InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "This IS music!"

gwen (itsybitsyspidey) wrote in snapthread,
@ 2020-02-03 19:57:00

Entry tags:

!partner thread, dan torrance, gwen stacy

WHO: Dan Torrance and Gwen Stacy
WHAT: Getting to know you, getting to know all about you
WHERE: Van Dyne's
WHEN: Monday
RATING: Low

It wasn't exactly hard work running the clothing shop. The hardest part was the sorting and keeping track of inventory. But she had Q-Tee and Bev to help her and that made everything that wasn't really even that hard a lot easier. She'd fallen a little bit behind in the stocking of things while being tethered to Bill. While one might think it'd be easy to go out looking for clothes with another set of hands, well, it wasn't. But now that she was free she'd gone looking and come back with a decent haul.

It felt good to be busy again. Gwen went through phases of wanting to be lazy and wanting to be doing a million things at once. She was sort of in between both of those moods at the moment so she was slowly, but efficiently, separating men's and women's clothing she'd brought back. Q-Tee was folding socks, and Gwen was keeping an eye on her to make sure she wasn't mismatching them. Sirius' boyfriend Remus mismatched his, she knew, but that wasn't everyone's thing. She had her earbuds in and was listening to, amazingly enough, her band's own song while dancing around her bot. "You gotta face it tiger, face it tiger, it's your last shot," she sang as she spun around Q-Tee and hung up a hoodie on a hanger.

(Post a new comment)

doctoring
2020-02-04 02:05 am UTC (link)

It was probably obvious, to anyone with eyes, that Dan wasn't the most...fashionable.

Sure, he got by with jeans and t-shirts and sneakers. Maybe flannel here and there. But he didn't actually care, much, when he opened his closet and put something on - as long as it fit and wasn't cutting off his circulation, then fine. Whatever. Besides, he wore scrubs to work. Then came home and crashed. There was nothing in between that required looking like he actually put effort into what he wore.

But he thought that since he was here, well, why not? Apparently there were people in town who knew more about clothing styles that he did. It was either that or sit in the medically-designated building wearing scrubs again, constantly, and that would start to get on even his nerves. So shopping it was.

He went to Van Dyne's, stepping inside and glancing around - so there was a lot on shelves, on racks, there was a blonde girl and a robot and...well, that was about as far as he got. "Uh - " Was he interrupting? He was probably interrupting. "Hi, sorry. Is this - a bad time?"

(Reply to this) (Thread)

itsybitsyspidey
2020-02-04 06:01 pm UTC (link)

Gwen wouldn't call herself a fashionista. That was definitely more of Bev's vibe than hers. But she knew a little bit mostly because of Em Jay making sure they were always dressed in hot fashion that suited them for photo shoots or concerts the band was playing. When it came to stocking the shop with clothes, Gwen made sure she had a lot of essentials. Basic stuff that everyone needed and tried to get variants of those things. As far as more specific styles were concerned, she mostly just guessed and then watched what people in town picked out. When she learned what they gravitated toward, she made mental notes to get more things similar to that so people had variations and didn't have to wear the same stuff all the time. And now that Bev was there and could sew? That made things even easier.

She hadn't heard the door at first, and didn't realize anyone else was in the shop until she heard a man's voice. Mid-twirl. Gwen paused, plucked out her earbuds and paused her music. "Oh, hi," she said. It didn't phase her that he'd caught her dancing around singing. When you were a musician that just kind of happened a lot.

"Nope, never a bad time," she said, and smiled as she held out her hand. "I'm Gwen. Gwen Stacy."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

doctoring
2020-02-04 07:09 pm UTC (link)

"Dan Torrance," he shook her hand and, ah, youth. He tried to remember what it was like to be a teenager - then again, maybe he should keep those memories tucked away in a velvet-lined coffin where they belonged. As could be expected, his teenage years were violent and soaked in booze. "It's nice to meet you."

She was...close to Abra's age, maybe? Could be that he was just feeling nostalgic though, heart twisting a little when he thought fondly of the girl who called him 'Uncle Dan.' As close to family as he'd ever get, anyway. So yeah, he missed her.

And she definitely wouldn't have wanted him to be walking around looking tragic, that was for certain.

"I'm pretty new. Heard this was the place to learn how to look good?" He probably needed a lot of help there. Be gentle, Gwen.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

itsybitsyspidey
2020-02-06 07:30 pm UTC (link)

One the hardest things about being a spider-person was that she was young. Still a teenager, but faced with a lot of adult situations. Situations that even the most mature adult would have trouble with. So she had to grow up. Fast. But she still had those teenage moments quite often, which wasn't a bad things. It meant she wasn't overly jaded, and that was promising for her future.

Being in town, where she'd only been faced with dangerous situations a handful of times over the last several months -- was it coming up on a year? Close to it -- she was far more Gwen and less Spider-Woman these days. That was nice. She felt more like her and not so much a spectacle.

"Good to meet you officially," she said, and then laughed. "Is that the reputation we've got here? Well, that's not a bad thing. Ever since Bev showed up the credibility of this place has sky rocketed." She waved her hand to gesture toward the clothes. "We've got a lot to choose from. Anything in particular you like to wear? Also, don't worry about the bot. She's harmless. Just folding socks right now."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

doctoring
2020-02-06 08:01 pm UTC (link)

Well, he guessed if you could finagle yourself a bot to fold socks, why not just let it happen? Dan turned to look at the design, fascinated - when he was a kid, no doubt he'd want one of those to clean his room for him, after the countless times his mother told him to do it. Not that he disobeyed her much in acts of rebellion, but still, what kid actually likes cleaning their room?

"The bot must be good company," he chuckled. "Um - " What did he like to wear? Probably 'clothes' wasn't the correct answer. "Comfortable things?" he said, fingers scratching at one cheek prickled with sandy cactus bristle. "I guess...neutral tones. And jeans. I could use more jeans. And t-shirts, and a sweater or two, since this place gets winter, apparently."

Plus socks. But he figured he'd get the hard stuff out of the way, then pick up socks that the bot had dutifully folded, since it was easier to pick those out. No one really looked at a person's socks.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

itsybitsyspidey
2020-02-06 11:05 pm UTC (link)

If they weren't so hard to build, Gwen definitely would've built more to do a lot of other things around the shop. But Q-Tee probably would've gotten jealous and then there'd be bot-battles and she was not wanting to have to use her web shooters on them. Well. That thought train escalated quickly.

"Comfy, neutral. I got you," Gwen said. He didn't look like an overly flamboyant, flashy dresser anyway. She was pretty good at guessing sizes these days just because of her experience in bringing back clothes for everybody. She sauntered over to where she kept the men's jeans and picked up a couple of different styles. Three pairs should get him through for a while. She moved over to the sweaters. "I'm gonna let you pick out your underwear and socks," she said with a little laugh. "I can do this part but the hard stuff is all you, man. Q-Tee might smack your hands but just take from a pile she's not working on and you'll be okay."

As she selected a couple of sweaters, she folded them and looked over at him. "So, you're new. Are you adjusting okay? Are there people here you know?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

doctoring
2020-02-07 12:45 am UTC (link)

"Oh, uh - " Dan hadn't been expecting the underwear conversation (or mention of it), but that was...fair, he guessed. He maybe flushed a little, just taken by surprise, but was fully confident he could pick out his own boxer briefs, definitely. "I don't claim to the best at the adult thing, but I've at least got underwear down," he grinned a bit. Jesus, he was such a fuckin' nerd sometimes.

But alright - he studied the jeans, checking the tag and as it turned out, Gwen was pretty spot-on with the measurements. He liked to think he was pretty average anyway - he wasn't shaped weird, wasn't all legs and no torso. Women had a lot rougher go of it in the clothing department; he recognized it was unfairly easy for men to find something that fit.

And he was perfectly okay with whatever sweaters Gwen wanted to select. Not picky at all. "It's better than being dead," he replied. "So I'm adjusting okay. I don't really know anyone though. I'll see if I can make friends." Easier said than done?

"How long have you been in town?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

itsybitsyspidey
2020-02-07 03:59 pm UTC (link)

"Baby steps. Adulting is overrated anyway," Gwen said with a little grin. She liked nerds. Nerds were her people. Don't let the rockstar edginess fool you, people. Gwen Stacy was, at her core, still a nerd. And it was great.

When dead was the alternative, sure, being in Starklandia was preferable. Although now that she'd gotten used to being here, made some amazing friends and formed a family unit she had to say that it was definitely better than she thought it would be. So much so, that she wanted to stay. Weird as that might sound with her father at home and her responsibilities as Spider-Woman being what they were. But it was how she felt, at least for now, and that was all she'd say about it.

"That'll come in time," she said. "I didn't know anyone when I showed up, either. I mean, there were some names I knew? But none of those people were from my world so they didn't know me. And for some of them, I don't exist in their world even though they exist in mine? It's a bit complicated. I've been here.. um.." She counted backwards. "Eleven months next week." Wow. Had it really been that long?

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

doctoring
2020-02-07 07:26 pm UTC (link)

Dan unfolded one of the sweaters, just to put it on over what he was already wearing - nothing too exciting, since there had been clothes in one of the empty houses and he just...clothed himself in whatever wasn't bloodstained. But he wanted to see how it fit, if the sleeves were too long, and so forth - it seemed to be just fine, and he took it off to refold neatly.

He wasn't one of those people who didn't put things back how he found them - that was just rude.

"Some names I know seems to be the extent of it," he agreed. Well, he'd heard of Richie, anyway. The price of fame. "That must be strange, trying to suss out who exists where. It's enough to give someone an existential crisis. Planning to do anything for your year anniversary?" he asked. That seemed to be a long time. He'd probably start losing track of it.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

itsybitsyspidey
2020-02-08 09:51 pm UTC (link)

It was definitely weird for her at first to be in a place where no one knew her. At the same time, it'd been kind of a relief. She was going into a place where there weren't really any preconceived notions of her or who she was. Peter B. was the only person who new Spider-Woman, but they weren't sure if it was the same her and Gwen just hadn't gotten to that point in her life yet, or if he knew a different Gwen. The other Peters knew Gwen Stacy, but in a very different capacity.

She'd struggled back then a little more, being around so many Peters who were living and breathing, but she'd gotten better about that. It still jarred her from time to time at the house when she'd bump into Peter, but she'd been here long enough to differentiate and accept that her Peter was probably not ever coming to town.

"It's definitely weird but also sometimes kind of cool to learn about people who exist in your world but have a completely different life in their world," she said. "I hadn't thought about doing anything to celebrate the one year. There are a handful of people who've been here longer. Maybe we should do a party for them. Parties are always a good time here. If we do, you should totally come."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

doctoring
2020-02-08 10:21 pm UTC (link)

"Sure, I'd come - I'm also great at planning parties, if you can't tell." That was Dan, making a joke - because he probably looked like the only parties he planned were the kind where it was lights on, music playing, bowls of snacks sitting out and six guests at the kitchen table in the back of the house. Just, you know. Super sad and awkward.

But he'd do his best. Set him up with the tarot cards and the crystal ball, he'd do 'readings.' Hey, at the very least, he had a few neat party tricks up his sleeves.

The jeans and sweaters folded and stacked, he held them against his chest. "So I'll just pick out a few other things and then meet you at the counter? Do you keep track of inventory or anything?" he asked, since that seemed to be one of the only tasks when it came to running a business in this town.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

itsybitsyspidey
2020-02-14 02:42 pm UTC (link)

"I'm not the greatest at it unless it's Halloween themed," she said, though he wouldn't get the joke. "Ah, long story. Cliff notes version is my alter ego is Spider-Woman and I can shoot spider webs at things. So, you know, super helpful for spooky season."

When he asked about inventory, she waved her hand and shook her head. "Nah, not really. I mean, kind of? I'm here everyday so I keep an eye on what we need. Usually people just throw out suggestions or ask if there's something specific if it's not here. Like, if you're a yoga pants kind of guy? Lemme know." She smirked a bit. "Is there anything else you need? I'm not the welcoming committee but I can help if you've got questions. One of my dads usually meets up with the newbies and gives them the run down."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

doctoring
2020-02-14 03:47 pm UTC (link)

Spider...Woman? Yeah, Dan was lost at 'shoot spider webs at things,' but he figured Abra would probably know what that meant. And would roll her eyes at old (actual, literally old) Uncle Dan for not knowing shit. "That's...interesting," was what he came up with. "You'll have to show me sometime. I mean, if it's something you're comfortable doing."

He also assumed Gwen meant that one of her dads was Steve Rogers, and Dan recalled him being the welcoming committee. Of course, he'd been dropped into town during some kind of tethering fiasco and everything was the exact opposite of welcoming, but he couldn't blame anyone for that. It was just bad timing all around. "I think I'm good," he promised. "Thanks for your help with all the fashion, Gwen."

Hey, now he had actual clothes and didn't have to wear the same three outfits day in and day out. Dan counted that as a win in his book.

(Reply to this) (Parent)