[open] network/action; pew pew pew

[hopefragment]

» WHO? Hajime Hinata and NERDS
» WHEN? anytime after 5/17
» WHERE? the observatory OR the bar, either place
» WHAT? come play copyright-infringement-free galaga with him
» WARNINGS? none??? please i hope we don't need them he just wants to play vidya

[A text goes out over the network from username hinatahajime, sometime midmorning of the 17th.]

hey, uh, i found my gamegirl just sitting in the cafeteria earlier. the only game in it was my copy of gala omega, but if anybody's as tired of staring at the walls as i am, you're welcome to come play it with me. i'll be in the observatory for a while, but i might head to the bar later

[When he gets tired of sitting on the floor, that is. Either way, he can be found in one of those places playing his totally-not-a-gameboy. He called it Gala Omega on the network, but it's clearly Galaga.]

Comments

[splinten]

[Did you say nerds? The not-a-gameboy makes him nostalgic for Roxy; a pang of missing her hits him.]

It's called a GameGirl in your world. Huh.

[hopefragment]

[Oh, #relatable? When he saw the little blue handheld in the cafeteria, he'd felt a sharp pang of loneliness. He can't play games with Chiaki anymore, and that's terrible.

Hajime blinks up at Dirk, confusion momentarily crossing his face. It never occurred to him that similar consoles in other versions of Earth might call it something different.]

What do you call it?

[splinten]

GameBoys. There's a magazine called GameGrl, without the i, but not a handheld console.

[Both Jane and Roxy had copies of GameGrl. More lonely teenaged boys missing their gamegals right here.]

[hopefragment]

Oh, that's kind of weird... I wonder what the difference is.

[He holds out the Nantendo Game Girl Advance, offering it to Dirk to inspect.]

Have you ever played Gala Omega?

[splinten]

[He looks it over. It looks like a Nintendo Game Boy Advance.]

Not that I'm aware of. Roxy was the gamer. She told me about things, but I never really played.

[hopefragment]

Oh... yeah, I knew someone like that. She's the one who got me playing this old game again in the first place.

[He's still holding out the copyright-free device.]

Want to give it a try? Nanami was right when she called it a total classic.

[splinten]

I'm going to guess Nanami is the person you're referring to.

[He takes the device. He gives it a try? He can figure out a GameGirl, these systems are relatively intuitive.]

[hopefragment]

The only controls are left, right, and shoot, [he adds helpfully. That's literally it.

He'll watch Dirk's screen upside-down, humming and nodding once. His lips curve into a small, slightly sad smile as he continues,]

Yeah. Chiaki Nanami, the Super High School Level Gamer. There's no way I could ever beat her, but... playing games with her was fun.

[splinten]

That's the second time you've used the phrase "Super High School Level." I'm still not totally sure what it means in the context of where you're from.

[pew! pew pew! the vidya is played]

[hopefragment]

Oh, right...

[His smile turns sheepish. It's easy to forget that these aren't common terms around here, what with it being an everyday phrase back home.]

Sorry, I keep forgetting. It's the title given to people who have a certain talent. People who are incredibly talented can be scouted by Hope's Peak Academy -- the most prestigious school in the world. That's why they have that title. They're high school students who are the very best at what they do. Think of a Super High School Level... like a celebrity. Or a superhero. It's like that.

[And apparently playing videogames is like that.]

[splinten]

And video games is like that?

[Look. It definitely takes skill.

But not the type he usually thinks about in relation to schools.]

[hopefragment]

I guess so.

[Honestly, he doesn't understand all the varieties of talent, either. Someone at Hope's Peak must know what to look for, though.]

People with talent are... just really incredible people. Way above anything anyone normal could aspire to. It's not an exaggeration to say that graduating from Hope's Peak, being a Super High School Level... you're set for life.

[There's a mild undercurrent of bitter resentment, one that he's having trouble hiding. But what he can do? Complaining about his lack of talent doesn't mean he'll suddenly become talented.]