#SINCE WE'RE ON OUR PK BULLSHIT TONIGHT

[gentletwin]

Headcanon: Lucas, mind-reading, empathy, and how it affects his everyday life.

Lucas and Claus’s PSI abilities weren’t apparent from birth, the way they are in some of the other Mother party members. They definitely displayed some early signs of having some sort of special abilities, such as Lucas’s propensity for understanding animals even before he could literally understand them. But they weren’t, say, levitating objects straight out of the womb. Those overtly psychic abilities wouldn’t become apparent until after Ionia awoke it in both of them.

That being said, Lucas can read your mind...but unlike other, more experienced psionics, he has to actively do it. Rather than walking by and just hearing a conversation in passing, it’s more like having to open a door in order to hear what’s being said on the other side for him. Not exactly a huge amount of effort, but still a conscious activity. But generally, he doesn’t open that door unless a) he’s given permission, b) he opens a telepathic conversation first, or c) he reads the room and feels like it’s necessary.

What does come to Lucas fairly unconsciously, though, is the emotions of others. He was already very sensitive before having PSI; unlocking those abilities just made him more of an empath in a very literal sense. He’s adjusted to this sensation and can generally compartmentalize his feelings vs the feelings of others in very low-stakes situations. It’s when emotions run hot that this experience gets more intense for him.

Sticking with the door analogy, it’s as if he were to walk past a door and, while not being able to make out the exact words that are being said unless he actively tries, he can definitely pick up on the tone of what’s being said without much effort at all. Not a huge deal if it’s just mundane small talk happening on the other side of that door; he can just sort of acknowledge it and move along, or just let it slide through his subconscious mind. But if someone on the other side of the door was letting out giddy victory cries, or sobbing audibly, or having a heated argument with someone else — that’s when the emotions come to the forefront of his mind. It might be why he’s so good at being the shoulder to cry on, despite being so young.

The flip side is that, for such an emotional person, his PSI is especially susceptible to changes in his emotions. An especially potent PK Love fueled by a desperate desire to keep his friends safe; a PK Fire in a Smash match that burns especially hot with competitive spirit; an especially effective heal fueled by desperation not to lose anyone else; it’s all well within the realm of possibility for him.

All that said? You probably wouldn’t want to have seen what Lucas looked like when confronting Porky.