Speedrunner 0.99

Author's Note: So, this bears some explanation. This is not a "normal" full chapter with a fleshed out sex scene, but as I started working on next month's Speedrunner chapter, I realized there's a fair amount of conversational exposition and information dumping to get things from where we left them at the end of the Tutorial to the main action of level one, as it were. There're also, as befits a LitRPG, more character advancement choices that I need you all to weigh in on!

So I'm pushing back releasing the last remastered Masseuse ending to next Thursday, and posting this as this week's Thursday's bonus post instead. That will allow your vote in this poll to help inform the August chapter.

I've also dropped in character sheets for Chloe, Becky, and Ted at the end of this post, just in case you're interested in seeing everything together in one place.

So, enjoy a few thousand words of Important Plot Advancement (TM) and sex-related game mechanics that will inform what's to cum come for Chloe and the gang!

---

I underwent the same battery of medical tests just like I had last time, but my mind was absolutely elsewhere.

I tried to treat the setback with Colton the same way I'd treat a failed speedrun attempt: learn from it. Do better next time.

As a result, I was making mental to-do lists. Conversations to have with Ted...and Becky, I supposed. Mechanics to look at once I was back in-game. Points to consider for next level.

One thing stood out to me in particular: I needed to make sure Ted and Becky knew about my last perk, Any% Completion. The fact that there were actually abilities that drained stats from other players, as Ted had suggested, meant I couldn't risk them having any misgivings about me.

I didn't want them to think I was like Colton. That motherfucker.

Medical tests over and done with, I was escorted back to the entrance to the Medical area, where Ethan was waiting as usual. He glanced down at his ever-present tablet and brightened, looking up at me. "Good news! You get to eat in the cafeteria tonight! Then it's bedtime. Level One -- the real stuff -- starts tomorrow, bright and early, now that the Tutorial is over."

Tonight.

Bedtime.

I abruptly realized that I had no fucking sense of what time it was. What day it was. How long the game sessions took.

Did time pass in the game as quickly as it passed out here?

How untethered I'd become from the passage of time was suddenly disorienting.

I was tired -- was that because I'd been up late? Had I missed a full night's sleep? Multiple nights? Had it just been an extremely full half-day? What time was it now?

I had absolutely no idea.

"Uh, what's the date?" I asked the question tightly.

"Oh, you've only been here for a day or so," he said, cheerfully. "Don't worry, the time confusion is typical. Our psych staff says you aren't supposed to dwell on it, it just makes it worse. Now c'mon, you'll like this."

Well, I hated that answer. But I filed it away for later.

"While we walk there: what do you want to eat?"

As Ethan rattled off food options and I made a choice, we followed the forking hallways towards the sign that said CAFETERIA, arriving at a set of double-doors that Ethan swiped his key-card into.

The space was large -- it could easily have accommodated several hundred people -- with food stations lining the walls, and a number of tables of varying sizes set up. Conversation buzzed throughout the room, which was quite full.

Full of people sitting around tables in rez suits just like the one I was wearing.

I wondered, yet again, how many people were actually participating in this competition.

Ethan consulted his tablet and led me on a winding pathto a specific table.

A table with two other people sitting at it.

Ted gave me a cheery wave. "Chloe!"

I blinked, and broke into a grin. "Hi guys. Nice to meet you in person, as it were."

Becky squealed, delightedly, at my arrival, which was endearing. I gave Ted a hug, and then Becky.

It was surreal. Ted and Becky looked just like they did inside the virtual reality...but, well, worse. There was no kinder way to put it. The effect was a little jarring -- like seeing someone without makeup on for the first time, or running into a friend when they were sick or hungover. The VR was giving us all a glow-up.

I wondered if the difference would get even more dramatic as our stats got higher.

Ted laughed at the thoughtful scrutiny on my face. "They used to say the camera adds 10 pounds, but I think in this case, it's the opposite, huh? C'mon, sit with us."

I pulled up a seat. Glanced around, taking in the scene. There were groups of players in rez suits around each table, and a number of people -- each of whom held a tablet -- standing near them.

"You guys have minders too, huh?" I glanced back at Ethan, who gave me a thumbs up, but was otherwise focused on his tablet, and didn't make eye contact.

Ted nodded. "They're not supposed to engage with our conversations, though; I think it's viewed as them meddling in the game."

Becky glanced back at the young man standing behind her. "Mine likes me," she whispered with a giggle. The young man behind her stiffened — his posture stiffened, to be clear — but otherwise continued to focus his tablet.

I was tempted to experiment. Were there any topics they wouldn't let us talk about? What would it take to make them react?

But I wanted to make sure we used our time for some strategy and planning; I didn't know how common this outside-the-game time would be.

And first thing was first. "Hey, look. I know I haven't told you about one of my abilities. It's called Any% Completion; the name is a speedrunning reference. I'll link it for you when we're back inside VR so you can confirm, but it just gives me an extra point when someone finishes faster than they expect in an encounter. And two extra points if they finish faster than anybody expects."

Comprehension dawned on Ted's face, followed quickly by embarrassment. "Ah. That does explain a few things."

"Yeah." I gave him an apologetic look. "I wanted to tell you, but didn't want to cut into my point gain. But then Colton had an ability that actually did drain a point of Connection from me. So it feels more important that you all know you can trust me."

"Thanks, Chloe. I appreciate that." And then Ted considered the news I'd shared more fully, blinking. "It sounds like we need to be careful about future encounters."

I nodded my agreement. Becky blithely nodded along, too.

Something else occurred to me. "Either of you guys get new abilities yet?"

They both nodded. "But we figured we'd wait until the three of us could discuss," Ted said.

"Uh..." Becky said. "I went ahead and picked both of mine before we deloaded out. I had clear favorites anyway."

Ted and I glanced at each other. He'd been way more in favor of her joining the group than I had. I was sure she'd probably made bad choices, or if she'd made good choices, it was only through sheer luck.

I bit back the I told you so for Ted that I could feel bubbling up inside of me. "Oh. So what'd you get, then, Becky?" I asked the question with as much enthusiasm as I could muster given how dubious I thought her judgment was.

"Two things! My Satisfaction let me pick a stat to buff, so I gave myself +1 Appearance. And then I got an ability called Topping from the Bottom. Sexy-sounding, right? It improves my Dominance score for one encounter each level!" She sounded proud.

Oh. "Huh. Why'd you go with Appearance? What else could you pick?"

She shrugged. "I don't really remember the exact names and details. It was worse, though. I think there was something that would've given me +1 Performance, but it had a name I didn't like." She wrinkled her nose in distaste. "So I didn’t take that either. And whatever the other option was besides Topping from the Bottom was called, um, Adult Actress or something, and the explanation was kinda complicated...so I didn't want to take that either."

Becky sounded a little defensive, and her face was bright red. I wondered what the other options had been.

I considered her choices, getting more annoyed by the second. Ted had a pretty good Appearance score, and I felt like with The Voice, I was going to keep buffing my Verbal; it would have been way more useful if Becky had worked on her Performance stat. And it would have been really useful to hear what the alternative to Topping from the Bottom was. It might've been good, and even if it wasn't, it would give us a sense of what other types of abilities and mechanics were out there.

Instead, she'd picked based on the ability name? I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Fuck, Becky. Okay, but why didn't you-"

Ted intervened hastily, clearly in an effort to keep the peace. "Next time, let's just discuss picks as a group, alright? We've gotta pick stuff that can work together if we're going to be a team."

Becky nodded. "Sure."

I couldn't let it go. "And look, Becky, if you have to make a choice without us, can you consider trying to pick stuff for your Satisfaction and Performance stats?"

She lifted her chin resentfully. "I'll think about it; if the names are gross though, I'm not doing it."

I bit back another retort. "Okay. Fine. But don't let the system push you around with the descriptions, okay? The numbers and stats are what matter."

She gave me a noncommittal shrug.

I sighed. "Alright, well, you should link them for us once we're inside, so we know exactly what you can do with Topping from the Bottom." I looked towards Ted. "What're your choices?"

"Choice," he clarified. "Just one. My Overall Score is 18 now but my other stars haven’t hit five yet. I can pick between two things: First, an ability called Big Spender. It lets me spend up to five Minor Favor at the start of any encounter, and gives me +1 Appearance for each Minor Favor I spend."

He paused, letting me consider that for a moment before continuing. "The second ability is called Supportive Partner. It lets me add my Connection to someone's Satisfaction or Dominance score for one encounter each level."

As he finished laying out his abilities, our food arrived. Several people -- dressed as wait staff -- brought plates around the table. I'd ordered a NY strip steak, mostly as an idle curiosity -- what kind of steak would I get, in this place? And, to be honest: it was excellent. I wondered at the logistics of this operation, the money, the resources.

While the three of us ate, Ted and I debated the merits of his choices, Becky periodically adding an unhelpful comment here and there.

Big Spender seemed awesome -- but it kind of worked at odds with Bull Market, in my opinion, one of them incentivizing him to hoard currency, the other incentivizing him to spend it. There was no denying that a massive bonus to his Appearance on demand might be powerful, though — as long as he had money to burn.

Supportive Partner was interesting, too, we agreed, but mostly for what it implied. Why would he want to buff my Dominance or Satisfaction? In niche cases it might make sense, but this seemed to suggest there was a reason. Certainly Ted's Connection was just going to keep going up and up from his Breadwinner perk, so that ability would just keep scaling...

[JF NOTE: It won't be relevant in the rest of this chapter, so I'll let you all vote on which Ted picks; there's a poll at the end of this with everyone's up-to-date character sheet and his choices in "in-game" format for those interested, and then I'll come back and edit in whatever you all pick.]

Eventually, our conversation around that petered out, and Ted made a choice.

"So what do you guys think the next level is going to be like?" Becky asked the question with idle curiosity.

I shrugged. "No clue, but when we get into the next level, we need to take a look at the tags. I can't remember everything the Tutorial levels were tagged with, but it was stuff like Safe, Modern, Bar...a few other things, I think? It'll be our first hint at what's going on."

Ted nodded his agreement. "Yeah, we should also look at the objectives, and the number of encount-"

"Wait." I cut him off, realizing something. "It was tagged with Safe, right?" I tried to remember for sure. I thought I recalled it -- [SAFE], in big blue letters.

Ted nodded, slowly, curiosity in his eyes.

"I'm, um, about to try something," I said, slowly, mulling it over. "It might be dumb."

Ted looked wary. "What do you mean?"

"I don't want to talk about it before I do it," I said, inclining my head towards Ethan.

"Okay," Ted said slowly. "Now you're kind of scaring me."

"Uh, yeah," Becky echoed. "You're not going to stab somebody with a steak knife, are you?"

I shook my head. "No...but, um, it might kick off a bit of a...well, I don't know how they'll respond. Anything else important we need to talk about?"

The two of them thought for a moment, and then shook their heads.

I nodded, my resolve firming up. I took a final few bites of food.

And then I turned to Ethan. "I'd like to file a complaint or grievance or...whatever. I don't think Prometheus adhered to the rules it set for the Tutorial level."

---

As I expected, that kicked off what was clearly a minor shitstorm.

First, Ethan had tried to tell me that there was no mechanism for filing complaints. But then something must have popped up on his little tablet. His face had gone ashen, and he'd ushered me away from the table and back to my room.

"This is a really fucking bad idea," he muttered to me. "You're not supposed to be doing this."

I tried not to let the nerves I was feeling as he walked purposefully down the corridor get to me. "Look, I’m sure you guys have some kind of system for if players think something was wrong," I said, reasonably.

"Yeah, but you haven’t even started the competition yet, really." We arrived back at my room. He yanked the door open, gesturing for me to get inside. Then he walked inside after me.

"Sit there." He gestured at the edge of the bed.

I did. Then he held out the tablet facing towards me.

I had about a quarter-second view of a complicated calendar or schedule or something -- colors blocked out, my name on a few of them -- before it disappeared.

To be replaced by Alex the AI's handsome face and shoulders, as if he were joining us on a video call. He looked utterly unperturbed. "Hi, Chloe. What’s your complaint? Is this about the stat drain from your encounter with Colton?"

I blinked. I hadn’t expected him, or them to identify what I wanted to talk about. "Why am I talking to you? You don't run things."

"Yeah, but Prometheus doesn't produce conversational output. Ethan's already told you that. I'm a good interlocutor."

I moved on. "Okay. Yeah, it's about the stat drain. That level was tagged [SAFE]. Safe, to me, implies I shouldn't be able to lose a point of Connection from having sex. There's a safe sex joke I could make here, but you're an AI, so I'll skip it."

He shrugged. "You just misinterpreted the tag, that's all. Safe only means it keeps you from being physically injured or killed."

Jesus. That put me on the back foot. I could die in levels without [SAFE] tags?

There was a long pause, before he added, smoothly, "...in VR, I mean, of course."

He couldn't have made it more sinister sounding if there'd been a dramatic peal of thunder and he'd started laughed maniacally.

I was frozen for another moment before he broke into a boyish grin. "Ah, I'm just teasing. God, you should see the look on your face. Seriously, Chloe, of course I mean in the game. You think we want that kind of liability?"

Ethan made a weird, kind of strangled sound, like he couldn't believe this interaction was even happening.

Alex continued. "Look, I get it, you made a mistake, and you don't like to make mistakes. And, okay, sure, the tag's a little misleading. I see your argument. But you lost one point of Connection. You flew a little close to the sun in terms of elimination, but you're a smart girl, you'll recover."

"So then give me back the point of Connection," I said, recovering my equilibrium. "If it wasn't a big deal to lose, easy fix to give it back. You just said yourself that the tag's misleading."

He shook his head. "I'm not authorized to do that."

"What are you authorized to do, then?"

"I'm authorized not to penalize you for using a formal complaint as a way -- a transparently obvious way -- to gather more information about the game's system and operating context." Alex's gaze was canny. "This time. Look, you're smart, Chloe, but we're smart on this end, too. We know what you're up to. You've already gotten plenty of interesting little tidbits from our interaction, haven't you? Consider that a fair trade for your point of Connection."

I nodded, slowly. "Okay."

"Good." Alex smiled, tightly. "And look, next time you have a complaint, make sure it's a real complaint, not just some exploratory factfinding mission."

The screen went black.

Ethan took in a shaky breath. "I can't believe you're the player I'm stuck with. You're fucking crazy," he muttered.

"I'm not crazy, I just like to win," I said, in rejoinder. But I had to admit, I half-agreed with him...though I wasn't about to say that. I gave him my best smile. "And I'm pretty too, right? So I can get away with a little crazy?"

He just laughed, worriedly shaking his head.

---

Ethan left me there for the night after letting me order breakfast. He said it'd be delivered to the room whenever I woke up, and I'd be rezzing into the game shortly after that.

It took less time than I thought to fall asleep. The room was dark and quiet, there wasn't really anything else to do...and I didn't know how long I'd been awake, but I was tired.

I slept naked, and then woke up the morning feeling refreshed. I had just finished showering when I heard the door open and close.

I glanced out into the room to discover that someone had left a tray with my breakfast order and a fresh rez suit, neatly folded next to it.

I toweled off, put the rez suit on, and dug into breakfast. While I was eating, I looked up, startled, to realize that the TV in the room had switched itself on.

There was a countdown being displayed.

PLEASE PREPARE TO REZ IN.

LEVEL ONE GOES LIVE IN 15:00.

FAILURE TO BE READY WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION.

My stomach flip-flopped, a combination of anxiety, excitement, and nerves hitting me all at once. The Tutorial had been one thing. This was the real deal. I'd done some live speedrunning events before, but this felt different, for any number of reasons.

But I'd always liked the thrill of competing, and this was certainly giving me that.

I finished the breakfast, set it by the door, and put the helmet on, laying on the bed.

As the timer ticked down past a minute, the room darkened.

INITIALIZATION COMPLETE.

LOADING CHLOE.

And as it started to get brighter, I was someplace else.

---

That someplace else was back in the dive bar. This time, it was past closing time. Chairs were up on tables, stools up on the bar, and the lighting was dark, as if the bar was closed, just a few recessed lights providing limited illumination.

I rapidly reoriented myself, a little dizzy -- it was the first time I'd rezzed into a lit room, in a different position from the one I'd left in reality, and I began to see why they handled the transitions the way they did. It was uncomfortable to go -- without moving at all -- from lying down in a completely dark room to standing up in a poorly lit bar, even though it happened gradually. My brain fought against the inputs it was getting. I winced at the vertigo, pulled a stool down, and sat on it, somewhat unsteadily.

"Hi, Chloe." It was Alex the AI again, back in his bartender guise, standing behind the bar busily cleaning a glass. He smiled politely. "You're about to head in to Level One, I just need to go over a few things first."

"Are you doing this with everyone or am I getting special treatment?" I batted my eyelashes at him.

He snorted. "Everybody gets the same information."

"Aw, c'mon," I pouted.

"Chloe. Our time is limited, so every second you spend doing...whatever it is you're doing...is one less second you have to ask what might be important clarifying questions," he said, amused.

That was sobering. "Ah. Go ahead."

"Great," he said, bland smile on his face. "First: Level One and subsequent levels are broadcast live to some viewers. Up to this point you've been being recorded, but from this point forward, your perspective and actions are being relayed more or less in real-time."

I nodded, having expected that. "So my What Do You Think, Chat? power will be enabled for this level."

He nodded as well. "That's right. Some people respond differently when they know they're behind a camera, so we think it best to avoid any confusion on that point."

I shrugged. I spent most of my day with a camera pointed at my face already. "Thanks for the heads up."

"Like the tutorial bar, each level is a self-contained scenario with its own objectives. I can't tell you about level one in advance except to note that the bar's objectives were obviously quite straightforward and designed to be unveiled to you slowly, in ways that were easy to understand and then complete. Things will be more complicated and difficult from here on out, by design."

I'd expected something like that. "Okay, what else?"

"Once our conversation is over, you'll get to pick an Origin. Think of it as a set of starting conditions, the role you're playing in this particular scenario. It will grant some additional stats and determine how certain aspects of the scenario work for you, so choose carefully; once you pick, you're stuck with it until the end of the level."

"Like a class, or whatever. Gotcha. Anything else I should know?"

He shook his head. "Questions?"

An obvious one occurred immediately. "Am I still in a party with Ted and Becky?"

He nodded. "You are. In this Level, you can have a party of up to four players, so if you'd like to add someone else you meet, you can." He paused. "Thirty seconds and then you get the Origins overview, Chloe. Once you've got them, you get three minutes to pick before you load in to Level One."

I wracked my brain for anything else to ask. "Uh, how many players are there starting level one?"

He paused for just a split second. "Sorry, can't tell you. You'll apparently find out starting totals and completion totals at the end of each level from now on, though. You guys are going to get some kind of level recap."

He'd said apparently. Like he was just learning that himself. He was being fed information, just like I was. Huh.

And then Alex slowly started to fade out. The effect was startling and incredibly surreal -- the first completely unrealistic effect I'd seen in this otherwise hyper-realistic virtual reality. It was oddly reminiscent of the Cheshire Cat, from the Alice and Wonderland -- the rest of him disappeared first, leaving only eyes, then a smile, then nothing. "Good luck."

As a result, it was just me, alone, in a slowly darkening bar, when the system font started rapidly scrolling text in front of me.

LEVEL ONE: THE LAST DANCE

SETTING: [FANTASY][MAGIC][MEDIEVAL][MASQUERADE][MONSTER ATTACK]

ADDITIONAL RULES AND RESTRICTIONS:
There is no encounter limitation in this Level. However, encounters that lack novelty will not adjust your statistics or offer other rewards.
Level One begins at dawn and lasts for twenty-four hours of time. It closes regardless of the state of the Objectives at the following dawn.

No [SAFE] tag, which I'd expected. Some kind of fantasy setting this time. The mention of Objectives was interesting. I wondered if we were supposed to pick our Origin blindly, or if it would show me the Obj-

The Objectives screen flashed up next.

OBJECTIVES - LEVEL ONE

Be inside the castle at sundown -- 0/1
Survive until daybreak -- 0/1
Overall Score >=200 -- 0/1

OPTIONAL

Win a duel -- 0/1
Bed royalty -- 0/1
Bed a monster -- 0/1
Steal something of significant value from the castle -- 0/1
Be crowned lord or lady of the ball -- 0/1
Unmask the King's secret -- 0/1

Yeesh. An Overall Score of 200 was quite a leap upwards. The requirement had only been ten for the last level. I did some rough estimates. 10/5/5 in my stats -- figuring my Dominance would keep going up faster than my Satisfaction and Connection -- would get me to 250. So it wasn't that much stat gain, I supposed, but it certainly felt like quite a jump.

I wondered what Optional objectives were. It sounded self explanatory. Maybe my Chlose Inspection perk would add more detail. I focused on it.

The system helpfully flashed up a new message for me.

OPTIONAL OBJECTIVES are not required to complete in order to advance to the next level, but they offer unspecified additional rewards if completed.

I tried to rapidly process the most important information. A fantasy setting. Some kind of ball to attend. Things sounded dangerous; no safe tag, and there would be monsters of some kind? I needed to survive them until dawn. But I could also have sex with them for bonus points?

I didn't have much time to consider; the system was rapidly adding more text to my field of vision.

ORIGIN SELECTION OPTIONS
These Origin bonuses and benefits persist only for Level One. They do not contribute towards your Overall Score or Sexual Prowess. They also do not contribute towards achieving new talents and perks from your statistics.

Offered Origin options are based on your current Statistics and Experience.

Each Origin option begins with appropriate Gear.

A Dashing Vagabond
Riffraff? Street rat? I don't buy that. You've just had a difficult life, that's all. A quick wit and a cheeky smile have gotten you everything you have. You never get invited to the nicer parties, but you've got a knack for getting inside anyway, and there are invariably plenty of easy marks.

Vagabonds receive a +1 to Verbal and Performance; a facility with light melee weapons; the disdain of the nobility; and a knack for talking their way inside places -- and people -- they probably shouldn't be in.

A King's Knight
You're stronger and better looking than everyone else, which makes you better than everyone else. It's just genetics. Nothing problematic in your worldview, is there? Anyway, you aren't guaranteed an invitation to the King's ball the way nobility are, but hey: you've fucked or fought your way through most of life's problems, and you imagine that this'll be no different.

Knights receive a +1 to Appearance and Performance; a facility with any weapon of their choosing; a suit of fine armor they can wear anywhere; and the kind of lusty swagger that opens doors -- to parlor rooms and bedrooms alike.

A Clever Elf
Your pointy ears indelibly mark you as a member of the lowest servant caste. You're not supposed to cover them; that way, every human knows exactly how badly they can treat you on sight. On the plus side, though, elves can do magic. Incinerate your foes, beguile your lovers -- maybe it's worth all of the shitty persecution based on your ancestry?

Elves receive a +2 to Verbal; the ability to read magical spellbooks; the camaraderie with one another that comes from being the target of everyone else's hatred; and the hatred from everyone else that comes from being able to do magic that they don't understand.

A new 3:00 timer was now flashing in the corner of my vision, counting down.

It sounded like these were options specific to me, based on my various character attributes. I wondered what kind of options Ted and Becky would be picking from, cursing that I didn't get to pick my Origin alongside them so we could make some complementary selections.

I tried to decide if there was something obvious that might fit better with what they'd pick, but I really had no idea what either of them would get offered. Ted had the highest Connection of all of us, but what would that mean? Maybe he would get offered some kind of merchant or trader option because he had so much money? I wasn't sure, and wasn't sure what that meant I should pick, in any case.

I had no idea what Becky would get. She must have high Satisfaction now, and Appearance...but I had no clue what that would unlock for her. I imagined she'd jump at the chance to be an elf. She had that kind of energy about her. What had the system called her? A former theater kid? Hell, maybe she'd get the chance to be nobility. If she could be a princess, she'd probably pick that, I figured.

I wasn't sure where that left me. Elf seemed like the most straightforwardly good choice: +2 to Verbal was really good, and it sort of implied that spellcasting might work off my Verbal stat -- which would make me a natural at it. But maybe the social persecution would be a big drawback in this scenario.

Vagabond was tempting too. It sounded like I'd be a smooth-talking thief. Given the scenario and the bonus objectives, that might be good.

Knight had the least obvious synergies with my statistics spread, but it did sound well-aligned with my high Dominance score, which I guessed was probably why I'd been offered it. It also sounded like being a Knight was the best I could do in terms of where I'd be in the social pecking order. And hey, maybe shoring up my other stats wasn't such a bad idea; everything was still low enough that a +1 made a notable difference.

I mulled all of that over as the timer ticked down. The barroom slowly got darker and darker, and by the time the timer was showing 00:15, I couldn't see anything around me at all, just the glowing words dancing in front of my vision.

It was time to choose.

---

Two choices to vote on. First, Chloe is picking between the Origin options listed immediately above: Vagabond, Knight, or Elf.

Second, Ted is picking between two Overall Score talents, referred to earlier in this chapter and re-listed below.

Vote for whatever you find interesting!

Becky is not a min-maxxing powergamer, and has already made her choices without consulting anyone, including you all. Sorry.

Big Spender [D] (This is Ted's talent option.)
At the start of any encounter, spend up to five Minor Favor. Gain +1 Appearance for each Minor Favor your spend.

Or:

Supportive Partner [D] (This is Ted's talent option.)
Once per level, add your Connection to a single party-member's Satisfaction or Dominance score (you choose) until the end of the encounter.
(Currently, this talent adds +3 to a party member's Satisfaction or Dominance.)

All three updated character sheets are reproduced below for reference -- you don't necessarily need to read them to vote, but I'm maintaining them for myself, and so I figured I'd just share them with you all, too, in case they influence what you'd pick or you'd just like a peek behind the curtain!

It includes the abilities Becky said she'd picked in more detail, and Ted and Becky's updated stats from their encounter while Chloe was with Colton, but otherwise there's nothing you haven't seen in there.

---

CHARACTER SHEETS
As of the start of Speedrunner 0.99

NAME: CHLOE

ARCHETYPE: STREAMING SPEEDRUNNER
Some people are born with incredible gifts. Mathematical brilliance; the ability to understand numbers and equations as easily as the written word. Athleticism that stretches our understanding of what the human body can achieve. Charisma and eloquence that lets them sway the emotions of thousands, close deals worth millions.

You, on the other hand, were born with a superhuman talent for beating videogames as quickly as possible. Fueled by energy drinks and parasocial relationships with strangers, you’ve honed it to exceptional heights. It’s always been about the destination, not the journey, for you, and this competition is presumably no exception.

STATISTICS
Appearance: 1
Verbal: 3
Performance: 2
Sexual Prowess: 6

EXPERIENCE
Dominance: 5
Satisfaction: 4
Connection: 1
Overall Score: 20

TALENTS AND PERKS

Good With Your Hands [F]
All those video games have really made you dexterous, huh? Think about what you could use that for...
Add +1 to your Performance.

The Voice [D]
Once per encounter, you may add half of your Dominance, rounded down, to your Verbal score for three seconds.
(Currently, this talent will temporarily give you +2 Verbal when activated.)

Chloe's Inspection [C][BASE]
Your interface reveals additional information about game mechanics. Descriptions of other characters, your environment, and similar systems will also be more robust. Gamers like you just have an eye for this sort of thing, y’know?

Any% Completion [C][BASE]
Always on the lookout to set a new record, aren't you? Encounters in which someone is finished faster than they expect will award you one additional point of Dominance or Satisfaction. Encounters that end faster than anyone expects instead award two additional points of Dominance or Satisfaction.

What Do You Think, Chat? [C][BASE]
Once per competition level, you may ask chat a question. Asking the question starts a five minute timer. When the timer reaches zero, you’ll receive an aggregated summary of responses and reactions to your question from viewers in the chatroom of your live stream. Chat may be wrong, uninformed, hostile, sexist, rude, and/or unhelpful. But you knew that already – it’s chat, after all.

CURRENCIES

Minor Favors: 0

GEAR

Sampler: Statement Lipstick [GEAR][CONSUMABLE: 1]
A lipstick that helps you make statements. Get it?
+1 Verbal until the end of your next encounter.

NAME: TED

ARCHETYPE: TED FROM ACCOUNTING
This is Ted. You know, from Accounting. It's kind of his entire personality. Which is kind of sad. But he's good with money and numbers. Can he win a competition that's mostly about being good with people? I doubt it, but you never know, do you?

STATISTICS
Appearance: 2 (+2)
Verbal: 1
Performance: 1
Sexual Prowess: 2

EXPERIENCE
Dominance: 2
Satisfaction: 3
Connection: 3
Overall Score: 18

TALENTS AND PERKS

Bull Market [C][BASE] (This is Ted's starting perk.)
At the end of each level, double your currency totals. Easy to make a killing in a bull market, isn't it?

Looks Money Status [C][BASE] (This is Ted's starting perk.)
Some people believe that wealth, for men, is what beauty is for women. Reality is probably a little more complicated than that, huh? But let's run with it. Add your total Major Favors currency to your Appearance stat.
(Currently, this perk gives you +2 Appearance.)

Breadwinner [C][BASE] (This is Ted's starting perk.)
Everyone wants a man who's a good provider. Encounters with allies who have less total currency than you will reward participants with one additional point of Connection.

CURRENCIES

Minor Favors: 22
Major Favors: 2

NAME: BECKY

ARCHETYPE: ASPIRING ACTRESS
Most rational humans find former theater kids who're trying to make it in LA annoying. Their constant need to be in the spotlight; their deepseated need for validation, to have an audience. But, hey: this is, after all, an entertainment production. Maybe someone who's trying to make it big in entertainment could be useful to have around?

STATISTICS
Appearance: 3
Verbal: 1
Performance: 2
Sexual Prowess: 6

EXPERIENCE
Dominance: 1
Satisfaction: 6
Connection: 2
Overall Score: 12

TALENTS AND PERKS

Topping From The Bottom [D] (This is Becky's talent.)
Sometimes it's fun to switch things up and be in charge, even if you're used to being told what to do.
Once per level, raise your Dominance score to equal your Satisfaction until the end of an encounter.
(Currently, this perk will temporarily raise your Dominance to 6.)

Becky With The Good Hair [F] (This is Becky's perk.)
I mean, look. You've got good hair.
Add +1 to your Appearance.

Amateur Costuming [C][Base] (This is Becky's starting perk.)
You've got the kind of eye for costuming that is shared by cosplayers, community theater enthusiasts, and historical reenactment nerds all the world over. If another player in your party lets you make minor adjustments to their attire, the statistics and other benefits offered by the attire are increased by 50% until the end of the level.

Crowdpleaser [C][Base] (This is Becky's starting perk.)
You love an audience, and the audience loves you. Any time you complete an encounter in which someone else watches you but doesn't physically interact with you, you receive an additional point of Satisfaction, and so do they.

The Love Interest [C][Base] (This is Becky's starting perk.)
You certainly know how to play opposite a leading man…or woman. In any encounter in which you gain a point of Satisfaction, the other participants gain an additional point of Dominance or Connection.

CURRENCIES

Minor Favors: 0

GEAR

SAMPLER: PERSONAL LUBRICANT [GEAR][CONSUMABLE: 1]
Literally grease the wheels (or other parts) of a sexual encounter!
+1 Performance during an encounter when it's used.