shslasshat | First Silver Spoon - Joint Post, Video/Action for New Bark

[The boy who appears on the other end of the feed is sitting outside, in New Bark Town, if the gently waving trees and the windmill in the background are anything to go by. He appears deep in thought. In contrast to this, a sharply-grinning face appears over his left shoulder, all teeth and claws and hard, cold, gemstone eyes. Since Sableye aren't native to New Bark Town, that must clearly be his starter.]

Out of one game and into another, then.

[Piercing green eyes meet the camera from behind white-framed glasses.]

I presume I'm far from the first person to come here. ...Perhaps, even, not the first from my world – since this obviously is not the world I come from. I may have catching up to do, but mark my words: Byakuya Togami does not lose. Anyone who stands in my way will fall. So remember my face, and don't waste your t—

[But then, abruptly, the feed goes wild and veers away from his face; hopefully nobody watching gets motion sickness, because if so, they might want to avert their eyes. But given the angle and direction of the camera shift, combined with the brief flash of the boy's astonished expression before it disappears completely from view, it seems that someone has just snatched the Gear right out of his hand.

Which would be an entirely accurate conclusion to draw, really. Suffice to say, the camera is now displaying a rather attractive shot of the tip of someone's boot and a fair expanse of slightly matted grass.]

Don't be so quick to sacrifice your anonymity with needless posturing. There's nothing to be gained from ceding that advantage — particularly not in a place where that name almost certainly means nothing to anyone.

[...Does somebody want to get this man some ice for that burn.]

[The aforementioned boy huffs in the background, his hand appearing on the camera as he tries to take it back like a nerd who's become the victim of a cruel game of keep-away.]

Have you even read the training manual? A place that asserts the goal of becoming "the very best, like no one ever was" is not a bastion of subtlety.

[Then, almost sulkier,]

When did you even get here?

[JUST WHEN HE THOUGHT HE WAS SAFE.

Eventually, though, his superior ~~height and reach~~ everything manage to get control of the Gear back, and amid the shuffle, the second voice speaks again.]

About twenty minutes ago. [A beat.] I've been looking around. Haven't you?

[Even when his gear is back in his own possession, he doesn't bother aiming it at his face. However, he will flash Johto a shot of the lovely, lavender-haired girl who so rudely interrupted his arrogant pontificating.]

I've been reading the materials provided about this place and the creatures who inhabit it. [A smug, punchable beat.] Haven't you?

I wanted to see what my own investigations turned up first. But it'd be useful to see how much of my evidence is corroborated by yours; turn that off and let's compare our findings instead.

[For the first time since the girl appeared, Togami actually pays attention to the gear, and he scowls at it before flicking the camera off as requested.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

["Useful with backwards priorities" is a great way to describe him, but look: at least he doesn't complain about aliens stealing his hamburgers. You should feel grateful for that.]

Mmm, yeah, but the mechanics of this place are completely backwards. This is the one instance where it's a good idea to read the game manual instead of trooping out bravely on your own.

Not to mention, insisting on finding everything yourself when it's clearly stated for you reeks of unnecessary effort.

[Look, man, asking her to be grateful that someone has achieved a social competency level of "not Hakagure" is like demanding a cookie for having never been sent to jail. That's not an achievement.]

It's naive to blindly trust something you're told without making any attempt to confirm its veracity yourself. Especially if, as the game manual seems to indicate, I've just been kidnapped — and therefore have little reason to put my faith in anything my captors want me to believe in the first place.

[Well it's an achievement for him.]

It's stupid to reject a source of information because it's too easy. Even if you're playing junior investigator, you still want to know the side of the story that's offered to you, even if you don't believe it. [Sollux rolls his eyes.] But hey, there's a lot of information here that most people could never guess on their own, so if you want to depend on Glasses [something tells him the two don't like each other much] to be your tour guide, be my guest.

When did I say I rejected it?

[Seriously, this dude's backwards priorities. Seriously.]

Right in the video up there. You wanted to see what you could find out all by yourself.

[...]

"First".

[Seriously. Priorities.]

I'm just saying. Your priorities are kind of turned over if you default to snooping around for information while neglecting to look at the information directly in front of you.

If that's what you think.

[Ain't she a conversationalist, ladies and gentlemen.]

Jesus, somebody get this girl a talk show.

[Roses are red, violets are blue, you pissed off Kirigiri - Togami likes you.

"Glasses" turns his attention to his screen with a slight smirk.]

I take it you're a fellow outsider, and not a native.

Is there anything not covered in the manual that's important to know?

Hm. That's true.

The manual covers what you need to know to get started with Pokémon, but there's some things they didn't cover about how stuff works here. You probably already know that there are other folks from your home here, but if they were ever nonhuman, they're just ordinary people now, and all supernatural powers have been nerfed. Sometimes they disappear from the world without warning. Don't freak out. If you're lucky they'll come back later, and they may or may not remember all the things they did here last time.

Got it?

[...Ok right now he thinks that "nonhuman" "supernatural powers" bullshit is a load of hooey so he's just going to. Ignore that until it comes up later.]

...Believe me, if any of my classmates disappeared, I'd sooner throw a party than 'freak out'.

[Except maybe Naegi. And mmmmmmmaybe Kirigiri, if you really twist his arm.]

So whatever force is keeping us here is just as random and liberal with who gets to return home and when?

[Sollux doesn't care enough to dispute their existence. This guy came from a world where there are no aliens or supernatural powers, okay, whatever, he'll find out eventually. If Togami wants to ask about it later, that's his decision.]

Classmates, huh... [WAIT A MINUTE.] That's not the first time someone's mentioned being in the same 'class'. You got anyone named Chihiro at your school?

[He sees the turn this conversation is taking when that pause happens, but the name that the kid comes out with is not one he expected.]

Chihiro Fujisaki? Yes, [Fuck, pronouns] she is a classmate of mine. I presume you've heard about Hope's Peak, then?

Nope. What's that?

[He literally just made a wild guess, because not many other people have mentioned where they went to school.]