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

[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.

[doctopoda]

You know, that is exactly what I would have pictured.

[Young Doreen carrying a squirrel around in her backpack...it seems about as reasonable as hiding a giant tail in her pants!]

Well, I can't blame you. I certainly destroyed a few appliances in my youth.

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

Don't get me wrong, I tried, but MJ wasn't a fan; too dark and stuffy in there. Tippy hangs out in my purse sometimes, but I leave it open so she can poke her head out and see what's going on.

[ Look, maybe her pants function like hammerspace, it could be one of her powers! (It is not) ]

Oh yeah? Were you going all inventor on 'em? What'd you wreck?

[doctopoda]

Oh, yes. I always liked taking things apart and putting them back together again, even as a child. [Conspiratorially:] Just took a few years to get the hang of the second part.

I think - yes, the first thing I managed that with was our phone. I had to, my parents were furious about what I'd done to it.

[Despite that, it doesn't seem like a bad memory. Just one he hasn't thought about for a long time. Hey, he did get it together and working again, everyone was very impressed!]

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

[ Doreen actually barks out a laugh, for what feels like the first time in years. There's a spectral MJ hanging out on her shoulder now, which is probably a good indication that she's feeling better. ]

Oh my god, it would've been an old-school rotary phone. Those things are like bricks! Hope it didn't take years to put that one back together, no wonder your parents were upset!

[ She isn't being serious, she's teasing! ]

[doctopoda]

[Otto takes it in that vein, laughing. And not contesting her assumption because yes absolutely it was a rotary phone! He's just glad to see her feeling better.]

It's not as difficult as you'd think. Nothing compared to repairing these new phones - you know they make it hard on purpose?

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

Ugh, yeah, that's how they make sure you'll buy a new phone within four or five years. You can repair some of 'em if you have the parts, but half of them have the charging port attached directly to the motherboard, so you either need a micro-solderer, or you have to replace the whole stupid thing even if the charger is the only part that's fried. The other half are made with so much glass that you have to replace the entire friggin' chassis if anything breaks!

[ Sorry, this has clearly touched a nerve! Spectral MJ accompanies this rant by throwing a spectral cell phone to the ground in solidarity, and Doreen gives him a scratch under the chin for his support. ]

... Seriously though, cell phone rants aside, thanks for listening. Everything about this sucks, but MJ's more than the worst thing that happened to him. It's good to remember that, sometimes.

[doctopoda]

Of course. You would have done the same for me.

[Otto didn't really need a magic pillow to start having nightmares about Rosie's death! But, ah, let's discuss it never.]

...let me know if you ever need your phone fixed, too, I have got a micro-solderer. [of course he does. he'd probably be all over right-to-repair stuff if it weren't for literally everything else going wrong!]

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

Dude, I might ask if I can use it later, I've always wanted to try one of those things!

[ She's a on a shoestring undergrad budget back home, and is even more broke here! Those things are expensive! ]

Alright, if this dream is as lucid as I think, I should be able to wake myself up. I'm gonna track down those pillow guys and have a frank discussion about crossing emotional boundaries.

[ She sounds pretty upbeat, but there's a steely undertone to her voice. This particular dream? This was a lot, and she doesn't like the thought of similar traumas being sprung on people without warning. ]

[doctopoda]

Of course. I've got all sorts of things in my personal lab, you're welcome anytime.

[It was expensive, but it was also one of the first things Otto went and got when he got presented with that temporary unlimited credit card! Though, to be fair, it was more of a necessity than a splurge; the actuators were incredibly expensive to build, and they're not much better to repair and maintain.]

Alright. Give them hell if you find them.

[Hopefully he'll just wake up as well; he's not actually sure how the dreamwalking works. He'll just see!]

[eatsnutsandkicksbutts]

Will do. I'll catch ya on the flip side, Otto!

[ She fades away, and after that has a whole encounter with the Willow Maiden before she wakes up, because I forgot about that part of the dreamshare! ]