I just relized how non-existent Ax's history is.

[Phoenix004]

It would have been interesting to see flashbacks of Ax's life before Earth, but there most likely wouldn't have been a lot to say besides telling us about how Andalite civilians live (which we already know a bit about due to the Chronicles books).

Showing Tobias revealing the truth about Elfangor to the other Animorphs would have been interesting, but they couldn't really have done it in the same book because that would attract attention away from Tobias' problems. The only other POV they could have done it in is Ax's but his next POV was 5 books away and KA obviously wanted the others to know straight away.

[anijen21]

iirc no one even mentioned it until #31...it may have been #26 but I know it was a Jake book. And when he mentioned it, it was some no-big-deal thing like "and in some twisted way, Tobias and Ax are related" which, I'm sorry, it was not a no-big-deal thing.

Then again, I think there was a conscious decision made by the authors (I can't prove this I'm just speculating) not to get too overdramatic. And if you err on the side of under-dramatizing then you're going to miss opportunities. Just like I believe Tobias finding out that Elfangor was his father in the first place should have been a fantastic chase for the rights to play his hirac delest and not a boring scene with a one-off lawyer character who has no significance to the overall storyline.

But, on the same token, nothing ever strayed into soap-opera land despite there being some soap-opera plots, so I guess you've got to take what you can get you know?

ETAL OOPS IT WAS #26 MY BAD but I'm still convinced.

[Green armadillo ette]

 Now about the whole How did he find out about being related to Toibas. I'm sure KA didn't want to have it be just a small addition to another plot. Besides its their personal life. The books are more about their efforts to save the Yeerks than about their personal lives.  Tobias and Aximili spent a lot of time together and got to know each other well and I'm sure he told him when he thought it was right. How he did it. I'm sure only Ax and he know. I like the fact that it was left to the imagination of the readers. 

Yes but this topic is all about imagination. This is to voice your opinion and ideas. It's not like everything said here will go down here as canon. Also, there may be different ideas for the same thing.  

[voodooqueen126]

Ax could've found it reassuring (ie my shrom is slightly Andalite and therefore not really a primitive human) or repulsive (my brother committed bestiality sort of thing).

[DraconianMe]

I relized how non-existent Ax's life before Earth is. I mean yeah he told us a bit of it but not much. Also KAA never told us how Ax found out that Tobais was his nephew. If you have any ideas on how Ax found out or his history post it here.

They explain it in the later books I think. What I know is that one of the andalites (Elfangor I think) came to Earth and fell in love with a human and lived a peaceful life but had to go back to the fight against the yeerks through time and 'sired' (lols, funny word) a child then that child through this complicated family tree thing turned out to be Tobias and that's how he is Elfangor's or Ax's cousin thingy. My memeory is a bit hazy coz I read the books ages ago but I'm rereading them now so yay me!

[Stephquiem]

I relized how non-existent Ax's life before Earth is. I mean yeah he told us a bit of it but not much. Also KAA never told us how Ax found out that Tobais was his nephew. If you have any ideas on how Ax found out or his history post it here.

They explain it in the later books I think. What I know is that one of the andalites (Elfangor I think) came to Earth and fell in love with a human and lived a peaceful life but had to go back to the fight against the yeerks through time and 'sired' (lols, funny word) a child then that child through this complicated family tree thing turned out to be Tobias and that's how he is Elfangor's or Ax's cousin thingy. My memeory is a bit hazy coz I read the books ages ago but I'm rereading them now so yay me!

That part we all know. It's how Ax FOUND OUT about it that KAA never tells us.

[Alexandra]

That is one thing that seriously annoyed me about the later, ghostwritten books: no fun little intros! Even a dark intro would have been nice, just for a reflection on what was going on in the characters' personal lives, or revealing an interesting part of their history.

I was really peeved when KAA never gave us a Tobias-telling-Ax-about-Elfangor scene, or an Ax-and-Loren scene in the later books. Maybe she was keeping it for the readers' imaginations, but it really just comes across as laziness.



PS: Mods, I apologise, I think I may have double-posted this! I'm not sure if I should his the delete button or not!  Sorry!

[anijen21]

GOD YES the only thing Ax ever said about Loren was like "my brother had chosen a worthy mate" or something and I was like "really? Ax, the Andalite fetishist has absolutely no problem that his heroic brother/role-model holed up with a human??? You wouldn't even talk to the gimpy Andalite!"

I kind of think it was laziness too :/ There were enough 130-page ghostwritten books that could have definitely benefitted from the extra 20 of character development.

[adeon222]

GOD YES the only thing Ax ever said about Loren was like "my brother had chosen a worthy mate" or something and I was like "really? Ax, the Andalite fetishist has absolutely no problem that his heroic brother/role-model holed up with a human??? You wouldn't even talk to the gimpy Andalite!"

Yeah, especially since she was blind...

[Chad32]

Loren was a plot device. that's the only way to explain it. she wasn't used as a real person. She was just a plot device to give them a reason to start using the escafil device on other Humans.

You would Think Ax would be more bothered by Loren, or that she would get some mention at the end at lead during Tobias' narration.

If they wanted to just use a plot device, why bring back an important character like that? It doesn't make sense.

[adeon222]

Loren was a plot device. that's the only way to explain it. she wasn't used as a real person. She was just a plot device to give them a reason to start using the escafil device on other Humans.

Which explains why even Tobias' relationship with her was pretty superficial...

I think she should have been more involved...

[Alexandra]

Which explains why even Tobias' relationship with her was pretty superficial...

I think she should have been more involved...

I was hoping for a re-emergence of the sassy, take-no-crap Loren of TAC. Instead, we got a wimpy, barely-seen background character who had so much potential it wasn't even funny.

But then, so much of the final books was awfully under-developed. The blind girl who lived with Marco and his parents, for example. The fact that Marco had his mother back after so many years of fighting for her, and then he doesn't spend time with her? Even if he hugged her and burst into tears, it'd be something! 

And Tobias, an orphan for so many years, finally has a mother, and he barely sees her either!

I know they were fighting the Yeerks and everything, but geez! Talk about lazy writing!

[Chad32]

I agree with everything there. It's like they built something up and never did anything with it.

[Alexandra]

I agree with everything there. It's like they built something up and never did anything with it.

It's a lot like The X Files in that way, sadly. All this potential and they never used it! 

[anijen21]

The same thing happened whenever they brought back characters from the Chronicles books. Aldrea was weirdly immature and submissive and lost all of her charm, Arbron lost every semblance of his sense
of humor and character. I kind of wince on this reread whenever that happens. It really is kind of sad, because no one's story felt over at the end of their books, but damn if I knew that was what we were going to get...