thelegion | [video] Russians and Dogs In Space!

Hellooo Legion of Superheroes!

[The man on the screen is handsome and pale, with silvery hair that falls over one of his stunning blue-green eyes. He looks to be in his mid- to late-twenties, and only a pinched look around his visible eye betrays worry. His mouth is certainly smiling and relaxed, and he's speaking with a pronounced Russian accent. It looks like he's still in the Medbay, but he’s sitting on the edge of his bed there.]

I am Victor Nikiforov! Which means much less here than it does back home, so that's a new and interesting experience for me.

[There's a bark off-screen, and a dog appears at Victor's elbow, clearly sitting on the bed with him. It's fluffy and a little ridiculous looking, probably a standard poodle but without the funny haircut. Victor obligingly moves his arm and adjusts the angle of the camera so that both of them are evenly in the shot.] Makkachin and I are recently arrived, and I’m very grateful that the Legion has been keeping an eye on Phelolu, because I would have been very disappointed if we both died there of poison and cold.

I've been informed that I now have short-term precognition. Either that or people are just repeating things as a funny joke, but that seems a little far-fetched when I'm already in another universe in space! So right now, I'm working on choosing my super hero name. Please, tell me yours, and what you like to do around here in your free time!

Oh, and I was assured that Yuuri Katsuki is already here. If anyone sees him and he's not on his way, could you tell him that his coach and the dog who likes to jump on him in public are here? [Makkachin barks again, and Victor laughs, glancing away from the camera.] Yes, and Makkachin is here too!

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[Haircut buddies! Kubo has to squint a little to check that Viktor doesn't have the haircut for the same reason he does, though.]

Welcome to the Legion, Victor! My name is Kubo. I'm a storyteller.

[He plays a little riff on his shamisen, one of his papers folding itself into an origami approximation of the dog. What even is a dog? It looks like a nice animal.]

I guess my superhero name is Paperboy, but I still answer to Kubo.

It's good to see one of Yuuri's friends here! I bet he'll be relieved to see you.

[It was real easy to worry about that guy!]

Edited 2016-12-07 07:49 (UTC)

[Nope, Victor has both eyes. It shows when he sits up straighter and then pulls his omnicom screen closer when Kubo demonstrates his powers.]

Ahh, that's amazing! How wonderful!

[He sounds delighted and 100% sincere, mostly because he is. If he weren't holding something, he'd probably be clapping his hands.]

It is very nice to meet you, Kubo. Thank you for your assistance, and for the demonstration of your powers! You must have practiced a lot to be so good with them.

[His smile gets simultaneously wider and softer on the topic of Yuuri.]

I certainly hope so! He hasn't been here too long, has he? I'd hate to have kept him waiting.

I was born with them, and my mother had the same powers back when we were in our home world. Plus I used them to make our living by telling stories, so I guess I have practiced a lot! But I had a great teacher, and I think that's even better than practice.

[He looks off camera and smiles, clearly at someone else who's in the room, but doesn't keep his attention impolitely away from the conversation at hand for too long!]

So, you're well known back in your world? Will you share your story?

[Victor covers a smile with his fingers, though not very well.]

I can certainly agree that having a great teacher is very important. Your skill does them credit. But don't sell yourself short either, the best teacher in the world can do nothing with a student who refuses to learn.

[Evidently, Kubo's teacher is in the room with him. That's good, he seems a little young to be running around without someone to keep an eye on him. And Kubo is clearly delighted to have them around, which is even better.]

Yes, back home, I'm a famous athlete. I'm not sure my story is particularly exciting against the backdrop of space and super heroics, but I'd be delighted to tell it, if you're interested.

Why would I sell myself short? I told stories for a living. If I wasn't any good at it, we wouldn't have been able to eat. But we did, so hey, I must be pretty good!

[He chuckles like that's actually a funny joke and not a seriously tragic statement. But he's also genuinely curious at the motivation behind Victor's instruction not to sell himself short. This isn't the first time someone here has said something similar. Why is it so important to them to tell him that he's good at playing music, and that his effort shows? Do they think he doesn't already know that's where his skill is?

Regardless, he nods politely, and flips the camera around to show a woman in a golden robe, with long black hair, sitting nearby on the kotatsu they share in their quarters. Before she can really notice she's being filmed, Kubo flips the camera back.]

That's my mother! She was my teacher. And she knows so much more than what I've had time to learn yet.

[Always happy to brag about his mother, he smiles at her again before returning to the conversation.]

I've never met a famous athlete before. Unless Yuuri is a famous athlete, and he forgot to tell me the "famous" part. I'd be honored to hear your story.

[Victor knows another skater about Kubo's age who is the primary financial support for his family. Kubo and Yurio are...very different though.]

She must be very proud of you. I'm sure she's happy to be able to continue your training here.

[He sighs at that, half-affectionate and half-exasperated. Probably not at Kubo.]

He's not as famous as I am, but I can assure you that he's quite well-known. We competed against each other last year in one of the top figure skating competitions in the world, and he was well on his way to qualifying for that competition again this year before we were brought here.

But I shall absolutely tell you my story. Though maybe once I'm more recovered from being dumped on an inhospitable asteroid. I don't usually use words to tell stories.

[Happy doesn't really cover it. Her presence is miraculous. But Kubo doesn't want to saddle this friendly stranger with the sad details of her return from death just now.

He settles for aiming another loving smile at Sariatu, the sort of love that has been touched by heartbreak briefly present on his features.]

We're both very happy.

[That's enough of an explanation for now.]

Of course! But . . . how do you tell stories without words?

[It's a foreign concept to him, but all the more interesting for it!]

[Victor has an eye for beautiful things, and that smile that Kubo sends his mother's direction catches his attention. However, he doesn't really know how to shape the sentences to ask about it without destroying it, so instead he moves on to answering a question about something he knows oh so very much about.]

I don't know what Yuuri has told you about figure skating, but essentially a skater's final score is determined by a combination of two parts: their technical score and their presentation score. It isn't simply a matter of performing athletic feats, a skater must also deliver with their body the intent of the music they've chosen to skate to. As a musician and a storyteller, you wouldn't tell a wistful story about lost love while playing music suited to a story of triumph and revenge. It's the same thing with skating.

[video] Russians and Dogs In Space!

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