maskormenacelogs

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[OPEN]

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!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Becoming the Green Goblin and terrorizing... who I terrorized, is on me and me alone, and I accept that. I could blame anyone or anything, but at the end of the day, it stops with me. I made that decision of my own free will. I won't make excuses for that.

Hmm. I suppose you're not the only one to face the consequences of that, though.

[He taps his fingers together.]

You made the choice to wear the mask - and took the decision to remove it. Your loved ones don't have like freedom to make any judgment to ignore the ramifications of your behavior.

I know that too. I don't expect forgiveness. From anyone. [Including himself.]

Absolution. Compassion. One's desire to be forgiven their sins. These are all the signs of a guilty mind, Norman. But before people can forgive us, we must forgive ourselves.

[He considers having Norman tearing up the planks to listen to the beating heart of his alter-ego.]

If you don't expect forgiveness, what are you doing here? Why are you seeking reconciliation with your inner workings? Think about the scope of what you're asking. In the cosmic perspective, none of us truly matter. Is it worth seeking forgiveness, knowing that?

[He hangs his head a bit lower. He knows he's got a guilty conscience, but hearing it from Dr. Crane really digs it home. When he speaks, his voice is low and even.]

Because I know I can't change my past, but I can change my future. I need to make sure I never become that person again. That I don't try to hurt people I care about again.

[A silent moment. Crane clenches his jaw and lifts his notebook against his crossed leg, looking deep in thought. He focuses on the actual problem and every emotion Norman's feeling; guilt, shame, embarrassment, anxiety. He tilts his head, slightly.

His fingers drum the book's cover. Thump. Thump. Thump.

Build up the tension. Crank it up.

Then break it.]

Are you familiar with the phrase "a leopard can never change it's spots"?

Of course. I don't mean for you to take it literally. But to confront a problem, you cannot run and hide away. You must stare it down - you must wrestle it. You must come to know it intimately, so when the time comes you can accept it's part of you. I'm afraid it's not easy, but you don't strike me as a coward, Norman.

[A small voice in the back of Normie's mind is sending up alarm bells, that something isn't right and he should get out of there. He's been to enough psychiatrists in the past year to know what was considered normal, and this was anything but. Unfortunately, it's almost entirely drowned out by the waves of panic that wash over him at the mere thought of becoming the Green Goblin again, even if just for treatment.]

Knowing that idea scares me doesn't make me a coward. I gave the name and costume away to a good man, not just to change the perception of the Goblin, but so that I'd never have the temptation to slip back into my old ways. Wanting to change isn't the same as running away.

I suppose not.

[He sounds very patient. He hadn't told Norman outright to take back the cowl, but that's what he was suggesting. He drummed the notebook a few more times - thump, thump - before speaking considerately. And at the same time he rests his left hand on his heart.]

But I think the traits you're wanting to change aren't in a mask, Norman. They're not here. [His voice trails off. He lifts his hand, clenches it, and points a finger at his temple - his head.] They're all in here.

[Finished, he clasps his hands in his lap. The implication being even without the costume, there was no change - no running.]

[Normie's hands are balled into fists, and his voice is still low.]

Even if that's true, I won't let it out again. I won't.

Really? Are you sure?

[Crane tilts his head. He's searching Norman for something. His clenched fists clue him in - he's resolved. Resolved to hide his frustration, restraint, anxiety and darkest thoughts. In a way, the fact he believed he could hide it was funny.]

It's the tiniest voice spreading doubt that you have to listen out for, Norman. Can you honestly say it's not trying to come through? Perhaps even right now?

[Looks down at his hands.]

...If it wasn't, I wouldn't be here.

[There we go.

Crane steeples his fingers again. He taps them together whilst keeping a very calm face. Each sad glance Norman gives his hands doesn't go unnoticed - he taps his fingers in rhythm with each look.]

I know you can listen to your voices, Norman. It's proof enough you listened to another suggesting you contact me - because it wanted me to help you. You don't enjoy hurting people, but by hurting yourself you're wounding them anyway - am I right?

[Unclenches his fists so he can clasp them in his lap. He doesn't look up.]

Yes.

[Crane smoothes out his trousers, then clasps his hands in his lap again.]

I can't say I understand the personal experience of a man in your position, but I know everyone has to wear a mask that at times feels more like skin - and sometimes it's a fact wearing them, climbing into them, is a burden. Have you considered donning such a mask in a controlled environment? Amongst friends who can keep you safe, perhaps?

[Or a psychiatrist's office.]

[No, he really doesn't want to.

Instead, he says:]

...I don't even have the Green Goblin mask here.

[Of course, he does have an alien symbiote that can turn part of itself into the Green Goblin mask, but he's keeping that fact to himself.]

[Crane tucks in his chin.

It's a deliberate ploy to look meek and unassuming. He wants to seem like he's not even in the room.]

Really?

You lack it in a physical capacity, yes. But whether or not you require support in a tactile manner, your mind chose to don the mask, Norman, and that's right. here. Your behaviour may change under the anonymity that mask provides, but your soul is still the same.

[His head droops more.]

It's not like that. The mask... There's something about it. Putting it on is what makes the transformation complete. It's what lets that side of me come out.

[Crane's head tilts back. He looks down like he's observing things from a higher level.]

I see. Do you feel this mask's necessary to the fulfilment of an overwhelming need? A ritual, perhaps?

Edited 2015-04-14 17:07 (UTC)

It's... hard to describe.

[The mask almost made it feel like none of what he was doing is real. That he wasn't actually going to harm anyone.

Or more accurately, that he wasn't the one doing it. That he wasn't capable of it.]

I believe you're hiding when you claim that, Norman.

Hard doesn't mean impossible. It's just that your mind needs time to order the thoughts and give them proper words.

[His tone is calm and level. His head's tilting back a little further, his tongue running over his lower lip in thought before he holds himself. When he wore his mask, oh, he was always going to harm someone.]

[Normie's quiet for a moment, biting the inside of his lip. He doesn't like this, he doesn't like it at all.]

I never really wanted to be the Green Goblin, Dr. Crane. I did it because I believed I had to. Putting on the mask was the way to make it all easier. To make it all come out.

Call me a coward if you want to, but if the day ever comes where it can come out without it... I think that would make me a lost cause. That I really am sick like my father and grandfather before me. And that's why I won't do it.

[Crane's also quiet, but his silence lasts longer, and he's not chewing the inside of his lip. He's watching Norman closely. His eyes are cold and remorseless - and that comment about being sick just banishes any remaining warmth.]

Really? [His tone was disarmingly affable, warm, so much unlike his eyes. He even airily waved a hand.] What if you had to choose death or the cowl? With no third option.

[Norman's greatest fear versus one of the greatest fears of the collective human unconscious. What would it be? How much would he sweat?]

It might not be you're a coward much as you're unwilling to take responsibility for making your choices. Words don't move fingers, Norman. Nobody strapped you down or pointed a gun to your head. You chose to put the cowl on.

[Normie's all too familiar with that look. It was similar to his grandfather's, whenever he strayed too far from "his birthright." He looks away.

At least his voice manages to come out sounding somewhat confident:]

I'd-- [He suddenly stops, remembering how desperate he had been that last time he
put on the Green Goblin mask, and still he was unable to kill himself. The mask won.

He doesn't sound so confident anymore.]

I don't know.

[He slumps farther in his seat.]

...I think the mask.

[The more Norman's voice halts and starts, the closer Crane looms in his seat. His presence fills the room. Perhaps because there is nothing personal to focus on, meaning he draws more attention; and by no means is he a well-built man.

He catches what Norman tries to hide. Fool.]

The mask?

[By contrast, his voice is clear and sharp. Loud in the stillness. He tilts his head slightly left, and almost gives an intrigued smile.]

Did I hear you right?

The last time I put the costume on... I didn't want to. I wanted to die, but I couldn't actually bring myself to committing suicide.

[A brief pause.]

So I put the costume on and put the superhero in a position where I thought for sure I'd end up dead.

[Normie laughs, but it's hollow.]

Can't do that right either.

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