On icons and apping to distantskies

[likesliving]

<Yes, I'm so happy to have you pulling my strings again. Really. Because I just love having my "soul" turning into animals too and being completed stranded. Especially since being stranded wasn't necessary at all, but no, you have to cut me off from home because the war is just too hard. Boo freaking hoo.

And if I'm going to be stuck in all your twisted games again, when the hell are you going to get me another paid? You already have more than enough points! Am I supposed to just walk around like this just because you think the icons I was left with are funny? My icons suck! I'm not even me in most of them! What, do I have to just be a seal from now on?>

Comments

[whatsupcroc]

The seal's a good look on you, Marco!

[likesliving]

Who the hell are you?!

[This seal is a suspicious seal and also kinda freaked out over you knowing his name there]

[whatsupcroc]

Oh come on, are we running into a timeline issue?

[ Collette groans, then ends up laughing. It's her luck. It totally is! ]

Let me guess, preforming magic tricks at the Children's Hospital isn't ringing any bells?

[likesliving]

No, and if you don't tell me who you are and how you know who I am I'll be ringing those bells on your head.

[And dammit, why is he a baby seal, this is so not the morph for intimidating people with]

[whatsupcroc]

I hate to tell you this, Marco, I really do, but I think even I could wrestle you into submission like you are now. Did you want to try?

[ She grins. ]

Not my fault if you end up crying uncle!

[ Now this is all coming from someone sitting in a wheelchair of all things. And she sounds serious, in that teasing way. ]

I'm Collette. If you don't know who I am, it's because you haven't gotten to the part of the war where you, Cassie, and Jake go recruiting kids at Children's Hospital. How old are you right now?

[likesliving]

<Oh, suuuuuure. The girl in the wheelchair could wrestle me in submission. Help! Somebody save me!>

[Bring it on, wheelchair girl]

<No. You can't just go around claiming we actually recruit you at a hospital. And seriously, you think I'm just going to tell you how old I am?>

[Also at this point Marco is going to take a moment to glare at his mun for forgetting thoughtspeak tags. As much as a baby seal can glare, anyway.]

[whatsupcroc]

[ She quirks up her eyebrows. Did he really? Well then. Collette rolls a little toward him, lining up, then reaching down to flick her breaks off. Honestly she's more next to the seal, but she knows how to position herself and hope she'll get enough swing out for her legs not to worry they'll hit or get tangled or have an awkward sprain.

Sure, it doesn't matter these days, but she's lived a life where it mattered more than getting candy at Halloween.

Thus, without much ado, Collette the Auxiliary Animorph Marco knew nothing about threw herself on top of Marco in his baby seal morph.

And got him in her best approximation of a choke-hold........... on a fat baby seal. ]

Should've -- thought twice -- before saying -- that! Hah!

[likesliving]

[A fat baby seal who was now flailing madly on account of the teenage girl who had just leapt on top of him]

<What the hell are you doing? Are you insane?!> [Marco flails some more] <Get off me!>

[whatsupcroc]

Promise to stop being dumb and listen to what I have to say?

[ Where was all his brave talk now huh? ]

[likesliving]

[Screw that. This girl already knew his name, and he wasn't going to just stay a seal and get beaten by a girl in a wheelchair.

He really hoped Rachel never ever heard about this.]

<No, because you are insane!>

[And with that he starts demorphing. A baby seal might have no chance, but Marco is confident he can get the upper hand as a human]

[whatsupcroc]

[ Flash, who Marco cannot see because he hasn't gone to the City of Magpies yet, clucks his beak from where he still sits on Collette's chair, reminding her this is going to feel really weird.

She didn't need the reminder, she sends back, but thanks anyway. ]

Oh god this feels so gross in case you were wondering, you complete weirdo!

[ She states while she holds on and tries to keep the bile down because hot dang this feels REALLY GROSS when someone else is morphing! ]

[likesliving]

<If you don't like it then let go you crazy--> [And then Marco's thoughtspeak cuts out. But he continues to make his displeasure at this known, trying to push away at Collette with flippers that are demorphing into arms]

[whatsupcroc]

[ It's not terribly effective, considering the seal was on it's belly, and so was the demorphing Marco. She has to shift when he gets shoulders out of nowhere and a neck from the babyfat necklessness of the seal, but it's ultimately not that hard to stay as she is when she's that much dead weight on the back of someone who doesn't exactly bench-press for a hobby. ]

Not -- happening!

[ She smiles, or grimaces and pretends it's like a smile, Flash shaking his head unseen on her chair. ]

You could have just asked for a hug if you wanted one!

[likesliving]

[What the hell was this? She had been in a wheelchair! How could a girl in a wheelchair keep him in a headlock?! This wasn't how this was supposed to go! He tried to pull her arms away from his neck, but to no avail]

Well I know it's hard to resist giving someone with my face a hug, but you're just going to have to learn to deal with it...

[Especially since now Marco was morphing again. And this time he was getting bigger]

[whatsupcroc]

[ That gets her to let go, pushing off him to catch herself on the ground and push up into a sitting position. She's looking distinctly less than impressed -- and then she laughs, shaking her head. ]

You're cute, Marco, but not that cute.

[ And then with all the apparent self preservation instincts of a drowned rat, she continues to sit there, merely rearranging her legs to better support a semblance of decisive movement behind her action.

She waits for him to complete whatever he's decided to morph into now. ]

You must get better at keeping your cool when you're older, because this is really kind of hilarious.

[likesliving]

[Now, this is much better. Marco keeps morphing - into polar bear, because thanks to someone he doesn't have an icon for his gorilla morph right now - and just watches this girl, wary. And he blinks at what she says]

<...You think I'm cute!> [Dammit, he really shouldn't sound quite so gleeful about that. Stay focused Marco, this girl is a potential enemy]

<Okay, now I know you're insane. You don't know me, and trying to talk about 'when I'm older' is just plain nuts.>

[whatsupcroc]

It's more the other way around. I know you when you're older, and talking to you younger is sounding more and more like it's plain nuts.

[ She leans back on her hands. ]

You should have morphed wolf! Then we could have played fetch while you don't believe what I'm saying.

[likesliving]

<That's because you are nuts, wheelchair girl.>

[Marco just watches her carefully. He's pretty confident that she can't be a threat at all now, but she could be hiding a Dracon beam somewhere.]

<Oh, of course! I should have morphed wolf. Never mind the fact that I don't even have a wolf icon for that right now, because we just need to run around playing fetch instead of you actually telling me how you know who I am.>

[whatsupcroc]

I'm sad you don't know about the grand plan to recruit the children's hospital kids to be the Auxiliary Animorphs yet!

[ She opens her arms wide -- seriously.

Look, she just explained everything. For sure. ]

There's the answer for you, Marco.

[likesliving]

<You expect me to believe that we actually recruited you? To be an Animorph?>

[Now that's just hilarious. Especially after everything that happened with David.]

[whatsupcroc]

Considering you were right there holding the pigeon we first acquired, yeah. Eventually you will!

[likesliving]

<What, did you find that out from your crystal ball?>

[Yup, Marco still totally does not believe you]

[whatsupcroc]

Pfft, do I look like a gypsy to you?

[likesliving]

<You look like someone who's still avoiding answering the question.>

[whatsupcroc]

I already did, if you were listening. You -- Marco -- recruited me -- Collette -- and a bunch of my friends.

From the Children's Hospital.

[likesliving]

<No, that's not answering the question. That's giving me bullshit and expecting me to believe you. I want the truth, and you're not going anywhere until I get it.>

[Marco growls softly, to emphasise the point. He really doesn't want to hurt a girl in a wheelchair, but he can't risk her putting all of them in danger]

[whatsupcroc]

( Collette sighs. )

You're so not listening. And trust me, Marco, you can't keep me from leaving if I want to.

Especially not since I've been to where you're going.

[likesliving]

<Suuuure, you just try outrolling a polar bear on that chair of yours. And I don't see your soul wondering around on it's own, do I? Try again.>

[whatsupcroc]

( Wrong words, Marco. If it's a challenge, she's already starting to morph -- and she's getting big.

Fast.

Black and scaley and with Flash melding back into her, Collette's on the fast track into turning into a dragon that could, very, very easily, eat a polar bear for lunch.

Marco... what do you do? )

[likesliving]

[At first, Marco just stares. She's morphing? How can she be morphing!]

<You - you can't do that!>

[Except she can, and she is, and she - what is she even turning into? Oh god, she - she's getting huge. Like insanely huge. Like huge enough to eat Marco in one gulp.

Marco just froze, staring up at her in complete terror.]

[whatsupcroc]

( Only she just... did. Collette brings her massive head down to Marco's level, large eye focusing on his head.

Then she says, so eloquently; )

< Boo! >

[likesliving]

[Oh no oh no she was coming near him! What was he...he needed a plan, he needed a way to get away but she was too big, he'd never out-run her...

He was still too terrified to even scream; he just jumped when she spoke, trying to crouch down and make himself as small as possible, hoping that maybe, somehow, she'd decide he wasn't a threat and let him live]

[whatsupcroc]

( Instead, she politely nudges him.

... Over, probably. )

< Are you ready to shut up and listen yet, Magician, or am I going to have to sit you down and wait for your two hours to run out before mine do? >

[likesliving]

[Anything that knocks him over is not a polite nudge, Collette. But right now Marco is way to busy clinging onto the fact that he wasn't dead yet]

<Alright, alright I'll listen, just please don't eat me!>

[At least Rachel wasn't here to hear him sound like a panicked little girl.


(...why the hell was she calling him 'Magician'?)]

[whatsupcroc]

< Relax! You don't look like anything vaguely worth eating, even if I was some big weird cannibal. Besides, you were the one making bad jokes about eating one of us if you were a real raptor. >

( Laughter echoes in her mind. )

< You, Marco, went with Jake and Cassie to recruit possible allies when the fight was just getting out of hand. You hit up the Children's Hospital first, and James, he's more our leader who reports back to Jake, helped sound out everyone around our age who could and would help out. So the Auxiliary Animorphs was born, out of the kind of people the Yeerks would never want to take as hosts. >

( She exhales on him, hot and stinky. )

< You do the rest of the math on your own. You're supposed to be Jake's tactical mastermind. >

[likesliving]

[Oh yes, relax. That was totally going to happen, with a bit giant flying lizard breathing on him. Excuse Marco, he was just going to continue to stand here and tremble.

He stayed silent when she talked about why they were chosen. Because he could see exactly why they would be the ones they would have to approach, over anyone else. Instead he chose to ask about something else.]

<'Getting out of hand'?>

[whatsupcroc]

( She groans. )

< You so picked the wrong historian for everything that's happened the last few months. >

[nothlitprince]

< I don't know, man, I think it suits you. >

[likesliving]

<Ha ha. Very funny, Bird-boy.>

[Who's that kid you're using as a PB for Tobias? How did you find someone who looks so much like the book cover model?!]

[nothlitprince]

< I'll be here all night, Hoover. >

((A young Luke Edwards! I saw him in Mother's Boys and went HOLY CRAP.))

[likesliving]

<Okay, I am not going to stay a freaking baby seal when I don't have to.> [After all, its not like Marco has to hide who he is in front of Tobias. He starts demorphing]

<You'll probably love this: now you won't be the only one to have Only One Expression. Of course, my one expression is still way cuter than yours.>

[It is seriously uncanny! For a moment there I was half thinking that Tobias's cover model must have somehow done other stuff without anyone noticing :P]

[nothlitprince]

< You know I could totally eat you, right? > [If a hawk could grin, though, he would be.]

((I know, right? It took me ages to find someone, to, and I ended up doing it when I wasn't looking.))

[likesliving]

Moving on from mice to baby seals now, Bird-Boy? [Now fully human, Marco could fully show Tobias complete distain with...his one expression. Hey, it's all he had to work with, alright?]

[[Hah, I so feel you on trying to find the right PBs XD Finding ones for Marco has ended up taking a ridiculous amount of work...]]

[gorillawarfare]

Who is this vision!

[likesliving]

<...Okay, I know I was asking for proof that that crazy wheelchair girl knew me in 'the future', but this is so not what I meant.>

[This baby seal is just gonna stare for a moment, okay. Because this? This is insane. (But on the plus side, looks like Marco will be remaining just as incredibly attractive and cute in the future as he is now. Score!)]