prismatica | ( video, un: koriel - slightly forward-dated )

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( video, un: koriel - slightly forward-dated )

[ on the morning of the 14th, everyone’s feeds get to enjoy what appears to be a somber-looking video of a somber-looking man. his shoulders are hunched, his eyes downcast, and one might wonder why he’s making a video if he’s going to look this sad while doing it. don’t worry about it. ]

It’s…

[ he falters. he should have planned this out a little better. ]

I’m sorry to bring them up again, but what was said about the Oracles of the Sinless has been weighing on my mind. One of those members mentioned wanting to “reset” the world…

[ a new game+, as tarn put it. ]

My world is… I… [ although he can't finish his thoughts, it doesn't sound like he's getting emotional. his voice is quiet, but even-toned. ] It’s been destroyed. Most people are dead, and those that aren’t are… unwell. And when I think about that, the idea of resetting the world doesn’t seem wrong.

[ he seems to realize that he’s dangerously close to spreading cult propaganda, and he looks up at the camera with the first fluctuation of emotion—from a kind of downtrodden pensiveness to concern. ]

But I don’t think it seems right, either. I don’t know. [ he glances away from the camera once again. ] The Sinless must be scared. They don’t want the world to get worse. Our arrival here… it makes beautiful things, but maybe…

…um. I wanted to know what everyone else thinks.

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Y… yes.

[ dextera could easily go into all the grotesque details of what he remembers. it’s clear, for a moment, that he’s thinking about it even in the middle of this juice shop. not wanting to relive it in more detail than necessary, however, he trims the fat from his own memories and speaks through his feelings on it.

in a way, trying to censor himself for midorima’s benefit makes him kinder to himself. ]

I was born into… a religious group. [ a cult, obviously. ] We always thought that humans were the ones tasked with protecting God, to protect the world. Then God became sick, and the world changed, and…

[ and then it ended. dextera drinks his juice. ]

Living here is the first time I’ve been able to think about the world without the Order.

[ All he can think to say is that obviously they didn't do what they set out to very well, so he doesn't say it. That's the most comforting he can be, not to kick him while he's down. ]

Actions chosen in fear are rarely well thought through. If the world is reset, it will be a world built on fear by those who choose to give up on facing the problems in front of them. Do you think that reset world would do any better than one that is rebuilt through resilience by people with the capacity to learn from their mistakes?

[ He takes a sip of his own juice, then pushes up his glasses by the bridge. ]

There is no shame in falling down, Dextera. True shame is to not stand up again. If your world is destroyed and you are still here, it sounds to me that you've been given the chance to stand again. It's okay to take your time thinking what to do with that.

[ it all makes very much sense. midorima isn’t saying anything that dextera didn’t already know, in a way, but to have someone else tell him with such authoritative confidence is different than trying to convince himself. ]

…

[ he draws meaningless patterns in the condensation of his juice cup, while he thinks. processes. ]

I envy you. It seems like you know exactly what you want… and how to get there.

I've been called a "miracle" since middle school. It isn't hard to advance down a clear path, particularly when the world's fate isn't at risk.

[ His world is in no danger of anything but America getting too big for its britches when it comes to street ball. It makes things much simpler, particularly since he discovered what he was better at than anyone else very young. And that if you're good enough at something, people have a hard time turning you away even if your personality sucks. He can be an asshole if he's really really good at something. ]

A miracle?

[ dextera was called a miracle, too, but he imagines for very extremely different reasons than midorima. for him, he was born a messiah and raised to become god, and when they realized that creating a god wasn’t so easy, he was abandoned.

it does leave one without a sense of purpose. ]

For… basketball? Or…

Yes. My shots never miss.

[ And he means that. They never miss, unless the ball is interfered with after it leaves his hands. ]

[ dextera had been thinking all day about the end of the world and his role in it. it’s not something he can ever really escape from, even though it’s been shown to him that it was only his fault inasmuch as it’s anyone’s fault for just trying to live.

this is the first thing that’s actually manage to completely distract him since he woke up. ]

…

[ he doesn’t even know what to say. ]

You have a talent.

I know.

[ There's not an ounce of hesitation there. He's one of the best (not the best but he plans on fixing that). ]

My point is that if you don't have a clear path like that, it's more difficult. Don't bother with envy, simply take your time to figure out what path you intend on choosing.

[ dextera nods. he doesn’t mind midorima’s incredible confidence in himself. as dextera said, he’s a little jealous, but he’s also just sort of impressed. is this the sort of person that can come from a normal world? was there anyone like midorima in the one that dextera destroyed? ]

Do you… remember? When we talked about whether or not I’m human?

It's hard to forget.

[ It was a decidedly odd conversation for Midorima to have. He's thought about it since then. ]

[ dextera isn’t surprised to hear that, but the nature of the conversation also makes dextera feel guilty. midorima is only human, after all, and by his own admission, his world has only humans in it. somehow, it’s like dextera has burdened him with his presence. ]

I didn’t lie. I was born a human.

[ just to clarify. ]

But after that day… May 14th. After the Blaze, I became a part of God.

[ the options now are that dextera is either completely insane, or he really is a deity sharing a table with midorima and sipping some juice. ]

[ There's a period of silence after Dextera confesses that, and a lot of it has to do with Midorima simply not knowing how to accept that as a fact. His world is very normal and while he's come to accept things like magic and sex energy, someone he speaks to somewhat regularly bring part of God sounds outlandish at best. ]

That's difficult to conceive after our trip to the hospital.

[ That wasn't very holy and to Midorima made him consider Dextera decidedly vulnerable. Ungodlike. It's definitely a dig designed to make him feel less bigheaded about the situation, but it also is giving Midorima a means to say he's having trouble processing the idea of that without putting the focus on himself. ]

[ …it is difficult to conceive, isn’t it. dextera can acknowledge that. when most people think of god, after all, they think of an infallible being made of light. even before she was lobotomized, however, god was as fragile as any human. dextera resembles her in those ways. ]

I know.

[ dextera pauses, trying to think of how to explain it. ]

But she… and I… are flawed. That’s part of the design. [ he hesitates. ] But maybe I’m not as good at it as she is.

What about you makes you a god?

[ Goddess? He doesn't know. Part of a god. He's usually very good at terminology.

It's going to be very strange for Midorima to say things like "Do your best and god will do the rest" from here on out.

He drinks his own juice quietly while he waits for a response before he can decide. It surely can't just be immortality and his pain orb-bopper. ("Sword" is debateable he thinks, since it doesn't stab or slash??) ]

[ in terms of mannerisms, nothing about dextera is especially godlike. he’s barely more than a dog on most days. ]

I…

[ he realizes that he would have to start from the fundamentals of the world if he really wanted to explain what makes him part of the absolute god, but he doesn’t want to do that. even if midorima seems the most apt person to listen to all these details. ]

The world that we live in now… the world I came from, I mean… I created it. [ a beat. ] Re-created it.

[ how complex. dextera shakes his head, as if to get rid of all that he just said. ]

We preserve the world as it is. I just have to make sure it doesn’t get worse.

[ If it's his job to preserve the world and make sure it doesn't get worse, then that's.. both annoyingly lacking in ambition to just hope it doesn't get worse and very explaining of Dextera's consideration of resetting the world. Rather than focusing on his own definitions of gods or what he was considering before, he's able to refocus on the context he's starting to understand a little more around how Dextera is feeling. He failed his world in his role as a god. ]

Your role here is shared with dozens of other Moonblessed, Dextera.

[ The world isn't on his shoulders here anymore. Midorima doesn't know if there were many people like Dextera in his world, but he's hoping it's some comfort that Dextera isn't alone in this task they've ended up here for. ]

[ dextera’s eyes widen. ]

…

[ not once has he thought of it like that, but the moment that midorima offers the idea—so plainly, as if it’s merely fact, it clicks into place. that is what they’re doing here, isn’t it? they’re restoring the world from a calamity that struck. it only looks so different because they’re coming many years later.

dextera’s world could look like this too, one day. between the purification and the people’s will, it’s possible. ]

Midorima… I…

Finish your sentences.

[ He says it simply. It's meant as encouragement for him to finish speaking, but the way Midorima says anything is more like a stern dad who refuses to say he cares at all times. ]

…

[ midorima’s words appear to have the opposite effect, as dextera shuts his mouth and goes silent, but the reality is that he’s just thinking. being someone who has never needed or wanted to say that much, since the death of his brother, he prefers to take his time in what he wants to say. ]

I never thought about it that way. [ he looks down at the table, but he doesn’t seem ashamed. ] So I’m happy.

[ That's fine if he waits to finish it. Midorima doesn't interrupt or push him more. If anything, Midorima himself as done this. (Much to some peoples' annoyance.) Usually when he's embarrassed or people are fussing after his health/luck issues/taking care of him unprompted. So he doesn't rush him. ]

Then finish up your juice.

[ Midorima is finishing up his. But this is really all he wanted to accomplish was to help Dextera a little.. ]

[ if you’re happy and you know it drink your juice. (sip sip) ]

I am. I’m sorry for being slow.

[ dextera wonders if it’s really okay to think of the world around him like that. if it’s all right if he considers his fellow moonblessed gods of a kind. they are, though, in the same sense as the absolute god—not protectors, but creators. it’s the prismals who protect the planet that the moonblessed are working hard to restore. ]

…I would be happy if you still thought of me as human. [ after a pause. ] That’s what I want to be.

Unless you're capable of improving my luck, I'll be treating you the same as ever.

[ dextera is dextera, he's not going to let him get a big head. either way, he's finished with his juice so he gets up to toss away the cup. for what it's worth, he doesn't just ditch dextera- he comes back to the table once he's cleaned up. ]

Midorima…

[ perhaps today isn’t so bad after all, if he’s maintained a friend and gotten free juice out of it. then, once midorima returns, dextera has been able to take a moment to compose himself. ]

Thank you for letting me try your juice.

[ his cup is… not empty, but he’s working on it. ]

And thank you for listening to me.

Don't join any cults without talking to me first in the future.

[ Just so they're clear. He can do whatever he wants, but Midorima would like to make sure he's not going off the rails and not realizing important things or feeling alone/vulnerable/whatever. ]

I have to leave for practice in 15 minutes. Hurry up.

[ Dextera can come watch if he wants. ]

…

[ in the future, dextera will regret agreeing to this condition, when the archangel shows up and dextera has a moral obligation to (re-)join the cult he was raised in. for now, however, he’s thinking only of the sinless, so he nods.

then: ]

Practice? …for basketball?

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