The Gamer Discussion, Fic Ideas, and Recommendation Thread

[SonOfNenji]

To anyone having problem with the party system I say keep it but since most stories are crossovers make sure that every non gamer has a class. The gamer itself is a class that can learn/do anything, NO ONE ELSE CAN! This means if you invite someone to your party that has an ability their class will focus on that ability and the stuff they can learn quickly using the gamer function will only effect their class/ability. If you invite a normal person they would only be able to learn normal non magic stuff like kung fu or diswashing, but the party system would let them max it out quickly etc...

Class examples would be:

Student - for every day person with no special ability or innate magic (note it is up to the author whether regular people have innate magic or not since 'anyone' could have it even if the original story did not let that character develop it. This allows for unusual ships by allowing side characters the ability to become main characters and then get shipped)

Ninja - Naruto style chakra, allows them to learn anything chakra related with locks in palce for learning elements that they don't have naturally or yet (note with enough time/training anyone can learn any element like Kakashi or Hiruzen). Bloodlines would have their own entirely seperate skill trees that have nothing to do with being a ninja and thus may or may not be leveled up by the gamer system (not all bloodlines can get better but things like the sharingan can where the byakugan cannot... unless author plans to give user tensaigan or whatever).

Witch - similar to natural ability magic user in the original, just someone that can use magic and thus learn most of the gamer magic stuff. Witch is a general term for female magic user so males could have any name from mage, wizard to even warlock or sorcerer as it simply depends on the world/setting.

Mutant - This would work like the Ninja system except their 'bloodline' would be their skill tree. Jean Grey would have two separate trees, one for tekekinesis and another for telepathy and if it is the Phoenix version then another for for that including things like pyrokinesis, fire absorption, healing etc... Or if the author is feeling crazy, they could give Jean Grey the subclass Psionicist and simply allow her to learn everything from one of those huge dnd manuals since literally that is what she is but since no one in the MCU seems to know anything about them, she was never taught any of the esoteric things she most likely would be able to do.

Metahuman - This would include anyone in the DCU (or MCU non mutant) with super powers of any type with subclasses to separate them. Like Kryptonian or Green (other color) Lantern even tho most lanterns don't have any special abilities, but those that do would have more than one subclass as the gamer ability would allow them to expand any of their classes, not just their main one since the ability is broken. This list includes people like Hawkeye and Batman for reasons that should be obvious but to explain it futher... Hawkeye NEVER misses, that's a super power even if many of the universes say he is normal and others say he isn't. Batman is baseline 3 times stronger/faster than an olympian... that isn't normal, not to mention his intellect and ability to build things like ironman or lex luthor.

Basically my point here is, so long as you limit what other people can learn (beyond normal stuff like kung fu and dishwashing) then the party system should be a go. Seeing everyone throwing around spinning mana arrows is just so damn annoying that I never wanna see it from anyone who isn't a witch or the gamer. Hell even Mutants that 'use' magic like Scarlet Witch are not natural magic users that should never throw spinning mana arrows! Her abilities allow her to reshape reality and yes, spinning mana arrows are part of that, but no way should she ever bother to learn it! Seeing her throwing those in a story would be painful to read! Basically giving super strong people access to the party system makes for a boring story unless they can only improve upon their own abilites. Imagine Superman gaining magic immunity... He has no magic and thus should not be able to gain anything beyond physical immunity! yes there are ways to give him access to magic and thus allow him to learn this ability but does anyone even wanna read about Superman fanfics anyways? He is so strong that the only stories with him in it that are popular are romance fics or shameless Si's!

I do like some ideas here, like giving Kiba from Naruto the ability instead of Naruto or anyone with cheatigan eyes. How many fics do I need to read where the Si ends up with Rinnegan before I slit my wrists? Gamers can get much stronger than cheating eyes! Imagine Kiba turning into a 300 foot tall wolf hybrid and having him defeat the Juubi with pure physical strength? Now that would be a good story!

Also Si's with the gamer ability MUST have knowledge of the setting or they are just stupid OC's and make bad stories! Better to give a normal character in the setting the gamer ability than make an OC that doesn't know what they are doing. This however, does not mean they need to have read the manhwa and thus know anything about their ability... Those there is a 90% chance they have at least heard of it, they would not immediately know all the shortcuts and munchkin the crap out of it.

A good example would be one of those lantern Si's that are thrown into the YJ universe except instead of a ring, they end up being blessed by Gaia (since she exists on Earth-16 it would be very easy to explain her giving Jee-hans ability as is without any modifications or long story plots). Then make sure to de-age them to about 15-17 so they get stuck at Mount Harbour and fun time ensues! Especially if they have some funny way of getting noticed (ie falling from space and surviving). because they are level 1 and weak so even though it will be easy to convince Batman that they should be on a team, it will take them a long time to be useful and since some of the hardest missions on the show are at the start... you can see where the story would be hilarious!

Also gamer crossovers should be done to things that the majority have access to. Ie tv/movies vs comics/manga. I don't know many people who actually read comics/mangas unless it is to something they enjoyed in a cartoon/anime/movie first! Most people I know who read a lot, read things without pictures and thus have no clue what people are talking about when reference the manga/comic version of a fandom vs the cartoon/anime/movie version. Gamer fics are already crazy since most of the system is from a manhwa that most readers can't stomach to finish since there are too many pictures and not enough words. Fortunately, these same readers have seen royal road and tons of other litrpg and thus don't need to be handheld or else the audience would be much smaller than it is.

Just some of my two-cents. I'd love to personally write a fanfic but I just have too much originality to follow a script. Prob the best I could stomach is original Naruto ending at the valley of the end as I do not recognized anything that happened in shippuden as something that could be considered canon with what we know of chakra from the original series. I mean, people fighting for days straight vs 15min? Chakra exhaustion happened instantly in the original series yet did not exist in shippuden... A single zombie would destroy a village if the village did not have a seal master (which in the original is all of them except konoha) yet orochimaru wastes it on the Sandaime which does have a surefire way to end it... Basically poor writing imo, just stuff mean to make money and not to make sense! /endrant

Click to shrink...

TL; DR I tried chewing on your two cents and I choked on them about when you started a comprehensive rant on different "hypothetical" classes.

I agree with the basic message that The Gamer should be a separate class and that party members would have their own specializations, but I have no idea if you said anything else because my eyes glazed over in the middle of the Witch paragraph.

 

[lordchaos99]

The Class system just seems to be Rule-Enforced version of my Point E (back on page 4)
Characters either need distinct powers, or a style of combat.

For example the Avengers has Captain America, Black Widow and Hawkeye with the same effective power source, namely Training (Cap is debatable but is Peak Human and does work out so eh).
Cap uses shield combat and melee strength primarily
Black Widow is flexible and more acrobatic, and also generally has more gadgets
Hawkeye uses a bow.
All three started from the same basic point (within-Human level capability).

If they were all Gamers, things wouldn't change.
Cap would be a better shield combatant, Black Widow would hit way outside her weightclass and jump around like Spiderman and Hawkeye would be even more hax, but they would remain distinct.

In your terms, they would share a Class, but put points into different parts of that class' skill tree.

In order to create a Team fic you need distinction between each team member, any similarities are a plot point (having a fanboy on the team copying their hero for example, or a Clone sharing the same or slightly different powerset, see Supergirl or Superboy the clone with his tactile TK respectively). Each person needs to be a part of it, an intrinsic part.
Hawkgirl cannot be Green Lantern and Ron cannot be Hermione.

Enforcing it via Rule instead of natural character progression seems limiting, but I can see it as a decent option to think about including.

TL; DR I tried chewing on your two cents and I choked on them about when you started a comprehensive rant on different "hypothetical" classes.

I agree with the basic message that The Gamer should be a separate class and that party members would have their own specializations, but I have no idea if you said anything else because my eyes glazed over in the middle of the Witch paragraph.

Click to shrink...

He went on a rant about Naruto Shippuden not making sense, and that Gamer Fanfic of things that aren't Normie Culture, including only using the TV version and never the comic or manga version because people don't actually read or understand comics. Oh and also people who read, can't understand something with too many pictures.
Apparently.
Oh and also he thinks lvl1 Gamers can fall from space and survive, but be too weak to make a difference in the first few episodes of Young Justice. And he is 'too original' to write Fanfic.

 

[Hokonoso]

I just think that if the party system doesn't limit the other people then you have issues where the person with gamer invites someone like say Skitter and then become a sidenote while Skitter becomes a Goddess because her bug powers become even more OP while also having all the gamer h4x where the person with the gamer power ONLY has the gamer h4x... Not saying such a story is bad, just that it doesn't make much sense... I like for things to make as much sense as possible before things like plotholes get in the way. Hell plotholes don't even matter if the story is good!

 

[lordchaos99]

I just think that if the party system doesn't limit the other people then you have issues where the person with gamer invites someone like say Skitter and then become a sidenote while Skitter becomes a Goddess because her bug powers become even more OP while also having all the gamer h4x where the person with the gamer power ONLY has the gamer h4x... Not saying such a story is bad, just that it doesn't make much sense... I like for things to make as much sense as possible before things like plotholes get in the way. Hell plotholes don't even matter if the story is good!

Click to shrink...

I addressed this already

The Party System is actively harmful if you meet any of the following criteria:

A) The character with the Gamer skill is otherwise ordinary relative to the rest of the cast who have further abilities, this includes Robin from TT, a civilian OC in a setting with powers (a muggle in HP) etc.
B) The character with the Gamer skill loses their powers to replace it with the Gamer without doing the same to everyone else, this includes replacing Tony Stark's genius with the Gamer but leaving the Avengers still powered or replacing a RWBY character's Semblance if it is known (ie not Jaune, but making Ruby a Team Gamer instead of a Speedster)
C) You do not make the Party the focus of the story. Either Party Up or do not. Literally any competent Team should Party because it's essentially multiplying your Gamerness, which is a major force multiplier. And Gamers without a team should find allies to Party with for the same reason.
D) You do not want a complete curbstomp, or you do not have them fighting Haxxor enemies. The Gamer is comparable to a Solar Exalt if it gets even a few months to ramp up, or possibly a Dragon Ball Z character with Gohan levels of potential, imagine if every member of the Justice League could become Superman-like beings.
E) You cannot think of different builds that match the characters that are equally effective. This is true of most Team Ups, but especially true of the Gamer where your power is literally Choose-Your-Own. In Avengers having different skill levels is fine because they don't have a shared origin with effort and skill at build-choices determining power. A weaker character is Lazier or made Poor Decisions, which leads to clear weakness, so they need to be a better character to justify it.

Note: E does not mean identically effective, a ranged bullseye character can be the equivalent of a teleporter can be the equivalent of an invincible melee brawler, but their skills must seem like they take the same amount of effort and practice to accrue, or you need to justify why they are not. Which is fine, its plothooks, E is more of a 'heads-up' category.

The Gamer manwha hits either A or B (since it technically replaces his special power, by being his special power) and definitely C. I have my doubts the author could resist hitting E if he actually used the Party System beyond a few 'this is a thing' occasions.

Click to shrink...

 

[Anon-Echo98]

Alright, so I'm kinda new on this site, although I have done some previous work on FF.Net, you might know me from Tower of Gamer, but probably not.

Anyway, I kinda came here to ask some pointers in writing a Gamer!Fate/Extra SI, where the SI was a programmer before he got sent to the /Extra universe.

And since we're sharing Stat stuff, here's mine:

Spoiler: Gamer Stats of DL98

HP: When HP drops to zero, you fall unconscious, and enter a state I like to call "Eggshells", where if you take a hit that would deal at least 10 points of damage, you die. HP is calculated by this equation: For every 5 points in VIT, you get 10 HP+ your Level, which is multiplied by 10.

Example: Level 5 Ogre with 40 VIT, HP: 130

MP/Mana: 5 points in either INT or WIS equals 10 points in MP.

STR: Your physical attack strength.
INT: How complex things you can understand.
VIT: Your Stamina.
WIS: How good are you at out-of-the-box kind of thinking.
DEX: your dexterity, how flexible are you, and how nimble are you with your hands.
AGI: Speed, and how nimble are you running.

And here's some other miscellaneous stats I use, depending on the crossover.

Reiryoku/Shinsoo/Aura: Your main stats added together.

Nen: STR, VIT, DEX and AGI added together

Also, haven't used Luck as a Stat in any of my fics, but here's how I'd use it.

LCK: Affects Loot Drops, Critical hits{Unless you hit an opponents weakspot, like taking a warhammer to a man's testicles, in which case, you get an automatic crit.}, Dice rolls and other games of pure chance. Can't be increased by adding stats or training, but it can be increased by wearing items that are commonly regarded as good luck charms{Rabbit's foot, Four-leaved clovers, etc, etc.]

And a question to anyone that reads this. Why does almost no story/quests use the Abyss system of buying random stuff from the internet like weapons to books to furniture like in canon?

Click to shrink...

Well, personally, while I'm not afraid of using, but I think the main reason why most people don't use the services that the Abyss offers is because we haven't been given the impression that the Abyss is a Multiversal company, and because AA isn't a natural part of the Gamer ability.

Although, personally I'm planning a God of Highschool SI who'll eventually start up his own Abyss Company, which will eventually become Multiversal, since by traversing the Multiverse, you can pretty much sell items that no other company can, thus making your company untouchable, to an extent.

I had tried to write it once in the past but it didn't work out. But I think that a The Gamer system in something like a mecha setting or a mon setting or an inner city would be so great.

Click to shrink...

Personally, I've been kind hungry for a Mecha series, although there's the question of "Can I story my Mecha inside my Inventory, and take it out whenever I want?", "Can I use my Mecha to reach into the Inventory to equip new weapons on the fly?", and my favorite "If I develop my stealing skills to a high enough level, can I, to put it bluntly, suck a mecha into my Inventory?", and well, those questions are a bit scary.

(why are these even called SI when 90% of the time it's just an original character nothing like the author?)

Click to shrink...

Because it's easier to explain than the term I have come up with, Off-Worlder OC, or OWC, if you want to be a bit shorter with it. But seriously though, the term SI is because it's easy to write about a character who has the same knowledge about the world that you do, as long as you limit the character to information you knew at the point you made the first chapter.

Are there any universes that people think would be very well suited for a gamerish fic? Or better yet a sequence of them with manageable power creep?

Click to shrink...

Danmachi comes to mind pretty quickly, as it already runs on some game mechanics, save for the levels, which make no god-damn sense if you apply Gamer stuff to it.

Personally, I rationalize it by thinking that the Danmachi Levels always have a 0 added to the end, so a frsh Level 2 Adventurer would be at least Level 20, in Gamer terms.

Levels 1-9: Civilian, Non-adventurer
Levels 10-19: Rank 1 Adventurer
Levels 20-29: Rank2
etc, etc.

And, God of Highschool isn't unreasonable either, although some things would have to be edited, like how the hell is Mori Jin a Level 1 fighter?

 

[Emperor Toast]

Alright, so I'm kinda new on this site, although I have done some previous work on FF.Net, you might know me from Tower of Gamer, but probably not.

Anyway, I kinda came here to ask some pointers in writing a Gamer!Fate/Extra SI, where the SI was a programmer before he got sent to the /Extra universe.

And since we're sharing Stat stuff, here's mine:

Spoiler: Gamer Stats of DL98

HP: When HP drops to zero, you fall unconscious, and enter a state I like to call "Eggshells", where if you take a hit that would deal at least 10 points of damage, you die. HP is calculated by this equation: For every 5 points in VIT, you get 10 HP+ your Level, which is multiplied by 10.

Example: Level 5 Ogre with 40 VIT, HP: 130

MP/Mana: 5 points in either INT or WIS equals 10 points in MP.

STR: Your physical attack strength.
INT: How complex things you can understand.
VIT: Your Stamina.
WIS: How good are you at out-of-the-box kind of thinking.
DEX: your dexterity, how flexible are you, and how nimble are you with your hands.
AGI: Speed, and how nimble are you running.

And here's some other miscellaneous stats I use, depending on the crossover.

Reiryoku/Shinsoo/Aura: Your main stats added together.

Nen: STR, VIT, DEX and AGI added together

Also, haven't used Luck as a Stat in any of my fics, but here's how I'd use it.

LCK: Affects Loot Drops, Critical hits{Unless you hit an opponents weakspot, like taking a warhammer to a man's testicles, in which case, you get an automatic crit.}, Dice rolls and other games of pure chance. Can't be increased by adding stats or training, but it can be increased by wearing items that are commonly regarded as good luck charms{Rabbit's foot, Four-leaved clovers, etc, etc.]

Well, personally, while I'm not afraid of using, but I think the main reason why most people don't use the services that the Abyss offers is because we haven't been given the impression that the Abyss is a Multiversal company, and because AA isn't a natural part of the Gamer ability.

Although, personally I'm planning a God of Highschool SI who'll eventually start up his own Abyss Company, which will eventually become Multiversal, since by traversing the Multiverse, you can pretty much sell items that no other company can, thus making your company untouchable, to an extent.

Personally, I've been kind hungry for a Mecha series, although there's the question of "Can I story my Mecha inside my Inventory, and take it out whenever I want?", "Can I use my Mecha to reach into the Inventory to equip new weapons on the fly?", and my favorite "If I develop my stealing skills to a high enough level, can I, to put it bluntly, suck a mecha into my Inventory?", and well, those questions are a bit scary.

Because it's easier to explain than the term I have come up with, Off-Worlder OC, or OWC, if you want to be a bit shorter with it. But seriously though, the term SI is because it's easy to write about a character who has the same knowledge about the world that you do, as long as you limit the character to information you knew at the point you made the first chapter.

Danmachi comes to mind pretty quickly, as it already runs on some game mechanics, save for the levels, which make no god-damn sense if you apply Gamer stuff to it.

Personally, I rationalize it by thinking that the Danmachi Levels always have a 0 added to the end, so a frsh Level 2 Adventurer would be at least Level 20, in Gamer terms.

Levels 1-9: Civilian, Non-adventurer
Levels 10-19: Rank 1 Adventurer
Levels 20-29: Rank2
etc, etc.

And, God of Highschool isn't unreasonable either, although some things would have to be edited, like how the hell is Mori Jin a Level 1 fighter?

Click to shrink...

I've written a bit of Danmachi and thought about doing it again but I don't think it really needs gamer since it already has internal gamerish type system. Danmachi's system is impossible to reconcile since your stats in the prior level sort of carry over into the next level but not in any way that you see.

Jin Mori has his particular lineage to make up f or that. Power creep is also REALLY unreasonable. You go from wuxia kung fu levels to here is my god finger crushing a city.

I don't know too much about Fate Extra but I think your stats might need to be redone since servants are your centerpiece fighter. The capabilities of the master aren't in the same realm at all. If you gave standard gamer progression I think that would overpower your main versus all the other masters. Is the idea to have both master and servant have gamer abilities?

 

[Anon-Echo98]

I've written a bit of Danmachi and thought about doing it again but I don't think it really needs gamer since it already has internal gamerish type system. Danmachi's system is impossible to reconcile since your stats in the prior level sort of carry over into the next level but not in any way that you see.

Click to shrink...

I'm not planning to write any Danmachi gamer stuff, mainly because I don't see any big reasons to throw in a Gamer SI, as Danmachi doesn't have any big disasters that need preventing.

Jin Mori has his particular lineage to make up for that. Power creep is also REALLY unreasonable. You go from wuxia kung fu levels to here is my god finger crushing a city.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, Mori is a pretty bad example, but I still feel like the Gamer could work well in the GoH universe.

I don't know too much about Fate Extra but I think your stats might need to be redone since servants are your centerpiece fighter. The capabilities of the master aren't in the same realm at all. If you gave standard gamer progression I think that would overpower your main versus all the other masters. Is the idea to have both master and servant have gamer abilities?

Click to shrink...

Nah, I intend to keep the normal stats strictly to non-Servants, the Servant stats to Servants, and the Gamer ability to the Gamer.

Although, I intend to make it so that whatever EXP Servants get, the MC gets, since Servants are Familiars on steroids, which are also on steroids.

Seriously though, if I were to put Servant Stats in Gamer terms, I feel like E rank would be 100, at the very least, and A would be, well, pretty damn high, thinking of in the 6000-ish, although I might be overshooting it a bit.

I intend to have Master fighting Masters, and Servants fighting Servants, the MC isn't a dumbass like Shiro. At most, the MC could fight against soldiers spawned from a Servant's NP, or a Caster/Assassin when he himself has reached Level 49 or above 50, as Assassins and Casters have really sucky physical stats, and even then only in physical combat, as in anything else, Servants would win 98/100 times, the other 2 being the result of a lucky shot, or the Servant being on the same level of combat.

 

[SonOfNenji]

I've written a bit of Danmachi and thought about doing it again but I don't think it really needs gamer since it already has internal gamerish type system. Danmachi's system is impossible to reconcile since your stats in the prior level sort of carry over into the next level but not in any way that you see.

Jin Mori has his particular lineage to make up f or that. Power creep is also REALLY unreasonable. You go from wuxia kung fu levels to here is my god finger crushing a city.

I don't know too much about Fate Extra but I think your stats might need to be redone since servants are your centerpiece fighter. The capabilities of the master aren't in the same realm at all. If you gave standard gamer progression I think that would overpower your main versus all the other masters. Is the idea to have both master and servant have gamer abilities?

Click to shrink...

Personally I think if you're going to stick to the themes of Fate/ yet still remain a combatant in the grail war, you should insert yourself as a Servant, either by merging with one of the originals or by replacing one, depeding on your prefered role in the story.

I'd really enjoy seeing your journey start, even, by merging with one of those servants early in their life, at the start of their legend or even earlier. Then you'd have a legitimate place in the Grail Wars later on.

If the grail war isn't a part of your story then it's irrelevant, of course, but I still prefer it if your character has a place and history in the world already established via reincarnation, rather than going with "drop-in", because it allows you both a certain control of the plot and premise by choosing origins and to focus on those very things rather than finding your place in the world as an outsider (unless you intended for that to be one of the main themes or at least points of the story).

 

[Anon-Echo98]

Personally I think if you're going to stick to the themes of Fate/ yet still remain a combatant in the grail war, you should insert yourself as a Servant, either by merging with one of the originals or by replacing one, depending on your preferred role in the story.

Click to shrink...

Look, I'm going to be doing a Fate/Extra Gamer SI fanfic, with Quest elements, and well, I'm not going to lie, I don't see myself, or really like the idea of a character replacing a Heroic Spirit, not to mention that putting the SI as a Servant is kind of a shitty idea.

I'd really enjoy seeing your journey start, even, by merging with one of those servants early in their life, at the start of their legend or even earlier. Then you'd have a legitimate place in the Grail Wars later on.

Click to shrink...

I'm not going to lie, I have developed a sour taste to writing Reincarnation-type SI, so yeah, not exactly my cup of tea.

If the grail war isn't a part of your story then it's irrelevant, of course, but I still prefer it if your character has a place and history in the world already established via reincarnation, rather than going with "drop-in", because it allows you both a certain control of the plot and premise by choosing origins and to focus on those very things rather than finding your place in the world as an outsider (unless you intended for that to be one of the main themes or at least points of the story).

Click to shrink...

Well, yeah, I kinda like using the theme of an outsider in SI stories, either going native, adapting to the world's culture, or rebelling against it, standing out as yourself.

...

...Y'know, looking at my statement there, I feel like it would fit in well with Gurren Lagann, so I might try out an Reincarnation Quest in that setting, not sure whether or not to throw in The Gamer, as Spiral Power is pretty much the Antithesis of The Gamer, kicking reason to the curb.

Speaking of which, anyone got a good Gurren Lagann SI to recommend?

 

[KickInator]

Here is another idea. How about focusing on all the other characters around the gamer? Their reactions and thoughts on what is happening to and around the gamer. I think it would make an interesting story.
@DarkLord98 go over at SB and look for How To Drill Your Way Through Your Problems. Its a TTGL/Worm xover. And its amazeballs.

 

[Anon-Echo98]

Here is another idea. How about focusing on all the other characters around the gamer? Their reactions and thoughts on what is happening to and around the gamer. I think it would make an interesting story.

Click to shrink...

Personally, I like to save that kind of stuff for Interludes and such.

@DarkLord98 go over at SB and look for How To Drill Your Way Through Your Problems. Its a TTGL/Worm xover. And its amazeballs.

Click to shrink...

Just read it the past week, and well, it's pretty much the only TTGL fanfic that I was able to read without having to turn off my brain.

 

[TheDivineDemon]

Non-Taylor Gamer/Worm story.

Player V Player 1.1
Game Start
-0-0-0-0-
Theo

Breakfast, as usual, was a quiet affair. Even though his cousins had come over for a visit they remained silent on their phones, tapping away at who knows what. His father, as was his habit, sipped on his morning coffee as he reviewed the various papers in front of him. Theo himself was picking at his food with a great interest. He didn't want to look up from his plate because if he did the unwanted evidence would be staring him in the face.

The evidence that he had either gone crazy or had finally come into his superpowers. He really hoped it was the former. Because if had gotten powers then he knew what would happen.

He knew what would be expected of him.

His eyes flickered to his father at that thought. He looked back down at his eggs a second later. The words were still there, floating above his father's head in bright green letters declaring his names and title for the world to see. For him to see.

<The Emperor>
Max Anders/Kaiser (The E88)
LVL ??

Theo knew enough about, played enough, video games to know that LVL meant level and that the question marks meant that his father was too strong for him. That was something he didn't need any power to tell him. Though he felt an unwanted ping of jealousy as he remembered his cousins' own titles.
<The Emperor's Guard>
Nessa Biermann/Menja (The E88)
LVL 43

<The Emperor's Guard>
Jessica Biermann/Fenja (The E88)
LVL 43

It bothered him, more than he would ever care to admit, was that his own title had nothing to do with his family's. What type of a title was <The Gamer>? Was his power taking a dig at itself? At him?

What was a gamer to royalty?

"Theo, stop clinking your silverware on the plate. It's distracting" His father didn't even look up from his papers when he said this but his tone was clear.

Theo put his fork down.

"Good. Now, how has school been? Did you catch up with your friends after winter break?" He sounded like he was curious, he even sounded like he cared. He didn't. Even if he didn't know his father he knew it was a lie, he knew the signs. The man's posture all but screamed what he really thought and he didn't even bother hiding it.

A bright blue box suddenly appeared, both startling him and blocking his vision.

Congratulations! You have created your first skill!

Cold Read (Passive/Active): Lvl 1 EXP: 19%
The human body can tell a story just as well as the mouth and it can tell no lies in front of your eyes

• Ability to detect lies increase by 3% Passively, 6% Actively
• Ability to detect mental state increased by 3% Passively, 6% Actively
• Ability to ascertain and piece together information about a person increased by 3% Passively, 6% Actively

'What in the world' he had to wonder, blankly staring at the words in front of him. What was this thing before him and why was it worded so strangely?

"Theo." His father was paying attention to her now, undivided as his eyes locked on him. That was never a good thing.

"Things have been fine." He said stiffly, sounding as polite as he could manage. He flinched again as another the sound binged once more and another screen appeared.

Calm Surface: LVL 1 Exp: 22%
Like a river, your surface is calm and unbroken despite the rapids underneath. Hopefully, the trickle down effect will calm your insides as well.

• Ability to stay calm under pressure increased by 5%

He carried on as if the blue box never appeared, "Midterm grades should be back in by Friday." His father hummed but that was all Theo could tell, the blue boxes were still in his way, still blocking his sight. Though if he went a little cross-eyed he found he could see through them. See through them and see his father studying him.

His father hummed, clearly disappointed over something. "If I remember correctly post break is usually when clubs start looking for new members again. Did any of them catch your eye?"

A few, "No sir." But none enough that he'd want to deal with the pressure that came with it. Not only would his father expect him to start taking over the group but he'd have to interact with other kids. He really wished he was better at that.

"I can't say I'm not disappointed." Theo waited for the other foot to drop, "But I also can't let this go on any longer. You're wasting your time playing games all day when you could be spending it doing something productive."

There was a pause, he was supposed to speak here. "Like what sir?" It was almost like reading a script.

"Like, for example, working at Medhall part-time. There are a number of internship positions available. It would give you an opportunity to see how the family business works from the inside." Which family business? The largest medical company in the Northeast? Or the largest gang of white supremacists in the country?

Both were just as likely.

"I'll be sure to apply."

"See that you do. This company will be yours someday." He didn't miss the look his cousins shared. Yeah, he had his doubts about that too. "Now finish your food. The driver will be here for you soon."

-0-0-0-0-
Emma

-Hey u hr yet-

The text was sent with a nervous and impatient energy, her eyes tracking towards the bathroom door hoping her friend would arrive soon. That morning had been a rollercoaster of emotions for her. Going from confused to excited to disappointed to excited all over again in the span of a few minutes. She NEEDED to share the news with someone, someone who would understand and be just as excited as her.

That person just needed to hurry up and get there.

She had all but started pacing when her phone gave off a distinctive ring. Eagerly she pressed in her password and read the message.

-Bus jst got hr. Where r u?-

-Second flr b rm-

-K BRT-

Sophia wasn't the first to get there, instead, a girl named Amanda Granger did. She was a little slip of a thing that she barely recalled, a friend of a friend that she wouldn't even remember the name of if it weren't for recent events. Still, she had to go.

Emma blocked her path, "Occupied, find another bathroom." The other girl opened her mouth as if she was really just about to argue with her. A raised eyebrow was enough to get her to shut up and take a step back.

Since Taylor's incident at the beginning of the semester, people have been more than a little antsy around her. It was irritating but it had its uses. Like when you wanted a bathroom to yourself.

"I'll just hold it."

"You do that."

As the girl turned to leave a bright blue screen popped up in front of Emma's face.

Intimidation (Active): LVL 1 EXP: 34%
Through body language, reputation and sly words you inspire fear. Use it to scare away lesser foes or to squeeze information from the weak.

• Increase fear and unease in a Target by 2%

'Tell me something I don't know power' Emma thought a bit snidely, feeling insulted that her skill only earned a 2%. She still didn't understand what all the numbers meant but she had clue. The higher they were the better they were and she deserved more than a 2.

The door opened a second time and Emma had to smile as a dark skinned girl entered the room. Her eyes automatically tracking to the words that were floating above her head.
<The Huntress>
Sophia Hess/Shadow Stalker (The Wards)
LVL 28

Her friend had the highest number out of anyone she had seen so far! Her dad only had a 12 next to his name and the highest after that had been the gym teacher at 18. But Sophia had blown them both clear out of the water. And there Emma was with a lousy 3 next to her name.

It must have been because Sophia was a hero. She'd get there soon.

"Okay Ems, I'm here. What's the big rush?" Emma's grin just got all the larger at the question but she didn't verbally answer. Instead, she grabbed the little swiss army knife from her pocket, freshly nicked from her family's junk drawer, and stabbed herself in the hand.

The level of your Physical Endurance has increased!

Sophia's reaction was almost hilarious.

"Emma! What the hell!" she screamed, grabbing at her hand in a sweet gesture to get the blade out of her. But she paused, leaning in to examine what she was seeing. "There's no blood. There should be blood."

Emma just kept smiling even as she pulled the blade out, showing her friend the blood free blade. "Not when you got powers."

Sophia's grip on her hand got even tighter, "Emma, what happened?"

"Nothing."

"Emma, what, happened." Sophia kept her gaze firmly on Emma's eyes. Was that worry there. "You don't just get powers over nothing. Something bad has to happen."

"Sophia," Emma snatched her hand away, "Nothing bad happened. I just woke up and, boom, powers."

"... That makes no sense. Did you have a nightmare or something?"

Emma could only shrug, feeling disappointed her big reveal wasn't getting the type of attention she wanted. "No clue. If I had one I don't remember it."

The other girl seemed to think this over, "Well, if Glory Girl can get powers from getting fouled I guess you can get one from a nightmare. So what can you do?"

Emma's smile returned. That was the type of attention she wanted! "Well, I haven't gotten it all figured out yet but…"

AN:
It's a bit rough but a decent enough start. This idea started when I randomly thought something about Gamer fics and games in general, thinking how much more fun a game was when you played against/with someone else. Not that these two would realize it at first.

Both are going to have very different playthroughs of what is essentially the same game and when they meet it's going to be interesting to see how they react.

Thoughts? Opinions? Suggestions?

 

[CeramicMug]

I gotta leave the house soon and haven't completely caught up, but I collected a few quotes and am gonna present an idea.

You can also use this as a punishment for trying to exploit the game. Say the player get 20 level 1 skills, and is now level 20, and also has to fight level 20 enemies. They can't do any appreciable damage or run away from the enemies because they don't have any sufficient skills. It's the same problem Skyrim has with thief skills. You might have lv 100 lockpicking, but that means nothing to the assassin trying to gut you.

Click to shrink...

So, thoughts about a possible Gamer system: rather than getting stat points from levels, the Gamer gets levels from stat grinding. (And yes, there are assignable stat points given as a result of consuming the souls of your enemies general XP.)

First off, it encourages using stat points immediately for the level-up, and the associated pool improvements.

Second, it makes sense to me regarding what I'm having level represent in-universe.
So here's a question for you: what happens when you teleport into something or someone? What determines who wins?
Well, one way to solve the problem is to assign a number to everything. Let's call it "Existence"and whatever or whoever has the higher existence wins that battle. Pretty much a marker of a conceptual importance - Doomlord the Ancient Dark Magician is clearly more important than Joe from Accounts Receivable.
So the Gamer gets more "important" as they get stronger.

Also, thoughts on the debate between static and leveling abilities. I'm not sure how... realistic leveling abilities would be for my particular Gamer, and the Gamer build already lets them cast the spell perfectly once they know it. On the other hand, one of the things this Gamer will be doing is merging together similar skills, and I do want that to be somehow reflected. I was thinking some sort of "perk" for the ability itself, but I'm trying to avoid "information out of nowhere" here and doing that would violate that a lot. And the additional flexibility caused by the merged abilities is also going to come from another source as well, so it wouldn't feel narratively unique, I think.

Thoughts?

Click to shrink...

That's one option. Another is to have the Gamer character able to invite people to party but not "stretch" the Gamer power to them. They can see the status of the party members (stamina instead of mana, HP loss as a sign of injury, status effects like "Broken Bone" or "Poisoned" or "Motion Sick") but they don't get access to the skill or experience system. Depends on how you want to balance the Gamer power.

Click to shrink...

I'd say that the important part is that people have their powers. If you have a Gamer mage and a Sharingan ninja, the Gamer mage develops his own mage fighting style utilizing the Gamer while the Sharingan ninja develops his own ninja style around the Sharingan or whatever. No mushing around individual distinguishing powers.

Click to shrink...

My second idea that sort of fit the gamer type systems would be more streamlined. This would play more fantasy since I'm better and more experienced as writing that. This is about changing destiny, to go from a mundane life to be something greater. So why not turn the entire progression system into destiny? The main character chooses which rabbit hole to go down. Sometimes he starts out important other times he doesn't. He gathers destiny which we could call destiny points or whatever you felt like it. It's almost like fighting for plot relevancy. Every successful battle, every tournament won, enemy vanquished provides more destiny. This can then be invested in either self improvement in a more streamlined stat system like body, mind and spirit or in some kind of item lottery. Item lottery provides the most game elements. You could win a save point for instance, or a revive, or a perk, or knowledge of a skill outside of the current inhabited universe. But it'll eat up some if your destiny. If you need a control point for growth then the character has to pay destiny to keep existing. Main character roles require more and so on. The character is thus forced to escalate and push themselves. Complacency is the end of their existence. The game elements are supplemental.

Click to shrink...

Remember that each level is 5 points.
Also, how much of a jump is each point? Is 2*average twice the lift, or *64?

The faster you want the Gamer to grow, the larger the effect of each point and the less an unpowered average swordsman should have. The faster you level, the higher an average should have, because well, you reach higher faster.
If you want Usopp to lift a small boat over his head in 5 levels, then an average civilian should have low strength.
If you want Usopp to maintain his mortality, then an average civilian should have 50 strength to dilute Level-up effects.

Click to shrink...

If stats do not have limits, what level do most people hit over time? Is an 18 year old typically level 10? If so, let's say that a starting character has 30 stat points. They will have leveled up 9 times, which means the average 18 year old should have 75 stats at minimum and a few extra points from "daily life." (Higher intellect from going to school, higher stamina from playing sports, and so on.) And if most people only hit level 30 because the levels take ever-increasing amounts of experience, then they should have 175 at minimum by the time they hit middle age.

Click to shrink...

I Think when you design the limits for your gamer you should consider also your maximum progression and by that I mean what do you consider the level and stats or your absolute highest tier character. I'm not sure who that would be in one piece but maybe one of the admirals or pirate Kings or whatever could represent the cap. If I remember right one of them has light speed powers so anything past that in terms of speed probably wouldn't make a ton of sense. You can then scale it as necessary.

You can also play around with stats and points per level up if you want more control and careful progression. That way your character really has to think about what to improve and it's harder to just find a place to dump stats into.

In my Harry Potter quest (not a gamer story but mechanics are gamerish) I capped stats at 10 and made it very expensive to get to that point. 4 might be average adult, 6 is trained professional, 8 is your elites and 10 are absolute monsters. Breaking past 10 required special items, feats or rituals of deep sacrifice. Your devil fruits, modifications and what not can fulfill a similar role.

Click to shrink...

How about we revolutionize the level? Your level will tell how dangerous you are, as in threat level, as opposed to the current thing where your overall level is the cumulative of all your skill levels?
This way the thief with lvl 100 lockpicking who specializes in stealing stuffs overall threat-level is LVL8 since this guy specializes in being really skilled at stealing stuff and has no talent at bashing peoples heads in! Kenpachi has no skills but is LVL78 since he specializes in bashing peoples heads in and is therefore more dangerous. This way our gamer can get as many skill levels as he wants in Doing the Dishes and Ironing the Laundry, but is not LVL50 due to the fact he has mastered being a housewife~

edit: Of course he will get something out of becoming a housewife, such as a maybe something that gives him a better chance with Akane but makes Kasumi resent him

the Housewife Perk
+20 romantic chance with tomboys
-20 romantic chance with Nadeshiko

Click to shrink...

 

[aattss]

I gotta leave the house soon and haven't completely caught up, but I collected a few quotes and am gonna present an idea.


How about we revolutionize the level? Your level will tell how dangerous you are, as in threat level, as opposed to the current thing where your overall level is the cumulative of all your skill levels?
This way the thief with lvl 100 lockpicking who specializes in stealing stuffs overall threat-level is LVL8 since this guy specializes in being really skilled at stealing stuff and has no talent at bashing peoples heads in! Kenpachi has no skills but is LVL78 since he specializes in bashing peoples heads in and is therefore more dangerous. This way our gamer can get as many skill levels as he wants in Doing the Dishes and Ironing the Laundry, but is not LVL50 due to the fact he has mastered being a housewife~

edit: Of course he will get something out of becoming a housewife, such as a maybe something that gives him a better chance with Akane but makes Kasumi resent him

Click to shrink...

So basically, get rid of a level and just have skill levels? And a composite level would be a threat level, measuring how difficult it would be to defeat them.

 

[CeramicMug]

So basically, get rid of a level and just have skill levels? And a composite level would be a threat level, measuring how difficult it would be to defeat them.

Click to shrink...

Not quite. You will still have a level and stat points per level, and there will still be perks, but your level-level will be your threat-level. As in, observe will tell you their threat-level, based on their skills (static), equipment (variable), and attitude(relationship). The Housewife Perk, for example, will give +5 Dex, and every 10 housework level will give +1 dexterity, but your level will be your current threat-level. Might be used as a form of stealth even, act friendly and have low level equipment and people will underestimate you.

edit: Just reread your comment.. think of it this way. Ichigo is LVL84 and Kenpachi is LVL78. Kenpachi is stronger and a lot more dangerous, but Ichigo has better technique/speed, so is a higher level even though he will only beat Kenpachi via handicap. Minus Handicap and with all his better equipment(zanpakto), Kenpachi is LVL90. So skills do count, just not a whole lot, and threat-level is fluid. Now I am gonna catch up on the thread.

 

[Krazyfan1]

The Housewife Perk, for example, will give +5 Dex, and every 10 housework level will give +1 dexterity, but your level will be your current threat-level. Might be used as a form of stealth even, act friendly and have low level equipment and people will underestimate you.

Click to shrink...

wasnt there that manga character whos superpower was doing house cleaning very quickly, that strapped a sword to a mop to fight super fast as well?

 

[CeramicMug]

wasnt there that manga character whos superpower was doing house cleaning very quickly, that strapped a sword to a mop to fight super fast as well?

Click to shrink...

Just because he has better dexterity, doesn't mean he has the strength or technique to sword-fight. After all, mopping and sweeping regularly won't hurt anyone but yourself if you do it with a sword.

edit: Of course, if you hold off hostile's with the nearby broom you could get a lowlevel destined to never get better(more effective) armed combat skill. It won't get better since even though it is a fight it is in the housework category and would probably be the kind of skill a medieval lady would use to get the rats out of the pantry. Would be 'super effective' against a Black Tailed Dungeon Mouse, but 'not very effective' on non-vermin. If it is too out of the intended purpose it might even have 'No Effect', like in Pokemon. No matter how high your level in broom-fu, you're never gonna effect the Dragon; you might not even effect the Horse.

 

[ltmauve]

Not quite. You will still have a level and stat points per level, and there will still be perks, but your level-level will be your threat-level.

Click to shrink...

So, do you have a separate progression-level and threat-level, or does unequipping your armor decrease your level?

 

[CeramicMug]

So, do you have a separate progression-level and threat-level, or does unequipping your armor decrease your level?

Click to shrink...

Seperate progression level based on your stats. Won't mean much since the guy with 300 points in intelligence and 5 in everything else will be the same level as the guy with 50 points in everything. Which is why the stat-level is only one of the variables in the threat-level. Plus the higher your overall stat progression level is the more experience it will take to up your skills.
edit - you might want to think before putting all your easy experience into dishwashing(+1 DEX per 10 levels). Might be a good pitfall for the Gamer to learn how to be more careful about his actions. Of course, this is all theoretical. Needs more groundwork.
edit:

+ [ (fraction) * stat level ] (static)
+ [ (fraction) * skill level ] (static)
+ equipment (variable)
+ attitude (relationship)
= threat-level

Click to shrink...

 

[ltmauve]

Might want to ditch the "attitude" part of threat. After all, I'm still just as powerful if I'm being polite to you as I am holding my sword to your throat, so my threat shouldn't change.

 

[CeramicMug]

Might want to ditch the "attitude" part of threat. After all, I'm still just as powerful if I'm being polite to you as I am holding my sword to your throat, so my threat shouldn't change.

Click to shrink...

Attitude is your relationship with a person and how likely they are to attack you for whatever action you take. Some one who is likely to hold a sword to your throat will have a much higher threat level than that highly pacifistic planet-crushing plainclothes hermit in the corner of the bar.

edit - Of course, if there is an old, friendly, no-stat-giving-equipment person pacifist with a LVL35 threat level, you are gonna know somethings up, even if the drunken armed angry mercenary who's wife you slept with that is in your face has a LVL40 threat level.

edit - Luck can be whether the friendly kingdomhood planet crusher is likely to interact positively or negatively with you. You won't ever die unless you purposely provoke such a response, but you could irritate them to the point they make your life difficult if you have Bad Karma. Good Karma might net you a quest, and Exceptionally Great Karma might net you an enchanted knicknack. Awful Karma might have them ruin your life/lovelife, if you run into them and don't properly appease them.

Karma's effect on encounters
Awful - Ruined life
Bad - Difficult life
Good - Quest/friendly
Great - Inherit Knicknack Powerfully enchanted item

Click to shrink...

Of course it is completely possible to avoid encounters or even be unable to trigger them.
Luck of the Dice to every encounters trigger. Could avoid or be unable to find a trigger.
Higher luck = More dice .
If you find a trigger but have no luck[dice], too bad. Of course if you have luck[dice] and find a trigger there is no going back, you have to roll once. Awful Karma suggestion, use the dice least likely to have you win/lose.

edit - I am done with the editing, it is safe to read

 

[azoicennead]

Attitude is your relationship with a person and how likely they are to attack you for whatever action you take. Some one who is likely to hold a sword to your throat will have a much higher threat level than that highly pacifistic planet-crushing plainclothes hermit in the corner of the bar.

edit - Of course, if there is an old, friendly, no-stat-giving-equipment person pacifist with a LVL35 threat level, you are gonna know somethings up, even if the drunken armed angry mercenary who's wife you slept with has a LVL40 threat level.

Click to shrink...

I'm going to agree that changing the level based on their attitude is too much. It muddles things up too much.

 

[ltmauve]

Attitude is your relationship with a person and how likely they are to attack you for whatever action you take. Some one who is likely to hold a sword to your throat will have a much higher threat level than that highly pacifistic planet-crushing plainclothes hermit in the corner of the bar.

Click to shrink...

"No, Daddy, he wasn't the one who kidnapped me!" The girl next to you shouts.
"Really?" The man says. Above his head, a "150" is replaced with a "10."

^That's what the attitude bit does.

 

[aattss]

Also, how level works would change depending on the genre, as in what the protagonist aims to use his powers for. For example, a master chief would be level 10 if this was a fighting fic but level 200 if this was a cooking fic in which the protagonist had to overcome the chief through cooking duels.

 

[rettshift]

Non-Taylor Gamer/Worm story.

Player V Player 1.1
Game Start
-0-0-0-0-
Theo

Breakfast, as usual, was a quiet affair. Even though his cousins had come over for a visit they remained silent on their phones, tapping away at who knows what. His father, as was his habit, sipped on his morning coffee as he reviewed the various papers in front of him. Theo himself was picking at his food with a great interest. He didn't want to look up from his plate because if he did the unwanted evidence would be staring him in the face.

The evidence that he had either gone crazy or had finally come into his superpowers. He really hoped it was the former. Because if had gotten powers then he knew what would happen.

He knew what would be expected of him.

His eyes flickered to his father at that thought. He looked back down at his eggs a second later. The words were still there, floating above his father's head in bright green letters declaring his names and title for the world to see. For him to see.

<The Emperor>
Max Anders/Kaiser (The E88)
LVL ??

Theo knew enough about, played enough, video games to know that LVL meant level and that the question marks meant that his father was too strong for him. That was something he didn't need any power to tell him. Though he felt an unwanted ping of jealousy as he remembered his cousins' own titles.
<The Emperor's Guard>
Nessa Biermann/Menja (The E88)
LVL 43

<The Emperor's Guard>
Jessica Biermann/Fenja (The E88)
LVL 43

It bothered him, more than he would ever care to admit, was that his own title had nothing to do with his family's. What type of a title was <The Gamer>? Was his power taking a dig at itself? At him?

What was a gamer to royalty?

"Theo, stop clinking your silverware on the plate. It's distracting" His father didn't even look up from his papers when he said this but his tone was clear.

Theo put his fork down.

"Good. Now, how has school been? Did you catch up with your friends after winter break?" He sounded like he was curious, he even sounded like he cared. He didn't. Even if he didn't know his father he knew it was a lie, he knew the signs. The man's posture all but screamed what he really thought and he didn't even bother hiding it.

A bright blue box suddenly appeared, both startling him and blocking his vision.

Congratulations! You have created your first skill!

Cold Read (Passive/Active): Lvl 1 EXP: 19%
The human body can tell a story just as well as the mouth and it can tell no lies in front of your eyes

• Ability to detect lies increase by 3% Passively, 6% Actively
• Ability to detect mental state increased by 3% Passively, 6% Actively
• Ability to ascertain and piece together information about a person increased by 3% Passively, 6% Actively

'What in the world' he had to wonder, blankly staring at the words in front of him. What was this thing before him and why was it worded so strangely?

"Theo." His father was paying attention to her now, undivided as his eyes locked on him. That was never a good thing.

"Things have been fine." He said stiffly, sounding as polite as he could manage. He flinched again as another the sound binged once more and another screen appeared.

Calm Surface: LVL 1 Exp: 22%
Like a river, your surface is calm and unbroken despite the rapids underneath. Hopefully, the trickle down effect will calm your insides as well.

• Ability to stay calm under pressure increased by 5%

He carried on as if the blue box never appeared, "Midterm grades should be back in by Friday." His father hummed but that was all Theo could tell, the blue boxes were still in his way, still blocking his sight. Though if he went a little cross-eyed he found he could see through them. See through them and see his father studying him.

His father hummed, clearly disappointed over something. "If I remember correctly post break is usually when clubs start looking for new members again. Did any of them catch your eye?"

A few, "No sir." But none enough that he'd want to deal with the pressure that came with it. Not only would his father expect him to start taking over the group but he'd have to interact with other kids. He really wished he was better at that.

"I can't say I'm not disappointed." Theo waited for the other foot to drop, "But I also can't let this go on any longer. You're wasting your time playing games all day when you could be spending it doing something productive."

There was a pause, he was supposed to speak here. "Like what sir?" It was almost like reading a script.

"Like, for example, working at Medhall part-time. There are a number of internship positions available. It would give you an opportunity to see how the family business works from the inside." Which family business? The largest medical company in the Northeast? Or the largest gang of white supremacists in the country?

Both were just as likely.

"I'll be sure to apply."

"See that you do. This company will be yours someday." He didn't miss the look his cousins shared. Yeah, he had his doubts about that too. "Now finish your food. The driver will be here for you soon."

-0-0-0-0-
Emma

-Hey u hr yet-

The text was sent with a nervous and impatient energy, her eyes tracking towards the bathroom door hoping her friend would arrive soon. That morning had been a rollercoaster of emotions for her. Going from confused to excited to disappointed to excited all over again in the span of a few minutes. She NEEDED to share the news with someone, someone who would understand and be just as excited as her.

That person just needed to hurry up and get there.

She had all but started pacing when her phone gave off a distinctive ring. Eagerly she pressed in her password and read the message.

-Bus jst got hr. Where r u?-

-Second flr b rm-

-K BRT-

Sophia wasn't the first to get there, instead, a girl named Amanda Granger did. She was a little slip of a thing that she barely recalled, a friend of a friend that she wouldn't even remember the name of if it weren't for recent events. Still, she had to go.

Emma blocked her path, "Occupied, find another bathroom." The other girl opened her mouth as if she was really just about to argue with her. A raised eyebrow was enough to get her to shut up and take a step back.

Since Taylor's incident at the beginning of the semester, people have been more than a little antsy around her. It was irritating but it had its uses. Like when you wanted a bathroom to yourself.

"I'll just hold it."

"You do that."

As the girl turned to leave a bright blue screen popped up in front of Emma's face.

Intimidation (Active): LVL 1 EXP: 34%
Through body language, reputation and sly words you inspire fear. Use it to scare away lesser foes or to squeeze information from the weak.

• Increase fear and unease in a Target by 2%

'Tell me something I don't know power' Emma thought a bit snidely, feeling insulted that her skill only earned a 2%. She still didn't understand what all the numbers meant but she had clue. The higher they were the better they were and she deserved more than a 2.

The door opened a second time and Emma had to smile as a dark skinned girl entered the room. Her eyes automatically tracking to the words that were floating above her head.
<The Huntress>
Sophia Hess/Shadow Stalker (The Wards)
LVL 28

Her friend had the highest number out of anyone she had seen so far! Her dad only had a 12 next to his name and the highest after that had been the gym teacher at 18. But Sophia had blown them both clear out of the water. And there Emma was with a lousy 3 next to her name.

It must have been because Sophia was a hero. She'd get there soon.

"Okay Ems, I'm here. What's the big rush?" Emma's grin just got all the larger at the question but she didn't verbally answer. Instead, she grabbed the little swiss army knife from her pocket, freshly nicked from her family's junk drawer, and stabbed herself in the hand.

The level of your Physical Endurance has increased!

Sophia's reaction was almost hilarious.

"Emma! What the hell!" she screamed, grabbing at her hand in a sweet gesture to get the blade out of her. But she paused, leaning in to examine what she was seeing. "There's no blood. There should be blood."

Emma just kept smiling even as she pulled the blade out, showing her friend the blood free blade. "Not when you got powers."

Sophia's grip on her hand got even tighter, "Emma, what happened?"

"Nothing."

"Emma, what, happened." Sophia kept her gaze firmly on Emma's eyes. Was that worry there. "You don't just get powers over nothing. Something bad has to happen."

"Sophia," Emma snatched her hand away, "Nothing bad happened. I just woke up and, boom, powers."

"... That makes no sense. Did you have a nightmare or something?"

Emma could only shrug, feeling disappointed her big reveal wasn't getting the type of attention she wanted. "No clue. If I had one I don't remember it."

The other girl seemed to think this over, "Well, if Glory Girl can get powers from getting fouled I guess you can get one from a nightmare. So what can you do?"

Emma's smile returned. That was the type of attention she wanted! "Well, I haven't gotten it all figured out yet but…"

AN:
It's a bit rough but a decent enough start. This idea started when I randomly thought something about Gamer fics and games in general, thinking how much more fun a game was when you played against/with someone else. Not that these two would realize it at first.

Both are going to have very different playthroughs of what is essentially the same game and when they meet it's going to be interesting to see how they react.

Thoughts? Opinions? Suggestions?

Click to shrink...

This is pretty interesting. I don't think I've ever seen a fic where 2 unrelated people get The Gamer ability, and I could see that leading to some really interesting interactions/conflicts later on. Also, Theo is a great pick for The Gamer, I very much approve. I'm less sure about Emma, but more in a "I wonder how this is going to go" sort of way.

The only criticism I really have is when it switched perspectives I spent too long trying to figure out why Theo and Emma were talking because I hadn't realized it had switched perspectives. Rereading, it should have been obvious because it says "Emma" first thing, but when reading I guess I parsed it as part of the text? Either way it could use just a bit of clarification.