[ video ]

[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

[nightmarist]

No, you've told me.

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

[aberrant_type]

Let's test your knowledge! What do titans eat?

[nightmarist]

Humans, but they don't really get any nutrition out of it, so it's not so much eating as it is consuming.

[aberrant_type]

Ah, correct! Very good, Ronan!

When a titan's stomach is full, what happens?

[nightmarist]

It pukes and does it all over again.

[aberrant_type]

Correct! Excellent! How does the day cycle impact a titan?

[nightmarist]

They depend on the sun for energy, so they're fucked without it.

[aberrant_type]

Correct! What's the weak point on a titan? The place that must be struck for the beast to die?

[nightmarist]

The nape, which destroys its central nervous system.

[aberrant_type]

Correct!

...

Did I tell you about this...? [She doesn't think she did... then again, she's told other people about titans. None of the information she's shared is secret or something she wants to keep secret, like Ilse's speaking titans or Eren's shifting. Ronan could've easily picked it up from the network...]

[nightmarist]

I don't remember. You must have?

[aberrant_type]

I suppose... I share this freely... it's common knowledge for any young soldier, any young person really...

[This is so weird... she's wracking her brains for the conversation, and coming up dry. He must have just picked it up from her talking to other people.]

Anyway... going back to the original point, hmm. Humans are more complex than horses, and require different things, so I relate to humans differently.

[nightmarist]

Obviously. But do you treat people a certain way because you like them or because it'll get you what you need from them?

[aberrant_type]

I like people! And I need things from them. We fight together, after all. If I can't rely on them to watch my back, I can't fight with them.

I believe in being helpful, even kind, where possible. But I have limited time and energy, so I have to focus on people who'll return my alliance, rather than those who'll take without regard for any exchange.

[nightmarist]

We're the same that way.

[aberrant_type]

I love humans. I love my people more than anything else. If need be I'll die to help them survive, or advance our cause, or learn something valuable that will lead us to victory. But I expect that they'll fight for themselves as well. There are things I can't do for them.

[nightmarist]

Are you trying to let me off the hook?

[aberrant_type]

Nope.

[nightmarist]

Good.

[aberrant_type]

So! What's on your mind to make you ask that? Are you thinking about how to balance acting in your own self-interest with helping others?

[nightmarist]

I've been called selfish before, for staying out of everyone's business and not spending all my time solving the world's problems. Which is fair, but I don't think people would appreciate my meddling as much as they'd assume.

[aberrant_type]

Are you worried about some scenario in particular? Because I’d say there’s a balance to be found there.

[nightmarist]

I don't think there is. If I grant one wish, the next person will wonder why I'm not granting theirs. And eventually someone will come along wondering why anyone else should have their wishes granted at all, when it's so easy to have me all to themselves.

[aberrant_type]

Yes... I can see why you'd worry for such a thing.

Well, individual wishes can be very petty things. If you wished to use your powers to help the world, I'd think in a larger scale... produce things like power sources or food crops that are resistant to disease and drought. One seed, after all, can reproduce once it's grown, so the effort you put in need only be expended once.