[OPEN]

[notyourfathersosborn]

WHO: Normie Osborn and You!
WHERE: All over; locations specified in starters
WHEN: March
WHAT: Normie's trying to get used to his new life
WARNINGS: None, will edit as needed


01. Nonah - Around Residence 004

[He didn't set out to build a goblin glider.

At least, not at first. It was originally an attempt to figure out how this world's hovering technology worked. However, when he found out that this was a guarded industry secret, he gave it up for the time being and started to learn about the steam engines certain cars used instead. The problem was, he could only learn so much by reading about them. He was the type who learned through reverse engineering and trial and error.

And that's where the glider came in.

He needed something to put a steam engine in, and between his brief (better left forgotten) career as the Green Goblin and Phil's, he'd built or modified enough goblin gliders that even without the blueprints, the design was familiar enough that he was able to reproduce it from memory. Sure, it might not have been an exact replica of the ones back home, but everything worked properly, and that's all that mattered. Getting the steam engine to work in the glider proved a challenge, but after a few sleepless nights, Normie finally got the hydraulics to stop leaking and frying the circuit board, and the glider was ready to take to the skies.

Which is exactly what he was doing on this night, as well as the past few nights. The glider itself isn't exactly something he'd show off to people (or even use beyond testing), but he sees no reason in making the outer shell look polished if the device didn't work. Besides looking like a typical glider's ugly cousin, it also doesn't have the signature horned mask head in the front. Normie's aware of how bad this might look, and had tried to make the glider look less like he's about to go terrorize a Parker on a bridge somewhere (but really, it just looks like a goblin glider without a mast, so he failed).

Keeping himself attached to the glider by specially designed magnets on his shoes, Normie just pilots the machine around the perimeter of his backyard at first, maneuvering it in small circles a few inches off the ground to make sure everything's still working before bringing the glider straight up a few feet, his body perpendicular to the ground below before he evens himself out. Nervous he might still be visible despite the darkness, he goes a little higher before attempting to push the glider's limits, speeding across his neighborhood in a giant circle. When he's satisfied the glider can handle it, he lands back in his backyard, but not before doing a loop-de-loop in the air for good measure.

He's taken precautions to not be seen during his testing: doing it at night, wearing all black, designing the glider to be as quiet as possible, but even with all of that, he's still probably not as stealthy as he'd hoped.]

02. Maurtia Falls - The streets

[Ever since Clark Kent had mentioned the thrift shops in Maurtia Falls to him, Normie found himself venturing out there first whenever he's on the hunt for some old, busted electronics. He has found they typically had a good selection, were inexpensive, and that any sort of damage the machines might have were cosmetic. Sure, he can buy the parts he needed, but this way he not only saves money, he's able to learn more about this world's technology by disassembling them (there are obviously exceptions, parts Normie refuses to compromise on by salvaging it from other units, but whatever he can salvage he does).

In this particular outing, Normie is done for the day, and is somehow precariously balancing a stereo, a microwave, and a computer tower in his arms, to say nothing of the two cloth shopping bags containing who knows what hanging from one arm. Though he doesn't appear to be too worried about dropping anything, he also can't see very well in front of him, doing his best by craning his neck around the side of the tower of junk and attempting to maneuver around anyone else on the street.

Careful, or he might bump into you.]

03. Heropa - A cafe

[One of the perks of his job as a Family Genealogy Researcher is that he's not stuck in an office all day, as often the research takes him out to various libraries and government offices. Rather than return to his office when he's done, he instead finds the nearest cafe, parks at an empty table, pulls out his laptop and any sort of notes he'd written down, and gets to work filling out various client's genealogy charts (after he pays for a coffee and a pastry, of course. Both of which he's careful to keep away from both his laptop and his papers).

He always tries to do this after the lunch rush, though he's not always successful. He might be hogging one of the cafe's larger tables, or perhaps he's asking to use the plug near your foot for his laptop cord, or maybe he's actually managed to knock his coffee all over his table, pulling his laptop away to safety in time, but not his notes.]

04. All over - The library

[Another place Normie finds himself visiting with frequency are the local libraries. If he's not looking through public records, he's at the microform machine looking at old newspapers. He's at the one in Nonah so often people have actually confused him for a librarian (even though he isn't, if he can help, he does). Often, when he finishes gathering the information he needs, he can be found wandering the shelves for a bit before leaving, taking a particular interest in the Science Fiction and Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Mystery, and Nonfiction sections, as well as the DVDs.

And because Normie apparently can't get enough of the library (no, really, he could, he just thought it would be a nice gesture), he's teaching a Genealogy workshop in each of the major libraries in the Porter cities. The blurb on the libraries bulletin boards and inside their newsletters reads:

Researching your family tree may appear daunting, but thanks to the Internet it has never been easier. Learn how to utilize search engines and other free resources to uncover your ancestry.
If you catch him teaching one of these workshops, you'll see him explaining each of the resources in what he hopes is an engaging manner, though some of his explanations might be a little too technical in the earlier classes, and he has to stop to clarify several times. He'll also stay as late as needed, answering any questions any stragglers might have.]

[OOC: Or feel free to make your own starter!]

Comments

nonah

[lyingheart]

[ Especially not when he's living around people who have been super keen on keeping track of their neighbors, or who live with empaths and the like. Paranoia over Lunatic had made unusual occurrences in the neighborhood something to watch out for; Yuri might be dead and exPorted, but the tendency never faded away.

Which may mean he has someone who has made herself at home in the shadows waiting when he comes down to roost. (With the way things are set up here, it's a bit too easy to backyard hop as it is.) ]

Having fun with your joyriding?

[ She asks, still sticking to the shadows. Annie is a small figure, wearing dark colors as it is. Everybody trying for a bit of stealth in this part of town! ]

[notyourfathersosborn]

[Normie might be paranoid about a lot of things, but people hiding in the shadows isn't one of them. He's far too used to being detached from the action, hearing it all through a headset or secondhand after the fact.

He had been unlocking a foot from under the glider stirrup when he hears her voice, the surprise causing him to stumble, accidentally lock his foot back onto the stirrup and nearly fall flat on his face. Thankfully, between activating the glider with one foot at the last second and his own symbiote-enhanced reflexes, he's able to catch himself.]

Do you often wander into people's backyards in the middle of the night?

[Successfully unlocking his foot from the glider, he turns towards the voice. He recognizes her immediately as one of Kaine's roommates, but never actually learned her name.]

[lyingheart]

Around this part of the city? When there's a reason.

[ Which all of this pretty much points toward. She has zero familiarity with the glider or any of its associations... even the rash of events that have occurred tied to Kanaya as Hobgoblin or anything like that have fallen outside Annie's purview. It's another curious invention in a line of them, but the efforts at secrecy here and not in a traditional controlled setting is why she's out here in the first place. ]

Nice save.

[ After the stumble. She's at least stepping more outside the shadows, into the light that filters back this way. There's not much of it, but it's better than before. ]

[notyourfathersosborn]

And what reason is that? Curiosity, or... something else?

[Picks up the glider and tucks it under his arm, as if it were an overgrown skateboard.]

You're one of the residents of 1, aren't you?

[lyingheart]

[ That looks a little ridiculous, but hey. It's his invention. ]

Curious what someone's taking pains to do while no one's watching. The black on black doesn't help with making it innocuous.

[ Which is the word she thinks she wants to use here. As for the other - she holds her arms out to the side, empty palms turned up. ]

I am. Why?

nonah

[darkspider]

[Truthfully, Kaine would like to put on his stealth suit and attack Osborn for this bullshit without the man seeing him coming. Armed with the ability to be basically undetectable, he would be able to accomplish exactly what he desires by knocking him around a little before slipping away. But the truth is, he knows it's never as simple as that. One knock in the wrong direction and he'd be revealed as Scarlet Spider, and he's supposed to be keeping up the extremely half-assed charade of being Spider-Man.

And he can't really do the red and blue thing. He's only worn the costume a couple times, and usually, he keeps the Scarlet Spider away from Nonah's imPort residences, lest anyone try to shove two and two together. This is meant to protect Parker, after all. And Parker forever remains the important one, even if he's a giant pain in the ass on even a good day. At the same time, he doesn't want to further screw up the Spider-Man thing. He has already. He threw a journalist off a building. But there's no way to prove that that really happened, and she's apparently dead now anyway.

Well, good riddance.

Since he can't do any of these things, he finds himself climbing over the fence into that background with zero ceremony. He doesn't even bother to announce himself, or to ask if he can be there.

He just is.]

The fuck are you doing, Osborn!?

[Oh, given the time, he should probably keep his voice down.




Oh fucking well.]

[notyourfathersosborn]

[Normie freezes almost immediately at the sound of the voice. Damn, the one person he was trying to avoid. Still, he manages to maintain his composure as he unlocks his feet from the glider.]

I'll talk to you, Kaine, but only if you manage to keep your voice down. My roommates are trying to sleep.

...Or would you rather get May involved? [Because she's one of those roommates.]

[darkspider]

Does she realize that you're doing this? [To his credit, he manages to lower it somewhat, but it's still not at the level where he's being considerate about a certain sleeping teenaged Spider-Girl. That level of consideration isn't in play yet. Kaine gives a sharp glance at the glider and back at Norman.

There is zero trust in his eyes, despite initially feeling like he may have been too harsh on him.]

[notyourfathersosborn]

[Sorry, Normie can't give you too much credit. He's still finding Kaine far too loud.] If you wake any one of them, this conversation is over.

As For May... I'd like to think she does. She's stepped over it twice. Then again, I managed to build most of Phil's equipment in front of her and she never noticed.

[An amused smile creeps over his face.] You really don't think she knows who I "truly" am, do you?

Maurtia Falls

[andaway]

[Well, it’s not really a surprise to bump into the man here after their conversation about it.

Clark was just walking back to his suite after some of his daily grocery shopping (since having a teenager super soldier in the house means the food keeps disappearing even if they have their own shelves when) he literally bumped into him. At least he miraculously doesn’t make him drop anything- Clark Kent is clumsy but not that clumsy.]

Wow, sorry. Hello there. Norman, right?

Do you need help with that…?

[notyourfathersosborn]

[Wobbles a little as he regains his balance, relieved he didn't drop anything.]

Oh no, I'm sorry. I didn't see you. [Then maybe you should be carrying less stuff, Normie.]

Yes, hello Mr. Kent. I'm fine, thank you. [He notices the groceries.] Besides, it looks like your own hands are full.

[andaway]

[He laughs, looking down at his bags a bit guiltily.] Well, yes, but the heaviest thing I carry is some milk. And I don't have any eggs with me so nothing will break if the bag falls to the floor- unlike you.

Dare I ask what all of that is for?

[notyourfathersosborn]

Still, I wouldn't want to inconvenience you.

[Puts the electronics on the ground for the time being, so he could actually see the guy he's talking to.] Parts, mostly. I know I can just as easily buy them, but I've been enjoying taking everything apart and seeing how differently they build things here, even if it's slight.

maurtia falls

[resipiscent]

[Riku's delivering something, by the looks of it -- he's got a package wrapped in brown paper under one arm, and he's looking at a bit of paper in one hand, brows furrowed under the veritable mop he dares to call bangs. Unfortunately, he's on the opposite side of Normie's head in reference to the pile of electronics, and he literally looks up from the note right when his head is about to collide with the corner of the microwave.]

Ouch --! Oh. Sorry. [He stops in his tracks, nearly dropping his own package, wincing and raising a hand to the red mark on his forehead. It's kinda hard to see beneath the amount of hair he has.]

You, uh, want some help carrying that stuff...?

[notyourfathersosborn]

Oh my god! I'm so so sorry! [Carefully puts his mountain of stuff down to check on the person he just hit.] Are you okay?

Oh man, I totally hit you didn't I?

[resipiscent]

Uh. Yes. But that's okay. I'll be fine. Startled me more than anything.

[He smiles weakly under his hand, looking over at Normie's pile of crap.]

What is all that? Did you go to a yard sale?

[notyourfathersosborn]

[Rubs at the back of his neck, feeling guilty that he actually hit someone. He really should have held off on buying the microwave.]

Thrift store, actually. It's junk I plan on scrapping for parts. As you can see I really didn't think this through beyond "yes, I can carry this all in one shot."

Closed to Jonathan Crane

[notyourfathersosborn]

[Normie arrives at Dr. Crane's office ten minutes before the scheduled time, in case he had to fill out any paperwork or anything. When he's done, he takes a seat in the waiting room and plays a game on his phone as he waits.

He's glad Dr. Crane was able to see him so quickly. It's been far too long since he last saw someone, and he's sick of feeling as though he has to push everyone away.]

[restingstitchface]

Norman. If you'd come inside.

[Crane's speaking softly. His voice seems to come from nowhere - and it's quiet enough that it almost seems like a haunt. His gaze is calm and remote behind his glasses. He stands by his door, arms behind his back. His lips rise in a small, welcoming smile.

It may seem he's come out to greet his patient in person. Kind, thoughtful Crane. In truth, it's because he knows a sound can make someone jump, before they've even set their sights on the cause. And he really just enjoyed scaring people.]

[notyourfathersosborn]

[And Normie certainly jumps. He'd been so focused on figuring out the perfect angle to launch his angry bird he hadn't heard Dr. Crane come in. Jeez, talk about embarrassing. He quickly stuffs his phone into his back pocket as rises to his feet, standing just a bit straighter than usual. He's determined to regain some of his dignity, at least.]

Thank you again for being able to see me so quickly, Dr. Crane.

[He walks over to where Crane is standing, and offers his hand.]

A pleasure to meet you in person.

[restingstitchface]

[Crane takes a moment to inwardly sigh. He found this social greeting in particular quite grating. It made himself have to pass himself off as kind, gentle, helpful.]

A pleasure, likewise.

[A gentle voice. A pleasant handshake. An invasion of his personal space, ugh! Then he breaks it soon as he feels it's loosening naturally and gestures to his office.]

If you would.

3 with a twist?

[notdaredevil]

[ Matt's thought about his "nephew" fairly often, since the boy— man— came to town. He's thought about Foggy, and what he's cost Foggy over the years, and what might have been if only he hadn't had Matt Murdock for a best friend. He thinks about what role "Uncle Matt" has played in the boy's life, and who that Matt Murdock was. The blind lawyer? The tortured crusader? Was he Daredevil, or not? How many people had he lost, and how far had he sunk into depression— or did he somehow manage to live a normal life, with a wife and kids?

He has to stop himself every time, before it goes too far. Some possibilities are too painful to contemplate.

What the hell do you say to a nephew from an alternate universe? The last time Matt "saw" Normie Osborn, he couldn't have been any older than...three? Four? Children have never been Matt's thing, not quite like that. Not with the smells, and the mess, and just...Liz was Foggy's girlfriend. Part of Foggy's life, Foggy's drama, not really his own. Maybe if they had really married...

Be that as it may, now he has one, and Matt feels duty-bound to at least meet the man who calls his best friend "dad", even if it's only in another dimension. Foggy would do the same for Matt's hypothetical children, and in a bizarre way, it alleviates some of the constant feeling of missing an arm, without having his best friend there. He's out there someone, alive and presumably happy.

That said, it's damn awkward to be meeting him in person anyway. Not to mention, Matt's got no cues to go on, to tell him which coffee-shop patron is Normie Osborn; nothing but a voice. It leaves him standing just inside, his awareness picking up all the details, waiting for someone's heartbeat to skip and the smell of their sweat to change, and make the moment of recognition obvious.

Awkward in its own way, for sure. ]

[notyourfathersosborn]

[Though Normie had been the one who suggested the lunch date in the first place, as he approaches the cafe he begins to have second thoughts. Not because he didn't want to see Matt again, he really did, but because his track record with running into alternate versions of people he knew back home had so far been less than stellar. He frankly isn't sure where he stands with Uncle Pete, and Kaine... well he knew Kaine would be difficult by the fact it was Kaine, but even armed with that knowledge managed to screw it up so spectacularly even people less surly than Kaine on a good day would have gotten angry at him.

Out of everyone, Uncle Matt seemed the most receptive to his general existence. What if Normie said something to screw that up? Or worse, what if he didn't, and Matt didn't like him anyway? He mentioned something about Normie being six when they spoke the first time, and there's a big difference between a child and an adult. Not that it seemed Uncle Matt really knew him then, anyway. Considering his mother never married Franklin there it makes sense. And if that's the case, what if he's only doing this out of some sense of pity or guilt?

...What if Normie stopped trying to sabotage this before he walked through the door?

His heartbeat accelerates a bit as he enters and sees Matt standing there waiting for him. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he makes a beeline for the other man.]

Unc... Mr. Murdock! Hey. I hope you haven't been waiting long.

[notdaredevil]

[ Matt's not necessarily the closest or most experienced person when it comes to Osborns. Norman, more often obsessed with Spider-Man than with anyone else, and the son, Normie's father...if Matt's met him, it doesn't immediately come to mind.

He wouldn't have expected one to be so...nervous. Or maybe it's just Matt, the prospect of dealing with Matt Murdock. Who knows what Normie's heard about him over the years, or seen him do? Matt's well aware of his capacity for highs and lows, and the lows have been very low indeed.

He's not even sure if Normie knows that Matt knows, just from standing next to him, his heart and his smell, how he's trying to calm himself down. But Matt won't say it. Instead, he does his best to give what he hopes is a reasonably pleasant expression, and holds out a hand. ]

Just got here, actually. Should I call you Mr. Osborn, or...?

[notyourfathersosborn]

Oh good.

[Shakes the extended hand. His grip is firm, but not painfully so.]

Norman's fine. Or Normie, whichever you'd prefer. [Though he'd been trying to get away from his childhood nickname, he didn't particularly hate it. He just had switched to Norman in the hopes people would start seeing him as an adult... and with his namesake here, all it seems to be doing is bringing up bad memories.]