January monthly log!

[ragnarsson]

who: Ivar and others. Maybe even you?
what: Monthly log
when: All throughout January
where: Abandoned City, the park, all over
warnings: A fight, possible baby mama drama, maybe some body horror with morphing?



A. First rule of Fight Club - For Damian and later on Bucky

Considering how their last fight had gone, even if Damian didn't remember, Ivar was eager to see who would win in this second one. He headed out into the Abandoned City towards the biggest waterfall. It was best not to do this in the city, for it was a certainty that someone would try to stop the two of them if they knew what they were up to. This might have been the wiser course of action, for there was no telling how carried away they were likely to get during this.

Ivar was the first to arrive and he waited, taking out his axe, sharpening it on a whetting stone as he waited for the young assassin to arrive.

B. The blue box - For Marco

It's been several weeks since Ivar broke his leg badly and Marco had to rescue him in gorilla form. While his leg is now healed up thanks to the ministrations of Shigeru, such a traumatic experience is not easily forgotten. They haven't really spoken much of it since then, but observant as Ivar is, he's noticed that Marco seems to have something on his mind.

Rather than press him, he waits for Marco to find the right moment to talk to him. It appears to come when they're relaxing on the couch together, Ivar with his head in Marco's lap and his eyes closed, the TV on for background noise. Marco says something that he doesn't quite catch, so Ivar opens up his eyes and looks up. "Hmmm? What did you say?"

C. Co-parenting - For Letha

Dealing with Letha was rather like strategizing for a war. He kept trying to read her and figure out how to stay one step ahead. Right now, they were in an uneasy truce, both of them remaining civil for the sake of Winter. Ivar wanted to believe that she had changed and actively wanted to be a part of her daughter's life again, but the cynical side of him wondered how long it would last.

The reunion hadn't been smooth. As soon as she picked up Winter, the familiar glow surrounded the baby, and Letha had nearly fainted from stubbornly insisting she kept wanting to hold onto her. Ivar wasn't sure how much babies could remember, but it was obvious he was going to need to deal with this problem of Winter draining her mother's life force sooner rather than later.

The best thing for her would be to associate Letha with positive feelings, love and comfort, the way she did with Ivar. So right now, they were out in the backyard of Letha's house. Winter had on a cute little smock dress as she crawled around the backyard while her parents watched her.

"She's gotten so big," Ivar remarked. He was hoping she wouldn't drain the life out of any of the plants or bugs in the backyard, but if she did, well, at least it wasn't a person.

D. What kind of Pokemon are you? - OTA

With all that had been going on lately, Ivar hadn't had the chance to really get his Pokemon out and about. It made him feel a little guilty. Pets were not to be neglected no matter what form they came in. So he took the three of them out to a nearby park and released them from their Pokeballs so that they could get some exercise.

Skinfaxi and Hrimfaxi galloped around for a bit before settling down to graze. It was amazing how his Ponyta had grown from a tiny foal all the way to a full-grown stallion big enough to ride. Sprig, on the other hand, remained close to Ivar, occasionally nudging him in hopes of getting a treat. He was a gluttonous little thing.

If he saw anyone, he would wave them over, proud to show off his trio of pocket monsters.

E. Morphing - OTA (Set at some point after the thread with Marco)

Anyone walking around the city would notice a certain oddity now roaming the streets. There were different animals wandering around. Some were ones from earth and others were obviously alien in nature. Most of the time, they could be found tearing around at top speeds, or if they had wings, awkwardly swooping down low to land nearby people. It was, of course, Ivar testing out his new powers.

If he noticed anyone that he knew, he was likely going to approach them, trying to look as cute as possible. He wasn't going to be revealing who he was just yet. He wanted to see what advantages there were when people just thought a dumb animal was around them, not a Viking who was far too sneaky for his own good.

This will only end well.

F. Wildcard

[Have an idea or want a custom starter? PM me or send me a Plurk at Light_shade]

Comments

B

[brightline]

Probably one of Marco's favourite things about Ivar is the fact that he knows the Viking boy can tell he's got something on his mind, that it's serious and important, but he doesn't push or demand to know what's up or try to manipulate it out of him or anything. Ivar just gives him space, and time to think, and that's good. Because there's a whole lot to think about.

Marco'd thought the maze was kind of dumb but he'd been curious about what was in the middle for him, couldn't resist the call of a personalized gift. So he'd done it pretty quickly and gotten his gift and when it had turned out to be the Escafil device, that had thrown him for a big loop. In fact, he still hasn't told anyone about it. It's too dangerous, it needs to stay hidden, and Marco has it hidden somewhere safe.

But there's something about Ivar, about how he reminds him of Rachel, and maybe Colette a little, when he remembers how the Auxiliary Animorphs had reacted to being able to change forms, to speak freely, to run, he can't help but make the connection in his head. He's been tossing it around for over a month now, trying to figure out if it's a good or bad idea, talking himself into and out of it over and over again. It's only when he's sitting on the couch in his room with Ivar's head in his lap, Ivar with his eyes closed, relaxing, and Marco stroking his hair back, over and over, his fingers moving rhythmically, soothingly, that he finally decides, and speaks almost immediately.

"I was just wondering if you ever wanted to, you know. Run. Or fly."

[ragnarsson]

Ivar's feeling nice and relaxed as Marco's fingers move through his hair. This has become one of the little things enjoys most in Riverview, just being able to be close to someone he's grown to care for quite a lot, just in contact with him. Happiness, for Ivar, never seems to last, so he holds onto the little bits he can get of it with both hands.

Ivar looks off to the side when Marco asks him what he thinks is a hypothetical. It's not something he'd feel comfortable admitting to just anyone, but he trusts Marco more than most. "All the time when I was a child. My brothers were constantly leaving me behind. All I wanted was to keep up with them. Which just resulted in a lot of broken legs." It had taken a lot of painful reminders to get Ivar to finally admit he was never going to be able to walk, let alone run. He'd cried on his bed for hours the day that had finally set in.

He looks back up at Marco. "Why do you ask?"

[brightline]

Marco knows that feeling, the one where happiness doesn't last. Of course the last three years had been pretty great back home, but that had all gone out the window the moment Jake and Tobias showed up, when he found out Ax was still in trouble. Nothing lasted. So he's willing to deal with feeling a bit awkward about liking a guy because hey, it makes him happy. Happy is good.

When Ivar looks away, Marco kicks himself a little. It wasn't the most sensitive question to ask, but then again, Marco's never been the sensitive type. Thankfully, neither is Ivar. So when the other boy looks back at him, it's to tell him a story about his childhood, not to attack him or get angry at him. That's kind of a relief, considering how many times Marco'd dealt with people being angry over his direct practicality.

"Because, I mean...I might have a way to make it happen."

[ragnarsson]

The words cause Ivar to listen more intently. Clearly, he needs to put all of his attention towards this conversation. He reluctantly sits up and stares at Marco, looking for any sign of falsehood in his eyes. "If you are joking with me, I will beat the shit out of you, no matter how much I like you."

Ivar's legs were not something he allowed anyone to joke about save for the self-deprecating comments he occasionally made. They were his biggest sore spot, the thing that would always keep that chip on his shoulder and the anger in his heart no matter how long he stayed in Riverview. He'd secretly hoped for some miracle as a child, that he'd someday just wake up and magically be able to walk, but he knew that was never going to happen. He hated the fact that hope had risen in him once again.

[brightline]

When Ivar sits up and says that if he's joking with him, he'll beat the shit out of him no matter how much he likes him in that soft voice with layers upon layers of threat and danger beneath it, the corner of Marco's mouth twitches a bit. It's not amusement at Ivar's expense, but rather a kind of admiration of how tough he is, and Marco shakes his head.

"Man, if I was joking with you, I wouldn't blame you. I'm not though."

Pausing for a moment, Marco has one final overwhelming feeling of anxiety and self-doubt about the whole thing, but then he presses forward anyway.

"It wouldn't be your body, but you know the power I have? In that maze at the winter celebration thing, I got the device that gave it to me."

[ragnarsson]

Ivar takes a moment to let those words settle in. No matter that Marco just reassured him that he's not joking, it almost sounds like the start to one. How do you fix a cripple? You don't, you give him the ability to turn into an animal that can run. "You mean that shapeshifting power? You'd be willing to give that to me? To trust me with it?"

Ivar can think of at least five reasons why he wouldn't want anyone else to possess that power if he was the one to have it. Mostly, he just thinks that there's a lot of ways that power can be used for not-so-altruistic purposes. But still...the thought of being able to escape the pain in his body for a while, to be able to be whole, to run wherever he wanted to...the thought is a tempting one.

Ivar usually puts a lot of thought into a situation before he enters it, but right now, he wants nothing more than to accept this power that's being offered to him.

[brightline]

When Ivar directly asks Marco if he means that he's willing to give that power to him, to trust him with it, Marco visibly flinches. But then he squares his shoulders and his dark eyes go, for a moment, cold and intense as he stares at the younger boy.

"Against my better judgement, yeah. But you remind me of someone I went through the war with. Don't make me regret it, or I will hunt you down and take you out. Got it?"

For a few long moments, he holds Ivar's gaze, his tone and expression just as genuine and intense as Ivar's had been when he said he'd beat him if this was a joke. It's not a joke, and considering how very few things in Marco's life aren't, it's a big deal to him.

[ragnarsson]

Ivar might be young, but he knows when to keep his word to someone, and when to lie. His eyes are like two chips of ice as he answers. "I understand." Ivar doesn't often make promises, but when he does, they're ironclad. Just ask Bucky about the time he got him not to use a gun.

He leans forward and kisses Marco before leaning back again. "Thank you for offering me this. So how does it work?" Ivar's thinking back to legends in his world of how men would shapeshift into beasts, usually as a gift or punishment from the gods. Usually, for some reason, there was a magic ring involved. He doubts there will be anything quite so magical used here.

[brightline]

As soon as Ivar says he understands, with his own expression just as cold and meaningful, something in Marco relaxes a bit, and he falls back into an easy smile. Lifting a hand, he cups the side of Ivar's face as the other boy kisses him and then thanks him.

"Yeah well, don't get a big head about it."

When Ivar asks how it works, Marco slides off the couch and pads over to his bedside table, crouches down to open a door at the front of it, and there's the sound of beeping as he opens his safe. Then there's the sound of whirring as he opens a second safe inside it, making a mental note that now he'll have to hide it somewhere else. Standing up, he walks back over to the couch and sits down, taking a deep breath.

In his hands is the Escafil device, one of the most powerful items in any galaxy. Blue and a little warm and heavy, it sits in his palm, unobtrusive and completely innocent looking.

"This is the Escafil device. When I was 13, I met an alien in an abandoned construction site, and he used this to give me the morphing ability, and screwed up my life forever. Here's hoping I'm not about to do the same to yours."

[ragnarsson]

Ivar waits for Marco to retrieve whatever he needs to get. When he pulls what looks like a little blue box out of the safe, it feels almost anticlimactic. "Huh. I thought it'd be bigger." Shouldn't things that can alter lives so easily look like they have a little more gravitas to them?

He reaches out to touch the device, tactile as ever, but then realizes he's dealing with a piece of alien tech, and that might not be the wisest course of action. He listens to this brief snippet of Marco's past, realizing this was likely when he got involved with the war he kept mentioning. At the mention of screwing up his life, Ivar just gives him a bit of a look. "Marco, have you listened when I told you about my life before I came here at all? There's no way you could mess it up any further."

He wonders how the device works and if it will hurt. He'd be will to endure pain if it gave him the ability to run like he's always wanted to.

[brightline]

"Yeah, well, I thought it would be bigger too. Or at least, I would've if I'd been thinking at all when it was used on me."

Marco shrugs narrow shoulders, and when Ivar reaches out, he shakes his head and draws it back, he's about to speak when Ivar pulls his hand back on his own, and swallows hard, staring down at the box. Glancing up, dark eyes meeting Ivar's pale ones through his lashes, he licks his lips and then laughs softly as Ivar says there's no way he could mess his life up further.

"Oh yeah, I definitely could. I mean, take your problems and add mine on top of them, and that's a whole lot of problems. Anyway...first, before I even think about giving this to you, I have to explain the rules. They're pretty simple, but they're vitally, vitally important. You got me?"