Narm moments

[Chad32]

For those who don't know, narm is a word used to describe moments in fiction that are meant to be taken seriously, but the audience finds funny for some reason. This comes from a show or movie where a guy is having a seizure or something, and he says his arm is numb. He tries to say numb arm, but it comes out as narm repeatedly, and many viewers found it funny even though he was in serious trouble.

So onto the topic. Can anyone think of moments in the series that they found funny, even though the author likely meant it to be serious? I recently thought of book 16 where Cassie told a boy that he couldn't trust his father because he was a controller. She thought she was a horrible person for saying it, and that just made me laugh. That would be like telling Marco he's a horrible person for telling Jake he can't trust Tom. Did anyone else find that funny? Can you think of another example?

[XtheoniongirlX]

That would be like telling Marco he's a horrible person for telling Jake he can't trust Tom.

...That's kind of the point, isn't it? Jake was hurt by his words, even if Marco didn't mean any harm.

I'm having real trouble thinking of any narm moments personally. Applegate's done a great job of writing the more serious scenes without being laughably melodramatic.

Closest example I can think of is in #25 The Extreme, when Ax takes down a Taxxon and Jake asks him if it's dead (he was in fly morph and couldn't tell). Ax responded with, "In a matter of speaking; one half of it is consuming the other half."

The image was revolting, of course, but it made me laugh. Still, I don't think it's a good example because it was not meant to be serious per se, just disturbing. But to me it came off as black comedy.

[Noelle]

Here is the TvTropes link.  http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Narm

TLDR version:

Darth Vader: Nooooooooooooooooo!
Theatre goers: ROFL!  Wait...was that supposed to be sad?  Doesn't matter that's funny as hell.



I found Cassie having an existential crisis over the fact that she SAVED HER FRIENDS, and by extension THE HUMAN RACE, by killing a Termite queen, exceptionally Narmish.

"Oh woe is me, I killed a termite colony!  How could I not have wanted to sacrifice humanity (and, by extension, the almighy termites) for...a termite colony!  I do not know if I can bear living with myself!  As a penance, I shall nothlitize myself as a skunk..."


 


Its ok Cassie...not everyone can be intelligent.  *pat pat*

Hmms...does anyone else wonder what the series would have been like if Jake let darwinism take its course and just let her sleep?

Tom: Can I have the blue box?
Animorphs: no.
Tom: Pretty please?
Animorphs: Shut up.
Tom: fiiiiiiiiine.  Geez, you guys are no fun.

[XtheoniongirlX]

I have to admit, I'm not all too surprised that this topic seems on the verge to deteriorating into a thinly veiled Cassie-bashing thread. It's a shame, because I'd like to see if anyone could point out legitimately narmish instances/scenes.

[Chad32]

I honestly don't mean for it to be a Cassie bashing thread.

One for Jake might be in book 16 when they're trying to rescue their friends. Jake gets a rhino morph, and I find it funny when I recall in book 1 them finding a rhino and backing out. Or when he tries to say no time left, and it comes out no chime cleft.

[XtheoniongirlX]

in book 16 when they're trying to rescue their friends. Jake gets a rhino morph, and I find it funny when I recall in book 1 them finding a rhino and backing out. Or when he tries to say no time left, and it comes out no chime cleft.

Ahaha yeah, that was great. I've always found it hilarious whenever the Animorphs are having a serious conversation, and the last few words of a mid-morphing Animorph is contorted/modified because of changes to their faces (usually growing a beak and their last words sounding like a shrill bird). Damn, I wish I could remember which book one particular example happened in. It was definitely a quote from Marco ... I shall leaf through my collection and modify this post if I manage to find it.

[Noelle]

Meh, it seemed narm to me, it fits the definition, I do not see how it does not.  What scenes are narm and are not is entirely subjective, not all people are going to have the same reaction to the same scenes.

At the risk of further being insufferable, I actually found the "Ram the blade ship" scene to be narm.  Only because I could not see what good ramming the other ship would do.  They stated they were faster, so they easily could have escaped to try to find another way to save Ax.

I guess I couldn't find it tragic because it just seemed really illogical, and Jake is better than that.  I mean, I would have hoped that at least Marco would have said something other than nodding and going along with that plan.

[Blazing Angel]

Pretty much anywhere where david the human flipped out.

[Pippi]

Visser 3 points to the Buffulo/human in Andalite morph "kill it", buffo/human *points back* , Hork Bajir soldiers hesitate, not knowing which one is the real Visser 3   if that scene was meant to be serious, it sure made me hurt myself laughing.

To Xtheoniongirlx, please don't be disappointed if Cassie gets mentioned a few times. I personally can't think of narm moments by Cassie but I think there were times readers (myself included) had to laugh as an alternative to screaming at the page at how infuriating Cassie was.

[Chad32]

I think the only thing serious about that book was that the Yeerks had a way to track the cube.

[RYTX]

no that you mention it there's a whole bunch of times when V3 says Kill something where I just roll my eyes say dammit, why didn't you just kill it already.
Can't remember specifics but he has some really poorly executed treats

[XtheoniongirlX]

no that you mention it there's a whole bunch of times when V3 says Kill something where I just roll my eyes say dammit, why didn't you just kill it already.
Can't remember specifics but he has some really poorly executed treats

Haha yeah.

*Shakes fist angrily*

"I'll catch you next time, you Andalite scum! Next tiiime!"

They really shouldn't have made Visser Three make as many appearances as he did. Some of the encounters should've been left to his 2nd-in-command, especially for the more embarrassing screw-ups on his part. It was hard to take him seriously after that.

[AniDragon]

"Visser Three is there.... Visser Three is always there."

[yunyun]

"Visser Three is there.... Visser Three is always there."

yeah, Visser three is there way too much. He appears in almost every book. Considering how oftem he seems to be where the anis are, it sorta feels like hes stalking them, which really makes you wonder why he hasnt discovered that they were humans from the start.

Personally, i cant think of any narm moments right now

[Chad32]

That's the main reason for his villain decay. They brought him in sio many times that they had to reduce his threat level to give the Anis a chance.