Extra Tobias and Ax Books: "The Lost Missions"

[TobiasMasonPark]

     In that thread about what one would do if they were given the rights to the Animorphs, some RAFians mentioned that they'd give Ax and Tobias the same amount of books as the other Animorphs. Of course, that would probably mean some other adventures would have to be brought up--but not so important as to effect the stuff that happens between the Encounter and the Beginning.

     So, I'm curious, what do you think those extra books would talk about?

[Adam]

I would probably use the opportunities to develop secondary characters. For example, since Tobias has a close relationship to the free Hork-Bajir, one or two books could have focused a little on them, with Tobias acting as the "liberator", perhaps. They deserved more "screen-time", and a Tobias book would be a good place to get it.

An extra Ax book could similarly take a look at the Andalite race, maybe introduce one or two new faces.

[TobiasMasonPark]

     Good ideas, of course. But how important would these two new faces be? Remember, they can't be so important that the Animorphs would just be like "Hey, remember those guys? Nah, neither do I."

     Of course, that IS pretty much what happened after they met those two Andalites in the Other...so maybe it would work.

[NateSean]

More of the Ax books could be largely flashback oriented. There was one episode of a vampire series called Forever Knight that took place almost entirely in the 1960's Berlin. And numerous episodes of Highlander took place in the past, fleshing out characters that had been killed off earlier.

Maybe one Ax book could involve a random mission to spy on a certain controller and obtain information, while the bulk of the story brings us back to Ax's exobiology class and the female he was distracted by.

Also, nothing beats a good body-swap or holiday episode.

[TobiasMasonPark]

     Ah, yes, the body swap episodes :p I have a theory that every show has to do at least one. And a second, better body swap episode as well. Here's proof:

     1) Buffy: Witch (1.3) Who Are You? (4.17[?])
     2) Phil of the Future: Neanderphil and Versa Day
     3) Power Rangers did a few
     4) Wizards of Waverly Place: Quincenara and Family Game Night
     5) Smallville: Transference and Wish (kinda)
     
     Those are just the ones off the top of my head, and the ones that have done it twice.

     But I'm getting off topic.

[MoppingBear]

The Glitch: Eric has a small but problematic glitch happening in his systems.  He asks Ax to help and because of the personal nature of the glitch, asks the other animorphs not to get involved.  it is related to the time he altered his programming with the Pemalite crystal, so he cannot ask the other Chee for help.

Actually... the others dont really have to be excluded from these now that i think about it, it just has to be unnoteworthy enough that its never mentioned like certain other books.  then again, the two andalites are never mentioned again, and that was pretty noteworthy...

The Replacement: The only Cinnabon within walking Distance has gone out of business.  Ax must find a replacement for his favorite food.

The Namesake: Tobias, the Animorphs and Ax accomapany Toby and some free Hork Bajir on a mission to free some of her people.

The Courtship: A female red-tailed hawk has taken an interest in Tobias.  She begins to follow him around, including on missions.  marco jokes about how rachel should be jealous. in her final scene, she dives in to attack a hork bajir with a dracon beam to save tobias's life.

[DinosaurNothlit]

Hmm, but what mechanism would be responsible for a 'body-swap' within the Animorphs universe, I wonder?  It sounds like it would almost have to be some odd glitch from the morphing technology itself.

Wait, wait, I've got it.  So their minds go off to z-space every time they morph, yet stay connected to their morphed bodies by mystical Andalite voodoo that primitive humans do not understand, correct?  Well, perhaps the Yeerks can invent something to sever the connection, in the hopes that it will insta-kill any morphed Andalites in the area.  But, then (Ax can explain this part with more bigger words) the disconnected minds instead graft onto the nearest available mindless morphed bodies.

Badda bing, instant shenanigans.  Yep, that one could definitely be an Ax book.  So he can narrate all condescendingly and superior-like.  Although, it might also make some sense to be for Tobias, because he would be like "OMG this is what it was like to be human, and have a family and a bed and human-food WTF am I doing still being a hawk ANGST ANGST ANGST"

Of course, you have to consider that the Animorphs have the innate advantage over characters from other series that they can just morph one another to correct the effect (for two hours at a time).  Still, though, it would be a problem and they'd all want it fixed.  Jake and whoever wound up as "Jake" in particular, since the real Jake could not afford to be demorphing every two hours with Tom around.

As for important stuff that then gets forgotten in later books . . . come on, that's half the series, you guys.  Other than major developments that are obviously still relevant after the fact, is there anything that ever happens that the Animorphs actually remember after the book where it happened?  So, yeah, short of huge stuff, we could basically insert any book anywhere and not change anything. 

The Replacement: The only Cinnabon within walking Distance has gone out of business.  Ax must find a replacement for his favorite food.

This could very well be the most deadly-serious mission the Animorphs have ever undertaken . . .

[TobiasMasonPark]

Hmm, but what mechanism would be responsible for a 'body-swap' within the Animorphs universe, I wonder?  It sounds like it would almost have to be some odd glitch from the morphing technology itself...

     Quite the conundrum, I agree. But I read an Animorphs Fan Fic YEARS ago (I might have been in grade seven) where the Drode switches Rachel and Marco for sh**s and giggles. It was ok. But there was this one part where, if I remember correctly, Rachel mentions playing Wind Waker with Marco's dad, and mentions it was a two player. Now, I don't have the perfect memory, but I think I'm remembering correctly. If I AM correct, then that author did NOT do their research.

Wait, wait, I've got it.  So their minds go off to z-space every time they morph, yet stay connected to their morphed bodies by mystical Andalite voodoo that primitive humans do not understand, correct?  Well, perhaps the Yeerks can invent something to sever the connection, in the hopes that it will insta-kill any morphed Andalites in the area.  But, then (Ax can explain this part with more bigger words) the disconnected minds instead graft onto the nearest available mindless morphed bodies.

Badda bing, instant shenanigans.  Yep, that one would definitely be an Ax book.  So he can narrate all condescendingly and superior-like.

     Now that you've written it down...it SOUNDS doable If I could just figure out why the Animorphs would never mention such a hilarious mission, I just might consider stealing your brilliant idea and putting it down in writing

Of course, you have to consider that the Animorphs have the innate advantage over characters from other series that they can just morph one another to correct the effect (for two hours at a time).  Still, though, it would be a problem and they'd all want it fixed.  Jake and whoever wound up as "Jake" in particular, since the real Jake could not afford to be demorphing every two hours with Tom around.

     This was brought up in the fic I just mentioned. I think Rachel waved away the suggestion by saying she didn't want Marco to have access to their DNA if they swapped back.

As for important stuff that then gets forgotten in later books . . . come on, that's half the series, you guys.  Other than major developments that are obviously still relevant after the fact, is there anything that ever happens that the Animorphs actually remember after the book where it happened?  So, yeah, short of huge stuff, we could basically insert any book anywhere and not change anything. 

     That's a good point. Now that I think about it, you never hear much about that whole week Rachel took over as leader and caused trouble around town; or about the trip to Atlantis that just HAD to have its own book; or Cassie going to Australia. So, maybe big stuff COULD make it into the book. So long as it doesn't prevent the next adventures from happening...I think we've got something, Dino

The Replacement: The only Cinnabon within walking Distance has gone out of business.  Ax must find a replacement for his favorite food.

This could very well be the most deadly-serious mission the Animorphs have ever undertaken . . .

     Could potentially be my favourite Ax book

[NateSean]

Also a classic trope in any series, The Bottle Episode.

This would be an especially challenging book to write because, frankly, what works in a visual medium doesn't always translate well into another. However, if you ever read Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire and Blackwood Farm respectively, both of these books are essentially the main protaganist telling a listener their story.

In both books, Louis and Quinn's story is presented in dialogue quotations, meaning that if you were to literally interpret the stories, all that's going on is one person talking to another. It's the reader who "sees" everything the story teller is describing.

Maybe Ax and Tobias have an entire book told in dialogue, one late night when they are both fighting episodes of insomnia.

[TobiasMasonPark]

      Would be a good opportunity to elaborate on each others pasts.

[NateSean]

A "View from the Gallery" style book might be an interesting direction to take as well.

My favorite episode of the new Doctor Who series is Blink, without a doubt. Mainly because this is one of the few times you get to see that the adventures the Doctor and companion go are not free actions. Other people are just as effected by the "universe" and all that happens in it whether the Doctor is strictly apart of those events or not.

Similarly, how many people in the Animorphs universe were affected by the war without being directly involved with it? You could have one whole book told from the point of view of someone who witnessed a fight between a tiger and a Hork-Bajir. That person suddenly recalls news items about animals running amok throughout the city (IE, the events of the previous books from the pov of someone on the sidelines).

Maybe it ends poorly for that person. Maybe it doesn't.

[Tim Bruening]

The Glitch: Eric has a small but problematic glitch happening in his systems.  He asks Ax to help and because of the personal nature of the glitch, asks the other animorphs not to get involved.  it is related to the time he altered his programming with the Pemalite crystal, so he cannot ask the other Chee for help.

Erek finds that he is losing his non-vilence programming.

The Replacement: The only Cinnabon within walking Distance has gone out of business.  Ax must find a replacement for his favorite food.

Ax finds a new Cinnabon vendor, but it is owned by Controllers.

The Namesake: Tobias, the Animorphs and Ax accomapany Toby and some free Hork Bajir on a mission to free some of her people.

The Courtship: A female red-tailed hawk has taken an interest in Tobias.  She begins to follow him around, including on missions.  marco jokes about how rachel should be jealous. in her final scene, she dives in to attack a hork bajir with a dracon beam to save tobias's life.

[Tim Bruening]

The Namesake: Tobias, the Animorphs and Ax accomapany Toby and some free Hork Bajir on a mission to free some of her people.

Tobia and Ax wonder why the free Hork-Bajir don't rescue some Human-Controllers also.

The Courtship: A female red-tailed hawk has taken an interest in Tobias.  She begins to follow him around, including on missions.  marco jokes about how rachel should be jealous. in her final scene, she dives in to attack a hork bajir with a dracon beam to save tobias's life.

Tobias considers giving his GF morphing powers.