Tobias and Me 6

A few minutes after I gave Cat the ability to morph, I demorphed. If something were going to happen I needed to be in my hawk body. I could morph something else or fly away. But, of course, I couldn’t fly away at once since Cat was with me. I had given her the ability to morph so that I could better protect her. Leaving her alone would be counterproductive.

But what to have her morph? I didn’t want to have her acquire a Vetor for a few reasons. The reasons being that Vetors were sentient and I didn’t know their instincts. Last thing I needed was for Cat to become out of control her first time around. However, having her morph a Vetor could help her fit in better if need be.

I didn’t want to be rude, so I decided asking was out of the question.

“Am I going to morph one of them?” Cat asked and looked at a Vetor.

No, I replied. I don’t know their instincts and I don’t want your first morph to be something I can’t understand. Plus us Animorphs have a rule about morphing sentient beings.

“Why?”

The majority of the group isn’t sure of how much of the animal you get when you acquire it. As a nothlit I’ve noticed the animal mind can change you but it doesn’t grow. It’s instincts and not an actual animal. I’ve tried to explain that to the rest of the group, but they won’t listen.

“And because of that you won’t let me acquire one? Because of a reason you don’t believe?”

I’m representing the group. I’m doing it for their sakes, not mine. Morphing a Vetor could help you fit in, but I’m not going to ask unless I have to.

For a minute we were both silent. I tried to figure out what she could morph. I’d ask a Vetor about the animal life on this planet.

“What about morphing you?” Cat asked and I just looked at her.

You can’t acquire a person who is morphed. I replied.

“But technically you’re a red-tailed hawk since you morph to other creatures.”

Okay, if this doesn’t work I guess you can acquire a Vetor. You just touch me and concentrate on what I mean to you.

Cat put a hand on me and I shivered. The concept that Cat would become me was so odd and foreign that it was just plain creepy.

A calm sensation went through my body and I became very relaxed. It was like the war with the Yeerks didn’t matter and that being far from Earth was funny. There was something so great about this feeling that I didn’t want it to end. I wanted to fight with this calmness because I wouldn’t experience pain ever again.

“Tobias?” Cat asked and I came out of the trance. “You okay? You seemed to go distant there.”

I’m okay.  When you acquire something the animal tends to go into a trance. I explained and didn’t let her know that I didn’t like being removed from the trance. And remember to concentrate on the red-tailed hawk so you’ll morph. Just be prepared for the hawk mind to be there when you finish morphing.

“Can I keep my clothes?”

No. Once we get back to Earth I’ll get you a morphing suit, though. Those we can morph. I paused and turned around. Just tell me when you’re finished morphing. And none of you Vetors look unless you are certain that she’s about to attack you.

The Vetors said something and I just glared at them. When I was human, looking at people didn’t stop them from beating me up. Hawk eyes were something completely different. They looked threatening constantly. Even when I was happy it looked like I was about to murder someone.

The Vetors turned around and didn’t look at either me or Cat.

I worried since I couldn’t guide Cat through the whole morphing process. I couldn’t look and see where she was in the process and so I couldn’t reassure her. Just reassuring her constantly through the whole morphing process wasn’t me. I couldn’t do that and feel honest.

Suddenly I heard a flap of wings and saw Cat flying around. I could imagine the fear in her as her hawk mind felt trapped. I felt like I was trapped, but I had pushed that feeling so far back that I had forgotten about it. Good one, Tobias.

I then remembered that Cat was hearing impaired and so wore a hearing aid. I looked around and didn’t see it. Good, it must have acted like my morphing suit in that it stayed with her. Hopefully the same thing would happen next time she morphed.

Cat! Cat! I shouted and then started to fly after her.

I thought that if I could grab on to her and push her to the ground I could wake up the human side of her. I could remind her of what she was.

Cat! I shouted and then she wobbled slightly in the air before regaining balance.

Tobias? She asked as she landed on the log that I had been on. I’m sorry I just felt tr-

Trapped. I said as I landed next to her. That’s the hawk mind talking. It’s afraid and doesn’t like being below ground. Our…its place is in the trees and in the air. Not underground.

How do you deal with it?

I don’t know. I just focus on myself and what I have to do. The hawk’s mind can guide you, but don’t let it control you.

I won’t. She said and shivered.

I looked at one of the Vetors and said, Vetor, is there a way off of the planet that we can reach?

Over the next hour, by which time Cat had demorphed, the Vetors explained to us how to get to a small Yeerk base on the planet. I was impressed that Cat seemed to pick up the Vetor language better than me. She didn’t have experience with aliens, minus the Skrit Na, and I did.

When we were sure of where to go, Cat morphed back into a hawk and we left the Vetor village.

Wow! Cat shouted when we were finally able to go into the sky. Wow!

I laughed as I could only barley grasp at what she was experiencing. Flying was the best feeling in the world and her first experience, real experience, was flying on an alien planet.

You’re doing great. I said a few times and she laughed back at me.

If I had been human at the moment, I would’ve smiled.

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All of Tobias and Me 

Sayings Sundays (April 27, 2014)

Captain America (aka Steve Rogers) is a good character which makes it easy for people to misread him. People think that he's weak and/or that there is not much to him. Even a slight glance at the character shows that he can make jokes and that he's anything but weak.

Steve just makes calls that others can't or won't and so is sometimes at odds at what you, the audience, are used to seeing in a character.

In the first Captain America movie Steve starts out as a normal person. He's a guy that wants to do good even though he's physically weak. Before he is given the serum to be turned into Captain America he is told the above quote.

In Captain America: The Winter Soldier I think this quote is important to remember since Steve is trying to adapt to his new life.

I was listening to some random songs when I came across one by Lindsey Stirling with vocals by Lzzy Hale called Shatter Me. This song has a very catchy beat to it and Lzzy Hale does an awesome job with the vocals. Lindsey Stirling has done some other great work before and I suggest you look her up.

I chose a picture of Derek Reese from Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles to go along with these lyrics. Derek is a tortured soul who is trying to find purpose in a life that now includes no Kyle Reese and him having to live in a different time.

Derek's new life also includes the sub-plot where his girlfriend time travels and he has to deal with working alongside a Terminator (aka Cameron).

Luminous from Gwenyth Verdi

Info From HERE

I hope everyone is having a great Vesnali. Gwenyth Verdi has a new line in the Subeautique called Luminous.

This line is nice and happy. It's perfect for you to celebrate Vesnali with!

Remember: you have to have an invite to buy an item from the Subeautique.

Jash Talks: Omar's Entrance

I introduce Omar and we talk about Game of Thrones, Spider-Man, and other random topics that works their way into the episode.

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!

Pointlessness of Death in Elementary

Elementary is one of those shows I love but there's usually not a lot to talk about. At least from episode to episode. I find reviewing episodes of this show very hard because I feel I don't make my reviews of Elementary sound that interesting, but I truly love the show.

However, as of the last two episodes, I find a topic emerging that is very interesting indeed. It is the fact that both Joan Watson and Sherlock Holmes have to deal with death and guilt. They have to deal with death and guilt while still working cases and helping people.

Joan Watson has to deal with the death of Andrew Colville. Colville was a patient that was brought in while he was dying and was also a killer. So Joan feels guilty because she thought of just killing the man and is also suspicious of the guy that was in charge. She feels that the guy in charge knew Colville and let him die. So, in that way, she also feels guilty that she partially agrees with the decision.

Part of the episode "The Many Mouths of Andrew Colville" is dedicated to Watson thinking her superior, at the time of Andrew's death, was the true criminal of the case. However, she has to deal with the fact that the man isn't a villain and move on with her life.

The next episode, "No Lack of Void", has Sherlock Holmes dealing with the loss of his friend Alistair. Alistair once abused drugs and had been off of them for a very long time. Holmes doesn't believe he died because of a relapse since Alistair appeared so much stronger than that to him.

Since Holmes deals with murders for a living, he tries to think of a way that someone would kill Alistair. Part of that episode is dedicated to Holmes realizing that sometimes the strongest people cave. That sometimes death is death and there is no mystery to solve. That's heartbreaking, but a fact of life.

The saddest parts of that episode were when Holmes hallucinated Alistair and then the ending graveyard scene.

So far in the series, this has been my favorite subplot: that sometimes death is senseless and there is nothing you can do but move on.

Five People, One Interview

-This is a Mature Story (if in content if not plot)
-It's a Hannibal fic
-It involves Will Graham among others

You can read it HERE

Animorphs Re-Read: #5 The Predator (Chapters 17-19)

 Chapter 17

Marco wants to yell at his mother, host of Visser One, to show that he's there. He has gone years thinking his mother is dead and this scene is just heartbreaking.

Jake privately thought-speaks to Marco to remind him not to do something stupid. Jake has to remind Marco, multiple times, to keep control and not make the other Controllers suspicious. Marco is so lost in the moment that he can't fully recognize the dangers of calling out to his mother.

Visser Three notices that Marco seems frightened. That starts a short bitching contest between Visser One and Visser Three. Visser One defends her choice for a human body as her learning about the planet and that Visser Three has jeopardized the invasion. I wish I was there and had a bowl of popcorn to watch this.

Marco realizes that only Jake and himself know who the host of Visser One is.

Visser Three says he's better than Visser One because he destroyed the Andalite fleet and killed Prince Elfangor personally. Visser One counters by saying that he has still made mistakes and the Council of Thirteen doesn't like Vissers that make mistakes.

It fully hits Marco that his mother is a Controller and he feels weak. As Visser One leaves the room, Jake tells Marco that he can't do anything for his mother now. Marco wishes he was in another morph so he could get lost in an animal's instincts. But the gorilla's instincts are too similar to a human's.

Marco tells Jake not to tell anyone else about the identity of Visser One's human hosts. I like that Marco singles out Cassie as everyone knows who Jake is crushing on. I am so glad the pair end up together at the end with Rachel as the maid of honor.

Jake agrees with Marco's demand.

Visser Three comes in and taunts the Animorphs. Ax responds and Visser Three comments that Ax is right in that he doesn't want any other Yeerk to get the morphing power. Does this mean that the Visser plans to kill them all? Or will he fear that will get him into too much trouble?

Visser Three also seems to consider the fact that the Animorphs might be humans, at least some of them, but he brushes that assumption off. I'm assuming the idea doesn't make sense to him so he decides to brush it off. In his mind humans are worthless, not as good as Andalites, so why bother?

Visser Three then commands the Controllers to take the Animorphs to a holding cell and if they cause any trouble, to kill them.


Chapter 18

Marco and the others are lead to their holding cell. It's creepy that he uses some imagery from the dreadful ant morph to describe the cramped conditions. And Tobias is on his shoulder cause he can't fly. Aw!

This time when they're caged up no window appears.

The majority of the Animorphs have thirty-six minutes until they're trapped in morph. I would not want to be Tobias right now. He's probably looking at the group imagining how horrid their lives will be if they manage to escape while becoming nothlits. Hell, he's probably hoping that they'll die instead of becoming nothlits like him.

As Marco waits for his own death he wonders when his mother was taken. How much of his memories of his mother had been Visser One controlling his mother's body. All the moments he describes are so sweet but when he basically says 'what if it was a Yeerk during those moments' it becomes very creepy.

Marco ends his thinking on the fact that his mother never really died and that Visser One left the invasion of Earth in Visser Three's hands.

Ax basically says that they should give up while Marco says no. This is a huge transformation as he's always been the reluctant Animorph. He has always been the one saying that they shouldn't fight. And instead of harassing his friends that he was right, he is the one saying that they should still fight. That's some great character development there!

All the other Animorphs stare at Marco, of course.

Marco even suggests morphing ants to hopefully make one final strike against the Yeerks. Cassie is shocked but the rest of the group agrees. However, Tobias can't morph so they know they'll have to leave him on his own. Tobias says it's okay since he would feel better knowing that the others are out there causing the Yeerks problems.

My baby!

And then a door just appears. Hork-Bajir wearing gold uniforms have killed Hork-Bajir wearing red uniforms. The lead Hork-Bajir, that is detailed as being extremely deadly even for one of its species, says how to escape. Of course the group expects this to be a trap.

The Animorphs then decide to go for it since, as Marco points out, the Yeerks could've easily killed them but didn't.

Oh, and why are the Hork-Bajir doing this? Politics. While Animorphs is mature for its intended audience...this is just fucking stupid. I mean...really, Visser One, you're risking the invasion of Earth for the sake of one upping Visser Three? Really?

As they go to find the exit, Rachel is really excited. Of course she would be. The fighting here is tense. Ax says BATTLE! like he found the best party ever. I think Ax's excitement comes because he's finally going into a real battle and that, maybe, it's more honorable for an Andalite to die in battle. Plus he won't have to fight Visser Three one on one if he does die.

Marco feels good because he doesn't feel helpless anymore. As Marco continues to fight he starts to form a bond with Ax. I don't believe it's romantic, at least not at this point, I think it's the bond between one fighter to another. A bond that can last during battle, but doesn't always exist outside of it. The Eternal Heart (my Terminator fanfic) talks about this at least once or twice.

After Jake takes down a Hork-Bajir, Marco compares the hallways in the alien ship to the ant tunnels. God, I don't need that memory being brought up every two seconds!

Soon they find the dropshaft which is basically an elevator without a floor. Imagine the leap of faith scene from the third Indiana Jones movie but with an elevator. Ax says that the dropshaft should understand simple thought-speak and spoken words because that's how it works on Andalite ships.

I'm just confused as why Andalites would need something that takes voice commands when they don't have mouths. I'll just shut up now...

They reach the fifteenth level after two minor incidents, including Tobias taking on a Hork-Bajir, and Marco reminds Rachel to demorph. As she stumbles, Marco picks her up in his gorilla arms to save time getting to the pod.

As the pod goes towards Earth, Marco looks at the Yeerk mother ship and thinks it's funny that his mother is on there. Of course it's the sad type of funny. Before Marco finishes demorphing he tells Jake to keep Visser One's human host's identity a secret. Jake agrees.

Marco then thinks that one day the war with the Yeerks will be over and all humans will be free. And there we have Marco's reason for fighting!

Chapter 19

It is Sunday and both Marco and his Dad are at his mother's grave. He remarks that there is no thing as a nice graveyard, but his mother still has a good one. I'll admit I have never lost someone that I have cried over. So Marco getting sad like this is foreign to me. I have lost both grandparents on my father's side, but I never felt sad over their deaths.

Marco comments that it is better to joke and laugh. You especially need to do those things when life gets you down.

Marco's Dad makes an announcement saying that he's finally going to go back to his old line of work. That he hasn't been a good father for his son and Eva, his wife and Marco's mother, wouldn't be happy about that. Marco, of course, has to make a wisecrack about this.

This causes the two to get into a joking fight and decide to have a rematch on the game DOOM.

The book ends with Marco remembering what he knows about his mother now and how he will save her. One day.

This book is the last book that covers the Animorphs' reasons for fighting. You could say Ax never got a book of his own in the first five and so we still need to get to his reason for fighting. Thing is...he's an Andalite and needs to fight the Yeerks.

So you could say this book is also Ax's reason for fighting as it explains why he doesn't fly away to his people.

I can't remember how I felt when I first found out about the identity of Visser One but now...ouch. I am very glad the book ends with Marco's father deciding to move on, though.

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

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Animorphs Re-Read