i'll teach you my coolest spells and everything. what about people who have really bad nightmares? it's probably another treat the underlying trauma thing, right?
It depends, but yes. However, sorting out one's thoughts before sleeping can often help, even if it's just by writing down whatever they're thinking or feeling before they go to sleep. Serious or recurring nightmares that go beyond normal or occasional ones tend to be related to the subconscious making sense of and coping with something that's happened, and so doing that as much as possible while awake can help.
Exactly. It doesn't have to be a paper one though; using the phones is fine, or even just talking out loud to himself when he's alone. Whatever works.
[Lance prefers paper, and there are plenty of empty books at the library to use, but he understands why someone might worry about having their thoughts in a form that someone might be able to find and read.]
If he's willing to, yes, and that would probably be even more effective.
That depends. If there's a distinct theme in his nightmares, whether in content or even just emotion or feeling, then talking about that might be best. Alternatively, if there's a problem or issue that is on his mind often while he's awake, that could also cause the dreams and so discussing it could work.
[Sorry Kyna; Lance misjudged how long it would take to find and eat a snack before she arrived, and so by the time she asks the question he's kind of in the middle of shoving what looks like an uncooked block of ramen noodles in his mouth. That might be because it really is an uncooked block of ramen noodles.
Don't judge him.
So he makes a briefly apologetic expression, taking a moment to finish the bite before responding.]
Hey, sorry. The usual, mostly; making sure we're prepared for any further Null-induced violence.
[It's amazing there hasn't been more than there already has been, really. And he leads the way back toward his office, since it's quieter and there's less chance of any stray magic going somewhere it shouldn't.]
I know, but that would've taken more time and effort.
[He would've had to find a bowl or a mug or something, either boil the water or use the microwave, etc. It would've also taken like, a whole three minutes, and that much functioning is a little beyond him at the moment.
Which is why it's surely the best time to learn magic, right? Speaking of which, he's going to just kind of redirect away from his depressing attempt at a snack, and--]
[Lance gives her a flat look for that, although he's clearly not actually bothered by the comment.]
I usually get 'I expected you to be older', so I guess I'll take 'stuffy' if just for the novelty.
[But more seriously--]
My job typically requires a certain sense of formality, which can definitely come across as stuffy, but if it isn't necessary then I try to avoid that impression.
[It gets exhausting to pretend you're not a huge dork all the time.]
[Kyna is also a huge dork, so formal makes her squirmy.]
So uh... the easiest spells to learn are called cantrips. They're the stuff you teach kids when they're first learning, you know? That's what we're gonna start with.
Lance nods in interest, suddenly all focus on the matter at hand, and even manages to avoid taking it personally that they're starting with little kids' magic. Any magic is better than none, so he's not about to complain.]
I still don't know what that means, but I'll take your word for it.
[And he will remind himself that he should master the kid-level magic before he even thinks about how cool it might be to have more powerful magic, if that's even possible. One step at a time.]
A focus lets you control your magic. Channel it, if that makes sense. Stronger spells need more magic, you know? It can be anything, like a necklace or a ring or whatever, but you need to perform a ritual to attune it to you.
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okay, cool. thanks.
uh, question number two?
i feel like i should be paying you for this.
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what about people who have really bad nightmares?
it's probably another treat the underlying trauma thing, right?
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It depends, but yes. However, sorting out one's thoughts before sleeping can often help, even if it's just by writing down whatever they're thinking or feeling before they go to sleep. Serious or recurring nightmares that go beyond normal or occasional ones tend to be related to the subconscious making sense of and coping with something that's happened, and so doing that as much as possible while awake can help.
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idk if he'll go for that but i guess it's worth a shot.
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[Lance prefers paper, and there are plenty of empty books at the library to use, but he understands why someone might worry about having their thoughts in a form that someone might be able to find and read.]
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what kind of thoughts should he be getting in order?
anything or just what he usually dreams about?
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That depends. If there's a distinct theme in his nightmares, whether in content or even just emotion or feeling, then talking about that might be best. Alternatively, if there's a problem or issue that is on his mind often while he's awake, that could also cause the dreams and so discussing it could work.
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i'll meet you at the clinic in like fifteen minutes?
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Sure, I'll see you there.
action!
Hey. What's up?
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Don't judge him.
So he makes a briefly apologetic expression, taking a moment to finish the bite before responding.]
Hey, sorry. The usual, mostly; making sure we're prepared for any further Null-induced violence.
[It's amazing there hasn't been more than there already has been, really. And he leads the way back toward his office, since it's quieter and there's less chance of any stray magic going somewhere it shouldn't.]
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Is that ramen? Dude, come on. Love yourself.
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[Sure, it's not exactly amazing or good for you or anything else positive, but it could be a lot worse.]
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[He would've had to find a bowl or a mug or something, either boil the water or use the microwave, etc. It would've also taken like, a whole three minutes, and that much functioning is a little beyond him at the moment.
Which is why it's surely the best time to learn magic, right? Speaking of which, he's going to just kind of redirect away from his depressing attempt at a snack, and--]
So... How exactly does this work?
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I was expecting you to be more... I don't know. Stuffy.
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I usually get 'I expected you to be older', so I guess I'll take 'stuffy' if just for the novelty.
[But more seriously--]
My job typically requires a certain sense of formality, which can definitely come across as stuffy, but if it isn't necessary then I try to avoid that impression.
[It gets exhausting to pretend you're not a huge dork all the time.]
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[Kyna is also a huge dork, so formal makes her squirmy.]
So uh... the easiest spells to learn are called cantrips. They're the stuff you teach kids when they're first learning, you know? That's what we're gonna start with.
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Lance nods in interest, suddenly all focus on the matter at hand, and even manages to avoid taking it personally that they're starting with little kids' magic. Any magic is better than none, so he's not about to complain.]
Okay, sure.
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[She waves her hand.]
Thing. We'd have to do it together.
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[And he will remind himself that he should master the kid-level magic before he even thinks about how cool it might be to have more powerful magic, if that's even possible. One step at a time.]
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[And doesn't sound too terrible.]
But if it's not necessary for cantrips, how do I control or channel magic for them? We don't have anything like this in my world.
[Aside from fiction, anyway, and only as far as he knows. But he definitely doesn't have any experience with any of this, so he's lost.]
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[She's smiling a little, so it's clear she's teasing him on at least some level.]
It feels different for everyone. For me it's like... I don't know. Like feeding electricity through a circuit. You'll know what I mean.
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