entranceway | journal entry #2

[Lucretia opens up the video balanced cleanly in front of her, sitting on one of the tables in the library. She can be seen in one of the armchairs, not in her imposing robes of last time, but in a simpler button-up and slacks. Her same white staff sits nearby, leaned on the edge of the chair, and her familiar blue and silver journal sits in her lap. Specifically, it's open to a new page, her pen already placed at the top.]

While we have our downtime between action here, I have a question to pose all of you. How does magic work in your world, if you know of any at all? Can anyone use it, or must it be given? And even for those who do not, what is the impression of it, if any?

[She smiles, looking down at her journal and preparing to write.]

I am more than happy to talk about how it functions in my world, as well. I've been studying it for quite some time. Consider my curiosity piqued for the chance to learn more outside of my typical circumstances.

[And maybe find some allies in this place that may be useful for magically escaping. Regardless, she looks inviting, and certainly good for discussion.]

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[Mettaton clicks in immediately.]

You've already heard a bit from me about my world's magic- I'd be happy to explain more or answer questions you may have from the last time we talked!

Ah, yes, Mettaton. Thank you.

[As much as he blew her a bit away, after talking to Frisk and Asgore, she can make a few more informed statements.]

Now, I've spoken to you before about how you're born into magic, correct? How do young ones harness this magic without hurting themselves? Does it scale in power alongside them?

Well, I'd say it depends on the kind of Monster! Most Monsters do kind of grow into their magic, though it's not at all uncommon for young ones to cause a bit of destruction when they get too excited. Since our magic manifests into bullet patterns and is one of our most important ways of communicating, that can lead to some sticky situations of encounters not going the way either party wanted it to go.

[He pauses and thinks a moment, then continues.]

A lot of our magic does tend to follow a predictable set of parameters. A Vegetoid will more than likely have magic that pertains to vegetation and most notably carrots. Monsters with elemental energies will more than likely fling fireballs and whatnot. Things like that. Which all have their own ways of causing destruction in inexperienced hands. But usually it's not that bad, since children generally do not have the intent to harm backing their bullets, meaning you really only end up losing one HP out of it all and maaaybe have a hole in your wall.

[Because she primarily comes from a world without guns, ‘bullet’ does still mean ‘magic projectile’, so this does not require a great deal of explaining. What does catch her by surprise is the implication of intent in magic. Of course, there is a mechanic for this in her world, especially with doing extra damage, but this seems to run much deeper.]

What do you mean by intent? Is the damage you do entirely determined by how much you want to?

[Mettaton looks surprised for a moment himself. Intent is not at all what he thought she might latch onto but he recovers rather quickly.]

Yes! Us Monsters are not too physical. [He pauses.] Well, most are much less physical than me. We are made up of purely our SOUL, and the emotions that change and rule it. Intent for us is everything.

[He looks around and picks up a pen and brings it to the camera.]

Say you wanted to hit me with this. If your only intent was to get my attention or bother me, if it hit, I may not lose any HP at all, or maybe half of one. That's how our bullets work. Now, of course, if you threw with intent to harm, it still wouldn't do massive damage because it's a pen, but it would still smart.

[He puts it back down.]

It's not just attacks that are governed by this, but defense as well. If we got into a fight and I didn't want to attack, my DEFENSE would lower and it would be easier to harm me. All in all, us Monsters are creatures governed by the state of our SOUL. What we want, or don't want, wins the day. But this can also change, depending on how much LOVE you have.

You're not the only monster I've spoken to from your world, I believe-- your physical material is dust, right? I can draw those connections.

[She listens to the rest, though, in a way that's much more focused. She supposes it stands to reason that attacks would be much more in tune with the emotional state of someone made up of the magic they're casting. But it's still... hard to parse. Someone being so close, so intimate with magic, to where their very being changes with their emotions.]

So even those not from your world, or not monsters, still affect intent if they attack a monster? I can also imagine that being... rather dangerous. It brings more to a fight than just weaponry.

[For instance, the emotional state you might put someone in that makes them not want to fight back.]

I will also have to ask-- what are you referring to with the term love?

Mmm... I suppose that's a conclusion to make. We are... dust. Hm.

[Wow, what a completely awkward statement to make!!! What an unsettling thought that he doesn't want to focus on too much.]

Yes. Humans used this to their advantage many years ago during the war. We Monsters, well. I'm sure the others you've talked to have probably said it as much, but we didn't win for that very reason of intent and our lack of physicality.

[He pauses at her last question. How to explain this...]

Well. From my world, there are more tangible consequences to acts of violence and murder than there seems to be in other worlds. Killing other people changes your SOUL in such a way as to numb you to other people around you. Does that make sense? LOVE stands for "Level of Violence" and it goes up until, well. From what I have heard, you don't feel much of anything anymore.

[he feels, for a brief moment, the small buzz of EXP shaking in his soul. Half a level. He ignores it.]

[Now that's... hm. With their SOULs ruling so much, it's probably inevitable that actions will change them.]

So it directly affects your emotions? Or well, emotional state. I'm not sure there's as direct a mechanic where I come from, but it does always get easier the more you fight, like any learned skill.

[But this sounds like something else entirely.]

Does magic like that feel... volatile? Being so close to you? So much of you?

journal entry #2

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