Let's Read Animorphs! The Whole Series! Ch-ch-ch-chaaanges

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SardonicTyrant: Feb 26, 2016; BTICH IM A NEWT
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Cassie's monologue on nature in her next book is one of the better parts of the series.

# ? Jun 2, 2020 14:50

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# ? May 25, 2024 12:01

Some Pinko Commie: Jun 9, 2009; CNC! Easy as 1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣!

Epicurius posted:

This, however, is a pretty good book (Except for one part in the end that I think is kind of stupid and I plan on mocking whale Jesus), so don't worry, new Animorphs fans! You're going to have a good time.

(Also, when a mod or IK gets around to it, could you change then name and number of the book to Book 4: The Message? Thanks!)

Whale Jesus never showing up again in the series was kind of a letdown. I was hoping for something truly epic to happen later in the series, but nope.

# ? Jun 2, 2020 17:36

QuickbreathFinisher: Sep 28, 2008; by reading this post you have agreed to form a gay socialist micronation.
`

SardonicTyrant posted:

Cassie's monologue on nature in her next book is one of the better parts of the series.

I remember being shocked on a reread almost 20 years later how much of it I had internalized, it's really good. I remember the Ellimist having another good one on the beauty of Earth much later in the series.

I think I either never got to the point where the Cassie/Rachel books go downhill or don't remember it, because I was surprised by all the Cassie hate too. Anyway this book rocks and we're in for a huge treat

# ? Jun 2, 2020 17:52

Comrade Blyatlov: Aug 4, 2007; should have picked four fingers

The worst book is the Rachel starfish book

I will die on this hill

# ? Jun 2, 2020 18:01

disaster pastor: May 1, 2007

Comrade Blyatlov posted:

The worst book is the Rachel starfish book

I will die on this hill

It's loving awful, and hilariously, even though it's in the ghostwriting period, Applegate/Grant wrote it themselves.

# ? Jun 2, 2020 18:05

Comrade Blyatlov: Aug 4, 2007; should have picked four fingers

Hahaha man they were just drunk as poo poo on their enormous royalties by then weren't they

# ? Jun 2, 2020 18:08

Some Pinko Commie: Jun 9, 2009; CNC! Easy as 1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣!

Comrade Blyatlov posted:

The worst book is the Rachel starfish book

I will die on this hill

Honestly Rachel got poo poo on pretty hard by the series.

At least Cassie is the only one that survives after Jake and the rest of the surviving OG Animorphs decide to ram their space ship into the Yeerk ship that is taken over by whatever the Evil multidimensional entity is.

# ? Jun 2, 2020 18:44

Comrade Blyatlov: Aug 4, 2007; should have picked four fingers

biracial bear for uncut posted:

Honestly Rachel got poo poo on pretty hard by the series.

At least Cassie is the only one that survives after Jake and the rest of the surviving OG Animorphs decide to ram their space ship into the Yeerk ship that is taken over by whatever the Evil multidimensional entity is.

Mmmmm, their ends all make sense though. Rachel is pretty much a pure warrior by the end of the series and wouldn't have survived peace. Cassie tried to get out several times and finally succeeded. It felt earnt.

Honestly having done a whole series read through a couple years back you could probably skip about 20 books and not really miss anything of note.

# ? Jun 2, 2020 19:54

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

The Message-Chapter 2

quote:

Birds! Big birds with nasty claws. All around me.

Wait. There was a nut. Oooh. A nut.

PREDATORS! Alert!

I scampered across the floor. Look left. Look right. Sniff sniff sniff the air.

Oh, yes. Predators. I smelled them. I heard them. Birds. A wolf. A badger.

PREDATORS! RUN RUN RUN!

Oh, wait. Was that a nut? I hopped over to the nut. YES! A chestnut! I seized it in my little front claws and began immediately to chew a hole in it.

Excellent! Wonderful! Chestnut! And I had it! No one could take it away. Hah hah!

A noise! What?

PREDATORS!

Don't drop the nut! Run with the nut! RUN!

I wouldn't want to be a squirrel. I'm exhausted just reading this.

quote:

With the nut stuffed into my jaw, I ran.

I ran straight up the wall. Straight up.

And that was the moment when Tobias decided to show up.

Tobias flew in through the hayloft overhead.

Unfortunately, in my squirrel mentality, with my human brain just barely holding on, I didn't realize it was Tobias.

What it looked like to me was a red-tailed hawk. A bird of prey. And this one was not in a cage.

No, this one was flapping around the high rafters of the barn. The hawk had talons like steel and a hooked beak that could open me up like a can of beans.

I felt his hawk's eyes on me.

RUN RUNRUNRUNRUN!

I didn't know what to do. I mean, me, the human being named Cassie. I didn't know what to do. I knew I had to get control over the squirrel. But it was so hyper!

However, the squirrel knew just what to do.

ZOOOM!

I ran straight up the wall. My little claws grabbed at tiny splinters and cracks in the wood, and shot up at a terrifying speed. If you've never been a squirrel - and let's face it, you haven't - you probably don't have any idea what it's like to run up. The wooden wall was like a floor under me. But at the same time I knew the difference between up and down. I knew if I fell it would be down. It's as if you were running across the floor in your house, but if you tripped you'd fall back against the wall.

Very strange.

Tobias had come to rest on a rafter. But I could feel his eyes on me. I froze. I froze completely. Not even my tail twitched. I just clutched onto the wall and froze.

But I couldn't keep it up. That torrent of squirrel energy would not let me stand still for long.

Suddenly, with barely a glance to the side, I launched myself through space. I flew. I mean, I just jumped and hurtled through the air for what seemed like half a mile, but was actually just ten feet.

SLAM! I landed on the wooden beam that runs above the horse stalls.

Bad move. Tobias had seen my movement. Out of the corner of my eye I saw his vast wings open. He swooped down, talons raked forward.

But then ... a new movement. Something large and furtive. A board in the side of the barn pushed open. A head poked inside. It was just below me. An intelligent, alert face, looking up at me and wondering if I was dinner.

A fox! Aha! My mystery bird-killer.

I had to get control of the squirrel brain. It al ways takes a minute in any new morph, at least, to control those wild animal instincts, but I didn't have a minute.

Tobias swooped.

Suddenly it was insanity everywhere. Birds in every cage began to squawk and shriek! The wolves in the next room decided to start howling. The horses were whinnying shrilly.

Tobias sheered away, startled.

Too late. I had jumped again, and now I was falling toward the straw-covered floor of a stall. Fall ing toward the fox.

I hit the ground and blew out of there, leaving a storm of dust and straw in my wake.

The fox came after me. He was fast. Very fast.

<Tobias! Help!> I yelled in thought-speak.

<What the ... Is that you, Cassie?>

I dodged left. The fox dodged after me.

He was faster than me and almost as agile. Unless I could find a place to climb up and away, I was done for!

<Yes, it's me!>

<Well, why didn't you tell me?!> he said, sounding grumpy in my head. <l was considering eating you.>

<l just morphed. I just got control of this crazy squirrel brain. Now would you PLEASE save me?>

The fox's jaw snapped at my tail. I felt his teeth comb the fur.

<Good grief,> Tobias said. He opened his wings and came hurtling down, straight at the fox.

The fox saw the shadow of the big hawk. He stopped dead in his tracks.

Too late. Tobias raked him with his talons and shot past.

The fox decided this was more trouble than he needed. He bolted for his secret passageway.

Tobias came to rest on a crossbeam and looked down at me with his fierce hawk's gaze. <Cassie? Why are you out here at midnight turning into a squirrel?>

I was already starting to morph back to human shape. <Well, we've had some birds taken in the last couple of days. We figured it was a badger or a raccoon or a fox, but we couldn't figure out how he was getting in. So I decided to morph and wait to see when he showed up.>

This whole "I'm going to turn into a prey animal to attract a predator" thing is just a bad idea, and this is the second time they tried it.

quote:

<Well, I certainly can't criticize anyone who wants to rescue birds,> he said. He fluffed his wings and began preening some ruffled feathers.

I was halfway back to human shape, growing up from the floor, feeling my legs sprout beneath me. But my human mouth was not back yet. <So, what are you doing here, Tobias? Looking for a squirrel sandwich?>

Tobias had almost completely accepted the fact that he was permanently stuck in the body of a red-tailed hawk. Recently he had begun to hunt and eat like a hawk. He was still a little sensitive about it, but I thought if I just made a joke out of it, he would realize I wasn't grossed out or any thing.

<Squirrel sandwich?> he said. <No, I was thinking barbecue. Sorry I scared you.>

"It's okay, my friend," I said in my own voice. My mouth had formed. I was almost back to normal, all but this huge tail, which was still poking out of the back of my morphing outfit.

Normal, for me, is about average height, I guess. Whatever "average" is. I'm kind of solidly built, not skinny and not fat, with hair I keep short because I don't like messing with it. As my friends would tell you, I'm not exactly Ms. Fashion. Mostly, if you want to know what I look like, picture a girl in overalls and leather work gloves, biting her lip as she concentrates on trying to force a pill down the throat of a badger. Jake once took a picture of me doing exactly that. He has it next to his computer in his room. Don't ask me why. I would be glad to give him a picture of me in a dress or something. Rachel could loan me the dress. But Jake says he likes the picture he has.

That's love. Also, Jake's weird.

quote:

<l hear something,> Tobias said, suddenly alert.

I strained my ears. Human ears are so lame. Almost any animal can hear better. But then I heard it, too. A voice.

"Is someone in there?"

"My father!"

<You still have a tail!>

Too late. The barn door swung open. My father stood there, blinking sleepily and holding a flashlight. "Cass? What are you doing out here?"

I stuck my hands behind my back and tried to hold my big squirrel tail down while I attempted to morph it away at maximum speed. "N-n-noth-ing, Dad. I-I-I just couldn't sleep. "

He nodded. "Okay. Well, go to bed now," he said crankily. My father is one of those people who needs about an hour and three cups of coffee to wake up.

Same

quote:

"Okay, Daddy," I said.

He hesitated. "Cassie? Turn around."

"Turn around?" I repeated in a squeaky voice.

"Yeah. Turn around. It's . . . just turn around."

Slowly I turned. As I did, the last of the tail shwooped back into my spine.

"Huh," my dad said. "I gotta get back to sleep. I swear I thought you had a tail."

"Heh heh," I laughed weakly.

When he left I collapsed back on the straw. "I really should have just stayed in bed," I said to Tobias. "Dreams or no dreams."

<Dreams?> he snapped. <What kind of dreams?>

I shrugged. "I don't know. These kind of weird dreams about the sea."

<The sea,> he echoed. <And a voice, calling out to you from beneath the water.>

It was warm in the barn, but suddenly I felt really cold.

Spooky!

# ? Jun 2, 2020 23:39

nine-gear crow: Aug 10, 2013

I do appreciate that for as adept as Cassie is at the actual physical act of morphing, being able to control it to an almost artistic degree at times, she�s kind fo garbage at keeping the morph�s animal instincts in check. It�s a nice little balance.

# ? Jun 3, 2020 00:49

Tree Bucket: Apr 1, 2016; R.I.P.idura leucophrys

nine-gear crow posted:

I do appreciate that for as adept as Cassie is at the actual physical act of morphing, being able to control it to an almost artistic degree at times, she�s kind fo garbage at keeping the morph�s animal instincts in check. It�s a nice little balance.

Good point!
These books are honestly a lot better than I remember.

# ? Jun 3, 2020 04:34

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

The Message-Chapter 3

quote:

No, I haven't had any weird dreams about the sea," Marco said. "I've had weird dreams about my sheets trying to strangle me. I've had weird dreams about falling from way up high and when I finally land I'm in Mister Rogers' Neighborhood talking to King Friday. I've had weird dreams about that woman on Baywatch . . . hmm, well, that does kind of involve the ocean, I guess."

"You have dreams about King Friday?" Rachel asked him. She put on a worried look. "I see." She shook her head slowly and made a tsk, tsk sound.

"What? What's the matter with dreaming about King Friday?" Marco demanded.

Rachel shrugged. "All I'm going to say is you should think about seeing a counselor before your condition worsens." Rachel turned so Marco couldn't see her and gave me a wink.

"Very funny," Marco sneered. But he still looked a little worried.

It's...an interesting dream.

quote:

We were in Rachel's room the next day, after school. Her room is so neat. Straight out of a magazine, you know? Like everything matches or goes together. She has this bulletin board where she puts little wise sayings on Post-it notes.

I drifted over to the bulletin board and read '"Don't think there are no crocodiles just be cause the water is calm.' - Malayan Proverb."

Just beside that was '"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.' - Sun Tzu."

It made me a little sad. In the good old days, Rachel would have had a bunch of quotes about being a good person or whatever. It just showed how much our lives had changed.

In a very short time we had all grown accustomed to a world of fear and danger. We had arrived at Rachel's house separately. We had each checked to make sure we weren't being followed. We had planned the afternoon in advance to be sure that Rachel's mom and her two sisters would be out. We had even had Tobias fly over the area looking for anything unusual.

That's what our lives had become. That and quotations full of paranoia and battle.

Jake hadn't said anything yet. Tobias and I had both told everyone about our strangely iden tical dreams. About the voice that seemed to come from beneath the sea. The strange voice that called to us.

No one else had heard the voice in their dreams. Marco had made jokes. Rachel had been supportive but skeptical. Only Jake had remained silent.

I suppose you could say Jake is sort of our "leader," although he's not bossy in any way. It's more like this natural aspect of his personality. He's the one you just automatically look to when there's trouble.

Of course, I look to him for other reasons. Not that I would ever tell him or anything, but I really like Jake. You know, as in like.

He's very cute, in a big, strong kind of way. He has brown hair and dark, dark eyes. He seems very serious until you get to know him. And then you realize he's still pretty serious, but he also knows when to laugh.

Jake has to know when to laugh because Marco has been his best friend since they were both in diapers. They've competed and foughtand disagreed the whole time. Marco's mission in life is to find the humor in everything. Even in his best friend.

Marco is kind of cute, too, although he's not my type. He wears his brown hair long and has these amazing eyelashes that I would love to have myself.

Marco isn't interested in being in charge, or even in being part of a team. He wants us to just quit the whole thing. He wants us to forget the Yeerks and forget morphing and just try and stay alive.

But at the same time, it's Marco who is very aware of all the security problems. He's the one who makes sure we never discuss anything on the phone, where enemy ears might be listening in.

Rachel is my closest friend. She has been for years. How can I explain Rachel? First of all, she and Jake are cousins, and they have a lot in common. They seem to grow strong people in that family, because Rachel is the strongest person I know. It's like nothing ever intimidates her. She's totally fearless, or at least that's how she seems.

To look at her you'd think, Oh, she'll grow up to be some airheaded model, because she's very tall and pretty and blond. But I pity anyone who mistakes Rachel for a wimpy airhead.

Sometimes I think Rachel likes the way everything has worked out. It's like all along there was this Amazon warrior locked up inside of her, and now she has an excuse to bring it out.

But she was not a person who believed in dreams very much. "Well, okay," she said, "if we're done with the dreams, let's - "

I think I might have mentioned before that Cassie of all of the Animorphs, probably has the most emotional intelligence. She understands people.

quote:

"Rachel," Jake interrupted, "I think I have something that may be interesting." He pulled a videocassette out of his bag.

"Cool. Let's watch a movie," Marco said.

"Not a movie," Jake said. "I guess no one else watched the late news last night?"

"I was busy watching my taped reruns of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," Marco said, giving Rachel a sly look. "Last night it was the one where it was a beautiful day in the neighborhood."

Jake rolled his eyes up to the ceiling, the way he'd done a million times before when Marco said something irrelevant or annoying. "Rachel, can we go downstairs and use your VCR?"

"Sure," Rachel said.

We trooped down the stairs. Except for Tobias, who fluttered down above our heads.

"Hey, Tobias," Marco said, "I've been meaning to ask you, are hawks like seagulls? I mean, do they poop while they're flying?"

<Depends on who's down below,> Tobias shot back. <Let me just put it this way - if you get on my nerves, you'd better buy a hat.>

Down in Rachel's living room, Jake turned on the TV and popped in his cassette.

"There was just this one small story," he narrated, as, on the screen, an old guy in a bathing suit held up a piece of what looked like metal.

"So now we're interested in hairy old guys who should be wearing shirts?" Marco asked.

"This old guy says he found that on the beach. It washed up during the storm a couple of days ago. Watch."

The camera focused on what looked like a jagged piece of metal, about two feet long and one foot wide. As the camera zoomed in, I saw what looked like letters. Only they weren't any alphabet I had ever seen.

Now the tape was showing the anchorwoman smiling, and then it went blank. Jake turned the VCR off.

So...does Jake just tape the news? Because, how did that go down last night? He saw the story was going to come on, and somehow he found a tape, put it in, and pressed record? I mean, that takes time.

quote:

"Okay . . . so?" Marco prodded.

Jake sighed. "So the night the Andalite landed, when I went inside his ship to get the cube that gave us our morphing powers, I saw writing."

I felt a chill creep up the back of my neck.

"I could be wrong, I mean, I'm not some expert," Jake said. "But I think it was that same alphabet. Those same kinds of letters."

Suddenly no one was laughing. Not even Marco.

"I think what washed up on the beach is a piece of an Andalite ship," Jake said.

Suddenly, without warning, I felt the ground swirl beneath me. I fell straight back, not even caring that Jake caught me in his arms just before I hit the carpet.

So that's not good.

# ? Jun 3, 2020 22:42

QuickbreathFinisher: Sep 28, 2008; by reading this post you have agreed to form a gay socialist micronation.
`

Epicurius posted:

The Message-Chapter 3

I think I might have mentioned before that Cassie of all of the Animorphs, probably has the most emotional intelligence. She understands people.

I think this also ties in with her morphing abilities and trouble with the morphs' minds - she understands animals a little more intuitively from all the time she spends with them, both anatomically/medically which may help her smooth out and control the actual morphing, and on an empathetic level which may allow the animal mind a little more leeway when she's first trying out a morph. I think I remember a lot of that animal instinct coming up in this book.

Interesting to think about whether the news would play this segment if the station had been taken over by Yeerks. I think it's fair to assume that the Yeerks wouldn't broadcast that info if they had control, unless they want to lure out the "Andalite" bandits. There's no way for the kids to really know, for sure. I can't remember how this resolves other than the broad strokes, so it will be cool to see.

# ? Jun 3, 2020 22:59

SardonicTyrant: Feb 26, 2016; BTICH IM A NEWT
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QuickbreathFinisher posted:

Interesting to think about whether the news would play this segment if the station had been taken over by Yeerks. I think it's fair to assume that the Yeerks wouldn't broadcast that info if they had control, unless they want to lure out the "Andalite" bandits. There's no way for the kids to really know, for sure. I can't remember how this resolves other than the broad strokes, so it will be cool to see.

My guess is that the Yeerks are more broadly spread out, infiltrating as many professions and roles as possible, instead of focusing on just new reporters and the like.

# ? Jun 3, 2020 23:48

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

Do we know how easy/difficult the yeerk takeover process is? Like could you just drop a bunch into someone's house at night and they'd climb up the hosts ears quietly, or would they need to be restrained first so they don't put up a fight.

# ? Jun 4, 2020 10:41

Kazzah: Jul 15, 2011; Formerly known as
Krazyface; Hair Elf

They're blind, and can't live outside of water for long. You basically need to drop the yeerk straight into the ear.

# ? Jun 4, 2020 11:08

Jo Joestar: Oct 24, 2013

Yeerks are blind and almost helpless outside a host body. AFAIK, the only time a yeerk has possessed someone outside a yeerk pool was directly ear to ear.

# ? Jun 4, 2020 11:09

Radio Free Kobold: Aug 11, 2012; "Federal regulations mandate that at least 30% of our content must promote Reptilian or Draconic culture. This is DJ Scratch N' Sniff with the latest mermaid screeching on KBLD..."

There's a few books we won't see for quite a while (but i think have been mentioned once or twice?) that show us that the Yeerks had a bit of a task just understanding Human society, even on such basic things as "People watch the news to gather information about current events". I mean, brain slugs don't have evening news and I bet Visser Three doesn't even watch the silly human talkbox. It's entirely possible that they don't yet understand how to (or have the means to) control the flow of information. The books like to paint the Animorphs as coming into the game halfway through and desperately trying to figure out what to do and how to do it, but I don't think the yeerks are much farther ahead in the game at this point.

# ? Jun 4, 2020 19:28

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

We do know, at least, that the Yeerks have people in the local police (The cop that got Cassie in the first book), in print journalism (the paper running the story about a bunch of kids lighting off fireworks in the abandoned construction site), and the FBI (Chapman tells Visser 3 about it in Book 2, but Visser 3 has cats on his mind).

# ? Jun 4, 2020 19:37

Silver2195: Apr 4, 2012

Radio Free Kobold posted:

There's a few books we won't see for quite a while (but i think have been mentioned once or twice?) that show us that the Yeerks had a bit of a task just understanding Human society, even on such basic things as "People watch the news to gather information about current events". I mean, brain slugs don't have evening news and I bet Visser Three doesn't even watch the silly human talkbox. It's entirely possible that they don't yet understand how to (or have the means to) control the flow of information. The books like to paint the Animorphs as coming into the game halfway through and desperately trying to figure out what to do and how to do it, but I don't think the yeerks are much farther ahead in the game at this point.

The Yeerks with human hosts understand this stuff pretty well, because they have access to the human hosts' memories. It's more Visser Three and the ones with Hork-Bajr and Taxxon hosts who don't quite "get" human society. Which makes Visser Three a questionable choice to lead the invasion, come to think of it.

# ? Jun 4, 2020 21:35

nine-gear crow: Aug 10, 2013

Silver2195 posted:

The Yeerks with human hosts understand this stuff pretty well, because they have access to the human hosts' memories. It's more Visser Three and the ones with Hork-Bajr and Taxxon hosts who don't quite "get" human society. Which makes Visser Three a questionable choice to lead the invasion, come to think of it.

Well, good news, we�re T-minus 1 book away from the arrival of the Best Yeerk.

# ? Jun 4, 2020 21:41

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

The Message-Chapter 4

quote:

I was falling, falling, falling.

Falling into the sea.

Splash! I hit the water. But still I fell. Down and down and down through blue-green, sunlit layers of water.

<I 'm here,> a voice called to me. <l am here. I cannot survive much longer. If you hear me ... come. If you hear me ... come.>

Suddenly I opened my eyes. I stared up at Jake's concerned face.

Glancing across the room, I saw Rachel with the telephone to her ear, preparing to dial.

"She's awake!" Jake said.

"I'd better still call an ambulance," Rachel said.

"No!" Marco snapped, "Not unless we know she's hurt. It's too big a risk."

That's Marco again, thinking strategically.

quote:

Rachel's eyes flared the way they do when someone tells her something she doesn't want to hear. "I'm calling nine-one-one," she said tersely.

"No, Rachel, I'm okay," I said. I sat up. My head felt a little woozy, but I was all right.

Rachel hesitated, her fingers just above the keypad. "What about Tobias?"

I looked around the room and saw Tobias spread out on the floor, one wing crumpled beneath him.

He looked dead.

I jumped up and ran to him.

"Rachel, Cassie seems okay, and nine-one-one can't help Tobias," Jake said.

Rachel replaced the receiver and ran over to Tobias.

"He's not dead," I said. I could feel him breathing. Then, just as suddenly as I had, he woke up. His enormous brown hawk's eyes opened, instantly fierce.
His first reaction was pure hawk. He hopped up and flared. Hawks flare just the way cats do when they're trying to intimidate someone. They hunch their shoulders and fluff up their feathers to make themselves look bigger than they are.

"Everybody stand still," I said quickly. "It's okay, Tobias, you were just out for a minute there."

He quickly gained control over the hawk instincts. <That was strange,> he said.

"It happened to me, too," I said. "I passed out. And then I had the dream again. Only this time I could hear an actual voice. Or at least I heard thought-speech."

<Me, too,> Tobias confirmed.

"Okay, now this is getting weird," Rachel said. "Because at the same time I thought I kind of felt something."

"Yeah," Jake agreed. Marco nodded.

<l know this sounds crazy, but ... but it's like someone is sending out a distress signal. Like they are calling for help.>

"Only this someone is in the water, or under the water, or something," I said. "Seeing that video, seeing that writing, it was like suddenly the message grew stronger."

"Or it may have just been a coincidence," Jake said. "This isn't a dream. I don't know what it is, but it isn't a dream. Even I halfway saw something. This is some kind of a communication. "

"Well, this is all very interesting," Marco said, "but so what? I mean, are we getting some kind of psychic message from the Little Mermaid? What are we supposed to do about it?"

Jake looked closely at me. "Cassie? Was the voice in your dream a human voice?"

I was startled by the question. I hadn't really thought about it. I actually laughed. "When you asked me, the first thing that popped into my head was no, it isn't human." I laughed again. "But that doesn't make any sense."

<It's not human,> Tobias said suddenly. <l understand the meaning of what it's saying, but it's not human. It's not 'speaking' in words, really.>

"So what is it?" Rachel asked. "Yeerk?"

I let my mind drift back to the dream. I tried to hear the sound in my head again. "No, not Yeerk. It reminds me of something ... of some one."

<The Andalite,> Tobias blurted.

I snapped my fingers. "Yes! That's it! It re minds me of the Andalite. When he first thoughtspoke to us. That's what it's like."

"The Andalite," Marco muttered. He looked away. I knew he was remembering. We all were.

We had been walking home from the mall at night. Walking through a big abandoned construction site, when the Andalite ship had ap peared above us.
It landed, and out came the Andalite prince, fatally wounded in a battle with the Yeerks some where in space.

He was the one who had warned us of the Yeerks - the parasite species that inhabited the brains of other creatures and enslaved them, making them Controllers. It was the Andalite who had warned us, and who, in desperation, had given us the great and terrible weapon - the power to morph.

We had been hiding, cringing in terror, when the Yeerks caught up with the Andalite. When Visser Three himself, the Yeerk leader, had murdered him.

I shuddered at the terrible memory of the An- dalite's last, despairing cry.

"Yes," I whispered. "Tobias is right. It's an Andalite. That's who is calling to us from the sea. An Andalite."

For a few minutes no one said anything.

Then Rachel said, "He died trying to save us." She looked defiantly at Marco. "I know that doesn't mean anything to you. But the Andalite died trying to save Earth."

Marco nodded. "I know. And you're wrong, Rachel. That means plenty to me."

"Yeah? Well, if there's some Andalite calling for help, I'm going to try and help him," Rachel said.

I looked over at Jake and we shared this look, like "Oh, big surprise, Rachel is ready to go." I hid my smile and Jake kept a straight face.

"Tobias?" Jake asked. "What do you say?"

<l don't know if I should have a vote. I'm the one person here who isn't going to be much help dealing with water. Besides, you guys all know how I'd vote.>

Of all of us, it was Tobias who had stayed longest at the Andalite's side, even as the Andalite ordered him to get to safety. Something really deep had gone on between the Andalite prince and Tobias.

It was my turn. "I can't just ignore someone crying out for help, if that's what this is."

We all looked at Marco. I could see Rachel getting angry, like she was ready to jump all over Marco if, as usual, he disagreed.

Marco just grinned. "I really hate to do this. I really hate to disappoint you all." Then he grew serious. "But I was there at the construction site, same as all of you. I was there when Visser Three - " Suddenly his voice choked. "What I mean is, if there's an Andalite who needs any thing, I'm there."

A little about Marco here. Marco, I think, in the first few books, seems to, on the surface, fit that typical trope...he's the guy who disagrees but is always wrong. "Hey, guys, maybe we shouldn't go on this adventure. Hey guys, maybe the hell with this animorphs thing". You'd see this a lot in cartoons in the 80s and 90s...so much so that it was almost mandated. In the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon, there was Eric. In Captain Planet, there was Wheeler. The sort of ur-example was a show that ran from 1984-85 called "The Get Along Gang", where anyone who disagreed with the group consensus was inevitably shown to be a total and complete idiot. The cartoon "Garfield and Friends" parodied this with the "Buddy Bears", a group of bears who's optimism and teamwork would always come up against Garfield's cynicism.

So, on first glance, Marco seems to fit that sort of trope of the whiner, the pessimist, the stick in the mud, but when you look closer, first, most of Marco's complaints are justified, and his predictions are usually right, even if they're not particularly positive. On top of that, for all his complaining, and sarcasm, Marco is inevitably there for his friends, usually making their plans better. In the last book, when the group wanted to go to the lake to ambush the Yeerk ship, Marco said no, and at first, it seemed like he was just turning them down, but in reality, it was "No, don't go on a weekday, we should go on a weekend, so we don't have to skip school and look suspicious. And, as we've seen, a lot of what Marco does is in that vein. It makes him a good foil to Jake. Jake is the better leader, and incredibly optimistic, sometimes to a fault. He's the better tactician...he's the person who says, "I have a plan to win this battle". But Marco's a better strategist. He's the one saying, "Should we fight this battle, and what will happen if we win or lose?

# ? Jun 5, 2020 00:09

Kchama: Jul 25, 2007

Epicurius posted:

A little about Marco here. Marco, I think, in the first few books, seems to, on the surface, fit that typical trope...he's the guy who disagrees but is always wrong. "Hey, guys, maybe we shouldn't go on this adventure. Hey guys, maybe the hell with this animorphs thing". You'd see this a lot in cartoons in the 80s and 90s...so much so that it was almost mandated. In the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon, there was Eric. In Captain Planet, there was Wheeler. The sort of ur-example was a show that ran from 1984-85 called "The Get Along Gang", where anyone who disagreed with the group consensus was inevitably shown to be a total and complete idiot. The cartoon "Garfield and Friends" parodied this with the "Buddy Bears", a group of bears who's optimism and teamwork would always come up against Garfield's cynicism.

So, on first glance, Marco seems to fit that sort of trope of the whiner, the pessimist, the stick in the mud, but when you look closer, first, most of Marco's complaints are justified, and his predictions are usually right, even if they're not particularly positive. On top of that, for all his complaining, and sarcasm, Marco is inevitably there for his friends, usually making their plans better. In the last book, when the group wanted to go to the lake to ambush the Yeerk ship, Marco said no, and at first, it seemed like he was just turning them down, but in reality, it was "No, don't go on a weekday, we should go on a weekend, so we don't have to skip school and look suspicious. And, as we've seen, a lot of what Marco does is in that vein. It makes him a good foil to Jake. Jake is the better leader, and incredibly optimistic, sometimes to a fault. He's the better tactician...he's the person who says, "I have a plan to win this battle". But Marco's a better strategist. He's the one saying, "Should we fight this battle, and what will happen if we win or lose?

This has summed up why I always liked Marco even early on. And why he's such a critical component of the team.

# ? Jun 5, 2020 00:52

Radio Free Kobold: Aug 11, 2012; "Federal regulations mandate that at least 30% of our content must promote Reptilian or Draconic culture. This is DJ Scratch N' Sniff with the latest mermaid screeching on KBLD..."

Wait, can it be? Oh yeah. Oh yeah! Best Boy is about to enter the game!

# ? Jun 5, 2020 04:31

Ednamamame: Dec 12, 2019

It's interesting coming back to this as an adult. I never disliked any of the team (though I never got to the ghostwritten books), but found Tobias more interesting because of his alienation from the team and struggle with not being completely human anymore. I always found Marco hilarious but whoa is he a great, complex, and vital character. I didn't really realise just how dead they would be without him. Can't wait to get to his first book.

And AX. Cinnamon buns cometh!

# ? Jun 5, 2020 08:57

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

With Tobias it's prob because of spoiler but I wonder why Cassie felt this so strongly when the other kids didn't. Same thing that makes her better than everyone at morphing probably, is that gonna be explained or is it just her Mary Sueishness coming through?

# ? Jun 5, 2020 09:18

Gnoman: Feb 12, 2014; Come, all you fair and tender maids
Who flourish in your pri-ime
Beware, take care, keep your garden fair
Let Gnoman steal your thy-y-me
Le-et Gnoman steal your thyme

Kchama posted:

This has summed up why I always liked Marco even early on. And why he's such a critical component of the team.

To not only buck that "The Complainer Is Wrong" trope, but to almost announce it, has a pretty interesting degree of self-awareness. Particularly since that was still a big thing in kid's media when these were new.

((EDIT because I accidentally posted))

You could see this in the first book, even, with his pessimism about the attack on the school pool. I didn't really put my finger on it until Epicurius spelled it out, but it has quite obviously been there from the beginning.

Gnoman fucked around with this message at 09:31 on Jun 5, 2020

# ? Jun 5, 2020 09:29

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

The Message-Chapter 5

quote:

You do realize that if we're down here at the beach because of that news story, some Controllers are probably down here, too?" Marco asked for about the tenth time.

"Yes, Marco," Jake said patiently. "But maybe Cassie and Tobias can get some feeling from being down here, closer to the sea."

"So let me get this straight - we are now making decisions based on Tobias and Cassie's dreams, right?" Marco said. "And yet my dreams are totally ignored. The fact that I once dreamed about staying home and watching TV in total safety, that means nothing, right?"

"Right," Jake said flatly.

We were at the beach. The same beach where the guy on the news had found what we now believed was a piece of an Andalite ship. It was night, with a sliver of moon that painted ripples of silver across the black water. A salt breeze blew off the water, making me feel peaceful and yet a little overwhelmed, intimidated, the way the ocean always makes me feel.

There is nothing as big as the ocean. It's like this entirely different planet, full of strange plants and fantastic animals. Valleys and mountains and caves and broad, flat plains, all hidden from our sight.

All I could see was the surface. All I could feel was the barest edge of the ocean, rushing over my toes as each wave crashed ashore.

But I could sense it out there. I could sense how vast it was, and how tiny I was.

"How about my dream of living long enough to get a driver's license?"

Jake gave Marco an exasperated look. "Marco, you can turn into a bird and fly. You could do it right now. Why would you care about driving a car a few years from now?"

"The babes," Marco said instantly. "Duh. You can't pick up girls when you're a bird." He glanced overhead, where we could see just the hint of dark wings against the canopy of stars. "No offense, Tobias. The wings are great, but I'm thinking of something bright red with about four hundred horsepower."

Marco's cooperative mood hadn't lasted long. I knew it wouldn't. Marco is never happy unless he's complaining about something. Just like Rachel is never happy unless she has something to fight against. And Tobias is never happy, period. He thinks if he's ever happy, someone will just come along and take his happiness away.

"So, Cassie?" Rachel said. "Do you feel any thing?"

"Well, I feel a little embarrassed," I admitted. "And a little foolish."

"Maybe we could try calling the Psychic Friends," Marco suggested. "Hi, is this Psychic Friends? I've been dreaming about aliens lately - "

For those who don't remember, the Psychic Friends Network was a 900 number where you could call and get advice from "real psychics". 900 numbers, for those of you who don't know were a service where you'd be charged a certain amount a minute. At it height, the company made $125 million a year.

quote:

"Why Cassie and Tobias?" Rachel wondered aloud, ignoring Marco. "Why would they get these images so clearly and the rest of us barely felt anything?
"
Jake shook his head. "I don't know. I mean, okay, say you're an Andalite. And you want to call for help. Who do you want to come and rescue you? Other Andalites, obviously."

"Tobias isn't an Andalite, and neither am I," I pointed out.

"I know," Jake said. "But maybe this communication, whatever it is, is tied into the ability to morph. You know, like morphing ability makes you able to 'hear' it. That way, only Andalites would be able to receive the call for help."

"Which still doesn't explain why Tobias and I _"

"Maybe it does," Marco interrupted, serious again. "Look, Tobias is permanently in morph. And Cassie, you're the one who has the most talent for morphing." Then he flashed white teeth in the dark. "Besides, you know you like animals more than humans, so it's like you're halfway into morph, anyway."

So, Marco's theory is the same as Avalerion's.

quote:

Suddenly a dark shape swooped low over our heads. <Lights!> Tobias said. <Up ahead on the beach. There's a bunch of people moving in a line with flashlights, like they're searching for something. You can't see them yet because they're hidden by that dune. But they'll be here in a couple of minutes.>

"Who are they?" Jake demanded.

<l can't tell,> Tobias said. <My eyes may be great during the day, but at night I don't see any better than you do. I'm a hawk, not an owl. Fortunately, I still hear pretty well. You guys hide in the dunes. I'll be right back.>

With that he was gone.

"Come on," Jake said. "He's right. Let's hide in the dunes."

We crouched down in a pocket between two dunes. I lay flat on my belly in the cold sand and peered through the tall sea grass, focusing on the bright line of the surf.

Tobias was back a few minutes later.

< It's them,> he said. He came to rest on a piece of driftwood. < It's a group from The Sharing. Chapman is with them.> He turned his head to look at Jake. <Tom is with them, too.>

The Sharing is a front organization for the Yeerks. Supposedly it's this group for all ages, like Girl Scouts or whatever. In reality it's a way for the Controllers to try and recruit new voluntary hosts. As impossible as it may seem, some humans actually decide to become hosts for the Yeerks. The Yeerks like it that way. It's easier for them to have a voluntary host instead of a host that resists their control.

The Sharing is very subtle, of course. People are brought along very slowly, over time. New members have no idea what it's all about at first. They think it's just fun and games.

I don't know when they tell the members what's really happening. By then I guess it's too late. They either become hosts voluntarily, or, like Jake's brother Tom, they are taken, anyway.

"Tom is with them?" Jake asked.

< I'm pretty sure,> Tobias said. <Some of the senior members - Chapman and Tom - are following behind the others. I could hear some of what they were saying. They're very worried about that fragment of Andalite ship.>

"So it is Andalite?" Rachel asked, excited.
<l guess so,> Tobias said. <l heard something else, too.>

The way he hesitated made me tense up. "What?"
<Something about Visser Three having visions. That's what they said. Visions. I guess the visions made the Visser cranky. He was on the mother ship at the time and decided to shove a Hork-Bajir out of an airlock because he broke the Visser's concentration.>

"It's because of Visser Three's Andalite body," Marco said.

"That's the connection. These dreams or visions or whatever they are must be some kind of communication that's only supposed to be heard by Andalites."

Visser Three-still the universe's worst boss. Also, more evidence regarding the Andalite connection.

quote:

Suddenly I saw the line of flashlights swing into view. There must have been twenty people strung across the beach, all looking down at the sand, moving forward slowly.

"They're searching for any other fragments," I whispered.

A part of the line stopped moving. I heard someone yelling. Others came running up, ex cited.

"What did they find?" Jake wondered.

"I don't. . ." Then, in a flash, it came to me. "Our footprints! Four sets of fresh footprints that suddenly turn off into the dunes!"

"Let's get out of here," Jake hissed. "Now!"

Too late!

The flashlight beams raced across the rippling sand and up the side of the dune. In an instant a dozen flashlight beams focused on the notch where we crouched.

We slithered back, down and out of sight. Then we jumped up and ran.

"We should morph!" Rachel gasped as we stumbled over the sinking sand.

"No!" Marco said. "Tracks. We would leave tracks that went from human to animal."

"Get them!" someone yelled. Chapman, I think. He's our assistant principal at school. I knew his voice from hearing him yell in the hall ways.
Jerky, wild beams of light danced all around us. We ducked and ran as fast as we could. But running across the sand was like running through quicksand.

Jake was gasping out whispered instructions. "Double around ... if they follow us deeper into ... the dunes ... we can double around . . . get to the water. . . then morph ..."

"There! There! I see them!"

A beam of light swept over me. I could see my shadow, long and twisted, projected on the sand. I dodged left, out of the light. Just in time.

BAM! BAM!

Gunfire!

Someone was shooting at me.

# ? Jun 6, 2020 00:18

disaster pastor: May 1, 2007

Epicurius posted:

And Tobias is never happy, period. He thinks if he's ever happy, someone will just come along and take his happiness away.

I mean, he's not wrong.

# ? Jun 6, 2020 00:23

chitoryu12: Apr 24, 2014

A loving kid�s series is better written than Twilight.

# ? Jun 6, 2020 01:07

MrNemo: Aug 26, 2010; "I just love beeting off"

I was actually thinking of that specifically in reference to Meyer managing to come up with really interesting concepts and do nothing with them or write then in the most interesting way possible. With a seemingly silly conceit and a much more limited 'palette' of YA appropriate language, these books do a much, much better job of actually telling a story.

# ? Jun 6, 2020 01:37

Cythereal: Nov 8, 2009; I love the potoo,
and the potoo loves you.

chitoryu12 posted:

A loving kid�s series is better written than Twilight.

The kids' series also respects its audience's intelligence significantly more.

# ? Jun 6, 2020 02:54

Fritzler: Sep 5, 2007

It�s wild the controllers shoot instantly. Gotta be a better way of running a stealth mission.

# ? Jun 6, 2020 05:07

Kchama: Jul 25, 2007

Fritzler posted:

It�s wild the controllers shoot instantly. Gotta be a better way of running a stealth mission.

Yeerks don't have a lot of experience with 'stealth'.

# ? Jun 6, 2020 05:28

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Chapter 6

quote:

It seemed totally crazy.

I mean, I've been in one-on-one combat to the death with seven-foot-tall Hork-Bajir war riors, and I've been shot at by Dracon beams that sort of disintegrate you slowly. But I'd never been shot at with plain old everyday guns.

It seemed nuts after all we'd been through.

BAM!BAM!BAM!

Phit! I heard something hit the sand just inches from my foot.

"Aaaahhh!" I cried in surprise.

This was real. Real! This was really happen ing.

A rough hand grabbed me and dragged me forward. Jake. I had frozen when I'd heard the bullet so close.

<They're all in the dunes!> Tobias cried. <Now's the time.>

"Come on!" Jake snapped. He half dragged me up the side of the nearest dune, but by then I was moving fine all on my own. I was scurrying up the side of that hill, snatching at handholds of scrub grass, pistoning my feet into the sand.

Over the top. We slid and rolled and ran down the far side.

We were back on the beach. I stole a quick glance to the right. No lights on the beach. They were all in the dunes. Looking for us.

"Head to the water," Jake said. "Morph to fish."

"Jake," I panted. "Trout. . . they're freshwater fish . . . this is saltwater."

"You have a better idea?" he asked.

BAM!BAM!

"No," I said. We splashed into the boiling surf. As I ran I pictured the fish. I remembered being the fish. I focused as much as anyone can focus with a dozen or so Controllers chasing her and shooting.

My feet went out from under me. They had shriveled and begun to disappear. I hit the water and got a mouthful of salty foam.

I tried to keep my head above water, but my arms were rapidly disappearing. The waves were high around me as I became smaller and smaller. My clothing billowed.

The people from The Sharing, the Controllers, raced to the water's edge. I could see their lights, weirdly distorted as my eyes went from the air- adapted eyes of a human to the eyes of a fish.

With what was left of my ears I heard, "The tracks lead right to the water."

Tom's voice. Then Chapman's. "I don't see them. They can't swim far. The current is too strong. Fan out up and down the beach."

"Do you think these are the Andalite guerillas?"

"No. The tracks are human. Just some kids, probably. I doubt they saw anything. That fool should not have been shooting."

"Sir," a new voice said. "We found a pair of jeans in the surf. Look like they could be for a kid."

"Any identification in them?"

"No. Nothing."

"Coincidence," Chapman said. "Probably."

"If they're human, why don't we see them out there?" Tom asked. "Four sets of human tracks. No humans in the water. Is it possible... is Visser Three wrong? What if they're not Andalites at all?"

I sank beneath the water. The morph was almost complete. But as I went under I heard Chapman laugh cruelly. "Visser Three wrong? Maybe. But I'm not the fool who's going to try and tell him."

One of the big weaknesses in any group culture is "groupthink", the tendency of a group to see things as a specific way and take their assumptions for granted.A big part of leadership is the ability to set up a situation where your subordinates feel comfortable contributing their ideas and suggestions. This exposes you and the group to new ideas, and helps reduce groupthink. Needless to say, turning into a creature that sucks your subordinates out of their host and eating them isn't very conducive to your subordinates challenging the conventional wisdom.

quote:

The morph was complete. I was a fish, less than a foot long. A trout, to be exact. Excellent broiled, fried, or grilled.

The saltwater was harsh on my scales, and my gills were barely able to breathe.

<Everyone okay?> It was Jake. Now that we had morphed we had the same thought-speech ability as Tobias.

< I'm okay,> I assured him. <But I can barely breathe. I think we'd better be quick.>

< I'm with Cassie,> Rachel said. <l feel like my scales are burning up. And my gills are on fire.>

<Keep the shore on your left and go full speed as long as you can stand it,> Jake advised.

<Marco? Are you with us?> I asked.

< Oh , sure. Where else would I be? What could possibly be more fun than running around the sand dunes getting shot at and then jumping into the ocean and turning into a trout, who, incidentally, can't live in saltwater? I wouldn't miss it for anything. Now can we go home and watch TV?>

Bonus to the author for remembering the difference between freshwater and saltwater fish.

# ? Jun 6, 2020 23:41

Ednamamame: Dec 12, 2019

You'd have thought Visser Three would have given his minions A Talk about being trigger happy given the events of last book. Guys, I don't know how to tell you this, but I think he may be a bad manager!

It's nice to see that conversation between Chapman and Tom. I'm now imagining Yeerks grousing around the watercooler about management being stupid again. But it gives them a bit of dimension, in that they are not all in lockstep. And of course we see more of that later on.

# ? Jun 7, 2020 09:08

wizzardstaff: Apr 6, 2018; Zorch! Splat! Pow!

https://twitter.com/ernestwilkins/status/1269497692809572352

# ? Jun 7, 2020 19:06

nine-gear crow: Aug 10, 2013

wizzardstaff posted:

https://twitter.com/ernestwilkins/status/1269497692809572352

Grant, meanwhile, has been spewing non-stop righteous fire. The two of them together are a great one-two combo.

# ? Jun 7, 2020 19:52

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

The Message-Chapter 7

quote:

The next couple of days we didn't get together, except for passing each other in the hall ways at school. We do have lives beyond being Animorphs, after all.

Rachel was busy with her gymnastics class. Plus she got to go to this ceremony where her mom received some award for being Lawyer of the Year. (And since this is Rachel we're talking about, going to an awards dinner meant major shopping for new everything.)

Jake had totally blown a test because he hadn't studied, so he had to do a paper as makeup work. And I was busy helping my dad out in the barn with the golden eagle who had almost been electrocuted. He was at a difficult stage of his recovery.

Tobias dropped by one evening and acted kind of snippy about me trying to save a golden eagle. Golden eagles and hawks don't get along. Probably because golden eagles are known to kill and eat hawks.

It was a couple of days later that Jake rode his bike over to my house. I didn't expect him, so I was dressed like even more of a slob than usual. Plus I reeked of various horrible things because I was mucking out the stables and cleaning the birdcages.

Typical guy. He had the totally bad timing to show up when I looked like Ms. Manure.

"Hey, Cassie," he said in his usual casual way, like nothing was going on.

"Hi, Jake. Did you come by to help me shovel manure?"

He grinned. He has a great smile. It appears kind of slowly, like it doesn't quite belong on his serious face. "I don't know. Did I?"

"Yes, you did," I told him. I handed him a shovel. "If I have to smell, so do you."

We worked a little bit, with no sound but the steel shovel blades scraping the concrete. I knew he had something to tell me. I can always tell. But I figured I'd let him get around to it whenever he was ready.

Ah, young love.

quote:

"So," he said at last.

"So?" I echoed.

"Look, um, I guess everyone is kind of waiting to see what you decide to do."

This surprised me. I stopped shoveling. "What? What do you mean?"

"I mean, we're waiting to see what you decide to do about this dream of yours."

I shrugged. "I don't know. Besides, it's not just my dream. Tobias has it, too. And all of you guys felt it a little, at least."

"Yeah, but Tobias figures he isn't going to be much help when ... I mean, if we decide to do something. We're talking water, and Tobias can't morph. As for the rest of us, I don't know.

Rachel and Marco were talking about whether it might have just been something they imagined, you know? Because you made it seem so real and all."

"What do you think, Jake?"

Jake stopped working and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. He looked straight into my eyes. "Cassie, if you tell me it's real, it's real. I think you and Tobias are right. But Marco is having second thoughts." He raised one eyebrow, as if to say "You know Marco."

I felt a queasy, sick feeling. "You mean, I'm supposed to make some kind of a decision? Like I'm supposed to say what we do?"

"Cassie, you're the one with the dream. Only you can decide if it's real, and if it's real enough for us to try and do something about it."

"I don't know if it's real," I said. What was he asking me to do? Every time we had tried to get into it with the Yeerks, we had ended up barely escaping with our lives. Just two days had passed since I'd heard bullets whizzing past me.

Jake waited until I met his gaze again. "Cassie, you know we all trust your instincts. You're the best at understanding animals. You're the best morpher. You know everyone in the group respects you."

I made a face. "Give me a break."

"If you think we should pursue this, you know Rachel will be right behind you. Me, too."

"And Marco?"

Jake grinned again. "Marco won't be right behind you. He'll be several feet back."

We both laughed.

"I don't know, Jake. It's a dream. It's like a vision or something. How do I know if it's real?"

He shook his head. "I don't know, Cassie. I guess you just have to take your best shot and hope you're right."

I cringed at that. I'm not Rachel. I'm not a risk-taker. "Can't you decide for me?" I asked, joking.

He nodded solemnly. "If you want me to, sure."

"And then if it's a disaster, it will all be on your head," I said. "You'll be the one who feels bad. You'll be the one to blame." I reached out and touched his cheek. "That's incredibly sweet of you. But you're right. I guess it's my decision this time."

So, good for Cassie here, willing to step up.

quote:

I sighed and looked around at the barn. It smelled pretty bad, and sometimes it was a nuthouse of yammering birds and howling wolves and whinnying horses, all needing care, and all scared of the care we gave them. But it was the place I felt most at home in the whole world.

Out through the door of the barn, the fields of corn and open meadow stretched off into the distance, till they pressed up against the dark trees of the forest.

"I know this is crazy," I said, "but the ocean scares me a little. I understand the land. I under stand soil and things that grow out of it." I laughed. "I guess I'm just an old farm girl. You know this farm has been in my family since the Civil War?"

Jake winked. "Do I know that? Puh-leeze. I had Thanksgiving with your family last year, you may remember. Your great-grandmother gave me the complete history."

"Going all the way back to when dinosaurs ruled the earth," I said. "Grammy does tend to go on about our history, doesn't she?"

He looked serious again, almost hard. "It's your call, Cassie. It will be really dangerous and we probably won't do much good. I mean, it's a big ocean out there. But it's your decision."

"Yep," I agreed. I shook my head slowly, sadly. "I believe these dreams are real. I believe there's an Andalite out there, somewhere . . . somehow . . . trapped. Calling for help."

"Good enough," he said. "Now. How do we get out there?"

I frowned, thinking of the possibilities. "Some kind of fish? It would have to be some thing fast. Something that isn't prey. You know, not some fish that's going to get snapped up by a hungry tuna or whatever."

Jake nodded. "And it has to be something we can acquire. Which means, probably, something at The Gardens."

"They have sea lions. And dolphins. But we can't morph them, can we?"

"Why not?"

"I ... I don't know. It's just that, I mean, dolphins? They're highly intelligent. It seems kind of, I don't know, kind of wrong."

"Well, you decide," he said, leaning his shovel against a wall. "I have to go. I can't blow another test, and I have to study."

He climbed back on his bike.

"You're just saying that to get out of shoveling manure," I said.

"Cassie," he said, "I would rather shovel manure with you than do homework without you, any day."

I think it was a compliment. Sort of.

He rode off, leaving me much less at ease than I had been before he'd come.

So, Jake is smooth. But more seriously, what do you think of Cassie's reluctance here to morph dolphins because they're intelligent?

# ? Jun 7, 2020 23:51

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 25, 2024 12:01

Khizan: Jul 30, 2013

Epicurius posted:

The Message-Chapter 7
So, Jake is smooth. But more seriously, what do you think of Cassie's reluctance here to morph dolphins because they're intelligent?

One of them already morphed a gorilla so they really should have thought about this already.

That aside, I don't really have a problem with it because it has no effect on the real dolphin being morphed, so that while it might be distasteful it's not actually harmful.

# ? Jun 8, 2020 00:21

The Something Awful Forums > Archives > Comedy Goldmine > Let's Read Animorphs! The Whole Series! Ch-ch-ch-chaaanges

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