A. MARCH OF THE MISSILE TOADS [Taking the form required a certain amount of observation. This was something Morph had done many times before, so they were able to take the form of a crow and hang out on rooftops and on top of signs while watching the missile toads, both while they were in action and while they were hanging out waiting for their next victim. That taught them a few very important things: not just how the animals naturally moved and sounded, but that the toads had certain croaks that they used to communicate with each other.
It gave Morph an idea. A brilliant idea, really. If they were going to be doomed to a lonely Christmas this year, the least they could do is get a kiss out of a certain someone. With the toads, they could make it happen - and try as many times as it takes to get it right.
It wasn't long before they were able to put their plan into action.
Just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and what you'll find is a small swarm of missile toads - fifteen to twenty of them, all hopping down the street and the sidewalk, spread out and unorganized but more or less hopping in the same direction as their leader. Said leader is a missile toad that's at least double the size of the rest, and it's wearing a little harness with a fishing pole attached, one that's dangling a bundle of mistletoe at the end, the lure on the end of a stick that's helping to encourage the other toads to move forward.
The other thing keeping them moving is the sounds that toad-Morph is making, a deep series of chirps that Morph has figured out more or less means, prey is this way!]
B. WINTER SOLSTICE [Okay, so the strange mix of spooky decorations in with the otherwise festive atmosphere is throwing Morph off a bit, but they were still determined to have fun. They're walking around in their natural form, but have shifted themselves some warmer clothing, including a bulky red-and-green 'Merry X-Mas' sweater and earmuffs with reindeer horns stuck on top. They'll be staying cozy while participating in the winter activities, that's for sure.
Morph does try out a little bit of everything. They're better at snowball fights than they are at ice skating, making an effort to not shift to another form and 'cheat' that way. After taking a break with some hot cocoa, they try their hand at ice sculpting, though Morph doesn't attempt to make a real statue. Instead, they come away from it with a piece of ice that's shaped like a mask, with a wrinkled smiley face carved into the front.
With that in hand, Morph stops to make a snowman not too far away from where the activities have been set up. Said snowman gets the mask stuck onto it as a face, with a bundle of twigs making up the semblance of a messy head of hair. The snowman may or may not hold a resemblance to another of the Chosen...]
C. AFTER DARK [Morph had heard plenty of warnings about staying out past dark on the 21st, but they had things to do in town and time just got away from them. It shouldn't have been a big deal, except that on their way back to the mansion Morph turned a corner and nearly ran right into an angry snowman.]
Woah, who built you in the middle of the street?
[The snowman doesn't respond, of course, but it does try to slam a handful of snow into Morph's face. They have good enough reflexes to jump backwards, but end up dropping the grocery bags they were carrying in the process of dodging the next snowball that gets pelted at them. Morph shifts in a hurry, taking Archangel's form to take to the air and land on a nearby rooftop.]
Hey, Frosty! What happened to all your Christmas cheer?!
D. WILDCARD [Feel free to find Morph anywhere else this month, whether they're doing something festive (like decorating the X-Mansion) or just taking a break from herding toads.]
[Yosuke's taking a break from running around and being completely Childish that he's starting to walk around and see some of the snowmen that're being built. maybe he should do one of those, too....
but then he comes across Morph's, and he raises an eyebrow.]
That looks a little too particular to just be a random snowman.
[Still in the middle of arranging the messy bunch of twigs to be just so, Morph straightens and turns, expression brightening in a smile of recognition.]
Oh yeah? Does it look familiar? For all you know, I was just struck by some great artistic inspiration.
[Of course, the amount of Chosen that wore masks could probably be counted on one hand. The mask is pretty accurate though, if simplified - Morph's own powers meant that having an eye for detail was kind of their thing.]
[Morph replies as though it was a compliment, moving in closer to the snowman and slinging an arm over its 'shoulders' as though they were posing for a picture. They had made the snowman awfully tall, too, definitely over six feet.]
I've always had an eye for detail. It might be to do with how my powers work - you can't copy someone perfectly if you don't know where all their pores are. So why not channel that into something creative for a change?
[Morph startles at hearing Kurt's voice, not quite able to hide their surprised reaction. They just hadn't expected another mutant to catch them in the act of making the snowman, especially now that they were done with the finishing touches.]
Heeey, Kurt! This is... you know, just something cool I decided to do! Why make boring snowmen when you could add some artistic flair to it, y'know?
[They force a big smile, reaching out to pat the top of the mask. By now it's frozen onto the snowman pretty well, so it's not all that easy to dislodge.]
[Kurt looks at Morph with a raised eyebrow. Their explanation kinda makes sense, but he feels like they're not being the most convincing.]
Oh. Well that does sound cool! A good chance to be creative and shake things up. [He's glad they have an artistic side?] It's even got like a mask... Does that make it some kinda super-snowman?
[They relax a little now that it looks like Kurt took the bait. That had been a close one.]
Y'know, you're right, he should be a super-snowman. Maybe... the secretive kind, who pretends he's a bad guy even when he's helping people.
[Now Morph is looking at the snowman downright affectionately. They even reach out to tweak one of the twigs and make sure it's in just the right spot.]
[Morph counters, more confident now that they know their little deception is working. Nurarihyon was such a slippery guy that it seemed that not many people had met him in person, which was strangely working out in Morph's favor this time.]
Does it look like anyone you know? 'Cause if it does, that must be a coincidence. This snowman is... a representation of my artistic expression!
Geez, so you think snowmen should all look the same? That they should be as boring and plain as possible?
[Morph scoffs, patting the snowman at the top of the mask, careful not to dislodge any of the twigs that were making up the (figurative) bird's nest that was the snowman's hair.]
Where's your sense of artistry, huh? Wouldn't it be much cooler if snowmen were more avant-garde?
[ Koharu turns a corner just in time to see a blur of something zip up into the air and a snowball fly right past her head. She startles in place with a yelp, looking up—and then back down to see the snowman packing another snowball between its... stick hands. ]
[Their voice is different in this form, deeper, but they're still talking with the same casual tone. Morph remains perched on the corner of the roof, their metallic wings spread and at the ready. A new person on the scene meant that the snowman might choose a new target, but that wasn't a good thing.]
[ A new target is right on the nose; throwing a snowball hard enough to reach the roof with stubby stick arms was a challenge in itself, but someone just ahead? A little easier.
There's a certain urgency to this stranger's voice that warns Koharu that maybe she doesn't want to get pelted by this thing, so when the snowman readies its next snowball, her eyes grow wide. ]
O— okay!!
[ And whooosh goes the snowball; before sliding back where she came from, Koharu ducks behind a conveniently placed Christmas tree decked out in festive decorations. The snowball whizzes past the branches, breaking apart, though she does look up and then back to the snowman while trying to find an opening to find better cover. ]
[The toads were weird no question about it. In Richard's experience the amphibians preferred environments near lakes or swamps. That made sense, right? Unlike high up in mistletoe. Not to mention they had the strange projectiles wrapped on their back. Yeah. This smells dangerously enough like yet another trial that had appeared to plague their ranks. Yes. That must be it.
So, as one would expect, Richard had made it his business to try and get rid off any pesky amphibians that came his way. Whiiich was easier said than done, seeing that the buggers were really resilient and slippery. But hey, it just so happens that he does spot the merry toad parade, jumping together along the streets of Aldrip.
And of course it is the big one that catches his attention. Because what else?
Richard tries to sneak up on the band of slimy green menaces and silently brings his hand behind his back to reach for his knife.]
[At first, the missile toads don't seem to notice... but all it takes is one of the ones closest to Richard to raise the alarm with a series of higher-pitched chirps. The other toads take notice, mimicking the sound, until the entire little toad army is raising a ruckus.
That gets the attention of the leader toad, who turns to look with a low, questioning croak. Seeing Richard posed like he was about to do something dangerous made the large toad startle, and then start hopping right towards him - before Morph shifted back to their natural form while still in motion, until they were walking towards him instead of hopping.]
[Richard had seen Morph to do their... thing before. Back all the way in September during the first training camp when they had shifted from a cat to their normal appearance. However, that still did nothing to prepare Richard to see it happen again. Especially like this when he didn't have any prior warning.
So, when the leader toad stands up on its hind legs and grows in eyes, colors and shape shifting, Richard takes a step back in a shock. His eyes are wide and fingertips already touching the handle of the knife but once Morph is done with their transformation he seems to abandon his previous, murderous intentions.
Blinking, he gathers his bearings though the aftermaths of the surprise are still present in his posture and voice.]
[Oh. That's a mistletoe missile toad army. This is possibly the greatest thing to have ever come out of them fashioning a mistletoe arrow to kill Balder. Ragnarok who???
Obviously, there's only one way to deal with a mistletoe missile toad army and luckily, Loki is the ideal god for this task as well. As the army grows nearer and nearer, they shift their form to match the larger missile toad, though with plenty of their own touches as well. Their signatures horns, firstly, and then also you know when a cartoon has to indicate an animal is female so that animals relationships can be deemed appropriately heterosexual? Yeah, this missile toad has a bow and lipstick and big ol eyelashes. Which they're currently batting seductively.
[The sight of another large amphibian almost immediately gets the lead toad's attention. Morph's hops slow to a stop as they stare at the horned, lipstick-bedecked toad, bewildered and unsure of how to respond. The rest of the army behind them also slows down, starting to spread out and idly wander, their attention on the leader gone as soon as Morph isn't goading the rest forward.
That couldn't have been a real missile toad. Morph had been observing them long enough to know that they didn't get that big. No, Morph had only picked a larger form to make it easier for the other toads to follow them, which meant that this one was also an impostor. There was no way a big pair of eyelashes was going to get Morph to risk the army they'd worked so hard to gather up.
So, Morph turns and starts rapidly hopping away from the other toad, with higher-pitched chirps of alarm. Most of the other missile toads follow, prompted to scramble away from the apparent threat, but there's inevitably a couple of stragglers. Apparently it's possible to come on too strong even to a toad or maybe that's just not the way this toad swings.]
[The Loki toad frowns and hops after their one true love for a few moments, before getting bored of hopping. They shift back into their regular form, that of a scraggly and roguish androgynous storyteller. How dare this one other toad ruin the story they were telling!]
Coward!
[Loki picks up one of the toads that remains, aiming it like a weapon towards the fleeing army. Enjoy a barrage of sticky toad substance!]
It is unwise to anger a god, especially the one responsible for your existence! This pun would not even be possible were it not for my actions, and yet you refuse my embrace?
And what, exactly, do you think that you're doing?
[It had all gone so well, until things stopped going well, of course. In this case the bad end comes in a tapping foot and a hand that grabs Morph-toad's harness from behind in order to lift it up and hold it in front of a masked face -- the end of that pole pointing damn well away from Douman, thank you very much.]
[Uh-oh, busted. Morph dangles from Nurarihyon's grasp limply, trying to give him the most innocent look a toad can muster. Given their eyes are already protruding in this form, the most they can manage with a toad's limited facial features is just looking a little pathetic, like the creature had been caught by a predator and had no clue what to do next.
That is, until they're struck with a sudden idea, and they go for it without thinking. Morph's tongue suddenly whips out of their mouth, sticking square onto the cheek of Nura's mask.
Sure, Morph knows the little toady kiss might not go over well. But the important thing was that they could get away with it.]
[He watches the totallynormal!toad bat its eyelashes at him with an unimpressed look in return.]
I said- Bwah!?
[Douman is a great Onmyoji, and an even greater youkai. But when something slimy and sticky comes for his face he still reacts like everybody else -- by tossing the culprit as far away as he can, which unfortunately means that he's also yanking his own mask off in the process. Hopefully Morph's harness comes with its own tiny parachute.]
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expiationlogs2024-12-09 08:17 am
Morph | X-Men '97 | Current character - OTA
[Taking the form required a certain amount of observation. This was something Morph had done many times before, so they were able to take the form of a crow and hang out on rooftops and on top of signs while watching the missile toads, both while they were in action and while they were hanging out waiting for their next victim. That taught them a few very important things: not just how the animals naturally moved and sounded, but that the toads had certain croaks that they used to communicate with each other.
It gave Morph an idea. A brilliant idea, really. If they were going to be doomed to a lonely Christmas this year, the least they could do is get a kiss out of a certain someone. With the toads, they could make it happen - and try as many times as it takes to get it right.
It wasn't long before they were able to put their plan into action.
Just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and what you'll find is a small swarm of missile toads - fifteen to twenty of them, all hopping down the street and the sidewalk, spread out and unorganized but more or less hopping in the same direction as their leader. Said leader is a missile toad that's at least double the size of the rest, and it's wearing a little harness with a fishing pole attached, one that's dangling a bundle of mistletoe at the end, the lure on the end of a stick that's helping to encourage the other toads to move forward.
The other thing keeping them moving is the sounds that toad-Morph is making, a deep series of chirps that Morph has figured out more or less means, prey is this way!]
B. WINTER SOLSTICE
[Okay, so the strange mix of spooky decorations in with the otherwise festive atmosphere is throwing Morph off a bit, but they were still determined to have fun. They're walking around in their natural form, but have shifted themselves some warmer clothing, including a bulky red-and-green 'Merry X-Mas' sweater and earmuffs with reindeer horns stuck on top. They'll be staying cozy while participating in the winter activities, that's for sure.
Morph does try out a little bit of everything. They're better at snowball fights than they are at ice skating, making an effort to not shift to another form and 'cheat' that way. After taking a break with some hot cocoa, they try their hand at ice sculpting, though Morph doesn't attempt to make a real statue. Instead, they come away from it with a piece of ice that's shaped like a mask, with a wrinkled smiley face carved into the front.
With that in hand, Morph stops to make a snowman not too far away from where the activities have been set up. Said snowman gets the mask stuck onto it as a face, with a bundle of twigs making up the semblance of a messy head of hair. The snowman may or may not hold a resemblance to another of the Chosen...]
C. AFTER DARK
[Morph had heard plenty of warnings about staying out past dark on the 21st, but they had things to do in town and time just got away from them. It shouldn't have been a big deal, except that on their way back to the mansion Morph turned a corner and nearly ran right into an angry snowman.]
Woah, who built you in the middle of the street?
[The snowman doesn't respond, of course, but it does try to slam a handful of snow into Morph's face. They have good enough reflexes to jump backwards, but end up dropping the grocery bags they were carrying in the process of dodging the next snowball that gets pelted at them. Morph shifts in a hurry, taking Archangel's form to take to the air and land on a nearby rooftop.]
Hey, Frosty! What happened to all your Christmas cheer?!
D. WILDCARD
[Feel free to find Morph anywhere else this month, whether they're doing something festive (like decorating the X-Mansion) or just taking a break from herding toads.]
b
but then he comes across Morph's, and he raises an eyebrow.]
That looks a little too particular to just be a random snowman.
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Oh yeah? Does it look familiar? For all you know, I was just struck by some great artistic inspiration.
[Of course, the amount of Chosen that wore masks could probably be counted on one hand. The mask is pretty accurate though, if simplified - Morph's own powers meant that having an eye for detail was kind of their thing.]
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[what's the word he's looking for, here.]
Exact. Detailed! That's the word I'm looking for.
[nailed it.]
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[Morph replies as though it was a compliment, moving in closer to the snowman and slinging an arm over its 'shoulders' as though they were posing for a picture. They had made the snowman awfully tall, too, definitely over six feet.]
I've always had an eye for detail. It might be to do with how my powers work - you can't copy someone perfectly if you don't know where all their pores are. So why not channel that into something creative for a change?
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B
Who exactly am I looking at here?
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Heeey, Kurt! This is... you know, just something cool I decided to do! Why make boring snowmen when you could add some artistic flair to it, y'know?
[They force a big smile, reaching out to pat the top of the mask. By now it's frozen onto the snowman pretty well, so it's not all that easy to dislodge.]
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Oh. Well that does sound cool! A good chance to be creative and shake things up. [He's glad they have an artistic side?] It's even got like a mask... Does that make it some kinda super-snowman?
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[They relax a little now that it looks like Kurt took the bait. That had been a close one.]
Y'know, you're right, he should be a super-snowman. Maybe... the secretive kind, who pretends he's a bad guy even when he's helping people.
[Now Morph is looking at the snowman downright affectionately. They even reach out to tweak one of the twigs and make sure it's in just the right spot.]
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B
Um. I-I guess that's supposed to be someone?
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[Morph counters, more confident now that they know their little deception is working. Nurarihyon was such a slippery guy that it seemed that not many people had met him in person, which was strangely working out in Morph's favor this time.]
Does it look like anyone you know? 'Cause if it does, that must be a coincidence. This snowman is... a representation of my artistic expression!
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I don't think so...it just looks pretty distinctive. Which isn't normal for snowmen.
[Wait, that could sound like an insult.]
N-not that that's a bad thing! I-it just stands out.
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[Morph scoffs, patting the snowman at the top of the mask, careful not to dislodge any of the twigs that were making up the (figurative) bird's nest that was the snowman's hair.]
Where's your sense of artistry, huh? Wouldn't it be much cooler if snowmen were more avant-garde?
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c
... Since when could the snowmen walk around?!
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[Their voice is different in this form, deeper, but they're still talking with the same casual tone. Morph remains perched on the corner of the roof, their metallic wings spread and at the ready. A new person on the scene meant that the snowman might choose a new target, but that wasn't a good thing.]
Take cover! I can handle this guy!
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There's a certain urgency to this stranger's voice that warns Koharu that maybe she doesn't want to get pelted by this thing, so when the snowman readies its next snowball, her eyes grow wide. ]
O— okay!!
[ And whooosh goes the snowball; before sliding back where she came from, Koharu ducks behind a conveniently placed Christmas tree decked out in festive decorations. The snowball whizzes past the branches, breaking apart, though she does look up and then back to the snowman while trying to find an opening to find better cover. ]
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you know what i am here for
So, as one would expect, Richard had made it his business to try and get rid off any pesky amphibians that came his way. Whiiich was easier said than done, seeing that the buggers were really resilient and slippery. But hey, it just so happens that he does spot the merry toad parade, jumping together along the streets of Aldrip.
And of course it is the big one that catches his attention. Because what else?
Richard tries to sneak up on the band of slimy green menaces and silently brings his hand behind his back to reach for his knife.]
:3c
That gets the attention of the leader toad, who turns to look with a low, questioning croak. Seeing Richard posed like he was about to do something dangerous made the large toad startle, and then start hopping right towards him - before Morph shifted back to their natural form while still in motion, until they were walking towards him instead of hopping.]
Hey, Duke? Just what are you doing over there?
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So, when the leader toad stands up on its hind legs and grows in eyes, colors and shape shifting, Richard takes a step back in a shock. His eyes are wide and fingertips already touching the handle of the knife but once Morph is done with their transformation he seems to abandon his previous, murderous intentions.
Blinking, he gathers his bearings though the aftermaths of the surprise are still present in his posture and voice.]
Wa--, Morph? Is this all your doing?
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a
Obviously, there's only one way to deal with a mistletoe missile toad army and luckily, Loki is the ideal god for this task as well. As the army grows nearer and nearer, they shift their form to match the larger missile toad, though with plenty of their own touches as well. Their signatures horns, firstly, and then also you know when a cartoon has to indicate an animal is female so that animals relationships can be deemed appropriately heterosexual? Yeah, this missile toad has a bow and lipstick and big ol eyelashes. Which they're currently batting seductively.
What a beautiful missile toad love story.]
omg......
That couldn't have been a real missile toad. Morph had been observing them long enough to know that they didn't get that big. No, Morph had only picked a larger form to make it easier for the other toads to follow them, which meant that this one was also an impostor. There was no way a big pair of eyelashes was going to get Morph to risk the army they'd worked so hard to gather up.
So, Morph turns and starts rapidly hopping away from the other toad, with higher-pitched chirps of alarm. Most of the other missile toads follow, prompted to scramble away from the apparent threat, but there's inevitably a couple of stragglers. Apparently it's possible to come on too strong even to a toad
or maybe that's just not the way this toad swings.]this is the opposite of t4t
Coward!
[Loki picks up one of the toads that remains, aiming it like a weapon towards the fleeing army. Enjoy a barrage of sticky toad substance!]
It is unwise to anger a god, especially the one responsible for your existence! This pun would not even be possible were it not for my actions, and yet you refuse my embrace?
LOL true
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loki trying to be noble when the truth is they think human form's boring
lol very nice of them tbh
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A
[It had all gone so well, until things stopped going well, of course. In this case the bad end comes in a tapping foot and a hand that grabs Morph-toad's harness from behind in order to lift it up and hold it in front of a masked face -- the end of that pole pointing damn well away from Douman, thank you very much.]
Last I checked Hamelin wasn't about frogs.
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[Uh-oh, busted. Morph dangles from Nurarihyon's grasp limply, trying to give him the most innocent look a toad can muster. Given their eyes are already protruding in this form, the most they can manage with a toad's limited facial features is just looking a little pathetic, like the creature had been caught by a predator and had no clue what to do next.
That is, until they're struck with a sudden idea, and they go for it without thinking. Morph's tongue suddenly whips out of their mouth, sticking square onto the cheek of Nura's mask.
Sure, Morph knows the little toady kiss might not go over well. But the important thing was that they could get away with it.]
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I said- Bwah!?
[Douman is a great Onmyoji, and an even greater youkai. But when something slimy and sticky comes for his face he still reacts like everybody else -- by tossing the culprit as far away as he can, which unfortunately means that he's also yanking his own mask off in the process. Hopefully Morph's harness comes with its own tiny parachute.]
My face!!
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1/2 at least nobody's playing jungle bells as background music (yet)
2/2
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