"The song 'If I Had a Hammer' is geared toward people who don't have hammers."

[beatupgrass]

Who: Everyone's favorite trash panda AND YOU
Where: Wonderland's grounds
When: All of June, between events
Rating: PG-13, because Rocket's mouth
Format: Prose/Action (I'll match yours)
Summary: Rocket's dealing with some leftover canon update things and his best bet as far as returning to normalcy is working on his projects, both for himself and for whoever's requested them of him.

The Story:


a. if i had a hammer- peter, paul, and mary

Despite the numerous other projects that have been delayed due to events or Rocket just not feeling it, he's quick to jump on this particular request from Georgia. Not because he's picking favorites or anything, but because the challenge is unique and the results might benefit him too.

He has a motorcycle kicked up on the grounds with tools and odd contraptions sprawled around it, while he diligently works under it, despite the copious amounts of grease now coating his fur. Not far from where he's working, a CD player is blasting a song that he keeps humming along with.

Despite being absorbed in his work and the loudness of the music, if someone investigates the cheesy 60's music and off-key humming, Rocket barely breaks his stride before speaking up. "Got a question for you. How much do you weigh?"


b. you're the inspiration- chicago

Usually, Rocket stays in his room to work on his projects, and that holds true, but it's a really bad idea to test them inside, except when he wants to prove a point to someone over the network, ergo he's taken several out with him onto the checkerboard hills to test their effectiveness against makeshift targets and just work out some kinks.

There's a wide variety laid out around him as he adjusts and reconfigures each and every one before and after he tests them. The spread is varied too- some new prototype aero-rigs built with shoddier material than the ones he made back home, but good in a pinch, a few things that look like landmines, even more things that look like bombs. A few different types of gun, several melee weapons, at least one thing that looks like an arrow. Quite a few of them are things people have requested of him, if you're looking for an update or interested in seeing what he has.

And, of course, his CD player is back and blaring cheesy music. "This song's stupid," you might hear him say when this song first comes up. Later, you might actually catch him belting it.

Well, maybe not belting it more like loudly humming it and occasionally butting in with whatever words he actually remembers.


c. sledgehammer- peter gabriel

At the end of every day, once Rocket has dealt with his projects and put them aside, he can found by the lake, which is a really strange place for him. He's not really a fan of water, in general, but it's a nice, relaxing place to unwind and get the grease off his fur and chill out with his tunes.

...His tunes that are rapidly starting to get on his nerves a bit, though, like mold, most of them are growing on him. It's just that his attempts to get the closets to cough up "Peter Quill's music" has essentially led him to an unwieldy collection of CDs featuring artists named Peter or bands fronted by people named Peter, and he was too drunk to remember what Rip said about what kind of music that shit was, so this is what he has now. Embrace it.

But as far as anyone else can see right now, there's three feet worth of fuzzy raccoonoid sitting at the edge of the lake, trying to get grease off the top of his head with the combination of a rag and his own bare hands, while humming along to some Peter Gabriel. It's disturbingly (and unfortunately, in his case) adorable.

Comments

c

[noreason]

It is pretty adorable when Naoki comes upon Rocket by the lake. He'd been running around Wonderland because he's just...used to running around and sees no reason why he should stop just because he no longer has anywhere to go. He slows, then stops when he sees Rocket and looks at him for a moment.

Then he moves a little closer, tucking his hands into the pouch of his hoodie. "You want help?"

Offering might be a bad idea, but at least he's not going to say anything about Rocket being cute.

[beatupgrass]

Probably for the best. Not that he is in any way sure why he would need help. HE'S FINE. He just can't reach the back of his own head that well.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad, is it?" The engine grease on him does call to mind a creature well on his way to becoming a spokesman for Dawn dish soap and its wildlife cleansing properties.

[noreason]

Naoki moves even closer, until he's standing beside Rocket, peering down at him. "It's pretty bad. But I think you'll get it all of you keep doing what you're doing...for awhile."

A long while.

[beatupgrass]

Rocket makes an annoyed sound. "The only thing you bald-bodied weirdos have going for you is you don't get this crap stuck on you all the time." And in the model of agitated animal instincts, he licks the back of his hand and tries to scrub his ears.

And then keeps talking like he isn't doing that. "I've spent over half my life messing around with engines and this part always sucks."

a

[choosetruth]

"I'm... not totally sure," Georgia crouches by the bike, looking over his work. She knows enough to take good care of her bike, but she's an amateur compared to Rocket. That's why he's the one who gets to play with it.

"I've been gaining back fat and muscle since I got here, but I don't think I'm back to where I was before I died yet. Why?"

[beatupgrass]

"Gettin' you back from when you asked me. It was a really personal question, and I'm still distraught about it." He snickers and pushes himself out from under the bike. "Nah, I just gotta adjust the shocks on the thrusters to make sure you can carry two people without it gettin' weighed down, otherwise you're gonna be bitchin' you can't joy ride with Shaun."

[choosetruth]

She smirks. He's got her pegged there. "At least 400's a good ballpark for the both of us. When you add in body armor and Shaun's guns, and everything else, it adds up."

[beatupgrass]

"Maybe I should be coating this thing in Kevlar if y'all are gonna be ridin' that heavy." He grabs a rag to do something about his greasy hands and then snatches up the tablet he's been taking down specs with, bringing up a blueprint to show her... granted most of it is is pretty elaborate and detailed and some of the hand-drawn aspects are, well, shit, but there's definitely a general idea of what he's going for here. "Okay, so it took me a little while to figure out how to replicate my aero-rigs with crap I got out of the closet, but once I did that, the rest was easy. The problem's just been weight distribution when applying it to the bike."

He picks one of said aero-rigs off the pile of tools he's brought with him. "I'll get it nailed though. I had the same problem when I invented these things from the start." He tosses it up to her, grinning smugly. "Wanna try it?"

( a )

[revolter]

Haven't checked in a while.

[ Leia is standing just to his left, lowering the hood of her robe. white and new as they are, she seems to have no issue with lowering herself to the ground, leaning her weight on her knees. ]

What is that?

[ she points to the motorcycle first. she'll ask about the CD player later. ]

[beatupgrass]

It's a Terran motorcycle. Piece of shit too, but Georgia loves it and she wants me to make it not-shit. I can't get it to balance right, though. Weight distribution's off.

[he wiggles out from underneath it and cleans his hands off with a rag. he's so absorbed in the task, he's in that in-between space between being curt or being... his version of friendly, which is curt in a nicer fashion.] Can't take the wheels off, 'cause if the thrusters go out, it'll be useless.

[revolter]

This thing is supposed to move?

[ part skeptical, part curious. it doesn't look as if it'd be of any use but then, leia had also doubted the millennium falcon at the time. she'd like to think she's above making the same mistake twice ]

Is that why you were asking? do you need someone to sit on it?

[ she's bigger than him but rather petite compared to the taller bunch of wonderland. ]

[beatupgrass]

That's exactly what I need. [he gives her a once over. she's smaller than George too, but at least she weighs more than thirty pounds.] You ain't afraid of a little bike, are you?

[he heard her emphasis on thing. and the fastest way to get anyone to do anything, in his world, is tell them they're too chickenshit.]

a

[fancylad]

The music is more than enough to catch Angus' attention on its own, and when he follows it, seeing the extremely advanced-looking motorcycle brings a complete sense of awe. He knows motorcycles exist somewhere in the world, but he's certainly never seen one. The battle wagons of Goldcliff are widely known, but not widely traveled, and Angus has never been to Goldcliff to see them.

Angus only has a few moments to ooh and aah over the bike. When a greased up raccoon, ostensibly the one that was humming along with the music, addresses him from under the motorcycle, Angus doesn't hesitate. When a raccoon person asks you a question, you answer it.

"74 pounds, sir!" he says, standing at attention, eyes wide. "Or... that's what they said at my last check-up."

[beatupgrass]

"Damn. That's not gonna be good enough." He crawls out from underneath the motorcycle and lays his wrench down. "Gain about a hundred pounds and then we'll talk."

Clearly the kid not having the right weight specs for his project means trying something else. He goes right to his tablet and begins running figures, his left ear twitching. "This thing is gonna fly one way or another. It just don't know it yet."

[fancylad]

"I don't think I'm capable of gaining a hundred pounds very quickly at all... even if I tried very hard, sir."

A good "sir" always does wonders to mitigate the effects of backtalk, though if Angus is lucky, the raccoon man won't recognize said backtalk for what it was. Angus watches him curiously, not really understanding what he's doing on that device of his. It sure looks complicated.

"Wait, did you say the motorcycle was going to fly?" Angus suddenly realizes, stars in his eyes. He can recognize a motorcycle, but he sure has never seen one fly.

[beatupgrass]

Given that Rocket himself punctuates backtalk with a good sir, he does recognize it. The good news is any kid that has the brains to talk back when he's being mildly insulted isn't so bad, and is welcome to exist in his space.

"Heh. Once I figure out the problem, it will." He taps the touchscreen to bring up a few different diagrams. I mention this because raccoon hands and touchscreens should be everyone's aesthetic. "If I can make a bomb out of shit I found in my pockets, I can make a d'asted Terran motorcycle fly."

finally sees the movie, barrels in here (B)

[normandysbest]

[Shepard is also the type to come out to the checkerboard hills to keep her target practice up; sometimes it's actual sniping, sometimes it's stress relief, occasionally it's doing donuts in the Mako out of sheer boredom. Today, she can hear the music a mile away, along with a loud, belting voice that signifies a certain someone is back, out, and about.

She takes her approach as quietly as possible to observe his jam session, but stifling the laughter is hard, so she opts to make herself known a little earlier than previously planned.]

Having fun with your new soundtrack?

aw yeaaah

[beatupgrass]

[Rocket really cannot remember the words for the life of him, so he's just enthusiastically making off-key musical sounds with his mouth followed by an YOU'RE THE INSPIRAAAAATION~ for good measure, and it's kind of embarrassing.

way more embarrassing when he's caught and he drops his screwdriver, hoping to find a way to cover up his shame.] What? No. It's a stupid song and I keep gettin' it stuck in my head, that's all.

[yep.]

rapid fingerguns

[normandysbest]

[She snickers, visibly now, arms crossed to look slightly more aloof but her wide smile betraying her actual interest.]

Oh, yeah, sure. That's why you're belting it while working. If it makes you feel any better, I don't know what it is.

C

[drummeintheface]

It's been a while since he needed help in the bath, but he remembers his mom scrubbing his hair and tilting his head back before pouring water over his head out of a cup. It was nice. And it was a lot easier than doing it himself is.

When he sees the raccoon in clothes, that's what he thinks of. (Well, that and his classmate in Miss Langtree's class.) And so he walks over and points at where the raccoon's washing his fur, forgetting that that's rude.

"Do you need help with your bath? I could get you soap and wash your hair!" Pause. "Well, your head hair."

[beatupgrass]

Rocket stiffens a bit at the sudden arrival of someone in his personal sanctum... which is also a public area, so he shouldn't be surprised by it. And the surprise does fade after a second, replaced by Rocket's favorite emotion- annoyance.

"Kid, the day I need somebody to help me bathe is the day I hope someone puts me out of my misery."

[drummeintheface]

Greg gets that's a "no" from his tone. And since he sounds like a grown-up, that makes sense. Still, he's pretty sure soap would probably help.

"It looks like you got really messy. What were you doing?"

He sits down and starts taking off his socks and shoes. He's gonna go wading in the water too.

} CAROLINE

[beatupgrass]

[Rocket didn't make it a point to make himself available after returning from home, especially given all the bullshit he had to contend with, and he's still stuck in that awkward in-between space between actually committing to what Yondu started in him or just saying fuck it and continuing on as is.

It doesn't really lend itself to a lot of opening up.

Which is why he's not paying a visit to Caroline for anything emotional, but practical, instead.] Yo, Caroline. You in there? I need your opinion on something.

[persevere]

[Actually, she's....not in there. Whoops. However, she still keeps her room claimed, and considering it and she are on the first floor often enough and she has super hearing, catching Rocket call her name is simple enough.

She appears just down the hall, walking towards him.]

I'm not in there, but I do have opinions in spades.

[She makes it to the door, unlocking and opening it up before gesturing him inside.]

[beatupgrass]

[Rocket's ears flick as he hears her call down the hall and he looks from her to the door.] What the hell? Did you switch rooms while I was gone?