Astrophobia

[handfulofstraw.livejournal.com]

[Jonathan Crane, PhD, scans the Plane with bespectacled eyes in his very nice suit. To all appearances, the Plane has just won itself a new university professor]

Acrophobia would hardly be an irrational fear at present. Indeed, it would be very [takes a step] very [another step] practical. This is possibly one of the very few instances in a normal individual’s life where siderophobia might be considered rational as well. And so they would cease to be phobias.

Incongruous but coherent structure... far too lucid to be any breed of hallucination or dream. The idea of it being true space is out of the question, of course.

[picks up a discarded hat, examining it] The two most likely options are thus illusion or reality. I wonder which it is. [sets the hat down again and carries on his way]

Comments

[handfulofstraw.livejournal.com]

They are alive, I would think.

[oldoldghost.livejournal.com]

Of course, it wouldn't be any fun if they were dead.

[handfulofstraw.livejournal.com]

Would you hurt animals in such a way?

[oldoldghost.livejournal.com]

...Demons aren't animals.

[handfulofstraw.livejournal.com]

I would imagine they're a great deal more intelligent and self-aware than that, yes.

[oldoldghost.livejournal.com]

Less self aware and intelligent actually, I'm pretty sure that animals long for more than just killing everybody.

[handfulofstraw.livejournal.com]

Is that all demons are? Mindless killing machines? Do they have no ability to converse, create art, develop science, form relationships?

[oldoldghost.livejournal.com]

Pretty much all of them, they don't have science, and most of them can't really speak.

[handfulofstraw.livejournal.com]

But some can?

[oldoldghost.livejournal.com]

Some demon masters, when they can actually summon up the intelligence to care.

[handfulofstraw.livejournal.com]

Hmm.

[Dr Crane straightens out the sleeve of his jacket, apparently in thought]

[oldoldghost.livejournal.com]

{frown] Something wrong?

[handfulofstraw.livejournal.com]

Just wondering what measure is a non-human.

[oldoldghost.livejournal.com]

Well... [She hesitates for a moment and then shrugs] Humans don't want to slaughter each other all the time.

[handfulofstraw.livejournal.com]

Only sometimes.

[oldoldghost.livejournal.com]

True, but not every single moment.

[handfulofstraw.livejournal.com]

In most humans.

[oldoldghost.livejournal.com]

Admittedly there are some exceptions to the rule.

[handfulofstraw.livejournal.com]

There always are, on every side.

[oldoldghost.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure about that with the demons.

[handfulofstraw.livejournal.com]

Evidently. And it seems you're more than willing to take the chance that you are wrong. It is, of course, your prerogative, and you know your own world better.

[oldoldghost.livejournal.com]

I can hardly be right all the time, I'm not intelligent enough for that, but I'm pretty sure that I'm not wrong on this.

[handfulofstraw.livejournal.com]

I hope that you are. For the sake of your demons as much as for you.

[oldoldghost.livejournal.com]

The sake of the demons?

[handfulofstraw.livejournal.com]

If they are as intelligent as humans, they can understand fear and death as humans do. It's easier for animals.