First off, if you're not reading Fans!, why aren't you? Currently in crossover with It's Walky.

Secondly, dude, Friday's comics.
I guess the question is, as a "devout atheist", why did I find this scene so moving and powerful? Shouldn't it have seemed cheesy or lame or off-putting or something? I think part of it is just that *for the characters* this is a big deal. But maybe part is that religious faith in a fictional setting, especially a setting that also has aliens and magic and interdimensional travel, just seems different than religion in the real world? I mean, fantasy is all about accepting the premises of that world, so in a world with magic, belief in the supernatural doesn't seem so unreasonable.

On the other hand, I think I could read that scene in a real-world setting and still have it strike me the same way. Since the important element is not so much whether they think they're actually praying *to something* as just the act; it's this lovely ritual moment of hope, and, as Alisin realizes, an incredibly strong shared moment. And, dude, that's what really got me about this, the way prayer is paralleled to sex and actually comes off as *more* intimate, this moment of connection of beliefs and values, in a way that their romantic partners can't share with them (although Alisin being invited to a "prayer threesome" was great). Anyways, sigh. One of the best moments to come out of a crossover in a long time, and I should probably post this in the forum or something.