September SOL and Dreamshare stuff (ota with some closed prompts!)

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

Who: Doreen Green eatsnutsandkicksbutts (plus Jason and Bart in some closed prompts)
What: Slice of life September stuff! Plus Dreamshare
When: throughout September
Where: Central City, Little Love
Content Warnings: mention of animal death and asphyxiation in the nightmarish Dreamshare prompts




Rooftop hangouts - OTA!

[ Things in Central haven't been too crazy lately, but it still hasn't been a great time to be a conspicuously visible, Unaligned meta. On the bright side, since it's September, that means it's officially Sweater Weather, and by god Doreen is going to take whatever downtime she has and friggin' chill.

You can catch Doreen hanging out on the rooftop of a nearby building at sunset, (giant cozy sweater on, tail out and headband engaged, secret identity intact!), drinking some apple cider and snacking on trail mix. She is, of course, flanked by a small posse of squirrels, with Tippy perched on her shoulder. ]

Y'know, I'm gonna miss being able to generate this stuff when we go back. Saves a lot of money.

"Chht chk chutt chik!"

No, I'm not saying you guys have been breaking the bank, I'm just saying it's been convenient.

[ Feel free to interrupt! ]


DREAMSHARE! (also OTA!)

[ If you stumble into Doreen's dreams tonight, you might run into a couple of scenarios:

• You might find her on the moon, sitting on the enormous, purple shoulder of Galactus the World-Eater, staring down at the earth in the distance. Doreen's smiling fondly at a trading card in her hand, and gives the side of Galactus's helmet a friendly nudge. ("Aw, this was really nice to revisit! I'm glad we worked things out, Galactus." "YEAH, ME TOO. IT'S BEEN A PRETTY CHILL HANG.")


• Teenage Doreen, complete with her furry old outfit, is crouched over... well, it can no longer, in good conscience, be called a squirrel. At least, not an alive one. Since it's Doreen dreaming this, the squirrel's body has been pixel-censored out, but it's evident that this was not a natural death, and that she's pretty heartbroken over it.

After a moment, once she's realized that she's dreaming again, teen-Doreen sits up and wipes her eyes, smearing the eye makeup across her face (god, why did she wear so much of it as a teenager!), and takes a deep, steadying breath.

I'm sorry, MJ. You deserved so much better than this, buddy.


• Doreen's fighting... Doreen. Or at least someone who looks exactly like Doreen, apart from the hardened glint in her eyes, and the arsenal of superpowered weaponry that she's equipped with. Allene - that's her clone's name - has Captain America's shield strapped to her back, one of Iron Man's gauntlets, a set of knockoff Doc Ock tentacles sprouting from her backpack, Magneto's helmet, and countless other weapons and gadgets that she's stolen on her rampage.

Doreen's next punch goes right through her double's head like mist, and when she stumbles forward with the momentum, the landscape shifts back to the empty moon, only this time there's no spacesuit, no Galactus, there's no oxygen, and as Doreen falls to her knees, the panic starts to overwhelm her because she can't breathe she can't breathe she can't breathe--! ]

Comments

Totally normal civilian times for Jason!

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

[ Doreen - and she is just Doreen right now, in full hidden-tail civilian mode - is a Computer Science student back home. Between Unaligned superheroics and trying to keep a roof over her head via freelance programming work, she hasn't been able to enroll in college and keep up with her studies, so Doreen's been doing her best to homeschool it at the library in her free time. It hasn't been easy, but assuming that the teleporters work and she can make it back home soon, she'll be an entire semester behind, so she has to study up while she can!

Anyway, today she's in the sci-fi/fantasy section of the Central City public library, holding a towering stack of heavy CompSci textbooks against her hip with one arm, and straining for a just-out-of-reach book with her free hand. Super strength is one thing, but it can't make up for being short, especially not when the book she actually wants (in this case, a copy of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) is on the top shelf! ]

Whose decision was it to buy the extra-tall bookshelves...?!

[robintohood]

[Central City's public libraries have become some of Jason's more frequent spots to go to as a civilian, be it for fun or for research. Today was just for fun as it's been a while since he read a good fantasy book. He was browsing through that section when he spots a familiar woman trying to reach for something on one of the top shelves.

Jason knew Doreen saying she doesn't have a civilian identity was highly dubious but he's a little surprised by how similar her civilian look is from her Squirrel Girl persona. Other than hiding her tail, there's really no difference between her identities.

Jason walks over and grabs the novel for Doreen]

Gotta make space somehow.

[Now was a good opportunity to get to know her better without their conversation becoming another fight. Jason needs to know how much of a problem she's going to keep being]

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

Ah--! Oh, hey, thanks dude!

[ Doreen beams up at him, and plops the book on top of the Leaning Tower of CompSci Textbooks. Jason's domino mask from before was super-effective, because she clearly does not recognize him! ]

Sure, I appreciate the efficient use of vertical space, but man, you'd think they could at least leave some stepstools around or something.

[robintohood]

[His domino mask's effectiveness was exactly what he was banking on]

Stools are too easy to steal. Maybe those ladders on wheels and rails instead. You need more help?

[He gestures at Doreen's tower of books]

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

Oh, Beauty and the Beast style, I like it! I'm--

[ She freezes, looking very much like a squirrel in the headlights. Oh god, she forgot about the superstrength again, would a normal person be able to carry this many heavy textbooks?! She doesn't know, she's bad at judging this stuff! To her credit, she doesn't drop the books (the first time this happened, she'd been carrying moving boxes and dropped them all the minute she got called out), but she does give Jason a big, nervous grin. ]

... Sure! These are, uh... they're not as heavy as they look, so holding this many of them is actually super normal, but they are about to fall over, so if you could grab some off the top that would be a really big help!

[robintohood]

[Yup. Jason's going to keep pretending he doesn't notice anything weird about Doreen]

Sure.

[Jason reaches and grabs several books at the top]

You're studying for something?

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

[ those are some grade A acting chops he's showing! ]

Oh, uh... sorta? I'm kind of taking a break from school right now, but I don't want to be too far behind whenever I go back. Hitchhiker's Guide is just a bonus fun-times book.

[robintohood]

Good choice for fun. Don't forget to bring a towel.

You're gonna be a coder?

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

What kind of hoopy frood doesn't have a towel on them for emergencies?

[ This is said with a broad wink and a grin! ]

I'm... not quite sure what my endgame looks like, but yeah, I'm in the middle of a Computer Science degree, right now. Second year undergrad. I do some freelance stuff to pay the bills.

[robintohood]

[Jason smiles back]

Don't to thank for all the fish too.

What kind of freelance work?

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

Programming, some web design, database stuff, whatever. Gotta pay the rent somehow, right? Sometimes I'll do basic programming workshops at the library, for kids, but I haven't had much time for those lately.

[ She sighs. Doreen really likes working with kids! Just... paying the bills takes precedence right now. ]

What about you? What's your deal, apart from being a good samaritan with an appreciation for Douglas Adams?

[robintohood]

Not much. I'm just a mechanic. It's my day off so I wanted to take in something besides oil and the sounds of drills.

[Which isn't entirely a lie! He just also has a double life]

Squirrelese lessons, for Bart

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

[ Kid Flash had asked her for Squirrelese lessons a while ago, and Doreen, never one to turn down a request to learn that particular language, is super prepared. She has come to Little Love in costume, armed with a stack of introductory flashcards, and Tippy-Toe as a teaching assistant. Tippy's the one holding the cards right now, and making demonstrative chirpy noises. ]

So, the trick is learning to differentiate the consonants. A "chitt chuk" with a hard double-T at the end is different than a "chit chuk" with a single T. That's the difference between "I have a sandwich" and "I am a sandwich".

It's gonna seem tricky at first, but once you nail the double-consonants, it gets way easier, I promise! I taught this to my friends back home, and they picked it up after a couple weeks of practice.

monkey joe

[doctopoda]

[This isn't the first time Otto's found himself in a strange place - a lucid dream. Honestly? So many regrets about that whole pillow situation. But at least it means he understands the situation; he finds his footing quickly.

Of course, this doesn't really outweigh the stress of being in someone else's dreams in the first place. Especially not...

The actuators bristle around him in response to his sudden alarm. Of course it's hardly the first time he's seen a dead squirrel. It happens. But this is the first time since he met Doreen, and this is...he wouldn't have been able to identify the specific squirrel even if the body weren't pixelated, but it's obviously a friend of hers.]

Doreen...?

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

[ ... Oh, hell. Doreen's tail fritzes up for a second before curling low around her knees. She's stopped crying by now, but her face is kind of a mess with the smeared makeup, and honestly, at this point the tears could start up again any minute, so she's not turning around just yet. Once the guilt and grief is a little less overwhelming, she'll get it together enough to... dream-logic the makeup away or something, but right now Feelings Are Happening. ]

S-sorry. I didn't-- I wasn't expecting visitors. You'd think the stupid pillow would've included a warning about this, or at least a less cryptic note.

[doctopoda]

I'm sorry - I didn't mean to intrude.

[Otto approaches carefully, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder. Deliberately, it's slow enough that she can move away if she wants.]

The warning would have been nice.

[God knows he's had some dreams recently that weren't dissimilar to this. At least thematically, you know. He hasn't had any visitors to those yet. Frankly, even as awful as they are, he's pretty sure he wouldn't want anyone else showing up to witness the whole thing either.]

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

Well, neither of us really had a choice here, so it's kinda moot. Hang on...

[ The hand on the shoulder is a nice gesture, but she just... she doesn't want to look at that body anymore. Doreen closes her eyes, and after a moment, the pixeled-out squirrel is replaced by a squirrel-sized gravestone that reads 'RIP MONKEY JOE (you were the absolute best and you deserved so much better and I'm so sorry)', although the type has to get smaller and smaller to compensate for all the text. ]

That's... that's sort of better, I guess.

[doctopoda]

...would you like to go somewhere else?

[Otto...well, his control over even his own dreamscape can be a little slippery, so he's definitely got the sense that he can't do much about Doreen's.]

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

... Yeah. Yeah, I just need a minute.

[ It takes a few moments to get it together, but eventually the scenery melts around them and reforms into one of the forested areas of Central Park. The tiny gravestone is still there, although Doreen's changed back into her regular twenty-year-old self (that's one good thing at least, she doesn't have to look at her teenage superhero costume anymore). She stays quiet for a couple seconds, and then the rambling just bursts out. ]

I... I know it wasn't really my fault, and I know he wouldn't want me to think it was my fault, but it still feels that way, you know? I left him behind on monitor duty once, and... and then some jerk with a grudge broke in and killed him. Frig, it was our first day on a team, we were supposed to share it. He'd been with me for six years...

[doctopoda]

...I'm sorry.

[He gives her shoulder a squeeze and withdraws his hand, though he doesn't step away. Part of him wants to sit down on the ground next to her, but movements like that are hard for him these days.]

You can't think your way out of these things. Even knowing that it wasn't your fault, it's hard to feel it. [.....] I wish I could tell you how.

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

... Thanks, Otto.

[ She braces her hands against her knees and stands up, running a hand through her hair once she's back on her feet. ]

He really was the best. It's been a couple years, and it's easier to handle now, but I wasn't expecting the flashback, you know? Especially not in detail. I'm giving those pillow guys a piece of my mind once I wake up.

Also, no judgement allowed on the old costume. My mom made it for me, and everyone makes some weird fashion choices when they're a teenager. [ As attempts to lighten the mood go, it doesn't quite work, but hey, there was an attempt! ]

[doctopoda]

I wouldn't dare.

[Otto's not gonna throw the first stones here. Doreen never saw his shirtless phase.]

He seemed like he was a good friend to you, from what little I saw of him.

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

[ The clothing phase that made Tumblr go absolutely rabid! ]

Yeah, he was my best friend. I was born with most of... y'know, this, [ she flicks her tail in demonstration, ] but I was really insecure about it when I was a kid. The language stuff didn't kick in 'til I was about ten, and MJ was the first squirrel I ever talked to. He was the first person who told me that I'm awesome the way I am, and actually got me to believe it. I mean, my parents are great, but parents are supposed to think you're great the way you are if they're doin' the job right. MJ was like a surprise older brother who was also a squirrel, and who was really good at pep talks.

[ All of this is illustrated by a translucent montage of kid-Doreen and MJ high-fiving, running around the woods, foiling muggers in Central Park when she was a teenager, and on one memorable occasion, MJ trying to convince Doreen not to blow-dry her tail with multiple hair dryers all plugged into the same power bar. ]

... Sorry, you didn't sign up for Backstory Hour. Nice to see him again, though.

[doctopoda]

Neither did you.

[She didn't ask for this. Plus, Doreen had to do backstory hours with Otto not that long ago! Granted, the most personally tragic parts of it weren't included - and it is lucky in this moment that he's got no effect on the dreamscape here - but turnabout is still fair play.

These are nicer memories, though. Otto smiles at the apparent revelation that the squirrel was more knowledgeable about electronics than a teenage Doreen.]

Seems like he had a good head on his shoulders.

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

[ She sees that amused look he's giving the flashback, and rolls her eyes! ]

Look, if you had that much fur that you wanted to dry in a hurry, you'd be willing to try some desperate measures too. I just blew a fuse, MJ thought I was gonna set the house on fire. My dad's an electrical engineer, he still hasn't let me live that down.

... You're not wrong, though. MJ always knew what was up. We were inseparable, apart from like... school, couldn't exactly hide him in my backpack.