001. Action for Goldenrod City/Video

[ardent]

[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...]

Comments

[ardent]

I never said it didn't!

[okay what'd he do what'd he do this is usually when people start yelling about how he has no tact but this is true tho]

[soundmind]

Then so what if it's an animal? Most animals don't shoot out fire or lightning, either!

[Like geez man it's as if you've never encountered an above-average intelligent creature before.]

Okay so it can't talk, but that doesn't mean it doesn't communicate or understand what you're saying. What's so wrong with saying "please don't bite me" you're going to be traveling with it anyway, you may as well get the ground rules out of the way.

[ardent]

Animals don't care if you're polite to them! I'm not saying that they should be disciplined beyond what's necessary, but most don't comprehend whether there's a "please" or not attached to the sentence - why would I assume otherwise, fire or not?! If it's intelligent enough to understand politeness, it should understand that it's rude to bite in the first place!

[soundmind]

...Have you ever even had a pet? Biting can be considered a sign of affection with them and they don't generally understand that humans don't have the same sentiment.

[ardent]

Well, they can't be very intelligent if they take setting things on fire as a sign of affection, can they?!

[soundmind]

They're socialized differently than humans, it's not a matter of intelligence!

[GEEZ GUYS WHAT'S WITH ALL THE SERIOUS BUSINESS.]

Think about it--mother cats don't teach their kittens how to read and write, do they? No, they teach them about cat social cues; hunting, cleaning, body language, whatever.

[ardent]

[Ahahaha, social cues...]

Reading and writing would be a moot point for them anyway, given that cats have a desperate lack of opposable thumbs!

[soundmind]

...Is that the only reason it's moot?

[Is this guy for real?]

That wasn't...really my point...I was saying that animals are taught different social rules than humans are. Biting is a sign of affection for them and they need to be taught that that's not how it works with humans.

[ardent]

[Unfortunately, yes. Yes, he is.

As it stands, he seems content to just let that first question roll off; he gets that sort of thing a lot. Moving on to the important part, then.]

And if this "politeness" idea of yours doesn't work...? What then?!

[He's being surprisingly not-derisive with that - blunt, yes; mocking, no. Admittedly, he still thinks the whole politeness thing is ridic, but.]

[soundmind]

...[Wow she could practically hear the quotation marks on politeness. What an odd person.] Okay, you're going to have to calm down, this isn't life or death. It's not like I'm saying you should put on a tuxedo and bow down to your Pokemon, I'm just saying you could ask him to "please stop biting me."

But at any rate, if that doesn't work either...hmm...maybe you could call on a friend for a different approach, or get another Pokemon that can maintain him. Or wear thicker clothes, I guess.

[ardent]

...I do know someone who's had pets in the past, and apparently they were well-trained, at least within reason! I suppose I could ask him, though I doubt he'd let me hear the end of it...hm.

And I'm perfectly calm; I don't know what you're talking about! Simple disobedience matters are nothing to get truly worked up about; I'm used to dealing with them in humans, I can surely deal with them in animals!

[So he's ridiculously shouty! But calm!

...Ishimaru...]

[soundmind]

You're...being loud. It doesn't sound like you're calm? It's giving me a headache.

[And she's all out of aspirin since Black*Star isn't around.]

Anyway, if your friend gives you a hard time about it, just tell him that you're new to this and you appreciate his help regardless.

[Endlessly optimistic: the series.]

[ardent]

[Ishimaru tends to be pretty idealistic, but he's currently doing a term at Despair Academy over there so his sense of pure undying optimism has taken a slight hit. Not too badly damaged, just sorta...dented in a little at the top, could stand to be poked around until it pops out again, you know the routine.]

...I'll make a note of your advice, then.

And that's how I've always presented myself! Believe me, if I were angry, it would be obvious!

[...that's actually more of an oddly blunted statement of fact than an insistence that she should just Deal With It, but still.]

[soundmind]

Oh, so you're just loud by nature.

[Okay she gets it now.]

I hope it works out for you. My Pokemon has been a pretty good friend to me so far, and it's awfully lonely being in a new place like this.

--Ah, by the way, I forgot to ask--do you prefer to be called Kiyotaka or Ishimaru?

[ardent]

"Ishimaru" would be preferred!

[What she's said before that actually gives him pause for a moment, though; the volume will actually lower for a moment when he continues.]

I wouldn't call it 'lonely,' though. But to each their own.

[soundmind]

You can call me whatever you want, but don't feel like you have to be polite.

[Maka what.

She shrugs.]

Whatever works, I'm just used to being around a certain person all the time I guess.

[ardent]

[Well, he's not going to argue that first part, simply because he doesn't see a need to - he may not get her, exactly, but he's not going to be flat-out rude to her either way, because that wouldn't be proper conduct. He's just sort of...admittedly mildly condescending to everyone in addressing them because he's used to his station; he'll be doing the same for her before too long.

That latter part just gets her a bit of a Look, though, just because his default setting is "lonely" - he's made one friend during the Incident he's just coming in from, and that brings his lifetime friendship count to exactly one. So forgive him for the general lack of sympathy here - not because he doesn't care, per se, but because he has no frame of reference.]

In that case, you're just going to have to work hard for yourself during that certain person's absence! It's possible that they will be brought here eventually, the same as we were - until then, there's no sense in being upset about it!

[soundmind]

Upset? Do I look upset?

[Well that sure was a serious question.

DOES SHE? Because she feels downright genki.]

Just because it's kind of lonely doesn't mean I'm going to be moping over that jerk, at least Pokemon can't talk and make stupid rude comments about your appearance or if you want to read instead of playing games nobody tells you the rules to!

[This is Super High School Level Serious Business. holy shit teenagers are dumb]

[ardent]

[This is some A+ socializing right here let me tell you]

Then why bring it up at all, if it isn't going to be some sort of issue?!

[GIRLS...]

[soundmind]

[She is almost as bad at it as him, rest assured.]

I'm just making conversation, if you're going to put it like that then why bring up anything at all?

[BOYS...]

[ardent]

[um excuse you he is totally well-adjusted and the epitome of social grace - ]

Exactly the point I've tried to make in the past - there's no sense in idle conversation! Why bother if there's nothing to be gained from it?

[...yeah okay never mind]

[soundmind]

Um. Friendship?

[der]

[ardent]

[You can practically hear the sense of "Well, yeah" from Ishimaru's direction that follows that...]

Forming bonds over meaningless things doesn't make much sense, though.

[soundmind]

Just because they're meaningless now doesn't mean they're meaningless in the long run...and how else are you supposed to get to know someone unless you have random conversations that aren't really "important."

I could talk about how I bonded with one of my closest friends while we were in the middle of a fight simply because I realized that they needed someone to treat them like a normal person, but that'd be meaningless, wouldn't it?

[what the fuck is anime life even]

[ardent]

[Ahahaha well...]

...I met my brother in a similar way, actually, so I wouldn't say that.