Tobias and Me 5

Cat just looked at me for a few minutes and I felt ashamed. I should’ve told her what I was. I didn’t want her to find out what I was this way. But there was no right way to show her what I was.

However, having a Hork-Bajir transform into a red-tailed hawk was probably up there on the worst ways to tell someone.

I’m Tobias. I said, not wanting to say my last name. I didn’t want these aliens to find out.

“Who are you?” Cat asked.

I need a little bit to explain that to you. Maybe over food? I’m starving myself. I said and was wondering why I was suddenly embarrassed about her misinterpreting that as an invitation to a date.

“Yeah,” She replied. “The Skrit Na didn’t give me much in the way of food.”

So...what do we call you? I asked the strange cat creatures.

“Vetors.” One of the creatures said. It seemed to take a lot of time for him, or her, to say the word. Not because it was hard to pronounce but because he seemed afraid of me.

That’s your species? I asked.

The Vetor nodded in reply.

Some of the Vetors then got a piece of a log for me to perch on and brought out food. They brought me uncooked meat of one of the native animals while Cat got cooked meat. Though it was on the rare side. The very rare side. Hopefully it didn’t make her sick, although I was planning to give her the morphing ability so that shouldn’t matter.

Though me and the other Animorphs had found some morphing problems and now would not be the time to find another one. Back on Earth there was Ax to explain things, here I would be helpless to help Cat.

“So, who are you?” Cat asked as she took a bite into the strange meat.

I am…was a human called Tobias. I stayed over the two hour morphing limit. Morphing is how I became a Hork-Bajir. It allows me to turn into anything I touch. I said as I swallowed a piece of the meat.

“How can you get your morphing ability back if you stay over the…time limit?”

The Ellimist. I said simply and the Vetors that were around us bowed their heads in respect. Though I wouldn’t recommend making deals with that guy. My friends and I use the morphing ability to fight off the Yeerk invasion of Earth. It’s our only weapon.

“How old are you and your friends?”

We’re teenagers.

“Teens?”

Yeah. And since a quick ride home on the Bug fighter isn’t an option and now you might be far away from home for awhile…I’m thinking of giving you the same ability as me.

Cat just stared at me. It took her a moment to swallow the meat. I could understand how afraid she was. Hell, when I met my Dad and was granted the ability to morph I was scared. Finding out something life changing like the fact that we aren’t alone and only you can stop the Yeerks is shocking even for an adult.

I don’t want you to think you need to join the fight. I finally said. But to survive out here you might need to be something more than human.

“More than human?” Cat asked. “Just like that you’re asking me-“

To have a better chance of making it back to Earth alive. I’ve seen a lot of shit, Cat. I’ve seen omnipotent beings and I’ve seen such horrors that…I can’t allow you to die with no way to fight back. I can’t do that. I’m not that kind of person.

“But when I’m back on Earth-“

You can go your own way and not tell the Yeerks about me and my friends. Also, not getting captured would help.

Cat then focused on eating. She focused on eating and I allowed her to. I had told her about what I was, at least some of the story, and the fact that if she went back to Earth she would know about Controllers. Even living life as a hawk, Controllers freaked me out. The fact that anyone could be infested by a Yeerk scared the crap out of me.

“But I don’t have to fight?” She finally asked.

No, I replied. You’re under no obligation to join the fight.

“But what if I want to?”

I’m sure Jake, my leader, would let you in. I said. If I say you’re trustworthy I think he’ll believe me.

“I’ll do it.” Cat said after pausing a moment.

Let’s finish eating first. I said and we did so.

As I ate I became more afraid. It wasn’t that I thought she was going to be another David, but I was still going to be giving her both a blessing and a curse. What if she ended up like me. A nothlit. I highly doubted that the Ellimist would grant Cat her ability to morph back if she stayed over the morphing limit. If he did that for every nothlit, the term most likely wouldn’t mean what it does now.

After we finished eating the Vetors left us in peace, though I could tell they were still watching us. I didn’t blame them, we were an alien species that were friends at the moment. But that could change and they had to be prepared for that.

I focused on my human morph. The morph that had been who I was before I became trapped. Now I was a combination of a bird plus a boy and I didn’t know which one I was more of at times. As I demorphed I became taller and my human skin and morphing suit took precedence over actual human features.

As my wings disappeared I became nearly as nervous as when my talons changed into toes. My eyesight weakened and the last thing to come into being was my mouth.

“Hi.” I said to Cat.

Her face was a mixture of scared and interested. I didn’t blame her as I wasn’t an estreen and couldn’t make morphing look good if I wanted too. That was Cassie’s thing, really.

“Oh, the cube.” I said after a few minutes of us looking at each other.

I took the cube from beneath my morphing outfit and held it out on my palm, inviting her to touch it.

“So do you always travel with that around?” Cat asked.

“No. I was mediating with it before…I had a confrontation with some Yeerks. I managed to hide it before the attack with the Yeerks really began. When I was following the Skrit Na I put it in a better position.” I explained.

“What positing was it in before?”

“Er…one that was uncomfortable.”

“So what do I have to do?”

“Just touch the cube and concentrate.”

As she reached to touch the blue box she looked up at me. I wished her eyes weren’t so trusting. It was like she expected me to know what to do when really I was just guessing. When Cat touched the box a smile formed on her face and then she backed away. I put it back where it had been before.

“I’m sorry about lying what I was.” I said, a blush forming on my cheeks now that I was human.

“Well at least you were bad at it.” She replied and I was silent. “Oh, come on, it was like you weren’t even trying. Of course I guessed that you were human."

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

All of Tobias and Me 

Jash Talks: Fannibal Problems

I talk about Alana Bloom from the NBC show Hannibal and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

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!

Animorphs Covers

Animorphs was my first series, my first fandom, that I really got into. The whole series is more grownup and dark than a lot of YA series that have come out recently. It explores the moral grey area of numerous issues. So a lot of us Fanimorphs (Animorphs fans) wonder why it's not more popular.

Of course one of those reasons is probably the covers.

While the series is dark and mature, the covers...not so much. I never had a problem with the covers and always found them wonderful myself. But many people online and offline have stated that they stayed away from the series because of the covers. In fact, they were surprised how dark the series got. How the series didn't paint the bad guys (aka Yeerks) as pure evil and the good guys (aka Andalites) as the saviors of Earth.

Every character goes through an arch that changes them from the beginning, but you couldn't tell that by the covers.

So if you didn't pick up the series when it was first released (either because you weren't born yet and/or the covers) do so now. It's a really awesome series that a sci-fi fan, and/or anyone interested in what good YA fiction should include, needs to check out.

Shipping Confessions: Harry Dresden/Karrin Murphy (The Dresden Files)

Picture from HERE

I am a fan of The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. I have never seen the short-lived tv show and I don't really feel a need to see it. I've heard from others how it strays from the series and I feel I'll have the same reactions to it that I did for the Animorphs series. Which isn't something I need to experience again anytime soon.

The Dresden Files follows the adventures of Harry Dresden who is a wizard. The series is very interesting and I'd highly suggest it for those who like fantasy/mystery series. And if you're already a fan of the series: feel free to fangirl with me!

Throughout the series Harry Dresden and Karrin Murphy seem to be an almost couple. They always seem to hover around the issue with Cold Days being the first instance where they really talk about their feelings for each other.

I hadn't finished Cold Days when I decided to talk about this couple and technically they're not together so I'm counting this as non-canon enough for this series.

Harry Dresden is a wise-ass even when he faces death. That's a trait that I really admire in him. He's able to look death in the face, be scared, and is ready with a quip.

Harry is very powerful and can think through situations before the shit hits the fan. That's not to say he doesn't make mistakes or that his emotions don't get the better of him. But he is usually able to contain the trouble and figure stuff out by the end of each book.

Harry doesn't really have a good record with the ladies. The mother of his child he had to kill due to something really bad happening and now he's afraid to talk to his daughter. He's afraid to talk to his daughter because she was there when he killed her mother.

Of course Bob helps Harry out a lot of the time, but that genius deserves a blog post of his own.

Karrin Murphy is a former police officer who helps Harry in his adventures. She is a strong woman character and it's easy to see why Harry likes her.

Karrin is athletic. She can kick serious ass in one on one combat. Her ability to kick ass like that has been remarked on more than once in the series. She is also good while using a gun and her ability to use one is about as amazing as her ability to take people on one on one.

Finally, she is able to wield Fidelacchius which is one of the three swords made from the nails used to crucify Christ. Fidelacchius is the sword of faith. Besides that sword she also has possession/guardianship over Amoracchius.

Harry and Karrin work very well as both a team and a couple. They have worked together so often that they know each other very well and are also loyal to each other. It's always good when fighting to have someone you know will have your back. To say they've been in a few life and death situations is an understatement. In Cold Days, when they finally kissed, it was at a point when Harry decided to since he didn't want to die without doing something with Karrin.

Even in the first book there seemed to be something budding. As the series went on that something just seemed to increase. It got to the point of them needing to be a couple or else I'd lose my shit (and, yes, I lost my shit at the end of Cold Days since they decided to just be friends for the time being).

Harry is very good with magic while Karrin can back him up with more mundane things like guns and doing one on one fights. They are both smart people and they both do well under pressure.

There are just so many moments between the two where you go 'yeah, they belong with each other so why the hell aren't they already'. Both Harry and Karrin have had other relationships. This doesn't bother me since we all go through a few relationships before ending up with 'the one' (aka the one we are with until death or whatever you want to call them).

I hope in the next book they FINALLY get a solid relationship or else you'll hear me complaining for a long time.

What will I talk about in the next Shipping Confessions? Next Shipping Confessions will be a special one and I will be breaking a rule to talk about something that has been bothering me for some time. I kind of covered it in a former Shipping Confessions but I'd like a whole one to state my full feelings about the issue at hand.

I will be talking about a human and a human cursed with a very angry side from The Incredible Hulk (2008).

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Shipping Confessions Table of Contents

A Magical Encounter

-This is a Mature Story (if in content if not plot)
-It's a Now You See Me fanfic
-It's a Dylan Rhodes fanfic

You can read it HERE

Alana Bloom and POV

I have a little problem with how people seem to judge characters in the different mediums of fiction. This is something so simple and yet even adults seem not to grasp this basic fact. What I'm talking about is POV (aka Point of View) of characters. The thing is you, as an audience member, will know something that a character doesn't know and sometimes a character will have information that you don't.

Alana Bloom, from the NBC show Hannibal, is seeming to get a lot of crap since people don't understand this. They don't understand how Alana can be in love with Hannibal since Hannibal is the killer everyone is looking for.

The thing is...Alana doesn't know this and has no reason to suspect Hannibal. Before I continue I will state that I would be so happy if Will and Alana got together. They're just made for each other!

With POV you have to consider what a character knows and feels. You have to understand that just because you know Hannibal is a killer that Alana doesn't know that.

Alana has stated that she has known Hannibal a lot longer than she has known either Jack Crawford or Will Graham. The thing with a situation like this is you won't consider a long-time friend a killer. You will think you know them and maybe part of you will avoid thinking they are the killer. You'll need some pretty damn solid evidence to change your mind.

What evidence does Will have that he is right in pointing to Hannibal as the killer? It is nothing solid and is basically just guess work to anyone besides Will. With the recent episode: Miriam Lass, who was kidnapped by Hannibal, is back and says that Hannibal is not the killer. With no solid evidence against Hannibal you can see why Alana isn't jumping to Will's conclusion.

Alana sleeping with Hannibal isn't done all of a sudden but was hinted at in Season 1. It seemed as those the pair would get together at some time. So why am I not complaining that she has gone into Hannibal's arms at this point in time?

Alana didn't get into a relationship with Will last season because she felt he was unstable. That if they got into a relationship that she couldn't help but analyze him. So it wasn't that she didn't have romantic feelings for him, she just knew the relationship wouldn't be good for her. So she had the strength to stay away from a relationship with him.

Alana choosing Hannibal at this point makes sense. Hannibal, to her, is a long-time friend that she has had romantic feelings for in the past. So it wasn't like she suddenly went into his arms after only knowing him for a little bit. This was a decision that took awhile to make.

And recently Will tried to kill Hannibal so she feels that Will has shown his true colors. That he is unstable and is a killer deep inside. So Alana may believe that Hannibal might die soon so she shouldn't stay on the fence about the issue. That she should just start the relationship with him in case he dies the next day.

Does this mean I wasn't yelling at her in the recent episodes? No, I was mad at her and during those times I had to remind myself that Alana doesn't know. That she has no reason to suspect Hannibal. When I calmed down during those parts all my loathing, and more, was directed at Hannibal which is who we should really be angry at.

So, remember, just because you know something it doesn't mean all the characters know. Also, give Alana Bloom a break. She's doing as good as she can in the situation she's found herself in.

Sayings Sundays (April 13, 2014)

The Avengers is a superb film. It makes me laugh and cry in equal measures. Joss Whedon gives it his best with giving every character time to shine. That's very hard to do with such a large cast like in this movie.

My favorite character is Bruce Banner, hands down. No questions asked. I just see myself in him and I have to give thanks to Mark Ruffalo for finally turning my interest to the character. He really does make the character shine more than any other actor that has portrayed him in the past.

One of the things that's asked throughout the movie is how Bruce has it so that the Hulk (aka the other guy) doesn't come out every other second. I admit I chose this quote so I didn't have to use the cliche "That's my secret" line and plus "huge bag of weed" was included here.

Why, yes, I am childish.

Yeah, today is a very Brucey Sunday.

Anyways...this song is one I like a lot. It's about how your life may be hard but someone always has it worse. That somebody out there is always going to be jealous of your life, even if you can't see why.

I see Tony Stark reassuring Bruce Banner like this. He would tell Bruce that he should live since he still has a good life to live. That he shouldn't give up now.