C&C Application.

[omnomnombunzuh]

[PLAYER INFO]
NAME: Felinephoenix
AGE: ancient like a dinosaur
JOURNAL: felinephoenix
IM: effpeenix
PLURK: Felinephoenix
E-MAIL: felinephoenix@gmail.com
RETURNING: 1) Reilly Tyne/Darkdevil and... uh, that's it.

[CHARACTER INFO]
CHARACTER NAME: Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill
SERIES: Animorphs
CHRONOLOGY: After #38: The Arrival.
CLASS: Hero, although he’s not so sure about that label as the war goes on.

BACKGROUND:

A long time ago, there was a kind-hearted Andalite scientist named Seerow. When he encountered the Yeerks, slug-like creatures who felt trapped within their own parasitic bodies, he gave them a gift: the ability to travel the galaxy. In return, the Yeerks ran around infesting every species they could find, wrapping themselves around brains and enslaving bodies all across the various worlds. Turning billions of Hork-Bajir, Gedds, Taxxons and so many other species into prisoners within their own minds, absolute slaves of the Yeerks -- or Controllers, as they came to be called.

Surprise, surprise, this led to intergalactic war.

Aristh Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill’s story comes generations later. Back when he was that annoying kid nobody on the Dome Ship likes. Though he was technically a cadet, everybody knew he was only allowed on the StarSword because he was the little brother of War-Prince Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul. He wasn't old enough to fight. In fact, pretty much all he did was follow the great War-Prince around and make a fool of himself in front of renowned military figures.

Until the fateful day the ship landed on the Yeerk’s latest target. A small blue planet they had stealthily been invading for years: Earth.

Then the Yeerks attacked.

Ax pleaded with his brother to let him fight. All he’d ever wanted was to stick in his tail in Yeerk scum, and now, it seemed like his time had come! But orders were orders. He had to sit this one out.

He was the only survivor. Trapped underwater in an escape dome, calling to his comrades for help, desperately trying to reach his brother. Unaware that his brother had been discovered by a group of teenagers who had the misfortune to be wandering around a construction at the wrong time. Unaware that, in his dying moments, Elfangor was breaking Andalite law to give these kids the ability to morph; granting them the power to transform into any animal they touched. Unaware that the mighty hero would then be killed (and devoured) by the leader of the Yeerks, Visser Three.

As he waited for rescue, the teens started to fight back. Calling themselves the Animorphs, they used their newfound power to disrupt the Yeerks' plans, hoping their guerrilla tactics could keep Earth safe until the Andalites returned with reinforcements.

Eventually, his thought-speak cries for help were heard by two of the kids his brother had encountered: Earth kids named Cassie and Tobias. Which was good because Ax was running out of time. Just as the Yeerks were getting ready to blow his escape pod to smithereens, the Animorphs found him, and the six kids just barely managed to scrape out of the situation alive.

The Animorphs immediately accepted Ax as part of their team. Unfortunately, he couldn't reciprocate. Andalite law forbids sharing too much information with other species... even your allies. So Ax kept secrets: about the Yeerks' methods and his people's role in this intergalactic war. Tensions mounted and he was kicked off the team.

Not long after this, he managed to contact his family and let them know what happened to Elfangor. Then, with the help of a traitorous heart-broken Yeerk, hatched a plan to do what Andalite custom demanded he do. Kill his brother's killer. End Visser Three.

Naturally, the plan fell apart, and Ax wound up getting rescued again by his "former" comrades. From that point on, he agreed to be honest with them, and the Animorphs became a second family to him. (Particularly his shorm -- Andalite for best friend -- Tobias, the boy trapped in the body of a hawk. More on that later.) However, this growing bond was tested through several trials.

The first was a freak accident that landed the team in the middle of Planet Leera, where the Andalites forces were currently stationed. The joy of being amongst his own people again almost blinded Ax to the reality of the situation, which was that the Andalites in charge were traitors. Ready to sell out their own people to the Yeerks. Also, his fellow Animorphs and all of the psychic yellow frogs... uh, I mean Leerans.

Luckily, though, the kids were a little more forgiving of Ax the second time. You see, the group was about to face their worst dilemma yet. Why? Because of a troubled kid named David, who had found the late Elfangor's morphing-granting escafil device. Within a few days, David would lose his family to the Yeerks and find himself being recruited by the Animorphs in the midst of their most stressful mission to date. In retrospect, perhaps they shouldn't have been surprised when David snapped.

One by one, he starts trying to kill the kids -- starting with Ax's BFF Tobias. As Jake finds out mere seconds before David almost kills him in a vicious lion-on-tiger battle. Fortunately, Ax comes to Jake's rescue and the two narrowly escape. They break the terrible news to Rachel, Tobias' girlfriend, who is then prepared to do whatever it takes to avenge birdboy.

Fortunately, while rescuing the rest of the team, Ax and company discover that Tobias is alive after all! Turns out that David bashed the wrong hawk with his baseball bat. Unfortunately, the group is still not sure what to do about the David problem.

Until they hit upon a terrible solution.

Tricking David into getting trapped in rat morph. Permanently.

In the end, it is Rachel and Ax who have to carry out the deed. Rachel's duty is keeping David from escaping and de-morphing. Ax is the one who must count down every horrible seconds until David's two hours are up.

Only a month or two after this harrowing event, Ax’s world is completely rocked by a stunning revelation: he really does have family on Earth after all.

It turns out Elfangor, fed up with the war, had gone native on Earth. Trapped himself in human morph and married a human girl, Loren, who he had met on a mission that turned into a wild intergalactic road trip. They even had a kid. Who, you ask? Why, no other than Ax's best friend Tobias.

More horrible, traumatic adventures followed this revelation. Because that’s how life as an Animorph works. For example, Ax almost got turned into a burger while in cow morph. That was pretty traumatic. Also, once, everyone traveled back in time. And Ax got to kill a T-Rex with his tail-blade. Okay, that wasn't traumatic. That was awesome.

But then everyone time-travelled again and things got bad real quick.

The Yeerk known as Visser Four had gone both rouge and a little bit nuts. He had gotten his hands on a device called the Time Matrix. As you might have guessed, this allowed him to leap through history, which he was doing to try and change his fate. Naturally, the Animorphs had to stop him before he accidentally destroyed the universe. Even if that meant making a deal with their world's closest equivalent to the devil, a malevolent being known as Crayak. In exchange for the life of an Animorph, they can follow Visser Four.

At first they wound up in Medieval France where a bunch of snooty soldiers mistook Ax for the devil. Then they were all crossing the Delaware with George Washington. Then the fighting started. Then Jake's head got blown off. That's when things took a turn for the worse. Rachel orders Ax to behead one of the soldiers who shot Jake. Marco and Cassie, Jake's best friend and girlfriend respectively, start losing their grip. The team is on edge. Then they all warp to the battle of Trafalgar and "die". For a moment. As they discover, with Jake gone, the rest of them can't die while chasing V4.

But the only way to save Jake is to defeat Visser Four. Somehow. Just as they're mulling this over, everyone gets transported to an alternate version of Normandy. That was where Ax got to experience D-Day up-and-close and personal. Also he learned about the Holocaust while Tobias was busy "accidentally" killing Hitler. After that, everyone wound up in the 70s, just when the hippie parents of Visser Four’s human hosts were supposed to meet.

As they debated the ethics of whether or not they could erase a man out of existence for the sake of the universe, the Animorphs did it by accident, stopping the Visser's parents from ever coming together. Luckily, this magically brought Jake back to life! Which was the only good part of a long and confusing day.

In between all of the time-traveling and daily horror-fests, however, Ax was falling for humanity. There was the simple, overwhelming pleasure of taste. There was the entertainment -- he couldn't miss his soaps, or worse, skip a good commercial. There was their ingenuity! It was equally alarming and admirable, the speed at which the human race was advancing. Their technology was almost comparable to Andalite. Almost.

There were other things, too. The countless times his friends had saved his life. The camaraderie they had given him. The bravery he’d seen from so many human hosts, despite having everything stolen from them, willing to give their lives so that others could keep their freedom. It was a complicated affection: born in part by his disillusionment with his fellow Andalites and constantly tested by the new horrors of humanity he was discovering, but it was there.

Then, finally, the Andalites came to Earth.

Specifically, the brilliant, talented and beautiful Estrid-Corill-Darrath. Tagging along with her was a motley crew. All of them somewhat suspicious. It bothered Ax a bit, but to be honest, he couldn't bring himself to care all that much. See, he had started crushing hard. Who could blame him?

Estrid was a skilled warrior, trained by her brother, an expert tail-fighter. And a scientific genius! Okay, it was very possible nepotism played a part in landing her on that Andalite craft. After all, the Andalite military was still reluctant to recruit females. Plus, for someone who was supposed to be an aristh she was unusually reluctant to listen to her Prince. But who cared?! She was willing to make a human morph and run off to the mall with him! And get a sugar high! And make out human-style!

It was great. Except for the part where the Animorphs were falling apart. They humans had enough. They could no longer stand the stress of war. Jake released Ax from his duty, telling him he was free to go home with Estrid and the Andalites.

Of course, there was a teensy-weensy catch.

It was all a set up.

Now that he was one of "them", it took Ax no time to learn that his new comrades were an unsavory bunch: organ-stealers, assassins, and cowards who fled the battlefield. And... Estrid. Who had no military record. Though she did have an unusual interest in genius-level psychics. These Andalites, Ax concluded, were here on a suicide mission.

Just as he was getting ready to confront his pseudo-girlfriend with this awful truth, Estrid made a horrible discovery. She was being played. Her commanding officer, Prince Arbat-Elivat-Estoni, was not a Prince at all. In fact, he was never a soldier to begin with. Instead, Arbat was a former Apex Intelligence Officer, essentially a rogue operative of the Andalite CIA. The horrors he had seen had driven him out of his mind, making him willing to do anything to put an end to the Yeerk-Andalite war.

So he pretended to be a professor. Took on a nurturing role towards a frustrated prodigy who was being held back by a sexist society. Arbat had promised Estrid he would get her into the military where her work would be appreciated instead of ignored. In reality, he was using her to create a biochemical weapon for use against the Yeerks.

Which might have the teensy little side-effect of accidentally killing all human hosts on Earth in the process. Not that Estrid cared. A fight had broken out between the Animorphs, the Andalites, and the Yeerks and she was panicking. Panicking so hard, in fact, that she almost released the weapon to save her own skin from death. Knowing full well that it would mean condemning millions of innocents to death

Surprise. Ax did not take this well.

Estrid was gorgeous. Estrid was talented. Estrid was beyond smart. Maybe, one day, Estrid would even be brave -- he had some hope, after all, since he managed to talk her out of her murdering tons of people. But there was no contest.

Between the Andalites and the humans, Ax had chosen humanity. Between Estrid and the Animorphs, his heart was with his friends.

So Estrid left with the one member of her crew still surviving. A pilot named Gonrod who was an absolute coward but seemed okay otherwise. Together, they would try to inform the Andalite military of the situation on Earth and bring some real reinforcements. Instead of, you know, a ragtag team of disturbed people brought together by an insane rogue intelligence officer.

Ax gave her a cinnamon bun, his favorite food, as a parting gift.

Not that he was going to miss her or anything. Of course not. And he'd definitely never turn to a human friend for comfort as he cried in secret. No way. Especially not someone as nice and understanding as Cassie. Don't be silly!

And that's where Ax is coming in. Just as the tears are drying on his fleshy human face.
PERSONALITY:

When he first "meets" his little brother (it’s complicated), Elfangor describes Ax as serious. And why wouldn't he be? The kid has a lot to prove. Being the little brother of a living legend is rough.

Yet, for all his seriousness, he can be quite a dork. He has a definite tendency to nerd out: don’t get him started on human history, his favorite foods, or his favorite soaps. A lot of his goofiness comes from ignorance -- he just doesn't know human social cues (or get human humor) and tends to misinterpret most of what he sees.

Even if it wasn't for that, though, he'd still be a bit of a geek. He has an insatiable curiosity, likes to mess with machines just because he can, and goes on about spacecraft in the same manner as a car nerd would talk about automobiles. His time on Earth has given him a chance to let this side of himself show; time to be a normal kid. At least when he’s not fighting a war against brain-stealing slugs.

Let's be clear, though: Ax is a soldier. Or, at least, the closest thing the team has to one. His idea of war was very childish at first, but he is trained, and it shows. He's at ease taking orders. The other Animorphs tend to respond to Jake's commands with backtalk, sarcasm and resentment. Not Ax.

Furthermore, during group meetings, he often abstains from voting on a course of action. Ax claims this is because, as an alien, he should not meddle in human affairs or impose his ethics on another culture. Yet... he doesn't seem to want to be the leader or the dissenter, either. When pressed for an opinion, he'll often pass the buck to Jake, since it's his "duty" to agree with his Prince. If that doesn't work, though, he'll often take the middle road.

This doesn’t mean he always follows orders. After torturing a Human-Controller under Jake's command, Ax lays into him. Refuses to ever do it again. Similarly, he questions Rachel's need for vengeance following Jake's "death". And, in his next book (#46) he mutinies against Jake for Jake's sake -- specifically, by almost dropping a nuke on the Animorphs' hometown in Jake's stead.

At the start of the war, Ax is very naive, and sees the conflict in pretty black-and-white terms. Andalites are the great saviors of the galaxy and the Yeeks are total scum. Over the course of the war, though, he's forced to question everything he has been brought up to believe about his species. Frequently. This has caused him to develop a contemplative, philosophical side he might not have otherwise.

And did I mention he's arrogant? It seems to be in the genes with all that optimism. He's mellowed out with time but is still sensitive to cracks against his species. Plus, he's pretty proud of his skills as a fighter, hacker and pilot -- to the point where he'll try to swoop in and steal extra credit.

Ax's most admirable trait might be his loyalty... if he could ever figure out where his loyalties lie. Throughout the war, he is constantly asked to choose between his people and his friends. At the time of his pull point, he’s become thoroughly disillusioned with the Andalites and is starting to lean towards humanity, but they both have a place in his heart. He considers himself Andalite and human -- and I think he always will. Ultimately, though, he is always on the side of his friends.

POWER:
Morphing (Canon)
The ability to transform into any animal that he touches! It is a pretty cool power, not gonna lie, but it comes with a lot of rules.

→ 1. Two-Hour Limit: In "our" minutes. If you spend even a second over that in morph, you’re stuck that way. Forever.
→ 2. Acquisition by Touch: There is no other way to get DNA! Luckily, if you’re acquiring something that would usually make you lunch, it does put the acquiree into a trance... but only for a few seconds. Also, you can’t “acquire” a morph from someone else. If you touch another morpher, all you will acquire is the DNA of their base form.
→ 3. You Have to Switch Morphs: You cannot go straight from one morph to the next. You must return to your default form before changing into something else. As you might expect, this can be incredibly exhausting, though all of the Animorphs have built up a lot of endurance.
→ 4. Morphing Heals Injuries: Yay! But, again, that’s assuming you have time to change back...
→ 5. Frolis Maneuver: That’s the fancy Andalite term for mixing morphs. If you’re mixing DNA of the same species, you’ll be fine. This is how Ax created a "unique" human morph from the DNA of his allies (minus Tobias). But mixing different species... let’s just say don’t. You’re going to end up with a freak of nature whose heart will probably explode or something. If it has a heart.

For a full list of Ax's morphs (and their general purposes), click here.

Supreme Hacking
I’m not sure if this count as a power but I’m putting it here anyway. UH. SO. Human technology is pretty much kid’s play to him. Like, him and Marco hacked into the CIA in five minutes once. Also Ax stole cable using aluminum foil and soda cans. Because he is MacGuyver I guess? And he periodically fashions interstellar communication devices out of scraps because he is also Tony Stark, I suppose? So. There’s that.

Food Weaponry
Ax will come to find that, in his hands and/or tail, human food will become weaponized for two hours at a time. For example: if he wants to he can use a pizza pie as a shield, french bread as a sword, and cinnamon buns as projectiles. Of course, this is assuming he doesn’t eat it all first.

[CHARACTER SAMPLES]
COMMUNITY POST (VOICE) SAMPLE:

[ Wires. Wires everywhere. Strewn across a plain, standard-issue MAC bed. At the foot of the bed is a beautiful young man taking a pair of pliers to... well, what little is left of his communicator. His eyes light up as a staticky noise starts to reverberate throughout the room. Then, with a wide smile, he addresses whoever is watching. ]

Hello! Ohhhh. My name is... Max.

[ yeah sure let's go wuth that. ]

Maaaaax. Ax. I was inspecting this device, but the re-assembly is taking longer than I anticipated. Have I properly re-established connections? The sound and video are still a bit fuzzy on my end. Duh.

To my friends, if they happen to be watching this, please inform me of your location and status immediately. Mmmm. Diately.

Thank you for your time.

LOGS POST (PROSE) SAMPLE:

Aximili was quickly coming to an alarming conclusion.

He had found himself alone in an unknown location.

Fortunately, he had not been spotted by the enemy -- at least not yet. Though some people had screamed when he exited the Porter building. Or, more accurately, galloped down the street trying to find a place to hide before he was spotted by any more humans.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! What was he thinking, exposing himself like that? If he were here, Prince Jake would never let him hear the end of it. But he wasn’t here, was he? He hadn’t responded to Ax’s thought-speak cries for his comrades. None of them had.

All three of his hearts were beating still beating wildly as he ran into the alley, the changes already taking place. Stalk eyes slurping back into his head, blue fur melting into brown skin, four legs fusing into -- he scrambled for the wall, for something to steady himself against, trying not to scream as a stray bone popped out of his skin for a second. Fortunately, the strong arms of his human morph were able to give him support. Soon enough, it was done, and he found himself staring blankly ahead with pitiful eyes. What now?

Research, perhaps. Find a library, maybe. Books were always a good start, perhaps they could explain why this place looked vaguely like the city featured so frequently on television. If not, computers would have to do.

Yes. That was the plan. Find out more information. And perhaps acquire more suitable clothing: if he’d learned anything during his time on Earth, it was that skintight morphing clothes were not enough. For some reason. And the pavement was very hot under his bare feet.

Then it hit him all at once: the smell. A delicious mixture of sweet, savory, strong and subtle. The scent of everything his weak human eyes could spot, tempting him to take a taste: hot dogs grilling, ice cream cones dripping, coffee spilling. Wiping the drool from his chin, he strolled towards whatever place would give him a bite.

Perhaps research could wait.

FINAL NOTES: nnnnnnnnnnah.