video

[topgun_textiles]

[The camera opens to Crystal Beach. With the weather as it's been lately, nobody should be surprised that someone decided to spend a little time there. With the sun starting to set, the sky has burst into mingled red and gold, the color spread over the sea as well in gentle lapping waves. A small jostle, and the camera is all set on a beach chair that was the resting place of a few cute little dolls. Some were shaped like local animals, but among the others were a smattering of dragons, perhaps an inspiration from their recent dealings with Lyestellus.

Kanji stepped back and into the frame, dressed for the outing: A basic black speedo and a pair of snappy designer sunglasses. He didn't seem bothered by his choice of attire- it was too damn hot to give a shit anyway- as he lowered to his knees and settled next to his makeshift display.]

A'right... uh, yo! Ain't done one of these videos in a while. Few months, I think? Anyway, I'll just get right into it with the question I sometimes get:

Did I make these? Damn right I did! They're cute as hell too, yeah? And if somebody's got a problem with a guy like me makin' stuff like this, they can kiss my ass or get outta my way! This is what I do, and I'm damn proud of it!

[He sat up straighter with a grin.]

...For the rest of ya who don't give a crap and want a piece of what I can make, I'm open for orders. I make dolls, charms n' clothes. Hell, they can be clothes that accommodate ears n' tails or whatever when the moon changes. I can do alterations, too.

I'm gettin' better at workin' needles while transformed, too, so the Sanguis moon ain't slowin' me down much. Gimme a little more time, and that'll be nailed no sweat!

[He supposed that was it. Off-camera, there's a distinct panting. Kanji looked off-frame, too. Despite the hardened look right up until then, his expression softened immediately.]

Hey, pal... tired of diggin', huh?

[A large black and white dog pads in, some kind of jowly breed but it's sporting a strange pair of horns and very dirty paws from a digging adventure. His tail is wagging like crazy as he flopped beside the human, and is happy to get those tummy pets.]

Anyway... drop a line here or in the inbox.

Comments

[spacedisaster]

Excellent. Let me know how much you charge in exchange and I can come over and pay you. Trust me, it's not you. He just doesn't like people touching him much. Poor Manties learned that the hard way.

Sure thing, there's really no rush at all. If you have other projects first, this one can wait.

[topgun_textiles]

Lemme go over my fabric and other materials and I'll send an invoice in a little bit. I tend to ask for demichroma, but cut it in half if you're lookin' to pay in chroma.

Name's Kanji, by the way!

[spacedisaster]

Don't worry too much if you can't be 100% accurate with the design, I know it's an odd request. Both options sound good. When it comes to Chroma I usually share hugs and handshakes, since that's faster, but if you prefer less touching then we can go for the demichroma.

Pleasure to meet you, Kanji. My name's Peter Quill but around the Galaxy, they know me as Star-Lord.

[topgun_textiles]

I'm good for hugs n' handshakes no problem.

...Did you say Star-Lord? That name's awesome.

[spacedisaster]

Then it's settled.

[ Peter stops, looking at Kanji in amazement when the younger man compliments him. You just became his favorite person, Kanji. ]

Thank you! It's well earned too, I promise. I've been traveling around the Galaxy since I was 8 years old.

[topgun_textiles]

Man, I wanted to camp on the moon when I was eight! I mean, I'm on a different planet now, but it's eleven years too freakin' late.

So what's your weirdest alien encounter?

[spacedisaster]

Aww, that as a good goal. I wanted to be an astronaut too, so I guess in a way, I did that. It's never too late, it seem. You can always ask the Moon Knights if they would let you camp on one of the moons.

Oh, it's so hard to choose. I've been up there for 30 years there had been a lot of interesting and even more unfortunate encounters. [ Where does he even start? With his teammates, of course. ] So there's this guy, Groot. He's one of my teammates and Rocket's best friend. He is walking, talking tree, and can make vines and flowers grow from his body at will.

[topgun_textiles]

I think I got that outta my system when I woke up on Iris and had to hunt unicorns for food.

[He'd feel pity, but those suckers were mean as piss.]

A talking tree? That's awesome! You'd think space would be rough for 'em, but I guess most planets worth goin' to has some kinda sun, water n' CO2 right?

[spacedisaster]

That sure sounds like a memorable start. I was talking with Persephone about unicorn the other day and how I expected them to be the next thing to show up on the planet. Are you saying I missed them? A shame.

[ Ey, peter might find it odd but he's not about to judge other people's weird eating habits. ]

He's very tough for someone who grew up in a pot, and when we were off-planet we made sure to fly close to some sun so he would get the energy he needed. Groot was adorable as a baby but a troublemaker. That hasn't changed now that he's a teenager. He's been really difficult to handle lately and spends a lot of time playing with videogames. Alien species aren't that different from us after all.

[topgun_textiles]

Looks like it. Sorry.

[But he had to wonder:]

Wait, what the hell kinda video games does a tree play? I take it not fishing games or things where ya gotta gather wood to build stuff.

[spacedisaster]

A shame but ey, at least I got to see real dragons. There are a lot of lizard-like giant aliens out there in the galaxy but now quite like real dragons that breathe fire.

Wait a moment, you said you had to hunt the unicorns? What happened to the rest of the food?

He plays mostly Space invaders since I gave Grott my old Gameboy. But he would play any game that lets him blow up things. He's got that from Rocket.

[ The guardians are simultaneously the worst and best parents. ]

[topgun_textiles]

There was no other food that I could find up there on Iris! There's water but no plants, no fungus, nothin'.

Workin' out how into weaponry Rocket is, I guess that was a given for game preference. So long as it doesn't freak Groot out, I guess.

[spacedisaster]

I thought the moon Knights were in charging of picking up the moonblessed that awoke in the moon. Where they slacking on the job?

All my team is used to handle all sort of weapons, it's really no big deal for us. Grott's quite the combatant when he puts his mind to it.

[topgun_textiles]

Ohhhh... well, I was one'a the first group, over a year ago, to pop up on the moon. The prismals didn't know we were comin', not like they do now. It's crazy rough up there tryin'a live for hours in a purple desert.

[spacedisaster]

I believe you, that must have been terrifying.

Did they get everyone on time, I hope? No casualties?

[topgun_textiles]

None that I know of. We were huge chroma beacons on a moon that ain't got much on it, so once the Scientia station on Iris picked up on the spike, it wasn't tough locating and pickin' us up.

I think I bit somebody. I don't remember. But my blessing kinda got the better of me and I wasn't exactly in my right mind at the time.

[spacedisaster]

All's well that ends well. The more I learn about this place, the crazier it gets. I've never known about this sort of magic and Ive seen my fair share in the past.

I think you can be forgiven given the circumstances, as long as it wasn't anything serious and you didn't go 'Lord of the flies' on each other.

[topgun_textiles]

Lord of the what...? No, the prismal's fine. He just surprised me is all; we went to hide in one of the caves we found and spotted an abandoned radio, realized there was some kinda technology, some sign of civilization!

We used it to try n' call somebody. The message got through. They rolled up in some kinda lunar rover sorta thing like you see in all the NASA pictures. But people back home looked like me n' my friends... seein' animal people got me on the defensive, y'know?

[spacedisaster]

It's a novel about a group of children that end stranded on an island and have to survive on their own until rescue arrive. But they end going a little bit insane and attacking each other. It's a really famous book.

[ Kanji, you make him feel old. ]

You were lucky that you found the tech so quickly. And yes, I can imagine the surprise. The first time I saw an aliens I was 8 years old, it's certainly an experience.

[topgun_textiles]

Whaaaat, that's insane! "Famous book" translates into "required school reading" to me, though. I dunno if any school would want you to read shit like that, though. In mine it was, "Read this old-ass poetry book and tell me what it meeeeeans"...

Yeah. I mean, it ain't the first time I've seen pretty non-human things that walk n' talk, but goin' into the TV was pretty normal for me. Alien planets? Not really.

[spacedisaster]

It was. Back in the day, people considered it a way to show the complexity of human beings but a lot of schools banned it because it has some heavy violence and bullying. Hah, that sounds boring too. I didn't make it that far into school since I got kidnapped by aliens when I was eight.

[ Yes, he is serious. That's why being in Lunatia isn't that much of a big change for Peter. ]

Did you say going into the TV? Are you famous back home or something?

[topgun_textiles]

Famous...? Infamous. I was on TV about that stupid biker gang I sent with tails between their legs.

But nah, I mean inside the TV. There was a world inside it that I could go into. My town and everyone in it were playthings of a fucked-up god to see what humanity wanted, turned everyone against each other and threatened to turn us into monsters.

We bounced in and kicked her ass where she hid. We told her what humanity wanted by putting a boot in her ass. We wanted to be left the fuck alone.

[spacedisaster]

A biker gang. Those still exist nowadays? They sound like old, cheesy movie villains but good for you for standing up to them.

A new dimension inside the tvs. That is...not the weirdest thing I've heard. [ It's a bit like what happened to Alice in Wonderland. ] Gods, man, they're all insane and with too much free time. My biological father acted the same, as if only his plan and himself mattered.

[ Peter smirks at the 'We told her what humanity wanted by putting a boot in her ass' because that's quite the badass boast. ]

Didi she listen?

[topgun_textiles]

S'been... what, three years since? I'd say she listened. I'm not able to go into TVs anymore. I touched 'em back home, still watched the screen on rainy nights for signs, nothin'.

They were right. After some time that 'door' closed and life went back to normal. Y'know, until I came here. I can use my powers here, too, without usin' TVs! It's seriously wild.

[spacedisaster]

How odd. Maybe that mean it's all over and you can finally move on.

Oh? What sort of powers are those? Perhaps is the Chroma allowing you do to that? I haven't really checked if I still have my Celestial powers but I don't feel any different, so I guess the answer is no.