The Five. *topic contains spoilers*

[Chad32]

Well maybe I don't think most of them should wind up dead. Maybe I think they all deserve better. And yes there are a lot of loose ends, but that's for a different thread that's been done over and over before. After all those books, I really didn't expect a downer ending, and I'm pretty sure that hope was the original theme of the books, back when KAA cared enough to actually write the majority of them. Not war is hell, and if you didn't hate every second of it you deserve to die.

[RYTX]

I refuse to belief Macro was looking for a suicide mission.
Was every aspect of his life fulfilled? Maybe not, but miserable, not by a long shot.

That said I, now a days, find the ending kinda hopeful. Not sure how, do think everybody died, but still, some how I have optimism when I close that book

[Chad32]

Jake had started to get better. Marco was apparently bored, but not suicidal. I'm not sure what to say about Tobias. He gave up his humanity, but a hawk's life is still a life. I realize that the book doesn't say "and they all died", but it's the last book and there isn't going to be anything else. If I was going to write a fanfic where they lived, I would have rewritten the last arc almost completely. That's why I say they may as well have died.

[WeLeadTheLost]

This topic has given me a lot to think about. If Applegate actually stated that she just came up with The One as a convenient way to end the series, I guess I'll have to accept that as fact. It's kind of a shame though, especially when I take Chad's theory about The Five taking refuge in Kelbrid space...it just fits too well. Makes me wish I had the patience/talent for writing fanfics.
As for the series finale, I have to agree that it was kind of a letdown. I can appreciate that Applegate wanted the Animorphs to  "go out the way they came in" but I've always felt that she built things up a little more then necessary. Plus I've just never cared for cliffhangers *shrug*

[Chad32]

I'm glad someone likes my theories. I'd like to create fanfics, or even just original stories, but I don't like thinking about all the details. Just the more interesting stuff.

Some people's opinion of warriors or soldiers confuse me. The way of a warrior shouldn't be to die a resplendant death. It's to make the other guy die. I guess I can understand why commanders would want their soldiers to think something like that, but I don't think it's something anyone should really want. That's why I don't get why people think Rachel just needed to die, and that she couldn't have coped without war. She was the strongest of them all. If anyone could have done it, she would.

[NothingFromSomething]

It's not a matter of Jake/Marco/Tobias being suicidal, though.  Of course not.  But they had all strayed from their purpose, Marco was sort of superficially happy but not satisfied on any meaningful level, Jake was recuperating from the war horror but sort of aimless, and Tobias was obviously pretty lost.  Setting them all out on an Ax rescue mission was awesome in that sense, it's not about suicide, but sacrifice.

[Chad32]

I'm pretty sure that being rich and famous is well within Marco's character, so I'm not sure why he wouldn't be fulfilled by having that lifestyle. That's just how I would have put Marco in an epilogue.

In any case, it's a downer ending in my opinion.

[NothingFromSomething]

He pretty much acknowledges it's all just superficial meaningless happiness stuff, though, from memory.

[Chad32]

I don't remember if he says anything about it. I just remember him deciding to morph lobster in his pool, instead of taking a proper vacation like normal people. We do have ways of alleviating stress and tedium. Especially rich people. This is not an intrinsic flaw of being rich, since everyone needs a vacation once in a while.

It just seems like it's something forced. Like Marco is unhappy because KAA wants him to be unhappy. Not because of any particular thing about his lifestyle.

[NothingFromSomething]

He's unhappy because he's living this superficial male-bimbo lifestyle, with fake Hollywood friends and everyone kissing his ass.  While two of his three best friends are dwelling in mental hell and another one's dead.  Snarky comment aside, he's pretty quick to sign up and get out of Dodge, once Jake asks.

[Chad32]

Well what kind of life would you expect Marco to have? I honestly can't think of anything marco should want to do than be rich and famous, and the center of attention. I think that some people can be genuinely happy with a rich lifestyle, and it fits his character, so besides dying in a blaze of glory out in deep space what would you expect Marco to do?

Sure he's quick to leave because his friend is in danger and that's the plot point that KAA felt like bringing up. So what? Why did Ax have to get assimilated? What other lifestyle is Marco going to have that would fit his character? Stand up comedy routines?

[NothingFromSomething]

The money thing was probably a) a novelty to him, having grown up at least temporarily in a less-than-fortunate circumstance, partying it up with a bunch of easily-earned cash (especially as a 17-18-19 year old) was obviously a thrill, and b) sort of feeling like at least something good came out of all the horror.  He's too sharp of a guy to be content with just that though, I think eventually he'd have grown out of all that though, and needed something more substantial.  Jake was basically holding the peace together and training up a new breed of high-tech special forces, Cassie's keeping the Hork-Bajir from being wiped out by extremist humans, Ax is running a friggin' Dome Ship and its battle-group.  Pretty sure Marco's not going to stay teen-idol butler-teasing womanizer-extraordinaire forever.

[Chad32]

It is true that being the spokesperson for the Animorphs isn't going to last forever. He would need to start doing something with his money at some point, maybe funding technology so that Earth actually has orbital defenses against alien attack. Hell, he could be Batman if he wanted to be. It's just that I don't really see Marco deciding a proper change of pace being morphing lobster in a pool, and the only reason the Ax in danger plot point happens is to get them into space so they can crash into a blade ship. It just feels forced, just to prevent the series from having closure.

Why did she need to give the series a downer ending? I don't understand. Ax's and Marco's ending before The One business was about the best thing about the ending, and she threw that away. It really upset me.

[Cloak]

Aren't we supposed to be discussing the Five here?

[Chad32]

Yes we are. I'm sorry the topic went off the rails.