You know what just kills me....?? (spoiler)

[ChimichangaChupacabra]

Actually, out of all the "sad" things that happened in the end, Jake and Cassie not being together affected me the least. I was never a huge shipper for those two.

Rrraaaacciistt.  [/Provocation]

[KOFSoldier]

wow some great points there guys!
But it still doesn't change my mind 

I hated the part in the last book when Cassie's trying to convince jake he's not a bad person for killing the yeerks, and Jake looks into her eyes and remembers kissing her.

It put my hopes up then crushed them... lol.

Well, dont be so sad. If Jake and the others lived (which KA definetly made it sound like they did in one of her post-Book #54 interviews), then I'm sure he would've come back to Earth. I truly don't think her and Ronnie would last, if Jake were to ever get back to his normal self.

Ronnie was already showing signs of being jealous of her and Jake's relationship, and he probably had good reason for being so.

[SuperBlue]

who honestly wouldn't be jealous? LOL some dude tht ur girlfriend's fought with for 3 years and even went out with is asking to talk to her alone. I'd be jealous as hell, but if Ronnie eavesdropped on the conversation he'd probably feel a lot better since Jake and Cassie pretty much just severed all ties they had with each other

[JFalcon]

who honestly wouldn't be jealous? LOL some dude tht ur girlfriend's fought with for 3 years and even went out with is asking to talk to her alone. I'd be jealous as hell, but if Ronnie eavesdropped on the conversation he'd probably feel a lot better since Jake and Cassie pretty much just severed all ties they had with each other

Or he'd be suspicious, "hey, dude's pretending not to want to have anything to do with Cassie . . . and a mission, huh, yeah right!"

As soon as Cassie gets back he screams "You're having an affair!" and runs off.

Wolves eat him. Cassie's happy world ends . . . she secretly follows the Rachel in a fighter and saves the day, skunk kits in her lap and all!

[Shock]

actally, i kinda like the ending..

puts things in perpective..

[KOFSoldier]

who honestly wouldn't be jealous? LOL some dude tht ur girlfriend's fought with for 3 years and even went out with is asking to talk to her alone. I'd be jealous as hell, but if Ronnie eavesdropped on the conversation he'd probably feel a lot better since Jake and Cassie pretty much just severed all ties they had with each other

Actually, oddly enough, I dont think Jake had even asked to talk to her alone. Ronnie just said something like "I'll leave you to it then" and walked away.

[Kelly]

Yeah he did.

So why isn't anyone pining with me?

[KOFSoldier]

Yeah he did.

So why isn't anyone pining with me?

I am, slightly, I guess.

I guess I always was too distracted with Rachel (and Ax, potentially) dying.

[Liz]

Actually, out of all the "sad" things that happened in the end, Jake and Cassie not being together affected me the least. I was never a huge shipper for those two.

Rrraaaacciistt.  [/Provocation]

no racism is all about POWER you are WRONG and you live in your mom's basement lolololol

I never really shipped them either, but the part in #53 (?) where Jake asks Cassie to marry him gets me every time.  I thought it was fitting that they ended up the way they did though.

[ChimichangaChupacabra]

Yeah, that scene was pretty powerful.

I really liked the Jake/Cassie stuff, like even how the war tore them apart.  It all seemed really in-character to me.  Post-war Marco seemed a little TOO happy-go-lucky or something, like none of those three years even bothered him in the slightest.  At least Jake and Cassie were kind of believably working through some mental stuff, in the way you'd kind of expect they would with their particular personalities.

[JFalcon]

Well Marco was almost if not as much of a big winner as Ax. Ax achieved everything he set out to short of personally avenging Elfangor, Ax became a prince, a living legend just like he wanted, Marco just wanted his mother freed and for his family to be back together, he got that even before the war ended. Still Marco's happiness was forced though, he was bored with his movie star life.

Jake got nothing, he lost his brother, his main reason for fighting, he lost his parents though I believe he got them back, he lost his cousin, sent her on a one way mission, and to top it all off, to add insult to nigh-mortal injury he lost his girl.

Cassie lost Jake but not much else, she somehow held on to who she was even though he didn't so when the war was over she just got on with her merry old life . . . brat.

[goom]

in order of loss (in my opinion)

[spoiler]rachel (of course!)
tobias (he did lose rachel)
jake (brother, cousin)
cassie
ax
marco[/spoiler]

cassie and jake should have ended up together. but rachel shouldn't have died either, right?
the war didn't end cleanly, more with a bang. left too many fans hanging. -.-

[Aquilai]

I'm sorry but how come Tobias has a higher pity rating than Jake? It makes no sense to me unless I forgot something important sure he's a hawk living it out as a loner but he's always been happy doing that. Jake has the full responsibility for the actions that day, he's literally lost everything he fought for except the war (by everything I mean even his dignity War Criminal and all...) He's living as a human yes but one imprisoned by himself. Tobias has always found freedom in being able to fly and go wherever he wanted.

It's not to say that Tobias hasn't suffered just the order is slightly out. But it is Valentine's Day today so I'll let it go. Tobias has no one, Jake has no one erm...actually everyone except Cassie is dead so only one person of all the great characters gets to walk into the sunset and be happily ever after. What a downer.

[JFalcon]

Well really you can't quantify grief or suffering. You can guess who suffered more at the end, but it's just a guess so the order of anyone's list would be purely guessing based on personal observation, who's to say whether Jake or Tobias suffered more, both of their lives pretty much ended.

Personally I think the auxiluries were right up there with Rachel not because they were killed but because of the manner in which they were killed, sticking purely to the core Animorphs however I agree that whether you swap Jake for Tobias or not they're both right up there at the top of the list.

[ChimichangaChupacabra]

Yeah, that's the one single thing that's always bothered me about the ending.  I absolutely LOVE the way K.A. ended the series (I'm probably in the minority on that point, but I'm still right ), but it's always frustrated me about the lack of mention of the Auxiliaries.

So, okay, Jake's grieving and working through all of his deeds.  Okay.  He mentions the 17,000, he mentions the more terrorist-y tactics they were using toward the end, but nothing on the hundred or so disabled kids his age and younger who he basically sent to their inevitable death?

Seems to me that would be his MAJOR grievance, y'know?  Okay, the National Guard guys were sad, but they were doing a job.  The 17,000 Yeerks perhaps weren't necessary to kill, but it's understandable.  Jake knew every one of those kids was going to get blasted when he sent them in there with the troops.  He knew, and he did it anyway.

Just seems that would be staining his conscience a little more than the loss of adult professional soldiers and the en-masse killing of the enemy.