, a love note more romantic than any other littered the surface of the CD.

‘I can’t tell you how I feel, so I’ll let the songs say it instead. All my love, Jake ᥫ᭡’

“Wild Horses, Rolling Stones.” He started, watching your face as he spoke. “You told me when we started dating that your dad used to sing it to your mom, and you thought it was the most romantic song in the world until they got divorced. You said that you hated it, and you would never be able to listen to it again, and I could tell that you were so sad about it. So, I sang it to you. I wanted to turn it back into a good memory. I learned the chords and I used my dads old acoustic guitar, and I was fucking terrified, Y/N. It was the first song I ever played for you, and you told me that nobody had ever done anything so nice for you before.”

“‘Cause nobody ever had.” You said, the sentiment still remaining true to this day.

“Wonderful Tonight, by Eric Clapton.” He continued, knowing his time was running short. The evening was darkening into night, and he wasn’t keen on spending your last bit of time together solely talking. “We slow danced in the kitchen to that song, ‘cause I told you I didn’t know how to dance and I didn’t want to embarrass myself at prom. You let me pick the song and then you taught me how, and I think of you every time I hear it.”

The memory was as beautiful as the song was, and you felt another tear fall at the explanation. You had no idea how you were going to let him go, and no desire to do it, anyway, even if you knew it was for the best.

“I need you, Lynyrd Skynyrd. Pretty self explanatory.” He let out a small chuckle, which you joined in on. “The Air That I Breathe, The Hollies.” He jumped straight to the next track. “Listen to the words, and you’ll get it.”

“Jake, this is too much.” You took in a shaky breath, swiping tears away from your cheeks.

“No, Y/N. It’s not enough.” He corrected. “You deserve the whole world, and I wish I could give it to you.”

“You’re not making this any easier.” You forced a smile on your face, your cheeks damp with your own misery. He reached out, swiping away the tears as they fell, hoping that by some stroke of luck, he would still be yours even long after you had gone.

“It was never going to be easy, beautiful.” He finally said the words he’d been holding back the whole time. He had tried his hardest to convince you that it would be okay, hoping that in turn, he would convince himself, too. Now that he was sitting beside you, still just as sad, he knew easy was subject, and only time would heal the wounds that were created that night. “If You Gotta Go, Go Now, by Dylan.”

“Or Else You Gotta Stay All Night.” Your lips turned upwards into a small smile. It wouldn’t be from Jake had there not been at least one Dylan song on the track.

“Exactly.” He nodded. “Ain’t No Sunshine by Bill Withers, cause I know it’s gonna be pretty dark for a while after you leave, Sunshine.”

“Don’t say that.” You said, feeling your stomach twist with remorse.

“It’s true.” He argued. “Romeo and Juliet by Dire Straits, ‘cause maybe it’s just the time that’s not right for us.” His voice was quiet, cracking as he forced the words out, like he was fearful to get an unwanted answer to his rhetoric. “Maybe in the future, the time will be right, and we can try again.”

“God, I hope so.” You confessed, the tears making a rapid return. The more he spoke, the more real the entire thing felt. For years, you had brushed the topic off, forcing yourself to believe that senior year and university was so far away, but now that it was staring you in the face, making it impossible to see past it, you realized the time had flew by like nothing at all. You didn’t want to leave him, because he was the only thing you ever wanted. The idea of having him again in the future made the ache ease ever so slightly, but knowing that the whole middle part would suck made the relief insignificant.

“And the last one is We’ve Got Tonight by Bob Segar, ‘cause we do, sunshine. We have one more night to love each other, and I’ll be damned if I waste it. So here I am, with eight songs and some flowers that I found in my backyard, asking you if you’ll let me love you until you leave tomorrow. It doesn’t have to hurt right now, and we don’t have to let it hurt worse than it has to.”

“Okay,” you breathed, little argument left in you. If he wanted to love you, you weren’t stupid enough to turn him away. Tomorrow, when the sun rose in the sky, illuminating the mistakes you made and highlighting your successes, you would deal with the inevitable disappointment that came along with losing him, but you didn’t have to start yet. At that moment, you still had him, and you wanted to savour the feeling of Jake Kiszka being yours for as long as you could.

“Okay?” He asked, almost shocked at your lack of rebuttal.

“Okay, Jake. We’ve got tonight, so let’s make it last.”

#gvf #jake kiszka #greta van fleet #sam kiszka #jake gvf #danny wagner #sam gvf #danny gvf #josh gvf #gvf fic #jake kiszka fic #jake kiszka series #jake kiszka blurb #jake kiszka gvf #jake kiszka angst #jake kiszka fluff #jake kiszka x reader #jake kiszka fanfic #jake kiszka smut #gvf smut #gvf angst #gvf fluff #greta van fleet angst #greta van fleet fluff #greta van fleet fic #greta van fleet fanfic #greta van fleet smut #builtbybrokenbells #melodic memories #josh kiszka

[archeolatry]

Go take a look at this beautiful trove of old SparkSound magazines someone is selling on eBay. For the price they might as well be made out of gold, but the seller's been nice enough to take big, largely readable photos of so many of the issues. Is there a similar digital hoard of scanned versions? I'd love to see more! (I've seen photo pages in full but only snippets of the rest.) The absolute like... raw, sloppy, fanzine chaos of these as as official publications from a major label band is blowing my fucking mind, even if it is just for the fan club. It's literally their mom cutting and pasting and cramming mentions from both Melody Maker and TV Guide onto an A3 sheet of paper, layouts be damned. The apostrophe on her typewriter is broken for a couple issues but she carries on with an asterisk. She's also around 60 by this point and banging this out to an audience of hundreds or thousands like it's a local Kiwanis club newsletter. But she's doing it with gusto, by gum, and it's punk as hell. The best thing about it is that the lack of style is made up for by the absolute top-tier access to the band, and her being surprisingly on top of pertinent details.

For those of you who weren't in a fandom before the internet, those behind-the-scenes photos were like your favorite band's proof of life. There was no Instagram or Twitter, or anything that proved they existed between national TV appearances and touring in your area (besides those mentions in Melody Maker anyway). If you were lucky, your fandom had the capacity to trade videotapes and people in Scranton could see local TV appearances in Los Angeles and vice-versa. If you were really lucky they weren't all copies of copies with potato quality sound and video. Likewise, if you wanted the 12" extended European dance mix of a song with a B-side unavailable in the US, you had to either special order it somewhere and pay through the nose, hope it was in the imports section of a record store (and still pay through the nose), or you had to trade cassettes or burned CDs and hope the other person didn't flake on you. The fact that she's saying "Don't go running to the import section yet, the single will be out on ____ record label on this date with this track listing" is WAY more info than we usually got from our official sources. All "Mary Martin" needed to do for exclusive content was take pictures of her sons on vacation. On one page she's absolutely dunking on Russell them in wry cut-and-paste captions and on another she is the perfect hype man, telling people shows at The Greek Theater are gonna sell out so get your tickets early (but hold your horses on travelling- they're working on Japanese dates for September so you may not need to fly to the US). The personal thank-yous! The CARE! *slams fist on table* If any other band had their mom as the head of their fan club it'd be the most contrived shit in the universe, a complete lie, or both. I fucking love these guys.

#sparks #sparks band #Like…even the seminal punk rock fanzine Slash was typeset #And Mary over here is taking care of business between games of canasta #be quiet an old hipster is speaking #i'm a part time sparks blog now

[dialovers-translations]

DIABOLIK LOVERS ZERO Animate Tokuten Drama CD “A Vampire’s Late Night Snack Terror” [Reiji ver.]

Original title: 夜更かしヴァンパイアの食テロ飯 [レイジ編]

Source: Diabolik Lovers ZERO Vol. 8 Animate Tokuten CD

Audio: Here

Seiyuu: Katsuyuki Konishi

Translator’s note: Honestly, Reiji deserves so much more respect than what he gets. Not only does this man get up early to get chores done because his other five brothers won’t do jack-shit, he even goes out of his way to do extra groceries and make a first-class breakfast for his girl. I feel like most of the other Diaboys could barely even toast a piece of bread without burning it lol. 

*Cling cling*

You enter the kitchen.

“...Hm? What is the matter? It is still too early to be getting up.” 

You ask him why he is up already.

“Unlike the other people at this home, I happen to have an extensive to-do list, so I must get started with all of my chores early, or else I will regret it afterwards. ーー More importantly, you mentioned something about not being able to sleep? If you are feeling unwell, I can get you some medicine.”

You explain.

“Do not tell me...You cannot sleep because of the hunger? How unfortunate...I cannot believe your stomach is growling despite getting three proper meals a day. You should know better.”

You apologize. 

“Well, I shall forgive you this once. I suppose it is partially my responsibility as well for not looking after you better. ーー I suppose it cannot be helped. We still have time before we have to leave to school, so I shall make you an early breakfast.”

You seem excited. 

“Yes. If you have any requests, go ahead. As you should be aware, I am quite confident in my own cooking abilities. No matter how complex or luxurious of a dish, I will prepare it to perfection. Well then, what is your order?”

You make your request.

“What did you...say just now?”

You repeat it.

“You are asking me to make...tamagogake-gohan, out of all things? You crack a raw egg (1) over the rice, add some soy sauce and you’re done. You want me to go out of my way to make something so simple?”

You ask him if he won’t make it. 

“No, I never said that I will not make it. ...Very well! I shall show you what a real plate of eggs over rice looks like!”

*Thud*

“In which case, we must first gathered the necessary ingredients. There is no time to lose! I shall call the limousine at once. Off we go!”

You seem surprised.

“What are you doing!? Come on, make haste!”

*TIMESKIP*

*Clatter clatter*

*Rustle*

“It is truly a blessing that there are stores which are still open in the middle of the night.”

You offer to pay for the parking fee since he has his hands full with the groceries.

“That would be a big help. This is the money. Here you go.”

 You ask Reiji what is inside the bags in his arms. 

“Excuse me? Can you not tell? They’re bags of rice. There’s high-quality rice inside.”

You seem surprised.

“You came along not even realizing why we took the car? Haah...You truly need to do something about how slow-witted you are. One cannot cook without the right ingredients, so we shall we going around to gather all of the necessary things. ーー The very best ones available!

Tamagogake-gohan consists of a perfectly balanced combination of eggs, soy sauce and rice with each ingredient being brought to its full potential. We cannot afford skimping on any of them. ...I happen to be a regular at this store, you see. The rice sold at this store has been selected by a rice connoisseur of which only a few exist in this country, so it is of the highest quality!”

You tilt your head to the side.

“You do not even know what a ‘rice connoisseur’ is...? Take should be common knowledge. Make sure to do your research afterwards, understood? Anyway, we are headed for the chicken farm next. I know it is quite late, but I am sure I can arrange something by using my connections.”

You frown.

“Why the hesitation? We are talking about the eggs which are the main star of the dish! I will not make any compromises!”

*Rustle*

“No more dawdling! Let’s go!”

*TIMESKIP*

The two of you return home.

*Thud*

“...Haah. That ended up taking more time than I anticipated.”

You admit being glad that you’re finally done. 

“What nonsense are you spouting? We finally gathered all necessary ingredients! If we’re ‘done’, why did we get these fresh ingredients in the first place? But we must make haste, or else the others will wake up.”

*Rustle*

“To the kitchen at once! We shall start cooking!”

The two of you go to the kitchen.

“We shall start by cooking the rice. I believe that I can skip over the instructions for this one.”

Reiji gets the rice cooker started. 

*Beep*

“Next we must choose which bowl to serve it in.”

You ask if that is important.

“Why of course. A high class meal is not only defined by the food itself. One must choose a plate which will truly bring the dish to life.” 

*Cling cling*

“Let me think...Usually I would go for something a little more ‘art nouveau’, but how about we use this bowl today? I am glad I decided to purchase this one for moments like this.”

You note that it is quite plain.

“What are you saying? A plain bowl is a fine piece of silverware as well! Just look at the gloss and pattern, simply marvelous!”

You raise one brow.

“Why are you giving me that look? I do understand that I might sound rather out-of-character right now, but look at it like this. I even went out of my way to buy a home-style takoyaki grill to hold a takoyaki party at home, so I must keep the name of the Sakamaki household high. ...More importantly, we should finish setting the table before the rice is done cooking. Well then, please lend me a hand.”

*TIMESKIP*

Reiji opens the rice cooker.

“It turned out rather nicely. The rice looks shiny and has the right amount of fluffiness to it. As to be expected of a dish made with a product from a true rice connoisseur!”

You point out that his glasses have fogged up. 

“Do not worry about my glasses being fogged up. It is only natural for this to happen when exposed to hot steam.”

*Cling cling*

“More importantly...Let us get started! ...Allow me to show you my skills! ーー I shall start by scooping the fluffy rice into the bowl. Rather than filling it to the brim, I will serve a moderate portion. This is the most elegant way to serve it. Then on top I will sprinkle some cod roe, dried seaweed and yuzu salt. ...It would be rather boring to stick to the basic recipe, no? This is my personal interpretation of the dish, do not worry. I can assure that it will taste sublime.”

He cracks an egg.

“Well then, last but not least we crack in a fresh, raw egg and pour some of this special soy sauce on top. ーー It is done. This is the Sakamaki household’s version of tamagogake-gohan!”

*Thud*

“Well then, here you go. Please dig in while it is hot.”

 You take a bite.

“How is it?”

You tell him that it’s delicious. 

“Why of course. It is a dish which was carefully crafted to bring out all of the aromas, flavors and textures to their fullest after all. The rich eggs and the deep flavor of the soy sauce go perfectly with the fluffy rice. However, right when you think that it might be a little blend and one-toned, the cod roe, seaweed and yuzu salt kick to add a new flavor profile so you never get tired of eating it. 

This is how tamagogake-gohan should be. Do you comprehend?”

You nod.

“Pleasing your palate is child’s play. ...Well then, usually I would go wake up the others around this hour, but I suppose we can postpone it a little for today.”

You ask Reiji if he will have breakfast as well.

“Yes, I figured this was a fine opportunity for me to enjoy a meal alongside you. You could say this is my award for all the hard work I put in. You do not mind, do you?”

He joins you at the table.

“Usually there is always someone making a fuss. I rarely ever get the chance to enjoy a meal in peace. In that regard, perhaps I should be grateful to you. However, make sure to warn me before you get peckish, okay?”

You nod.

“Very well. Let us dig in then.”

*Cling*

“...Mm. I suppose having a meal together with just the two of us like this is quite enjoyable every now and then.”

ーー THE END ーー

Translation notes

(1) Raw eggs are commonly consumed in Japan since the country has no history of salmonella being found in eggs. By cracking the egg on top of steaming-hot rice and instantly mixing it together, the heat from the rice will also slightly cook the egg, so it’s not 100% raw when you eat it. Still, the consistency of the dish is quite ‘goopy’ - for lack of a better word - so I understand why a lot of people (myself included) would not find it very appetizing. :p

#diabolik lovers #dialovers #reiji sakamaki #diabolik lovers zero #diabolik lovers translation #diabolik lovers drama cd #drama cd

[whumpsday]

Kane & Jim #52: Trust

Chronological masterlist / Writing order masterlist

content: kidnapping, rescue, comfort, vampire whumpee / caretaker / whumper, whumper turned whumpee turned caretaker, caretaker turned whumpee, begging, humans as livestock, mild classism?

Whumpmas in July Day 12: Search & Rescue

here it is! i've been trying to write this one since literally april, sorry it took so long. i imagine the present arc as divided into 3 parts.

this is the finale of part 1!

-

It had been six months since Jim brought him home, and Kane was fully on a human schedule. He'd gotten into human music as well, with Jim bringing home new CDs for him on a regular basis. He liked to listen to them before bed, after Jim had locked him back downstairs and the sun had set. He would take notes on the music, his hand no longer shaking with weakness. And when he was done and the basement he'd come to think of as home was silent again, he would drift off to sleep. Plagued often with nightmares, but he always knew that he'd wake up safe and unharmed.

A quiet, peaceful life. Kane got a shallow bowl of fresh blood each day, Jim never hurt him, and he had his own little space with possessions of both need and want. He didn't care that he was a prisoner, that the now-fixed door bolted shut each night, that he was made to wear chains upstairs, that he couldn't leave if he wanted to. He was safe. He was happy, something he never thought he would be again.

So it was all the more worrying when his quiet night was interrupted by the screech of tires and the sound of someone's frantic struggling with the front door.

Kane got up from his desk and went to bed immediately, wrapping himself up in his blanket as his mind raced with possibilities. The hunters, always his first fear. It made no sense, they'd handed him over to Jim willingly, but he couldn't stop picturing it. His tormentors coming to snatch him away from his new, peaceful life, where he didn't hurt anybody and nobody hurt him, bringing him back to that horrible place where there was only pain. He shuddered at the thought.

The front door clicked open upstairs, the right key finally inserted. "Jim!" Liz's familiar voice cried.

Kane allowed himself to relax, somewhat. Yes, a hunter, but one who he knew by now wouldn't hurt him without cause. He could never bring himself to feel fully comfortable around her, but she hadn't harmed him yet. And if he kept being good, maybe she wouldn't ever.

Jim's footsteps came quickly, and though Kane couldn't make out the exact words of their conversation after Liz's initial shout, he could tell it wasn't good. She was crying, he was pretty sure.

Kane slowly got out of bed, concerned. Something was wrong, that much was obvious, but he was locked in the basement, and there was nothing he could do. He crept over to the stairs, but didn't climb them, unwilling to get closer to the silver door.

"They took Laken!" Liz sobbed. "They're gone!"

Kane felt his heart drop into his stomach. There was only one thing Liz could have meant by that, only one they she could have been talking about. The relief he would always feel when one of the more sadistic hunters never came back, his gratitude that vampire hunting was such a dangerous job, come back twisted and cruel. The kindest hunter he'd ever met had been taken.

He imagined Laken, always sweet and friendly, Laken who fed him with their own blood as his birthday present, alone and scared and in pain. Shipped off to the blood farms, or kept as someone's personal blood source, their mind stolen from them over and over until persuasion erased their warm, loving personality entirely.

Tears sprung to his eyes at the thought. He couldn't breathe all of a sudden, Liz's sobs perfectly encapsulating his own roaring despair. His head fell into his hands as he cried along with her, sitting on the bottom step. Laken was gone, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Wasn't there?

Kane picked his tear-streaked face up as the gears started to turn. He stood and knocked on the wall, unable to touch the door itself. "Hello?"

"Kane, man, just- not right now, okay? Go back to bed," Jim called, voice choked up.

A direct order. Jim hardly ever gave those. Kane scurried obediently back to bed, listening to the humans cry.

It was only a few minutes before he got back up. He was defying orders, now. He hadn't defied orders in years, hadn't ever defied one of Jim's, not since coming here. His legs felt like gel, his hands shaking at the prospect. But he had to.

He knocked on the wall again. "Jim?" he asked, wincing preemptively.

The door flew open, revealing Liz: bleeding from a wound on her jaw, her eyes red and puffy from crying, glaring down at him with unrepentant disdain. Stakes and nasty silver weapons still hung from her belt.

"What? What could you possibly want?" she snapped, her voice breaking.

Kane took a few steps back, heart pounding as he stared at her weapons. He'd disobeyed, and now the hunter was angry with him. He knew all-too-well that hunters always got more sadistic after they'd lost one of their own to his kind.

"I- I'm sorry, never mind," he backtracked, cowering away from her.

Jim peered over from behind his sister, wiping his face. "Lizzie-"

Liz paid him no mind, stomping down the stairs. "What? What is so important right now?" she demanded through tears.

Kane felt sick with panic, his safe haven suddenly horribly unsafe. He'd been doing so well, and now it would all be over, pain introduced back into his life. He bumped back against the wall, no more space for him to put between himself and the hunter.

"No, no, please!" he begged, holding his hands up defensively. "I'm sorry! I'll stop, please don't hurt me!"

"Liz?" Jim came down after her, arms wrapped around himself, looking haunted.

She kept her attention squarely on Kane. "No. I want to know. What?"

He should just make something up, he really should.

But Laken.

"I had an idea." He drew out each word as if to stall, his voice barely above a whisper.

Liz's voice came deadpan, devoid of anything besides resentment. "An idea."

Kane couldn't bear to look at her. He looked past, at Jim. Jim who had never hurt him, who had assured him over and over again that he was safe here. "I could- if you allow it, I could go over and try to bring Laken back?" he squeaked.

Liz pounded her fist against the wall next to him, making Kane yelp and duck for cover. Jim winced at the sound.

"Are you fucking serious!?" she shouted, her features contorted with fury. "Now? You're using this to try and escape, now of all times? What, so you can go join the party and take a human too?"

He cowered on the floor, breaths coming quick, like he couldn't get enough air. He knew this would be a mistake. "N-no, that's not what I meant! I'm sorry!"

Jim approached slowly, stepping past his sister despite his apparent fear. "Kane, you can get up. It's okay," he said softly, eyes distant.

"It's not okay! Nothing is fucking okay!" Liz screamed. She kicked the desk hard, and both men flinched. She sobbed and kicked it again, shaking.

Jim uncurled his arms from himself. "Kane. Look at me."

Another direct order. Kane looked up.

He had never seen Jim so serious. "Do you really mean it?"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up, I really didn't mean anything bad by it, I'll-"

"Did you mean it?" Jim repeated. "You could get them back?"

Kane knew he should be begging for mercy right now. The last thing he should do was double down. But... it was Jim. Jim was safe.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I would need more information." He glanced briefly at Liz, still sobbing brokenly, before looking back to Jim. "I'd need at least a description of who took them. I'm sorry. Please- I was just trying to help." He wrung his hands anxiously. "I care about Laken, too."

Jim stared at him long and hard. "I've really tried to help you, you know that, right? Make life here not suck."

"I know." It was the one constant in Kane's new life. Even when he got scared and panicked, he knew Jim would make it better, help him calm down. "I would do anything to make it up to you. If you let me go- I would try my best to find them, and I'd come back either way. I'd go back down in the basement and you could still keep me here. I don't mind. I like it here. Please, I swear I'll come back." He stood up. "Please let me help."

Liz was paying attention again, but the fury had faded. "What's in it for you?"

"I just want to help." Kane had nothing more than that. He had no way to prove himself. All he had was his word, and given what he'd done, his hopes that they would believe it were slim.

The Liebermans shared a glance.

"I think he really means it," Jim offered.

Kane couldn't believe this was happening. Jim actually believed him.

Liz sighed wearily. "It was two of 'em. They were wearing the same clothes, like a uniform."

"Blood farms," Kane realized. That was good- it would be a lot easier to get them from one of those than someone's house, and there would be a lot fewer places to check. "I mean- a blood processing facility. I can find them. There's only so many of them nearby."

That broke her. For once, Liz looked at him with something other than poorly disguised hatred or the bare minimum of tolerance- she looked hopeful. "Please bring them back to me. I can't lose them," she pleaded.

It was surreal. A hunter had never begged him for anything before.

"I will," he promised. "Jim, could I borrow a suit?"

-

Kane was ready. Jim only had one suit, and it didn't fit him quite right: Jim was a few inches taller than him, and while Kane had made a lot of progress in the past five months, he still hadn't completely recovered from his years of starvation. But it would have to do. He looked more like his old self than he ever had, now.

He stepped into the front doorframe. He was outside, at night, fully fed and able to run. He'd never thought this would happen again.

"I'll see you soon. With Laken," he promised, determined. He put his hand forward.

Jim nodded. "Alright. You just- yeah." He shook Kane's hand, like they were making a deal, one Kane would be sure to honor. "Stay safe out there."

"I radioed base and let them know what's going on, so you shouldn't run into trouble with any hunters as long as you stay in our district on the way to the border," Liz added. "Straight shot."

The thought that every hunter in a 100-mile radius knew where he was and what he was doing was horrifying, but this meant he had permission. This was safer, he told himself. "Thank you."

And with that, he ran off into the night.

Kane hadn't run like this in years, hadn't even been physically able to until recently. There were no chains binding his ankles, not the hunters' cruel burning ones or Jim's soft padded ones. There was no weight of starvation sucking the muscle out of his body and the energy out of his stride. He ran faster and faster, and he would have laughed gleefully into the cool October air if he weren't so worried about Laken. Even the fact of being free brought fear- Jim wasn't here to protect him if something happened.

Despite his nerves, he crossed into vampire territory without issue. Like it was easy. Like it wasn't something that had been an unattainable fantasy just months ago.

It was only about two hours before he made his way to civilization. He slowed as he got to town, got to people- it was the middle of the night, and the streets were full of vampires, like him. He didn't have to hide. He didn't have to be afraid. He stopped for a few minutes and just watched, mesmerized. He hadn't seen more than Jim, Liz, and Laken since Jim rescued him, hadn't seen another vampire in so long-

"Doesn't that guy look like Kane de Sang?" a woman whispered to her friend, a hand shielding her mouth like that would prevent her from being heard.

"Stop reading tabloids. He's dead," her friend reminded her with a roll of her eyes.

Right. Father was a very public figure, his death must have made the news. He couldn't deal with this right now. He had to find Laken.

Kane hustled away. He almost went into a store to buy a map, before he remembered that he had no money. It was a strange feeling, not having any money, one he'd never experienced before. Technically he hadn't had any money since his capture, but he hadn't been in a position to buy anything either, so it hadn't come up. But now, he really could use some.

His bank accounts would be closed, of course. Not only did he have no money, he had no ID. He felt like one of those older vampires who complained that everything required paperwork these days, like Father.

That was one way he could solve things, he supposed. He could go home to Father. The thought of confronting him with the fact that he'd been held captive by humans all this time was unbelievably unappealing, but he would of course do it if that would help him save Laken. Though, his father would surely put a stop to any plans for him to take a human from the blood farms, no matter what excuse he used, naming it an embarrassment to the family. Nobles were supposed to catch their own prey, demonstrate their superiority.

But those women had mentioned a tabloid. That would mean his face was known, wouldn't it?

Kane ran a hand over his cheek, hardly even sunken anymore.

He was Kane de Sang. He just had to act like it.

-

It took him a while to find the closest blood farm, the one most likely to have Laken, but he found himself there eventually. He strutted in like he owned the place. Confident and assured, everything he used to be and wasn't anymore.

The blood processing facility was not a customer service establishment, and there was no obvious place to go to find someone to talk to. He approached a man carrying buckets of human food, foul-smelling as always. Cereal, he was able to recognize one as, after months of sitting with Jim as he ate his meals. The other contained some sort of organ meat he couldn't place, aside from the fact that it thankfully didn't smell human. Jim didn't eat meat anymore, said he'd stopped sometime after his escape.

"Excuse me, I need to speak to a manager?" His first words to another vampire in years.

The man eyed him up and down. "Yeah, place is too spread out for you business-types. They really should put some signs up. Follow me."

"Thank you." He definitely wasn't acting like his old self. The old Kane de Sang wasn't polite to commoners. But after years of having politeness drilled into him, it was hard to stop, and he saw no reason to.

The man took him to an office, Kane thanked him again, and it was over. He wanted to take the man's hands and weep, tell him how he was the first vampire he'd spoken to in years upon years, but he couldn't do that. He just watched him walk away to deliver the food to captive humans.

Right. Captive. Everyone in this place was keeping defenseless humans captive. They'd likely taken Laken, and even if they hadn't and Laken was at a different facility, they'd taken so many more.

He knocked on the office door twice before pushing it open. A normal office, an environment Kane was more familiar with.

"Hm?" An older man, clearly a manager, looked up from his desk.

"Ah, yes, I'd been told you're the manager? Kane de Sang," he introduced himself.

The manager raised an eyebrow. "Like the dead noble?"

"Like the living noble," Kane corrected. "I've been living off the grid, as they say."

The manager squinted at him, shock slowly dawning on his face. Perfect: he was recognizable enough to be believed. He wouldn't have to involve Father.

"I see. And what can I do for you, Mr. de Sang?"

"I believe a couple of your employees accidentally snatched up my escaped human." It was a lie that would have been completely unbelievable for anyone else except for him, given his lack of persuasion. "It wouldn't be hard to find mine, one with blue hair, just brought in earlier tonight?" It was possible that Laken could be at a different facility, but this one was so close to where they'd been captured that Kane was almost certain it was this one.

"I'm afraid I can't help you, Mr. de Sang," the manager said. "All of our humans are sourced directly from human territory. If you lost track of your human so much that it was willing to make it back there... well, a human belongs to whoever's taken it over the border."

There was no way a commoner would speak like that to any other noble besides him. The old anger rose up in him, like being back in vampire territory had allowed his old self to come crawling out of where Kane had buried him. He almost went to push away the bubbling rage, but...

He didn't need to anymore. He wasn't in danger. He was in vampire territory, and this man was keeping Laken away from him. Keeping Laken captive, hurt and scared-

Kane slammed his hand on the desk. "You will return my human at once!" he shouted.

He winced at his own outburst, visions of punishments flashing through his mind, eyes wild with fury and terror. Still, he did not stop. "Or I will do everything in my power to ruin you, through means legal or otherwise. I am not leaving without my human."

The manager seemed to mull over the idea before deciding that dealing with Kane was far more irritating than losing one human. He sighed, standing up. "Very well. Follow me."

Kane pulled his hand back, trembling. He should be punished for that. The hunters would have a field day with him if they knew how he'd acted out. Though, he doubted they'd care that he was disrespectful toward a fellow vampire.

"Yes, sir," he said on instinct.

The manager didn't seem to take it as unordinary, nodding and leading him to where the humans were stored. Kane followed along, bewildered it'd been that easy. They passed hundreds and hundreds of humans with dazed eyes and gone minds, packed into livestock pens. He was just glad they were too far-gone from persuasion exposure to feel anything at all.

Past that were closed rooms. Kane could hear someone shouting expletives behind one of the doors, like he had when he'd first been captured, and someone crying behind another, like him in all the years after. But he couldn't do anything about that: he had to focus on Laken.

"We keep the new captures in isolation," the manager explained, briefly peeking through small peepholes in the doors.

Kane remembered how Jim was when he first brought him home, a defiant teenager who hadn't yet learned fear. "That makes sense."

At last, the manager stopped in front of one of the doors, satisfied with what he'd seen through the peephole. "Blue hair, brand-new capture. This one was reported as a hunter, though, so probably not yours. I can-"

Kane practically leapt at the doorknob. "No, this one's mine! This is my human, you must be mistaken! Open the door!"

The manager sighed again, but obliged, unlocking it.

And there they were.

Laken sat huddled in the corner inside, just like Kane had been in his cell, stripped of their hunting tools. They were in bad shape: it was obvious they'd put up a fight before being taken. Their shirt was torn in a huge gash at the side, blood staining the edges, though Kane could smell that they weren't bleeding anymore. They clutched their arm to their chest defensively, like it was hurt, and looked up at him with fear in their eyes.

But he couldn't comfort them yet. "This is my human," he insisted.

"Kane?" Laken asked, voice drenched in fear and betrayal.

It broke his heart to see Laken so terrified. Of him, at that. They either didn't realize what his plan was, or... didn't think him morally capable of coming to their rescue, after everything they must have heard from Jim about what he'd been like in vampire territory.

"Huh. I guess this is your human. Up you get, then." The manager waved them over.

Laken slid up the wall and shuffled over, shaking.

Kane scooped them into his arms, careful to avoid aggravating their injuries. Laken was bigger than him, but far weaker, he realized. He was strong now. He'd been strong for a long time, ever since Jim started feeding him. He just felt so consistently vulnerable that it hadn't really sunk in until now.

Laken didn't resist, the fact of their helplessness equally obvious to them.

"Thank you," Kane told the manager, curt. He turned and hasted toward the exit, relieved it had gone so smoothly.

As soon as they got out, he opened his mouth to start explaining, but Laken beat him to it.

"Kane? Buddy?" Their voice was too strained to sound natural as they peered up at him with nervous eyes. "We're friends, right? Remember when we did your birthday together? Listen, if it's my blood, you can have some! That's fine! I just-"

Kane hugged them close. "I'm here to rescue you," he choked out, trying not to cry. "It's okay. You're safe now."

He felt Laken untense all at once. "Oh, thank fucking god. I totally thought..." They laughed giddily, wiping their tears away with their good arm, but more came anyway. "Dude, you're a lifesaver. Like, literally."

"I'm- I'm trying to be good. I want to be better." Not just well-behaved. Good.

"Well, you're being pretty damn good to me right now." Laken reclined in his arms. "Hey, how fast can you get going? Those assholes who took me were pretty fast, and they didn't even seem like they were trying all that hard. What's, like, the fastest you can get?"

Kane burst into a grin. "You want to find out?"

-

He could tell it wasn't as fast as he'd ever gone. Kane was still in the process of recovering all the muscle he'd lost during his captivity, and though his speed was still at least forty miles per hour if he had to guess, it wasn't top-level for a vampire. Still, Laken seemed impressed, so he took it as a win.

Liz was waiting on Jim's porch, Jim just inside, talking to her through the window. As soon as he set Laken down, they ran at Liz, but not as fast as she ran at them. They met in the middle with such force that Laken cried out in pain, but neither stopped, wrapping each other in a tight embrace.

"I thought you were gone!" Liz wept. "You were gone, they took you!"

Laken laughed, alight with joy. "Can't get rid of me that easy."

Jim opened the front door, and almost took a step out onto the porch, but hesitated, obviously frightened by the night's events.

Kane scampered up to him. "I came back. Just like I said," he reported, grinning.

"You really did. Huh." Jim stared at him like he'd never seen him before.

"And- and now you know. You know I'd always come back. And if anyone ever tried to take you, I'd bring you back, too. Just like how I saved Laken." Quieter, he added, "Just like how you saved me."

Jim smiled at that, finally finding the courage to step onto the porch. He nudged Kane's shoulder. "Right back at you."

Kane beamed. Jim had promised him he was safe from the hunters over and over, but it felt different this time. Not an attempted comfort during an episode of panic, but mutually-assured protection. There was something to it that felt stronger, more real. A bond.

"I'm gonna take Laken to the hospital!" Liz called back. "And hey, Kane? Thank you."

A thank-you from Liz was almost as precious as the fact that she was trusting him unrestrained, alone with Jim, at night. She still wore her hunting gear, but she felt less scary for once.

He nodded back at her. "Any time."

"See you guys!" Laken gave them finger-guns, punctuated with an "Ow," when they moved their injured arm wrong.

Liz laughed and helped them into her truck, leaving him alone with Jim.

"I'll go back in the basement," Kane promised. "Just like before. Nothing has to change."

Jim blinked with disbelief. "Are you kidding me? Kane, I'm not gonna keep you locked up anymore. I'm not saying I'd never be scared around you again, but... you're not a prisoner anymore."

Kane should feel happy about that, shouldn't he? That's what he'd wanted for so long, trapped in his cell back with the hunters.

Why did it make his stomach turn with dread?

"Um, I don't-"

"I mean, there's not enough time left before sunrise for you to get home tonight, especially if you wanna pack first. But you're not trapped in my basement anymore. You're free to go, man. You can head back home tomorrow night if you want."

Kane shuffled his feet awkwardly. "What if I... don't want?"

"Don't... want? You don't want to be free?" Jim asked, baffled.

Tears sprung to Kane's eyes. This was his home, the only home he'd known in years. "I don't want to leave," he whispered.

Jim exhaled a long breath, the smile dropping from his face. He was silent for a moment before taking Kane's hand. "Okay."

"Okay?" he sniffled, fingers curling around Jim's.

"Okay, you can stay. Long as you keep your promise and protect me. Plus you gotta get your own blood now. And I guess-" Jim chuckled, shaking his head. "I guess we can figure it out as we go."

"I can still wear the chains," Kane offered. "So you feel safe."

"Man, fuck the chains." Jim led him inside, kicking the door closed behind him.

Kane went back down to his basement, tucking himself into bed. As the sun crested over the horizon, he fell asleep behind an unlocked, open door.

-

thank you all for coming with me on 50+ chapters of this journey so far :) i hope you guys like present arc part 2 just as much as you liked part 1! we've got some fun stuff coming up! i know a lot of you have been asking after two things in particular, a kane/bellamy reunion and kane reading jim's book. both of those will be in present arc part 2! as well as a bunch of other fun stuff :)

tune in on saturday for some non-K&J vampire shenanigans, and more K&J (jim recovery arc) on the following tuesday. present arc part 2 will start in august.

taglist in reblog, as usual.

event: @whumpmasinjuly

#kane and jim #whump #whumpmasinjuly2023 #wij23day12 #my writing #vampire whumpee #vampire caretaker #vampire whumper #whumper turned whumpee #whumpee turned caretaker #whumper turned caretaker #rescue #comfort #kidnapping #vampire whump #search and rescue #begging #caretaker turned whumpee #perceived betrayal #whump writing