16. Video

Feb. 6th, 2015 11:13 pm
ardent: (Default)
[It's been a while since Ishimaru's been seen on the network; the time he's had lately that hasn't been given to travel has instead been given to routine, to settling somewhere up inside his head where socializing is less important than getting things done, even though he isn't entirely sure what he's supposed to be getting done anymore. It's not the best pattern to be in, and if he must be there at all he knows somehow that it's better if it's temporary - doing this for too long leads to loneliness and that weird sense of distance when interacting with people, almost like he doesn't understand them anymore despite the fact that he sees some of them daily, and he'd really prefer to avoid that.

But at the same time, the holding pattern is familiar, though it seems that part of it - not quite knowing what he's supposed to be doing with himself anymore - has been on his mind more often than not lately.

Either way, he wasn't at work today - the weather has been horrible for two days - and so he's just sort of been studying at home all day; thankfully the Eevees haven't let that be all he does today, and once in a while they seem to send Eeveemaru to get up on the table and..."help" with whatever it is Ishimaru is trying to do until he gives in and plays with the horde a bit.

He's got Eeveemaru with him when the feed pops up, the little fuzzball up on his shoulder and looking into the 'Gear a bit too fascinatedly and wearing that little white uniform jacket, as always; Ishimaru's actually not matching him, instead wearing a black coat and a scarf he's had for a while, patterned after Ho-Oh's plumage. It's sort of a warm outfit, given that he's indoors, but it's comfortable and it's soft and the evening hours have brought some chill with them despite the heat in the house anyway.]


One of the things I've started to like about this world is how it gives so many new opportunities - not just for making friends and getting to raise Pokémon, either, though that's obviously important also! But there are a lot of challenges as well...you find out a lot about yourself when you're somewhere so far from home, I think. Some of it's good, some of it's not so good - but it's all a learning experience, and I'm glad that I've gotten to go through that here!

It's a little confusing at times, though; where I'm from, there's a lot of emphasis on being the best at what you do. You always have to keep up and never let yourself slip; you have to know what you're doing at all times, and if you don't, you need to act as though you do. It's a lot of pressure, but the thing is that it's constant, and it may sound a little weird, but once something that's constant like that goes away, you can find yourself missing it - or at least, I sort of do, I think, just because that sort of structure and pressure always let me know what I should be doing with myself. This world doesn't give us as much direction, and that's...strange...

[He trails off a bit, thinking.]

But something this place has taught me, though - and I think it's a good thing! - is that a lack of structure and direction doesn't have to mean that there's nothing that can be done - this world actually rewards hard work and steadfastness far more than the one I'm used to. With enough dedication, we should be able to achieve whatever we want here due to the way this place rewards it - we can make what we want of our time here, instead of working toward a definite goal with a narrow margin of success! It's a very freeing concept; I'm not used to it, but I think I like it, or at least the message behind it.

I still don't have a set direction that I've trained my sights in, but I think I'll find it one day, if I work at it hard enough; I hope the same becomes true for the rest of you as well! Decide what you want and work toward achieving it; you have the chance to do that here, even if you didn't wherever you come from!

I hope you've had a good and productive day; if not, I know tomorrow will be better! So just keep your heads up!

[Aaaand end feed. Sometimes talking things out does help in some ways; who knew?]
ardent: (Is an art that's hard to teach)
[TEXT]

I have what might be seen as a weird question; I don't really know, because I've never tried asking anyone before, but it's something that's been troubling me lately and I'm wondering if any of you might know.

[Well, at least he's trying to keep this from dissolving into immediate trainwreck, with damn near palpable effort.

That said, it's been a little while since he's been on the network, so hello there. No video today, it seems, but at least that comes with the benefit of him having to actually look it over before he sends.]


Assume, for the sake of argument, that you have a way to improve someone's life. Factually speaking, I mean. Their life would be better with what you're offering, because it would relieve their suffering in some way. But the person doesn't want it because they believe they're better off without it, even though objectively that isn't the case.

Is it better to relieve their suffering anyway, even if it goes against their wishes, or to respect what they want even though "what they want" is going to hurt them?



[ACTION]

[Well, outside of making Text Posts That Certainly Are A Thing, it seems that Ishimaru has the day off today.

He's been scarce ever since he and Naegi returned from Kanto; it's not in the same way that he goes scarce when something has gone wrong with him, he hasn't been avoiding people per se – it's just that his life has mostly been work and sleep and very little else for the last several days, and it's a bit hard to say whether that's because he's off inside his head again or because it's a routine and it's comfortable and socializing has simply...slipped his mind as something he should actually do once in a while.

But! Today he has the day off, and he's wearing that damn hoodie Naegi gave him last year and as usual there's a small Meowth camped out in the hood (sleeping, more often than not), and he's in Goldenrod City and wanting to blow off some steam, so his options for the time being seem to all revolve around "stupid amounts of physical activity"; thankfully, there are a few ways to do that, though the one he eventually chooses still strikes him as a bit unorthodox – he admittedly still doesn't see the point of doing things just for the sake of doing them, and doing exactly that seems to be the point of spending time in an arcade, but Kirigiri introduced him to something a while back that is at least...halfway worthwhile.

Namely, at one point she got this man on a DDR machine, and he has been determined to memorize the entire damn machine ever since.

So today that is where he will be, and he is not opposed to company either in the arcade or outside of it; this is just something for him to do with himself today, clearly. At least it keeps him from being idle.]

014. Video

Jul. 29th, 2014 03:30 pm
ardent: (Default)
[Well! It's been a while since Ishimaru's been around on the network, but with the weather being what it is, it doesn't feel right to not say anything at this point, either. And besides, he's been in Kanto for quite some time now; it'll be good to maybe speak to some of those still in Johto that he hasn't seen in a while. He's still not entirely used to this whole "missing other people" business, but he supposes that's part of the tradeoff for having friends.]

With the weather being so bad and only looking to get worse from here, I have a suggestion that may or may not be viable - several of you may remember the swarm of Bloobers from earlier in the year, correct? A lot of us obtained Bronzongs during that incident, if I remember correctly!

[...okay, where the hell is this going - ]

Bronzongs seem able to bring rain from other places; they can supposedly open portals and do it! I've never directly witnessed that part, but obviously they do bring a lot of rain with them when they're determined enough!

Wherever they got it from, though - would it be possible, do you think, for them to open those portals and put some of our rain over there? It might help mitigate some of the damage, anyway...

[Well, that was...surprisingly sound, logic-wise, for a plan that literally amounts to "WE SHOULD TAKE THE STORM AND PUT IT SOMEWHERE ELSE."]

Either way, if I haven't spoken to you for a while - I'm going to ask that you check in with me and verify that you're all right and sufficiently prepared for what's about to come, particularly if you're in one of the coastal cities! Even if I don't know you or you're new to the area, I hope that you're doing all right!

Hopefully today is a good and productive day for you, and if not...well, I would say "perhaps tomorrow will be better" but that much is questionable!

[ISHIMARU.]

Things are going to look up soon, however, I can feel it!

[...that's better.]
ardent: (A mob jumps to their feet)
[VIDEO]

[Ishimaru is outside again today, seeming to be taking advantage of the nice weather while it holds; at least he's looking at the camera today, and his gaze is shifting...a little less, maybe. He still seems a bit tired but at least he's calm; the view behind him is, once again, that square in Goldenrod near the Center.]

The place I came from put a lot of emphasis on punishment...both for what we did, and what we didn't do. Failure to act in a certain way, to do as we were told, was punished; failure to not act in the way that we were expected to was likewise punished. Rules and laws and "justice" were used to control us, not to guide or help us; instead of keeping us safe, they were used to tear us down.

No matter what we did, we were going to be wrong.

[His voice remains firm but calm through all that; he's not shouting, but he doesn't seem about to cry, either. Just...working through it, really.]

When situations are hard like that, and seem unwinnable, it's easy to forget what justice is intended for. It's meant to protect people, and most importantly, it's meant to give people hope - for themselves, and for the future!

So even if...even if you haven't always done what's right, even if you've made mistakes or taken punishment - if you choose to do right afterwards, the wrong you've done doesn't have to define you!

I think there comes a time when you deserve to be considered good again!

[...yep, there's the shouting.]

It's not going to be easy - it's something I'm still working on, too. But if we're willing to work hard and not lose hope, I think we'll all be all right, in the end! We just have to do our best.

I hope today is both good and productive for you, and if not, I know that tomorrow will be better!


[ACTION]

[Returning to Goldenrod City has been...strange.

It's not strange in the way that coming to a new place tends to be strange, or perhaps returning to an old place that's changed drastically in your absence; there's no lack of familiarity, and if anything the strangeness is caused by just the opposite - there's a weird sense of returning home to it, and Ishimaru isn't entirely sure what to do with that. He hasn't felt that way since before Hope's Peak; it's weird to experience it now, but it's not altogether unwelcome.

...granted, it's not something he has long to dwell on; he finishes the video and takes a while to just...collect himself, but eventually he heads back to the house. And as soon as he manages to get the front door opened there's a sudden sharp skittering of nails against the floor and the vibrations of twenty-odd Eevees hup-hup-hupping their way down the stairs, and he flinches a little and braces for the moment where the swarm hits -

And then there's a thud, and there is quite simply nothing.

...

... ... ...

Huh.

It takes him a moment to open his eyes, given that they'd slid closed while he was in the middle of preparing for impact; apparently the thud was the fuzzball legion all sitting in unison, and now they're just kind of parked on the floor and headtilting like confused pugs because grandpa's home and we sat and why is he just standing there.

He's clearly going to be spending some time playing with the fuzzballs today, because oh my god they did so well. c: ]
ardent: (And turning all against one)
[Well, it's been a while since Ishimaru's actually been around via video; he's had a rough go of it over the last few weeks and it shows - he looks incredibly tired and he still doesn't seem to have been eating very much, and he's still looking a little dead behind the eyes compared to the usual intensity.

But for the most part he looks reasonably put-together, and he's outside, and even if it's more than a bit overcast and admittedly cold as balls he doesn't seem to mind the cold; this may have something to do with the fact that he appears to have ditched the school uniform for today in favor of a rather thick black coat, and he's got a different scarf on than the usual red one he wears - this one isn't quite as long, but it's patterned after Ho-Oh's plumage. Something he got for Christmas, really; it's about time he wore it out somewhere. And he's...certainly somewhere; it looks like one of those parks near the Center.

His gaze flicks awkwardly to the side before he speaks; it takes him a moment to find words, but when he does he tries to keep them coming, and keep them steady, and dear god it's been a while since he's been this shouty at the network in general but it's clear that whatever he's been doing, it certainly hasn't been figuring out what an acceptable level of volume is.]


There...there have been a lot of people who have come up missing lately, I think, and there have been a lot of new arrivals as well! For those who are missing someone - friends of those sent home - I...I understand that it's often difficult to move past it, and that it's a lot to take in at once! For some of us, it's better that they're sent home because maybe they have important things to do or other people to take care of; for some it...it isn't, and that can make losing people hard, when you know that whatever they're going through is going to be bad for them...

[He trails off a bit; his eyes scan upward for a moment while he tries to gather his thoughts, though he seems to shake it off soon enough.]

But...please don't worry. If you want to discuss it, even if I don't know you, we can - you don't even have to give me your name or anything, if you don't want to! It can be over text if you'd like...

[...deep breaths, Ishimaru, you are fine.]

And for those who have just arrived - well, that's also a lot to take in at once, but for different reasons! I've been here for about ten months now, and I'm still getting used to how things are done. It's a learning process, but you'll get through it!

My name is Ishimaru Kiyotaka; I'm the Super High School Level Hall Monitor, from Hope's Peak Academy's 78th annual class. If that didn't mean anything to you, that's fine, but I think there are a lot of new arrivals for whom that does mean something - if I haven't spoken to you yet, please get in contact with me so I can do so.

[...Right. Right, um. Um. Um.

Almost done here. Almost.]


...Otherwise, everyone just try to keep your heads up and your gazes trained toward the horizon! I hope that today is a good and productive day for all of you, and if not, that tomorrow will be better - we all just have to remain strong, and not lose hope.

[End feed.

Ishimaru can still be found outside for a while after that's over, however; he still seems more than a bit aimless and like he's not entirely sure what he's even doing out there, and he seems to be zoning out quite a bit when he's not directly engaged in conversation or otherwise doing anything. But hey, "outside staring off into space" has to be at least vaguely better than "in the basement and staring off into space", right?]
ardent: (And now you steal away)
[A - Daytime.]

[In some ways, some things never change; after the first twenty-four hours in the castle, Ishimaru is mostly sticking to the downstairs. He's always been a believer in the devil-you-know method of coping with things; even back in Hope's Peak, he was reluctant to explore the upstairs levels after they'd been unlocked. Things haven't really changed here; if anything he's...well. For all intents and purposes, the kid's studying; he's taken to sitting in the library for long hours, taking down extensive notes on what's written in those books and cross-referencing them like mad.

He still hasn't found his Pokémon yet; it's making him anxious. Studying is keeping him centered, at least.

There is one thing that's a bit different from the usual, however, and that would be the sword he's got strapped at his side at all times. It's not the sharpest thing in the world, and likely wouldn't hold up well in any sort of fight against a properly-maintained weapon, but it's something to defend himself with just the same.

So clearly, he's been upstairs at some point...]



[B - Nighttime.]

[Of course, nighttime is when he's actually putting that sword to good use; as much as he's usually a noncombatant, he's surprisingly adept with it, and since he's become aware that there are both kids and horrific goddamn monsters here, he's been refusing to stay in the safe zones at night, instead wandering the halls and trying not to be too jumpy himself.

He wasn't able to properly protect people back home, and he's convinced people have died due to his mistakes; he's not going to allow that sort of thing to happen twice.]




[OOC - take your pick on whatever you want to do with this one, and if you want to go with something else entirely I'm good for that as well; just specify A, B or whatever it is you want in the comment subject!

ALSO if you need a pink sigil, this idiot is like the last one in that he's got one.]
ardent: (And turning all against one)
[VIDEO]

[Well! From the sound of the BGM, Ishimaru is currently back in Violet, though he's apparently holed up in Nondescript Hotel Room #356; he seems to have set the device on the table in front of him, and one of his Pokémon is actually out with him today - admittedly, it's a small pink tapir with flowers on it, and while it's definitely levitating itself it's tethered itself to his hair in a way that makes it look more than a little like some sort of really fabulous Combine headcrab. At least, he doesn't seem to mind - if anything, he seems a bit...lost in thought today. Not distracted, per se, just really contemplative.

And maybe a little peeved. Though that might be just his normal expression, it’s sorta hard to tell sometimes.]


So I've been told that I should probably start dressing like a "normal person."

[...okay, yeahno, he’s definitely a little agitated, though it's definitely more frustration than anger; he seems to realize then that his Munna is back and...well, doing the hair-thing again, and he takes a moment to retrieve her, holding her awkwardly in folded arms.]

While I find the way I dress to be completely appropriate and necessary, apparently that isn’t considered to be the case here! I don't see why - I'm a student, and therefore my clothing should reflect that! It's my profession for the time being, and as such the uniform of my profession is something that I should wear with pride!! It isn't proper conduct to do otherwise!

How...ever...

[Whatever he was going to say after that, he falters quite a bit; just...let him get his defensiveness levels down a little bit.]

...As fashion is something I've never really had a grasp on, I would...like to hear about what constitutes "normal" and how it can be achieved, as one's presentation goes!

Thank you for your time, and even if you don't reply, I want you to keep your head up and your eyes trained forward! Today is going to be a good day, I can tell!

[...yeah he kind of doesn't do "normal" well, um.]


[VIDEO - PRIVATE TO DANGANS, ALSO DORUMON] )
ardent: (Slowly out of line)
[PRIVATE VIDEO TO COLONEL ARCHER] )


[VIDEO]

[For once the feed is showing somewhere other than Goldenrod when it flickers on; Ishimaru seems to have taken up refuge on one of the larger rocks near the beach in Cherrygrove. He's not too high up, because there's no sense in risking literally falling into what would surely be a really anticlimactic set of injuries; his expression on the video is still rather severe, but that's moreso due to just being how he is rather than him actually being displeased with anything.

Dear lord, though, is it overcast out here.]


While it troubles me to see how little people prioritize education and proper study over everything else, I understand that most see pointless activities as a -

[...he hesitates for a moment, flinching back a little and blinking at something that can't exactly be seen on the feed; he shakes his head after a second before moving on, seeming to decide that whatever small stimulus caused that isn't worth bothering with.]

...r-right, anyway!! People have been trying to explain why they engage in such senseless activities and that they don't see them as a...

...

...waste...of time...

[He twitches a little again, swiping across the bridge of his nose with two fingers and studying them intensely, as though understanding whatever he was swiping away is fundamental to saving the damn world.]

Is it raining...?

[It's about then that he looks up, and...]

...Kyohei, shut that off for a second -


[VIDEO, ABOUT TWO MINUTES AFTER THE FIRST.]

[Well! Ishimaru's no longer in view - it seems he's decided to hold the device instead - so it's a bit hard to tell if he's still got that immensely strict expression going on; however, the camera is slanted sharply skyward, toward that overcast sky. The angle isn't an error; rather, it's showing off some...rather thick white flakes falling from on high.

Snow in June? Snow in June. Thank you, mods.

Ishimaru can be heard laughing a bit in the background; the sound is oddly blunted, but it still the sound of a person that is approximately a thousand percent done with the day.]


This makes no sense whatsoever. None.

[At least it's too warm to stick for very long, though the moisture on the device is contributing to some awesome JJ Abrams lensflare effects.]

Tell me - is it doing this where any of you are as well, or...?

[The feed will shut off immediately after that's out there; those wanting action can find him wandering around Cherrygrove, looking incredulous as hell and, as Parker would describe it, he's definitely appreciating the sky today because good lord he cannot stop staring at this.

A thousand percent done.]
ardent: (And turning all against one)
[Ishimaru seems to finally be seeing fit to make an appearance, having been oddly absent since the weirdness started yesterday; it's not that he hasn't noticed the strangeness, he just hasn't been too inclined to comment, despite his usual inclination for enthusiastic, socially-awkward pep talks that no one really asked for.

After all, he's been in something of an odd state lately himself.]


Cut for Dangan Ronpa spoilers (everything up to Chapter Three) and...uh, vigilante justice with a pickaxe, I guess. )
ardent: (Default)
[ACTION FOR GOLDENROD CITY]

[Well, if you're on the streets this evening in the general vicinity of the Radio Tower, you will likely come across a figure in what looks like a cross between a white gakuran and a military uniform (no, seriously, those boots cannot be school issue, can they?); he's got his arms folded tightly across his chest, almost as though he's cold despite being nothing of the sort, and he's staring rather intently upward.

Not at anything in particular. Just looking up at the sky.

However, if you're close enough (and you're probably close enough because he is pretty much the opposite of subtle), it'll be fairly obvious that he's probably not seeing much of anything despite the intensity of his gaze, given that he's got an impressive amount of tears going on. Like, "that should probably not be coming out of human eyes" levels of impressive. Holy shit. Tears. All over. Like he's seen the face of God or something.

Someone might want to poke him or make sure his brain hasn't just shorted out or something, he'll be here all night otherwise.]



[VIDEO]

[Hello, Johto! Sometime this evening you are being treated to some serious jittercam, courtesy of one of your newer arrivals (after he's come out of whatever trance he was in earlier because good lord almighty there is sky out here). It's not quite enough to make you seasick, but more than enough to make you wonder exactly how it is your life has come to this and who gave the complete amateur a camera before everything seems to even out. The video eventually seems to settle on a rather...uh, severe-looking kid with short, dark hair, red eyes and eyebrows that go forever, and whatever he's doing, he seems deeply annoyed with it, goodness. Who invited the spawn of Satan to the Poképarty...

And then he seems to figure out that he is, in fact, filming, and his response is so immediately joyful it'll give you whiplash if you are not properly strapped in. His grin is open and incredibly genuine, the expression entirely unguarded; he sets the device down on a table in front of him, as he appears to be outside still, and he immediately starts waving at it a bit - both through utter glee and trying to see if it actually is tracking properly.]


Ha ha ha - so it does work! This is excellent news, excellent! Now, if I can get it to -

[His voice is a bit odd - it's loud and enthusiastic, but it's strangely blunted, as though he hasn't...quite worked out how voice inflection works but dammit, he's trying. He reaches out while he talks, the conversation dissolving into rather pleased muttering to himself as he tries to turn off the 'Gear and promptly...uh, sends the video, good job.]


[VIDEO, TWO MINUTES AFTER THE FIRST]

[Well, Captain Eyebrows here seems to have gotten himself under a bit more control, though the amount of volume is still going to make people why he even bothered with a video - surely he can be heard in Kanto by now. He's clearly trying to sound authoritative; the effect is just...horribly shouty.]

My name is Ishimaru Kiyotaka, a student of the 78th annual class at Hope's Peak Academy! It's excellent to have a way to contact all of you, even if the situation that's brought it about is very weird indeed!

Whoever is responsible for this turn of events, I would like to both thank you for your generosity regarding the situation, and yet express my general confusion at what it is you expect me to do here! It would be appreciated if I could thank you in person - or...speak to you properly or knew who you were...hm.

[He...seems to have lost himself for a moment, hang on - ]

At any rate - if I've learned anything in my studies of others, it's that cooperation is the best way to ensure success! If you could introduce yourselves and tell me where it is you come from, I would be very grateful - let's make the most of this weird situation by working hard and working together!

[End feed!

...Ishimaru, please...]

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Kiyotaka Ishimaru (石丸 清多夏)

April 2020

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