In the world of superhumans, there are many different kinds. Super strength, flight, and telekinesis may be some of the first powers thought of, but they are not the only powers out there. Not all powers are created equal either. Despite people automatically thinking of superheroes with magnificent powers, most of the supers are barely above average. The division of the different strengths of supers is measured in 'grades'. It is vital that a super's grade and, if possible, powers be found out as soon as possible, as 27% of supers have some form of self destructive powers. There are different treatments for every grade, along with completely separate hospitals for supers in general, which is why it is required for those who test positive as supers to be tested to find their grade. Grades are only determined by DNA and have nothing to do with training or willpower. They are permanent and cannot be changed by any safe or legal means. If someone's powers change over time, it either means they had their powers tampered with or that they never used their powers correctly and assumed they were a different grade. It is very common for people to lie about their grade if they can or say that they'll have a higher one eventually. It is also common for some supers, especially of certain power types, to be convinced they are a different grade to the point where they create in their mind some of the signs and believe them, kind of like superpower hypochondria.

A power grade is determined by power type, harm to the user, how long the person can use their powers, how much the power can do, how reliable the power is, and other factors. A super with a high grade does not have to have all of these attributes. For instance, a shapeshifter will not be at a lower grade just because their powers cannot make someone else shift or because their powers can't be used as an attack. That shapes how the grading will work by the power, not by a strict standard all are subject to.

There are five grades, with Grade 1 being the lowest and Grade 5 being the highest. Some supers at the higher end of Grade 5 call themselves Grade 5+, though this unofficial term is made fun of by those who think they're just being egocentric. The '5+' supers claim that they are only calling themselves that because there has been no official Grade 6 made, even though it is long overdue. The thing stopping there from being a Grade 6 is that most with these powers are being subjected to abnormal circumstances, like power warping or steroids, which are both illegal, so there are too few naturally occuring supers of that caliber to merit going through the trouble of adding a Grade 6 and the testing and guidelines that go along with it, along with dealing with the fear of humans that the supers are getting stronger. The Grades 1 and 2 are self-destructive powers. Grades 3 and 4 are seen as transitions from 2 to 5 and are the most diverse and plentiful groups. Like the 5+ supers, adding subdivisions in Grades 3 and 4 is long overdue, but, due to the ambiguity of the definitions of those two grades and what divides them seemingly having no effect on the medical side of their powers it is mostly seen as being nit picky by the general public.

A power type does not usually define a grade. Usually powers all exist within certain general 'family' groups with many different divisions. Some of these power families include, but are not limited to: telepathy (mind control, mind reading, true telepathy, ect), shapeshifting (animal shapeshifting, camouflage, lethal shifting of vital organs, ect), human enhancement (super strength, super hearing, ect), kinetics (hydrokinesis, geokinesis, telekinesis, ect), psychics (clairvoyants, object trackers, ect), physics (gravity control, state of element control, density control, ect), and radioactives (gives off radiation, gives off magnetic waves, ect). Some powers are hard to define, and may be in more than one family.

Though multiple powers are possible, they are extremely rare. When a person has more than one power, the result is always that those powers are all less powerful than they would be if the person specialized in one. For example, a super with the power of flight and super strength would be weaker than a super with pure super strength and wouldn't fly as well as one with pure flight. "Muddles" and "Jacks" as supers with multiple powers are often called, are generally lower grade supers with weaker powers and full strength weaknesses of both.

Grade 1 Powers:

Having a Grade 1 power is a death sentence. It is the power to cause injury, usually lethal, to the user of the power. In other words, the person self destructs without harming anyone or anything around them. This power only works on the user, usually is limited to the medical (so no flames or radiation) and typically cannot be controlled.

Some examples of Grade 1 powers are the power to spontaneously have a heart attack, the power to make one's own veins burst, and the power to morph one's own organs into something else. Because of how closely some powers imitate actual medical disorders, it can be hard to treat them, especially if the doctor isn't aware of the specific power type they are.

Some people with Grade 1 powers do not even know they have powers at all until they have a blood test or their powers show up. The problem with finding out their powers by experiencing their powers? Their powers usually only work once, and, once they do...well...Hopefully they had a good life insurance policy or a healer was right next to them. These powers can lie dormant for many years, or never surface at all, leaving many Grade 1 supers living, for the most part, normal human lives, so much so that 48% of Grade 1's polled have stated that they identify as more human than super.

Those with Grade 1 powers are required to take medication to suppress their powers and take classes on how to keep their powers under control. They also must wear dog tags around their necks with their name, birthday, power grade, power type, medical conditions, and medication in case they fall unconscious and have to be taken to a hospital. As would be expected, the insurance rates for Grade 1's is extreme, leading to some from poorer backgrounds to find ways around ever getting the blood test or sending someone else in their place. The insurance is required for all supers, making it extremely hard on 1's and 2's in particular.

Power warping is extremely common in Grade 1 supers. It is seen as the only way of survival by some, especially those who have survived their powers before.

Most supers with Grade 1 powers try to live normal lives, but, as would be expected, nearly all of them are extremely dissatisfied with their powers. As a whole, on the official records, 1's are second only in anxiety, depression, and substance abuse to 2's.

Humans and supers alike do not often differentiate 1's and 2's correctly and may lump them together as the same thing. Though they are both self-destructive powers, the powers of the Grade 1's only harms themselves, not others, while 2's tend to harm others as well. This common misconception leads to many people treating 1's like 2's, such as avoiding them, being afraid of them, and finding reasons not to hire them.

12% of superhumans are Grade 1.

Grade 2 Powers:

Like Grade 1 powers, the Grade 2's are a self-destructive power. Grade 2 is a power that causes injury, often lethal, to the user while having the potential to harm other people, animals, or objects. These powers are more dramatic than 1's and are usually more obviously caused by superpowers and not a medical problem. Typically the super cannot control these powers on their own.

Some examples of Grade 2 powers would be the ability to create radiation but not to withstand it, the ability to spontaneously combust, and the power to explode.

Some people with Grade 2 powers don't even realize that they have powers until they have the blood test or their powers reveal themselves. Grade 2 powers often lie dormant for many years, leaving them to have somewhat normal lives. However, due to public fear of 2's and how obvious a 2 has to be about their grade, being a 2 is central to most of their identities. It is no secret that they are treated differently than everyone else, which leads 37% of them to try to blend into society while the rest choose to stand out in some way or another.

Grade 2 supers are required to take medication to repress their powers and take classes on how to keep their powers under control. As a precaution to other people, 2's are clearly marked with tattoos in large, clear letters on their necks. The same thing is written on both sides of the neck in case their fall unconscious on their side. No matter how they turn, the tattoo must be visible. This tattoo includes the grade, their power, and what to do should it go off. Essentially, these tattoos are warning labels. People, when first seeing a 2, will almost always read this warning label before looking them in the face, let alone speaking to them. It isn't anything personal, just a safety issue. They may not cover these tattoos up unless they use an elastic neon green band around whatever is covering their neck with the same information as the tattoo. The color of the tattoo is either black, white, or some variant in between depending on the skin tone of the super. No other tattoos may be on the neck of a 2. If a 2 tries to hide, disguise, or damage their tattoo, especially if their powers go off when it's hidden, they can and often will be heavily prosecuted. It is a matter of life and death and it is treated as such. Also, the super may be required to wear other things, depending on their powers, such as clothes designed to filter out radiation or that act as a fire retardant to limit the damage they can do to others. 2's have one of the highest insurance rates of any super, which, like 1's often results in the poorer ones finding ways around getting diagnosed with powers in the first place.

Power warping is extremely common in Grade 2 supers. By many it is seen as a way out of being treated the way they are and as a possibility of a normal life. However, even among labs who dare warp powers, no one wants to mess with a 2. As a result, they have to pay a huge amount, which either means they would've had to been rich and/or gone into debt to get the operation, which may not work in the first place if they even survive it.

In the records, Grade 2 supers are stated to have the most stress, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse problems. Sociopathy and other antisocial problems, whether it is purely linked to the powers or the way they are treated/knowing that they are a ticking timebomb, are also more common in 2's than any other power.

Though legally a business isn't supposed to hire based on if one has powers and power grades, they will usually find other reasons as excuses not to hire them. However, this is not always the case when a 2 doesn't get hired and it is unfair to businesses to assume that every business is that way. Oftentimes the attitude of the 2 is what turns away potential employers who would've been open to having a 2 in their workforce. It is very difficult to differentiate the two situations, so the 2 will almost always claim the former is the reason, even if it is not. The most clear situation where 2's meet conflict is in public. People will avoid anyone with tattoos on their neck or wearing neon green like the plague and it is very hard for 2's to become friends with people who aren't also 2's. For this reason, among other reasons, Grade 2 supers usually live in neighborhoods of just 2's. This is just as much decided by them to live this way as anyone else. After all, knowing that they could wipe out hundreds of humans and upset the balance can be quite the burden to carry... Grade 2 supers are documented to have killed more civilians than all other grades combined, almost always without intending to.

15% of supers are Grade 2.

Grade 3 Powers:

Grade 3 powers are viewed more as party tricks than a serious power. Whether it be a weakened form of a power or a naturally weak power, these powers are pretty much useless and are sometimes quite comical. Grade 3 is a power that is of no significant benefit to the user and/or a weak power with severe drawbacks. Grade 3 is often divided into 3A, 3B, and 3C, though these are not yet official terms. 3A are those who adhere to the first part of the definition, which is that they simply have nearly or completely useless powers. 3B are powers that make up for a lost ability normal humans would have. No one is fully sure why 3C's exist in such high numbers, but it is believed that the powers themselves trigger an autoimmune disorder that makes the white blood cells attack the part of the body associated with that power, however, as more powers arise with no trace of such disorders medical professionals are unsure of the true cause, though will not admit that. These powers may cause harm to the user, like any power would, but nowhere near as severe as 1's or 2's. 3C's are the Grade 3 muddles, or supers with more than one power. Though there are some higher grade muddles, 85% of them are in Grade 3.

Some general examples of Grade 3 powers would be the ability to turn the arm invisible, the ability to change eye color, or the ability to hover two feet off the ground. Some examples of supers considered to be in 3A would be the ability to know which phase of the moon it is at any given time, opening mailboxes telepathically, or being able to only read the minds of llamas. Some examples of 3B powers would be the ability to sense sound but being deaf, the ability to move things telekinetically in the same way hands would but being paralyzed, or being able to trigger the feeling of empathy at will but not having any naturally occurring. Some examples of Grade 3C supers would be the powers of flight and super strength but barely being able to get two feet off the ground and lift more than a normal person their size could, the power to talk to animals and read minds and be unable to tell which was which and being unable to hear exactly what was being said, and the ability of a sonic scream and sound cancelling which cancel each other out every time.

Usually Grade 3 powers are detected by the blood test, but don't usually fully manifest themselves until the super reaches puberty. These powers don't usually cause any terribly abnormal amounts of trouble, but kids do often either pick on a 3 in their class, even if they're only just teasing, especially if a 4 or 5 was in the same class. However, if the 3 kid is the only super in the class, they would probably be the coolest thing since the invention of ice cream. Almost all Grade 3's live like normal human beings. In fact, it may be hard to tell a human from a 3 unless the 3 told the human about their powers.

In any kind of media, superhuman life is almost always portrayed as the way 3's live, even if the character is a 4 or 5. 3's can typically blend harmlessly into human society and don't usually have to wear or do anything differently than humans. The idea of superheroes having normal, quiet lives like those of 3's and an alter ego has appealed to people for generations, and it is easier for humans to accept someone they think is like them.

Unless their powers are out of control, they can, and often do, keep their powers to themselves and only tell people close to them, either because they don't think much about their powers, are embarrassed, or are afraid of being treated differently. However, most are more casual in the use of their powers. They may not all draw attention to the powers and be showy about them, since there isn't much to be proud of, but they will use them to some extent or joke about them. It all depends on the super. Very few are egotistical about their powers, but they are definitely fun to make fun of, say 97% of people polled. The neutral people in that poll laughed at a Grade 3 ego joke, which leads the pollsters to believe that they weren't really lying. Most of these 3's with big egos claim they are really mislabeled 4's, just like the 5's claim they are 5+. Similarly with Grade 1's, some Grade 3 supers identify more as human than supers because their powers are too weak to really be worth anything, which leads to them being second only to 1's in annual cases of lying about their possession of powers, usually for tax or insurance reasons, especially among lower class Grade 3's.

Grade 3 powers are the largest and most diverse power group, acting mostly as a catch-all between 2's and 4's, making up 48% of the superhuman population.

Grade 4 Powers:

Grade 4 powers are weaker forms of a usually much stronger power or a strong power with severe drawbacks, though rarely as severe as Grade 1 or 2 supers. The simplest way to think of their powers is a step below Grade 5, though that shouldn't be said to any 4, since many of them take offence to that comparison. Typically these powers are very weak and/or are difficult to control.

Some examples of Grade 4 powers would be very slow flight, spitting weak acid but getting burned in the mouth, or weak electrokinesis that the user cannot control at all. Though these powers can give more of an advantage to the user than those of Grade 3, they are nowhere near as useful as Grade 5.

Typically Grade 4's try to blend more into Grade 5 than they do humans. They have some power, and like to believe they have more potential, even though they usually do not. It isn't uncommon to hear a Grade 4 lamenting how they were just under the 5 standard, even if it isn't true. Not all 4's are like this, but it is a very well-earned stereotype.

For those who have uncontrollable powers that could be a hazard to other people or have powers that cause problems in their own life, there is medication to help inhibit their powers. For those who are a danger this medication is required, just like 1's and 2's, but for those who are inconvenienced by their powers it is an option. If their powers are especially dangerous to themselves or others, or if there's significant risk of being knocked unconscious, they may be required to wear dog tags like Grade 1's and 2's to explain to people calling the ambulance or doctors treating them what's going on.

Power warping and power influencing steroids, though less common than 1's and 2's, is an all too common occurrence in Grade 4's. Those who believe that all they need is just that extra push to get to Grade 5 are the most common people among 4's to get their powers warped or take the power altering steroids. There have been cases where 4's have managed to move up to Grade 5, or even 5+, but it is a huge risk with terrible odds. For those who are close to being a 5 but are not quite there, they may, as an alternative, fighting their weaknesses enough to pretend they have none and lie on their forms to claim they are 5's. Though this is less illegal than power warping, it is still something they can get in some pretty major trouble for.

The envy of the 4's of 5's isn't totally without reason. Some jobs have become almost entirely dominated by superhumans, such as the police, firefighters, actors, and athletes. Unfortunately, if a 4 is getting into a position because of powers, if a more powerful 4 or 5 shows up, they will not get that job. It's like running a race with a million dollars on the line and getting second, earning nothing but a plastic medal that says, "Yay! I participated!" They then have to get more normal jobs among more normal people. They get stuck in jobs they don't want, even though they dreamed for higher, simply because they barely missed the mark, not because they weren't hardworking or determined enough, but because of the DNA they were given. They are the most most vocal about unfairness in hiring, but most people just brush it off as them being egotistical and pouting.

21% of superhumans are Grade 4.

Grade 5 Powers:

Grade 5 powers are the powers of superheroes and villains, and just about anyone else the super wants to be. They are seen as privileged by many and are envied greatly. It is as if they are handed whatever they want, just because of their powers. A Grade 5 power is a strong power with minimal weaknesses. They don't have to worry about their powers giving out or being unstable or harming them severely...It's like they have all the good with none of the bad that the others have to deal with. This makes Grade 5 supers ideal for employers looking for a superhuman to take a certain position. Grade 5's have swept everything from police work to athletics completely out of the hands of humans and lower grade supers.

Some examples of Grade 5 powers would be the power to lift things much greater than their body weight telekinetically and only suffer a little headache, geokinesis with only mood swings as a weakness, or shapeshifting with only some pain and animal-like tendencies as a weakness. Like all powers, Grade 5's also include some weaknesses, but those weaknesses aren't as severe as others, which is ultimately what divides them from 4's.

Whenever a human wishes to be a super, they are really wishing to be a Grade 5. When any lower grade thinks of their ideal power, it would always be in Grade 5. People subject themselves to the horrors of power warping and many other things to try to become 5's and die trying. 5's are idolized and set apart from normal people as something much greater. Sometimes it is the humans and lower grade supers that are the ones that stick them on the pedestal and other times it is the 5 who does it themselves. It all depends on the person.

On average, Grade 5 supers, especially those who are superheroes or villains, live much shorter lives than most other supers. The media blames it on cancer, power complications, or murder, but it seems that there are other things in play, though no one actually knows what those variables are.

Most 5's, especially ones who are superheroes always seem happy all the time. They always make sure that they are at least somewhat positive no matter the situation. It's almost like they all have the same personality...

5+ supers are basically Grade 5 supers with stronger powers and/or fewer weaknesses. They are almost invincible and definitely not the kind of people anyone wants to mess with. It's hard to tell why they are fighting so hard, other than perhaps the pride of being the best of the best. Most 5+'s were 5's who had their powers warped or are using some kind of power enhancement steroids, which has made the whole group seem like a bunch of frauds. Even if someone is beloved as a 5, if they call themselves a 5+ they will suddenly be under a lot more scrutiny. True 5+ supers are so rare that they barely exist at all, but when they do pop up cities squabble over them to fight on their behalf as their superheroes, even if they have to toss aside every 5 superhero they have. The 5+ supers are fighting for a Grade 6 to be created, but with so few of them, and even fewer natural ones, it doesn't seem like it's going to happen anytime soon.

Officially, 4% of supers are Grade 5. However, depending on if one views 5+ as an actual category or not, only 3% would be Grade 5 and 1% would be 5+.