Way back in February, around the middle of Volume 4, I played a lot of Cities Skyline. Around that time, I had an idea. What if a character became the Gamer, but for a different kind of game? Think about it, the Gamer ability is really only for RPG gamers, but what about people who game in different genres? COD players, MOBA, puzzle, 4X, Strategy, etc. At some point, I thought "Yang being the Gamer hasn't really been done yet. And it'll be funny since City Builders require forward planing and patience".
So I wanted to write a story featuring Yang doing that. But at the same time, I didn't want to have Yang spending entire chapters trying to figure stuff out, because I wasn't interested in writing that. So I created a character, the Mayor of Vale. He was basically like Ozpin, a body hopping guy with super powers. Except as the Gamer. I imagined him as Peter Port, but not as bad.
The first chapter was set, and I wrote it rather quickly.
Scrapped story: City Builder Remnant Edition
Yang Xiao Long, eighteen year old one armed cyborg huntress, was idly flipping through channels while sitting on her couch. It was the end of another day of training with her dad, and now that it was over, she could relax.
Well no, she was just bored. That kind of bored that appeared after a hard day's labor, only to have nothing to do afterwards. She had stopped being depressed (less depressed) so she didn't feel like listening to all those sad songs in her dad's music library. Yang felt her tastes in music was just to balance out the mood in their house, so Ruby would actually know that not all music was depressing.
She could have helped out with making dinner, but after that one time she tried cooking when she was twelve, she'd been banned from going anywhere near the stove. It totally wasn't even her fault, too! Ruby and her sad puppy dog eyes passed the blame onto her. That was definitely how it happened.
So as she clicked her remote, going through the same thirty channels available for the second time, she sighed. If only there was something—
Congratulations!
Yang jumped out of her seat, dropping the remote and pulling her hands into fists.
Nothing happened. It was just a blue floating holographic box with a single word printed on it. Which was weird. She could have sworn the only holograms in her house came from the TV, and it was way too lame to pop out at her—
You have received the Title of Mayor-In-Training!
Yang raised an eyebrow before the words changed again.
Game Setting: CB
Map: Vale
Name: Yang Xiao Long
Title: Mayor-In-Training
Level: 1
Money: 50,000 Lien
"That should be enough to start you off, eh?"
"Holy!" Yang yelped and looked around. The voice she heard right then was of a male stranger, "Who's there?"
"Greetings, Ms. Xiao Long, I am the mayor of Vale! Or at least I was, until that Nevermore misplaced my innards. Luckily for me, I am somewhat immortal, so that's how and why I'm here!"
"Dad? Dad! I there's something wrong with me! I'm hearing a voice in my head!" Yang yelled as she approached the kitchen. She didn't want to get therapy, but she was not living with this. She already had enough issues.
"What was his name again? I believe Ozpin mentioned your father once. Tall Yin? He's the inebriated one, right? No wait, I'm thinking of the bird guy. Your memories should start filtering in soon however."
Yang grit her teeth, "Shut up," she said as she entered the room to see her father setting the dining room table.
"Yang? That voice, what is it saying to you?" his face showed concern as his lips curved downwards into a frown.
"Mayor of Vale, here to offer you inexhaustible funds and unprecedented power in exchange for your services."
"He's trying to corrupt me with unlimited power and money for my services."
Taiyang's frown deepened.
"Mayor of Vale! Say that and let's get on our way to the city, we have important stuff to fix and no time to waste!"
"He wants me to run away from home into the dangerous ruins of Vale."
"Mayor. Of. Vale. Just say that and your father will understand."
Yang didn't say anything.
"Listen, you are not going insane. I can prove it. Just say 'Turn On User Interface'. Or at least tell him I'm the mayor of Vale. Just say that. Please, I'm begging you."
Yang raised an eyebrow, "Really?"
There's no way any version of her possibly crazy mind would beg, at least this quickly. Yang had at least some dignity. She looked at her father, "The voice says he's the mayor of Vale."
Taiyang's eyes widened before looking at Yang, "His voice, how would you describe it?"
"Annoying?"
"I resent the accuracy of that statement."
"I meant his mannerisms," Taiyang corrected.
"He has a deep voice with a weird accent. He yells a lot and tries to use fancy words, and sounds melodramatic," Yang crossed her arms, "Are you saying…"
"That the voice in your head is more than a voice? Yes. Do you remember the tale of the man with two souls?"
"Guy gets a second soul stuck in him, they argue and oh my God that's what's happening to me isn't it?"
Taiyang scratched the back of his neck and sheepishly smiled, "Well, at least you're not alone. Right now, some poor kid is probably stuck with Ozpin in their head too."
Yang stepped back, "There's more than one?"
"Quite a few. I think around ten," Taiyang scratched his stubble before he continued, "They are ancient beings from generations past, with the ability to pass on their memories and abilities to new people should they die."
"And unlike Ozpin and the maidens, I'm not sexist, so it's a blind selection. Although I do try to steer towards young adults."
"Several of history's greatest champions were part of one of the successions. And if I recall correctly, his particular rules of transfer is to a random person outside of the city's borders," Taiyang snapped his fingers as he recalled, "There's also something about a debt to Vale."
"Aye. The last king of Vale entrusted his capital to me and I intend to keep that promise."
"Yang, please listen. You've been granted a wonderful gift and a terrible burden, and you will have to make many sacrifices and difficult choices ahead," her father put his hand onto her shoulder, "I know it's sudden, but I would like you to listen to the Mayor. He's on our side."
"I am grateful for your trust in me, Tall Yin."
"It's Taiyang," Yang corrected. Taiyang merely shrugged and removed his hand.
"Ah, my apologies. Ms. Xiao Long, I would like to have a serious talk with you about our current predicament."
"Fine," Yang mumbled.
She looked at her father, who spoke back, "He'll probably need your help rebuilding Vale. Wow, to think that the new mayor would appear here, right after Peter and Bart left. I'll have to contact them and tell them the search is over."
"They were looking for the voice?" Yang questioned.
"He's important to Vale's continued function, and at the very least he will hasten the reconstruction efforts."
"Understatement of the century, Taiyang. I wield phenomenal power matched only by that by three others."
"Okay what exactly is your power?" Yang asked.
"I'm glad you asked. Please say 'Turn On User Interface'."
"Turn on user interface?"
The whole world around Yang changed. The edges of her vision filled up with numbers and odd symbols, and the room in front of her took on a strange look; it was as if everything fit onto a grid. She could still see her father, who had taken on a strange pixelated texture, his skin seemingly made of thousands of tiny cubes.
"The graphics will get better over time, don't worry. You might want to go to your bedroom for the next part."
"Next part?"
"It's safer to do it in an empty room. You also might want to say goodbye to your father for now."
Yang frowned, "Why?"
"We do need to proceed post haste. Vale is a literal ruin at this moment, and thousands are in need of our assistance."
Yang shook her head, "Fine."
She looked at her dad, "I guess I'm going to my room now. I'll see you soon?"
Taiyang gently smiled back, "I'll be here. Are you still going to eat dinner?"
"Sadly no. We'll be needing to leave Patch shortly."
"Can't I grab some stuff before I leave?"
"No need. We can return to your residence quickly if the need arises, and most of the essentials should be with one of Ozpin's assistants."
"Okay no dinner, dad. I think I'm going to Vale now," she said. Her father nodded back.
Yang left the kitchen and quickly entered her room and closed the door behind her, "Now what?"
"Tell me, how familiar are you with video games?"
"Uh, I'm a fan of fighting games? And Remnant: The Game is fun but I don't think that counts."
"So almost no experience. This makes it more difficult, but fret not my dear. I will teach you everything I know before I'm gone."
"Wait, gone?"
"I was hoping to put this off, but… I am dead. While there is the technicality where my soul latches onto others allowing for my continued existence, but I no longer actually exist. Eventually my soul will be absorbed into yours. You will gain all of my memories, my abilities, and a little bit of my personality."
"Damnit."
"Don't be rude. As it is, I must eventually pass on my duties to you, Yang. But I do have quite some time to go to guide you, Mayor Xiao Long."
"Great. Saddling me with taking care of an entire city, please do go on."
"The burden is great, yes, and somewhat ironic given our purpose. You have enormous responsibilities thrust upon you without your assent. I was in this same position thirty years prior, and I will do my best to ease the transition, but know this: your life will never be the same. You will have to spend the rest of your days fostering mankind and the choices they will make. You will have to agree with them, no matter your personal opinion."
"Fostering mankind sounds really vague. And difficult."
"Indeed it is. BUt you are not without tools at your disposal. There is no reason to beat around the bush, as they say. The power that now resides within your soul has altered your body beyond comprehension. You'll still perform most actions like a normal human, but expect some oddities as well as monumentally strong powers."
Yang folded her arms, "You keep mentioning special powers. What powers do I have beyond these weird symbols I'm seeing?"
"Say 'View Map'."
"Is everything going to look weird now, or am I going to just see a map?"
"But that would ruin the fun, Mayor."
"If I'm the mayor, what do I call you?"
"The Esteemed Advisor to her yellowness Yang Xiao Long, soon-to-be Mayor of Vale. Or the Advisor for short."
"What, you didn't have a name before becoming the Mayor?"
"I once did, but I like 'The Advisor' more. It has gravitas. You'll probably like being called Mayor."
"I like Mayor Yang. I want to," she pointed to her hairline, "Keep to my roots."
"I don't get it. Why did you point to your scalp?"
"I was pointing to the roots of my hair."
"I see, your usage of the word 'roots' was actually an idiom for returning to one's past or heritage. However, you also implied the term for the lower parts of the hair follicles. Wordplay."
"Yes," Yang said slowly, "That was a pun."
"Ah."
"I make those sometimes."
"So it seems. Sorry, but the memory sharing between us will not occur until after a few days."
"You do know what a pun is, right?"
"A joke utilizing the different possible meanings of words or homophones. A play on words. I know what a pun is, Ms. Xiao Long. You are just horrendous at pointing."
"What? I pointed at my hair! Everyone knows about hair roots! What, you've never been to a hair salon?"
"Actually, I have not patronized to one in years. At level 10 I believe, you will get the ability to control the length of your hair."
"What!?" Yang yelled, "That is awesome! How do I get more levels?"
"Learn how to use your new abilities and rebuild Vale, of course."
Yang pumped her fists into the air, "Let's do this!"
She bent her knees, sucked in a breath and exhaled, "View map."
With a sudden jolt, Yang was propelled out of her room, out of her house, and into the air. In an instant, she ascended past layers of clouds and into the bright sky. She saw the sun, about to sink under the horizon. Below her was the city of Vale, in its entirety.
Steel pillars rose from the ground, with paved roads snaking through them to create a complex web, with pillars being replaced by houses and shops as she looked south, her eyes crossing over a river. To the west, Yang saw farmland, acres of amber and green. Further west, she saw rows of factories lined up right next to the ocean.
Looking far to the east, she saw Beacon Academy, an enormous dragon perched atop its tower. Nearby, she could see Amity Coliseum, floating in the air above the school.
Yang felt tears running down her cheeks. It was incredible. But before she could fully process everything, the Advisor began to speak.
"Now then, let's start with something simple. How about… a road."
/
/
/
And that's all I wrote. I entered writer's block soon after, then a couple weeks passed and I lost interest in the whole thing. It was originally going to be a few chapters long, featuring villains like the White Fang and Adam, a disaster event with a bandit tribe invasion (Raven, of course), and would have also had crazy boring things like tax policies, zoning laws, budget management. While fighting off the Grimm. It would have been like Cities Skyline/SimCity meets one of those siege games.
I won't write any more of this, but if anyone wants, they can take this idea and write a story about it. PM me if you're interested.
CB:RE Jokes
Yang becomes the Gamer. Unfortunately for her, the genre is set to city builder. Rebuilding Vale is both boring and insanely difficult. White Fang, Grimm, and criminals are the least of her worries.
Faunus dust mine is power plant. Wait what's that over there! No faunus here!
Pave roads over enemies
Dead enemies start stinking up surrounding area lowering land value. Put sewer lines to move smell away!
Yang punches ground, levels up terrain modification
The Advisor/The Former Mayor of Vale/The Relic of Choice
Created by two brothers
represents humanity's choice in creating or destroying
Thus he fosters growth in humanity
Personality and history:
Was an "intellectual" of some kind before becoming the previous mayor. Does not like fighting. Is polite and well spoken, but nevertheless harsh when he wants to be. Sounds like a jovial man. Previous lives are separate, but all share the same memories and abilities. Each one adds to the memories and overall personality.
Is extremely limited, Tier 2 powers and up only work within city limits
Abilities:
Tier 1: Can be used everywhere
Instant travel
Ability to change elevation
Tier 2: Only used within city limits
Road building
Building/utilities placement
Zoning
Policies (requires approval by Council)
Level 1: One lane roads, early level zoning, placing of basic utilities.
Level 2: two lane roads, one way roads, wall construction
Level 3: schools, fire stations, clinics, waste cleaners, police stations, radio
Level 4: hospitals, ports, docks, public transport, TV
Level 5: Better walls, anti-air defense
Level 6: hunter outpost, CCT
Level 7: ability to breathe underwater
Level 8: combat school
Level 9: Control over hair length
Level 10: Beacon