Log | The Multiverse Is Weird

[heyunderoos]

Who: Peter Parker & You
When: December 13th and beyond
Where: Around the ADI building and downtown Gloucester
Summary: Peter tries to understand why, who, how and what all at once.
Warnings:claustrophobia, spiders

A. Well, This Is Awkward - OTA - cw: claustrophobia, spiders

[Falling into a vent when one had been previously walking away from a bar in Prague was sure a thing. A time even. Peter can't even really process what happens before he lands heavily on his stomach with a loud metal thunk. He grunts in surprise, clutching at his side with a wince. The Night Monkey costume does a decent job of cushioning some of the landing.

He looks around, just staring at the darkness. It takes him a moment to actively put together that he's trapped in a vent. The musty smell and metal walls surrounding him just make him guess that anyway.]

...Why am I in a vent?

[Peter's active confusion is why he isn't panicking. Normally an enclosed dark space would freak him out. Right now he's too baffled to actively panic. His grip tightens on the straps of his backpack as he forces himself to take a breath. Peter bites the inside of his cheek as he opts to just start crawling forward. The best way out is to find an opening somewhere. He can do that. Just focus on that, not the oppressive feeling of being inside of a vent.

Anyone below him will hear him moving around. Peter focuses on his breathing as he goes, grimacing when he bumps into something.

Why is his life like this? Why?

The spider drops on his face and he yelps in surprise, recoiling back. The sound of something jolting around in the small metal space is very hard to miss.]

B. Its Free, Actually! - OTA

[Actually getting a chance to walk around Gloucester feels freeing. A little nice even after going through all the weird introductions on base. Its definitely not New York by a long shot but it's pretty nice all the same. He's gotten the warning to avoid Dogtown, whatever that is, so, he's sticking with something kind of normal so far.

Peter is trying to not freak out about all of this and focus on anything else. Start small, build up. He can do that.]

Okay, so, in theory, I could start around here. Clothes, shoes, a flip phone, maybe. [He slows to a stop on the sidewalk, mentally trying to figure out just store to hit first. People drift by him, absorbed in their day to day lives, Peter is barely a footnote in their lives. He's fine with that. He wants to be normal, unnoticed for a while longer. That was what his whole summer vacation had been about until Elementals showed up. He couldn't help but worry about home given what he had been dragged away from.

Thankfully, Mr. Beck had it handled now. He had E.D.I.T.H, he could help Mr. Fury with Avenger stuff until Peter got back. So everyone was in good hands. He would worry about that later.

He lets the thoughts drop out of his head as he dug his hand into his jean pocket, tapping his fingers against the surface of his wallet. He had been given some money to get some new clothes and necessities off campus. It isn't a lot of money, but it can get him started somewhere.

He frowns a little debating with himself before releasing a sigh. Dumpster diving would save him some money, even if he would have to sort through everything he found.

Peter ducks between two stores, walking down the alleyway until he ends up somewhere behind an electronics store. He waits to see if anyone comes outside before approaching the dumpster. He flips the lid open carefully, picking over the array of electronics thrown inside. Older computer consoles, broken phones, keyboards, monitors... There is a lot to go over in here.

He shifts his backpack off his shoulder, unzipping it and already grabbing a few smaller components to stash away inside. He turns his attention back to the dumpster, frowning thoughtfully now.

Peter for his part is rooting around for anything useful, his attention focused a bit too intently on the finds within to notice anyone who could have found him amidst his crime.]


C. Survival Of The Fittest (test drive meme based prompt) - OTA

[Peter is definitely out of his depth here. After the lengthy introduction process, some mass confusion and strange conversations an ADI agent strongly suggested he take one of the training courses. Thus, Peter wound his way to the underground gym.

Peter stares at the various stations. He knows logically, he probably should learn some kind of self defense, but the idea of it makes him uncomfortable. What if his powers come back? Would a better punch hurt someone worse?

He just shakes his head before looking at his fellow drafted ADI agents for some idea of what to do.]

Uh, any... recommendations? I kinda have no idea where to even start.

[Will you help him, oh stranger?]


D. Wildcard

[Got a different idea? Want to go apeshit? Hit up this prompt.]

Comments

[neonleon]

[Tossing a second cord up over the side. Just putting together a little decorative draping of cords over the side of the dumpster now.]

2020. Why, was it not? [He hadn't like... Considered? The option that other people from supposedly his world would be from different times, but that's starting to hit now and oh he hates that thought. What if his brothers did end up here, but they're from further back?]

[heyunderoos]

For me, it was 2024. [They aren't that wildly apart then. He reaches out to eye some of the cords to see what would work and what wouldn't.]

I'm wondering if we're from the same New York or different ones. The biggest disaster that happened was the Snap, but that affected every planet, not just New York.

[neonleon]

Never heard of it.

[But that could easily be something that just hasn't happened to his New York yet.]

Last thing we had, we just kicked alien invader butt.[And if he sounds like he personally had a hand in it, isn't that just the New Yorker way? Mess with one New Yorker, you mess with All New Yorkers.]

[heyunderoos]

Yeah, different New Yorks then. At least, I'm going to guess so. We lost against aliens, thus the Snap. Everything got better though.

[Peter does smile a little at Leo again though.] I'm glad you kicked their butts though. If they're after New York, or earth, they better get ready to get kicked off our planet.

[neonleon]

Yeah, they were definitely of the 'enslave all of humanity and then move on to the next planet to do it again'. Apparently they'd been doing it for like. Eons.

[But that's... unfortunate. He's homesick in the worst way, and any word from New York would've been welcome. He wasn't entirely unused to the idea of alternate timelines thanks to Casey, but he didn't want to think too hard about it.]

So... Different New York then.... [His tone is markedly subdued compared to what it was a second ago. Tosses a controller over the side (a famicom controller, useless here).] Wonder how similar they are.

[heyunderoos]

Ew. My sympathies. The purple alien guy was obsessed with getting rid of half of the universe. I stopped paying attention while he was talking. [He rolls his eyes at the memory. He starts taking the wires that will work, dropping them into his backpack.]

I'm usually in Queens, so, I can do a comparison there. I know all the bodegas there and most of the decent places to eat.

[neonleon]

[He clicks his tongue against his teeth at that.]

Was downtown, only hit up Queens like. Twice that I can remember. [He thinks he's gotten all the cords? Maybe?]

Wait yours were purple? Ours were like. Gross fleshy pink.

[heyunderoos]

[There are so many cords, so little time. Peter maybe took an extra or two as back up.] Yeah, I mostly stuck to Queens. Forest Hills for sure. I went to Midtown High though, if that helps any.

The main guy was purple, huuuge chin, comically huge. He looked like a grape. He had these weird lackies who were kind of simping him. It was not great. They had these ships shaped like Q's. Kind crappy looking.

[neonleon]

Oh. Very different. The aliens, I mean, I dunno schools. I know April's and that's like.. it.

[He's starting to toss up circuit boards and pieces of electronics that are absolutely not to do with the console.]

Ours looked like gross inside-out minecraft creepers.

[heyunderoos]

I'd say maybe she went to Midtown and I never saw her, but, this sounds like two different New York situations to me.

Ew. Yeah, ours was varied. Purple guy looked more human-ish. Other was this big guy, then a really scrawny one. That one was apparently squidward looking according to Mr. Stark. I didn't get super close to make a proper comparison. [He had snuck onto a spaceship, he had made a grand mistake, oh well.]

[neonleon]

[Look sometimes we all make grand mistakes in the face of aliens okay, kindred spirits here.]

Huh. Weird. [Peter you need these boards right.] April went to Lairdman around the edge of Downtown and Midtown. She told me the district number once but I didn't really remember it.

[Dig dig...] Sucks you guys lost though.

[heyunderoos]

[He reaches out to inspect some of the boards, arching a brow at the condition of at least one. So, yes. He do. Peter takes at least three of the boards, loading up his backpack.]

Yeah, I've never heard of that school. Could be me not focusing on it, or a different universe. I'm kind of assuming a different universe at this point.

[He shrugs.] The Avengers reversed it. Like, everyone died for five years, then got better. It was kind of a trainwreck.

[neonleon]

Jeeeeeez.

[Awkward. But also horrific.]

I mean. Best excuse to get out of stuff, right? "Sorry I couldn't show up for that test." [Leo.] Like, glad you all got 'better' but wow.

Ours just like. Injected everything and everyone with their weird Krang hivemind and turned everyone into monsters.

[heyunderoos]

I mean, everyone turned to dust for five years. It literally became the easiest built in excuse. [Peter answers in turn, apparently not offended by the line of thought. His classmates have said much worse.] Sucked though, cause its five years so stuff changed, but we came back. People moved into my old apartment, my aunt and I had to like find out where half our stuff went and move somewhere else.

[He makes a face at that.] Personally, I feel like that's way worse? Turning into a weird alien sounds horrible.

[neonleon]

[He goes quiet at that.

yeah. Turning into a weird alien must have been terrible. He saw the aftermath with Raph after they were sure they'd gotten it all out.

And just like that, he sighs and goes back to picking through parts.]

Yeah, well. It's over. Manhattan's been working on rebuilding everything. Worst part about it is our favorite pizza places gone again.

Sorry about you and your aunt though.

[heyunderoos]

[Peter can feel the shift to some degree, but doesn't push. There is something there, but Peter isn't about to pry. He barely knows green guy.] Good, I'm glad its over for you guys. Hopefully rebuilding goes pretty good. Hard to tell after like a super hero or alien based thing. Our favorite bodega literally just keeps collapsing because of this kind of stuff.

[Peter shrugs again.] It worked out at least. We just settled down somewhere before I went on a school summer trip.

[neonleon]

Sucks when that happens but you gotta admire the determination.

[He's hung around enough of them to get their situations, their stories. He feels for 'em, but the fact they don't just pack up and go somewhere easier always surprises him. He's an adamant student of HIT DA BRICKS school.]

Cool. And now this place. So. Great trip, right?

What else are you looking for? I'm already in here.

[heyunderoos]

New Yorkers are stubborn, we call something ours and we won't give it up. [Peter shuffles through some of his finds, his attention focused there even as he listens.]

Yeah, just fantastic. At least I'm not being murdered yet. [Said a little dryly back, with easy enough humor.]

If you see any smaller motherboards, I can probably replace components on my phone. If not, we can probably move on. You said you were looking for comics and clothes anyway.

[This suddenly became a We situation without Peter really thinking about it.]

[neonleon]

[It sure did. He notices but doesn't say anything. He's all right with company; everyone he's met so far is old.]

On it.

[Picks through with a more focused goal in mind now.]

Will never understand why people throw out so much stuff. [Says the family with an entire wall of used old pizza boxes.]

[heyunderoos]

[Peter is still trying to wrap his mind around all of this, so someone to talk with his age is a relief. It feels almost normal.]

If you can't find any, we'll get out of here. Before whoever is running the store notices. Better to not get caught, so its easier to come back.

[His backpack is going to be a heavier than he'd like, but he'll figure it out. He got really spoiled on super strength.]

I don't get it either, you can use so much of this stuff for a lot more.

[neonleon]

Right? Weirdos. Just repurpose it.

[He keeps his hand out to show a few smaller, near-palm sized motherboards up to Peter.]

Think that'll do? Because while this one doesn't stink, it is very painful to keep sitting here.

[Literally no one asked him to get into the dumpster or stay there.]

[heyunderoos]

[Peter eyes the boards, taking two of them to stash in his backpack.] If they did, we'd probably have less to work with. I guess we're just the repurposers. [That is not a word, Peter.]

[Peter snorts a little, on the verge of telling Leo he never asked for him to physically get in the dumpster, but opts not to for now.] Yeah, c'mon out. We can move on to something else. Maybe find a backpack too, depending on how much stuff we find anywhere else.

[neonleon]

Yup!

[It happens almost in a flash, one second he's in there, the next he's standing next to Peter dusting himself off. He's only got the hoodie on, and some hastily grabbed sweat pants.

But he'll hold out one three-fingered hand.]

Call me Leo.

[heyunderoos]

[Now that was fast, way faster than Peter expected the alien guy to get out of the dumpster.

Peter's expression shifts into a smile at the extended hand, he meets it readily for a brief shake.]

Peter, Peter Parker. I guess we're ADI garbage buddies now.

[neonleon]

[Just one shake and that's about all he's got in him. But he looks at the alley way, then at the street.]

Between you and me, I think we may be the sole proprietors of the garbage kingdom here. Haven't seen that many others coming through to look for anything.