expiationlogs | [open] gwen's birthday bash

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[open] gwen's birthday bash

Who: Matt Murdock, Gwen Stacy, and anyone who knows her or just wants to party, tbh
Where: In a cute park!
What: This is a mingle log for Gwen's Birthday Party on May 29! Feel free to tag around.
Warnings: It's just a party! The youths might drink but that's none of Matt's business

[ Strictly speaking, Matt Murdock is not actually Gwen Stacy's friend. He's actually her enemy? Her archvillain? But what the Gwen who is here doesn't know can't hurt her! And Matt has always found her fascinating. So you see, you can plan a party with no ulterior motives, even for someone who got you arrested. And really, if your arch-enemy can't throw you a birthday party, who can?

Unfortunately, without his own criminal empire or Wilson Fisk's war coffers at his disposal, he has to make do with what is actually in his budget. Back in New York, he would've rented out a penthouse. Here, he has settled for a nice park with a couple of rented tables, a balloon arch (in black, white, pink, and teal no relation to spider-woman, don't worry about it), a fun little banner (it says "Hapy Birthday Gwen" instead of "Happy" did he run out of letters? did he do this on purpose? is he even aware?), some food and beverages (he's not the police), some tunes, and a cryptic message on the network Come celebrate Gwen! to tie it all together.

He's done very well, if he does say so himself! Really, it would've been way better if Jerry could have done him one tiny little solid, but it's fine. He adapted. He always does. ]

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i: morning routine

[Happy Birthday to herself! It's something Gwen thinks silently, but not vocally, for...well, lots of reasons. It doesn't feel like it should really be her birthday. It was December before she ended up here, so she skipped a few months. But on top of that, she hadn't really celebrated her birthday since Peter died. It had been hard anyway, since her mom died so close to her birthday a few years before that, but without Peter? Yeah, she just really didn't care to.

Even here, she really didn't want to make a big deal about it. She didn't even mention it to anybody, for that reason. She was just going to go about her day, hang with Peter, and maybe sneak a cupcake for herself at some point.

So, per usual, she went to the STEM club to work on their projects. They were making good headway in a few things, so she continued the work on those. Anyone that comes through the club building that day might spot her buried in work. Care to bother her?]

ii: birthday party

[Gwen knew Matt knew about her secret identity, she found that out thanks to the tower challenge they faced together, but she really didn't know the extent of what he knew. She had been meaning to follow up on that with him, but she didn't exactly know where he was staying these days, and with the weird AI stuff happening with the network, she wasn't sure she wanted to have a serious conversation over the network, but also in a way he could avoid or ignore her if he didn't want to be honest.

And yet, today of all days, she got a strange message from him, telling her to come to the park. She was suspicious, of course, but not in the right way.

When she was done with STEM work for the day, she made her way over to the park. It was immediately obvious what the set up was for (that sign? Really?), and all she can do is internally scream. She didn't exactly want this, but.. she's also going to be nice and polite and still hang out with the people that came. But Matt better be prepared to be cornered, cause she was getting some answers from him.

Throughout the party, she can be found at various spots. Early on, she'll be mingling through the crowd, chatting up her friends that came, but also meeting new people that just wanted to come hang out. Eventually, she'll relax enough and when some good jams come on, she'll drag whoever she can over to dance near the music. You might even catch her doing some air drums, depending on the beat. Later, she'll cut the cake, and open any gifts anyone happened to bring.]

iii: wildcard

[feel free to hit me up at

crystallium for any other ideas, i'm up for anything if you want to do something different for her birthday!]

(he actually did not plan a party due to a simple reason - gwen is still hurting, getting close to people seems like an actual nightmare to her, so he thought not to push... which is why he is low-key praying for mr. murdock #2's soul.

that said, as long as she's happy, and as time passes, he can see that she is! he's pretty glad about that part - even if he is still Worried for poor matt. surely they had decided to forsake the secret identity here, but ouch, very on the nose, sir...

either way, he sees her enjoying the music, wrists working with invisible sticks, and he laughs as he sets his chin on her shoulder. like puppy.)

Settle a question? Do you think it takes more alcohol to get us drunk? Been wondering about that.

(he has a date planned out for tomorrow, and again, matt murdock #2, blink once if he needs to create an emergency at the lab so you can prolong your years in good health, blink twice if you need help. that said, he's here, and he's mingling, dancing awkwardly two step right two step left because he isn't great at it, can't get this one wrong...

except. quill and himself have the amazing idea of bringing some of the music club stuff here. so, a microphone is set, quill got his guitar plugged in, peter has his saxophone, the drumset is there for gwen if she so chooses, they take requests.

here the boy is.)

[Peter's just lucky he had no part in this. Not that she would've been too mad at him for doing something nice like that, but still. Matt will get the brunt of it, especially since she still wants to have words with him.

She knows Peter is there before she even hears him speak or feels him place his chin on her shoulder. She fights back a laugh, leaning her head against him as she considers his words.]

Hmm. Biologically speaking? Yeah, probably. Our metabolisms are way faster than the average humans. It would take a lot more of anything to work: alcohol, drugs, or even poisons, probably. [She turns to look at him now, raising an eyebrow.]

Why? What are you plotting, Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes? Don't tell me you want to drink? What happened to "I'm not 21"? [she actually doesn't care she just likes to give him shit 24/7 okay.]

(for just one second, he totally forgets that matt can definitely smell alcohol on him, around him, in his stomach, going into his cells-- and that he is mom. just for one second. peter has had a little trouble adjusting to the fact that there is no drinking age here, and it does take him much more than a normal person to get tipsy, thanks radioactive spider. due to that, after a while of fumbling with the fact that the teens are very much loose in this place, he might as well partake. after all, what's the worst that can happen? it's not like he's drinking anywhere enough, and it turns out, the cocktail he's drinking masks the taste of alcohol just right! it's nice.

but hey, there's matt.)

Mr. Murdock, hey!

(oh, yeah, gotta pretend he can't tell where peter is calling him from by the exact coordinates, yes, let's go take him to a table.)

Birthdays are exciting, aren't they? Remind me, how old are you this year? 15? 18? You kids all seem the same age to me.

[ It's on purpose. All of this is on purpose, it always is. Every single piece of his perfectly-crafted appearance was on purpose, just like these questions and just like this party.

Oh, and the fact she'll probably want to punch him in the face. That would just be a nice little bonus! ]

I didn't know you played saxophone, Peter.

[ He wanders over while they're setting up. That's cute! It's cute to see the youths so invested in each other. Were they going to get together? He'd always placed his bets on Gwen and MJ, but there was no denying that Gwen had all kinds of emotional baggage tied to Peter Parker. ]

Are you in a ska band? Are you old enough to know what ska is?

(he can hear the laugh stuck in her throat - good! he likes making her laugh, it's one of his favorite new hobbies. his arms wrap, and he doesn't fight his own chuckle, because hey, he never said that! this is pure speculative questioning for an affliction, mind her, both suffer from!)

Still not 21! It's what I was wondering, I don't think this stuff affects us at all!

... How are you, by the way?

[ Matt doesn't really know Gwen all that well, though he knows Peter well enough, and well, Murdock is a whole other problem. So maybe he's a little awkward with the whole idea but he's not about to let it show.

Yes, he can tell Peter's been drinking, and that's enough to make him give Peter something between a concerned and stern look, but he also knows he can't stop the kid, really, and Matt would have probably done the same when he and Foggy were in undergrad. Just. He's going to pretend he can't tell, even though he can seriously tell. ]

Hey, Peter.

[ Matt appreciates the assistance. Look.... he is probably going to give up the ghost on appearances eventually, but right now, that aid is appreciated. ]

Having fun?

[ He says that totally innocently but you know exactly what he means. ]

[-- SPEAK OF THE DEVIL. He doesn't quite sneak up on her, but he gets closer than about anyone else can without her noticing. Gwen doesn't understand it, which just adds to the millions of questions she has for him. But she turns to him, trying to gauge this guy.

Who was he? The blind guy thing was an act, wasn't it? He might be really blind, but what she saw in the Tower... he was no ordinary blind guy.]

17. But I'm surprised you don't already know that. Seems like you know all about me, somehow.

... Hey-- I know what it is, it's just not really good. Was it popular back when you were a kid? And, uh, I was in band in school.

(a little jab back, just casually calling him #old by the #genz, but no bite, he's just having fun. but most importantly, here, for your safety, dinosaur.)

You know she's going to kill you, right? Tap the twice once if you need help.

Lucky guesses. You and my Gwen have a lot in common, it seems. She was in college, though, last I knew. A little bit older.

[ he doesn't turn her direction though, he's blind, after all. ]

It's funny, isn't it? How everything is connected, all these little worlds, through complicated webs. [ Spider...spider webs ] You move a little thing here or make a different choice there and you come up with a different result. A butterfly flaps its wings--a spider spins a thread.

[ There's a world where power didn't corrupt him. A world where he understood responsibility. He doesn't have to wonder what that's like anymore, because he's had drinks with the product of it. Just him, another version of himself, and that version's unbearable weight of Catholic guilt. ]

Edited 2024-05-29 00:17 (UTC)

I wouldn't say at all. It'd just take a lot more. And wear off quickly. Probably still get nasty hangovers, too.

[she doesn't believe that he's not actually plotting something, here. peter says a lot of random shit, but it's usually because random shit is on his mind.]

I'm...okay. This is, like-- a lot, but. It's not so bad. Thanks for asking. [since his arms wrapped around her, she's going to put her hand on his, giving it a little squeeze.]

... Sorry I didn't say anything. About my birthday. [he didn't seem upset, but she still feels she needs to say it.]

I can't decide how I feel about you thinking that ska was popular when I was a child. Let me get back to you on that.

[ But at Peter's warning, he just laughs. ]

She can't kill me here, we're in public. It would be impolite.

[Gwen isn't sure how she could have more questions when he gives a hint of an answer, but here she is. "His Gwen"? So he really did know her. Maybe not her exactly. Maybe another version? Or her future self? He mentioned her being college age, which is still a few years out for her.

She's still trying to process it, when he continues rambling about alternate realities.]

I've seen it. The web that connects every dimension. [That's something she'll never forget, traveling back and forth to Miles' dimension.]

My friend called it the spider-verse. Seems fitting.

(he'll tell him right away that there is no use to the appearances when there's only so many people here, but he'll say, maybe matt can pull it off. until he makes that decision, however, peter will do his very, very best to keep it in wraps, although he's not particularly skilled at the lying part of it all.

but, yes, he's here for matt.

and, uh, shit, yeah, he forgot.)

Uh, yeah, but, not about me, right? She's having fun, all that matters, uh, anyway! Mr. Murdock #2 seems to like her very much.

Oh, I was going for a metaphor, but weird that it's literal. Must be disappointing for the other heroes.

[ There's a seriousness to her voice but he doesn't match it. The spider-verse, the multiverse, whatever, it's not news to him. He'd had Gwen's portal device for hopping dimensions. He'd been ready to bounce. ]

I was going to try and keep up the charade of not knowing you, but it's so boring. We've already gone through the whole arc, including the climax. Who wants to hear the same story again?

You gotta go home sometime. How did you meet her, anyway? She told me you guys are from the same place, like me and the other Mr. Murdock.

(good thing peter believes almost anything, right...)

She's one of the good guys.

[ so he doesn't have to worry!! ]

I'm not sure we're from the same place. I think she'd remember me. I mean, I'm a pretty memorable guy! It's not every day you meet a blind lawyer, unless you're here, and then you might meet two of us.

[ Jim arrives as per usual, toting Bones and a bag of breakfast sandwiches. There's work to be done, and today's one of his STEM club days, as opposed to working on the Dark Web project at home. It's taken up most of the living room, in addition to the random projects both he and Spock take on as a means of generating currency. The denizens of Aldrip never bring anything particularly difficult - in fact, it's almost fun, getting to tinker with vintage technology, like the toaster Mrs. Hopkins from down the street brought over for a quick fix - but sometimes it's better to oscillate between projects to keep the mind flowing.

Jim reaches into the bag and procures a wrapped sandwich to toss Gwen's way, knowing by this point already that both her and Peter will always inevitably catch it (at least, so far). It's a neat trick, and something that Jim still isn't able to disguise his fascination with; though he's wise enough not to prod them for more information than they're both willing to share about this mutation they share ~~that WASN'T transmitted between them.~~ ]

Morning. How's it going? [ Jim leans down to free Bones from his lead; he'll bound over to Gwen for a sniff and a brush against her legs before he settles on the dog bed Jim had left in the STEM club room for him a week ago. ] Peter here yet?

[ He may or may not have a pocket full of condoms to hide, but don't worry, that's his own private side mission in the Get Revenge vein. ]

(... so, not like him and daredevil, who went through an alien invasion, and work in the same city. okay, interesting, maybe that means murdock knows maybe some different things? does he know... her peter parker? things that he wants to ask, but maybe, not right now.)

So you know another Gwen Stacy?

[ god don't ask stupid questions!!! but this one time, since it's gwen's birthday, he'll let him get away with it: ]

That seems to be the long and short of it.

Hey, it's okay. I got something for tomorrow, how about that? Just you and me.

(a date! something romantic, to make up for the fact that the past weeks could definitely be a little bit more so. she seems to like it when he is, so he's just going to keep doing it, pressing a little kiss where his chin was resting against.)

That works. Seems like there's some weird stuff in here, Mr. Murdock #1 seems to not be from, uh, the exact point in time that I am, and then there's the two of you, and stuff like that keeps happening, so uh, probably 'the long and short of it' seems to be kind of the rule here.

(LET HIM ASK, SIR...)

I wouldn't think too hard about it. Don't say anything that'll mess with the space-time continuum, and you'll probably be fine. That's usually the moral of science fiction novels.

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[open] gwen's birthday bash

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ii

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for matt murdock #1

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i

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