Animorphs Re-Read: #4 The Message (Chapters 21-25)

Chapter 21

Jake tells for everyone to pick a target and Cassie has to force herself to fight the Taxxons. Dolphins don't know about Taxxons and so don't have any instincts to fight them. So the need to fight has to be Cassie's alone.

Cassie quickly decides to fight as she knows what will happen if the Taxxons win this fight. They would show no mercy to her.

And when Cassie attacks the Taxxons it basically just pops. So why did Visser Three send the cannibalistic alien worms after the Animorphs again?

Cassie goes over evolution. She talks about how sharks are the perfect predators and have always been; how dolphins were once land animals; and remarks that whatever evolution the Taxxons had taken that they weren't ready for Earth's oceans.

From what was shown in The Andalite Chronicles: why would Taxxons need to swim? There never seemed to be any big body of water where they would have to swim. Maybe a Taxxon's body can be used to swim though it isn't natural for the species? Just like how a Hork-Bajir can be used to fight though they are a pacifistic species?

It is revealed that Ax has a natural sense of time. This makes a morph time limit understandable to Andalites: they wouldn't have to worry about checking clocks all the time when in morph since they would naturally know how much time they had left.

Ax replies with how much time they have left by giving the group a math problem. I connect so much with Cassie now since she states that she's not good in math especially when in a life and death situation. Luckily she is able to figure it out.

Cassie hears something large fall into the water and no one sees the Blade ship. The others remark that the ship could just be clocked and I smell the lovely smell of Visser Three!

Ax says that what the something is is a Mardrut from one of the Andalite moons. He seems to be more concerned with his Yeerk hatred than the actual danger. Ax says that he heard about Mardruts once but wasn't paying attention in class that day.

Ax has become so relatable to the majority of the intended audience with that acknowledgement.

I want to hit Ax, though, since he has to point out to the group that it's not a real Mardrut because NO FUCKING SHIT, SHERLOCK!

When Ax finds out the others have survived Visser Three in the past he is very impressed. But Marco is smart and says he'd trade any good thoughts Ax had of them for something that could outrun the Visser's morph.


Chapter 22

Visser Three's Mardrut doesn't seem to tire which makes me wonder about the Andalite home world. If it needs to have that much endurance and speed the oceans may be huge and the creatures in them might be more dangerous than things found on Earth.

Cassie finally sees the Mardrut and...it has tails all over it? That is really weird but it does help explain the speed of the creature.

When Visser Three speaks to the group Cassie feels hatred. As she's a pacifist she doesn't like feeling hate. It's almost like Cassie is scared of hate.

Ax hasn't heard Visser Three's thought-speak before and is afraid of it. He held his brother in such high regard that he doesn't think he can survive something that Elfangor died from. This shows both brotherly love and how inexperienced Ax is in terms of fighting abilities.

Cassie reassures Ax and tells him to keep swimming but even she is beginning to have doubts.

Cassie prepares herself for death and those aren't tears in my eyes!

She decides not to die with hatred in her heart. Not even hatred for Visser Three. That is just...just...HOLY GOD CASSIE IS AWESOME! FUCK YOU IF YOU THINK OTHERWISE! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH STRENGTH WHAT SHE HAS DECIDED TAKES?!

Cassie lets the good memories, like flying, go through her mind and she remembers the whale's song. No, she hears the whale's song now which means he's close by! She then cries out to the whale for help.

Rachel knows that they can't escape in time and be able to prevent themselves from becoming nothlits, so she say it's time to turn around and fight. A very Rachel thing to say.

Jake agrees that their next move is to fight. Ax remarks that they won't win but Jake explains he'd rather go down all at once than be picked off one by one. Ax says that's a very Andalite thing to say and that he wishes they had more time together and IT'S JUST DUST IN MY EYES!

  Cassie cries out one last time for the whale but knows she will die.

Chapter 23

Visser Three says that the chase has made him hungry and that he'll eat the Animorphs. What the hell is up with Visser Three and eating people? It makes sense that his twin brother, which we'll met in a later book, is a cannibal. It's like a common gene the pair share: the need to eat sentient creatures!

The Visser rushes at the group and the group rushes toward him. Suddenly things start attacking the Visser!

The whales are attacking the Visser!

Visser Three flees and the whales chase him for a little bit. I like that Cassie feels a connection to one of the whales and thinks of him as hers.

The group is happy and Marco makes a joke about Visser Three not liking whales. No he doesn't, Marco, but he sure loves cats!

Cassie tries to say thanks to her whale in a way he'd understand. She comments on how you don't need to be smart to be great. She does mean this in terms of whales but that's true of people to. It doesn't matter what degree you have or how much knowledge you have on a subject, you are great no matter what. You can be socially awkward and never know the right thing to say in the moment, but you are still great.

Big group hug for everyone!

Cassie wants to thank him for coming to answer her call, but has a feeling that the sea called him to her. This is something that she would never tell anyone else because they would have laughed at her.

The Animorphs demorph and the whales carry them back towards shore. Cassie says the reader finds it surprising to see her sleep but I don't. She has just gone through a lot of shit. I would probably pass out first thing too.

There is a cute Cassie/Jake moment!

Jake compliments Cassie saying that she was right and that they all survived in the end. They then discuss the morality of morphing dolphins. Cassie says she's still not sure and that the dolphins would think of saving the world as one big game.

This shows how different species view the world. Like with whales, dolphins won't be on level with humans in terms of brains but they are still great.

Jake tells Cassie that they had used the dolphins and other animals to save them. So that made it okay. The part about him saying he'll do anything to win is creepy foreshadowing. Because Jake ends up crossing some lines.

Chapter 24

The Animorphs morph again and beach themselves on the shore of the river, where they had originally morphed dolphins.

Marco makes a joke about Jake not being human in the first place but everyone is too tired to laugh. Aw! No one gives the laughter Marco's joke deserves.

Ax, being an Andalite, doesn't understand clothing. Marco's sarcastic reply of other humans being upset seeing each other naked is telling. It seems a lot of people will judge others on the amount of clothing on their body. Which isn't a good way to give any indication of a person's character.

Tobias arrives and notices that the group has found the Andalite.

Tobias jokes about being trapped in morph to Ax and here is bonding between the two the very first time they meet. I believe Tobias wasn't joking when he said he meant to get trapped in morph, but now is not the time to get into that subject.

I think Ax respects Tobias' resolve to continue to fight even when his original body is lost to him. In Andalite society nothlits (aka, people trapped in morph) aren't looked upon highly and so he most likely sees Tobias being deeply ashamed but keeping up the fight.

Tobias admits to being with Elfangor until the end and that most likely deepens the bond between the two.

Jake interrupts the two and says that they need to find somewhere to hide Ax. Cassie suggests the area around her barn since it is somewhat similar to the ship they found Ax in.

Marco, being the voice of reason again, points out that people will notice an Andalite walking around. Ax then asks for Cassie's permission and starts to acquire her before she answered. Yep, Ax, that's not how that stuff works. To get permission you need the person to reply. Or should I just mark this off on my 'Andalite Arrogance' checklist?

When Marco asks if Ax can acquire Cassie I don't think he means if he can acquire her like any other animal. Marco would know the rules at this point. However, I think he's asking if it's morally right for the Andalite Aristh to do so.

Ax then goes to acquire all the Animorphs except Tobias.

Cassie is a little freaked out as Ax is morphing a human and not another creature (from Earth or elsewhere). Plus Ax's human morph seems to be a combination of all the Animorphs except Ax and Tobias.

Cassie realizes that Ax will be naked and tells the group to look away. Marco's speculation over the gender of the morph isn't considered important since Ax will still require privacy.

Jake must've intended for Ax to acquire a human morph as there is spare clothing. Jake asks Ax if his morph is male or female and I am glad I didn't write this book since I would've had Ax reply: I don't know, Prince Jake, but there seems to be a large member coming from between my legs.

Ax does reply that he's a male but I wonder how he knew. Elfangor didn't seem able to tell the difference at first, but maybe some conversation that wasn't shown informed Ax of which was which.

Ax, of course, is wearing the clothing wrong. Ax also spends a little time getting used to his human morph. He comments on the addition of a mouth, the lack of his two stalk eyes, and having only two legs. The last one Jake has to remind him of as Ax nearly loses balance.

As the gang sets of, Cassie tells Ax not to speak to anyone on the way to her barn.


Chapter 25

A few days after they rescued Ax, Cassie decides to go to The Gardens. She sneaks in as a seagull since who would stop a seagull from entering a park? The seagull police?

Cassie is going to visit the dolphins. They are saddened when Cassie hasn't brought them any food but are very interested when she starts to morph.

Cassie had wanted to tell the dolphins why she and her friends had used their bodies. Even though the Animorphs use copies and not something with a mind of its own, just instincts which can be considered basic programming. And this confusion of hers made her think when she morphed dolphin that there would be a copy of the actual dolphin there and it wouldn't be like previous morphs. Because, dear lord, nothing but things like pretty dolphins have a mind of their own.

But once Cassie has morphed dolphin she forgets why she came and just plays with the dolphins. One of which must be very confused seeing that Cassie is a copy of herself.

I have been looking forward to finally meeting Ax in the Re-Read. He has a great character arc throughout the series and he goes through such a transformation from when we first meet him to when we last see him.

So far I am not liking the 'is it right to morph' thing because, in the books, it's started because of dolphins. I'm one of those people that hate when you say you care about animals but only when they're cute. This whole debate starts off reeking with the stuff.

Though I loathe the tv show it manages to downplay this debate, like it does everything that is slightly complex, Cassie brings it up due to how many animals she's been acquiring and morphing. So it makes the debate focus on the morphing part and not the "AW! THIS ANIMAL IS SO CUTE! THAT MUST MEAN IT IS WRONG TO MORPH IT AND I MUST MAKE A DEBATE WITH MYSELF TO FIND A REASON WHY IT'S OKAY!" thing of the books.

I like the chapter where you really get to see the fact that Marco is a complex character. And, with a kid series, it's great to see that.

The next book in the Animorphs series I will be Re-Reading will be

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Animorphs Re-Read

New Sweetheart Kerubi and Lasirus

 The cuteness continues!

On the left is the Sweetheart Kerubi. I am in just love with the stance of this pet. I can see it wiggling its cute little tush right before pouncing. Maybe it's the overdose of cats wiggling their butts before pouncing that's biasing me in this manner.

On the right is the Sweetheart Lasirus. This one looks like it's asking for a belly rub. Just look at the cute smile it has! I can also see its cute little feet kicking out from pleasure caused by the belly rub you'll be giving it.

Jash Talks: Early V-Day

I talk about rough drafts, some fan love I've gotten in the past week, and pudding among other things.

If you would like to send questions/topics for the next live show just comment below and they will be answered!

Also go to my twitter (@jashykins) to look for updates about the next live show!

Green Man in the Rain (link)

-This is a Mature Story (if in content if not plot)
-It's a The Avengers fanfic
-It's a Bruce Banner/The Hulk fanfic

You can read it HERE

The Walking Dead "After" Review

After the mid-season finale I was more than ready for the next episode of this amazing series. Well...after days of recovering from Hershel's death because that was one of the most painful things I have seen on tv recently. I mean...what the bloody fuck!

We get to see what has happened since the shit hit the fan last episode.

One part revrezner had to make sure I was doing okay with. Since I loathe spoilers he was stuck in a tough place of how much he could warn me about. The part was where you see Hershel's head and Michonne stabs it was the moment he was worried that I would have problems dealing with (I went into a little breakdown when Hershel died).

But I did write a post on Hershel's death and so watched him dying a few times before viewing last night's episode and I think that's why I didn't have another breakdown.

Carl was more than annoying last night. I know that he's supposed to be a child, but he's just so damn annoying. I don't like kids in fiction for the most part and Carl didn't change my mind. He was just too damn cocky and didn't manage to provide me any amusement.

Michonne really took center stage this episode. We get more of an inside look into her head and how she's dealing with things. We get to see that all she wants to do is shutdown from the world and ends up deciding to go to the two Grimes at the end. Making this one of the very few episodes with a happy ending.

I will say that Carl and Michonne's stories parallel each other with them both figuring out their place. Carl goes all child-like through his debate and Michonne handles it like a troubled adult.

Also: PUDDING!

The Eternal Heart: Angelic Savior 4

The night was just beginning and it felt like the sun should already be rising on the horizon. I hated the man beside me. His dark skin seemed to help him blend into the night and he tried to keep his eyes averted from the sight of me.

"Don't people usually talk on guard duty?" I asked as the silence got to me. If I was going to spend a long night with Barnes, I needed some sound.

"Some people do." Barnes said and sounded as lifeless as the metal he said he hated.

"And you don't talk to people while on guard duty?"

"You're not a person. You're just some metal with the face of a person."

I was more than insulted with that comment. I wasn't metal with the face of a person, I was a person with my humanity replaced with metal. I was an abomination, but I was still human.

"No," I told him. "I was operated on by Skynet and made to be...what I am today."

"At least you're metal that knows your place." Barnes said, with a disturbing smile on his face. "You should just kill yourself and be done with it. Or I'll help you if your programming doesn't allow it."

"The parts of my Skynet programming that allowed it to control me was erased when I came here. So I could kill myself if I wanted to." I told Barnes and had to resist leaving him paralyzed for that comment. "And my place is with the Resistance."

"And in bed with John Connor?" He replied and I turned to him surprised. "I've guessed it, especially with how Kate has been acting lately."

"I haven't had sex with him." I said with something unsaid that my comrade picked up on.

"You don't have a chance with him." Barnes said with a smug smile on his face.

I hated that smile because it reinforced what I already knew. No matter how much I loved John, he would never allow me to get too close. Not close enough to be his wife and not even close enough to have an affair with him. All I'd be able to do is look at him and see what could have been.

"You don't know that." I replied, pushing my doubts to the deepest part of my mind.

"Metal and humans shouldn't mix. It's unnatural." Barnes stated. "You're the enemy and to think differently is to start down the road of becoming a Grey."

"But I feel like a human." I hissed. "I need to sleep and I need to eat. Hell, I can feel every emotion that you can. You're not more than me, you're just the same."

"All your emotions were created, they aren't real."

"How can they be fake if I feel them? If I can react to them?"

"All your reactions are programmed and you react accordingly."

I knew what he said could be true. Who I was before could've been radically different than how I am now. I could've used to be someone who would've sided with Skynet in an instant.

I could've been someone that wanted to destroy all of humanity and so gave my body to Skynet for that reason. No one would ever know.

"You know I was human before. How do you think it feels to be living as the enemy? As an abomination?" I said and that seemed to make Barnes silent.

He was a big supporter of John Connor and hated anything related to Skynet with a passion. He was a great man to have at your side and someone you wanted to never fight. That's how strong his passion was.

I knew, or at least hoped, that he was silent because he was imagining waking up to metal underneath his skin. The thought that all that he had been before had been tainted by the thing that he hated most. That he could never go back to what he had been before.

I also knew that if he thought this he would never admit it. He was that kind of man.

I noticed him looking out in the distance and turned my attention outward. Skynet had made me to be a fighter but hadn't added too much to my human sight. It probably thought I could get enough information from my hearing.

"Do you see anything?" Barnes asked me.

"A mass of something." I replied.

Barnes said nothing but an angry retort seemed to be on the edge of his lips.
---------------------------------------------------------
 All of The Eternal Heart
The Eternal Heart tumblr
The Eternal Trilogy Blog
The Eternal Heart on a03

New York City Will See a Subeta Meetup

Info From and Where to Look For More Info HERE

Subeta is a site that has meetups. Yep, people on the site meet together and...I'm not sure what craziness is involved since I've never been to one.

The next one will happen on March 22, 2014 (a Saturday if you're wondering) and the location is in New York City and will last from 1-4PM Eastern Standard Time (same time in Subeta time too).

So who from the site staff will be there?

Jessi, Judgement, hagane, Darling, Amanda, Mary, and pumpkins will be attending this one. There is also the possibility of even more coming too!

Seems there will be questions being answered so if you have any questions you're dying to ask: GO!

They expect a big turnout this time around so they ask that you RSVP on their Facebook page to alert them to your future presence.

Will your favorite blogger be going to this one?

Are you SERIOUSLY looking at another blogger?!

I meant me, smartass.

No, I won't be going because I live a few states away and there is no chance that I'll have the money to go this time around.

But if you do want to talk about me (for whatever reason my big ego is telling me you will): my Subeta Username is currently Eoptis and I'll alert you all to any changes to my username.