History Literature / MindGames

[[caption-width-right:350:Magic! Catgirls! ''Magical Catgirls!'']]

* AnimalSpeciesAccent: Danielle, when in her Magical Catgirl form, ends random sentences with "nya" and uses cat puns like "I'm ''purr-''fectly aware.'' She doesn't even know she's doing this; the System makes her do it unconsciously.

%%* GettingSmiliesPaintedOnYourSoul: This happens to anyone who sees Danielle (and later, [[spoiler:James]]) smile at them, at least to an extent.

%%* SuddenGameInterface: Everyone on ''Earth'' gets one.

* {{Intelligence}}: James has superhuman Intelligence due to his Unique title. Not only is his brain basically overclocked, but his Mana pool and regeneration rate are probably the highest of any human being on Earth.

* {{Charisma}}: Due to accident/coincidence, two of the characters have their Charisma raised to superhuman levels. People who encounter them for the first time often become so distracted that they [[GettingSmiliesPaintedOnYourSoul zone out for a second]].

* {{Dexterity}}: Danielle has superhuman Dexterity when she's not in her Magical Catgirl form. She can do the "[[WhenYouSnatchThePebble snatch the pebble from my hand]]" trick without even looking. When she ''is'' in Magical Catgirl form, which grants a 50% bonus to Dexterity, things get absolutely ridiculous.
* DistractedByTheSexy: More than once, someone is so captivated by Danielle's inhumanly high {{Charisma}} that they forget how to talk for a minute. This hits James [[HasAType especially hard]] when she's in CatGirl form.

* EvenTheGirlsWantHer: When the other characters see Danielle for the first time after her Charisma boost, even the other women in the group are a little affected by her demigoddess-level Charisma.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: The first time Anthony sees James after James gets a Charisma boost, Anthony says, "I'm straight as a ruler and ''you're'' looking kinda tasty.''

* MoreThanMindControl: James has high Charisma and the benefits of his Mesmerist Class Skill "Indirect Suggestion," which makes it very, ''very'' difficult not to see things his way even if he's not directly trying to make someone do something.

* PowerUpFood: Eating the flesh of "monsters," i.e. animals which have absorbed Mana and become empowered by it, can grant temporary buffs. For instance, eating the meat of a giant bear gives the main characters a temporary boost to {{Constitution}} and thus more Hit Points.

** James is the first person ever with his particular System Class title. The System itself seems to be somewhat worried about the potential of this power despite giving him a ginormous Charisma boost and doubling the effectiveness of his powers. In combination with his Demi-god level {{Charisma}} and his Class Skill "Indirect Suggestion," he can pull off MoreThanMindControl. Things get really ridiculous when he gets [[spoiler:his ''second'' Unique Title, which gives him another Charisma boast and cuts his Mana requirements to use his powers by half and doubles their effectiveness again, meaning that for as long as his Mana holds out, he can put the whammy on almost any being in the System.]]
** Danielle has high {{Dexterity}}, the potential to be an assassin, and [[DistractedByTheSexy so-high-it's-dangerous]] {{Charisma}}. The special abilities granted by her Unique Title "Nekoprima" make her literally the only person on Earth who has them.

* WhenYouSnatchThePebble: Inverted. Danielle does this trick to demonstrate her inhuman {{Dexterity}} to someone who doesn't believe how powerful she is by grabbing the “pebble” (actually a small pocketknife) without even looking at it before they can close their hand around it.

** Also, the most common cause of this happening is James using a pop culture quote about something related to the System, such as when he responds to someone who says that something "is the strangest thing I've ever heard," by saying, "Imagine what you'll know tomorrow."

''Mind Games'' is the first book in a Real RPG series, wherein one Saturday morning the main characters wake up to find that all of a sudden magic works, electronics don't, and hilarity is about to ensue. (Assuming you find fifteen-foot long rattlesnakes, bears the size of mini-vans, and the fact that everyone on Earth now has quantifiable stats, a Class, and no clue what to do next hilarious.) Something which calls itself the "[[SuddenGameInterface System]]" starts communicating with everyone in the world, giving them messages and allowing them to access an RPG-style interface which includes stat attributes, magical abilities called Skills and Spells, and the ability to gain levels and become more powerful.

''Mind Games'' is the first book in a Literature/RealRPG series about a SystemApocalypse, wherein one Saturday morning the main characters wake up to find that all of a sudden magic works, electronics don't, and hilarity is about to ensue. (Assuming you find fifteen-foot long rattlesnakes, bears the size of mini-vans, and the fact that everyone on Earth now has quantifiable stats, a Class, and no clue what to do next hilarious.) Something which calls itself the "[[SuddenGameInterface System]]" starts communicating with everyone in the world, giving them messages and allowing them to access an RPG-style interface which includes stat attributes, magical abilities called Skills and Spells, and the ability to gain levels and become more powerful.

* AnimalSpeciesAccent: Danielle, when in her Magical Catgirl form, ends random sentences with "nya" and uses cat puns like "I'm ''purr-''fectly aware.'' Made more hilarious by the fact that [[spoiler:she does not know she's doing this, the System makes her do it unconsciously.]]

* ApocalypseHow: Class 2.

* BackgroundMagicField: "Mana" pervades the entire Earth and everything on it, not only empowering humans to use magic, but even making their bodies physically more resistant to damage and able to heal from nearly any injury. Of course, this also applies to animals...

* CatGirl: Danielle.

* CuteLittleFangs: Danielle, when she's in her CatGirl form.
** Note: NOT [[spoiler:[[MakeMyMonsterGrow Kaa]]]].

* DanceBattler: Danielle, whose class is ''"Shadow Dancer."'' Somewhat negated by the fact that when she's mad she tends to not be so much the "{{Ninja}}" kind of CatGirl as the "fighting her is like falling into an angry blender" kind.

* {{Determinator}}: James, to the point where [[spoiler:the System awards him a Title which is a reward for demonstrating that he'd rather die than give up on someone he's decided to save.]]

* {{Dexterity}}: Danielle has superhuman Dexterity due to [[spoiler:her unique title ''Nekoprima'']] when she's ''not'' in her Magical Catgirl form. She can do the "[[WhenYouSnatchThePebble snatch the pebble from my hand]]" trick ''without even looking.'' When she ''is'' in Magical Catgirl form, which grants a 50% bonus to Dexterity, things get absolutely ridiculous.

* {{Elfeminate}}: [[spoiler:After "elves" start emigrating to Earth later in the story, it is observed that they are "just as pretty as Legolas" and that one of them flicks his hair around as if he were in a shampoo commercial.]]

* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: The disruption to transportation and communications networks, along with the fact that wildlife starts mutating into hideously dangerous monsters, immediately causes widespread disruption. Though the novel only takes place during the first few days of the event it is implied that this will take human civilization down several pegs. It's outright ''stated'' that [[spoiler:half of all the people on Earth die within the first twenty-four hours, though the deaths are not very evenly distributed.]]

* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Likewise, the first time Anthony sees James after ''his'' Charisma boost, he says, "I'm straight as a ruler and ''you're'' looking kinda tasty.''

* GenreBlindness: Many of the characters other than Joe, Anthony, and James. In particular [[spoiler:Susan, who's so determined not to acknowledge what's happening ''despite'' Joe, Anthony and James trying to explain it to her that she refuses to leave the cabin and is, presumably, eaten by monsters.]]

* GettingSmiliesPaintedOnYourSoul: This happens to anyone who sees Danielle (and later, [[spoiler:James]]) smile at them, at least to an extent.

* {{Intelligence}}: James has superhuman Intelligence due to [[spoiler:his Unique title ''Mesmer's Heir'']]. Not only is his brain basically overclocked, but his Mana pool and regeneration rate are probably the highest of any human being on Earth.

* MassHypnosis: The description on several of [[spoiler:James the Mesmerist's]] Class Skills says that anyone who can "hear and understand" what they are saying will be affected by them. Given the apparent power of the System, this could include an unknown number of people at an unknown potential distance.

* {{Moe}}: Danielle, especially in CatGirl form. Also, Sally, especially when she's being protective.

* MoreThanMindControl: James has Charisma of [[spoiler:first 20, then 25 on a scale where 20 is literally as Charismatic as the most Charismatic human being ever to live before System Start]] and the benefits of [[spoiler:his ''Mesmerist'' Class Skill ''Indirect Suggestion'']], which makes it very, ''very'' difficult not to see things his way even if he's not directly trying to make you do something.

* NaturalWeapon: Danielle's claws when she's in CatGirl form. [[spoiler:They're so sharp they actually count as System weapons, which means they're more dangerous than guns to System-empowered beings.]]

* NoPeriodsPeriod: Indirectly averted. When Anthony questions Danielle's sudden confidence that she smells blood at the scene of a disappearance once she changes to her CatGirl form (which has superior senses,) she gives him a Look and says, “I know what blood smells like. I’m a girl, remember?” [[spoiler:He has the grace, or perhaps just the youth, to be embarrassed about it.]]

* PowerEqualsRarity: The [[SuddenGameInterface System]] awards “Titles” to people when they do something unusual. Since Titles grant benefits (for instance, if you get the title ''Adamant'' for saving someone’s life by nearly losing your own, you become much harder to kill) they are much prized and beings who have them are much respected. The harder it was to get the Title, the rarer it is, and the rarer it is, the more benefits it grants. Not one but ''two'' of the main characters have [[spoiler:''Unique'']] Titles, which grant absolutely ludicrous benefits.
** Similarly, one of them has a System Class no one else has, and the other has a System Skill no one else has (the Titles are for ''being'' the first to ever have the System Class/System Skill, which is why this combination is basically winning the SuperpowerLottery.) [[spoiler:And needless to say, both the Class and the Skill are somewhere between [[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands “Light Novel Hero Cheat”]] and “GameBreaker,” or will be once they level up.]]

* PowerPerversionPotential: One of the characters gains a special Class called [[spoiler:"Mesmerist."]] The System Message the System uses to tell them about the Class ''explicitly says'' that this is a new Class, unique to humans, and the people creating the System Messages are horrified by its potential. Among other Class Skills available to the class, they obtain one called [[spoiler:"Instant Induction," which allows them to put people in a hypnotic trance and give them post-hypnotic suggestions ''whether they want to be hypnotized or not.'']] Since it's ''strongly'' implied the whole reason the character likes [[spoiler:hypnosis]] in the ''first place'' is because they think it's hot, the Perversion Potential is off the charts.

* PowerUpFood: Eating the flesh of "monsters," i.e. animals which have absorbed Mana and become empowered by it, can grant temporary buffs. For instance, eating the meat of a [[spoiler:giant bear]] the main characters kill gives a temporary boost to {{Constitution}} and thus, more Hit Points.

* PrettyBoy: James, especially after [[spoiler:his second Charisma boost.]]

** Also, [[spoiler:Falcon Treesinger.]]

* Literature/RealRPG: Duh.

* RPGMechanicsVerse: The "System" imposes RPG-style mechanics onto everybody and everything. At one point, it is revealed that even things like empty water bottles and rocks have hit points. [[spoiler:Of course, just because you can "kill" an empty water bottle doesn't mean the System will be impressed.]]

* RunningGag: Whenever James does something that irritates Danielle, or she thinks he's getting too full of himself, she socks him in the shoulder. He tries to duck but her Dexterity is so high that it's utterly useless: she always hits him, in the exact same spot every time. [[spoiler:This causes him pain and even makes his shoulder sore temporarily, but doesn't cost him any Hit Points, which tells you something weird is going on with Hit Points.]]

* SheFu: Danielle, thanks to her superhuman Dexterity.

* SuddenGameInterface: Everyone on ''Earth'' gets one.

** James is the first person ''ever'' with the System Class [[spoiler:“Mesmerist.”]] The System ''itself'' seems to be somewhat worried about the potential of this power, [[spoiler:despite giving him the Unique Title "Mesmer's Heir," which gives him a ginormous Charisma boost and doubles the effectiveness of his powers,]] since in combination with his Demi-god level {{Charisma}} and his Class Skill [[spoiler:“Indirect Suggestion,”]] he can probably pull off MoreThanMindControl. Things get ''really'' ridiculous when he gets [[spoiler:his ''second'' Unique Title, "Child of Agalope," which gives him ''another'' Charisma boast and cuts his Mana requirements to use his powers by half and doubles their effectiveness ''again,'' meaning that for as long as his Mana holds out, he can put the whammy on almost any being in the System.]]
** Danielle can, without exaggerating all that much, be compared to the Marvel Comics character ComicBook/BlackWidow in terms of both her {{Dexterity}}, her potential to be an assassin, and her [[DistractedByTheSexy so-high-it's-dangerous]] {{Charisma}}. The special abilities granted by [[spoiler:her Unique Title “Nekoprima”]] are ''definitely'' a lottery winner, since [[spoiler:she's literally the only person on Earth who has them.]]

* TriggerPhrase: [[spoiler:Danielle can only assume her Magical Catgirl form with the help of a Mesmerist. Fortunately, ''James'' is a Mesmerist, and he implants her with a trigger phrase both for becoming a Magical Catgirl and for becoming human again. However, because James has a weird sense of humor, the phrases are, respectively, "Here, kitty kitty" to transform to a catgirl and "byebye, kitty" to change back to a human. Danielle is ''not'' amused.]]

* WhenYouSnatchThePebble: Inverted. Danielle does this trick to demonstrate her inhuman {{Dexterity}} to someone who doesn't believe how powerful she is by grabbing the “pebble” (actually a small pocketknife) before they can close their hand around it. While she’s ''not looking at their hand.''

* AliensOfLondon: [[spoiler:When someone uses the System to learn a language they don't already speak, they will speak it in the manner most common in the location they learned it. This results in things like elves and dwarves with Tennessee accents.]]

* PowerPerversionPotential: [[spoiler:One of the characters gains a special Class called "Mesmerist." The System Message the System uses to tell them about the Class ''explicitly says'' that this is a new Class, unique to humans, and the people creating the System Messages are horrified by its potential. Among other Class Skills available to the class, they obtain one called "Instant Induction," which allows them to put people in a hypnotic trance and give them post-hypnotic suggestions ''whether they want to be hypnotized or not.'' Since it's ''strongly'' implied the whole reason the character likes hypnosis in the ''first place'' is because they think it's hot, the Perversion Potential is off the charts.]]

* CuteLittleFangs: Danielle, when she's in her CatGirl form. Note: NOT [[spoiler:[[MakeMyMonsterGrow Kaa]]]].

* PrettyBoy: [[spoiler:Falcon Treesinger.]] Also, James, especially after [[spoiler:his second Charisma boost.]]

** James is the first person ''ever'' with the System Class [[spoiler:“Mesmerist.”]] The System ''itself'' seems to be somewhat worried about the potential of this power, [[spoiler:despite giving him the Unique Title "Mesmer's Heir," which doubles the effectiveness of his powers,]] since in combination with his Demi-god level {{Charisma}} and his Class Skill [[spoiler:“Indirect Suggestion,”]] he can probably pull off MoreThanMindControl. Things get ''really'' ridiculous when he gets [[spoiler:his ''second'' Unique Title, "Child of Agalope," which gives him ''another'' Charisma boast and cuts his Mana requirements to use his powers by half and doubles their effectiveness ''again,'' meaning that for as long as his Mana holds out, he can put the whammy on almost any being in the System.]]

* SleptThroughTheApocalypse: Most of the people we meet in the story were asleep at System Start, which happened at 7 AM on a Saturday. That means they didn't see the original System announcements and have no idea what's going on.

** James is the first person ''ever'' with the System Class [[spoiler:“Mesmerist.”]] The System ''itself'' seems to be somewhat worried about the potential of this power, [[spoiler:despite giving him the Unique Title "Mesmer's Heir," which doubles the effectiveness of his powers,]] since in combination with his Demi-god level {{Charisma}} and his Class Skill [[spoiler:“Indirect Suggestion,”]] he can probably pull off MoreThanMindControl. Things get ''really'' ridiculous when he gets [[spoiler:his ''second'' Unique Title, "Child of Agalope," which cuts his Mana requirements to use his powers by half and doubles their effectiveness ''again,'' meaning that for as long as his Mana holds out, he can put the whammy on almost any being in the System.]]

''Mind Games'' is the first book in a Literature/RealRPG series about a SystemApocalypse, wherein one Saturday morning the main characters wake up to find that all of a sudden magic works, electronics don't, and hilarity is about to ensue. (Assuming you find fifteen-foot long rattlesnakes, bears the size of mini-vans, and the fact that everyone on Earth now has quantifiable stats, a Class, and no clue what to do next hilarious.) Something which calls itself the "System" starts communicating with everyone in the world, giving them messages and allowing them to access an RPG-style interface which includes stat attributes, magical abilities called Skills and Spells, and the ability to gain levels and become more powerful.

* WhenYouSnatchThePebble: Danielle does this trick to demonstrate her inhuman {{Dexterity}} to someone who doesn't believe how powerful she is.

* MassHypnosis: The description on several of [[spoiler:James the Mesmerist's]] Class Skills say that anyone who can "hear and understand" what they are saying will be affected by them. Given the apparent power of the System, this could include an unknown number of people at an unknown potential distance.

* PowerUpFood: Eating the flesh of "monsters," i.e. animals which have absorbed Mana and become empowered by it, can grant temporary buffs. For instance, eating the meat of a [[spoiler:giant bear]] the main characters kill gives a temporary boost to Constitution and thus, more Hit Points.

* SuperpowerLottery: James is the first person ''ever'' with the System Class [[spoiler:“Mesmerist.”]] The System ''itself'' seems to be somewhat worried about the potential of this power, [[spoiler:despite giving him the Unique Title "Mesmer's Heir," which doubles the effectiveness of his powers,]] since in combination with his Demi-god level {{Charisma}} and his Class Skill [[spoiler:“Indirect Suggestion,”]] he can probably pull off MoreThanMindControl. Things get ''really'' ridiculous when he gets [[spoiler:his ''second'' Unique Title, "Child of Agalope," which cuts his Mana requirements to use his powers by half and doubles their effectiveness ''again,'' meaning that for as long as his Mana holds out, he can put the whammy on almost any being in the System.]]

* EvenTheGirlsWantHer: When the other characters see Danielle for the first time, even the other women in the group are a little affected by her demigoddess-level Charisma.

''Mind Games'' is the first book in a Literature/RealRPG series about a SystemApocalypse, wherein one Saturday morning the main characters wake up to find that all of a sudden magic works, electronics don't, and hilarity is about to ensue. (Assuming you find fifteen-foot long rattlesnakes, bears the size of mini-vans, and the fact that everyone on Earth now has quantifiable stats, a class, and no clue what to do next hilarious.) Something which calls itself the "System" starts communicating with everyone in the world, giving them messages and allowing them to access an RPG-style interface which includes stat attributes, magical abilities called Skills and Spells, and the ability to gain levels and become more powerful.

* {{Charisma}}: Due to accident/coincidence, two of the characters have their Charisma raised to superhuman levels. People who encounter them for the first time often become so distracted that they zone out for a second.

* PowerPerversionPotential: [[spoiler:* One of the characters gains a special Class called "Mesmerist." The System Message the System uses to tell them about the Class ''explicitly says'' that this is a new Class, unique to humans, and the people creating the System Messages are horrified by its potential. Among other Class Skills available to the class, they obtain one called "Instant Induction," which allows them to put people in a hypnotic trance and give them post-hypnotic suggestions ''whether they want to be hypnotized or not.'' Since it's ''strongly'' implied the whole reason the character likes hypnosis in the ''first place'' is because they think it's hot, the Perversion Potential is off the charts.]]

* MassHypnosis: The description on several of [[spoiler:James the Mesmerist's]] Class Skills say that anyone who can "hear and understand" what he is saying will be affected by them. Given the apparent power of the System, this could include an unknown number of people at an unknown potential distance.

* HasAType: James is so into [[CatGirl Catgirls]] that the System gives the girl he likes the ability to change into one. Of course, she's just as into geeky men, and it's not like ''she'' [[DanceBattler doesn't get anything out of the ability.]]