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

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Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Chapter 23

quote:

There was nothing to do but wait. Wait while the water level inside the ship rose and carried my friends toward the top of the chamber. Up to where the grate was.

I could not maintain my level flight beneath the ship any longer. I said good-bye to my friends and zoomed out the far side. The open air was a blessing. I soared high on a nice thermal pattern created by the ship itself. I rose high up and over the top of the ship.

The Park Rangers were all around on the ground. The helicopters and two of the Bug fighters were still parked on the ground in the little clearing. The Blade ship was there, too.

Two other Bug fighters continued zipping around at treetop level.

While I watched, they brought the Hork-Bajir who had carelessly fired off the Dracon beam. They dragged him before Visser Three.

We'd gotten so we thought of Hork-Bajir as these totally fearless, deadly monsters. But this Hork-Bajir was not looking very brave. He collapsed on the ground before Visser Three. I almost felt sorry for him.

It was one of the terrible things about our battle against the Yeerks. See, our enemy was just the Yeerk slug that lived in the heads of Controllers. That Hork-Bajir may have been made a Controller totally against his will. He had lost his freedom to the Yeerk in his head. Now, he was about to lose his life, for something that he had no real control over.

I couldn't hear what was happening down on the ground. But I could see. My hawk's eyes could see far too well.

I turned away. I won't tell you what was happening to the Hork-Bajir. That memory will be my own private nightmare.

But when next I looked, the Hork-Bajir was gone. And in his place was a sudden rush of other Hork-Bajir and Taxxons and humans, all surrounding Visser Three. The Visser looked angry. He was pointing at the sky.

Poor Hork-Bajr and Hork-Bajr controller with bad aim. We hardly knew thee.

quote:

Within a few seconds, the helicopters were lifting off.

The two Bug fighters powered up and took off.

I had a very bad feeling that I knew what had happened. The doomed Hork-Bajir had told Visser Three about the bird he had fired at. And some other Controller had probably said, "Oh, yeah, I saw a bird acting suspiciously, too." And someone had no doubt said, "Hey, wasn't it a bird that distracted the Hork-Bajir yesterday and let that human get away?"

Visser Three had put two and two together. An animal acting unlike an animal meant just one thing to him: Andalites in a morph.

I guess I should have been flattered that Visser Three believed we Animorphs were true Andalite warriors. But it didn't make any difference whether he thought I was an Andalite or a human. He was sending his creatures into the sky. Looking for a bird that was no bird.

Me.

A Bug fighter skimmed over the trees. Its twin Dracon beams fired again and again in short, sharp spears of burning light.

My heart was in my throat. They were killing every bird they saw!

The hawk! This was her territory.

But then, behind me, a helicopter! Thwak thwak thwak thwak! Ssshhhheewww!

A Dracon beam. A near miss. I couldn't get away. Between the Bug fighters and the helicopters, they were too numerous, and too fast.

But there was one place no one was going to risk firing a Dracon beam. Not after what Visser Three had just done to the careless Hork-Bajir.
I let go of the air beneath my wings and dropped. Down, down, down. Toward the vast truck ship, spread below me like a steel meadow.

In an instant they were all on me. But the angles were wrong. I was too close to the ship. They couldn't fire!

I landed on top of the hovering ship. I planted my talons on the hard, cold metal surface. It stretched in every direction around me. The surface curved down and away from me so that I couldn't even see the edges. It was as if I were standing all alone on a metal moon. Over my head hovered helicopters and Bug fighters. I could see human and Hork-Bajir and Taxxon eyes all focused on me.

I knew the look in their eyes. The look of the predator.

And me, their prey.

So that's not good. That's not good at all.

# ? May 26, 2020 23:52

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# ? Apr 20, 2024 07:14

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

Daikloktos posted:

Hork Bajir have better vision than humans? I don't know that that tracks, though I guess the Arn could have juiced then any which way

I believe they have better depth perception but weaker colour distinction. I don't know why my brain holds onto this information, but there you go.

# ? May 27, 2020 08:02

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

Krazyface posted:

I believe they have better depth perception but weaker colour distinction. I don't know why my brain holds onto this information, but there you go.

I have to concentrate to remember the names of the friends I had when I was ten, but 25 years later I still know what a z-space transponder is, and how large it is. Why. Why.

# ? May 27, 2020 08:53

Fuschia tude: Dec 26, 2004; THUNDERDOME LOSER 2019

I just cracked open this book and some of my others for the first time in probably decades. Jesus, how did I stand the terrible sans-serif body text? And that typeface was used in every book, even the later hardbacks? :gonk:

# ? May 27, 2020 08:54

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

But it's futuristic!

# ? May 27, 2020 09:32

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

The Encounter-Chapter 24

quote:

It was not looking good for me. If I tried to fly off-that ship I would be Draconed ten different ways before I could get away.

It was an eerie scene. I stood on the vast metal plain while over my head they hovered, a swarm of deadly predators.

Then things got worse. A lot worse.

It floated up into my vision like a dark moon - the Blade ship of Visser Three.

It hovered just a few hundred feet up. I felt my last reserves of courage beginning to fail.

Tobias, old buddy, I said to myself, you are not going to get out of this alive.

But they just all hovered there. Slowly I began to realize the truth - they didn't know what to do about me. They couldn't shoot me without hitting the ship.

<Andalite!>

The voice in my head made me reel. I almost took wing out of sheer fright.

He had never spoken directly to me before. It was a voice of such absolute power. Such utter confidence. The mere silent sound of it in your head makes you want to obey. Makes you quiver and fear. It is the voice of dread. The voice of destruction.

<Andalite. Fool. Do you think I don't know what you are? A true bird would fly away.>

Say nothing! I ordered myself. Nothing! If I tried to reply, he might know me for a human. I would not tell him that. I would not give him anything.

I closed my mind. But I could not shut out that dark voice.

<Give yourself up, Andalite. I will give you a quick and painless death. As soon as you tell me where the others are.>

I had seen what Visser Three did to the Hork-Bajir who displeased him. The memory was fresh in my mind.

<Have it your way, Andalite. I am patient. I can wait here for as long as it takes. And then you will die. Quickly by Dracon beam. Or, perhaps, if we can snare you, more slowly here in my Blade ship. Much more slowly.>

Just then, I heard another voice in my head. A very different voice. It was faint. As if it were far away.

<Tobias? Tobias, can you hear me?>

Rachel!

<Yes, I can hear you!>

<Tobias! We're trapped! The tank is full, but the grate won't open. Cassie and Jake have already morphed back to human, but they can't get it open. We're trapped in here!>

<Rachel! I . . . What can I do?>

<We can't get out,> Rachel cried. <Listen to me, Tobias. We're trapped. There is no way out. This ship will take off soon. They'll find us when they get to the mother ship and unload the water. Tobias? We . . . we don't want to be taken alive.>

My blood ran cold. My head was whirling. <What are you talking about?>

<Listen, Tobias, we can't be taken alive! Do you understand? If there's anything you can do . . . anything!>

<Rachel! What can I do? I can't get you out of there!>

 Rachel said. <We all know. But if there's some way to . . . if the ship could be destroyed. We know it's probably not possible. I . . . just if there was some way - >

<No! No!>



<This can't be happening,> I cried. <This can't be happening!>

 Rachel said sadly. 

<Rachel . . . I never told you . . . >

<You didn't have to, Tobias,> she said.

drat.

quote:

She fell silent. In my mind I could picture her regaining her human shape. Treading water with the others, unable to escape. Expecting only the worst.

Praying that I might find a way to make their end swift. As Visser Three had offered to make mine.

We had lost. The Yeerks had won, finally. And when we were gone, the last hope of the human race would die.

Above me the Blade ship waited like . . . like a hawk watching a rabbit. Ready to swoop down and finish me.

Only I wasn't a rabbit.

Visser Three was a predator? Well, so was I.

And I no longer had anything to be afraid of. If my friends were to die in the mother ship, I would be lost and alone in a world where I belonged nowhere.

I had nothing more to lose.

Just then I saw something that should have terrified me. Across the metal plain of the ship they crawled and slithered toward me. All around me. A dozen of them. Giant worms. Centipedes with a hunger for living flesh.

Taxxons.

They had come from the inside of the ship on Visser Three's orders.

If I stayed put, they would catch me. If I flew, the hovering Yeerk ships would fry me.

The Taxxons closed the circle around me.

<It looks as if you have run out of time,> Visser Three said in my head. He laughed, ft was not a nice laugh.

Ah, Visser Three, you ruthless predator, I thought Very clever. You have me trapped. Trapped like a rabbit.

But a trapped rabbit is one thing. And a trapped hawk, a hawk with the mind of a human being, is a whole different matter.

The nearest Taxxon leveled a hand-held Dracon beam at me. He watched me with two of the circle of red globs they have for eyes.

I pushed off with my feet. I beat the air with my wings.

I flew straight for those red Jell-O eyes.

He raised one of his feeble forearms to shield his eyes. The wrong move! I trimmed a shade right, raked my talons forward and struck like I was hitting a mouse in a field.

My talons closed around the Dracon beam. The Taxxon's weak grip was no match for my speed.

The Dracon beam tore loose from his grip.

<Get him!> Visser Three cried. I could practically see the Blade ship rock from the force of his rage.

But I did not take to the air. I flew fast but hugged the surface of the ship's metal curve. They could not hit me without hitting their precious ship."

I knew just where I wanted to go. Wingtips actually hitting the ship on each downstroke, I raced toward the ship's bridge. Toward the tiny windows where I had seen the Taxxon crew.

I could not save my friends, perhaps. But I could try to grant Rachel's last wish. I could try to bring this ship down.

Even if it meant the end of my friends.

So this turned into a suicide mission really fast, didn't it?

# ? May 27, 2020 21:14

disaster pastor: May 1, 2007

Another underestimated aspect of the series: I feel like any other elementary-school-audience author would have given the kids one successful plan in the first three books. Here, nope, this is a helplessly hosed situation and the best they can do is still well short of success.

# ? May 27, 2020 21:28

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

disaster pastor posted:

Another underestimated aspect of the series: I feel like any other elementary-school-audience author would have given the kids one successful plan in the first three books. Here, nope, this is a helplessly hosed situation and the best they can do is still well short of success.

Well, there's a reason the military doesn't hire 13 year olds to do tactical planning.

# ? May 27, 2020 21:51

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

disaster pastor posted:

Another underestimated aspect of the series: I feel like any other elementary-school-audience author would have given the kids one successful plan in the first three books. Here, nope, this is a helplessly hosed situation and the best they can do is still well short of success.

If you look at it from the Visser's perspective, his otherwise pretty successful invasion is getting stinging pinpricks. No serious blows, but for a third time he's been unable to pin down the culprits.

# ? May 27, 2020 22:49

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Comrade Blyatlov posted:

If you look at it from the Visser's perspective, his otherwise pretty successful invasion is getting stinging pinpricks. No serious blows, but for a third time he's been unable to pin down the culprits.

And he thinks they're Andalites, which makes him substantially more nervous than he would if he knew they were human kids.

# ? May 27, 2020 22:51

disaster pastor: May 1, 2007

Comrade Blyatlov posted:

If you look at it from the Visser's perspective, his otherwise pretty successful invasion is getting stinging pinpricks. No serious blows, but for a third time he's been unable to pin down the culprits.

Epicurius posted:

And he thinks they're Andalites, which makes him substantially more nervous than he would if he knew they were human kids.

Oh, yeah, and this one ends up hurting way worse than the first two, to everyone's surprise. It's just unusual for a kids' book to aggressively avoid even pretending the teenage superheroes have any advantages at all.

# ? May 27, 2020 22:58

OctaviusBeaver: Apr 30, 2009; Say what now?

Did they even consider what would happen if they got sucked up the tube and had nowhere to go after that? It's totally realistic for 13 year olds but it's still funny how they only plan for the best case scenario instead of the most likely one. I hope they get better later on.

# ? May 27, 2020 23:18

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

Forget that, I want to talk to whoever manufactures the vacuum pumps for the Yeerks because goddrat that thing works

# ? May 27, 2020 23:21

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

OctaviusBeaver posted:

Did they even consider what would happen if they got sucked up the tube and had nowhere to go after that? It's totally realistic for 13 year olds but it's still funny how they only plan for the best case scenario instead of the most likely one. I hope they get better later on.

Getting more proficient at fighting their way out counts as better, right?

# ? May 27, 2020 23:25

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

Wait

Hang on

Tobias mentions only a few feet between the ship and the water's surface

Vacuum alone (which it has to be since they don't get mulched by pumps) can only lift through 9m

loving A+ Applegate

# ? May 27, 2020 23:29

PetraCore: Jul 20, 2017; 👁️🔥👁️👁️👁️BE NOT👄AFRAID👁️👁️👁️🔥👁️

Comrade Blyatlov posted:

Wait

Hang on

Tobias mentions only a few feet between the ship and the water's surface

Vacuum alone (which it has to be since they don't get mulched by pumps) can only lift through 9m

loving A+ Applegate

Yeah I was gonna say the most likely end here would have been them getting trapped by filters or pumps, they got extremely lucky.

# ? May 27, 2020 23:54

disaster pastor: May 1, 2007

OctaviusBeaver posted:

It's totally realistic for 13 year olds but it's still funny how they only plan for the best case scenario instead of the most likely one. I hope they get better later on.

It's gonna take a while.

# ? May 28, 2020 01:28

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

Nah, I just finished the series and they totally dumb luck their way through everything.

I mean, holy poo poo.

# ? May 28, 2020 02:36

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

Really, what they should have been doing is begin picking off known controllers. Go tiger next time Tom and his buddies have one of those beach parties, jump mr and mrs Chapman on their way to work etc.

# ? May 28, 2020 16:25

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Avalerion posted:

Really, what they should have been doing is begin picking off known controllers. Go tiger next time Tom and his buddies have one of those beach parties, jump mr and mrs Chapman on their way to work etc.

Part of the problem with that, as far as they're concerned is, sure, that would kill the Yeerks, but that would also kill Tom, the Chapmans, etc. They still are trying to find a way to get rid of the Yeerks without getting rid of the people who are infested. (They kill Hork-Bajr and Taxxon controllers, but one's a 7 foot tall spikey dinosaur chicken and the other is a giant centipede that spits acid, and it's a lot easier to see them as not "people".)

# ? May 28, 2020 16:56

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

Avalerion posted:

Really, what they should have been doing is begin picking off known controllers. Go tiger next time Tom and his buddies have one of those beach parties, jump mr and mrs Chapman on their way to work etc.

I think they've discussed this plan already so it's not really a spoiler to talk about their reasons for not doing it:

1) They value the lives of the human hosts, who are essentially hostages. Jake doesn't want to kill his brother Tom but he also doesn't want to kill a random stranger who happens to have a Yeerk in his head. Unless that stranger is a Hork-Bajir or Taxxon.

2) If they managed to just take out the slug inside a Controller and spare the host, then the aliens will want to re-acquire their asset with a new Yeerk. The teens can't provide witness protection.

3) If they decide to save people in a public way that prevents the Yeerks from silently taking them back, then they switch from a cold war to a hot one which they are not prepared to fight.

So they're stuck with sabotage and nonlethal interference. It would really help if they could recruit some experienced strategists or freedom fighters who could help them execute a guerrilla war. But they're in suburban California and don't know any insurgents, and on top of that they have no idea who to trust. Their best hope lies in teaming up with a stranded Andalite teen, a traitorous human edgelord, and a group of disabled kids who get used as pawns. And also an underground civilization of pacifist robot dogs.

# ? May 28, 2020 16:57

Silver2195: Apr 4, 2012

Epicurius posted:

Part of the problem with that, as far as they're concerned is, sure, that would kill the Yeerks, but that would also kill Tom, the Chapmans, etc. They still are trying to find a way to get rid of the Yeerks without getting rid of the people who are infested. (They kill Hork-Bajr and Taxxon controllers, but one's a 7 foot tall spikey dinosaur chicken and the other is a giant centipede that spits acid, and it's a lot easier to see them as not "people".)

I don't think they've even outright killed any Hork-Bajr at this point in the story. And the Taxxons, as far as they know at this point, are all willing allies of the Yeerks.

# ? May 28, 2020 17:09

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

On the subject of the value of Hork-Bajir life versus human, Andalite, etc:

# ? May 28, 2020 17:15

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Silver2195 posted:

I don't think they've even outright killed any Hork-Bajr at this point in the story. And the Taxxons, as far as they know at this point, are all willing allies of the Yeerks.

I think some might have died in the assault on the Yeerk pool? Cassie DID kill that human-Controller policeman, though.

# ? May 28, 2020 17:26

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

wizzardstaff posted:

I think they've discussed this plan already so it's not really a spoiler to talk about their reasons for not doing it:

1) They value the lives of the human hosts, who are essentially hostages. Jake doesn't want to kill his brother Tom but he also doesn't want to kill a random stranger who happens to have a Yeerk in his head. Unless that stranger is a Hork-Bajir or Taxxon.

2) If they managed to just take out the slug inside a Controller and spare the host, then the aliens will want to re-acquire their asset with a new Yeerk. The teens can't provide witness protection.

3) If they decide to save people in a public way that prevents the Yeerks from silently taking them back, then they switch from a cold war to a hot one which they are not prepared to fight.

So they're stuck with sabotage and nonlethal interference. It would really help if they could recruit some experienced strategists or freedom fighters who could help them execute a guerrilla war. But they're in suburban California and don't know any insurgents, and on top of that they have no idea who to trust. Their best hope lies in teaming up with a stranded Andalite teen, a traitorous human edgelord, and a group of disabled kids who get used as pawns. And also an underground civilization of pacifist robot dogs.

That's going to really gently caress new readers up later on because we find out all of the Hork-Bajir and Taxxon slaves later on are fully sentient creatures with their own cultures and reasons they want out from under the Yeerk thumb and Jake has Rachel kill Tom anyway.

# ? May 28, 2020 17:34

disaster pastor: May 1, 2007

Epicurius posted:

Cassie DID kill that human-Controller policeman, though.

Yup, they want to preserve the host's life if at all possible, but when the choices are "kill a host" or "all of us are infested," well...

# ? May 28, 2020 17:40

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

# ? May 28, 2020 18:00

President Ark: May 16, 2010

let's just say "the kid's selective willingness to kill controllers depending on the host species does come up in the books" and leave it at that

wizzardstaff posted:

On the subject of the value of Hork-Bajir life versus human, Andalite, etc:

# ? May 28, 2020 18:28

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

I still have this saved on my phone, I'm not entirely sure when I got it

# ? May 28, 2020 18:31

President Ark: May 16, 2010

google image searching the meme i previously quoted took me to a tumblr blog about animorphs which then in turn led me to the following delightful image:

e: vvvvv

President Ark fucked around with this message at 20:32 on May 28, 2020

# ? May 28, 2020 18:52

Robot Style: Jul 5, 2009

wizzardstaff posted:

On the subject of the value of Hork-Bajir life versus human, Andalite, etc:

This reminded me of the extremely web 1.0 website dedicated to debunking Andalite torsos.

ANDALITE TRUTH DOT ORG

# ? May 28, 2020 20:05

cptn_dr: Sep 7, 2011; Seven for beauty that blossoms and dies

We posting Animemes now?

# ? May 28, 2020 22:27

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..."

This thread just went from good to great

# ? May 28, 2020 22:28

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

Elfangor picked up Americana pretty quick, homeboy rolled around in his mustang listening to the stones and chugging doctor pepper

# ? May 28, 2020 22:31

ninjahedgehog: Feb 17, 2011; It's time to kick the tires and light the fires, Big Bird.

Comrade Blyatlov posted:

I still have this saved on my phone, I'm not entirely sure when I got it

Yeah this moment, unsurprisingly, has a bunch of fan art for it

EDIT: If I recall correctly, not only does Elfangor drive around the Taxxon homeworld blasting tunes and drinking a pie plate full of Dr Pepper, he also drives his 'Stang into the midst of a Taxxon civil war like a knight on his noble steed

ninjahedgehog fucked around with this message at 22:36 on May 28, 2020

# ? May 28, 2020 22:33

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..."

holy gently caress that's amazing

# ? May 28, 2020 23:06

PetraCore: Jul 20, 2017; 👁️🔥👁️👁️👁️BE NOT👄AFRAID👁️👁️👁️🔥👁️

Elfangor is the best character to die immediately in the first book as a tragic mentor

# ? May 28, 2020 23:32

President Ark: May 16, 2010

what song would be most appropriate (or inappropriate) to be blasting out of the stereo while that's happening

# ? May 28, 2020 23:33

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

I specifically recall it being honky tonk blues

# ? May 28, 2020 23:35

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# ? Apr 20, 2024 07:14

SardonicTyrant: Feb 26, 2016; BTICH IM A NEWT
熱くなれ夢みた明日を
必ずいつかつかまえる
走り出せ振り向くことなく
&

PetraCore posted:

Elfangor is the best character to die immediately in the first book as a tragic mentor

Every time someone mentions Elfangor's heroic sacrifice I remember Boba Fett smashing into a wall and then falling into the sarlaac pit and it's basically just as dignified a death.

# ? May 28, 2020 23:36

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

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