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[nightmarist]

[Ronan's drunk. Of course he is. Inebriation is a necessary requirement when it comes to Ronan addressing the network at large, though he still handles himself better than 99% of the population on alcohol. He'd draped lazily across a hammock somewhere outdoors, a whiskey bottle cradled under one arm, his mohawk hanging limp and sticking to his sweaty face. His cheeks are rosy either with drink or sunburn.]

What's it like to meet your maker, anyway? As long as we're talking about fathers and gods and artificial intelligence. Like, did you ever meet yours? Not your dad. Your god, I mean. Was it disappointing? Because I think...

[Wherever that was going, he gets distracted and changes course.]

How do you be a good one, huh? Do you fucking... I don't know... answer prayers? Is it just the miracle thing? Is the making the thing or is it all the stuff that comes after? The taking care of, the guidance. Whatever.

I'm not being philosophical here, man. I'm talking practical. The steps to being a not-completely-shitty creator.

Comments

Voice

[aberrant_type]

A good parent armors their child with love for as long as they can, and does their best to prepare their offspring to survive without the parent.

[nightmarist]

And there's another problem.

[Ronan sighs and drinks more of this drink.]

[aberrant_type]

Is it the love or the survival that troubles you?

[I mean she has a good guess. She saw what happened to Matthew. But she likes to hear it sometimes]

[nightmarist]

Both, probably.

[He does not consider himself a great source of love.]

[aberrant_type]

[Hange laughs. There's something a little amusing about the blunt way he admits that.]

Hmm. Well, genuine love from parent to child can make up for many other foibles on the part of the parent, or so I believe, so perhaps you should practice.

[nightmarist]

[Ronan is all at once aware that he's becoming his father, and despite his worship of Niall Lynch, that idea makes him deeply uncomfortable.]

Practice an emotion?

[aberrant_type]

It's a strange idea, isn't it? Yet it can be done.

[nightmarist]

I can feel things just fine. It's not the feeling part I do wrong.

[aberrant_type]

Is it the expression you struggle with? That can be practiced too.

[nightmarist]

How?

[aberrant_type]

If it's love you wish to practice, you must try to perform many loving acts. Sharing kindness and support with others, and the like.

[nightmarist]

Gross.

1/2

[aberrant_type]

Haha!

[aberrant_type]

I'd say it's a requirement of sorts, for being a good parent, so if that's what you wish to be, perhaps put that reaction aside?

Besides, expressions of love can come in many ways. You would not express love for your horses, for instance, in the way you would express love for a sibling.

[nightmarist]

[Ronan grunts in protest. Species is not a meaningful distinction to him. His love for Matthew, Opal, and Chainsaw is expressed in more or less the same way, though they are three very different creatures.]

It's all so fucking saccharine.

[aberrant_type]

[???? weird. what a weird kid.]

I've never found it that way! When I tend to the needs of my horse, or my comrades, I'm doing an important service for them and reinforcing our bond. When they return the favor, such as they can, they demonstrate a shared commitment to our bond. It's practical.

[nightmarist]

That's a slightly more tolerable way to look at it.

[aberrant_type]

Right! For example, I am very fond of my horse. And the appropriate way to express that is to care for his health, make sure he's walked sufficiently after we run him hard, feed him a proper diet, groom him and house him comfortably, and so on and so on. When I first began riding him I would habitually pause him and make him bring back his head around and touch his eyes and face so he would become used to that, and now when flies bother him or land near his eyes, he knows he can trust me to clear them away and will bring his head around himself so I can brush them off.

In return, my horse comes with me into dangerous situations and is a courageous and loyal companion. I know I can rely on him to come to me when I call or whistle. This is the appropriate expression of affection between rider and steed, one of mutual benefit.

[nightmarist]

That's downright pragmatic. Do you feel like that about humans?

[aberrant_type]

Ronan! You want to learn about my most intimate relationships?

[nightmarist]

Is that scandalizing?

[aberrant_type]

I peed off the wall with my commanding officer once! It was the most wonderful bonding experience. He's contributed so much to who I am today!

[nightmarist]

Is that like a symbolic pissing on the entire world? I like that. I guess girls don't get to bond through pissing that often.

[aberrant_type]

A symbolic pissing on the entire world? No! A literal pissing on the titan threat, which puts all humanity in danger of destruction! Have I not told you about titans?

[Slightly blank voice. This is a little unfathomable for her.]

How?

[nightmarist]

No, you've told me.

[Wait. Has she? She must have. He does know.]