Various Dropped FFs of mine

[1] The Void and the New Opportunity 

All I could do was stare blankly into the endless darkness that surrounds me on all sides.

"How did I end up here?" I asked the void softly hoping for a reply as the longer I spent here the harder it was to be alone with only my thoughts for company. 

"Please, anybody…say something!" I cried desperately as I clutched my head and started to cry, my memories playing over and over again in my mind causing me a pain beyond any pain I've ever endured before. 

'Please make it stop, please let me die!' Those words thought in desperation became a mantra of sorts for me. 

Until even they lost meaning…until my last memories…seemed to become unimportant and I could watch them like I used to watch a boring TV show just to push away boredom.

Finally there was a change…almost as if I'd reached some form of enlightenment, and said enlightenment was a trigger, which caused a screen to appear in my vision, almost like a Heads Up Display or HUD like when using a VR system. 

The oppressive feeling of void slowly melted away, thanks to green letters scrawling their way across the screen filling my vision. 

[Game Over: total life span: 28 years, 3 days; Karma Points Earned: 1000] the system displayed in a way similar to that episode in Rick and Morty. 

'Karma Points…is a thousand points good or bad?' I wondered to myself. 'Can I play again?' I asked in my mind as an afterthought. 

[Do you wish to play again?] [Yes/No] The system generated a question as if in answer to my question, which asked if I would like to play again, with a check box that said yes or no. 

'Wicked!' I expressed in excited disbelief at what was happening. 'If I was a normal person I'd probably be freaking out over what is happening, but I guess I got all my freak-out-ed-ness out of me during my time in the void.' I mentally added on while pressing my thumb against my bottom lip. 

[The Play Again Offer; is Expiring in 5…4…3…2] A popup appeared on the screen making my non-existent heart flutter as I was nothing but an energy body…that looked like an astral projecting of who I once was. 

'Wow, I don't even get any time to think this over, not that I really need time to do so as I want to get the fuck outta here.' I thought to myself while rubbing a circle against my lower lip unconsciously. 

 "Yes, I accept the offer!" I shouted not wanting to lose my chance at another life, being rewarded with seeing the Yes of the Yes/No selector being highlighted I exhaled a large breath in relief. 

[Confirmed.] The system replied to me like an automated telemarketer bot, while the screen changed to a selection screen, with two options.

[Chose a game type]

[Survival] or [Player]

Hovering my hand over the two options I was given a bit of flavor text. 

[Survival] 

[Survival Mode: Is similar to your typical survival setting in most games, meaning that you won't have access to the system interface after completing character creation and customization. (This gives the operator a more realistic immersion into the life simulation.) (Note this option means that there is no ranking or leveling up, or gamer oriented skills and will feel just like your previous life.)]

[Player]

[Player Mode: is the typical and somewhat reminiscent of classic RPG games with skills, equipment, ranking/leveling up and abilities. (This option tends to hamper the operator, by giving them a sense that nothing is real and it is only a video game; this selection is not recommended if Operator desires a more realistic immersion into the life simulation.)]

'Yeah…for the most part I dislike systems…I mean some people can write them really well…but any time I gave it a try it came out as something worse than hit garbage, but even so this is my life and I need a path to power and extra motivation not to give up, so I'll go with player mode..' I thought to myself hoping that these Karma points and character customization would allow me to get some sort of advantage in my upcoming new life. 

"I choose Player mode." I said aloud as it seemed that the system couldn't interact directly with my thoughts. 

[Selection Confirmed: Creating Player Mode profile.] 

[...Player Mode Profile Created; Do you wish to keep your memories of prior simulation?] (Yes/No)] 

'Sweet…' I thought happily to myself as I was one step closer to a new life…but found myself getting lost in thought over keeping my memories as the memories of agony that my memories caused me are still sharp in my mind and heart. 

'At the end of the day my memories are what make me…me, to give them up would be to kill myself, and I've long since left behind my suicidal tendencies.' I thought to myself while coming to the decision to keep my memories. 

"Yes, I wish to keep my memories." I replied to the system and was rewarded by the Yes, in the yes/no selector being highlighted. 

[Selection Confirmed; Uploading past simulation memories…process complete, Due to selecting Player Mode 500 Karma points have been deducted from your balance, transferring to the world selection page.] The system informed me upon making my selection. 

"Hauh, you could have given me a heads up system." I express, while feeling a bit flummoxed and betrayed, though the words please select a world scrawling across my vision immediately killed off those feelings. 

[Please select a world]

The amount of selectable options that appeared on the screen in front of me was a little overwhelming. 

'I guess I can count myself lucky that there are mini tab selections that will limit the worlds displayed.' I thought to myself as I started breaking things up by genres. 

Soon there was a clean and tidy list on display for me. 

-Anime worlds

-Movie worlds

-Cartoon worlds

-TV series worlds 

-Comic worlds

-Literature worlds

-Fanfiction worlds

Looking through dozens of worlds from each category, discovering what Karma points are used for as every world has a price tag. 

Worlds like Transformers and other ones that I really wanted to go to like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were at 1,000 Karma points each. 

'I don't really know what Karma points are…but spending them all…seems like a bad idea since it has to do with Karma…I better stay below a hundred Karma points for the world just to be on the safe side.' I think to myself while Clicking on a set of parameters for worlds that cost below 100 points, since I didn't think spending all of the points was a good idea, especially when I don't know if I'll need them later for something else, and clicking on the option to organize the costs from low to high. 

"Huh, the legend of Korra…I always liked the Avatar world...and it's only 10 Karma points…hmm, Buffy The Vampire Slayer is only 1 point…" I muttered to myself as I continued to look over the list but even Static Shock and the original ATLA were over 100 points. 

'Do I really want to cheap out…and go with something like Buffy-verse…instead of spending more points to go somewhere else?' I thought to myself while picking the world of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

'Haa…maybe next time I come here, I'll have more Karma points..' I internally sigh to myself as I spoke aloud confirming my selection with the system. 

[Selection Confirmed: transmigrating to the world of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.] 

[Character Customizer.] I was immediately brought to the character customization page, and saw an avatar of myself with multiple sliders for physical customization. 

Keeping my height at 6'2", along with my broad-shouldered…built like a brick shit house physique, while making myself slightly bulkier but still narrow enough for moving around in tight spaces to not become too much of a burden, while turning my eyes an emerald green color. 

Clicking on the character background tab, only to get denied. 

[Sorry, Character Background is currently unavailable; minimum of 1,000 Karma points necessary to unlock this feature. (Note, character background will be chosen randomly.)] 

"I hope I get a cool background…not something too edgy though." I whisper softly. 

[Loading Add-ons Page…]

I immediately went under equipment and scrolled through thousands of things before finding the Holy Grail, I'd always dreamed of.

"Holy Shit, a never empty perfectly chilled mug with the ability to choose any beverage…and it's only 10 Karma Points!" I shout out loudly imagining having a chilled mug that never ran out of Root Beer or Coke, as I immediately bought it, before scrolling down and finding an item called Chips of the gods, which similar to the never mug, will never empty of potato chips and the chips will be the flavor you crave for 15 Karma Points, which I also immediately bought leaving me with 470 Karma Points to play with. 

'Since I don't know my background I better…have some form of shelter to fall back on…' I think to myself as I find a 21' Airstream trailer and vehicle combo for 70 Karma points, with customization making the interior of the Airstream as modern as possible without going too far for the time period, and customizing the Square body Bronco to be a blacked out off-road beast. 

Seeing as I only have 400 Karma points left I decided I better stop spending. 

"Right, I better stop spending…Okay system send me to my new world." I mutter to myself before verbally commanding the system to send me on my way. 

[Command: accepted, Note: You will be randomly inserted into the plot of the TV series in season 1, alongside a protagonist. Your identity and background will be fully integrated as if you were born in that universe…transition to the Buffy-verse in 3…2…1, Link Starto]

[2] The System The First Day at School

[Welcome to your new world Player.] Green text scrawled out in front of me inside of a bordered text box.

"Status screen." I speak softly, and am rewarded by a new screen window opening up in front of me in the same green color schemeas before:

[Name: Shane 

-Occupation: The Gamer

-Rank: Unranked (current minimum stat value (-luck) before rank up 15; max stats value 20; upon rank up all stats except for luck will be dropped down to zero though your base abilities will not be lessened. Stats must be increased through hard work or stat raising items.)

-HP: 100%

-MP: 100%

-Body: 9

(Strength, Dexterity, Vitality, Durability. 1%HP/1min, average adult male 10.)

-Mind: 8

(Intelligence, Wisdom: problem solving, decision making along with mana regeneration are affected by Mind, current mana regeneration rate 1%MP/1min, average adult male magic user 10.)

Soul:12

(Magical Energy, every point means a tantamount increase in potency. Average set value for humans without supernatural ancestry 5.)

-Luck: 5

(Increase chances of finding rare loot, riches or drops. Can even affect chances of winning or losing at games of chance.)

-Cash: $30]

'Hmm…this is quite an unusual system.' I think to myself while looking over my stats. 

'I wonder if I have any skills?' I internally wonder.

At question a new screen opens with two skills listed on it. 

[Gamer's Spirit: (Recognizes that reality is reality, but you are exempt from the limitations of reality as you have a cheat.)]

[Gamer's Body: being a gamer provides the body to live reality as if it were a game. Sleeping restores HP and MP to full. Gamer's body possessor will not suffer from mundane health issues, but can be affected by poisons and elements, gamer's physical appearance will always remain in the peak of what gamer views as aesthetically pleasing.]

'Not bad I guess.' 

"Hmm, it says that I have mana…let's try and learn how to use it." I hum to myself as I wave my hand through the air, making the tabs close revealing a hud type display similar to VR glasses, at the top left my HP/MP percentage bars showed a 100% while at the top right of my vision there was a clock that showed 6:30 am 3/17/1997, while at the bottom right there was a wallet icon with $30.00 next to it. 

Closing my eyes, finding that my HUD fades from my vision with the slightest feeling of intent. 

'Neat, now let's get back to figuring out how to use my mana.' I think to myself, as I begin to calm my mind and focus on the slightly foreign feeling of energy located somewhere around the middle of my chest. 

A little email-like icon appeared in the bottom right corner of my vision and I clicked on it out of instinct. 

The message reads:

[A new skill has been created through the user performing a specific action.] Then another one appeared after it: [Skill Created: Mana Sense; (Rank F, Mana Sense allows you to sense mana within yourself and not much else.)]

After reading and closing out the messages tab, I realize using or rather sensing the mana within myself was pretty darn easy.

"Huh…that is pretty easy." I express while I continue to try and follow the many pathways I can feel that split off into various areas of my body. 

'I wish I could see these pathways inside myself and not just feel them.' I think to myself as I continued to concentrate on getting a better grasp on what I was feeling when suddenly my mind was pulled into this dark space that had an avatar energy construct with little nexuses of energy that kinda looked like stars. 

 The largest Nexus was in the center of…upon closer inspection of the Avatar I find that it looks like an astral projection form of myself, with the largest Nexus in the center of its chest, with channels veering out into my body one line going up to my throat where a Nexus was located and then continuing to my mouth, nose, eyes and head. 

Another channel, traveled downwards to my stomach, split off at my hips, one continuing down to my groin while the two splits continued down to my knees and then feet. 

Two other channels split off going to my shoulder, elbows, hands and then each individual digit. 

"Wow, this is kinda like the chakra vein system in Naruto." I express in amazement while also noticing that there is a little envelope symbol in my bottom right vision with a numerical 2 attached to it in red. 

'Let's try to move my mana around.' I think to myself as I start trying to push my mana out from its main Nexus and channel it throughout my body, which I do pretty easily as the mana flows freely now that it's in an active state flooding my body with the sense of energy that I previously only felt in my chest. 

Playing around with moving my mana throughout my body, I suddenly felt a strong feeling of exhaustion, which made me open my eyes. 

What I saw immediately snapping me out of my amused and mystified…training, as I saw that my MP bar was down to 1%, and that my HP bar was down to 73%. 

"Damn, gotta be careful when it comes to using mana…I feel exhausted." I mutter to myself as a large yawn slips from my lips. 

Mentally clicking on the messages icon. 

[Warning: Mana below 10% continued use of mana may have detrimental affects to health.]

'I'm lucky I stopped when I did…would I have died if it hit 0% mana?' I wonder to myself as I scroll down to look at the rest of my messages. 

[Mana Sense: Rank increase E. (You have a better understanding of how your Mana flows throughout your body.)]

[Skill Gained: Mana Avatar; (Mana Avatar allows you to view your mana circulatory system.)] 

[Skill Gained: Internal Mana Control; (Internal Mana Control: Rank C; You have a natural talent for controlling the flow of mana within your body. And this allows you to channel it throughout your body easily. Mana consumption 1%/3min.)] 

"Wait a second if it only drops down by 1% every three minutes…then why am I almost out of mana!?!" I whisper to myself in an exasperated manner, while looking down at the clock seeing that it was 7:01 am. 

"Aww, man…I gotta wait an hour and forty minutes to recharge my MP!" I express in a disappointed breath. 

A new message appeared in my inbox:

[A quest has been generated.

-Quest task: Don't be late for your first day at school!

-Time limit: 59 minutes 

Reward: 1x stat increasing item, possible closeness to a beautiful woman. 

-Penalty for failure: Potentially sad woman, Decrease in woman's positive feelings towards you. 

-Task Select: (Accept/Deny)]

I quickly accepte the task and stood up from the bed, took a step and a half over to the wardrobe. opened a few drawers on the dresser and realized something I hadn't before.

'Damn…only one outfit, at least I got a set of starting clothes and didn't arrive bucknaked.' I think to myself as I quickly dress myself in a pair of black silk boxers, black cotton socks, black Levi jeans, a black button up long sleeve shirt, which I immediately roll the sleeves up on and a pair of black leather steel toed boots. 

"I know I probably look like an edge lord but damn I'm happy my starting set of clothes are my style…though I wouldn't have minded flannel." I mutter to myself while admiring my teenage self in the mirror attached to the inside door of the wardrobe. 

'Going back to Highschool…in the 90's…this is gonna suck balls.' I think to myself while exiting my bedroom walking into the hallway of the mobile home passing by the bathroom and reaching the kitchenette and living room area. 

'Wonder if this place came with any grub?…I'm kinda feeling hungry.' I think to myself as I start opening cabinets, finding them empty except for my bag of godly potato chips, taking a step to the right turning on my heel to face the fridge, pulling the door open to find only a standard bar sized mug inside, which currently is empty but has a nice frosty haze covering its entirety. 

[3] The First Day at School

"Mmm-fff-uuu-ccc-kkk, so good!" I moan rather unbecomingly as I taste the normal looking Lays classic chip into my mouth and taste…well it was indescribable, well maybe not quite indescribable but it seems like the perfect flavor chip I could have only dreamed about was just created entirely for me. 

"Mmm-so good, Munch munch munch, glug glug glug, Haa…damn that's some amazing craft style sasbirilla." I express while I munch on my divine potato chips and drink from my bottomless mug. 

"Haa, a meal of Potato Chips and Root Beer…I love being a teenager again…haa…I can reasonably let myself get away with unhealthy eating habits" I sigh softly and look at the time to see that I only have half an hour to make it to the school on time. 

'Sucks, that I don't seem to have an inventory.' I think to myself as I look morosely at my bag of chips and mug as I reluctantly exit my trailer. 

Walking over to the blacked out 74 Ford Bronco with near black tinted windows, pulling open the truck door and lifting myself up into the red leather interior truck, reaching to the ignition finding the keys in it, one key for the ignition one for the door. 

Turning the key starting the capped truck loving the rumble of the supercharged 302 engine, pulling down the lever putting my truck in drive moving my foot from the break to the accelerator, mashing it to the floor making the rear tires cut into the ground and kick up a cloud of dirt before the truck started roaring down the secluded road of my campsite. 

***

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Pov Change

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 Mom pulls her little green Jeep up in front of the school, and just as I start to unhook my seatbelt to get out, a big black and loud truck pulls up behind us, and I couldn't resist the urge to roll my eyes as I knew mom was going to complain about it's presence. 

"How annoying, I don't understand people that make their trucks so loud." Mom complains to me as a guy pulls up behind us in front of Sunnydale High…my new school. 

'He's kinda hawt…though the black long sleeve button up is so eww.' I think to myself as I sneakily check out the guy through the rearview mirror inside mom's jeep. 

"Haa, anyways…you have a good time now, I know you'll make friends right away." Mom says to me, making me shrug my shoulders and look away from the hawt guy behind us. "Think positive, and…Honey, try not to get kicked out." Mom says to me enthusiastically before turning serious and looking into my eyes imploringly. 

"I promise." I reply to my mom, though I couldn't meet her eyes as I do so, which makes a feeling of guilt settle in my stomach. 

Standing still on the sidewalk as I watch Mom start to drive away and the hawt guy jump out of his truck and walk towards me with a friendly smile on his face, a smile that makes it hard to breathe. 

We starting walking together into the school together, neither one of us saying anything to the other, both of us were waiting for the other to speak first. 

~ — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — ~ 

Pov Change

~ — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — ~ 

"Huh, I managed to get here at the same time as Buffy." I express in a whisper as I put my truck in park in front of the school steps and turn off the ignition and hope out falling in step beside Buffy who had been sneakily checking me out while in her Mom's…Joyce's Jeep Cherokee. 

"So, you just move here too?" I ask Buffy who nodded nervously, "Yeah…kinda got kicked out of my old school." Buffy replies to me and I could feel her glancing at me nervously like she was afraid I'd think less of her. 

"Me too, there was a fire and some fighting…damn bastards kicked me out without even trying to listen to what actually happened…" I reply to Buffy before speaking softly enough that no normal person would be able to hear me, "it's not like they'd believe me about the Vampires anyways."

Buffy froze for half a second but recovered quickly keeping pace with me. I could feel the tentative glances Buffy keeps shooting at me while we walk together and I could tell she was trying to come to a decision on something. 

As we walk together to the building some kid starts hollering, "Coming through, Coming through." As he unsteadily rides a skateboard on the school's sidewalk. 

'Wow, Xander looks like he's trying not to shit himself.' I think to myself while trying not to laugh at his Schadenfreude, though I quickly become disappointed when he gets distracted by passing by Buffy and I, so intrigued by the new gorgeous blonde, that he cranes his neck to look at her, and nearly takes a hand railing to the face. 

 Xander just barely manages to catch himself from impacting with the railing, while the Skateboard comes to a stop in front of Willow, Willow is the perfect representation of the words shy, and bookish, though she's definitely a beautiful girl in my book. 

Turning back to paying attention to what I'm doing, I meet a woman at the front door who is the epitome of an average looking office worker, who greets Buffy and I kindly with a professional smile on her face. 

"Ahh, Miss.Summers, Mr.Clark please come with me I'll take you to principal Flutie's office." 

"Please go in and take a seat." the woman tells us both, I look at Buffy and tilt my head signaling her to enter the principal's office first. 

To which the blonde nods in reply to a little bit of a nervous tremble running through her body as she enters the principal's office. 

Buffy sits down in the left chair and I take the right one, both of us sitting before principal Flutie. 

I start accessing the middle aged man, who is only a tad officious, but mostly caught 

between a transition of the old school of strict discipline way of running things and the new way of sensitivity. 

Flute pulls out both mine and Buffy's transcripts from two separate manila folders. 

Proceeds to look at Buffy's, then looks at her, then looks at mine, looks at me and then smiles at us both.

"Buffy Summers. Sophomore, late of Hemery High in Los Angeles.

Interesting record…Quite a career. 

 Shane Clark. Sophomore, late of Roosevelt Junior Senior High in New York…also quite an interesting record…both criminal and academic." Mr.Flutie says to us as he continues to smile, while suddenly tearing up our transcripts into many pieces. 

Leaving both Buffy and I a little stunned.

"Welcome to Sunnydale. A clean slate, Buffy…Shane, that's what you get here. 

What's past is past, We're not interested in what it says on a piece of paper…Even if it says…" Mr.Flutie says to us as he continues to smile at us before he looks down at a couple of pieces of the transcripts, "At Sunnydale we nurture the whole student, 5he inner student." He continues to speak as he tries to put the pieces of the transcript together again, while rambling on.

"Other schools might look at the decline in grade point average, we

look at the struggling young woman and man with the incredible decline in grade point average. Other schools might look at the reports of gang fighting –"

"Mr.Flutie…" Buffy tries to say in a timid voice. 

"All the kids here are free to call me Bob-" Mr.Flutie cuts her off. 

"Bob-" Buffy tries to continue, obviously uncomfortable with calling someone with authority over them by their first name, but gets cut off again. 

"--but they don't." Mr.Flutie continues as 

he pulls out pieces of tape, starts taping the transcripts back together again. 

"Mr. Flutie. I know my transcripts are a little colorful –" Buffy starts to say but I cut in. 

"Yeah so are mine Sir, but I can promise you, Ms.Summers and I just want a chance to prove ourselves as exemplary students and help bring prestige…and money to Sunnydale High." I say to the principal making him pause in his constant ramblings and Buffy turns to me in surprise since this was the first time I've talked since we got here. 

"And you can speak for Buffy, Shane…you only met today." Mr.Flutie states in a curious way. 

"I'm usually a pretty judge of character sir, and I can tell Buffy is a good girl that just had rotten luck of being in the wro

ng place at the wrong times. Much like myself those in authoritave pos