[Video]

[devilofaboy]

[At least he could do video so he could properly express his disdain for this situation. If it hadn't been an option he might have just suffered in silence. As it was, everyone else was going to have to suffer him being understandably upset.

He was seated at the kitchen table and from off-screen came occasional bird noises, throaty raven sounds to be specific, but he didn't spare the bird a glance.]

These robots are a little too uncanny valley for my tastes.

[He could kind of see the appeal, but he would never want to be a robot himself.]

If their gods can bring people here, why can't their gods fix their world?

[It was easier to think of it like that than think about what any kind of God saw in him.

There was a clatter from off-screen and he looked over, pointing in the direction of the noise.]

Knock it off.

[He looked back at the camera.]

And we're supposed to believe that the power of love is going to save everyone?

[It sounded like a fairytale, something nice that you told kids before bed instead of the truth, that the world was a terrible, cold place.]

Comments

[wakemelater]

I think you're overestimating how powerful gods actually are. I've never known one that didn't need someone else to do their dirty work for them.

[devilofaboy]

[How did he respond to this without potentially starting an argument about God that he didn't want to get into--which was saying something because he was always up for arguing with people.]

How many gods have you met?

[wakemelater]

[He starts lifting fingers, like he's counting, but then just says:]

A lot. Too many. Enough to know most of them are dicks.

[devilofaboy]

[Was God a dick? Was it wrong to think He was?]

What if they just called themselves gods? What if they're blasphemers?

[wakemelater]

I...suppose that depends on how do you define a god?

[He hasn't thought about big G god in some time. He knows his mother had been Catholic, but he doesn't remember much about it.]

If they aren't real, then I'll have to re-evaluate my whole existence. I'd rather not.

[devilofaboy]

I'm used to just one God. I'm Catholic.

[And he didn't know how he defined God. He'd never really thought about things like that, not since he'd been really young and just learning about religion.]

I'm not sure what it means if there are legitimately other gods.

[Were they just as real as his God?]

[wakemelater]

[Oh. Well. There we go.]

Where I'm from, there are many gods, and multiple pantheons. My mother was also Catholic. And...My father is the Greek god of the dead. I don't know how she reconciled her faith with their relationship, but... [He shrugs.

All gods were just as real as any other god, as far as he's concerned.]

[devilofaboy]

[If the guy's father was the Greek god of the dead...what did that make him? That wasn't what Ronan was here to question, though.]

Love has a way of doing that.

[Of trumping all, he meant. People did crazy things for love, and he could see how you could do something like put your faith to the side or rethink things because you loved someone. He'd done something similar, himself.]

[wakemelater]

[A mess, is what that makes him.

He wrinkles his nose.] Tell that to his wife.

[Who is not his mom.]

But it seems to be working for this world. If not love, as least the whole...[He makes a vague hand-wavy gesture.] ...touching thing.

[devilofaboy]

[Oh. Well, that was a different case altogether then. He bristled subtly.]

So he's kind of a dick.

[He was trying not to be too cruel--shocking for anyone who knew him.]

I guess I could hold hands to save a world.

[wakemelater]

Like I said, most gods are.

[Not even kind of.]

That's the spirit. [Said in the driest of tones.] It's one way to earn a bit of money too. [And so, Nico is poor.]

[devilofaboy]

Right.

[He raised an eyebrow.]

Do we get paid for holding hands, too?

[wakemelater]

Any positive contact, yeah. Pretty sure. Not everyone is cool with the part of it.

[devilofaboy]

Great. So we're-

[He took a deep breath, shook his head.]

Who keeps track of this stuff? The gods?

[wakemelater]

[We're...? He doesn't follow, but lets it go with a shrug.]

I don't know. I'm not really touchy-feely, so I hadn't really paid attention. The money shows up on the devices, though, so I just assumed it was something to do with that. Magic or something.