Rachel and Tobias, Would she had liked him if he wasnt trapped as a hawk?

[Uza-chan]

I just thought of something, and someone's probably already brought this up, but even if Tobias decided to keep his human form and Rachel survived, he'd be like three years younger than her, wouldn't he? I mean, he did/does morph his thirteen year-old self since he acquired his own DNA from the day before they went to construction site

[morfowt]

yes he'd be three years younger, but is that that big of a problem?

[Chad32]

Three years isn't really much of a thing. Especially since his true age won't be that far below hers.

[Uza-chan]

I guess, but maybe it would be if they were worried about height/age difference? xP Though technically, I guess they would be the same age

[Liz]

Doesn't the DNA age or something?  I think there was a thread talking about this before, but I don't remember what the conclusion was.

[estrid]

well technically tobias would be the same age as everybody else if he did become a human nothlit. while his human form may look like that of a 13 yr old, he did age 3 yrs, so mentally he is 16 as well. just physically he would look 13

[morfowt]

Doesn't the DNA age or something?  I think there was a thread talking about this before, but I don't remember what the conclusion was.

I don't think there was a conclusion...my conclusion, the DNA ages once you become a nothlit...

[Azguard]

well technically tobias would be the same age as everybody else if he did become a human nothlit. while his human form may look like that of a 13 yr old, he did age 3 yrs, so mentally he is 16 as well. just physically he would look 13

well, physically, but what about chemically? ^^

[Starsword]

I see no reason, even if Rachel and Tobias did kind of say the other person was cute, for Rachel's popular social circle and Tobias's toilet swirly social circle to ever collide.

[Azguard]

true that. Rachel's the kind of girl that wouldn't go for a guy like Tobias without good reason. She is smart, pretty, and most of all, ruthless. Why would she want a wimp like him?

[Uza-chan]

I see no reason, even if Rachel and Tobias did kind of say the other person was cute, for Rachel's popular social circle and Tobias's toilet swirly social circle to ever collide.

*nodnod* Even though MM4 didn't really happen or whatever, I'm pretty sure that's how it would have played out. Maybe not the voluntary controller thing on Tobias's side. But still, Rachel and Tobias might not have even had much interest in hanging out with each other. Just because Tobias was the "dweeb" or "bully-magnet", he might not have been interested in Rachel. He might have been the one who decided not to chase after her or something.

[Azguard]

oh well, i think tobias would have been interested but only in the "girl of his dreams that he has no hope of getting" sense.

[Canicula]

I was searching through the board and found this old thread and I thought I have to say something to it.

I haven't read MM4 yet but in the first book were a few hints that they at least have known each other and that there were something between them, whatever it was.

true that. Rachel's the kind of girl that wouldn't go for a guy like Tobias without good reason. She is smart, pretty, and most of all, ruthless. Why would she want a wimp like him?

Ruthless? I don't think so. The Rachel in the first book wasn't ruthless. She was brave and she became ruthless during the war, but in the first book she was an almost normal girl. Very pretty, smart and brave.
I imagine Rachel as a protective person. Maybe they had classes together and she was nice to him. Rachel is not the kind of person who don't talk to someone just because the others don't like this person. Maybe she talked to him in class and she realized that he's nice and maybe she thought she was cute.
And Tobias? Well, Rachel was described as very pretty and self-confident and he wasn't. Maybe had a crush on her before the war started. And when he realized that this pretty girl was so much more than just good looking he fell in love with her.

[Aquilai]

Pre-morph-capable (before being aware of Yeerks and obviously before Tobias Nothlit):
Tobias is seen as a loner, dreamer, and is bullied for it. My impression is that physically he's probably better off than Marco even if Marco is described as "cute". The difference between the two is the way that they project themselves. Tobias has his own issues to worry about so doesn't consider how others may perceive him. Marco being the more cautious (and later on strategic) type is careful how people look at him. I get the feeling that if Jake and Marco weren't friends people could pick on Marco for his height, probably even more so if he behaved the same as Tobias.
Jake and Rachel have always been similar (not just necessarily because they're related) but their characters are decent and brave. Those two characteristics combined can form the hero type who protect others from injustice. This isn't just about pity but a desire to protect others. On it's own this isn't enough to convince Rachel to fall for Tobias but it is enough to notice unfairness. In Jake's case, he saved Tobias once from being bullied which is the type of thing a good guy would do but might not continually keep an eye out for him. For a popular girl like Rachel and with a similar hero type personality she's more likely to keep an eye out afterwards not just for a once off rescue. Sometimes just being on someone's radar is enough to create a rapport. Unlike Jake who sees the injustice to Tobias peripherally, Rachel makes a connection.
Another key thing is their familial backgrounds. Jake is in a happy magical bubble no divorced family and isn't the oldest. Rachel is the oldest of her family and is divorced. She holds responsibility for her siblings and is aware of how difficult life can be. As the oldest sibling I can definitely say I'm more protective of people and feel less coddled. It's more natural for the oldest sibling to feel more responsibility. Jake's main worry pre-Yeerk invasion was making the cut for the basketball team. Rachel probably had other concerns as well (not just gymnastics) like making sure Jordan and Sara weren't staying up too late especially since their parents are fairly busy (their father living elsewhere too).
Tobias is a single child and his uncle and aunt try to pass him off to each other as if nobody wants him. With this kind of neglected background when growing up Tobias would learn to live in his dreams. The lack of care that was shown to him made him a withdrawn type of person, a dreamer. This also creates an air of mystery around him that certain people may pick up like there's something more to this person than meets the eye. This could be what attracted Rachel to Tobias.

Almost right at the start of the first book KA throws us into an alien encounter so the only background that we get from the Animorphs comes later on. The key thing to remember though is that right from the get go they have to stop trusting everyone else. You can't trust anyone who could potentially be a controller. So... the only potential people you can date are the other Animorphs. Is it too surprising that Rachel finds Marco a bit of a wuss and a jerk? It's fairly obvious Jake was never in the equation that leaves Tobias. Is it surprising that Rachel prefers Tobias to Marco?
As for the more shallow reasoning: someone who is considered one of the most beautiful girls in the school would not really pick someone short like Marco unless there was something else going for him.
Now combine the personality types, Rachel and Tobias's rapport and physical appearance it's virtually inevitable that Rachel ends up developing a relationship with Tobias.