b, a, start!

ming-hua liu // shsl indie game developer [currently affiliated with despair station 13]

[shirowinery]

The Repetitive Nature Of Everyday Life | Shirokawa | Ch1 Start / Open

[shslgaming-blog]

shirowinery:

Shirokawa’s mind had a terrible habit of processing things differently than most other people’s minds did. It liked to either overreact or underreact, not register real danger but set off alarm sounds over perceived danger, and of course there was that ever-persistent habit of deciding it was going to hear and see things that weren’t actually there. As such, Shirokawa struggled to process the normal world around her - so how was she meant to handle being restrained and rambled to by some horror game monster reject? Well, first of all, with terror over the fact that she couldn’t move. She was restrained, and to her that was the same as a small space, and her mind screamed as her claustrophobia kicked into overdrive. Her expression changed little, but there was a clearly distressed look in her eyes and sweat running down her face.

She barely understood a word of what the masked individual was telling them. Something about murder? She wasn’t entirely sure, and definitely didn’t have the capacity to work it through right now. When the restraints finally released her, she stumbled forwards a little, shaking her head and reaching up to palm at her face and stretch. Once she had ensured she had full mobility again, she immediately began to pace around the room in circles, trembling but still with that same tired (albeit vaguely troubled) expression. The whole time, she was mumbling to herself incoherently.

“Of course…three years, always like that… wasn’t he done? I guess not. Why? Punishing? Maybe. Must be. I think. Need to rest…”

Ming-hua was relieved as any other individual would be when she was released from her restraints. 

She had to get out of this place, she couldn’t stay around anyone. She had tried, so so hard to make friends, but when a situation like this was in place ... she could not trust a single person here. 

With a blank expression, she strode forward, keeping herself steady and confident. As long as she did not show weakness ...

“...!” 

She had accidentally bumped into another student who was pacing around the room. 

They were mumbling incoherently too, and she backed away slightly, but still remained calm on the outside. What if they killed her right here what if they killed her she wasn’t safe here she wasn’t safe nowhere was safe - 

She couldn’t show weakness. 

[arabesque-beauty]

Plie Into Peril //  Open // CH 1

[shslgaming-blog]

arabesque-beauty:

Toki visibly jumped at the sudden greeting. Wowee what a jumpscare. It’s like Dead Space all over again. She did however, manage not to lash out in terror and simply babbled,

“A-Ah, h-hi. You uh, you scared me f-for a second there….”

Toki tried to look more presentable and stood up to properly introduce herself,

“I’m Toki, what’s your name, stranger?”

She hesitated slightly, noticing how the other girl jumped at her greeting before babbling on. 

“... ...”

Was this Toki okay ...? Perhaps she should not have approached her ...

“... I am Ming-hua. I believe we have ... not met yet.”

She gave an awkward cough upon finishing her sentence - obviously they had not met yet, geez. She redirected her gaze from the other girl to glance around the area they were in. 

“So ... there seems to be no way of escape ...”

Her voice was quiet, and carefully blank. 

[arabesque-beauty]

Plie Into Peril //  Open // CH 1

[shslgaming-blog]

arabesque-beauty:

“Well, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to jettison myself into the space-y abyss, effective immediately.”

Toki retorted to no-one in particular as she went over to the map and located the way to the Cargo Loading Bay; if there was a way to get out, it had to be that way right? Toki only realised when she arrived that of course there wouldn’t be any vehicles to hijack. Just stupid cargo convayer belts and a bigass door seperating her from the blood boiling space outside.

Seeing that wall of metal that held her back from possible death gave her a momentary existential crisis, but that was subdued when she realised that she was stuck in this horrific, bullshit killing game for the long haul,

“MOTHER FUCKER!”

She kicked the nearest cardboard box across the room in frustration, angry tears rolling down her cheeks as she sat down onthe conveyer belt and hung her head in defeat. She barely even heard someone approaching.

Ming-hua was terrified. 

So maybe she was pessimistic sometimes, and maybe a bit too suspicious as well. But the nagging feeling that something was going to go wrong had proven to be right. 

When she had found herself bound to the chair, she had been unable to breathe in fear. She had assumed the worst ... that they had hunted her down, somehow even though she was in space. But the situation they were in was perhaps even worse. A killing game ...? She knew one thing, though ...

There was no one here she could trust. 

She maintained a stoic demeanor as she hurriedly left, refusing to meet any of her classmates in the eye. Her steps led her to the Cargo Loading Bay, in search of escape. However, all she saw was another student sitting down on the conveyor belt with their head down, visibly upset. 

“... ...”

Dare she approach them? What if they killed her, right here? She straightened with an expressionless look on her face, and stepped forward. As long as she appeared confident ... 

“... Greetings.”

[despairstation13]

Greytide || Chapter 1 Start

When you regained consciousness, you were alone in a dark room, with a spotlight on you. Not only was it on you, it was on 16 others. 16 spotlights shined down on the room. You felt a pressure on your wrists and ankles. You tried to move, but you couldn’t The chairs you were bound to were tough, tough enough to hold even the strongest in the class. You were all starting to panic, you didn’t know what to do. Why were you all latched to these chairs?

Your panic was cut off by the sound of a mechanical, yet eerily human voice. 

Kyahaha~ I see you’ve all woken up. Took you enough time. Seriously, I expected you to be out 10 minutes, not 2 hours! God, I was sooooooo bored. Oh well! Now we get to begin the game!

A center spotlight opened up, and into the circle of light stepped…

Hey dudes.

A Black haired man in a gasmask, wearing a grey jumpsuit and a backpack. You couldn’t see his face, but the eyes of the gasmask were red and green. His speech was more mechanical, and seemed to be having a lot of fun. You could tell it wasn’t a robot.

Oh good! You’re all nice and terrified! My name is The Assistant. So, now, I bet you are wondering whats going on. I get it, Its #relatable to find yourself strapped to a chair in a dark room, but trust me, Ill let you know. So, Nobody likes work. So instead of that, lets play a game!

On behalf of Nanotrasen Corporation, let us begin the Stationwide Killing Game! You’re gonna kill eachother. Thats whats gonna happen.

You were all dead silent. Was this perosn serious? Killing eachother.

Man, I expected more screams of mortal terror. This sucks. I never even asked to be a part of this you know. Im just trying to keep on script. Whatever, I put some rules on your PDA, so ill just go over the basics. You all live here now. If you want to go back and see your friends and family, you gotta murder and get away with it… blah blah If you murder, the rest have to try to find you, blah blah, Ill unlock new parts of the station if you can figure out killers, blah blah, if you fail Ill detonate the station. There.

I really dont know what else you want me to say. Its against the rules to hurt me, so… I guess thats it? Yeah. Thats it. Have fun, alright? I unlocked a new area for you, for free. Try not to kill too mercifully, ok?

The Figure stepped out of the room. Suddenly, the lights turned back on and the latches on your wrists and ankles removed themselves. You were all in the arrivals shuttle, stripped of all its seats and pods, replaced by the circle of 16 seats. You all were terrified. Was this man serious? Were you really not going to go back to your family? You didn’t know what to do, but there was nothing you could do now except hope.

[despairstation13]

PROLOGUE END

[16 Students Remaining]

[despairstation13]

Spaceship Down || Prologue End

It had been roughly 3 days since you Arrived on the station, and since you had been given an introduction by the Station’s AI, USAMI. You all were having a wonderful time talking and conversing in the rather cramped space that you were given. However, there never really was any problems that arose during your stay. after 3 nights, you awoke the next day ready for whatever work you were going to be given. As you walked out into the hallway you saw USAMI, where they were ready to give you your commands.

Hello crew! Today, you begin your jobs aboard the station. How exciting, no? Station regulations st-state that all crew members must stay diligent aaaaaaaaaaaand y y y y you will Regulati-Assigned to a station aroun-roun-round the station.

You all started to chatter amongst yourselves as Usami was seemingly glitching out. Usami, nevertheless, stuck out its hands (that looked like paws) and attempted to reassure you.

I-I-I am in need of a h-h-hard drive defragging, it is no-nothing to- System reset- I will give you your- crew quar- stationnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

S-START PROTOCOLL DOT EVAC AT T 0000000000 HOURS. MAINAIN ORDERLY- RUN WHILE YOU- FASHION, DO NOT- PANIC PANIC PANIC PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

You were all shouting as the AI suddenly fizzled out, leaving behind some rather intimidating words. You all started to run around trying to get your bearings as a red alarm flashed out through the station. Some went to the quarters while others tried to find other ways out. The panic was so immense that others didn’t have time to see the white gas that was slowly filling all the rooms. You tried your best to keep your mouths away from the gas but it was no use. As it flowed through you your entire self felt heavier, sleepier, and in a couple moments, you were all on the floor, a mysterious person walking amongst you all, cackling…

You tried to reach out your hand to the figure, but it was no use. Before you could regain your strength… you passed out.

[shslgaming-blog]

head up in the stars [ming-hua | prologue | open starter;]

[shslgaming-blog]

akitoyamamoto:

“It’s nice, I guess? I never thought I’d ever be in space, I’m not an astronaut or something,” he scratched his head a bit, “There’s also work, somehow, I’m kind of curious to know what’ll be…” the boy scratched his head once more as he was deep in thought, “Huh, how about you? I mean, what do you think so far?”

“... ....”

She was silent for a few moments as she thought over his questions. What did she think so far ...? Well, she couldn’t be too sure yet, because they had only just been introduced to the environment ... but nothing was that bad or disappointing ... yet. 

“So far ... there is nothing too particular to note.”

She reached up to tap her chin with a finger as she thought of the AI. 

“However ... I must admit ... the AI, U.S.A.M.I. ... it is a little bit ... unnerving. I wish I could take a look at its coding ...” 

[shslgaming-blog]

head up in the stars [ming-hua | prologue | open starter;]

[shslgaming-blog]

shsl-sharpdressedman:

“It’s okay Miss Ming-Hua! You don’t have to apologize…” Honestly, an apology was way more than he was used to from anyone.

“Hehe, suit.” He had in fact heard that one before many times, but she was trying her best! “So what d’you think they’re gonna have us do up here? I don’t know anything about running a space station… but if they accepted me, there must be something I can do, even with a weird talent! I guess you’ll be like… doing computer stuff, right?”

“Hmm ...?”

She was a bit confused when he giggled over her use of the word suit, and it took a moment before she realized it had been a pun. Oh. 

“Ah ....”

She paused, pondering his questions. 

“Yes, I suppose ... I would be dealing with that sort of stuff. I ... am sure there is something for you to do. Perhaps it may not have to do with your talent ... but ... there must be something else you are good at, yes?”

It was her own way of trying to reassure him. 

[shslgaming-blog]

head up in the stars [ming-hua | prologue | open starter;]

[shslgaming-blog]

britisharrowofnarcissism:

Dexter had finally moved on to checking out the rest of the station available to them. His first stop would be his own room (go figure). Unfortunately he didn’t have the smarts enough to grab his PDA, so he hadn’t a clue which room was his (also go figure). With this issue, he decided to just start from the back and work his way down. A not so efficient plan that would be interrupted before it even started when someone had exited their room as Dexter was passing by.

The two had bumped into each other, and Dexter had whipped himself back around thinking it was a possible threat. He and the girl had locked eyes for a silent moment until she had finally responded. Dexter then figured that this was just an accident, and with that, noticed her seemingly blank stare. Oh, this ought to be easy he thought, sure he’d be able to win over yet another soon to be admirer.

“Oh, no harm done. One such as I being accustomed to the bitter wilderness is more than capable of handling a mere shove.”

She eyed him curiously as he spoke, listening to his words. 

“Er ... I am glad ...”

Well, in any case, it was good that he didn’t appear to be upset about bumping into her. She shifted on her feet, taking a closer look at his appearance. If she was remembering correctly from the information on the PDA ... he was the marksman, right?

“Are you ... the marksman?” 

A sudden excitement struck her on the inside, though she remained impassive on the outside. If he was a marksman, he was like a video game character in a shooter or an RPG, right? Only, in real life!  

[shslgaming-blog]

head up in the stars [ming-hua | prologue | open starter;]

[shslgaming-blog]

akitoyamamoto:

“Oh, Ming Hua, then,” he nodded, “Yes, we did work together once,” he realized he didn’t have been all that clear, “As a composer, yes. Akito Yamamoto, my name,” that was a coincidence, a happy one. They didn’t know each other all that well, but still, “It’s nice to meet you in person,” he smiled brightly.

“Akito Yamamoto ... yes, I do recognize your name, Yamamoto-san ...”

She observed him for a few moments with a calculating gaze. So this was what he was like in real life ...

“Yes. It is nice to meet you in person, as well.” 

She nodded to him, watching how his smile grew so bright. She felt an urge to return it, as he seemed quite friendly ... though she couldn’t. So she settled for an odd quirk of her mouth that perhaps resembled a half-smile, like she had tried to smile but stopped halfway. Within a moment, though, she was back to looking emotionless like she usually did. 

“... Ah. Anyways ... er ... what do you think of this space station so far?” 

She’s attempting conversation, it seems. 

[shsl-once-ler]

starman waiting in the sky || rich || prologue || OPEN

[shslgaming-blog]

shsl-once-ler:

Rich stifled a laugh with the back of his hand poorly, and fixed his shades to hide his eyes, amused.

“Darling, part of my appeal is that people don’t know who the actor behind the character is!” He laughed. “The wonder of not knowing who the “real” Sir Rich is is part of what keeps a humble croupier such as myself in the limelight at all!”

Rich shrugged. Most in the gambling world understood “Sir Rich” was a fabricated persona, a jokey character for the interviews and social media, but when he did occasionally get the question of who he “really” was, he didn’t really mind. 

“So. I’m afraid you’ll just have to live without knowing. Sorry. It’s really nothing personal, I promise you.”

She eyed him with slight hesitation, still uncertain on how she felt about him. It didn’t really seem at all that he had any ... malicious ... motives, but even so ...

“... Understood.” 

Honestly, the last thing she wanted to do was make enemies with any of her classmates, so she decided that she could just go with what he was saying for now ...

“Anyway ... I must, er, ask ...”

She gave a slight cough, trying to hide her confusion. Since the moment he had mentioned his talent ... she had been a bit lost. 

“I am afraid ... I do not know what a croupier is ...” 

[shslgaming-blog]

head up in the stars [ming-hua | prologue | open starter;]

[shslgaming-blog]

shsl-sharpdressedman:

“Well! If we find one, I’d like to see some of your… work…” His voice withered as she continued– he knew she didn’t mean it as harshly as she sounded, she didn’t know, but it was still…

“Ah… is that what you think, Miss?” He ran his fingers slowly over the smooth silk of his tie. ”…It’s not that I want to do it, so much as I’m not much good at anything else.”

He declined to elaborate further, instead racking his brain for something to change the subject. He hadn’t mean to be such a downer!

She watched as his mood changed when he responded to her question, and felt a slight pang of guilt. It looked like he found it to be a more sensitive topic ...

“... It is fine ... I do not mean any offense.”

“I, too ... have things I do not like talking about ... I should not have asked.”

She paused. She didn’t want to say too much, yet she felt bad for seemingly upsetting him. But what more could she say? 

“... I do like the suit you are wearing currently. It ... suits you ...”

Here was her attempt to cheer him up, though it was pretty badly done and quite awkward as well. She didn’t even realize the unintentional pun she’d made. 

[shslgaming-blog]

head up in the stars [ming-hua | prologue | open starter;]

[shslgaming-blog]

akitoyamamoto:

Akito bumped into someone! Well, the other way around, but Akito felt it was his fault for not averting collision. Time to apologize, yes, “Huh, sorry! Please, don’t worry about it!” Huh, that student sure was familiar. Then again, many of them were famous, “I’m sorry for intruding, but you do look familiar. May I ask you who you are?”

The other student was quick to apologize, before saying that she looked familiar. She paused for a moment.

“... I am Ming-hua, the SHSL Indie Game Developer ...”

She took her own time to observe him, staying silent as she scanned his face. Yes, he did look familiar to her, as well ...

And then it hit her. 

“You ... I do not quite remember your name ... but I do remember you. We ... worked on a project together, once ... I believe you compose music?” 

So there was someone that she at least knew a little bit here with her. That made her feel a bit better ... but at the same time, it wasn’t as if they were best friends or something. Just mere acquaintances ... 

[shsl-once-ler]

starman waiting in the sky || rich || prologue || OPEN

[shslgaming-blog]

shsl-once-ler:

Rich clapped a little, beaming at the mention of her talent. What a lovely SHSL to be.

“Oh my. An indie game developer… I’ve only ever played Mario Kart and Animal Crossing, really, but maybe I would know some of your games if you mentioned them!” He would not. Rich is a filthy casual with mainstream taste. He barely has time in his schedule to take care of his town in Animal Crossing.

Upon inquiring about his name, however, Rich hesitated. He stroked his chin a moment. Being unsure of what to say was uncharacteristic of him, and his brow furrowed as he thought of how best to answer this question.

“… I get this question a lot, so I suppose I’ll answer the same way I usually do. It’s long because I like it like that. I hear something that will make my name sound more extravagant? I add it on.”

His grin returned. 

“… Ming-hua, my name is very very fake.”

He’s just- he’s just going to admit that!? It didn’t… seem like much of a weight of his chest. In fact, he was perfectly fine with admitting his name was false. He had kind of designed it to be extravagant, rather than functional, and most people who looked at it could probably guess t was made up anyway. 

“Your name is ... fake?” 

And instantly she was on guard.

Okay, maybe he had said that he just added on to it because he liked making it long and ‘extravagant.’ Not everyone had bad motives, not everyone was suspicious, she reminded herself. She swallowed slowly, quickly forcing her expression back into a calm one. 

“... I see ...”

Ming-hua stayed expressionless, though she still was a bit wary. Was that really all there was to it ...? 

“May I ask, then ... is your name actually just ... Richard?” 

[shslgaming-blog]

head up in the stars [ming-hua | prologue | open starter;]

[shslgaming-blog]

pscscholar:

“Yes, I suppose. Perhaps we could create a petition….er…that simply may not do. I believe we’ll just be stuck with the ghostly apparition of some person wearing a rabbit costume. Why couldn’t it have been…a cartoon rabbit or something? Perhaps akin to a teddy bear.”

You make a good point, Candela, but that’s copyright infringement.

“Though,I am happy you’re able to proficiently code for more than a few reasons. I am spending these moments of socializing trying, (in many cases failing) to discover the general use each student has on this work station. Yours is now obvious enough, but I am still curious as to the use of a person like, say, Sunglass Model. Weren’t there better options? Or maybe the person has some sort of skill necessary to maintain this place. Possibly an adept knowledge of window repair techniques.”

As Candela finishes her monologue, her visible eye seems to dart up and down Ming’s body for the slightest moment. Is she checking her out or something? Jeez.

Ming-hua nodded at Candela’s words ... she didn’t trust that AI at all, but if she couldn’t take a look at its coding ... she would have to leave it for now. 

“... ...”

She stayed silent throughout Candela’s whole speech when she spoke next. At first not noticing how the scholar’s eyes looked her up and down, she just continued to glance to the side, pondering what the other student had just said. 

“... I have met the sunglasses model you speak of. He appears to be harmless, however ...”

And then she noticed how Candela’s eye was darting up and down her body. 

Her face flushed rather rapidly, and she immediately stepped back, assuming a more protective pose on instinct. 

“... ....?!” 

And yet she still stayed silent, as if in attempt to preserve her dignity. 

[shslgaming-blog]

head up in the stars [ming-hua | prologue | open starter;]

[shslgaming-blog]

shsl-sharpdressedman:

“Ah! All by yourself? That must be a lot of work! But you’re the SHSL, so you must be really good at it! That’s awesome!”

He laughed brightly, but slowly ground to a halt as he realized that while he had played board games and card games every once in a while, the only thing he knew about video games was the occasional commercial on TV.

“…But um, I don’t think I’ve ever played a video game… You need, like, a computer for those, right? I wonder if there’s one around here somewhere… This place is fancy enough, right?”

“... It is what I enjoy, and that is what matters ...”

Ming-hua spoke solemnly, and you could tell she really was serious about her games. She tilted her head slightly, expression still carefully impassive as she answered Sefu’s next questions. 

“Yes, you may play them on computers ... but there are other platforms for games as well.”

“I hope there is a computer here. It would be nice ...”

She trailed off. After a pause, she spoke again. “I ... am wondering about your talent as well. You model for suits ... yes? Why do you like ... showing off your body like that to others?” 

She meant no offense at all in her question, though her voice was quite deadpan. Her eyes were merely curious, but she looked kind of tense as well ...

[shsl-once-ler]

starman waiting in the sky || rich || prologue || OPEN

[shslgaming-blog]

shsl-once-ler:

This girl didn’t seem overly enthusiastic about meeting Rich judging from her expression (or lack thereof). That was fine. Rich would have to be expressive enough for the both of them.

With a swoosh of his cape and a tilt of his hat Rich bowed formally. “My name is… Sir Richard C. S. Kingston DuPont the Fourth! Fitting it on a business card is very difficult, but luckily, I hate business. I’m the SHSL Croupier.”

“And what about you, darling? What’s your name?”

She hadn’t really expected him to respond, since she had been rather quiet and it was perfectly to her liking to remain silent. But apparently, he did. 

He made a rather formal introduction, before telling her that his name was Sir Richard C ... something. Ming-hua couldn’t remember, even though he had just told her a few moments ago. Why ... was his name so long?

Rich’s use of the word darling made her face flush briefly, before she quickly straightened herself with a stoic expression once more. 

“My name is ... Ming-hua. I am the SHSL Indie Game Developer ... and it is nice to meet you.”

Her face morphed into one of slight confusion. 

“Why ... is your name so long? ... I am afraid cannot remember it all...”