#死/// Survivor's Nightmare.

[inun4ki]

@ratiosalaryman / continued from xx

Kaede doesn't say much, uncertain as to how he should address the other sorcerer with anything other than a scowl, or the canned nonsense he'd usually deliver. Fingers had remained tightly wrapped around the handle, knuckles turning white as cursed energy slowly thinned and dispersed, until its cold, tingling influence had dulled to a faint buzz.

It was too close for his liking, that the blond leaning on him for support should have come to harm. Cornflower gaze rakes over the wound spanning the length of the man's thigh, slacks in bloody tatters with torn muscle to highlight the damage done to his body. Instinctively, an arm hooks around the sorcerer's waist in an attempt to lend more support, carefully guiding him to a sitting position on the pavement, seemingly sharing the thought to use his reverse cursed technique.

"You're not going to like it," he rasps, half-gloved hand releasing the handle of his accursed blade if only to hover over the gash, gaze flitting between greenish glass and wet crimson. It required a certain level of direct contact that would make anyone's stomach churn - Kaede could withstand it, but he'd long since grown numb to it over the years. The same could not be said for the likes of this sorcerer, whom he neither knew by name nor face. "Grit your teeth and bear it, and the pain will subside."

Without waiting for the go ahead, nimble fingers began to carefully pry apart the bits of ripped fabric, intent upon clearing it of any debris before cursed energy would once against swarm him. A slight jitter to his touch, then, but he didn't linger, glancing upward into hardened features so beaded with sweat. It was as natural to him as breathing, this.

"I'll be quick."

Soft, opposite to his stony demeanor - an attempt to offer comfort before a sharp moment of pain. Radiant warmth grew within him, spreading through him like a tangled web of sunlight until at last manifesting beneath his fingertips, and without warning, maintaining eye contact, he clapped his hands around the bleeding laceration, fingers splaying over torn flesh with a few digging in. But that warmth he possessed spread further, sparking among nerves and capillaries, muscle and ligaments, reattaching what'd been severed, closing what'd been opened. He could see the tight clench in the sorcerer's jaw, the agony flashing across his face, but in a few scant moments, following a breathless sigh, the pain would fade in waves, steadily dulling to a negligable low roar. Bubbling tissue pushed his fingers out and webbed between the tears, all at once sealing the gash with a large scab. He couldn't prevent it from scarring. All the same, the flow of cursed energy ought to have been corrected in the meantime, as the severity of his injury significantly decreased.

Withdrawing his hands, Kaede remained still, crouched and leaning an elbow on his knee, chin nestled into his palm. He'd let it slide until the immediate issue had been dealt with, quite happy to ignore the elephant in the room - that is to say, that this man knew of him somehow, but he didn't know this man. Obviously a jujutsu sorcerer, but who? Much as he'd have liked to address it, however...

"Rest, for now, and try not to move much. Give yourself a few minutes," he soothes, hesitating yet offering a hand on his shoulder to drive it home, firm and grounding. "You don't want that to reopen. It'll be just as messy and painful as the second you were injured in the first place, and I'm not sure I can carry you to the nearest hospital, even though it would be faster than calling a ride."

He pats the man's shoulder, now seeing his opportunity, and narrowed his eyes.

"What's your name? You know me by mine, but I don't know you." It doesn't help that Kaede has rarely set foot in Tokyo for the last several years, and it helps even less that his clan has something of a reputation - positive and negative. Ah, well... This wasn't about him anyway. His hand falls away from the man's shoulder, the chilly breeze picking up kept at bay by white silk.

[pulsar-the-northstar]

Grief as concept in The Gazette's 'Dark Age' - Part 3

Part 1

Part 2

The last three songs from Dark Age represent the fifth stage of the Kübler-Ross and Wright model—acceptance, or as Wright puts it, “the upward turn". This is apparent in the pace and melody of the songs: they revisit previously introduced themes and keywords, but with altered emphasis and arrangement, sometimes changing their significance.

DEUX already starts with a very powerful opening line: 答えは絶望の淵で 不可逆 夢落ち願う, "the answer is irreversibly in the abyss of despair, I wish this were just a bad dream". Grief has entered the "consolidation" phase, and everything that seemed uncontrollable (death) slowly gives way to controlled remembrance. The intensity of physical and mental symptoms of grief decreases, yet an unforeseen circumstance or trigger can still draw the mourner back into emotions they thought they had already dealt with.

This is exactly what happens to the narrator of DEUX: although they would like to wake up from the dream of their life burdened with loss into a happy reality, the opposite happens: they dream of the deceased, then wake up from it (You're my enemy / 逆夢喰らい示す, "you're my enemy / as you tantalize with false dreams"). The lyrics here include the word 逆夢 (sakayume), translated as “reverse dream”, appears in our culture: it's a folk belief that dreaming of someone's death means they will live a long life.

Therefore, the person who appears living in the reversed dream is dead in reality and does not let the living person rest (寡黙と眠る夜が怖いのは誰の所為？, "whose fault is it that the silent night and sleep are frightening?"), the mourner endeavors to navigate through the altered circumstances (行き場断たれ迷い 自我境界破れて 心が壊れてしまった, "I've lost my way, the boundaries of my personality have been torn apart, my heart is broken"), and there is a faint, cautious desire for the shared past to continue in a transformed shared future (君と僕は 底無しの闇に朽ちる - "you and I rot in bottomless darkness", 後は踏み出すだけ/ もう迷わない – "there's nothing left, I have to take a step forward / I can't hesitate anymore").

The second to last song, the slow, the slow, nearly lullaby-esque OMINOUS, reintroduces the notion familiar from DEUX, the "reverse dream": the mourner seeks to drift back into slumber ("Sleep...Count me down...Again") to meet the person they lost (さぁ目を閉じて/ 向かおう – "and (as) I close my eyes / I turn towards you"). However, the deceased person in the dream is restless, struggling with nightmares (悪夢と舞う君を見る – "I see you dancing with nightmares"), and n this instance, it's the mourner attempting to soothe the deceased (忘れないで / 心は死なない / 忘れないで / そう 夢は逆夢, "don't forget / the heart is immortal / don't forget / dreams sometimes lie"), almost implying: don't worry about me, your nightmares about me are not real, I will be fine now, rest peacefully.

The conversation with the departed and their reassurance that life can evolve in a different manner isn't yet tangible reality; it's more of a self-encouragement. The pain and loneliness caused by grief are still part of the present, the constant change—the constant cycle of life and death (流転, ruten)—is conceivable to the mind but not to the heart. The last verse beautifully expresses the pain that, despite the realization, remains in the survivor's soul like a constant, dull presence: 形無き明日を奪う 踏み出す度 / 翳る空で何も見ない / 悲しみに自分を殺し叫ぶ声は / 何も救えない – "every time I take a step forward (to the constant change) it steals the formless tomorrow / I see nothing in the dark sky / I kill myself with loneliness and shout in sadness / but no one can save me".

The final song of Dark Age, also its magnum opus, UNDYING, begins with the same themes with which OMINOUS ended: loneliness, insomnia, and hopelessness ("Sleep, count me down, again / I won't arise from this", 残された唯一 禍いと廻る未来 – "the only thing left, spreading misfortune"). However, as much as it seems like grief has pushed the mourner back to square one, and everything starts anew, the use of the term "Undying" already show signs of a later stage of oscillation. The apparent setbacks or emotions re-emerging due to external influences, as painful as they may be, are just as natural. In the final moments of wakefulness, the mourner seeks the building blocks of their new identity ("不透明な事実指し 何を信じ 何願う – "pointing to uncertain facts, what can I believe, what can I hope for?"), when the dream weighs upon their eyes, and in the countdown, all essential conflicts of grief appear:

After confronting each of the thoughts that appear one after another or simultaneously in the grieving process, each reinforced by the other, in a continuous feedback loop, the mourner remembers the refrain of DOGMA ("I deny all of it"), then the refrain of OMINOUS, but in a new context: “Sleep, count me down 死と踊り” ("dancing with death") / “Count me down, again さぁ終われ” ("come on, let's finish this"), and poses the question: "Have I changed?" (俺は変われたか？)

Indeed, something has changed as the experience of loss has become part of the identity, and this consolidation is reflected in the final lines of the lyrics: 終わりを見ても / 許されぬ願いに夢を見た / この眼は今もまだ / 今もまだ, "even if I see the end / I dreamed of unforgivable hopes / and these eyes still see / even now." The unforgivable desires (wishes, prayers) peak in the two English lines of the song: "Life, don’t change my fate / God, entomb my hate", and despite how ominous these words may seem, they still inspire hope.

The concept of fate in regard of grief was introduced by INCUBUS. The desire for life not to overshadow our destiny —shaped by the life of the departed, their absence, and their continued existence within us —describes the state where the bond with the deceased is redefined. Their absence has become part of life, thus forming a kind of constant, eternal, unchangeable (undying?) presence.

Our second plea to God (with whom our relationship throughout Dark Age has been turbulent, as we've only clashed with him) is a prayer seeking the divine to lay to rest our "hate" (our anger), allowing us to bury all negative emotions aimed at others and ourselves, emotions that only tear down rather than construct. These lines express the yearning for rebuilding, hope, and ultimately, the acceptance of reality.

Final thoughts

It doesn't necessarily imply from the above that grief, as both an event in life and a personal encounter, has been fully dealt with, despite the melodies and lyrics of the subsequent albums, NINTH and MASS, signifying a more positive phase.

What I consider crucial to emphasize, not strictly tied to the examination of Dark Age, is directly linked to the positive phase of grief, known as the consolidation phase: while losses cannot be reversed, one can shape a self-image, a narrative that incorporates the loss into the mourner's identity.

There isn't a definitive "right" or "wrong" way to grieve – grief, as mentioned earlier, is a natural, almost instinctive reaction we have to loss. The mourner inherently understands their needs: whether it's solitude and seclusion, or perhaps companionship, community. Perhaps the only "incorrect" approach to grieving is when the oscillacion process is impeded: if the person who suffered the loss remains fixated solely on it’s negative effects (unable to let go of the deceased and the mourning state, becoming engulfed, unwilling to feel anything but sorrow), or exclusively focuses on restoration (organizing their life, forcefully moving forward, rejecting the memory of the deceased and their connection, merely striving to feel "fine" again).

The compositions of Dark Age can be aligned with both the phased, gradual grief theories and the dual-process model. As dark and distressing as they might seem, these songs actually demonstrate a healthy, evolving grief that eventually leads us out of the darkness.

I trust that those who listen to the melodies of Shikkoku discover solace within them and uncover the concealed, encrypted message: that before dawn, the darkest hour arrives, but from these bleak times (Dark Age), the hope we have lost returns (Blinding Hope, Last Song) and eventually guides us back to the light ("Come back to the light").

Disclaimer

I want to emphasize that I am not an expert in the field of grief, nor am I a therapist or a certified grief counselor (at least not yet). This analysis serves as an overview of how The Gazette's Dogma-era represents grief, and its purpose is to hopefully provide solace to readers by offering support and reassurance that whatever emotions they may be experiencing are entirely normal. It's important to note that the original essay was written in my native language, and while I've used machine translation and AI correction to translate it as close to the original as I can, my proficiency in English may not be perfect (far far away from perfect). If you're interested, I can provide a link to the original essay on my private blog.

Any suggestions, corrections, comments are welcome.

[egoismt]

【SPN 筆記】 Castiel’s related episodes 出場一覽

分享個人為了重看及找片方便而做的筆記，供有需要的朋友們參考 ^^ Ps. 配合原劇官方設定，Castiel 的暱稱記為 Cass，請見諒 Orz

Castiel's Appearances

Season 3

306：Red Sky at Morning (mentioned by Sam in a spell)

Season 4

401：Lazarus Rising (Cass 首次出場)

402：Are You There, God? It's Me, Dean Winchester (Cass 要 Dean 更尊重他)

403：In The Beginning (Cass 送 Dean 回1973)

404：Metamorphosis (mentioned only)

407：It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester (Cass 帶 Uriel 準備淨化小鎮，與 Dean 公園談話)

409：I Know What You Did Last Summer (Cass 和 Uriel 追捕 Anna)

410：Heaven and Hell (Cass 和 Uriel Anna 對抗 Alastair)

415：Death Takes A Holiday (Cass 說 Dean 是特別的而破例)

416：On The Head Of A Pin (Cass 和 Uriel 要 Dean 拷問 Alastair，和 Anna 交談求指引)

417：It's A Terrible Life (mentioned only)

418：The Monster at the End of This Book (Cass 告知 Dean 說 Chuck 是先知受保護)

419：Jump the Shark (mentioned only)

420：The Rapture (Cass 容器 Jimmy 的故事)

421：When the Levee Breaks (Cass 讓 Dean 宣示效忠天堂以救 Sam，讓 Anna 被捉)

422：Lucifer Rising (Cass 為放走 Dean 而抗命墮天)

Season 5

501：Sympathy for the Devil (Cass 復活救 Dean 反抗 Zachariah，打鬥戲)

502：Good God, Y'all (Cass 告知兄弟要去找 God)

503：Free To Be You and Me (Cass 和 Dean 扮 FBI 找拉斐爾/上妓院)

504：The End (Cass 2014版)

506：I Believe the Children Are Our Future (Cass 被變成公仔)

508：Changing Channels (兄弟穿越節目，Cass 首抗 Gabriel)

510：Abandon All Hope... (Cass 首見 Crowley Meg 及 Lucifer)

513：The Song Remains the Same (Cass 送兄弟回1978而重傷)

514：My Bloody Valentine (Cass 與兄弟對抗饑荒騎士)

516：Dark Side of the Moon (Cass 要兄弟在天堂找 Joshua 問上帝下落)

517：99 Problems (Cass 喝醉，對抗巴比倫淫婦而受傷)

518：Point of No Return (Cass 在林中打敗天使救 Adam，痛扁要說 yes 的 Dean 並捨身驅逐天使們)

521：Two Minutes to Midnight (Cass 因傷進醫院，對抗瘟疫騎士，首次用槍)

522：Swan Song (Cass 睡在 baby 後座，首發 assbutt，二度復活)

Season 6

601：Exile on Main Street (mentioned only)

603：The Third Man (Cass 說與 Dean 羈絆更深，首見 Balthazar)

606：You Can't Handle The Truth (Cass 兩秒內搜完全城找真理號角)

607：Family Matters (Cass 測出 Sam 沒了靈魂，說真身跟大樓一樣大)

610：Caged Heat (Cass 看A片，吻 Meg，燒 Crowley 骨頭)

612：Like A Virgin (Cass 說碰 Sam 靈魂的感覺像被活剝，想抱 Sam 被拒)

615：The French Mistake (兄弟穿越片場遇見 Misha 扮的Cass)

617：My Heart Will Go On (Cass 對抗命運女神，鐵達尼號)

618：Frontierland (Cass 送兄弟回1861西部取灰，被部下刺傷)

619：Mommy Dearest (Cass 與Bobby 兄弟對抗 Eve，兄弟起疑)

620：The Man Who Would Be King (Cass 自敘與 Crowley 合作經過)

621：Let It Bleed (Cass 救 Lisa，兄弟策反 Balthazar)

622：The Man Who Knew Too Much (Cass 殺了 Balthazar，變成新上帝)

Season 7

701：Meet the New Boss (Cass 當新上帝，肉體逐漸崩壞，返魂給煉獄)

702：Hello, Cruel World (Cass 被利維坦佔據而投湖)

705：Shut Up, Dr. Phil (seen in Dean's nightmare)

717：The Born-Again Identity (Cass 失憶，後救 Sam 而瘋)

718：Party On, Garth (mentioned only)

721：Reading Is Fundamental (Cass 因惡魔石碑而醒，Meg 殺天使救 Cass)

722：There Will Be Blood (mentioned only)

723：Survival of the Fittest (Cass 想給 Crowley 蜂蜜，與 Dean 合作殺利維坦 Dick 後一起落入煉獄)

Season 8

801：We Need to Talk About Kevin (mentioned only)

802：What's Up, Tiger Mommy? (seen in Dean's flashbacks of Purgatory，Cass 與 Dean 煉獄重逢)

805：Blood Brother (seen in Dean's flashbacks of Purgatory，煉獄逃亡)

806：Southern Comfort (mentioned only)

807：A Little Slice of Kevin (Cass 被救離煉獄，與 Dean 救 Kevin，首見 Naomi)

808：Hunteri Heroici (Cass 想當獵人，與 Sam 救讓動畫效果成真的老人)

810：Torn and Frayed (Cass 與兄弟救小天使後殺之，隱約記起被洗腦片段，流血淚)

813：Everybody Hates Hitler (mentioned only)

816：Remember the Titans (mentioned only，Dean 祈禱求 Cass 關照 Sam)

817：Goodbye Stranger (Cass 因洗腦暴打 Dean，後清醒帶走天使石碑)

818：Freaks and Geeks (mentioned only)

820：Pac-Man Fever (mentioned only)

821：The Great Escapist (Crowley 挖 Cass 腹部奪走天使石碑)

822：Clip Show (Cass 商店購物遇 Metatron)

823：Sacrifice ( "ET回家了"，Cass 被 Metatron 奪走 grace，天使們集體墜落)

Season 9

901：I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here (Cass 人類生活第一天，殺女天使，進洗衣店換衣服)

902：Devil May Care (mentioned only)

903：I'm No Angel (流浪的 Cass 被女死神 April 折磨，被逐出地堡)

904：Slumber Party (mentioned only)

906：Heaven Can't Wait (Cass 當便利店員，幫顧小孩，與 Dean 對抗仁慈天使)

909：Holy Terror (Cass 查案重遇兄弟一起去喝酒，第一次學人類祈禱，被抓被折磨後殺天使奪取 grace)

910：Road Trip (Cass Dean Crowley 聯手驅逐佔據 Sam 的 Gadreel)

911：First Born (Cass 抽 grace 救 Sam，兩人擁抱)

914：Captives (Cass 殺天使戰友 Bartholomew)

918：Meta Fiction (Cass 被 Metatron 綁架，開始有追隨者)

920：Bloodlines (mentioned only)

921：King of the Damned (Cass 成為天使群指揮官，策反 Gadreel 對抗 Metatron )

922：Stairway to Heaven (Cass 為 Dean 放棄天使軍隊)

923：Do You Believe In Miracles? (Cass 救 Gadreel 變弱，設計捕獲 Metatron)

Ps. Misha direct 917：Mother's Little Helper

Season 10

1001：Black (變弱的 Cass 與 Hannah 追逃亡天使)

1002：Reichenbach (Cass 與 Hannah 車禍，天使睡顏)

1003：Soul Survivor (Crowley 殺天使奪 grace 救 Cass，Cass 讓惡魔 Dean 變回人類，Jensen direct)

1007：Girls, Girls, Girls (Hannah 裸戲/吻 Cass )

1009：The Things We Left Behind (Cass 首見長大的 Jimmy 女兒 Claire，Dean 與溫柔眼神的 Cass 在漢堡店交談)

1010：The Hunter Games (Cass 彌補與 Claire 的關係，從天堂借 Metatron 想救 Dean 但無效)

1011：There's No Place Like Home (mentioned only)

1013：Halt & Catch Fire (mentioned only)

1014：The Executioner's Song (Cass Crowley 與兄弟合作殺該隱)

1017：Inside Man (Cass 與 Sam 透過通靈 Bobby 從天堂劫走 Metatron)

1018：Book of the Damned (Cass 與 Metatron 同行，找回 grace)

1019：The Werther Project (mentioned only)

1020：Angel Heart (Cass 與兄弟帶 Claire 找媽媽)

1021：Dark Dynasty (Cass 顧 Charlie 與 Rowena)

1022：The Prisoner (Cass 被該隱之印影響的 Dean 痛打)

1023：Brother's Keeper (Cass 召喚 Crowley 幫忙 Rowena 破詛咒救 Dean，中瘋狗咒)

Season 11

1101：Out of the Darkness, Into the Fire (中瘋狗咒的 Cass 逃離農莊，被天使們囚禁)

1102：Form and Void (中瘋狗咒的 Cass 被天使們拷問)

1103：The Bad Seed (中瘋狗咒的 Cass 癲癇發作及解咒，Jensen direct)

1104：Baby (Cass 電話匯報查案資料，voice only)

1105：Thin Lizzie (mentioned only)

1106：Our Little World (Cass 宅在家及痛扁 Metatron 問 Darkness 的事)

1107：Plush (mentioned only)

1110：The Devil in the Details (Cass 首見 Darkness/被 Lucifer 附身)

1111：Into the Mystic (路西卡公園散步及與 Dean 談 Darkness)

1112：Don't You Forget About Me (mentioned only)

1114：The Vessel (路西卡送 Dean 回潛艇/攻擊 Sam 及 Dean)

1115：Beyond the Mat (路西卡在地獄虐 Crowley)

1116：Safe House (mentioned only)

1118：Hell's Angel (路西卡進天堂，Crowley Rowena 與兄弟聯手施咒想驅逐 Cass 體內的 Lucifer)

1119：The Chitters (mentioned only)

1120：Don't Call Me Shurley (mentioned only)

1121：All in the Family (Darkness 虐路西卡，後被兄弟及上帝救走)

1122：We Happy Few (路西卡與上帝談話，組成聯軍攻擊 Darkness 但失敗)

1123：Alpha and Omega (Dean 說 Cass 是最好的朋友，Cass 告別身負靈魂炸彈的 Dean)

Season 12

1201：Keep Calm and Carry On (Cass 與 Dean Mary 重逢，去找被英國記錄者綁架的 Sam，但在路上被暴打)

1202：Mamma Mia (Cass 一行救回 Sam)

1203：The Foundry (Cass 與 Crowley 追查 Lucifer 下落)

1204：American Nightmare (mentioned only)

1207：Rock Never Dies (Cass Crowley 與兄弟阻止搖滾明星 Lucifer)

1208：LOTUS (Cass 一行追查懷孕的 Kelly 及附身總統的 Lucifer)

1209：First Blood (Cass 與 Mary 救回入獄的兄弟，殺死死神)

1210：Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets (Cass 與天使戰友們對抗從過去來為女兒復仇的 Lily)

1211：Regarding Dean (mentioned only)

1212：Stuck in the Middle (With You) (Cass 被米迦勒之矛重傷)

1213：Family Feud (mentioned only)

1214：The Raid (mentioned only)

1215：Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell (Cass 秀顛倒的 FBI 章追查 Kelly)

1217：The British Invasion (voice and mentioned only)

1218：The Memory Remains (voice and mentioned only)

1219：The Future (Cass 接受 Dean 的錄音帶，與 Kelly 聯手殺了 Dagon 後離開)

1220：Twigs & Twine & Tasha Banes (mentioned only)

1221：There's Something About Mary (mentioned only)

1222：Who We Are (mentioned only)

1223：All Along the Watchtower (Cass 吻 Kelly 頭，與兄弟穿越天啟世界，被 Lucifer 所殺)

Season 13

1301：Lost & Found (Dean 火化 Cass 的遺體)

1302：The Rising Son (mentioned only)

1303：Patience (虛無中的 Cass 被 Jack 喚醒)

1304：The Big Empty (Cass 在虛無中對抗宇宙版 Cass，後復活)

1305：Advanced Thanatology (Cass 片尾與兄弟重逢)

1306：Tombstone (Cass 首見 Jack，與 Dean 扮德州騎警查案)

1307：War of the Worlds (Lucifer 在天堂入口救 Cass，後一起被惡魔抓走)

1308：The Scorpion and The Frog (mentioned only)

1309：The Bad Place (mentioned only)

1311：Breakdown (mentioned only)

1312：Various & Sundry Villains (Cass 與 Lucifer 逃獄相殺)

1313：Devil's Bargain (Cass 與兄弟追查在天使幫助下前往天堂稱王的 Lucifer)

1314：Good Intentions (Cass 與 Dean 對抗古戰士，拷問先知多納太羅)

1315：A Most Holy Man (mentioned only)

1316：Scoobynatural (Cass 與兄弟化成史酷比人物)

1318：Bring 'em Back Alive (Cass 與 Sam 救回精神受創的 Gabriel)

1319：Funeralia (Cass 發現天使人手不足，天堂戒嚴)

1320：Unfinished Business (mentioned only)

1321：Beat the Devil (Sam 夢到溫家聚餐，Cass 一行抓到 Lucifer 並前往天啟世界救人)

1322：Exodus (Cass 一行逃離天啟世界)

1323：Let the Good Times Roll (Cass 一行與米迦丁殺死 Lucifer)

Season 14

1401：Stranger in a Strange Land (Cass 為找 Dean 被酒吧惡魔們俘虜)

1402：Gods and Monsters (Cass 與失去能力的 Jack 和 Lucifer 肉身 Nick 對談)

1403：The Scar (Cass 與 Dean 重逢，與 Jack 救中了衰老咒的女孩)

1404：Mint Condition (mentioned only)

1405：Nightmare Logic (mentioned only)

1407：Unhuman Nature (Cass 與兄弟照顧衰弱的 Jack)

1408：Byzantium (Cass 與兄弟在 Jack 死後共飲，去天堂找 Jack，與 Empty 協議)

1409：The Spear (Cass 一行追查 AU 凱雅的長矛以對抗米迦勒)

1410：Nihilism (Cass 與 Sam 進 Dean 的意識以囚禁米迦勒)

1411：Damaged Goods (mentioned only)

1412：Prophet and Loss (Cass 扮醫生救多納太羅)

1413：Lebanon (Zachariah 與 Cass 對抗擾亂時間的兄弟)

1414：Ouroboros (Jack 救中了蛇精毒的 Cass，燒光附身 Rowena 的米迦勒)

1415：Peace of Mind (Cass 與 Sam 到復古奶昔店查案)

1416：Don't Go In The Woods (mentioned only)

1417：Game Night (Cass 與女天使 Anael 找 God 以幫 Jack 重置靈魂)

1418：Absence (Cass 去天堂找被 Jack 誤殺的 Mary)

1419：Jack in the Box (Cass 殺了控制 Jack 的天使 Duma，怪兄弟將 Jack 關入馬拉克之棺)

1420：Moriah (Cass 找回上帝，Jack 被上帝所殺)

Season 15

1501：Back and to the Future (Cass 用獵槍與兄弟對抗小鎮僵屍/鬼魂們)

1502：Raising Hell (Cass Rowena Ketch 與兄弟對抗小鎮鬼魂們)

1503：The Rupture (Cass 燒了附身 Jack 的惡魔，與 Dean 決裂)

1504：Atomic Monsters (mentioned only)

1505：Proverbs 17:3 (Sam 簡訊關心 Cass 近況，mentioned only)

1506：Golden Time (Cass 準備釣魚散心，獨立查獲失蹤少年，殺灯靈)

1507：Last Call (Cass 用人質威脅英國巫醫救 Sam)

1508：Our Father, Who Aren't in Heaven (Rowena 勸和 Destiel，Cass 說服米迦勒提供能囚禁上帝的咒語)

1509：The Trap (Cass 和 Dean 二度去煉獄，Dean 流淚向 Cass 祈禱說內心話，兩人和好)

1510：The Heroes' Journey (mentioned only，Garth 的 baby Cass 看 Dean 眼神不一般)

1511：The Gamblers (Cass 殺壞天使救回 Jack，Team Free Will 團圓)

1512：Galaxy Brain (Cass 和 Dean 對飲，和 Jack 玩桌遊，和 Jody 互動)

1513：Destiny's Child (Cass 假死去 Empty 找 Ruby 問線索，跟 Dean 有老夫妻式互動)

1514：Last Holiday (mentioned only)

1515：Gimme Shelter (Cass 跟 Jack 合作查案，得知 Jack 打算自爆殺上帝)

1516：Drag Me Away (From You) (mentioned only，Cass 發簡訊問 Dean 是否已將 Jack 的事告知 Sam)

1517：Unity (為救 Jack，Cass 跟 Sam 合作找到 Death 的圖書館，了解 Death 的企圖)

1518：Despair (Cass 為救 Dean，含淚告白後被 Empty 帶走)

1519：Inherit the Earth (Cass 僅出現在假電話及回憶片段剪輯中)

1520：Carry On (mentioned only，Cass 被 Jack 復活，幫 Jack 改造天堂)

Ghostfacers (Cass 按小說找 Ghostfacers，special webisode)

A Very Special Supernatural Special (archive footage)

Supernatural: Heart of the Dragon (non-canon)

Supernatural: The Unholy Cause (non-canon)

Supernatural: War of the Sons (non-canon)

Supernatural: Cold Fire (non-canon)

Supernatural: The Men of Letters Bestiary: Winchester Family Edition (non-canon, mentioned only)

[plant-42]

PLANT-42 PRESENTS: Gun Survivor 2 BIOHAZARD CODE: Veronica Composer: Makoto Iida, Takeshi Miura, Hijiri Anze, Sanae Kasahara System: Arcade, PS2 Year: 2001 Tracks: 19 Format: MP3 (224-320 kbps)

Tracklist:

ATTRACT

“You’re No Monster” |「 ....化け物じゃなさそうだな」

Stage 1 Prison: Escape | STAGE 1 PRISON: 脱出

The Warden’s Pet: Neticia | 刑務所長のペット「ネティシア 」

Stage 2 Official Residence: Stray | STAGE 2 OFFICIAL RESIDENCE: 迷走

Discovering Nemesis | ネメシス発見

The Pursuer Nemesis | 追跡者ネメシス 

The Sweeper’s Scream | スウィーパーの悲鳴

Stage 3 Training Camp: Anxiety  | STAGE 3 TRAINING CAMP: 不安*

Discovering Nosferatu | ノスフェラトゥ発見*

Stage 4 Private Residence: Frustration | STAGE 4 PRIVATE RESIDENCE: 焦燥

Alexia Appears | アレクシア現れる

Alexia’s Metamorphosis | アレクシア変身

Monster Battle | 化け物戦

Stage 5 Airport: Death Siege | STAGE 5 AIRPORT: 死闘

Tyrant Battle | タイラント戦*

A New Dawn | 朝焼け 

Staff Roll | スタッフ・ロール

RESULT

                                 * Denotes reissued track from CODE: Veronica

Full Album Download [x] - 60MB 

This release wasn’t possible without @terrorgrigia, who supplied the original disc rips from the PS2 version; I’ve simply mastered them by looping them, or combining multiple tracks to create full songs and time synched them to how they load on the arcade version of the game, along with setting names for them based on the stages/monsters in the game. Thank you, plant mom!

Gun Survivor 2 is a mixed bag for so many people: in the west it’s either mostly unknown due to a single non-Japanese release being only in the PAL market or it’s outright hated/mocked for being silly, while in Japan it’s remembered as a fun game as you relive Claire’s own nightmares from the Rockfort-Antarctic incident. 

What I do know for sure is: it’s got a pretty awesome soundtrack. 

Most tracks for the arcade release were original compositions, with a tiny handful of tracks having stingers/jingles from the original CV, or being from CV itself. The PS2 version reused a lot more of CV’s original soundtrack for EX games such as Roach Mode, and given they are unaltered I’ve left them out of this release, focusing more on the arcade soundtrack pathing for a full playthrough experience. 

[kazuyoshi1000]

『 TIME基本重要単語 ３０２ 』 ■４つのカテゴリー　1. 事件・犯罪・裁判 2. 戦争・自然災害 3. 経済・金融・物価動向 4. 政策・政治・選挙 『TIME基本重要単語３０２』 ■４つのカテゴリー　 1. 事件・犯罪・裁判 2. 戦争・自然災害 3. 経済・金融・物価動向 4. 政策・政治・選挙

👇　YouTubeへアップした動画（解説は省略しています。） 別途、テキストが存在します。

👇上記動画をJPEGに変換。

『 TIME基本重要単語 ３０２ 』 例文の順番通り。 1) accomplish 共犯者 2) appeal 控訴する 3) attorney 弁護士 4) bail 保釈金 5) investigate 捜査する 6) confession 自供 7) conviction 有罪判決 8) cover-up 隠蔽 9) defendant 被告 10) evidence 証拠 11) guilty 有罪 12) innocent 無罪 13) jury 陪審員 14) justice 処罰 15) motive 動機 16) murder 殺人 17) oath 宣誓 18) out-of-court settlement 示談 19) plaintiff 原告 20) proof 証拠 21) prosecutor 検事 22) punishment 処罰 23) sentence 判決 24) suit 訴訟 25) summon 召喚する 26) suspect 容疑者 27) testify 証言する 28) trail 裁判 29) tribunal 法廷 30) verdict 評決 31) blackmail 脅迫する 32) bribery 収賄 33) extortion ゆすり 34) fraud 詐欺 35) illegal 不法な 36) kidnap 誘拐する 37) looting 略奪 38) manslaughter 故殺罪 39) massacre 大虐殺 40) perjury 偽証 41) robbery 強盗 42) smuggling 密輸する 43) theft 窃盗 44) wrongdoing 不法行為 45) accuse 告発する 46) charge 告発する 47) condemn 宣言する 48) impeach 弾劾する 49) indict 正式に控訴する 50) aftermath 余波 51) allegation 申し立て 52) allegedly 伝えられるところによると 53) arrest 逮捕 54) assault 暴行する 55) conflict 不一致 56) counterfeit 偽造 57) detect 察知する 58) dispute 論争 59) ransom 身代金 60) revenge 復讐 61) strangle 考察する 62) sue 訴える 63) suicide 自殺 64) thorough 徹底的な 65) warrant 令状 66) body 死体 67) casualty 犠牲者 68) corpse 死体 69) death toll 死者数 70) blaze 火災 71) blast 爆発 72) demolish 破壊する 73) destroy 破壊する 74) ruin 台無しにする 75) disaster 災害 76) drought 干ばつ 77) epidemic 流行 78) famine 飢きん 79) flood 洪水 80) nightmare 悪夢 81) outbreak 発生 82) starvation 飢餓 83) plight 窮状（きゅうじょう） 84) quake 地震 85) tragedy 悲劇 86) aggression 侵略 87) ammunition 弾薬 88) atrocities 残虐行為 89) cease-fire 停戦 90) hostage 人質 91) infantry 歩兵部隊 92) invasion 侵攻 93) landmine 地震 94) nuclear 核 95) paramilitary 軍事的な 96) retreat 退却する 97) shelling 砲撃 98) strategy 戦略 99) stronghold 拠点 100) surrender 降伏する 101) tactics 策略 102) target 標的 103) troops 兵士 104) truce 体裁 105) veteran 退役軍人 106) volunteer 志願兵 107) warhead 弾薬 108) asylum 駐屯 109) coup クーデター 110) exile 亡命 111) caution 用心 112) chaos 無秩序状態 113) civilian 民間人 114) distriubute 分配する 115) escalate 拡大する 116) estimate 見積る 117) ethnic 民族の 118) extinguish 潰す 119) hostile 敵対する 120) identify 身元を確認する 121) infect 感染する 122) intelligence 情報機関 123) intervene 介入する 124) isolate 孤立する 125) mass 大量 126) miserable 悲惨な 127) perish 死ぬ 128) rampant 狂暴 129) reconcile 折り合いをつける 130) refugee 難民 131) release 保釈する 132) rescue 救援 133) resident 住民 134) restore 復旧する 135) rubble がれき 136) security 安全 137) shelter 避難する 138) showdown 対決 139) subside 鎮まる 140) survivor 生存者 141) territory 領土 142) threaten 脅す 143) tolerant 寛大な 144) unilateral 一方的な 145) vaccine ワクチン 146) victim 被害者 147) violate 破る 148) withdraw 撤退する 149) witness 目撃者 150) warn 警告する 151) wreck 難破する 152) alternative 代替手段 153) deregulation 規制緩和 154) regulation 規制 155) retail 小売 156) wholesale 卸売 157) ascend 上昇する 158) skyrocket 急上昇する 159) soar 急上昇する 160) increase 増加 161) decrease 減少 162) plummet 急落する 163) plunge 急落 164) reduce 抑制する 165) descend 下落する 166) devaluation 切り下げ 167) surplus 黒字 168) deficit 赤字 169) assets 資産 170) bond 国債 171) broker ブローカー（仲買人） 172) budget 予算 173) commodity 商品 174) credit 融資 175) crunch 危機 176) debt 借金 177) efficient 効率的 178) emerging market 新興国の市場 179) enterprise 企業 180) excess 過剰 181) exchange 為替 182) financial 金融の 183) fiscal 会計の 184) fluctuate 変動する 185) fundamentals ファンダメンタルズ（基礎的条件） 186) interest 金利 187) deposit 預金 188) invest 投資する 189) liabilities 負債 190) liquidity 流動性 191) loose 節度のない 192) monetary 金融の 193) monopoly 独占 194) outlook 見通し 195) owe 借金する 196) pension 年金 197) per capita ひとり当たりの 198) profit 利益 199) quota 割り当て 200) rationing 配給制 201) reserves 準備 202) resources 資源 203) restraint 自制 204) revenue 歳入 205) sacrifice 犠牲 206) share 株 207) slash 削減する 208) sluggish 低調な 209) solvency 支払い能力 210) sovereignty 主権 211) speculation 投機 212) spiral 悪循環 213) statistics 統計 214) stock 株 215) subsidy 補助金 216) suspend 一時休止 217) tariff 関税 218) Treasury （アメリカ）財務省 219) turnover 取引高 220) unemployment 失業率 221) volatile 予算がつかない 222) wage 賃金 223) ballot （住民）投票 224) majority 大多数 225) margin 差 226) mudslinging 中間合意 227) polls 世論調査 228) turnout 投票率 229) vote 投票 230) accord 調和 231) discord 意見の不一致 232) dissent 異論 233) unanimous 満場一致の 234) address 演説 235) administration 政権 236) advocate 提唱者

237)～302)は省略

＊上記英単語の日本語訳は、あくまでも動画の例文に沿った単語訳です。

■覚え方

まず英単語をみて、その単語の意味を「大きく」とらえること。 決して、和訳からみて、その英単語を理解する、覚えるということをしては✖。

「飢餓」という日本語訳（漢字）から、starvation,  つまり、「飢餓＝starvationである。」 １つの英単語＝１つの単語訳と覚えるのではなく、 「飢餓＝食物が不足して、うえること。うえ。」なので、大きく意味するところをとらえて、 「食べ物がなくてすごくお腹がへっていること」と覚えること。

starvationは、確かにTIME雑誌やアフリカ国のニュースでよく出てきますが、 このカテゴリーだけで使われるわけではありません。

starvation wagesが、ものが食べ物が買えないくらいの給料、つまり、 「安月給」を意味することがわかります。

しかしながら、「安月給＝starvation wages」と単純に暗記するのも✖。 一般的に「安い給料は」low salary　です。

■ ニュース英語のポイント

Part1 見出しの読み方

１）be動詞の省略

42 dissidents (are) said (to have been) released

２）動詞現在形の使用

Paul explains Beatles breakup Retail prices remain stabilized

３）未来を表す不定詞

U.S. Marines to stay in Okinawa Defense spending to be boosted

４）動詞の進行形

U.S. seeking Japan’s help

５）冠詞の省略

(The)U.N. put pressure on (the) Myanmar Junta

６）コンマ・セミコロンの用法（接続詞の代わりをする）

Syrian, Egyptian officials meet Matsui homers ; Clemens wins

７）コロン・引用符の用法　（コロンを発信者又は情報源の前又は後において動詞の省略）

Asylum seeker can leave : China (announced) People’s leisure hours adequate : survey (shows)

８）短い単語の多用

Slight quakes felt on Oshima isle

９）略語・記号の使用

Japan-EU talks slated for Feb.

１０）      単語の短縮

200 killed in S. African mine disaster

１１）      見出しの常用語（詳細は最後に載せています。）

abduct / back / call / dip / end / gain …..

Part2　ニュース英語特有の表現

１）主語の選択

A pre-dawn fire destroyed a restaurant…….

２）動詞の役割

The returning space shuttle burned up as it re-entered the atmosphere, killing all of its crew.

３）能動態の用法

A record number of delegates attended the conference, the organizers said.

４）受動態の用法（断定を避けたり、客観性を持たせたり、詳細を後にまわす）

Some casualties were reported to have resulted from fresh……

５）進行形の用法

The Russian president is now planning as head of the Environmental…..

６）時制の一致と不一致

The minister said the government is carefully considering the……

７）ハイフンの活用

The Italian billionaire-turned-politician made his debut as…..

８）倒置法の活用

Among the hardest hit were the northern mountainous areas, where more than 50 people reportedly perished in the severe quake.

９）無生物主語

Their joint announcement said the two opposition parties had agreed to merge two months later in order to …..

１０）      無生物所有格

Pyongyang’s latest statement indicated that North Korea now…….

１１）      接続詞の省略　thatの省略

A high-ranking North Korean defector said in Washington (that) more than 90….

１２）      補語としての活用 thatの省略

Indications are (that) the prime minister seeking…..

１３）      動名詞の活用

The company employee denied stealing the money from…

１４）      複合動詞の用法

Hundreds of protesters snake-danced their way through the….

１５）      品詞の転換（動詞＋副詞➡名詞、名詞➡動詞、形容詞➡名詞、名詞➡形容詞）

The buildup of the nation’s defense setup has been….. Among the dead was a 16-year-old… The country’s currency was at a new low at the close in the wake of the opposition’s surprise move.

１６）      分離不定詞（不定詞のtoと原形動詞の間に副詞が入る。これは意味の取り間違えを招かないようにするため。）

The ailing company decided to further reduce the number of …… Leading economists say they want to closely watch developments…. The company is expected to tentatively select the…..

１７）      関係代名詞の省略

The management made some concessions (that) the union said were …

１８）      同格の活用（コンマ使用）

Katherine Hepburn, an American movie idol who died at the age of 96, left her beachfront home and ….

１９）      目的語・同格としての節（ニュース内容を真っ先に述べるために節を前に出すことが多い）

The government is preparing to urge Russia again to consider returning to Japan the Northern Territory islands off Hokkaido, informed sources said.

A giant computer system in a Japanese research institute has been infiltrated by a group of foreign hackers, it was revealed on Tuesday.（itは前の節と同格）

２０）      副詞の使い方（表現を理解しやすいように動詞の前に置かれることが多い）

The woman repeatedly denied her involvement in the scandal. The union leaders flatly rejected the..

２１）      接頭語・接尾語の活用

The stock market soared in post-holiday trading on ….

２２）      結果を表す不定詞の活用（文を引き締めるために用いられる）

Anti-whaling nations did a well-orchestrated PR campaign to result in getting their resolution adopted at the IWC conference.

２３）      予定・見込みを表す不定詞（to beが頻繁に用いられる） The prime minister is to go to Beijing next month for talks with …..

２４）      特定不定詞の省略 to beの省略（文中でも省略されることが多い）

The fishing boat is feared (to be) lost in the…

２５）      略語の多用

Gov. Ishihara proposed a drastic spending cut ….

２６）      冠詞の省略、特殊用法（冠詞は省略されることが多い）

Fire broke out in a bookstore in…

＊数詞のついた複数名詞の前に形容詞や分詞がつく場合、不定冠詞がその前に使われる。

Stock prices soared and an estimated 250 million shares changed hands…

２７）      情報源に用いる複数形（情報源が１人であっても複数形）

…….. company officials said.

２８）      引用符の用法

Two weeks after the “Black Monday” market …

２９）      アラビア文字（１から９までは綴り、それ以上はアラビア文字）

At least 11 people were killed and ….

３０）      政府・国を表す首都名

The Tokyo-London agreement is a result of ….

３１）      官公庁を示す地名・建物名

The Pentagon is reportedly anxious to …..

３２）      外��語の使用

The high-ranking U.S. official stopped over in London en route to…. The diplomat was ordered leave the country as persona non grata.

３３）      仮定法の用法

The U.S negotiator demanded that the European Union lift its tough…

３４）      形容詞の最上級

The government has promised to earmark the highest-possible amount of spending….

３５）      ダッシュの活用

Japan’s three major passenger car exporters – Toyota, Nissan and Honda – are ..

３６）      分詞構文の活用

Conditions permitting, the U.S. president is expected ….

３７）      現在完了の利用

Israel has released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in …..

３８）      コロンの用法（要点など列挙する文や引用文の前に）

The statement made these points : - Trade relations should be….

３９）      大文字の使用法（固有名詞の最初は大文字だが説明的な表記を した後はこの限りではない）

Trading was massive on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The stock exchange reached …

４０）      予定稿に使う現在形（締め切りに間に合わない場合）

The prime minister tells the Diet today that …

４１）      略語・数字の複数形（本来、’sですが、sだけで表すのが多い）

The computer industry is now short of supplied of LSIs. The seminar was held to discuss the prospects of the national economy in the 2010s.

４２）      特殊な間接目的語（会議や記者会見を動詞の間接目的語とすることが多い）

The prime minister told a press conference that he hoped to visit Beijing for talks..

４３）      特殊な形容詞

The party officials was asked to elaborate on his controversial way of …

４４）      前置詞化している現在分詞

Discussions continued through Sunday on problems concerning the….

４５）      情報源保護のための語句

A ranking official, who spoke on condition that his name be withheld,

４６）      客観性を守るための語句

The executive has resigned apparently to take responsibility for …. The assemblyman was alleged to have received….

４７）      プライバシー配慮のための語句

The South Pacific nation’s leader was hospitalized Tuesday due to what conference sources said was believed to be …….

４８）      未確認情報を扱うための語句

According to unconfirmed reports, a number of people were killed …

４９）      助動詞would notの活用（発言拒絶の意思を伝えるため否定語とともにwouldが用いられる）

Investigators would not disclose the name…… None of the conferees would comment on whether an ….

５０）      語句の言い換え

The U.S. dollar closed at \119.90 in New York on Friday, up from \119.75 on Thursday. The American currency was also …

５１）      写真説明で用いる現在形

The ace Japanese swimmer waves to a crowd at the airport ….

５２）      記事を訂正するために表現（後日訂正のため仮定法）

The Tokyo governor’s name should have read Ishihara in the…..

Part3　ニュース英語の決まり文句

１）よく使われる表現

The opposition proposed that a drastic tax … The minister remained noncommittal about … The Union pressed for a pay…

２）受動態表現（目的：状況を正確、詳細に記述するため）

The party leader is suspected to have… The surgery is expected to last about … The motor show is scheduled to run for …

３）進行形表現（目的：臨場感を出すため）

The company is considering promoting a …. A round-the-clock search is going on for…

４）前置詞句（目的：文章を簡素にかくため）

Thousands of people demonstrated in protest against the… The emergency meeting was held against the background of wide spread..

５）情報源に関する表現（目的：情報源について何かの表現が必要なため）

…… , according to informed sources. ………. according to a police source who declined to be named. ….. according to reports reaching here. The prime minister was quoted as saying……

６）つなぎの表現（目的：文章の流れを滑らかにするため）

In the meantime,  /  In a related development, / Earlier in the day,

７）記録に関する表現

The city’s temperature marked the day’s high of 36 degrees … The automaker’s RV production registered a double-digit increase during …

８）未確認に関する表現（記事作成完了までに時間的制約あり情報の確認がとれない場合。）

A violent ethnic riot has flared up in the region, according to unconfirmed reports reaching the capital city. The incumbent governor of the prefecture headed for victory in Sunday’s election. Initial results showed that the conservatives would suffer a stunning setback in the election. The country’s national assembly was expected to approve a new……

９）注意を必要とする表現

Among those present were A,B,C and D. Attending the meeting were : A,B,C and D. His remarks came at a meeting of…. This week has seen a sharp rise in stock prices. The meeting ended inconclusively. The Bank of Japan is to raise the official discount rate by 0.25 percent effective today. The pay raise is retroactive to April.

１０）      社説・論説などで用いられる表現 It remains to be seen if the tax revision …. The fact remains that both countries have … The question is whether the government will…. The Kyoto District Court’s decision is noteworthy in that it is the first ruling … It is too early to draw any conclusions about what lay….

１１）「見出しの常用語」について

abduct　誘拐する abet　扇動する act　行動する accord　合意 aid　援助する aim　目指す air　公表する allege　証言する arrest　逮捕する assail　攻撃する avert　ストなどを回避する ax　回顧する、削減する、中止する back　支持する bag　捕える balk　計画などをくじく ban　禁止する bare　明らかにする bash　非難する bear　耐える beat　試合で相手に勝つ bid　提案、努力 blast　爆発する、避難する blaze　火災 body　遺体、団体 boost　押し上げる botch　やり損なう brace　予想されていることに見構える call　要求する cap　仕上げる charge　責める cheat　だます check　阻止する chief　リーダー、団長 cite　特記する、強調する claim　言い張る clash　衝突 close　関係が緊密である、株の一日の終値 clout　影響力 confab　会議 confer　会談する control　規制する cop　警官、賞を獲得する coup　クーデター crash　衝突 crib　盗用する crush　鎮圧する curb　抑制する cut　引き下げる、削減する dip　減少する、下がる down　低下している drive　運動 drop　減少する due　到着、発表予定である edge　競争での優位性 end　終わる envoy　公使、外交使節、大使 ex-　前の、元の eye　予想する face　直面する fail　失敗する fake　偽の fare　料金 fete　祝う feud　不和 find　気が付く fire 解雇する firm　会社、信念が強固な fly　飛行機で行く foil　失敗させる freeze　凍結する gaffe　へま gain　増える get　得る、捕まえる go　行く、辞めていく grab　得る、捕らえる grill　取り調べる hail　歓迎する halt　停止する head　率いる、勝利などに向かう hike　引き下げる hit　攻撃する hoax　捏造、いたずら hold　拘留する、控える honor　約束を守る、敬意を表す hunt　追跡する hurt　傷つける ink　調印する ire　怒らせる irk　困らす isle　島 issue　懸案事項 job　任務 jolt　揺さぶる、衝撃 jump　増加する key　中心的な、重要な kid　子供 kin　家族、遺族 lash　厳しく非難する laud　称賛する launch　攻撃などを開始する lead　指導する、リードする leap　上昇する lineup　陣内 list　名簿に載せる lodge　苦情を申し出る loom　危機が迫ってくる map　計画を作成する mar　台無しにする mark　示す mart　市場 meet　会見する mishap　不運な事故 move　運動する、動き mull　検討する、考慮する mum　ノーコメントである、発言なし nab　逮捕する name　任命する near　接近する net　逮捕する nip　計画を阻止する、試合で負かす nix　拒否する note　認める nuke　核兵器の OK　受け入れる oust　追放する pact　協定、条約 parley　会議、会談 pay　賃金 peril　差し迫った危機 pick　選出する plan　計画する plea　要請する pledge　誓う plot　企む、陰謀 plunge　急落する poised　準備ができている poll　投票、世論調査 post　地位、役職 probe　詳しく調査する pry　詮索する push　推進する quake　地震 quell　反乱を鎮圧する quest　追及 quit　辞職する quiz　質問する rage　激怒する raid　襲撃する rally　大��� rap　非難する raze　倒壊させる ready　準備完了状態の rift　不和 rise　増加する rite　儀式、式典 rock　厳しく揺さぶる rout　大敗させる row　騒々しい議論、仲たがい rule　支配する、政権 rush　結論を急ぐ scrap　破棄する see　予測する set　決める、予定する、配置する slam　酷評する slap　非難する slash　削除する slate　予定する slay　殺す snafu　混乱 snag　思いがけない障害 snub　拒否する soar　急騰する solon　米立法府の議員 spell　悪天候、病気などのひと続き spilt 分裂する spoil　計画・人物をダメにする spur　刺激する stab　刺す stage　催す stall　止める、止まる stem　阻止する stir　騒ぎを起こす stress　強調する sue　訴える suit　訴訟 swap　交換する talks　会談 term　任期、称する test　実験する ties　関係 tiff　口論 tilt　論争 tip　通報 toll　死者数、犠牲者の合計 top　勝る、超す tremor　地震 trim　削減する、余分を取り除く

[ensembleuchuu]

DEATH GAME HOLIC

Album:  Ensemble Stars! Unit Song CD 3rd Volume – UNDEAD Vocals: Deadmanz (Sakuma Rei: Masuda Toshiki; Oogami Koga: Ono Yuuki; Hasumi Keito: Umehara Yuuichirou) Lyrics: hotaru (TaWaRa) Composition: Tom-H@ck (TaWaRa) Arrangement: KanadeYuk (TaWaRa)

Thank you Norm for helping me with editing!

Translation

(Rei) I don’t know how to give up Life is nothing With my dead eyes, I grin, showing my fang (Keito) So you better run away I won’t wait, you know, so Begin  If you are not really ready, then there’s only loss waiting for you.

(Koga) The only Winner is the tough guys (Keito) If you don’t become heartless, you’ll become a Loser (Rei) In the very end, I will be the Survivor (Everyone) In this crazy thrill

(Everyone) Let’s start the Death Game until its end (Rei) If I start running (Keito and Koga) No one else will be able to escape anymore (Everyone) Aah, this very game… This Game is a nightmare (Keito) The scream of the soul can be heard (Rei and Koga) Louder than any other song

(Koga) You don’t know how to believe？ If you can’t believe, then Your place is in the audience.seating (Rei) We are the crazy gamers If you end up getting dirty, that’s Too bad This is a pure gamble, using outrageous methods

(Keito) Everyone is aiming for No.1 (Rei) My weapon is Only 1 (Koga) If my partner is not going to be strong (Everyone) Then, I’m not interested in such a easy win

(Everyone) Let’s continue the Death Game. For the defeated, (Koga) There is no mercy or compassion (Rei and Keito) That’s right, not a single thing will remain in the end (Everyone) So, now there’s One More Game and I’ll become alone (Rei) Until then. (Keito and Koga) Aah, I just want to enjoy myself forever

(Koga) The only Winner is the tough guys (Keito) If you don’t become heartless, you’ll become a Loser (Rei) In the very end, I will be the Survivor (Everyone) In this crazy thrill

(Keito) This urge… (Koga) This desire… (Rei) I can’t die yet, not until I push past my own limits.

(Everyone) Let’s start the Death Game until its end (Rei) If I start running (Keito and Koga) No one else will be able to escape anymore (Everyone) Aah, this very game… This Game is a nightmare (Keito) The scream of the soul can be heard (Rei and Koga) Louder than any other song

(Koga): Oh yeah!

Kanji

(Rei) I don’t know how to give up 命なんてNothing ニヤけた牙と　死んだ瞳で (Keito) So you better run away 待ってらんないぜBegin 半端な覚悟じゃ　失くすだけだ

(Koga) タフなヤツだけがWinner (Keito) 非情になれなきゃLoser (Rei) 最後は俺がSurvivor (Everyone) ギリギリでイカれたスリルを

(Everyone) 始めようDeath Game　終幕まで (Rei) 走り出せば (Keito and Koga) もう誰一人逃れられはしない (Everyone) 悪夢のThis Game　ああこれこそ (Keito) どんな歌より (Rei and Koga) そう魂の叫びが聴こえるだろう

(Koga) You don’t know how to believe？ 信じられないなら お前の場所は　観客席だ (Rei) We are the crazy gamers 汚されちゃToo bad これは無法で　純粋なギャンブル

(Keito) 誰もが狙うNo.1 (Rei) 己の武器はOnly 1 (Koga) 相手が強くなけりゃ (Everyone) ただの勝ちには飽きてるんだ

(Everyone) 続けようDeath Game　敗北者には (Koga) 慈悲などなく (Rei and Keito) そう何一つ残るものはない (Everyone) さあ今One More Game　一人になる (Rei) その時まで (Keito and Koga) ああいつまでも楽しんでいたいだけ

(Koga) タフなヤツだけがWinner (Keito) 非情になれなきゃLoser (Rei) 最後は俺がSurvivor (Everyone) ギリギリでイカれたスリルを

(Keito) この衝動は (Koga) この欲望は (Rei) 限界さえ　超えてもまだ死ぬことなどない

(Everyone) 始めようDeath Game　終幕まで (Rei) 走り出せば (Keito and Koga) もう誰一人逃れられはしない (Everyone) 悪夢のThis Game　ああこれこそ (Keito) どんな歌より (Rei and Koga) そう魂の叫びが聴こえるだろう

(Koga): Oh yeah!

[spicynbachili1]

Fallouts 5-75 reviewed | Rock Paper Shotgun

Within the build-up to the discharge of Fallout 76, we felt it was essential to place the sport in its correct context. With that in thoughts, we commissioned video games historian Nate Crowley – aka @FrogCroakley – to write down capsure opinions of Fallouts 5 by means of 75. We’ve been posting these opinions five-a-day on Twitter ever since, till the work was accomplished final night time. You possibly can nonetheless learn all these tweets in the #AllTheFallouts thread, however now you can additionally learn them under.

Annoyed by fan stress to return to the sequence’ retro roots, Bethesda launched Fallout 5 as a kind of handheld LCD video games from the late ‘80s. Play boiled all the way down to transferring the Pip-Boy left or proper to keep away from pixellated radscorpions, however was completely executed. #AllTheFallouts

Taking the “sorry mate, I don’t suppose it goes any louder” method to criticism, Fallout 6 was launched on parchment scrolls, with fight dealt with through handwritten, horse-delivered correspondence with Bethesda. No person has but completed the tutorial. #AllTheFallouts

Eerily, no one’s certain who developed Fallout 7: Rise of the Dogmen, because it merely appeared in thrift shops. Certainly, we could by no means discover out: when the titular antagonists started turning to digicam & reciting gamers’ childhood fears, all copies have been seized and burned. #AllTheFallouts

Fallout eight was the primary within the sequence to happen totally inside a vault, and concerned the participant making an attempt to handle the citizenry’s panic over a bee getting in. Not even a mutant bee, only a common one, making individuals bark in fear because it swerved close to their ears. #AllTheFallouts

Unusually, Fallout 9 was a Japan-only launch referred to as 不死学校生活 (Ghoul Faculty) – on this charming highschool RPG, the participant was tasked with navigating the tutorial and romantic trials of a younger necrotic post-human within the depths of Vault 12. Really fairly good. #AllTheFallouts

Refusing to just accept Fallout eight’s failure, Bethesda doubled down with Fallout 10: The Bee’s Again: basically a clone of Fallout eight with a better polygon depend. Not less than the sport’s tagline (“There’s a black and yellow dot. It makes a irritating noise”) was sincere. #AllTheFallouts

Fallout 11 had a brilliantly easy premise: Fallout four’s Institute discovers the physique of Jason Statham in a lead sarcophagus, and it escapes. The sport famously led to a hellish quicktime occasion by which Statham, managed by the participant, eats an entire nuclear conflict. #AllTheFallouts

Fallout 12 was notably noteworthy, as the one technique to play was to insert the disc in a chimp’s mouth and look into the creature’s eyes, whereas softly holding its palms as controllers. No person will say what they noticed within the eyes of the ape, however it modified individuals. #AllTheFallouts

There was no Fallout 13. From time to time a narrative will floor a few mountain of video games buried manner out in Nevada, or of a ragged-furred, floppy-eared determine loping spherical the sting of a campfire’s mild – however individuals say a number of issues, out within the desert. #AllTheFallouts

Fallout 14 got here with a novelty energy armour helmet peripheral, which launch contextually-generated smells. Sadly, a bug meant it wouldn’t come off, and solely produced the scent of deathclaw butt. Has retained a disturbingly dedicated fan base. #AllTheFallouts

In Fallout 15: Brotherhood of Feels, Bethesda put aside the same old post-apocalyptic landgrab to give attention to the emotional lifetime of tooled-up nuclear battlemonks. Regardless of its lowkey pacing, BoF was lauded by critics for its haunting commentary on poisonous masculinity. #AllTheFallouts

After the crucial success of BoF, Bethesda pissed all of it away with Fallout 16: Masters of Pepsi – a grotesque extravaganza of product placement by which no character might appear to complete a sentence with out staring on the participant & gorging down a tin of brown fizz. #AllTheFallouts

Because the rights dispute between Bethesda & Interaction resurfaced through the run-up to Fallout 17, an exhausted decide ordered the sport’s improvement foisted onto a randomly chosen fan – who panicked, and made a janky reskin of Streets of Rage starring the Pip-Boy. #AllTheFallouts

By some means, Fallout 17 was a smash hit, and dev Jeff Mince took on auteur standing. His subsequent work, Fallout 18, was a ‘minimalist’ open world sport, the place gamers might discover 2 rooms & discuss to an outdated boot. Fearful of wanting thick, reviewers hesitantly gave it 10/10. #AllTheFallouts

After spending a yr locked in his studio, Jeff Mince launched Fallout 19, a rhythm sport about lashing a person to demise with a string of sausages. Transient, ugly, and virtually unplayably brutal, it tore away the emperor’s new garments, and made Mince a pariah in a single day. #AllTheFallouts

Bethesda returned triumphant with Fallout 20: Fawlaaht – a sport set in a vault populated totally by clones of cockney hardmen. Gamers might select whether or not to facet with Vinny Jones’ Guvnors faction, or pledge allegiance to the power-armoured Mitchell Brothers. #AllTheFallouts

Fallout 21 was an oddity: a transport container filled with the costumes, gear and script required to play your entire sport as a LARP. Buried simply outdoors Washington DC, the container is about to unlock provided that radiation on the floor reaches cataclysmic ranges. #AllTheFallouts

Fallout 22 was shipped as a standard installment within the sequence, however when it arrived in shops it was packaged as ‘Return of the Dogmen’, and accompanied by creepy mascots no one had employed. Affected shops have been closed, and the video games have been impounded & destroyed. #AllTheFallouts

Fallout 23 was an avant-garde entry to the canon, the place gamers took on the function of an AI tasked with maintaining a vault door closed. Play concerned merely holding a button down for twenty 5 years in realtime, after which a quick celebratory cutscene would play. #AllTheFallouts

Packaged with a full alto saxophone as a controller, Fallout 24 was neither low cost nor simple to play. Nonetheless, it was all value it for the sheer ecstasy of wailing the solo from ‘Baker Road’ with a view to minigun tremendous mutants throughout an atomic bombardment. #AllTheFallouts

Fallout 25 was an odd one. A administration sim of kinds, it put gamers in command of Vault 420, an experimental shelter which solely grew one extraordinarily potent crop. Sustaining productiveness with survivors who solely needed to have a look at their very own palms was… difficult. #AllTheFallouts

Fallout 26: Enter the Battletoads turned what might have been a light-hearted crossover right into a gruelling survival horror nightmare, as gamers discovered themselves pursued by means of a nuclear hell by a trio of gurning, hench amphibians with no idea of pity or regret. #AllTheFallouts

After Fallout 27’s code was unintentionally wiped on the eve of launch, the discharge comprised solely what the panicking intern accountable might hammer collectively in an evening. Sympathetic reviewers praised the best way the sport’s protagonist, a dot, drifted throughout the display. #AllTheFallouts

Many rumours encompass Fallout 28. Whereas most recall a mediocre turn-based ways sport, a spate of reddit posts on launch day reported the title display bearing the slogan ‘can’t cease the dogmen’, and taking part in unusual whining sounds even with audio system turned off. #AllTheFallouts

Chic celeb tie-in Fallout 29 (launched as Diners, Drive-ins & Deathclaws) noticed hollering TV chef Man Fieri voice a peroxide-maned mutant with BBQ sauce for blood, searching for the best roadkill in America following the detonation of a 900-gigaton Taste Bomb. #AllTheFallouts

Following the tragic vanishing of former dev Jeff Mince, Fallout 30 was retooled as a tribute to the nice man, whose work was by now again in favour. The ultimate sequence – a person being lashed to demise with sausages in sepia slow-mo – was a cello-scored tearjerker. #AllTheFallouts

Fallout 31 was a daring experiment in augmented actuality, superimposing a grim wasteland on high of gamers’ native areas. All of it turned nasty when a person burned down a kebab store, claiming the Pip-Boy had informed him to. Considerably uncomfortably, this turned out to be true. #AllTheFallouts

Fallout 32, launched as Fallout: New Crinkley, was set on the dilapidated set of 1990s British discuss present Noel’s Home Celebration. Edmonds himself was portrayed as a leather-harnessed warlord, who would unleash dreadful thrall Blobby to run gamers down & devour them #AllTheFallouts

Fallout 33 was meant to eschew the franchise’s cartoonish aesthetic for a gritty, extra life like really feel, however it seems that spending 30+ hours of sport time watching a group step by step starve to demise beneath a nuclear winter was a little bit of a downer. #AllTheFallouts

Rushed to market to cheer individuals up after 33, Fallout 34 was a reasonably unremarkable sport – till some genius launched a mod that changed all the sport’s textures with Nicholas Cage’s face, and all dialogue with low high quality WAV clips from Con Air and The Rock. #AllTheFallouts

Fallout 35 was the primary to function the Utah Crab Males, however was extra notable for an easter egg: in an space solely accessible by clipping by means of a hill, gamers discovered a disquieting NPC resembling Jeff Mince sewn right into a canine costume, silently mouthing the phrase ‘assist’. #AllTheFallouts

Fallout 36’s protagonist was a kind of post-apocalyptic Steve Irwin, monitoring down mutant wildlife & wrestling it right into a corrugated metallic & chickenwire zoo. FPS segments have been interspersed with a kind of desperately unethical model of zoo tycoon. #AllTheFallouts

Fallout 37 was well-known for introducing tooth as its major character stat; as you explored additional & defeated extra foes, you’d develop extra & extra gnashers, till your character was staggering alongside, head bowed by the sheer weight of calcium sprouting from its jaws. #AllTheFallouts

The discharge of Fallout 38: Usain Bolt’s Salt Vault (a few plot to steal condiments from a bunker filled with livid clones of the famed sprinter) led followers to accuse Bethesda of ‘working out of concepts’, however they insisted that they had at the very least one other 38 video games in them #AllTheFallouts

Submit-apocalyptic in identify solely, Fallout 39 was a shame of a sport set in a recruitment agency 500 years after society’s rebuilding. Play revolved round barking right into a plastic cellphone, making an attempt to work out which dialogue choices would cajole individuals into accounts roles. #AllTheFallouts

All was forgiven when Fallout 40’s opening cutscene revealed the earlier sport to be a psychological experiment performed by the nefarious Utah Crab Males, a race of pincer-headed, pinstripe-suited bastards obsessive about recreating 21st-century company tradition. #AllTheFallouts

Fallout 41 reprises the unique’s premise with a boozy twist: the Lager Chip within the participant’s vault is on the blink after 200 years of continuous partying, so they need to come out & get a brand new one earlier than everybody sobers up and has to endure a really apocalyptic hangover. #AllTheFallouts

In Fallout 42, you performed as a lone wanderer whose solely possessions have been a can of hairspray and a shoe. They have been no use as weapons, however by huffing one from the opposite, you would step by step, quesaily, flip the sport into the particular stage from Sonic 2. #AllTheFallouts

After an ethical panic sparked by Fallouts 41 & 42, Bethesda have been compelled to show Fallout 43 into an prolonged advert for sobriety. Chems like Jet & Fury have been changed with healthful fruit & veg, whereas the Pip-Boy delivered prolonged sermons on the risks of dependancy. #AllTheFallouts

Following the same old leaving-the-vault intro, Fallout 44 had gamers step out into an peculiar world, pissing itself over having tricked so many individuals into residing in a gap. The remainder of the sport, like life, was largely about holding down a job & making an attempt to not cry. #AllTheFallouts

Fallout 45 was a bizarre, dreamlike remake of Fallout four, the place the sport’s factions had united in terror of a determine referred to as ‘the king beneath the hill’, and would implore you with grimly life like eyes to guard them from his military of canine/human hybrids. Unsettling. #AllTheFallouts

While you first step into Fallout 46’s wasteland, it’s lifelessly serene: simply rocks, ruins & wind. Half an hour in, a twig snaps behind you & you flip, simply in time to glimpse a flash of orange fur you’d recognise wherever. It’s Gritty – and you might be being hunted. #AllTheFallouts

Fallout 47 was a 5-Nights-at-Freddy’s-esque nightmare the place you performed a wasteland radio DJ, desperately making an attempt to queue up the right vinyls, whereas enraged tremendous mutants burst out of air ducts & bullied you into taking part in ‘Cotton Eye Joe’ over & over once more. #AllTheFallouts

In Fallout 48, you’re captured by a ghoul with a style for theatre & given 6 months to placed on the definitive efficiency of Ready for Godot, or see your house vault levelled. After roaming the wilds to discover a solid, the distress of educating them their traces begins #AllTheFallouts

Pulp masterpiece Fallout 49 noticed the participant pitted in opposition to the cyborg hulk Mecha-Oppenheimer, commanding a legion of radioactive undead GIs from a long-buried WW2 analysis bunker. In his personal phrases: are you a foul sufficient dude to defeat Dying, destroyer of worlds? #AllTheFallouts

Fallout 50 is usually notable for a wierd NPC, claiming to be a time traveller, who garbles a warning about “a fantastic, damaged vacancy”, one thing in regards to the quantity 76, and a “legion of bugs”, earlier than being consumed by a swarm of rats. Who knew what he meant? #AllTheFallouts

Fallout 51 was an unintentionally chic remake of Three Males and A Child, that includes three towering mutant bachelors – voiced by Dwayne Johnson, Vin Diesel & Jason Momoa – entering into scrapes & japes as they try to take care of a self-aware nuclear warhead. #AllTheFallouts

One other Japan-only title, Fallout 52 (launched as きれいい けいじ – “fairly apocalypse”) was a kawaii dress-up sport, the place you would outfit your roster of raiders, ghouls and mutants in innovative harajuku fashions, earlier than posing them for baffling pictures. #AllTheFallouts

In an unlikely mix of ‘Fury Street’ & ‘The Guardian Lure’, Fallout 53 challenged the participant to rekindle the romance between two tremendous mutant warlords, by tricking them into chasing one another throughout the wastes in a nihilistic demise race. Surprisingly heartwarming. #AllTheFallouts

In puerile puzzler Fallout 54, you performed the only real plumber in a vault stocked solely with beans & sauerkraut. May you unclog the pipes quick sufficient to cease the vault drowning in its personal effluent, or would you simply put a brick by means of the display in disgust? #AllTheFallouts

Fallout 55 challenged you to flee the lightless depths of the dreaded ‘Vault W’, which Vault-tec had populated totally with bioengineered manifestations of countercultural icon Waluigi. Performed a bit like horror film ‘The Descent’, however with extra ‘wah’. #AllTheFallouts

In a weird throwback to early ‘90s edutainment, Fallout 56 noticed the V.A.T.S system reconfigured to deal harm commensurate with the participant’s means to unravel easy maths & logic issues, with the Pip-boy turning into a patronising, know-it-all bastard. #AllTheFallouts

“You suppose you’re secure” intones a hoarse voice, as you stand over the physique of Fallout 57’s last boss. Behind you, a dog-headed determine stands on a distant peak. It raises a paw, glowing with queasy sigils, & you wake screaming, with no hint of the sport in your PC #AllTheFallouts

Fallout 58: The Courtship of Mugnarr was a courting sim, by which you performed a sweating colossus with a microwave for a head & a coronary heart of gold. Would you select debonair deathclaw Garko, or Bludwig, the paladin with a delicate facet beneath his energy armour? #AllTheFallouts

Fallout 59: The Nuptuals of Mugnarr continued the story of the oven-headed titan, dealing with you with tough narrative selections as you deliberate the massive man’s marriage ceremony. Seat the ghouls too close to the atomic demise cult, or order the unsuitable vol-au-vents, and there’d be hassle #AllTheFallouts

After painstakingly rebuilding followers’ goodwill, Fallout 60: A Residence for Mugnarr squandered all of it – the sport was totally primarily based on Fallout four’s maddening development system, so 90% of play time was spent desperately begging metal plates to stay to the bottom. #AllTheFallouts

Fallout 61, a.okay.a ‘It’s All the time Sunny in Diamond Metropolis’, centered on a gang of utter scumbags working a dive bar within the jewel of the commonwealth. Play revolved round petty acts of spite, heavy consuming, and incoherent, quicktime-driven shouting matches. #AllTheFallouts

Sooner or later in any franchise, a rubbish cellular sport turns into inevitable. Enter Fallout 62, a vaguely Fallout-themed Sweet Crush clone, whose advertisements – that includes a profoundly phoned-in efficiency from Anthony Hopkins – turned inescapable for a six month interval. #AllTheFallouts

Fallout 63 adopted on from Fallout 11, with gamers looking out London’s ashes for the bunker the place Statham had been contained, earlier than pleading him for assist in opposition to a nebulous menace. By some means, it felt uneasily as if extra than simply the sport’s ending was at stake #AllTheFallouts

In a chilling PR stunt, Fallout 64 contained the precise launch codes to the US nuclear arsenal, ostensibly behind an uncrackable cipher. Gamers cracked it in 2 hours, however fortunately, because it was a Bethesda launch, the function was bugged & armageddon was averted #AllTheFallouts

Fallout 65 was a uncommon treasure. Styled ‘Fallout: Skegness’, it was a harrowing commentary on the English household vacation, the place you needed to endure being trapped in a caravan for 200 years, repeating the identical pointless arguments as nuclear winter raged outdoors. #AllTheFallouts

After an exhausting board assembly, the perfect anybody might provide you with as a theme for Fallout 66 was “two thirds of the satan”, and in order that was that: the sport was a half-hearted wrestle in opposition to an incarnation of devil that disappeared from the hips down. Garbage. #AllTheFallouts

By the point Fallout 67 rolled round, the builders have been too desperate to work on Fallout 69 to essentially care about it, in order that they rushed it out in a few weeks. It was one thing a few pig and an deserted paint manufacturing unit, perhaps? No person actually remembers. #AllTheFallouts

Let’s be sincere: who cares about Fallout 68? It might’ve been the head of human artwork, and also you’d nonetheless simply need to learn about Fallout 69. Fortunately it wasn’t: it was a busted mess that bluescreened repeatedly as you battered a scorpion to stick with an outdated rope. #AllTheFallouts

Fallout 69 was exquisitely sexual. Too erotic be mentioned, actually; the phrases would sear away your eyes just like the blast-flash of a particularly sexy nuclear explosion. These few who performed earlier than it was banned have been hospitalised with snapped wrists & borked pelvises #AllTheFallouts

In a wasteland shattered anew by the sexual armageddon of Fallout 69, sport 70 within the sequence, “Fallout: the Banquet of Regrets”, put you within the sneakers of a furtive wanderer, scouring the land for no matter riches remained beneath the drifts of used prophylactics. #AllTheFallouts

By the point Fallout 71 rolled round, Bethesda devs have been starting to really feel the pressure of getting launched greater than sixty video games in lower than three years. Exhausted by all of it, they figured no one would thoughts if they simply plopped out a fast atompunk reskin of Tetris. #AllTheFallouts

Ultimately, in Fallout 72, the dogmen made their play. Moments after the sport went on sale, the file MINCE.EXE started propagating itself on customers’ PCs, and panting, shuffling creatures started to appear on darkish streets. All of a sudden, implausibly, the world was at conflict. #AllTheFallouts

Fallout 73 was not a lot a sport as a patch, and never a lot a patch as a weapon: a last-ditch piece of digital sorcery, aimed toward closing a door to a actuality past our personal. Even so, reviewers praised its crisp textures and sensible stock administration system. #AllTheFallouts

Humanity didn’t play Fallout 74; it performed us. Some say the dogmen itself have been its architects; some say it by no means existed in any respect past the minds of survivors. Regardless, it was a better cataclysm than had ever been rendered within the sequence’ early, cheery tales. #AllTheFallouts

Fortunately, the pact brokered in Fallout 63 got here good finally: in “Fallout 75”, as historians now name the final battle of the dogman conflict, Jason Statham himself consumed each server bearing a duplicate of any sport from Fallout 5 onwards, ending the horror finally. #AllTheFallouts

With the world saved finally, and Statham buried in a hero’s mausoleum, Bethesda’s board sat again & took a deep, collective breath of reduction. “Proper then lads,” stated Todd Howard, rubbing his palms with glee, “who desires to make an underwhelming MMO?” #AllTheFallouts

from SpicyNBAChili.com http://spicymoviechili.spicynbachili.com/fallouts-5-75-reviewed-rock-paper-shotgun/

[benikoumori]

The Fate of the Phoenix 45

  Kirk found himself roped in between Omne and Spock. James was roped between Spock and the Commander. Omne had made the ropes from the snake-arms of a giant Medusa plant.   They had climbed up god-playground slopes where single rocks were the size of temples.   Now they clung to minute projections of rock on a vertical cliff face 500 feet above the god-playground.   Kirk had done the obligatory survival climbing at the Academy. It had not become his favorite pastime. Certainly not in more than one and a half gravities.   The leaden feeling was insidious.   Sooner or later Human muscles would fail to answer at some critical point.   Allegedly Kirk was belaying Omne now with a turn of rope around a rock. Even so, if the giant fell, Kirk doubted that he could hold him. He had visions of them all being ripped off the mountain like a chain of beads. Pop, pop, pop…   Omne reached the other side of the dangerous traverse and wedged himself in a chimney, belaying Kirk and all of them.   Kirk set his teeth and climbed, using the semi-imaginary hand and footholds he had seen the giant find.   The vision of popping beads vanished. Omne was like an anchor set in rock.   At the end of the traverse Omne reached out a hand and pulled Kirk in.   It was luxury to rest in the chimney, still clinging to rock over space, but safe there now, for the moment.   After a moment Omne gathered up the slack and belayed Spock, then the others.   Spock was climbing with effort but with that set of Vulcan will which would carry him as long as he was needed. James looked ready to drop.   Curiously Kirk noticed that he was no longer feeling the resonance with James. Perhaps Kirk had involuntarily withdrawn inside his skull again after the crash-landing of the Phoenix.   Or perhaps it was that Kirk and James were no longer identical, in mind or body. They were becoming, in truth, different men—diverging in memory and even in body since the day of the Phoenix. The difference had eroded the resonance almost totally. Kirk suspected that the one last burst, as James was close to death today, had finished the resonance forever.   Kirk helped Spock haul James up into the chimney, and felt for the first time as if he touched a stranger.   Then he looked at the still identical hands locked around each other’s wrists, looked down into the eyes which knew too well what was behind his own, and felt again the full impact of the fact of the Phoenix.   James grinned tiredly, as if reading Kirk’s thought, then swung up in a last scramble and half-sagged against Kirk. “Remind me not to take this up for our health.”   “If you need a reminder,” Kirk said, “you’re not the man I think we were.”   Then they turned to belay the Commander.   Kirk noted with what care James checked the belay and took up the slack himself as the Commander climbed. With more than characteristic caution, James payed the rope back to Spock as a second line of safety.   The Commander was the only one of them who looked as if the climbing were for her health. She moved lithely and found a quarter-inch toehold or fingerhold with ease, and her endurance seemed inexhaustible.   Omne called her up now to where he stood.   “The only rock face out of here is crumbling,” Omne told her. “There is no chance that it will take my weight. There is no guarantee that it will take yours.”   The Commander surveyed the traverse. “Guarantees are in rather short supply.” She started to ease out of the chimney. “Pay out the rope.”   James and Spock started to protest and Spock said, “I will do it. My reach exceeds yours.” The Commander looked back with a faint smile. “Your reach also exceeds your grasp at the moment, Mr. Spock. Have you seen your face lately?”   In a moment she was out over space.   Omne braced the line. There was no projection he could belay it around. He wrapped it around his body in a body belay, and braced his legs against the chimney.   Kirk saw the line settle across Omne’s back. One jerk and it would cut the tissue-thin new skin.   The Commander climbed with painstaking care, testing footholds and handholds as if they were made of eggshells—which was approximately the case. They crumbled under her.   Kirk found that he was not breathing. Then he began to feel tight bands around his chest and knew that the resonance was not, after all, quite gone.   She fell.   A sheet of cliff face simply crumbled away under her and she dropped like a stone.   The Medusa rope slid through Omne’s hands, biting into them, then cut into the new skin of his back.   Omne didn’t move, just clamped down on the rope and brought it to a stop as it smoked through his hands.   But she had been twenty feet out and she swung like a pendulum to slam against a rock.   She lay there, very still, and James started to go over the edge to her. Spock flung him back and went over himself.   Kirk set himself to brace Spock.   But the rotten rock crumpled under Spock even before he could climb down. The Vulcan slid down rather slowly finding partial holds, with Kirk slowing him with the rope and James bracing Kirk.   Rocks crashed and fell on the Vulcan with the force of the planet’s gravity. Kirk doubted whether he or James would have survived.   Somehow Spock reached the ledge where the Commander lay. They saw him check her pulse.   “Alive,” Spock said.   Then Kirk saw Spock check for injuries and finally gather her up into an arm.   Kirk turned to Omne.   The giant’s hands were bleeding and there was a deep, raw rope burn across his back. But he remained focused on the scene below.   The Commander opened her eyes. She looked up into the Vulcan’s face.   And after a moment: “This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, Mr. Spock.”   “Nor I,” he said.   In due course the Commander found that she could move. Spock attempted the cliff but almost any projection he tried crumbled under his weight.   Twice he skidded back down to her ledge in a hail of rock. Finally it was the Commander who followed the ledge out to a cliff face which looked perfectly sheer, and somehow proceeded to climb it.   By the time she reached the solid ledge which had been her original objective, any fall would let her swing at the end of forty feet of rope.   She did not fall.   She anchored the rope. The others went across the easy way—hand over hand—and it was still not recreation.   They went on until they were following a ledge in blindest night, and Kirk did not think that he could move one more foot in front of the other.   Then Omne handed him around a corner into a coruscation of light.   It was the mouth of a cave.   In a moment they were inside and in various states of collapse.   It was an enormous cavern, shadowed with unearthly shapes and lit by a slow light which swirled in a visible pattern through the air like some impossible aurora swirling in a circle of power.   “The Vortex,” Omne said. “Certain gases make it visible in the cave.”   Then he produced from his belt a small tablet which ignited as he put it down and burned with the warmth and cheer of a campfire.   “An hour’s rest,” Omne said. “It will pay in the long run.”   For once Kirk found no argument. He couldn’t move. He stretched out, easing the muscles which complained bitterly about the gravity, and saw James do the same. The Commander saw them settled and then moved off a little way as if to investigate something.   Omne and Spock sat up over the fire, by tacit consent keeping a joint vigil.   Kirk did not intend to sleep, but he caught himself sinking down into exhaustion. Strange, distant nightmares came to him, a haunting feeling of sadness, some sense of an ancient time when this world had lived. He could not quite see the inhabitants, but it was as if he saw their long struggle up out of these caves, and then their long fall, in which a few shattered survivors returned to the caves again, but now bereft of hope. Kirk struggled to escape the dream. 気がつけばカークはオムネとスポックの間のロープにいた。 ジェームズはスポックと指揮官の間のロープに。 オムネが惑星の巨大なメデューサの蛇の手からロープを作ったのだ。 彼はひとつの岩が寺院サイズ程もある神の庭とも思えるスロープを登っていた。 今彼らは神の庭を上空50フィートから見下ろすほぼ垂直な岩の表面にある突起にしがみついていた。 カークはアカデミーで緊急用登山の訓練を受けていた。 が、まぁそんなものは気休めにもなってはいなかった。 1.5倍以上の重力化にあっては尚の事。 鉛の様な感覚は潜航性だった。 遅かれ早かれ人間の筋肉は臨海点に達し機能しなくなる。 聞くところによればオムネが岩にロープを回しカークをビレイしているという。 そうだとしても、もし巨人が落ちたならカークに彼��受け止められるかどうかと考えてしまうのだ。 彼は皆の俯瞰図を考えた、山からビーズがむしられた様な。 Pop, pop, pop... オムネがトラバースを横断し、チムニーに身を入れ楔にしカークを、そして皆をビレイしていった。 歯を食い縛りカークは登った、巨人が見つけたと思われる足場と手がかりを使って。 空想は頭から消えていた。 オムネは碇のようだったからだ。 トラバースの最後にオムネが手を差し出してカークを中に引き入れた。 チムニーで休憩できることは贅沢だった、一瞬ではあるがそこは安全だったからだ。 すぐ後にオムネが弛みを引きスポックをそして他の者もビレイしていった。 スポックは何とか登っている様子だったが彼のバルカン人としての意思は彼が必要とする限り彼を運ぶ様にセットされているらしかった。 ジェームズは落ちる寸前だった。 カークは不思議な事に気がついた、もうジェームズとの反響を感じないのだ。 恐らくPhoenix の不時着後に再びカークは無意識の内に頭蓋の中に退いてしまったのだろう。 さもなくばカークとジェームズが最早肉体的にも精神的にも同一ではなくなってしまったか。 実際彼らは異なる人間なのだ -- Phoenix の日に身体と記憶が分岐した。 その相違が完全に反響を侵食した。 ジェームズが死に近づいた今日の共鳴が最後の爆発で、もう永遠にやってこないのだとカークは仮定した。 カークはスポックがジェームズをチムニーに引き入れるのを手伝いながら感じていた、まるで初対面の他人に触れるようだと。 そして彼は互いの手首を握りあったまだ同じに見える手を、そして眼を見つめ悟った、彼自身の後ろにある再び襲ったPhoenix の衝撃を感じている事がわかっているのだと。 まるでカークの考えを読み取った様にうんざりと笑い、ジェームズは最後の踏ん張りで登りきりカークに凭れかかった。 ”私たちの健康の為にもこれはすべきではないと覚えておいてくれ ” ”もし覚えておくことが必要になったなら ” カークは言った、”君は私が考える私たちではない男になると言うことだぞ ” 彼らはビレイされている指揮官の方を向いた。 登ってくる指揮官の為にジェームズ自身が弛みを引きビレイを細やかにチェックしていることにカークは気がついた。 特有の慎重さでもってジェームズは第２の安全策としてスポックが手繰るロープを送っていた。 指揮官は彼らの中でたったひとりまるで登山が彼女の健康の為であるかの様な様子だった。 4分の1インチの足場、手がかりを易々と使っていく彼女の動きはしなやかで、彼女の持久力は無尽蔵であるかのようだった。 オムネが彼の立っている場所から彼女に呼び掛けた。 ”此処から出る唯一の岸壁jは崩壊している ” オムネが彼女に告げた。 ”私の体重は支えきれん。 君のでも保証はない ” 指揮官がトラバースを調べた。 ”保証などあてにはならない ” 気負う風もなく彼女はチムニーを出た。 ”ロープを繰り出してくれ ” ジェームズとスポックが抗議を開始し、スポックが言った。 ”私が行こう。 私の方がリーチは長い ” 指揮官が微かな笑みを返した。 ”瞬間であれば貴方の握力もリーチも上回ってるな、Mr.スポック。 後で顔を見てみるといいな? ” すぐに彼女はその場から出ていった。 オムネがラインを支えた。 彼がそれを回しビレイできる突起はそこにはなかった。 彼はチムニーで足を支え身体にロープを回しビレイを行った。 カークはオムネの背中に食い込むラインを見た。 オムネがそれを引く毎に新しい肌は裂かれていった。 指揮官は足掛かり、手がかりをテストしながら慎重に登っていった、まるでそれが卵の殻ででもあるかのように -- それは殆ど真実だった。 彼女の下でそれが砕けた。 カークは自分が息を止めている事に気づいた。 そして彼は感じ始めた、彼の胸が再び手できつく握られた様になっていることを、そして悟った共鳴などではない、ついになくなってしまったと。 彼女は落ちた。 彼女の下で岸壁の表面が崩れ彼女は石の様に落ちた。 メデューサロープがオムネの手を滑った、それらは食い込み彼の背中の新しい皮膚を裂いていった。 オムネは動かなかった、手に煙をたてながらロープを引き締め止めた。 だが彼女は20フィート飛び出し岩に叩きつけられる振り子の様になった。 彼女はぐったりと横たわり、気が違った様になったジェームズが彼女の元に向かおうと動き出した。 スポックが彼を引き戻し彼自身が外に出た。 スポックの滑り止めとしてカークがついた。 だが脆い岩はスポックが降りるそばから砕けていった。 バルカンは不完全ではあるがジェームズがカークを支える事でゆっくりと繰り出されるロープによってゆっくりと滑り降りていった。 岩が砕け、惑星の重力の力によってバルカンは落ちた。 カークは考えた、彼もしくはジェームズが生き残れるかどうかと。 何とかスポックが指揮官が横たわる岩棚に到着した。 彼が彼女の脈をチェックするのを見た。 ”生きています ” スポックが言った。 そしてカークはスポックが彼女の傷を調べ彼女を腕に抱き起こすのを見た。 カークはオムネを見た。 巨人の手は血を吹いていた、そして彼の背中には深い傷と火傷があった。 だが彼の意識は下の光景に向けられたままだった。 指揮官が眼を開けた。 彼女がバルカンの顔を見上げた。 少しして。 ”これは不本意だ、Mr.スポック ” ”私もだ ” 彼が言った。 その内に指揮官が動けるようになった。 スポックは登ろうと試みたが彼の体重では突起は支えきれなかった。 2度彼は滑り落ち彼女の岩棚に岩の雨を降らせた。 ついに指揮官が岩棚から完璧な険しさを見せる表面を登りきった。 彼女が到達したのは彼女が当初目的としていた確りとした岩棚だった、40フィートののロープに揺られた彼女だからこそ出来たことだった。 彼女は落ちなかった。 彼女がロープを固定した。 他の者は容易く渡る事ができた -- 手繰っていき -- だがそれはレクリエーションなどではなかった。 彼らは夜になり辺りが見えなくなるまで岩棚を辿り続けた、カークがもう一歩も前には進めないだろうと考えるまで。 その時角を曲がったオムネが煌めく光の中に彼を招いた。 それは洞窟の入り口だった。 直ぐに中に入った彼らは思い思いの様子で崩れ落ちた。 それは巨大な洞窟だった、不気味な影と明かりが渦を巻き空気中に眼に見えるパターンを描いていた、それは円形に渦を巻くあり得ないオーラの様だった。 ”the Vortex " オムネが言った。 ”あるガスによって洞窟の中でそれが見える ” その時彼がベルトから小さなタブレットを取りだし火をつけた、暖を取るためにまるで陽気なキャンプファイアの様にそれを燃え上がらせた。 ”1時間休憩する ” オムネが言った。 ”ロングランへの報いだ ” 今度ばかりはカークに異論はなかった。 彼は動く事ができなかった。 彼は身を伸ばし重力に不平たらたらな筋肉を和らげた、そしてジェームズも同じように行っている事に気づいた。 彼らが落ち着いたのを見てとった指揮官は何かを調べる様にほんの少し移動した。 オムネとスポックは暗黙の了解で不寝番をするらしかった。 カークには眠るつもりはなかったが、気がつけば消耗しきり沈んでいた。 奇妙に遠いところから彼に悪夢がやってきた、悲しみに取りつかれる感覚、この世界が生きていた太古の感覚。 彼は居住者を全く見ていなかった、だがまるで彼が洞窟から彼らの長い闘いを見ているかのように思えた、落下し散り散りになった数名の生存者が再び洞窟に戻ってくる、だが望みは絶えていた。 カークは夢から逃れようと奮闘した。

[inun4ki]

死/// Timeline.!!

I made a timeline :)

✾ Bloodletter's Dream.

This period covers the years 1989-1998, between the three years before Kaede was born to the few months after the Shikabane Massacre, when Kaede was 6. In 1989, Taisho began his descent into dumbassery and murdered two family members; The branch heads plotted together to get rid of Taisho and, catching wind of this, he devised a plan to ensure he retained power over his clan. This resulted in him secretly fucking around with curses and slaughtering over 60 members of the family. He was then killed by the curses he was in league with, which were promptly killed in turn. Kurai took all the children in from the main and secondary branch families and raised them alongside Kotsuchi and Shion, prioritizing keeping the family together over anything else for a time. Kaede was the biggest handful, seemingly knowing something the others didn't, and became withdrawn.

✾ A Survivor's Nightmare.

This period covers the years between 1998 and 2015, between the aftermath of the Shikabane Massacre and the Inunaki Incident. This will all mainly be featured in memory up to age 23, and such will focus on the discovery of his capabilities at a young age, being groomed as the next head of the clan, his growth as a budding jujutsu sorcerer, his bonds with Kurai, Aoi, Terin, and the remaining clan, as well as his lingering trauma from the Massacre. He'll have had some rocky experiences - missions gone awry - which will have resulted in his replacement one year, sever burns the next, and the permanent, irreparable damaging of his vocal chords at age 20. Otherwise, most injuries involve the use of his Blood Sacrifice technique. Despite his injuries, he'll still be somewhat hopeful he can achieve his goal of protecting his family and throughout this time, he is healthy and capable, if somewhat depressed.

✾ The Inunaki Incident.

This covers a specific event in the summer of 2016, at age 23 - the Inunaki Incident, in which Kaede and Terin investigate a recent rash of kidnappings and murders in the area of Inunaki Tunnel. What was supposed to be something of a routine gig would turn out to be...the opposite, as it was both misgraded and went from investigation to extermination in a matter of moments. They're led into the supposedly mythical Inunaki Village, which turns out to be a 'nest' brimming with curse-users and curses alike. Kaede takes the fore in battle, instinctively protecting Terin, and just when things are starting to let up, Kaede opts to lead a particularly large group of curses and curse-users away, leaving only a handful behind he knows Terin can handle. Except, he couldn't handle them, caught off guard by a group that'd been hiding until just the right moment. Terin is tragically overwhelmed and summarily killed - utterly ripped to unrecognizable shreds before Kaede can circle back around and rendezvous. He arrives too late, blood splattering across the cobblestones, and blacks out. Blinded by emotion, Kaede kills everything and everyone in the village using his sword, Judgment techniques, and Divine Retribution - all the skills in his repertoire, until he performs the first and only large-scale use of Hell Prism. Despite Terin's death, the higher ups ultimately declare the mission a successful extermination, and Kaede's guilt spirals.

✾ Sacrificial Soul.

This period covers, specifically, ages 24-25, the aftermath of the Inunaki Incident, Kaede's resulting extreme guilt, and the worst of his night terrors, flashbacks, and blackouts. His will is completely broken after Terin's death, and he considers whether or not he should commit suicide, contemplating his role in his family and as a jujutsu sorcerer, finding too few comforts to justify his continued life - not even his sense of duty can appeal to him. He second-guesses, questions himself, replays the event over and over in his head, falling into utter despair. During this time, he ramps up his workload, taking only high-level missions and forcibly ignoring his pains before he unravels. He is especially dangerous in this period as he is extremely careless with his life and will stop at nothing to kill his targets, even if that means he dies along with them.

✾ Last Call.

This covers some events leading up to the Shibuya Incident in 2018. By this point, he is nearing age 26 (on the day of the incident, no less). The Shikabane Clan is stamped out of existence at last - except Kaede. Upon returning home from a long mission in Okinawa, his already fragile psyche fractures as he bears witness to the bodies of his remaining family in pieces splattered across the walls of the main house. Not having any time to mourn, whatever had killed the rest of his family was still lying in wait for him, aiming to put him down before he could become a problem later. A bitter and lengthy fight breaks out between Kaede and the high-level curse. 'Judgment's Last Call' is a reference to the last and final use of Kaede's domain expansion, in which he sacrifices much of his mind, body, and soul to destroy the curse that slaughtered his family.

✾ Recovery.

Following the events of the previous, gravely injured and closer to death than even he realizes, Kaede is presented with a choice: Retire and move on, or continue grinding himself into nothing to change the tides in a world that he's ultimately not strong enough to survive in anymore. Much goes through his head at this time, some of it a repeat of decades past, and in his struggle to make sense of his life without his family, he is effectively forced to finally come to terms with it all and heal. This period covers ages 26 onward.

These summaries are, of course, subject to change, as there are some things I need to think a bit carefully about regarding his involvement (or lackthereof) in the main plot. It's not likely that I'll do anything more than add a few key details and references to what's going on, as I'm not sure I want him to be close to the main plot - I've discovered some people feel weird about that sometimes, and I'd rather avoid the issue as a whole. I don't mind figuring this stuff out in plotted threads, but in general, he probably won't be related to the main plot in any fashion.

As an aside, I know this is depressing, because it's just railing on the fact Kaede, in his mind, literally failed to protect the people he loved most. He did the best he could to make the world a safer place by putting out all the other fires that'd cropped up, and failed anyway. Or did he? For a time, he succeeds, right? Providing for his family, leading them toward a brighter future despite the dangers lurking around the corner, and even if it wasn't enough in the end, it was all right for a little while. Tragic and punishing as his life is, it's frankly a miracle he was able to make it as long as he had. He broke a few cycles in a sense.

[inun4ki]

Perfectly balanced, Kaede'd been teetering along the narrow breadth of a curb, spending his walking time a mite idly. With nothing to do for the time being, he'd chosen to meander, to explore the nooks and crannies of a city he was only too familiar with, a soft hup! for every mismatched, enthused step. A rare occurrence, truly.

The skies were richly dark with rain clouds, a distant thunder booming as afternoon sank into dusk, muted light casting few shadows. Just beyond the residences he'd weaved between, Mount Fuji stood proudly, misted with oncoming rain, and it was altogether a beautifully melancholic sight. Kaede couldn't help but look, gaze upon it in all his tender awe - an unwise choice to make, for doing so had led him onto the pavement and directly into some poor woman--

With expert care, he hooked his fingers around her elbow and helped her to steady, a flurry of awkward apologies flying from his mouth. He dipped his head, bowed profusely, and prattled on pitifully, propriety demanding his utmost sincerity.

"I-I apologize!" again, he reiterated. "I was...well, I was captivated."

"By...by the mountain, I mean."

@ofrosegold

[inun4ki]

continued from this ask / @killxrofsorcerers

A frightening chill jolted down Kaede's spine and all the color drained from his face, lips fluttering withe very desperate and painful gasp for air. Pupils dilated, throat crushed under the weight of Yami's palm, and a thousand vile memories rushed to the forefront of his mind. The madman howling in his face - Taisho and Kurai's screaming in his ears - His fault, his responsibility, so much blood was spilt and the blame was his to bear. Saliva, blood splattering across his face, dribbling from his mouth. No more air, the only thing drowning out the sound of organs hitting the floor and getting beaten for his inability to act being the furious beating of his heart, blood pounding in his ears.

If...he hadn't known any better, he might've wept - and possibly allowed Yami to punch his face in. But he couldn't allow it.

Yami didn't mean to do this, did he? He was just lashing out - something precious was missing, and he blamed Kaede for its disappearance. Will it always be this way?

...Will it always be his fault?

On reflex, his hands desperately sought the source of his pain, knobby knuckles and burnt fingertips clawing at Yami's fingers and wrist - reminded of the here and now, what was tangible and what was not. He choked on the pressure, soon beginning to flail his legs and push and shove and kick at Yami. He didn't want to fight him, didn't want to hurt him. He couldn't! He wouldn't! But he wasn't going to take this, wasn't going to sit here and allow him to spit on his generosity nor strangle him just because he was lost in his own shit--

Kaede cried out, his voice little more than an agonized sputter, but at last - at last! - he'd fended Yami off, shoving him away just enough for him to put some distance between them. Within seconds, he'd darted across the room, a table and chairs an obstacle between them now, and as Kaede heaved and shuddered in pitiful gasps, he clutched his throat. Old wounds felt the strain, vocal chords threatening to snap, bruises beginning to form on still-puffy scar tissue, faint tears appearing within the cracks. Yet, with a furrowed brow, Kaede lifted his head and glared at Yami from across the table.

"...Fool!" he wheezed pitifully, snarling like an alleycat. He coughed and trembled miserably, but he wouldn't be deterred. He had to speak to Yami's sense of reason, or things would get much worse than this. "How dare you accuse me of such trespass...! Do you think I'm some degenerate who cares and knows nothing of love or loss?! Do think I would betray you-- As if-as if I didn't know! As if I couldn't! As if I'm some petty thief with no morals! I hide myself from you, never my intentions!"

Oh, if only anyone had known.

He viciously guarded the distance between him and Yami, categorizing it as ground in battle to make sense of it, mind working overtime to solve the issue at hand. It wouldn't be so simple as explaining himself - Yami wasn't in a state to accept anything he'd say anyway. Was he to surrender, then? To bow his head and lay himself bare in the hopes it might calm the fury storming within Yami? Would finding his ring soothe him, ease the burden for a time? He couldn't know, not then, but if he could get Yami to calm down long enough...perhaps...

He drew a shaky breath, his expression softening considerably, his weaknesses on display.

"Please, listen to me!" he pleaded, throat burning from use. "I come from a lesser clan that's built its wealth over the centuries. I came with that money to repay you for your help! I would never steal from you!" A new panic took root the longer he prattled, bleeding into every broken word. "I didn't steal it! I didn't know it was there! I came with money I worked for--"

Kaede withdrew, unable to fight against the consuming darkness within Yami's gaze nor the parallels to a time long past - ghosts, all. Trapped, caged between a meager semblance of respect and adherence to principle, all the world around him melting into the oil-slick vomit of his waking nightmares. Fingers shook as they released, flexing instead around the edges of his face, as if he were watching it happen and facing the blame, rage, and hatred of them all over again. Panicked breathing, wheezing, and pleading, all useless it seemed. Ever and always, it must be this way. It was his purpose to be a tool, a receptical, a fate he both earned and inherited, perpetuated by rights.

There was no hope for kinship. No hope for the cycle to be broken. Around and around, until he drew his final breath.

"I would never... I would never--! Stop blaming me! I can't be responsible for your pain, too!"

[inun4ki]

死/// Idling.

A walk among the hydrangeas had only done one thing: Proven that, before anything else, Kaede was becoming less and less interested in returning home.

After all, what was the point? The higher ups were always sending him away on dangerous missions - often, for several weeks to months at a time; He may as well be an outsider, an intruder in his own home. It didn't much matter to him that the children would flock to him once they'd see him, hound him down and climb him like a meager tree - they were too little, to understand - and he cared even less that Kurai, Aoi, and Terin would do the same, always so concerned the second he'd set foot inside the main house.

He scowled, his expression laced with...malcontent.

The air was cool and damp on his skin, misting the colorful hydrangeas with morning dew, and a blanket of clouds heavy with rain loomed darkly overhead as autumn had finally rolled in. A fog had begun to work its way through the Shikabane compound, too thin to properly obscure his path, and it was then he decided to return to his room, meandering through the gardens and narrow pathways until at last the hydrangeas faded away.

Cold feet slid noiselessly across the hardwood, careful to avoid the creakiest of planks, so quietly slipping through curtained doorways and winding halls until, at last, he'd arrived. And, for a time, he thought of his mother, wondering what she'd have thought about it all - his icy indifference, the fate he'd resigned himself to so early in the morning, the tentative balance struck between familial responsibility and curse eradication tearing him in two. He wondered what she'd say, if her words would be useful - comforting - because neither Kurai's nor Aoi's could lay to rest his weary soul, and Terin's were beginning to sound like obnoxious summer cicadas, background noise on a humid night.

Kaede eased himself into the seat at his desk, the plain, boring walls of his overly traditional bedroom offering no reprieve. Even the chair was uncomfortable - it didn't feel like it was his - but he settled in anyway, crossing his legs at the knee and firmly planting his chin in the seat of his palm. Seemingly endless sheets of parchment were splayed out before him, his uneasy gaze flitting between haphazardly stacked old letters and the pens and brushes kept in simple mugs, empty ink pots and stained rags, only half-acknowledging the unopened envelope sitting on top of it all. He didn't want to read it.

The envelope was thick, presumably with pages upon pages of Aoi's pointless rambling (or money, hopefully), as if his cousin was desperate to remind him of what awaited him at home (he was). Aoi...didn't understand, either, believing a long-winded reminder would bring Kaede back to center (it wouldn't). He'd have chuckled to himself, if the familiar pangs in his chest hadn't cut so deeply. How ironic it is that the family he'd been fighting so hard to protect and provide for had become strangers to him, strange little aliens he happened to be related to, the close relationships he'd strived to maintain fraying like old threads.

Was it...his mistake, that'd made him feel this way? Or was it merely the natural degeneration of bonds caused by distance and absence? Indifference born of something he'd been fostering for what seemed an eternity, too guarded and too cautious to let even the ones he loved most in. Pitiful, really, but he wished the word bit down a mite harder. He couldn't bring himself to care, the weight of his heart carried in his jaw.

Or, rather... he couldn't bring himself to show it.

Kaede bit his lip as he idled, fingertips drumming anxiously on the ball of his chin. In the span of few moments, he'd opened the paper window, spun around in his chair, ran his fingers through his hair, and shifted positions seven times, his composure having all but cracked like brittle armor.

Was he just telling himself this to put his mind at ease? So he wouldn't have to properly deal with his conflicting emotions, his inability to cling to his hope - or how Terin and Aoi worried for him so? They never knew if he'd come home, after all; There were far too many curses that've cropped up in the last few decades, the balance ever-shifted - and no one really knew in whose favor. Strong as Kaede was, he had his own weaknesses, and it didn't take much to find and exploit them. They cared, of course, far more than they should.

He wished they'd worry more about themselves. He was fine - he'd be all right. The more curses he exorcised, the more curse users he killed, the more blood that was on his hands...

A bone-chilling breeze drifted in through the window, drawing him from his thoughts as a shiver wormed its way down his spine, a heavy sigh escaping him.

He never could figure out what to do with his time off, other than wallow, could he?

Partially amused, Kaede glanced out of the window, measuring the breadth of the blue and lilac hydrangeas still clinging to life in the garden. He couldn't remember when exactly so many had been planted, nor when they'd all begun to bloom so beautifully, but he'd have to thank Kurai for his hard work tending them - someday; They were far more comforting than the eerie but apt spider lilies that once plagued the grounds. But, perhaps, that was why there were so many hydrangeas these days - the spider lilies were just too on the nose.

After all, the massacre...

He grimaced, a new chill seeping into his very core.

Much blood had been spilled on Shikabane grounds over the centuries; They were always too focused on slaughtering each other than they ever were anything else. How legions of curses hadn't spawned from such utter depravity, tragedy, and malice should be a surprise to anyone. Or, perhaps he was cynical, faithless in his age. Despite its troubled history, there has always been at least someone willing to put in the hard work and make the difficult choices to change. Maybe it was that meager glimmer of hope that outshined all the rest, little changes eventually snowballing into an avalanche of peace and serenity. Plant a tree today, so it may fruit tomorrow.

Muushi hopped onto the window sill, obscuring the hydrangeas in Kaede's immediate line of sight, her inky black and white fur glistening with dew. She must've fallen asleep outside, nestled in her favorite patch of grass in the greenspan beyond the garden. Tentatively, he reached out to her, gently dragging his fingers between her ears. She only glared at him with slit pupils, the burning orange of her eyes telling him all he needed to know about how she felt in the moment. She always was a moody little thing, but, eventually, she began to purr.

It was moments like this, when the morning was misty and frigid and his mind wouldn't rest, that Muushi's company was most welcome, no matter her irritable stare. A tender smile eased across his face and he pet her for a while longer, rubbing her cheeks and scratching her chest, quietly delighting in the presence of his cat.

That is, until her purring hushed and her fangs lodged themselves in his finger.

"Ara, Muushi-chan, are you that angry with me?" he grumbled, withdrawing his hand, scowling. But his frustration melted away as quickly as it'd come on, his brows lofting sympathetically. "I'm... sorry I was gone so long."

He slid off of his chair and stood, leaning over his desk to carefully lift Muushi off the window sill and pull her against his chest, cradling her in his arms. Burying his nose in her fur, he closed his eyes, his fingers carding through her fur. She squirmed and chirped in his grasp, her paw pressing into his cheek, whiskers tickling his skin, but she didn't seem to outright hate his affections. He'd missed her dearly, try as he might to deny he'd missed anyone at all.

"I'm not sure what to do, Muushi...," he murmured into her ear, kissing her forehead, and setting her down on his desk in one easy swoop. "I don't want to write any letters today, or answer any phone calls. Ara, I just know Aoi will come looking for me the second he figures out I'm home."

Muushi didn't respond, too busy licking her paws. He tapped his fingers on his desk, drawing small circles into the wood.

"Sweet girl, I so missed our little chats," he muttered - half amused, half indignant. But, then, he grinned down at her, giving her ears a gentle scratch. "Such a brat..."

When she didn't so much as look his way, Kaede plucked the thick envelope out from underneath her, running his fingers over the seal and deciding it would just be best if he ripped the band-aid off. Tucking his finger underneath a loose corner, he steadily peeled the envelope open, cornflower eyes narrowing upon the confirmation of his hopes - and the distress of a secondary truth. The envelope held within it a hefty bundle of cash, no doubt payment from the higher-ups Aoi refuses to use. He always claimed guilt - 'that's your hard-earned money, Kaede-dono' - and propriety, as if it didn't rightfully belong to the clan, as Kaede'd willed it. Aoi's stubbornness in this regard would no doubt explain at least half of his unreasonably lengthy letter.

He dumped the envelope beside Muushi, renewed frustration creeping into his gaze. And then he... picked up the letter. Aoi's hand-writing was terrible as usual, but something Kaede'd been keeping at bay washed over him all at once - relentless and withering.

How it is to love in a world unsuitable for it.

[inun4ki]

Kaede glared down at her with unfeeling eyes, a frigid unkindness causing to bloom the once-flowers in his eyes. He did not press, squeeze, nor clench, black-painted fingernails digging half-moons into her skin. Maybe a different animal would've bore into her flesh and clawed away at webby thew, arteries, and airways, but it was never his intention to bring her harm - not when they met before, and certainly not now. But she didn't care about that. Too many obvious trust issues to sort out on her own fucking time.

He paid her nails no mind as she flayed his arm, icily frozen and calculating as he glared and glared. Something mean and foul tugged at the back of his mind, biting and gnawing on chewy grey matter, cannibalizing his stubborn desire to give well-wishes and support, to offer her a helping hand and make her live even just a smidge easier. Playfighting at the local bar was one thing, but it wasn't mere play for her, was it? He wanted to react with compassion and understanding, but he was far more bitter than even he could fathom.

"If I thought you worthy of putting out of your misery, I would've killed you when first we met," he hissed lowly, leaning closer over her until their breaths mingled and the skeletal curves of her mask had pressed into his cheek, his unbending glower burning holes into naught but blackness - where her eyes should be. A lack of fear, he knew - something he respected in her, but now found irritating beyond measure. He grit and bared his teeth, curved knife secure in free hand, tip hovering a hair's breadth between the ball of Jez's chin and the soft spot just past it. "I wouldn't have repeatedly gone out of my way to befriend you. Feed you."

On the contrary, he'd seen so much himself in her, he couldn't fathom not trying. There were only too few to none who'd given him the same courtesy, and while he was, underneath everything, a horribly bitter and weak man, he wasn't so feeble he couldn't try. She was just as stubborn as he was, too stubborn - maybe worse - and it pissed him off to be threatened, berated, and constantly, literally fought tooth and nail every step of the way when all he'd attempted to do was help someone who was just like him. Different, yet the same.

"No, no, I had to take pity on you, and all you've done is spit in my face as if I'm some twitchy jackass who thinks you belong in a cage! I never expected you to trust me. I didn't even expect you to like me - I'm just as fucked up and miserable as you are." Knifepoint grazes her chin to underscore his sentiments, but doesn't draw blood - too careful, merciful even, despite the burgeoning soreness of his balls. "I don't know what your fucking problem is and, frankly, at this point, I don't want to. But you're going to get used to having a proper ally on your side one way or another, or I will kill you myself."

@origami-assassin / continued from here !

[inun4ki]

💭 [ yami, hah!]

send me for a thot / accepting!

"Ara...you're not going to tell him, are you? Well, I think Yami-dono's a little bit scary. He reminds me a little bit of my father, at least from a time when he was good. I realize that's oxymoronic, but I don't mean it negatively. That is to say, I'm not sure that I can trust him, but I certainly don't want any harm to befall him. I'd rather he live a happy and healthy life where he has one less troublemaking brat to deal with, far away from anything that can... Ahem, well. Think about it like this: Would you want the person who's been stitching up your wounds, taking care of you when you're on the brink of death- Would you want that person to live a continually sad, lonely life? I feel like I've brought him nothing but trouble - which is true, there's no convincing me otherwise - and I think the only way I can make up for that is by sticking around."

[inun4ki]

"How long have you been hiding this from me?" [ from yami]

angst meme / accepting!

"Stop! Stop looking at them!"

But he couldn't escape Yami's gaze, pinned to his chair by worsening exhaustion, as meager streams of blood trickled from flesh that'd been flayed by Kaede's own hand time and time again. It was ugly and foul, framed by the yellow-red colors of inflammation and infection, strange gloves long-discarded, torn to meager shreds in the pitch of an alleyway. Some gashes crossed into others, some scabbed over while the rest were raw and open, one down to the tendon where pain tolerance and force of will were almost useless. Dried blood, caked on and crackling, webbed between them all, so many lines and rips and holes shorn through his skin.

The truth was evident, an inevitability, and it was only a matter of time before Yami discovered it - until he discovered the requirements of Kaede's techniques, and the harm he'd purposefully brought himself besides. He knew, yet still he fought to retreat, willing his legs to move, carry him away to some place without any eyes or false concern where he could hide, hide, hide. Yami didn't need to know everything - Kaede would've been satisfied if he'd known nothing at all. None of this was real anyway, and it couldn't be Yami's job to care, not when--

Wide eyes rimmed with an emotion he lacked the strength to conceal, he refused to return Yami's stare, his heart burning to retreat and recoil.

"It's-It's none of your business! This isn't what I came here for!" he snapped, his voice uncharacteristically frantic.

In his desperation to flee, Kaede's heels dug into the grooves between the tiles beneath him and pushed with what little strength he had, his chair squealing across the floor. Not much distance was forged between them, but it was enough. He withdrew from Yami entirely and forced himself to stand on his feet, cradling his arm against his chest as his wobbling knees threatened to give out. Clenching his teeth through the agony now violently twisting through him, he tried everything in his power to remain stolid and upright, but especially to maintain a cold distance between himself and Yami, going so far as to clumsily storm toward the door to his apartment. Guided only by the terror of being seen.

He didn't want this. Yami wasn't supposed to know anything about it. He wasn't supposed to care. He wasn't supposed to ask questions like he cared. He wasn't supposed to treat those injuries. He wasn't supposed to know they even existed. He wasn't supposed to see them at all! Because it complicates things. It's all pity and sympathy over the necessity of it, never any understanding, and he didn't know Yami well enough to be secure it was neither. He had to hide it, disappear for another several months, tend to his own wounds, and never broach Yami on familiar enough circumstances again. He couldn't bear it, couldn't bear anyone at all knowing.

And before he knew it, he was running out of the door, stumbling, fumbling, falling over himself in the hallway. But it was fine, it was fine, so long as no one could see. Panting, heaving breath after breath, blood dripping onto his clothes, his hip deciding now was the time to act up, forcing him to trip and fall into the next unit's door. With nigh unfathomable effort, he scrambled to his feet and continued on as stubbornly as ever could have, grasping at the stair railings with all his remaining strength.

Away. He just had to get away. Away.

[inun4ki]

❛ i’m trying to fix your hair, so hold still. ❜ [ from yami, because that would be hilarious experience]

assorted dialogue prompts /// accepting!

"You're pulling on my hair! It was fine before you got to it!"

It was not, and he knows it. There's only so much blood a man can get in his hair before it needs to be washed away, brushed and dried properly, and put up and out of the way.

His head bobbed back and forth with every drag of Yami's fingers through his hair; In the first place, Kaede was so unused to having anyone touch him, let alone do what they would with his hair, and if he were honest, Yami's fingertips felt a little too sharp on his scalp. It drove him crazy - like nails on a chalkboard, except the chalboard was his head.

With a cursory yank, Kaede jerked backward, yelping almost comically. He was never going to live this down. No doubt, Yami would hold it over his head - and easily, considering their height differences - and he'd never hear the end of it!

"I will not be thanking you - oww! - for this!"