#Ultimatumverse

[applejuicemania]

L.V. (Level of Violence) Essay that I wrote for world building; and it suddenly got REALLY long.

Albeit, mostly under the interpretation of my AU, UnderGrowth, I do believe a majority of it can be applicable towards other AUs and main Undertale as well! Feel free to take a look and, if you like it, use it! :)

!! This will likely be subjected to change the more ideas I get to expand on this concept!! I hope that everyone understands that this is still a work-in-progress, and that some ideas might not make complete sense until I figure out an established set of bounds of 'it does this because of this' and yadda yadda. However, I was really excited (and nervous) to share, so I still revealed this ramble; I hope that no one minds!

If you have your own ideas for this concept, please feel free to expand! I love to hear different ideas and criticisms, so please don't be afraid to say anything!

Thank you!! <3

L.V., or Level of Violence, is a disease (or, as some may like to call it, a being) that has a physical, mental, magical, and/or emotional effect on the body, mind, and Soul, of varying advantages and disadvantages to each individual. L.V. is ranked by a numerical system to make categorizing and identification easier upon both the individual and the Underground. Rather, depending on how the disease is acquired and your L.V. number (and of the likelihood of your L.V. number lowering), symptoms can be either temporary or permanent. Most *Münstrae and Humans average between L.V. One to Three, although it is becoming increasingly more common to find Humans with a L.V. category of Four, Five, and even Six in current times.

Your Level of Violence is characterized by a multitude of ranking categories to determine your L.V. number, of which the scale ranges from L.V. One (the lowest) to L.V. Twenty (the highest). What will be considered is your Intent, your Acts, and how the event(s)/act(s) will affect your ability to do violence in the future, as well as any extenuating circumstances, such as protecting yourself or another, or mental and/or magical illnesses, in the name of protecting your people/home, (etc.). Each section will be counted as EXP, also known as Execution Potential or Experience Points, and the higher your EXP, the higher your L.V. number will be.

The categories will be listed down below:

[ How Many Lives Have You Taken? ]

This is to say, how many have you killed in your lifetime, no matter if it was accidental or on purpose, on your willingness. It regards your Intent to kill, under what circumstances, and the manner in which you performed this action. Taking away someone’s life is very impactful and can truly change someone once done, especially if the option of Mercy was taken away.

> What would be considered as 'lives?'

> > answer :

beings of sentience and intelligence (Humans, Münstrae, Creatures like Dragons, Goblins, Werewolves, and etc. of similar); animals and conscious plants (if you were hunting them with malicious Intent, rather than for food and survival.)

[ How Many Individuals Have You Purposefully Hurt? ]

Remark on my wording, I did not say “kill”, I say “hurt”. By this, I mean, to have caused suffering to another being to such severity, the individual is scarred in some form or fashion, and the actions to do this came with an Intent to do harm, a willingness. If you really mean to do harm to another, regardless to if they forgive you or they heal from what was done, that will hold a lasting effect to your ability to do continual harm, to your readiness towards violence. This is where you will receive a vast majority of your EXP, and thus a high L.V. number, because you are causing prolonged suffering before either letting the victim live, die, or killing them; you are deriving something from causing violence, there is no 'accidental' about it.

> Under what definition would you consider an individual 'hurt'?

> > answer :

When I think of hurt, what first comes to mind is something physical, like the individual is enacting violence, say bullying or assault or abuse, onto you. Something that you can visibly see and its lasting imprints. However, I also think that a lot of victims undergo psychological and emotional hurt as well, which is equally - if not more so - lasting as physical hurt. It begs to differ where we draw the line.

If the individual is to continually bully another by making their life harder via rumors, making them do their bidding, harmful words, 'pranks', and the like because of one thing or another, regardless of a sympathetic reason or not, I'd think they would be a receiver of EXP. While the abuse is not physical, it is still damaging and can leave lasting imprints. However, if the individual just speaks harshly, just got some mean words without backing, I wouldn't consider that a receiver of EXP. It's just a rougher person or someone with a grouchy spirit, and that doesn't outright mean they are a bad person; they're just talking shit.

I think, all-in-all, it depends on the circumstances and how the victim(s) has suffered.

[ How Keen Are You To Conducting Violence? ]

Once you get a taste, the likelihood of continual violence is increased, and depending on how this question is answered depends on the Judgement and the treatments received.

It holds a ranking system of its own:

From One, as it horrifies you to the point of physical symptoms to even think of doing such violence to another being; you would be the sort that would be unable to hunt another creature, even if to feed your family.

To Ten, as the thought of maiming or slaughter excites you, is euphoric in whatever sense, and exasperates the impulsivity to do it again; you would be the sort to create a mass genocide or be a serial killer of your wildest dreams, regardless of the original reasoning behind why you began.

It doesn’t contribute much at all to your L.V. number if you rank three or below, but it does gradually begin to mean much more if your chance of maiming or killing another is at or above fifty/fifty.

Of course, the cycle of violence being continued isn't always a reasonable assumption because everyone does things for a wild array reasons. While you may have done acts of violence, it is possible that you did not want to do them to begin with. In reference to our military that did what they needed to protect their home and innocents, to victims that felt that this is what they needed to do to escape the situation, all of whom did what they felt was needed for what they were faced with.

This question is often used as a follow-up after a perpetrator is caught doing an act of violence, or more specifically, after a first or second offense of said violence.

While conducting these tests to determine your L.V. number, you will be under the eye of a Lie Detector (a specialist with the ability to detect truth, lies, and/or opinions), or under the influence of a truth serum. This is for as much accuracy as possible within your answers, and therefore a better accuracy of your L.V..

Once L.V. has been acquired beyond the standard threshold of L.V. Three, it is recommended that for the individual to register their L.V. number for both safety of the patient and for the society. If found out that you are an unregistered L.V. being beyond threshold, or even higher, it will be forcibly registered with a consequence of either a hefty fine and/or jail time, dependent on both the L.V. number and if faced with resistance.

Mental and Magical Stability also plays a key role on how to consider your L.V., because while your Soul, you, may have little to no intent to maim or kill, it isn’t like you can control your mental or magical state completely to follow your consciousness or reason. Magical and Mental illnesses are a very real thing and their effects can lead to permanent marks on your Soul (or can affect others around the individual, or can lead to said individual being used/abused in some shape or form), to which is why it is taken very seriously when reported.

Head Trauma and past/present abuse (either that be physically, mentally, emotionally, sexually, through substances, etc.) can also affect your Mental and Magical stability, and is treated just as seriously for if you had an illness, disorder, or disease. While it may not be you (you, as in the conscious and stable you), it is still, in essence, a part of you, which can contribute to your overall Level of Violence. It is recommended that you see a Doctor or Specialist to help you overcome these obstacles, to help you heal, and to have your own control of your livelihood.

As mentioned earlier, your number can rise or lower in a time period, and there have been cases where one’s Level has returned to One. This is possible through various treatments that have been developing for a great number of years, such as: therapy, medications, or environmental changes, and Soul surgeries (albeit, very unrecommended as it is a harmful procedure, physically, mentally, and morally).

It is recommended that, once you have acquired L.V., to go for a check-up once every six months, to keep track of your health and L.V., in the case or especially of fluctuations of either. L.V. is a very unstable being/substance, in which fluctuation and shifting symptoms occur quite often to 70% of affected individuals.

The Judges of the Court (including: The Royal Judge) and Doctors/Healers that have studied L.V. extensively (a minimum of ten years obtained knowledge/experience, including a license) are the only beings able to legally consider your SOUL and its L.V. to give you a number, and to have said number registered.

There are others that are able to give an equally as accurate - if not more so in some cases - reading of your SOUL, but if they are unable to control their abilities, it can be extremely invasive, in violation of certain Rights if voiced/found out, and lead to problematic situations; by that reasoning, it is why there is an unspoken rule to not say a word of their findings (unless in certain circumstances). In some villages and towns, it is even considered illegal for those with **Sight, ***psychic abilities, or a high Sense stat to regard your SOUL and register your L.V., regardless of if they are able to control that ability or not. If caught, punishment is dependent on the village(s) or town(s) that you broke the law in, and therefore is in their jurisdiction to punish you accordingly, as long as it does not break Underground Law or take away any Rights.

[ symptoms : ]

[Permanent]

(L.V. Four - L.V. Twenty)

| A cloudy, translucent, and/or dusty residue on the surface of your SOUL once breached L.V. Four; can overtake a section or the entire expansion of the SOUL, and the more that you obtain, the further the substance molds into your being. In cases of high L.V., it has even shown to decay parts of your SOUL, leaving empty husk sections that is irreparable.

This residue is your L.V. taking a physical form due to continual intense emotions that has caused you to do or as a result from doing such harmful acts. It's a manifestation of a corrupted line of Magic Essence, contaminated by frequent harmful Intent, that has formed and eventually attached itself onto your SOUL.

[???]

(L.V. Two - L.V. Twenty)

| Rising in stats

Such as H.P. (Health Perseverance / Hope; how long can you withstand?), ATK (Attack Points / Strength; how hard do you hit?), DEF (Defense Points / Fortification; how hard is it to hurt you?), MANA (Magic Potency; how much and how strong is your magic?), SPD (Speed Points / Agility; how quick-footed are you?), SEN (Sense / Awareness; how well do you know your surroundings?)

Each and every stat is raised once you have garnered L.V., as it is making your SOUL and physical being a stronger, more versatile, and more concrete vessel to contain this substance. If your being, in every sense of the word, is not sturdy enough to hold the more you obtain it, then the L.V. will eat you alive like a parasite. The increase of Stats is both something given to you by L.V., which wants you to be stronger to keep feeding it, and your SOUL, to be stronger so that you may continue living. The percentage of what is giving how much depends on the individual, but it isn't unheard of L.V. being the sole benefactor to stat increases.

Once you’ve become more familiar with the substance known as L.V. and your being is of sturdy enough structure to contain it, many have learned that they could shift this growth towards specific stats.

[Permanent]

(L.V. Nine/Ten - L.V. Twenty)

| L.V. Surges/Breakdowns

L.V. and You begin as separate, but the more that you acquire, the further it begins to stick to you — eventually, You and L.V. become one and the same.

Surges come in two types: Infection and Control.

An Infection Surge is where the want for Violence from your L.V. is of equal influence, of want, to you, and can result in a sort of madness or frenzy in the form of killing, pillaging, and torture. Anything that results in feeding into the violence, and therefore the disease. This is especially apparent after a recent mass killing session, frequent or regular killing/maiming, or an act of violence that was specifically euphoric. This type of Surge affects SOULs with Justice and Determination the most, as well as those that have a keen thirst for vengeance or believes that killing is an appealing or applicable solution to their situation.

A Control Surge occurs when the L.V. within takes ahold of your negative emotions and intensifies them, to the point that you have no choice (ie. like 'blacking out' or 'seeing red') but to take action; or, when L.V. spots a weakness within your defenses, your willpower, and forcibly takes control (a consequence of an L.V. breakdown). It's an overpowering affect over your being, essentially putting your consciousness on the backburner while this substance takes ahold of your body. Due to this force of control, it does damage to your SOUL by cracking it with the sheer authority of L.V.. Monsters that faced an individual overtaken by a Control Surge would be unable to cause said monster to 'regain consciousness' or fully knock them out, due to how L.V. can control the body regardless of you being there or not. It would be up to the individual to prevail and push for control. Unfortunately, that meant there was little for a Monster to do against the rampage besides incapacitate them some how, via entrapment, limb loss, death, and a safer method found in more current times, coma.

L.V. Breakdowns are different, in the terms that it’s a disagreement between You and the L.V., and instead of keeping you within relative physical stability, it begins to act like a poison. It attacks your immune and magic systems to the point of either the L.V. wins (to act upon impulse violence, which results in a Control Surge), your SOUL wins (to not act), or death. It's a battle within yourself, two beings fighting over the same SOUL; and it's so damaging to said SOUL because it's like playing tug-a-war mentally and reliving trauma physically. It's an onslaught on your senses to make you give up, but you know that you shouldn't, you can't, because you don't want to, because someone is going to get hurt and it's your fault. It can result in cracks to your SOUL, physical wounds on your body via yourself or overcharged magic, and/or injury to your magic essence and veins.

TL;DR :

Infection Surge; L.V. and You are in the driving seat because of wanting to the same thing to such extreme lengths of desire. results in mass genocides, euphoric killing/torture.

Control Surge; L.V. overpowers you for driver seat and you're stuck in the backseat, watching it do some real crazy terrible shit; either because of a L.V. Intensified blackout or a loss in a Breakdown. results in further trauma and cracks on SOUL.

L.V. Breakdown; L.V. and You are duking it out in the backseat to see who gets to drive because yall can't agree on nothing. If L.V. wins, Control Surge. If you win, you get to drive but with a mental breakdown on the horizon. If neither, yallre dead.

[temporary/affects specific individuals]

(a/n;; if yall have a better naming idea, please do not hesitate lmao, because I dont think i uh described this right??)

(L.V. Ten - L.V. Twenty)

| Apathy

Once your L.V. begins to hit the double digits, your range and strength of emotions begins to dwindle, due to how the L.V. leeches your SOUL. Now, certain treatments that has managed to tame or reverse L.V. has shown that this apathy can be toned down or completely eradicated. Studies have also shown that this intense apathy doesn't apply to 20% of high L.V. users, for strength of SOUL and certain soul traits has shown to counteract it.

[permanent or temporary (depends)/affects specific individuals]

| Mental Instability

(L.V. Four/Seven - L.V. Twenty)

L.V. intensifies your negativity and likes to play with your feelings, mess with your mind, because it makes it easier to keep you beneath its thumb. If you feel guilt, paranoia, remorse, anger, and/or whatever else it can latch onto, L.V. will make it so unbearable to the point of physical symptoms and even a sort of madness by making your emotions stronger, your thoughts harder to push away. These extremities, if unable to rein it in, is going to make the individual do whatever it can to satisfy these thoughts and emotions to whatever way possible.

It wants to exploit weakness so that it may be in control, to lower your impulse control so that you may conduct violence more frequently. Therefore, it's going to fight you every step of the way if you continue to oppose it, mostly through mentality and your own magical essence. It is going to make you feel like you are about to shatter; just one more thing, and you're gone.

If you already have a mental illness or disorder (anxiety, depression, bipolar, OCD, etc.), L.V. is going to make it feel five times worse, like a continuous onslaught that you will have no reprieve from. Like your mental illness is on steroids, a continuous bad day. Unless, your strength of SOUL is able to overcome this obstacle to lessen the effects, or you find a way to take it in stride and overcome it your own way. This symptom is common with those in the military.

[permanent/temporary (depends)]

(L.V. Four - L.V. Twenty)

| Mutations

If your body and/or SOUL has shown to be unable to contain L.V. and your continual acquiring of it despite stat increase, or if you develop L.V. too rapidly for your body and/or SOUL to adapt, Your SOUL will forcibly adjust its vessel to ensure survival. L.V. is like a parasite, a disease, a being, that will continue to eat you until there is nothing left. To counteract this, your Strength of SOUL, or also known as how much you want to continue living, your willpower, will adapt and change any way it needs to, to keep beating. Mutations are dependent mostly on what you increase your stats on, and the effects of either temporary or permanent depends on how drastic the mutation is.

ATK ;; physical growth or enlargement of spikes, horns, claws, projectiles (like quills or hardened hair) etc., bulking of muscles, change of Magic essence or formation (etc.)

Due to how quickly you grow these mutations however, you will experience pain in the afflicted area for an unmeasurable time. The rate of pain is determined to how quickly you obtained the L.V. and thus the mutation.

Mutation Examples Below:

DEF ;; hardening/increased density of skin/bones, stronger stomach acids, growth of scales or flat appendages, change of Magic formation (etc.)

MANA ;; enlarging of Magic veins to support increased Magic essence, increase in build (height, weight, width) due to rapid increase in magic essence, (etc.)

SEN ;; enhanced hearing, eyesight, taste, touch, smell, growth of extra appendages like eyes and/or arms, strengthened 'gut instinct' or '6th Sense' (etc.)

(a.n.;; I had the idea that, in later L.V. numbers, like fourteen/fifteen, that your stats would be mutated regardless of if you speedran L.V. or not. Due to your body obtaining more of whichever stat than what it can normally handle, and so it will change to compensate for it via a mutation. I am not sure on how to add that onto the symptoms list however and I am not sure if I should add it as a 'case-by-case' or not. I just want to explain why Cross get the horns in L.V. Twenty but Nightmare is still regular ol' squidward soup when he's L.V. Twenty; I mean, yeah, Cross is STRONK, but why? *proceeds to write a whole essay to explain*)

Despite the array, it is possible that the perpetrator doesn't gain certain symptoms, such as if the individual and L.V. coincide well with one another and/or if the individual has little to no emotions to be exploited. They are the sort of individuals that believe there is nothing wrong with their continual use of harmful intent, are believing the victim is deserving of it, and/or find positive emotions in enacting this intent onto others. Serial killers, rapists, most abusers, and those that does frequent business with torture are prime examples of the aforementioned. Those with psychopathic (and the often case of sociopathic) tendencies or disorders are also excluded from certain symptoms, as due to their disconnect to their emotions, lack of empathy, and their common tendencies for wrongful behavior.

However, just because these perpetrators do not experience certain listed symptoms, does not mean that L.V. isn't still eating away at their Soul. It doesn't stop just because the individual and the disease works well together, in fact it feels more like a false companionship because you're under the delusion that L.V. isn't hungry, that it is going stop because you are appeasing it. By working with it, you are prolonging the inevitability of your death, and while medications may stall it even further, the more you feed it with your violence, the further your Soul will rot beneath the weight of your sins.

L.V. One through L.V. Three, and even early stages of L.V. Four, do not experience the full harshness of these symptoms, if they experience them whatsoever. They are without the physical manifestation of L.V. on their SOUL, meaning that treatment is easier received. Most case scenarios involving these low L.V. numbers include therapy, medicines, and/or an environmental change to help with the healing process, and relative ease into integrating or remaining in normal society.

Due to the variety of symptoms that can vary to each individual, treatments also vary. Either issued by the Court as repentance to your sins or recommended by an L.V. specialist, it will always begin as acknowledgement to what you've done and admittance that L.V. is a disease that you don't need to live. Depending on the circumstances of which you've been acquiring L.V. and your relationship with it, beyond the first step, your second step will be something specific to overcome whatever your circumstances are. Of course, outside conditions can void the second step, depending on what Judgement has said on your Intent.

| Therapy

[treatments]

Via L.V. Specialist certified specifically for L.V. Patients or a Therapist specified for their circumstances (such as abuse, a mental illness, or a trauma) that made them garner L.V.

This is the most common first treatment that a majority of L.V. patients undergo. It is the safest route, as these specialized therapists are equipped to handle high L.V. surges/breakdowns or any other mishap that may occur; or, in the case of a therapist for your circumstances, most commonly with patients of mid to low L.V., have their own methods that have shown to work just as well. (If they were to encounter a higher L.V. patient however, those methods would be less affected due to how connected the L.V. and Patient is at that point.)

| Medications

Specifically, medicine that is attuned to L.V., corrupted magics, and SOULs, which has proven most effective to counteract symptoms of L.V.. Chemical and Herbal Medicines have shown to work on a stance by stance situation, mostly commonly when a mental illness is at play and its intensifying or going hand-and-hand with L.V. symptoms. Receiving of medication often goes together with Therapy, as the therapist would be able to make a more concrete decision, based on what you've said and what they've observed, that would be more effective. Of course, there are other ways to obtain L.V. medicine without visiting a therapist, like visiting a psychiatrist, websites, or even the black market.

Medications for L.V. specifically, to counteract L.V. growth and/or its symptoms, has been created more recently in early 1900s/late 1800s, by Royal Doctor Alphys Aaragon and, Head L.V. Specialist, Doctor Maylis Elisedd. Those submitted to the trials to test these new medications didn't always come back, but due to the contract that these patients had signed stating this as a possibility, loved ones and authorities were unable to do anything about it. They were successful after a number of years and these new medications were released to the public with more effective results and less severe of symptoms, making it a revolution. For single-digit L.V. individuals or for individuals in which the L.V. hasn't attached so closely to the Soul yet, it was found that the mix of both the new medication, therapy, and/or good environment has even caused the L.V. to recede. Before specialized medications were created, there was medicines that strengthened your Soul, that numbed or disconnected your magics, and/or that vaguely counteracted L.V. symptoms. Of course, side affects were reoccurring, especially by medicines created with chemicals or mixed magics; there were cases of Soul and heart attacks, loss of limbs for Monsters that encompassed 70% or more of magic, magic sicknesses, out-right rejection, and even worsening of symptoms. The safest route for medicine was herbal, and with the magic-contaminated plants now available after the ****Vegetation Wars, they proved to have an extra edge. However, it wasn't enough to fully treat L.V. and make it easier for those with L.V. to live in a society that, in more recent times (1800's onwards), viewed L.V. individuals as lesser than, as true monsters. It was like drinking hot tea to help you sleep, and while it didn't always work, it isn't like it made anything worse than it already is.

| SOUL Surgeries

While a topic of ethnically wrong decisions, similar to the discussion of assisted suicide amongst Humans, it is still something available to those of right mind to make. The physical and psychological consequences, however, are vast and various, and the procedure is delicate, high-risk. It is like cutting off a tumor around your brain or heart. Higher L.V. patients between fifteen and twenty are the most common recipients of this surgery, as long as they are of sound mind to receive it. It isn't uncommon, however, for mid-L.V. patients to ask of the same procedure, albeit at a higher success rate than higher L.V. patients. If a low L.V. patient was to undergo the surgery, the success rate would be astronomically higher, as long as the L.V. hasn't fully bonded to the Soul. Dependent of how much the L.V. has eaten away at your Soul, part of the procedure will include cutting away at the dead husks created by extensive L.V. residency. As a result of this, emotional and/or magical capacity will diminish, mutations will either experience weakness, numbness, or decay, short-term memory capacity is lowered, and, in some cases (roughly 35%), memories will be lost; these consequences, occurring to 70-75% cases, as well as the low survival rate to L.V. patients that lower further the higher the L.V., are the result of much debate, of whether or not it's worth it. However, even without the dead parts of Soul to cut away, removing L.V. from such an important organ is still dangerous due to how closely L.V. bonds. If you scrape away too much, you risk permanent damage to the Soul, resulting in minor symptoms of the aforementioned consequences. 75-80% of those that receive and survive the surgery report that, despite the newfound difficulties, they feel as if a weight has been freed from both mind and Soul. A majority still remember their sins, but therapy and support has proven stable rehabilitation into a better life.

Soul Surgeries, in general and in regards to L.V. removal, is something that is still being finessed since its more extensive introduction in the late 1900s, early 2000s. While there has been sayings of procedures on the Souls in the past, throughout Münstra history, it was considered widely dangerous, unethical, religiously challenging, and, in some towns and villages, illegal. It was an undiscussed, and therefore stilted, topic in medicine due to the delicacy and encompassment of being the Soul was considered; most would remark that it would change the monster if one were to change the Soul. Unless in specific cases, this was later found to not be the case.

In current Münstra society, opinion on L.V. and those that have accumulated L.V. has soured, and while for understandable reasoning, people forget that some of these individuals are victims themselves. Those afflicted with L.V. has lessened drastically over the years since King Asgore Dreamurr has established peace across the Underground and appointed a new, justifiable and people-serving, charter of Law, to the point of 9% or less of Münstra carries L.V. in current times (at least, known). While it is good for this disease to be afflicted against less Monsters, it isn't good that the knowledge of L.V. has been misconstrued and made less common. L.V. should neither be demonized or appraised, but rather acknowledged with facts that it is a disease, however later years has shown society hanging onto both spectrums of misunderstanding.

Most L.V. individuals of twelve and higher are a resident of the Royal Court Prison, Judgement been made on their Intent, and are under specified treatments as order by the Court. Those between L.V. five and eleven are regarded as the growth of a 'true' monster by more close-minded folk, often founded in the Capital and built-up parts of Hotland, although not unheard of in the city within the Ruins. Religious-centered folk, dependent on the religion, felt that L.V. was a curse bestowed upon the affected Monster as repentance for sin in a past life; others had felt that L.V. was a sign that the monster was an evil worshipper of a dark deity, and must be punished and/or exorcised accordingly. In the mid-1900s, there were hate crimes against L.V. individuals in accordance to these beliefs, and while have been settle and diminished once the King has stepped in, it does not mean that this antagonization has completely halted.

It has been reported in a number of articles and personal accounts that it has been more difficult for L.V. five through eleven individuals to find jobs and embark on careers comparably to monsters with L.V. one through four. While not explicitly saying so, colleges, universities, apartment residencies, mortgage and loan approvals, and 65-75% of business refusal ratings against five-eleven Monsters are thrice-fold higher than the refusal ratings against one-four Monsters. This has led to L.V. individuals submitting to a life of crime, or taking refuge as a part of the homeless/unemployed populace. However, due to the fact that L.V. affected Monsters take up such a small percentage of society and the misinformation surrounding L.V., this issue has mostly been ignored or unknown.

Before the 1600s, when war and outlandish battles were frequent, as was the accumulation of L.V., Monster society took the disease more in stride as an understanding that, well, shit happens. Of course, exceptions did occur, but L.V. was so frequent, especially during and after the wars and Queen Gamora's rule, that they were unable to avoid what had felt like the inevitable. Everyone wasn't doing that well, it felt like another fact of life that someone ought to suffer for it. While under a terrible reasoning for, it was more equalizing than in current times.

In the future, hopeful future now that Multiverse Borders have been controlled and there revealed to be bigger and more expansive societies in entirely different universes, Undergrowth will work to completely satisfy its own issues. They have already begin the progress, as a mostly-accepting society that it is, and while no one can completely vanquish another's opinion or bigotry, protections will be put into place for those undeserving of it.

*Münstra/Münstrae ;; (moon-st-rr-ah) ;; What Monsters were originally called before they became referred to as 'Monsters' for easier pronunciation and reference by Humans. Like how Homo Sapiens was shortened to Humans, and then Humans divided further by 'Americans', 'Mexicans', Cantonese', etc.. The original 'Münstra' name came about in recollection of how they all have a white Soul; like the moonlight, their Souls was a beacon of Hope in the shroud of darkness.

**Sight ;; It is an umbrella term that encompasses a variety of abilities that falls under it: past sight, future sight, sight into a different dimension, status-window sight, etc.

***Psychic Abilities ;; An individual's magic forms in a wide variety of ways specific to their Soul, both internally and externally. This also includes magics that are decisively psychic, like telekinesis and levitation and the like. In this instance of psychic, I am referring to mind-reading, shared empathy, and anything else that is similar.

****Vegetation Wars ;; In the late 1300s, early 1400s, it was found that the plants surrounding Münstra civilization was absorbing all of the negative emotions, all of the harmful Intent, all of the spilt magic and blood and everything between from the time the Münstra race was sealed Underground until the end of the Civil War against the royal factions. There was nowhere for this negativity and foul magic to dissipate, all of it trapped within the barrier, and so it sat, festered. This led to it being absorbed by the undergrowth and, well, allowing it to form a sort of consciousness, a newfound mobility and reason to embark on what all life wants - survival.

Basically - the plants are alive and they want to eat, they want all of the territory, and they don't like the Monsters for giving them this consciousness. Monsters really didn't mean to do that, they were just in a bad place emotionally and mentally by the previous cruel rule of Queen Gamora; but they just got their freedom, by hell are they going to let it go because of some damn carrots and celery with the maturity of a peanut. By hence, war until a truce was formed.

[applejuicemania]

It's a scrapped scene of a story that I've been trying to write, but I like it too much to simply throw away. (￣▽￣;)

For context; them murder boys were sent to an AU during lunch rush by hence the Blob[tm] reject known as their boss. It is literally just a character introduction, I just didn't set the tone right.

warning; one (1) cuss word

"...Seems like a good place to start."

Bane chirped a sharp whistle, a jagged grin like a dagger wide set on his rounded skull. He stood with the arrogant confidence of a middle school teenager that has managed to obtain a kiss from someone other than his mother, with fisted-hands firm on his hips and a dramatic chin jut. What a cute, charming boy, many would suspect, and by attitude and lithe statue alone you would be correct to assume — until he would whine a petulant 'but I'm twenty-eight!' in a very grown-up manner, of course.

Bane couldn't stay long in his main-protagonist pose, his body demanded the constant movement as if it would combust if stayed still a little too long. His hands flung in a spectacular coordination, his target-esque Soul bumbling, "It's like, rush hour right now so there's a lot of folk out n' about. A lot'a negativities and whatever, so—"

Ghoul, Bane's smaller than small brother in arms, hummed in absentminded agreement, their gaze steadfast into the distance of a busy intersection. Perhaps not as boyish or overly confident as his fellow skeleton companion, they were of the tranquil, patient sort that watched for drama rather than create it. If gifted with a different appearance than the mangled, dog-torn one they bore, they would blend into the background like the weeds between the sidewalk. They swayed idly on the balls of their feet and fiddled with a fraying drawstring of their threadbare jacket, the picture of someone with an empty skull — pun fully intended.

Ghoul continued to pay no heed to Bane, who continued in his comical charade, complete with some sort of jazz hand-tap dance combo of a bizarre notion — yet the same could not be said to the third member of the trio of loitering idiots.

"Bane." Called the jolly-good murder twig, heteromantic red-blue eyelights glaring from his sockets like a 3-D glasses reject with a growing, exhausted irritation. "Bane — shut up. shut the fuck up."

Ruin was as thin as he was tall, which was very, and he would look to be an even six foot height if he found the energy to straighten his usual lazy slouch. In a way, he looked like a delusional madman that you would find under the bridge, the figurative troll that would eat you if you didn't answer his riddle. Face obscured in a constant shadow, it was uncertain if it was his magic or his too-small hood to cast the mask; it was a deterrent all the same, hidden away securely and immensely terrifying. His flat teeth gnashed and grinded, noticeable only by the crack! his jaw creaked, and really you ought to wonder if it is the irritation getting to his temper or rather the sins that constantly claw up his spine.

To the ominous glare thrown his way, Bane was nonplussed. Nonchalant, cool as a cucumber as you could say. As if in mockery, he paused a moment, empty sockets staring blankly dead ahead and body frozen statuesque — but, well, "Anyways! I think it'll be real cool if we—"

The tallest skeleton huffed and shrunk a bit further into his shoulders, biting back a groan of annoyance. His fuzzy-gloved hands digged further into his basketball short's pockets, searching for refuge or maybe better, a knife. Ruin thought he might've succeeded in collecting the latter and might've indulged on an impulse, if not for the quiet tug.

At the end of Ruin's jacket sleeve, bunched at his elbow crook, Ghoul looked up with a knowing, unblinking eye. From the angle, Ruin could see the vivid gleam of their swollen, determination-red eye escaping the fist-sized hole at the top of their skull, shimmering from the spider-webbing cracks. The implications of it halted Ruin, treating the flare of light as a warning, because if he didn't — the consequences would be worse than the pleasure.

With a benign, comforting pat, Ghoul redirected their long stare elsewhere, and with the gaze removed, Ruin released a breath he didn’t know he held. Misshapen, burnt and gnawed and torn apart, hands rose, redirecting the attention of Ghoul’s compadres enough for him to sign a message: [y’all. start mission, now. is twelve noon.]