Okay, so I've been thinking a lot about monster biology and souls as a vital organ rather than just a place to hold the psyche.
And not just A vital organ, either, THE vital organ. I'm talkin' heart, lungs, liver, nerves here.
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I sort of based the lifecycle and form of what I think a soul would be on stars, substituting gravity for intentions and matter for magic.
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Another part of the a monster soul being a vital organ that regulates the body's mana would be that it is firmly embeded in at the heart of a network of manalines/leylines and cannot be removed without killing the monster's body.
The body is a complex contruct of magic and dust, held together with intentions.
I also like to think that intentions are to monsters sort of what hormones are to humans, being used by the soul to influence and maintain the body. This would also explain monsters' sensitivity to intention, for better or worse.
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I didn't put exact lifespans for each stage here, but I can approximate what I think they would be.
Cloud - dependent on amount of magic and strength of intent, but I would say anywhere from a few minutes to an hour, though it can dissapate within seconds as soon as intent fades.
Globule - same as cloud, but less quickly dispersed.
Protosoul - depends on the gestation period of the monster, anywhere from days to years.
Soul - depends on the life expectancy of the monster's subspecies, anywhere from days to eons.
Radiant Soul - a fraction of a second
Dark Soul - however long it takes a fallen monster to dust, which usually depends on mana supply. anywhere from seconds to weeks.
Artifact Core - however long it takes to drain the artifact of the mana stored within. minutes to centures depending on starting amount, recharging, and intensity of usage.
Broken Core - a few seconds
Dead Core - that is a rock my dude, it's gonna last however long a rock lasts, which is usually a pretty long time.
Black Hole - a fraction of a second
White Flash - a fraction of a second
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Was that coherent? I dunno.
Definetly gonna expand on this later. Feel free to ask questions in the meantime if you want to hear my thoughts, and form opinions of your own if not.
I'll get to explaining artifacts and echoes once I find that dang journal and get my notes in order. For now all you gotta know that an echo is sort of a ghost and an artifact is a really cool magic rock, and that Dust Sans is going to be my example guy for that, uh...yap.
Yeah I think I'll be calling these yaps. Fruityaps. Fruitbat's fruityaps. Hehe.