Can You See Everything?

Blog for SHSL Internet Forum Moderator, ZenZen. Affiliated with Rewound Circuit.

[rewoundcircuit]

Monotheatre 1 | The Tale of the Internet Forum Moderator

tw: child neglect, substance abuse

Drawing from the same deck, the improper card reading continues. This time, however, the speaker is not Monomi but rather her companion Monokuma.

There was once a child filled with loneliness.

The Strength’s childhood was one of absence and arguments.

His mother, an alcoholic who cared little for her family, wasting their money away as she stalked the streets at night.

And his father, fully aware of her actions, as he made sure she knew everything she was doing wrong, not caring if their son was listening.

Left in front of the TV, or wandering outside alone, The Strength only had himself to reply on.

He was five years old when his father gifted him a used computer of his own, a way to distract him so he didn’t have to think about the boy.

It soon became his whole life.

There was nothing more interesting than the internet, not to The Strength, who ignored other kids and responsibilities just so he could get home and play on his computer.

Stumbling upon a forum about rocks, he found himself posting, despite his lack of knowledge on the subject.

Being able to contribute and be heard…

It made him feel good.

Even after he received hurtful and horrifying messages–

He kept coming back.

The computer was his safe haven, the only thing he really had.

How was he supposed to let it go?

And when he gets into a harmless pet game for kids, he decides to create a space for all to enjoy.

His own forum.

A place where people like him could have fun, speak, be themselves.

One where the mocking of young people like him just trying to enjoy themselves wasn’t tolerated.

And it felt like every forum he helped work on became a calm, relaxing haven for people to talk about their interest.

The Strength had a hand in creating so many wonderful communities, admired by members and mods alike.

One in particular wanted to meet him in real life…

…His parents didn’t care. Even as their home life calmed down, they had long given up on their son. 

And if this stranger on the internet thought more highly of him than his own parents, than why wouldn’t he want to meet them?

So, he made plans, lying about his age and telling them he would be hiding his face.

This twenty four year old woman from American didn’t expect for him to be a child. In fact, it was probably the last thing she could have ever expected.

She was amazed– no one seemed to care about the kid, considering just how often he was online.

She took it upon herself to be a guardian to The Strength. 

For the first time in his life, he had a parental figure– an adult who cared about his well being.

If there was one person out there who actually cared about him as a person, then everything that’s lead up to it was worth while…

Right?

The arcana is the means by which all is revealed…

Your self doubt controls you, the dependence on others hindering your ability to find the strength within to carry on. Believe that your own instincts hold just as much power as those around you.

[rewoundcircuit]

Monotheatre 1 | Banned from the Trial of Strength

tw: blunt force head trauma, crushing, heights, electrocution

The agonizing waiting time passes, and with it coming to an end comes to the beginning of Monokuma’s job. He presses a button, fitting how even this punishment comes at a simple gesture of the finger much like all the rest, and the space above the podiums where Monokuma and Monomi stand opens up. A part of the ceiling slides away and a robotic arm emerges from it. With lightning speed, it grabs the convicted party among you and takes him away with it into whatever darkness lies above the two chaperones’ heads before closing the gap in the ceiling.

Once Zenzen is taken away, there is an awkward silence that falls upon the trial room as you wait for something to happen. A few more moments pass before a screen lights up in front of you, showing you Zenzen alone in a blank, white room with no exit in site. Though the boy was without his usual bear head, there was a strange visor-like helmet covering his eyes and head, and you could tell that he was scared, hands flying upwards in an attempt to pull it off, clearly struggling as it refused to budge. Suddenly, the room around him shifts slightly, blue grids covering the walls, floor and ceiling, glowing as the screen flickers for only a second before the room is transformed right in front of your eyes. The once empty room now resembles something out of a 2D video game, blocks and obstacles laid out in front of Zenzen, the end nowhere in sight. You also notice that Zenzen’s helmet is no longer visible, giving you full view of his face, fear and confusion obviously present. However, you find it odd how the screen keeps flipping from the virtual world to the real world, and you can see and hear everything Zenzen can, an overwhelmingly upbeat, computerized song fading into nothing but silence. But, your wonder is cut short when a loud roar shakes the virtual reality Zenzen has found himself in, a large, yet almost cartoony lion appearing behind the moderator…and he’s barely given a second to register what’s happening before it begins to charge towards him, destroying everything in it’s path. And it didn’t matter how scared he was, he knew he had to run. As Zenzen runs, the lion chases behind him, looking back to see that the floor was falling behind them, revealing a deep, dark and endless abyss that would certainly spell his death if the clearly angry lion wasn’t the cause first. After awhile, you could swear that Zenzen was somehow outrunning the lion, and you almost hold your breath when the end of the course is plainly in the boy’s view…and it’s as if a weight is lifted from your chest when the sound of the lion crying out is heard as it falls into the ground, unable to keep up the pace. It was hard for everyone to register the fact that Zenzen had won– especially him. But, he continues forward, slower this time, towards the exit. Only to stop dead in his tracks as a strange sound is heard, slowly looking upwards with a look of confusion, which quickly transforms into one of terror as he sees a giant hammer swinging down towards him.

Just as it’s about to make contact, the screen flickers, and your view is that of the real world, where you watch as the forum moderator begins to convulse violently, electricity sparking from his helmet as he falls to the ground, no longer moving. And, as a final act of tragedy, the screen pans over to where the exit in the virtual world was, revealing that it was nothing but another wall, no escape in sight.

ZenZen Michiru Zaizen, the Super High-School Level Internet Forum Moderator, has been executed.

[rewoundcircuit]

Monotheatre 1 | Mind Over Matter

“You lot got it right! Or, well, as right as right really means in this situation! Heheh. I wonder.”

“Anyway, ZenZen-kun off’d Kishi-kun. That means it’s the end of the road for him but the continuation of it for the rest of you – exactly as it had been before.”

Monokuma takes a moment to gather his thoughts, as if he were letting his own words sink into his brain, and his glance flickers over towards the woman at his side. Her expression changes and gestures are so slight that you can’t quite make out what silent message she gave her companion, but he seems to have caught his own resolve and faces you all again.

“…thirty minutes. You have thirty minutes until it’s punishment time.”

[rewoundcircuit]

Calculating votes…

ZenZen - XIV Hideyoshi Kishi - I Takeru Nokubo - I Sandwich Yanagisawa - I Ryuunosuke Yoshida - I Yoko Kurusu - I

ZENZEN, SHSL INTERNET FORUM MODERATOR, HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY.

[rewoundcircuit]

Check Up | ZenZen | Chapter 1 Post Motive | Closed @ Yoshiko

The events of the day have been…stressful, to say the least. Seeing those last two names in limbo was–painful. Yet he couldn’t stop staring at it. He’s already lost, so there’s no reason to be so invested, right?

No, he can’t help but worry. So to help take his mind off of things, he decided to explore a little more. Rummaging around the SHSL Magical Girl research lab, he couldn’t help but admire all the costumes. How couldn’t he? Magical girl outfits were always so cute…

The sound of someone entering made him turn around, greeting them as kindly as he could, given the mood.

Ah, Yoshiko? That’s your name, right? I don’t think we’ve ever had a chance to talk! I hope you’re doing alright…given everything that’s happened. But, if you have anything you’d like to talk about, any worries…I’m here!

Bit of a strange thing to say considering who’s lost who, but all he wants to do is help. It’s a nice distraction, at any rate.

[rewoundcircuit]

bear with me (BEAR WITH ME) ✽ kimiko ✽ chapter 1 ✽ attn: zenzen

[not-quite-connected]

cheerheart‌:

“Aww, okay! Fair enough! I know a couple of people who like, aren’t using their real name or anything. No-one reaaaaaally as extreme as hiding behind a mascot head, and I don’t get why you’d just wanna hide yourself when you’ve worked so hard, but whatever! Now that it’s not sneaking up on me, I’m sure I’ll be used to it! Hee.”

Now that the issue of the bear head was dealt with, Kimiko could stop and properly consider the points that ZenZen raised about the ins and outs of making an inventory, humming along in thought. At least she seemed willing enough to consider what he was suggesting by the words she replied with, even if her tone sounded blasé enough to suggest that she had already dismissed any of her companion’s input in some need to be right as she investigated the knife. 

“Yeaaaaaah, but don’t these weapon wall holder… rack things kiiiiiiinda seem like they’re made for specific weapons only, right? What else COULD they move around to try and hide this stuff without being stupid obvious about it! Though are you suggesting you’d be able to notice if someone had moved this even SLIGHTLY off? Orrrrrr were you thinking of like, making a mark where these things are?” 

Thankfully for ZenZen, no sudden flailing movements came from her Sleeping Beauty moment with the knife; Kimiko even took the time to carefully replace the weapon, looking more than a little annoyed at being wrong as she briefly put the injured finger in her mouth and sucked on it in a playground attempt to reduce the pain. 

“Aww, I’ll be more than fine! I’ve DEFINITELY had worse! What, you think I can’t take a little poke after learning all those cheerleader tumbles by myself? Keep up! But hmmmm… THAT’S a new theory, lying about the Hope’s Peak thing! I mean, this WAS where we were officially told to go and stuff, right? Ohhhhh, it all feels so far away now!” 

Another huff of annoyance. 

“Hey, you must go on the internet a lot to find this kinda stuff out, right? I only really checked the speculation forums for a bit! Is Hope’s Peak USUALLY the kind of place that would give its students ACTUAL weapons to, I dunno, practice fighting with or something? Ugh, what’s this room even FOR?”

Someone didn’t read her maps yet, then. 

Ah, that’s good! Hopefully I didn’t come off like I was underestimating your abilities here, I don’t really know how sharp these knives are. If you’re not careful, you could hurt yourself a lot with just touching the tips of the blades, you know?

When she put it back, he leaned down and took a quick mental note of what’s there, drilling it into his head multiple times before standing back up. She sure had a lot of questions, didn’t she? And of course, he was happy to answer them as best as he could, even if she could be a little nicer about it.

Well, I’m only the SHSL Internet Forum Moderator--you don’t really need to have a public face to do your job! But, that’s just details. I’m glad you’re not scared anymore, though! I’d hate to accidentally hurt a classmate.

He couldn’t help but wonder if anyone here had some kind of phobia for animals. Or a bear phobia? Oof. So far that hasn’t happened, but you never know, do you? Well--that doesn’t really matter.

Regardless of how serious Kimiko was taking things, ZenZen was willing to take the initiative here. Taking a step away from the knife display, he wandered around the rest of the room, closely eyeing anything that could be potentially lethal.

That’s a good point. Hmm...I think marking everything here would take far too much time...there are those tricks where you put something near the door that a person could trip. Like a piece of string? Though I imagine a lot of people come in during the day. The night would work?

He shook his head.

Or not. I’d say it’s impossible to put something back perfectly enough that no one would notice it moved.

...You didn’t know? These were made for some of the students here. Like yours! This is the streetfighter lab! There’s an SHSL Streetfighter that’s in our class, Misaki Wei, so it’s only natural that there’d be weapons in a place made for her! I don’t know exactly what all these rooms are for, but it’s pretty easy to understand why it’s like this based off of the name.

Even if she completely neglected doing the bare minimum of investigation, he’s here to help!

[rewoundcircuit]

All, All Apologies | ZenZen | Chapter 1 Motive | Closed @ Yvon

[not-quite-connected]

yvondenka‌:

Oh, so that was it? It was an accident? A little hecko boingo? 

Yvon hadn’t even really wanted to be talked to, not right now. As no one had come forward after his original request, he’d just wanted to be left alone so he could mourn in peace. After all, there’d be no funeral, no naval procession. He wasn’t even sure if the people in his country knew that he was gone, let alone that their queen was gone. 

All that because of the fact that someone’s finger slipped? It was almost laughable. The royal family had taken so many precautions, trying to prevent any possible incidents from happening, and yet they had somehow missed the possibility of someone making a dumb little mistake on a dumb little knockoff tablet. Oopsy-daisy!

But in spite of all this, Yvon breathes in through his nose and steels himself. At a time like this, if his people do know, the country must be in turmoil. Best for him to not make a scandal out of himself.

“Well, I’m afraid I’m not very happy.”

Yvon clasps his hands together at his waist, trying to stop his fingers from twitching. 

“I’m a man of my word, and I’ll have to do what I said I was going to do. You understand that, right?”

It’s meant as a question, but he says it more like a matter-of-fact phrase. 

For a moment, he stands in silence, waiting for a reply. His heart is thumping so fast that it feels as though it’s going to burst, out of anger or sadness or of any of the myriad emotions he’s feeling. 

And just when he can’t take it anymore, Yvon lunges. With a pale, uncalloused hand that’s never seen a day of work in its life, he clocks Zenzen right in his stupid bear face. God, what kind of a person can’t even take off their costume to apologize for killing someone?

Probably the same kind of person who kills someone by accident, but…

Yvon cradles his throbbing fist in his other hand, suddenly awash with shame.

“…….”

“…Sorry. That was improper of me.”

ZenZen’s never taken a punch in his life, and it shows when he stumbles back, nearly falling over only to catch himself at the last moment. Of course. Of course. What else was he expecting? ‘Okay, you admitted to killing my mother and the queen of my country, but it was an honest accident! You’re good, live your life, yada yada yada.’ At the same time, he’d feel like a coward if he avoided it for the rest of his life--however long it may be now.

Then again, maybe he shouldn’t have thought he wouldn’t follow up on the arrest threats. Wasn’t it a little extreme to--okay, no, it was his mother. Maybe he should think before he speaks here.

It’s only fair that he’s mad. It’s only fair.

Fixing his head back on a little tighter, he looked Yvon in the eye. Otherwise, he’d feel like he was doing this halfway.

It’s...alright. Relieving your frustrations, it’s completely understandable.

Probably a lot easier when you can’t even see his face. He’s not even sure what he’d do if he found out who made the choice for him.

....I do understand, but--isn’t it a little much? Whoever trapped us here, somehow, they were responsible for setting this all up. They were the ones who took the people we cared about most, who made it all happen.

Deep breaths, deep breaths.

And I know I was the one that pressed the button, whether it was an accident or not. But...I really am sorry. Someone--someone chose the person they care about over mine. I can’t say I don’t understand. I can only hope they got what they want.

At least there’s a few people out there that must be happy, right? He can take solace in that.

I’m just asking if you could...calm down, and look at this in a different way. The people really responsible are the ones who set this up, right? Isn’t fighting and hatred what they want? I wanted to talk things out, see if we could try and make some kind of peace.

Or maybe I’m just selfishly begging to not go to jail. I don’t--if that’s the way you see it, that’s fine.

Maybe that last part sounded more selfish than he thought it did, but it was true, and beating around the bush now would be stupid.

[rewoundcircuit]

bear with me (BEAR WITH ME) ✽ kimiko ✽ chapter 1 ✽ attn: zenzen

[not-quite-connected]

cheerheart‌:

Waaaaaaait, NO-ONE else had been scared by this guy and his surprise bear head yet? 

Nope! Nope! That was NOT going to do! 

“Awww, well! Now I’m not suddenly seeing something ELSE not really human looking coming up behind me after some super weird announcements, I can see it’s pretty cute! Kinda like a stuffed animal or something! Even if I don’t really get why you’d wanna wear that inside. Are you a SHSL Mascot or something? I could see the dedication! Sor-ry, I DID look everyone up that I could before coming here, buuuuuut I think I misplaced this one.”

But back to the main points currently before them. At least Kimiko seemed satisfied enough with the assurance towards looking out for her, any possible light attempts at guidance or rebuttal in ZenZen’s response about fame either going right over her head or chosen to be ignored in favour of a giggle and a quick jokey curtsy.

“Well aren’t YOU just the team player! I can take a look around too! It can’t be hard to remember things like this to do an inventory, right? Since I usually have to remember SO much every day anyway! Thouuuuuugh… if someone DID take something, wouldn’t they leave an empty spot on the wall? They’re REALLY making this stuff in here obvious, don’t you think?”

If Kimiko actually paid attention to ZenZen’s warning about a careful look up close, she gave it no further mind, striding into the room and over to the wall of weapons as though she belonged there. She kept bouncing her thoughts off her new companion as she went, carefully lifting a knife from the wall in a very un-magical-girl like image and idly turning it over in her hand. 

“Hey, if this IS just all a prank or hazing by HPA, they’d be REALLY screwed if someone actually tried hurting someone else, right? Annnnnnnd if these rooms were put in by HPA, don’t you think that’d be more than a lil dangerous? I dunno how much you know about this school, but that seems crazy even for them! Soooo…” 

And without further ado and with all the confidence in the world radiating from her, Kimiko lightly tapped her finger on the blade of the knife she’d been investigating. 

“…Owwww.” 

Well played.

She didn’t get why she wanted to wear it, huh? He’s had this conversation before, and the familiarity of her words was making it sting more than he wanted it to. Then again, she doesn’t know. She’s a stranger, so it wouldn’t be right to be too harsh if she doesn’t know every reason behind the things he does. And she’s just asking a question, right? No need to make it personal.

Sorry for the confusion, but I’m really the SHSL Internet Forum Moderator! The head’s more for, anonymity’s sake. And because I like to wear it! The confusion is understandable--I’m probably not what you were expecting.

Hopefully she’ll understand. Hopefully. Now, there’s more important things to be focusing on, right?

Sure, but you never know if someone might try to move something around to disguise any open spots. There’s also the possibility of someone trying to wash a knife off after using it--public bathrooms make it a little harder, but you never know. If someone is slightly misplaced compared to how it usually is, that’d be good to remember too!

Not that he believed any of that was going to happen. Just in case, though, it’s good to remember the possibility, in case someone got injured. Not killed. Injured. Someone here needed to, and it wasn’t fair to put that burden on a stranger, right?

Even if other people ask so much of you--

Ah, wait!

He called out after her, but when she picked up a knife, he simply watched, afraid that she might hurt herself or react badly if he tried to get it out of her hands. Maybe she’ll just put it down?

I’m--My personal theory is that they were lying about the HPA affiliation in the first place. They’ve shown us no proof that they are, haven’t they? But then again, that just creates more questions that we don’t--Don’t do that!

He was glad that she just poked the blade. Still a little bit of an ignorant move, but it could be worse. Nevertheless, he walked up to her, staying cautious of any sudden movements.

Please, put the knife back...is your finger all right? I don’t have bandages with me now, but I can go grab one if you need it.

[rewoundcircuit]

All, All Apologies | ZenZen | Chapter 1 Motive | Closed @ Yvon

He didn’t know what to say. The only way to process the events of the last hour was to set his mind on a goal. Help people.

Of course, that ended up going in flames the moment he presented his choice. But he lived on a philosophy of not running away from your problems, and now he knew he couldn’t run away from this. Maybe if he didn’t get sent to jail after he was freed, that’d be nice, too.

After darting through the entire station multiple times, he saw something–someone in the lounge that looked like who he was looking for–

And immediately started to speak in a panicked babble.

I’m so sorry! I–I–my hand slipped, I meant to save her, but I–I thought, you might want to know, that she’s–I really didn’t–I didn’t mean to! But if you’re mad, that’s fine! You should be mad, but I didn’t want to…avoid this…

He trailed off, waiting to hear what he had to say.

[rewoundcircuit]

bear with me (BEAR WITH ME) ✽ kimiko ✽ chapter 1 ✽ attn: zenzen

[not-quite-connected]

cheerheart‌:

ZenZen would’ve been forgiven for looking to defend himself: though it wasn’t quite outright fists that Kimiko was brandishing, her hands were certainly up high and poised enough that an attack seemed feasible, body clearly tensed and ready to spring. She bought his explanation easily enough though, taking one final squint at the bear boy before her before dropping into a more casual stance, even with an accompanying grin. 

“Whew! Sor-ryyyyy. You know how it is! All this weird stuff going on with murder and robots and all that other kind of stuff! I’m just looking out for myself! Why’re you wearing that bear head thing though if you’re not some kind of mascot? Isn’t it kinda stuffy down here? Orrrrr are you just doing it to scare unsuspecting classmates!” 

Teasing aside, Kimiko seemed to realised that she wasn’t making an amazing first impression at that exact moment, and decided there was always time to put aside the current topic to no matter how serious to focus on herself a bit. 

“Annnnnnnyway, I’m Kimiko Kita! Please look out for me! No-one has been and it’s kinda sad. Have you all been living under rocks or something? It’s almost impressive! Hee.” 

An exaggerated fan of herself with her hand and a shake of her head in mock disbelief, before Kimiko turned her attention back to the display of weapons before them, hands going to her hips in a determined kind of manner. 

“I dunno! Maybe it’s just a kinda theme they have going in these rooms! Liiiiike mine’s got LOADS of Miracle Cheer stuff in, even the stuff that isn’t anything to do with me! Hmmmm… you mean like, doing an inventory or something? In case someone tries to steal something to be an idiot with it?” 

A casual twirl of her hair around her finger, clearly a thoughtful action even if her look diverted from the weapons to ZenZen. 

“Sooooo… you think it’s real then? Real enough to wanna stop by and steal a weapon? Whiiiiiiich… may or may not be real weapons, actually! Think we should check?”

He supposed it was a little understandable--with everything that happened, of course some people would be on edge and have bad reactions to seeing something out of place. He relaxed, feeling a little bit like he overreacted a little. He didn’t need to be so panicky.

I like wearing it...I don’t think I’ve scared anyone else? In fact, some people think it’s cute! Sorry if I scared you, though. I really didn’t mean to do that.

He rubbed the back of his neck, grateful that she turned the conversation away from bear heads to introductions. Her words did have an edge to them--maybe she’s used to being in the spotlight? Since she does seem to be the Kimiko. He’s not really a fan of her show, but he knows a lot about it from online. Enough about it to be slightly curious about what’s in her magical girl room.

Don’t worry, I’ll look out for you! Although, fame doesn’t necessarily mean people will be willing to offer...but don’t worry about that! I’ll try my best to keep an eye out for everyone!

Ah, inventory...I can probably just take a good look around the room. Just in case--I hate to suggest it, but if someone swipes a knife or something like that, at least we can be prepared to do something about it before someone get’s injured. So we’ll need to notice what’s missing in the first place, right?

Not that he thought anyone would do it. But even taking one for self defense was setting off warning bells, in the situation that someone trips and hurts themselves with one.

Checking is fine! They look real from a distance, but if you want to get an up close look, we can do that!...Carefully, that is.

[rewoundcircuit]

bear with me (BEAR WITH ME) ✽ kimiko ✽ chapter 1 ✽ attn: zenzen

If Kimiko had expected her curiosity about all these garage doors emblazoned with unfamiliar logos on to die down purely as a result of finding out what was behind her own door, she had been sorely mistaken. Even with the threat of this stupid killing game thing breathing down her neck and having her mentally penning an angry phone call to Monowhatever and Monowho, Kimiko still found herself far too set on seeing where this disappointing train journey to ‘not out of this station’ had actually taken her, and it wasn’t long before she found herself going with the flow of the area and cracking open another garage door. 

Only to be… looking less and less thrilled by the slowly revealed contents of the room the more the door rolled up, distaste making itself clearer and clearer on her face. 

It was a cautious first step Kimiko took into the SHSL Streetfighter’s lab; not because she was particularly nervous about it all, of course, but more because… well, it really was something to process, wasn’t it! The stage, the onlookers, the weapons all lined up in here- at least taking note of someone coming to join her in the doorway gave her an outlet to bounce all her current thoughts off, Kimiko immediately beginning to speak as soon as she registered she had company in this area without any regard.

“Youuuuuu think they’re joking about all this? Even WITHOUT the stupid killing stuff they were all just talking about, what’s the point of this room anyway? Like, mine’s pretty cool! Buuuuut I’m not really getting this one! Apart from maybe trying to scare us with weapons! It’s a joke, really!“ 

A pause, in which Kimiko’s silence finally allowed her to note that she… did not appear to be standing next to a human, judging by the shade of blue in her peripheral vision. 

With her trust in everything going on already at rock bottom ever since their summoning for the rules, it didn’t take long for Kimiko to effortlessly spring away and face the… bear properly.

"Heyyyy, if YOU’RE some kind of weird mascot or robot too or whatever, I SWEAR–!" 

Less scared, more outraged by the sheer ridiculousness of all this. 

[not-quite-connected]

In potentially dangerous situations, it never did anyone any good to flip out and start losing their cool, especially when, by the looks of it, they were safe! Possibly. Besides, people would notice that they were gone, right? The school (he wasn’t buying it that they were with HPA anymore), families, the government...everything’s going to be just fine!

Maybe if he tells himself that enough, he’ll believe it.

...Were the others doing alright? First priority was to go and check up on all of them. He’s sure that everyone else is a lot more distressed at the moment. And there were these weird new areas to check out!

Though the first one he was wasn’t exactly what he wanted to see. All those weapons, at a time like this--was there a way he could hide it? Or destroy it all...something. Would they even allow him to do that?

He almost didn’t see the other girl there, not someone he’d meet earlier, but she seemed distress...it was only right that--

Wait! Wait!

He stretched his arms out, trying to block her if she tried to hit him or something like that.

I’m not! I’m human, and just another student, I swear! Please calm down...

Taking a few moments to get over the in initial shock, he responded to her other question.

Maybe they’re meant for us to use...but clearly not in a good way. We should know what’s here, though, in case someone tries to sneak away something dangerous.

[rewoundcircuit]

Prologue | Major Cards | Hideyoshi | [ATTN: ZenZen]

[not-quite-connected]

a-kayoroshi‌:

Looks like his newfound neighbor was at least self-aware of the part that immediately caught his eye and not just his own lack of physical strength. It was a kind of humility that was… nice to be around.

New but not unwelcome.

“Learning a new language is a feat, I will give you that! I only speak three languages myself… though I’m hardly fluent in my third. It’s a bit of an embarrassment, actually.”

His cheeks flush ever so slightly as he scratches the side of his face sheepishly. 

“How many languages do you know? You must have learned a lot with that kind of experience! I simply hate being accosted by people who I can’t understand. My friend yelled at me in French before I could even parse through grade school level comprehension. It was the worst!!”

He gets perhaps a bit too into the memory, his face firmly pouting as he folded his arms across his chest. He remembers himself and the place he’s in though, and his expression softens.

“Ah… but that’s not what you asked me. You’re wondering about gambling, I bet. Am I right?”

Three!? Did he just say he only knew three languages!? Was that a rich people thing? Having super high expectations? And ZenZen felt a little proud over the tiny bits of english that he knew. Maybe he should practice a little more? Then again, relying on others is so much easier...

I’m...I only really know Japanese! Sorry! But that sounds really intense...Was that a private school? I just went to the public ones, so it’s not exactly the most specialized education.

He probably understands. Hopefully. But then again, he’s walking around with a fancy looking wristwatch, so who even knows how aware he is.

Not that being rich is a bad thing! Just...a little sheltered. Sometimes spoiled. Sometimes.

For the most part! Don’t worry about telling me anything too shady, I’m really good at keeping secrets! I was just wondering...since it is illegal, you have to have some cool stories, right? Like, meeting someone extremely dangerous and barely escaping with your life like in fiction? Or maybe not...

[rewoundcircuit]

Easy Peasy | ZenZen | Prologue | Closed @ Orpheus

[not-quite-connected]

shslorpheus‌:

“Hm, yes, I see what you mean. Being able to organize an event for everyone to talk about something that they have a passion for would be able to bring people together. It would feel rewarding - which is why you love what you’re doing, isn’t that so, ZenZen-san?”

Props to the mascot head, because even though it sounds nice, the amount of work to run everything smoothly would drain him too much. Then again, activities that leave you satisfied, even though you’re exhausted, simply showcase how much you truly love what you do, right?

“Thank you for your kind words, but it is simply something that every author is going through if they’re writing a book. I’m no different from any other author - it just so happened that my writing and ideas resonated with many people.”

Oh and there was another question!

“To a degree, yes. I never put someone I knew from real life 1 to 1 into my books, but I may have let myself get inspired by them. Personal influences cannot be avoided, no matter how much someone may try - it already starts with simple things. You merely need to know when you have to draw the line to not overstep any boundaries. Was this a sufficient enough answer to your inquiry?”

I’m sure it’s the same with you and your books! You say that it’s something that everyone does, but...there’s a lot of time where people cut corners or don’t do a good job because they’re motivated by money, or just don’t have the passion...I think you’re a lot cooler than you give yourself credit for!

He was sure of that! Maybe that was just a thing people did? Saw what they did as ordinary, as something that anyone can do...but when it comes to other people’s fantastic achievements, it seemed like a whole other worlds.

Maybe as a whole, people should give each other more credit.

That’s true...it’s a fine answer! The things people create...it’s kinda like a little window into their lives, but most of the time you can’t quite tell what you’re seeing.

In truth, he would’ve loved to know about more direct influences, but he got the feeling that this guy wasn’t too open to talking much more in depth, so he won’t.

However, it was only now that he realized how long he had been talking. Whoops.

Oh! You were in the middle of something, weren’t you? It’s fine if you wanna keep searching in here! I was planning on checking out some other places...see you later?

[rewoundcircuit]

Prologue | Major Cards | Hideyoshi | [ATTN: ZenZen]

[not-quite-connected]

a-kayoroshi‌:

He supposes it’s to be expected that someone who claims that they can’t lift much more than 5lbs is unlikely to be all too receptive to the idea of suddenly making physical training a part of their routine. Hideyoshi decides against grilling someone he’s literally just met on the topic, but he tucks it away in his mind. If they were to be rooming near one another in the actual Hope’s Peak Academy, maybe then it’d be a better time to bring it up again. Surely there would be locations better suited for it there too…

The hanafuda player returns his hand to his side, resting it on his hip. 

“Gwahaha… really? Charming stories, I’m sure.”

He knows that’s likely not the truth, but it would be nice if it were true. Still, he keeps himself looking like he’s in fine spirits, his grin cocky and self-assured.

“Most of what I can tell you isn’t relevant to my talent. How about an exchange though? Tell me something about yourself and I’ll tell you something about myself too. I don’t meet someone like you much!”

With that kind of confidence, how can he not have fun stories to tell? To his disappointment, though, he didn’t seem as willing to share as he thought. Something about himself?...

I mean...I hope you’re not asking for something too interesting here. I’m really not as cool as you think I might be! Unless you’re asking about...this...

He gestures vaguely to the bear head.

Nothing really special about that! But...I can tell you something about work! Give you an idea about it, you know.

Does that count as technically ‘about yourself’? Oh boy he sure hopes it does.

I guess there was this one time, I was moderating a forum for learning new languages, and there was a little argument between a few friends that only spoke...Tagalog. But I couldn’t understand a word, and it took me a couple days to track down people who could translate it all for me, then I had to translate back...that place was almost impossible to get in order, but sometimes you have to manage! Still don’t speak a word of it.

ZenZen stared down Hideyoshi expectantly, completely sure that whatever personal tibits he had to tell were far more interesting than his.

[rewoundcircuit]

Prologue | Major Cards | Hideyoshi | [ATTN: ZenZen]

[not-quite-connected]

a-kayoroshi‌:

The response that Hideyoshi got was probably the one he should have expected, but he still stands there in a sort of daze before he laughs a little – a laugh he admittedly tries to stifle with his hand but it still comes out as a kind of snort.

“Don’t have time? That’s what people say when they’re lazy!! Working out is important for the health! Being decently strong so others can’t pummel you is another important component of daily life!”

He looks at his peer, quickly analyzing whether or not the other was just an amalgamation of twigs under that turtleneck and forgetting all about his earlier excitement over major arcana and whatnot.

“At least, you should try and reach to being able to lift a 10lb weight sometime as a goal. But we can think about that later. It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Hideyoshi Kishi.”

He takes the other’s hand, firmly grasping it and giving it a hearty shake. His happy-go-lucky attitude drops though along with his expression as a realization comes upon him.

“Er. That didn’t hurt you… right? My apologies, I’ve never met a guy who isn’t strong!”

Or a guy who wears a bear mask, but that’s neither here nor there.

Uh, I really don’t have the time! I suppose I could...make time, if it’s really that important. Is exercise that important? I’ve been fairly healthy my whole life, so I didn’t think so.

After so many years of life, it only hit him now that exercise might be a good and healthy choice in life compared to sitting in front of a computer at every hour he possibly could. But before he could thing too much of it, Hideyoshi had accepted his handshake, then seemed concerned that he managed to hurt him with something like that...was five pounds lowballing it? ZenZen’s never lifted, so it’s not like he knows.

I’m fine! I wouldn’t say I’m average, but I don’t think the wind could blow me over or anything like that.

He laughed a little bit, clearly taking his comments in good humor.

Hideyoshi Kishi...if you’d like, I’d love to hear more about you! At least, from what I could find on the internet, you seem like a person with a lot of cool stories! There’s not that much out there, unfortunately.

Potentially dangerous, but mostly cool. Do crimes, kids.

[rewoundcircuit]

Boruto's Dad | ZenZen | Prologue | Closed @ Ikuko

[not-quite-connected]

shslygochamp‌:

Ah, well, that made sense she supposed. She kind of assumed most public school kids weren’t exactly as keen to be stuck in a school as she was. Not that she would call herself ‘keen’ but she did at least see school as something that was vital to her future. Although she supposed it mattered less now with her future essentially guaranteed based on acceptance to Hope’s Peak alone. Another weird feeling, in retrospect.

“ I didn’t really… have much of a choice when it came to skipping class. The staff there were pretty… exigent. Although academic study was considered pretty important there. “

Oh, and now we’re down to questions about her? Even if she doesn’t mean it she immediately tenses up a little. Kind of weird how such an innocuous question got such a reaction out of her. She sure wasn’t lying when she said she didn’t want anyone know anything but… she supposed it was fine to tell him.

“ …It was something I was just always into casually. Think I first started playing when I was… five? I just recently got into it competitively though. “

A pretty simple answer for how uneasy she looked. Although after she’s done talking she noticeably relaxes.

So, it’s like one of those fancy private schools? She did say that...Now it only makes him wonder about her family: were they rich and famous? He really, really wanted to know, but based on how she reacted to his first question about her, he wasn’t sure if it would be polite to push any farther.

That’s understandable! Card games are always fun, and there’s nothing wrong with that! And it was really popular back then, with the show and all that...now it’s still pretty popular, but I know a lot of kids that would bring cards to school. It’s normal!

Assuming that’s what she was worried about.

Do you...not like personal questions? I just want to know--don’t be afraid to be honest with me! I hope I didn’t make you upset, but if I did, just let me know and I’ll make sure not to do that in the future!

She already seemed closed off as it was, and he didn’t want to alienate someone right off the bat because he prodded too much.

[rewoundcircuit]

I'm Running Out of Title Ideas | ZenZen | Prologue | Closed @ Ryuunosuke

[not-quite-connected]

ultimateouendan‌:

Ryuunosuke nods, as if being able to relate completely. So it’s like that, huh…

“Nonsense! There’s no such thing as a smile that’s above all the rest!”

Whether the statement is true or not, he decides to contemplate on that later. For now… 

Families –  Forcibly, it appears, he’s faced with the reality of their situation, however rather than stopping cold in his tracks the captain nods once again. He’s reached another optimistic conclusion it seems.

“You’re absolutely right! My guess is that they’ve already informed our families that we’re A-OK! Otherwise I’m sure they would’ve mentioned something about contacting our folks, yeah? It’s a little inconsiderate of them not to mention it, but because nothing’s been said, I’d say this possibility is pretty likely!”

Though the possibility is just as likely that they didn’t contact their families… which doesn’t matter: Ryuunosuke is a “glass half full” guy anyway.

....

Was that really true? He hated to admit it, but the way their new...guardians had described their circumstances, it’s possible that their families might not even know that much. But you never know! He guesses he’ll just find out when they all get out of here.

I still think the ability to smile no matter what is an admirable trait all by itself! Try and keep smiling, if you can!

Though now that the subject of the outside was brought up again, it had him curious. Was there anything here that could be used to communicate? Maybe if he looked around, or asked nicely...

I hope you don’t mind, but I wanna go look around for something...like, a phone line, anything that could be used to contact above ground. I hope you don’t mind! It was really nice to meet you, and I hope we have a good three years ahead of us!

After saying his goodbyes, ZenZen quickly patted him on the shoulder before leaving the store, his ever seeping worry growing stronger.