OPEN.

[parodeity]

WHO: dave strider + open as heck!
WHERE: various places
WHEN: various times through the end of the month
WHAT: time shenanigans! if you need a time travel related regain this may be relevant 2 you. or if you just want to go wtf @ dave, also. also, a sord...
WARNINGS: idiocy

WEDNESDAY MAY 17TH OPTION A

[ it might be imperative to know how to track dave down or contact him in person for this one, because while you might see him, you'll basically see him messing around with some floating records. he scratches them, and a strange red gear (or a lot of them) pop into existence and turn and then dave is just Gone. his expression before he disappears is at least entirely startled, even though he's usually pretty good about keeping a poker face.

clearly this was an alien abduction. oops. ]

WEDNESDAY MAY 17TH OPTION B

[ the first time, it was an accident. he woke up to a new bullshit item, he fucked around with new bullshit item, and...

...well, shit happened. the second time it wasn't so much an accident, and the third time it was on purpose, but it's a whole chain of events that leads to idiocy like this: dave strider standing beside himself in intense conversation in apprassage, in one of the many walk-around paths. it's not like he's ever been secretive about having a twin, but that twin is a girl, and shorter than him, and not...you know, dave, duplicated. and also there is only one of her, but there seems to be a third dave jogging down the path in the opposite direction, and

this is so STUPID

what are they saying? well, if you're close enough, you'll notice that one of the daves is significantly more frustrated than the other, who just looks Tired As Hell. ]

- don't understand why you won't.

[ the response is: ] Because you didn't. Anyway, just do what you're gonna do, man.

With what - oh, shit. [ apparently he didn't expect to get caught doing...whatever the hell he is doing. ]

SATURDAY MAY 20TH

[ there's just one of him right now, but dave looks absolutely fucking exhausted. there are probably dark circles under his eyes, but who can tell with the shades? he approaches you apparently at random and says: ]

Yo. So, I gotta talk to you, if you got a second?

[ ...it's mostly because of Really Stupid Reasons, and his deadpan tone conveys the idea that he finds this entire thing really. dumb. ]

TUESDAY MAY 23RD

[ tuesday the 23rd dave doesn't seem to be doing any time travel practice or anything Weird, except he's kind of hanging out in the park at some point kind of idly holding a terrible sword. like. its not even worthy of a "w", this is a sord... of idiotic proportions.

he can recognize most network people by face, but even if he doesn't know you, there's one relevant question to ask: ]

Yo, do you see what this is doin' to my hands or is it, like, all in my head? [ he has to know. what the hell is this piece of crap and why has he not thrown it out. ...also why is he hanging out in the park alone after school, actually, but whatever. ]

FRIDAY MAY 26TH

This is a dumbass idea. [ says one dave to another, near the edge of the recollé woods. it's pretty late, so why are you up, and why is he up, but whatever. they both seem to be facing off with a sword in their respective left hands. ]

Yeah, maybe, but am I actually gonna do it or not? [ there's no reply, so: ] Thought so.

You know what they say about countin' chickens? [ the other one says, gesturing behind the first. hey. you've been spotted. ]

WILDCARD

[ if none of the above work feel free to throw me a different prompt / pm me or w/e to bang out an idea and i can write you up a specific prompt. i am more than happy to do so, esp if you'd like to work towards some kind of specific regain. ]

Comments

[parodeity]

[ dirk says "you" three times. ]

But you would do it.

[ so like, good call to warn him off of it? ]

[splinten]

I did do it, in that fight we had together with the troll girl.

[So, yeah.]

Thanks for warnin' me. I promise I won't do it to you.

[He won't be that person to Dave.]

[parodeity]

That's the really fuckin' unfortunately weird part, y'know.

[ like, about this. ]

[splinten]

The similarities, you mean?

[he's still not the pleased with them, but he's filing and sorting it as something to account for and manage. he can keep that away from dave]

[parodeity]

Yeah. [ it's an extremely twisted sense of familiarity. ] You look the same and move the same and probably sound the same. And you do...a bunch of the same shit, but it's all...distorted. I don't know.

[ sometimes these days he dreams about being a marionette and he's not sure how to feel about that. ]

[splinten]

Yeah. [It isn't surprising, given the similarities between himself and the person he remembers being. As much as he hates whatever version of himself raised Dave, that the parallels continue isn't a surprise either.] Like funhouse mirror versions of me.

[parodeity]

Yeah. [ he doesn't mention he's had nightmares. dirk probably already knows. ]

So when you do that shit, the shit that's more...his, now, it's...

[ ...? ]

Disturbin'. Some of it you've never done [ that pose ] and I just...don't want to see it start up, even though that's. Selfish?

[splinten]

If it's selfish, we both are. [Because Dirk feels the same. He doesn't want to act like that, to start acting like that.] I don't want to be any more similar to him than I already am, for my own sake.

[parodeity]

It's kind of ridiculously selfish and twisted, yeah. Would you ask me to not be me?

[splinten]

That's not what you're askin'. You're askin' me not to be... him. I don't accept him as me, except in the sense of being the worst possible version of myself. He's worse than what I end up convinced I am in my worst moments.

[parodeity]

That's not exactly it. I mean - that's one thing, but like. Are you really okay with the puppet thing? You're startin' to like them, aren't you.

[splinten]

I think I must've had an attachment to them. I also think I grew up alone without anyone around me, and relied on those puppets to give me some kind of ward against my loneliness.

I'm not a kid in total isolation here. I don't require a lifeline to tether me to my humanity.

[parodeity]

That didn't quite answer if you're startin' to like 'em or want 'em around or not, you realize.

[splinten]

Then let me be explicit: I like them more than I used to but I don't want them around.

[parodeity]

Are you sure. [ what secret puppety longings lie at your heart, dirk. ] I can just like come over even less if you ever want to like, live amongst puppet ass.

[splinten]

I don't want to live among puppet ass, I want to live among human ass.

[Wait. FUCK. NO]

Not—no. Fuck. Not that. Goddammit. Fuck. I meant I want to live with human beings, not puppets. I prefer yours to a weird puppet, and Rox's, Rose's, Jake's, Prompto's, Mom and Dad's. All of that. I want the people I care about. The puppets can fuck off.

[parodeity]

[ .......................

snort. ]

But like...do you feel like you're gonna be missin' out on an important...thing. Like...like if I said "hey you eatin' oranges fucks me up".

[ it does not he's just using an example for his point ]

[splinten]

[That would be terrible.]

No, this is nowhere near the level of sadness I'd get from missin' out on oranges.

[parodeity]

But like what if I have to ask you to stop eatin' oranges or somethin'.

[ hypotheticals ]

[splinten]

Then we'd talk about it. I'd willingly give them up completely, but that probably isn't necessary. It'd be easy for me to just avoid havin' them around you instead.

[parodeity]

[ hm. that is an uncomfortable thought somehow but he's not sure how to explain it, so. ]

Yeah, ok.

[splinten]

[He notices that.]

Does that solution not check out?

[parodeity]

I'm not sure. That's why I'm like...sayin' the shit I was earlier, like...

[ vague hand gestures. ]

It'd be weird to have you have this whole important part of your life or interests you can't even mention to me in passin'. Or...maybe that's normal, I don't know, but I don't really like the thought of it I guess?? I don't want to make you just stop talkin' about shit because of weird bullshit past lives.

[splinten]

[Hm.]

Normal or not, it isn't exactly how you and me do things. I get what you mean. I can't present an easy solution to it, either.

[it isn't simple. it's complicated, and difficult.]

We could... work on undoing associations. Yet that seems to be trying to work exact opposite to the flow that your memories are pushing.

[parodeity]

You got upset when there was shit I wouldn't tell you.

[ he says, like there still isn't shit he hasn't told or hesitates on. but. ]

...It's the same kinda feelin', I guess. [ ...also: ] I'm not...sure. I can undo a puppet association. I have...like. So many puppet memories? And literally every one of them is, like, whatever.

[ TRAUMATIC? the first one was like "haha creepy puppets ok then" the second one was "um" and then he's kind of just stopped counting and would like the puppet memory train to Cease for the love of fucking god ]

Other stuff maybe but like, I, uh, do not know that I can manage that one??