#andalite head

[ramonahblog]

I never got the Animorphs books going “andalites are impossible to sneak up” when they describe the eyes as two where you would expect on a human and two moveable stalk eyes. Unless they conveniently forgot to mention the two human-looking eyes can see in opposite directions at once.  But going by their actual description, there’s at least always one direction the andalite can never see. The only way they could do all four directions if they had eyes like cows or goats or horses or sheep or any herd animal. The face-eyes would see left and right at the same time, one stalk-eye forward and one stalk-eye backward would equal impossible to sneak up on when awake.  But as they have it - two human-positioned eyes (one direction), two moveable stalk-eyes (two positions)...That only equals three positions covered at once. Potentially difficult depending on your sneaking levels but not impossible. 

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

Hi, here's an easy question for you that I can't find online for some reason. How exactly was Alloran enslaved? Every wiki article seems to gloss over this and it's been far too long since I've read the books to remember.

Also, what's your take on it? I remember always feeling vaguely disappointed because I couldn't figure how a yeerk would overpower an andalite, but do you think it works within the narrative, or is it just kind of a plot device to create The Abomination?

Compared to how things go down with Alloran, I think Aldrea's dramatic capture in Hork-Bajir Chronicles is way cooler. Esplin 9466 being ecstatic about finally being inside an andalite mind, only to have his abandoned host body attack him and rescue Aldrea, is one of my favorite scenes in the series.

But yeah, how it happens with Alloran (Andalite Chronicles p. 174 - 180) is deliberately obscured. Elfangor brings Esplin 9466 onboard the Jahar as a hostage, inside a hork-bajir. He gets distracted driving the ship, but returns to that hork-bajir to toss him out the door. Alloran tells Elfangor to flush the Pool ship, killing 1000s of defenseless yeerks. Elfangor refuses. They argue. They're interrupted "Chapman" punching Alloran and knocking him over/out. Elfangor thanks Chapman and starts to fly the Jahar back to get the Time Matrix, only to be shot at by "Loren."

At that point Elfangor realizes Chapman, Loren, and Alloran are all controllers — Chapman put yeerks in his own and Loren's heads as part of his bargain, and Esplin 9644 escaped his hork-bajir host, into the body that "Chapman" conveniently placed ear-down on the ground for him. Elfangor realizes he can't win against three controllers. He dumps Alloran/Esplin on the planet and flies off with the two humans locked in a back room to starve out their yeerks.

[keenadraws]

The Andalites

[cluelessrebel1988]

If I Ran The Zoo (or how I would plot out an Animorphs TV/streaming series if I had the time/ability/resources)

So this is something I've been kicking around in my head on-again, off-again for a couple years now, and I thought I'd put it out there, just for the lols (do people still say that?)

My thought process is for a 5 season arc, with each season being somewhere in the neighborhood of 13-15 episodes long, give or take. There would be a few changes with the order of things, and a few minor characters would play a bigger role. I'm not going to go episode by episode, but just sort of outline the big arcs for each season. I'm not in any way suggesting that this is the best way to do it, just that this is how I would do it.

Season 1

This season obviously would start the events of The Invasion and would primarily incorporate events/plot points from the first 10 books, including finding Ax in his crashed ship (though I would move that to either take place in the first episode, or in the second half of the two-part premiere), Tobais getting stuck in his hawk form (and getting an episode or two dedicated to him coming to terms with that), and introducing Erik and the Chee (Erik would be introduced as a friend of Marco's early in the season, with his identity as a Chee being revealed in the second half of the season).

The only major plot point from that run of the series I wouldn't put into play just yet is the reveal of Marco's mother as Visser One (although I would be very much establishing her through flashbacks, dreams, etc., so people will recognize her when Visser One does show up).

The main arc of the season would involve the Kandrona Ray and the events of The Stranger, with the team meeting the Ellimist and learning about the ray and its significance and plotting to take it down to try to end/expose the invasion. Erik and Ax tagteam providing info about the ray and its use, but it's the vision from the Ellimist that gives Rachel the final clue, again, as in the book, with that occuring at the end of the penultimate episode. The season finale is solely focused on devising and executing the plan to destroy the ray. The plan would succeed, which would prompt Visser One's return, revealing her host to be Marco's mother as the cliffhanger for the season.

Obviously, we would be exploring the kid's home lives more, with the relationship with their families and friends and the whole 'work-life balance' thing that comes with fighting a guerilla war against an alien invasion. Not to the point where they're having to fake illnesses to skip school every episode, but enough to show that it's putting a strain on their relationships. I would also explore Rachel's relationship with Melissa Chapman more and have Melissa be a bigger supporting character in the show. We'd also introduce Karen and Aftran in this season, revealing her to be a controller early on, but something that Cassie doesn't find out until the end of the season

Season 2

Season 2 would pick up a few weeks after season 1, as The Alien did with The Stranger. The kids learn that their hope that the invasion would reveal itself with the Kandrona ray destroyed were in vain and that Ax knew that. The premiere would largely follow the plot of that book, with the Animorphs attempting to integrate Ax into society and attempting to take the fight to Visser Three with the help of a Yeerk traitor, and Ax telling the others about the Law of Seerow's Kindness. Ax would get a lot of development this season, with the events of The Deception coming into play.

Tobias would help free the Hork-Bajir as in The Change and get his human form back as a morph, and the reveal that he is Elfangor's son would be included in this season as well (Obviously we're tapping into the Andalite Chronicles for flashbacks in at least one episode this season to help set that up).

Marco's main character arc would revolve around learning that his mother is Visser One, keeping it a secret, only to have the others find out later, thus incorporating The Predator and The Escape. Also Visser One is the big bad for the season, delving more into her conflict with Visser Three. The season would end with her supposed death following the Animorphs' thwarting of her plans

For Cassie, we cover the utilize adapted versions of The Departure and set up for The Sickness, with Karen/Aftran and Cassie perhaps getting trapped somewhere and forced to work together to get out of it, laying the groundwork for Aftran to be captured by Visser Three. The season finale would also center around the efforts to rescue Aftran.

Jake and Rachel will have arcs and roles to play in each of these stories as they each start to fall into their respective roles as leader and fighter, respectively. If they get their own arc, it would be around trying to save Tom specifically.

Additionally, Melissa is still around in her expanded role, but with a new friend: David, who would be introduced fairly early in the season in a recurring role (Melissa is also recurring at this point). She and David will have a B-plot where they become friends and are together when David finds the morphing cube, the discovery of which also occurs in the finale.

Season 3

Obviously, the primary source for the main arc of season 3 is the David Trilogy, with The Discovery in particular serving as the source for the season premiere. It plays out mostly the same, with the Animorphs learning that David and Melissa have the cube and plans to sell it online. They try to retrieve the cube before the two of them can attract the attention of the Yeerks, but ultimately fail, leading to the battle at David's house. They manage to get Melissa and David out of the house before they can be captured, and are forced to reveal themselves and tell them what's happening, essentially recruiting them into the Animorphs.

The events of the rest of the trilogy, with the threat to the UN summit or some similar event involving world leaders as a target that they have to keep the Yeerks from taking advantage of -- as well as with David and Melissa's reactions to being Animorphs -- would take up the majority of the plot this season. Obviously Melissa becoming an Animorph opens up some new potential for her arc, especially around her relationship with her dad and trying to come to terms with him being a controller (and the fact that Rachel has been keeping this a secret all along). She and David would have similar arcs around their parents being controllers, but while David ultimately turns against the Animorphs, Melissa does not (although David tries to convince her to). The season ends with the gang trapping David in a rat morph, as the books do.

One of Melissa's major character traits is her interest in technology, something she used to bond with her father over (working together to take things apart and then put them back together before be became a Controller to try to keep her safe) and I imagine her and Ax developing something of an awkward friendship as she tries to ask him about the morphing technology and other Andalite technology, with him being reluctant to share due to the Law of Seerow's Kindness. But, as he's grown closer with the Animorphs, he would eventually acquiesce and they would begin to bond. The two big relationships (Rachel and Tobias, and Cassie and Jake) also take major steps this season

The other major arc for the season involves other Andalites, incorporating The Arrival and The Other, with the reveal that other Andalites are on earth and some are there to help...or are they? The season would also end with Tobias getting captured by the Yeerks to begin the laying of the groundwork for the discovery that the Animorphs are not, in fact, Andalite bandits.

Season 4

The events of The Illusion and The Test would be adapted for the season premiere, including the introduction of the Yeerk resistance (led in this series by Karen/Aftran) and Tobias's capture and torture, with the main difference being that it is Tom (who has largely been a secondary or tertiary villain thus far) being the one who conducts the torture. During the interrogation, Tobias lets something slip that most of the controllers in the room don't pick up on, but Tom does, leading him to investigate and setting up for the finale, which would be largely and adaptation of The Diversion, with the race against time to save their families taking up the majority of the episode. Melissa is able to save her parents, her father proving to be an asset in the final season with his knowledge of how Yeerk technology works.

This season as a whole would focus on escalating the war between the Animorphs and the Yeerks. The stakes become higher, as are tensions following David's betrayal. Visser One returns, learning that Marco is one of the Animorphs and we incorporate the events of Visser, seeing the Animorphs rescue her.

Following Tobias's capture and torture, Rachel becomes more angry and vengeful, setting up for her arc over the final season (we've seen hints of her violent streak over the series up to this point, but it gets more intense this season).

Season 5

With their secret out, the Animorphs regroup in the Hork-Bajir valley and try to figure out their next move. The final arc of the series would play out largely how it does over the course of the final books, with the team recruiting more Animorphs to help them with their mission, and even trying to recruit government and military officials to aid in the fight. Tom gets the morphing cube, adding controllers with the ability to morph (other than the newly appointed Visser One) to the threat against the Animorphs. The final battle would be a multi-pronged attack, with the bombing of the Yeerk Pool being part of the final assault and not a separate battle.

Rachel gets aboard the blade ship and kills Tom before being killed herself. In an effort to make up for the harm he caused, Hedrick Chapman sacrifices himself to both ensure the Yeerk Pool bomb goes off and to save Melissa one final time (the pair of them were in charge of building/detonating it, along with Ax), and Jake orders the flushing of the Yeerk Pool on the the Pool ship, alienating Erek and the rest of the Chee going forward. All of this is in the penultimate episode.

The series finale follows the aftermath of the war in The Beginning, and, as the books did, the series would end with Jake, Tobias, and Marco (and probably Melissa) being recruited to help save Ax from an as-yet unknown threat.

And there you have it, my outline for how an Animorphs series could/should play out. As I said at the start, this is just my idea and others might have different thoughts about what order the arcs should go in and what significant changes (if any) would be made. Please be kind with any criticisms, and if you'd like to share your thoughts with me, my inbox is open. I also did a fancast for the series a few years ago if anyone's curious about who would play who

[kooldewd123]

do you think alloran ever saw esplin as his penance? alloran, the disgraced war-prince, now granted the dishonor of being the only andalite lost to the yeerks. alloran, the butcher of the hork-bajir, now cursed to have his face become synonymous with the most ruthless force in the galaxy. alloran, whose reputation is second only to prince seerow himself, now separated from his wife and children for more than thirty years. do you think alloran, a prisoner in his own head, ever thought "this is what i deserve?"

[grandwretch]

ok so I've had an au in my head forever called the deserters where Marco, to his horror, survives the last suicide mission and goes a little crazy so he steals the time matrix and uses it to stop ax from being absorbed

what follows is marco trying to convince ax not to go back to the andalites while also dodging everyone who wants to kick his ass, including his own teammates, but I've always had problems with the beginning

HOWEVER...

"My name is Marco Alvarez, and I am my father's son," do kinda hit as a first line I won't lie

[sarifel-corrisafid-ilxhel]

There are dancing Andalites in my head. Send help.

[aniquotes]

"<Marco, why are you screaming? It hurts my head.>

<We're gonna die, you alien lunatic!>"

- Megamorphs #1: The Andalite's Gift (Marco), pg. 196 (by K.A. Applegate)

[pixelsilver]

Young andalites are born with underdeveloped eyestalks, practically nubs on their head. This is to protect the very delicate budding nerves at the end of each stalk while they're in the pouch. Once out of the pouch, the eyestalks start developing. The eyelids start completely glued closed in a similar manner to a young kitten or puppy. As they grow, the nerves lengthen and grow, causing the very elastic skin to stretch inch by inch while the eyes develop slowly at the ends of the nerves. By four months, they're completely developed. Once they're able to see out of them, the very first thing they seem to always look at is their own faces. If it's just because it's more comfortable to curl the newly developed stalks inward or if they're just fascinated with their newly discovered self, which this is around the time they start being able to recognize themselves in a mirror. But this habit soon stops when they start developing thought speak and an new fascination with the world around them.

[cairavende]

Can a himbo have a high int? I know it seems like a ridiculous thing to ask, but I have questions about my beautiful blue baby alien boy, Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill.

See Ax is clearly intelligent. He can build a fake Yeerk emergency beacon out of a few Radio Shack parts. He can explain various technicians and has a decent understanding of Z-space.

But Ax is also like, a complete goddamn himbo. Do we really think every Andalite runs around eating garbage the first time they morph into something with a mouth? And the second time? And the tenth time? (Ok so technically the first time he only ate other people's leftovers, no garbage until later. Which kinda makes it even worse.)

Or that Andalite's don't have the concept of what to do with waste? They build spaceships, they have to end up with left over material, broken tools, things like that. Yet Ax has no idea what to do with a leftover coffee cup, and then not only takes a literal interpretation of "throw it away" but chucks it at some guy's head.

I could go on. He meets all the requirements for himbo. Except that pesky intellect.

I see two viable answers:

1. Sometimes a himbo can be smart in some areas.

2. The vast majority of Ax's foolheadery is done while in human morph. Ax's human morph is also very cute. So Ax the andalite isn't a himbo, but when he morphs into Ax the human, he also morphs into a himbo.

[ellimisms]

Concept: D&D homebrew oneshot based off Animorphs where you each play as one of the main characters of the Animorphs series.

The morphing system would be a modified Wild Shape mechanic, altered to two ends: first, to better fit the book's lore, and second, to make class factor into it more so each character is more unique. Probably each character would be able to use some of their class actions (just for an example, Action Surge for fighters or Rage for barbarians) while in morph, and morphing would restore hit points to 100%.

There would be a skill check associated with morphing--it'd be a Wisdom-based skill that you could gain proficiency in. Roll at advantage when using a familiar morph or becoming another human, disadvantage for things you're scared of or morphing while badly injured. Do a morphing check whenever you're in a new morph for the first time to see if you can get control of it; the actual number to beat is up to the GM based on what the animal is.

Also there would have to be some sort of mechanic to prevent TPKs--the main crew has a LOT of plot armor in the books because they can't die (until the end), so there'd need to be something to keep the PCs alive. Maybe if you "die" you don't actually perish, but instead something very bad happens to the party (you get infested, maybe?)

Infestation would be another new mechanic, though a pretty simple one; if a PC gets infested, the GM just starts controlling that character as the yeerk. The player can try to interrupt what the yeerk's doing, but has to roll a nat 20 with disadvantage (no bonuses from skill proficiencies)--it's supposed to be nearly impossible in the books so that's fairly lore-consistent.

In terms of the actual characters you can play:

Jake: Fighter, probably Battle Master subclass as that's more strategically focused. Not much else to say to be honest--I think he'd be proficient in persuasion, since he's supposed to be a good leader.

Marco: Rogue, maybe? Frankly his strengths don't match up with a specific class--maybe multiclass rogue/bard or fighter/bard because I know for a FACT he can and does cast vicious mockery.

Rachel: Barbarian for SURE, probably the Berserker subclass though I find the idea of her being a Wildheart pretty funny and thematically accurate.

Cassie: Probably a Druid or Beast Master ranger--I'm not sure where I stand on allowing caster classes since that doesn't exist in the real world but neither does morphing. Which one she is just depends on that.

Tobias: Who even KNOWS with this guy. Since he's stuck in morph it matters less, but I'd actually go with warlock--his patron is the Ellimist, since he's the one who seems to be able to argue with the Ellimist the most. It's either that or sorcerer, but he doesn't really gain any powers from his andalite bloodline so that seems less accurate.

Ax: Fighter, but it'd be different because he is an andalite. Just off the top of my head I'd make him be able to deal slashing damage on an unarmed attack (maybe just make his unarmed attack count as a sword attack) and increase his movement speed.

A group could also choose to discard these characters and play as a bunch of original characters if they so chose.

Anyways I'm probably the only person in the world that cares enough about both Animorphs and D&D to create this but oh well have fun.

[kidrat]

[id: scribbled drawings of andalites. They are underwater, among some simply drawn fish and reeds. At the top, is an andalite in a horizontal position. It's legs are tucked up, and it's arms hang by it's chest. At the bottom of the picture is an andalite in a similar position to the first. However it's legs are tucked closer to it's body, it's head is down, and it's arms are outstretched in front of it, squeezed around it's head. It appears streamlined, and closer to how mermaids are often depicted swimming. A third andalite swims in front of the other two. It is even more hastily drawn, and shows a variation of the second andalite's position, in which it's arms are held straight by it's sides. All the andalites' eyestalks are shown to drag behind them slightly, indicating forwards movement. end id]

Been thinking about how andalites swim. @c-rowlesdraws art among others has convinced me of wiggly andalites with more spine flexibility than the typical centaur. Most human swimming strokes either require you to out-turn your feet for a better kick (breaststroke), or to point your toes to slice through water easier (front and back crawl). Hooves can't do either of these things really, so I imagine andalite tails would do the 'kicking', so to speak. They're big, strong, and prehensile. Maybe the tail blades are even used for streamlining purposes, or even steering, who knows.

But yeah, I imagine andalites swim much like water monitor lizards, or like a human doing butterfly stroke. maybe otters are another good comparison. In my head their tails/bodies wiggle up and down to propel themselves, but side to side could work too. Possible they default to up and down, but switch to side to side if they're swimming forward while laying on their sides (ie. you and your andalite buddy are swimming together and chatting. They're herd animals!)

The uppermost andalite in the picture is what I imagine to be casual/instinctual swimming - their equivalent of doggy paddle. The others are variations on a more serious, effective form.

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

One thing I’ve never exactly understood. Why did the victory on Earth in books 53/54 correspond to a total victory over the Yeerk Empire? Most clearly, we never see the Council of 13 get defeated.

Short answer: Eva.

Long answer:

This is all kind of background to the main plots of the books, but. What we know happens is something like this.

The yeerks try to take Leera, under Visser One's leadership. They meet andalite resistance, leeran resistance, and Animorph resistance — ultimately they fail (#15 - #18).

V1 gets reassigned to Sleegab Five. Not many details, but it doesn't go well. Doesn't help that Marco has been actively discrediting her within the Empire (#30).

V1 gets rereassigned to Anati (#30).

Toby et al. launch a resistance on the Hork-Bajir Homeworld (#34).

V1 gets tried as a traitor (thanks, Marco) and slated for execution (Visser). V3 becomes V1. This corresponds with the Empire withdrawing from some failed attempts to take other planets.

Eva (after being rescued; thanks Marco) points out that the Yeerk Empire has few territories outside of Earth that aren't being occupied by andalite counter-invasions (#45).

Andalites have occupied Yeerk Homeworld, Taxxon Homeworld, and Sleegab Five, taking them back from Yeerk Empire (#46). Eva knows that the yeerks are trying to convince the andalites that their focus is on Anati, and that their actual focus is on Earth.

Ax persuades Andalite War Council that yeerks are concentrating on Earth, which is a mixed blessing — it gets the andalites to head for Earth, but they plan to annihilate it when they arrive (#46).

Yeerk forces further concentrate on Earth (#51). Eva speculates that they now have 0 other planets, if they've lost Anati.

Jake, Toby, and Eva plan to blow the biggest yeerk pool on Earth to convince the yeerks "Earth isn't worth their time". They know they're making the yeerks some other planet's problem, but need to prevent the andalites from wiping out humanity (#52).

The yeerks are so overcommitted to Earth that blowing the yeerk pool has the opposite effect. New!V1 instead lands the Pool Ship on Earth and throws everything at an open Earth invasion (#53).

Eva, Jake, Arbron, and V17* conspire to both draw andalite forces to Earth and conceal that fact from new!V1. Now all the andalites' and all the yeerks' eggs are in the Earth basket (#53).

Jake corners V1 and forces him to surrender. V17 reveals to the Empire that the andalites are here, and plans to use that chaos to escape with a splinter group. The andalites accept Jake's handing over the Yeerk Empire (#54).

Rachel kills Tom, preventing V17's escape.

Ax and Alloran manage to negotiate Earth remaining independent, even as the andalites take control of the Yeerk Empire.

[denzartriste]

MY FAVOURITES!!!! THEM!!! THEY ARE THE FIRST I DREW AND THE BEST ONES!!

Fundy's text: Fundy (animorpher), still can't control instincts very well, half morphs into a fox at work, Who needs testosterone when you have fur, [notes to myself: This under half+fluff, this bang shape]. Pin saying "this man hates purple."

Purple's text: Purpled (alien), Species physically adapts very quick. Very suited for combat+camouflage, Knife in pocket, Purple parts in hair are antennas, very few of them alive at a time (used to be much more). Skin cannot be broken or harmed - it acts as an armour and can be peeled at knuckles+chest. Dies and is reborn every 5-10 years to strenghen protected skin <- takes a couple of months to fully relearn english. How skin peels - antenna's are not skin and can't be peeled - They can be damaged normally though. [he also has a pin on his bag that says "This bitch loves purple", a joke gift from tommy]

Charlie my BOY I LOVE HIM (Quackity's also here i guess /silly)

Quackity: Quackity (guy), Just some guy, bit of a dumbass, Gets preformative/dramatic when feeling any sort of negative emotion. Hides hair in beanie [note: I'm canadian i say tuque i wrote tuque at first but then i decided to conform pensive face /j] - glass eye+gold teeth -Fancy fucking shoe haver

Charlie: Charlie (guy...?), Mimics people to look more "human" <- the world is his moodboard! Gooby goo! Zoopkeeper mainly. "Normal self", Socks+ sandal inspo from Fundy, Eye accessory from Sam, nose like Foolish's, Hair from Q, Hoodie inspo from Purpled+Fundy. Sad edition (ft. hoodie), Totally real Big Q

Sam's design is so much of a work in progress you dont understand im hindered by the skill im at i cannot draw his body. I just gave him a fucking cloak, anyway-

Sam: Sam (Hork-Bajir), Janitor+Tech guy, former controller (he got better)(and is on the run), Purpled+Fundy think he's currently a controller (previously Foolish too), Eyes on sides of his head, Herbavour, [arrow pointing towards flat teeth] ?maybe, Body/posture, Blade like body (farming scythe specifically), Cloak to hide body, leaning forward on arms, gas mask constantly letting out smoke

Foolish: Foolish (Andalite), Complains about his body - Fundy just thinks he's trans, Doesn't understand fashion but he tries! (Fundy just think's he's trans), Had a book 6 plot w/ Sam, Uses stalk eyes to keep an eye on dangers, About to trip

Pardon me for all the text lmao i just wanted to make sure people understood the notes. Gonna talk more about them in the reblog :]

[theogem]

The fic "wanna fly away" meant SO much to me, I can't get it out of my head!! I had to sketch out his little scoop. I really wanted to get both chandeliers in there, but ran out of space. Also, he wants curtains to match the floral rug but the green ones offer better camouflage for now.

If you haven't read it, this is Stedeth-Esgarrouth-Bonnetil, the Andalite who landed on Earth. And he's adorable and brave and sweet and bitchy and I love him.

(I keep going back and forth on what he's watching on his two screens. I think the Planet Earth documentary on one, but I think maybe some sort of bank-stocks-hacking program? On the other? So he can have more money for more rugs??)

[kyuziipon]

Axmarco has been growing on me tbh. LET THEM BE HAPPY ‼️‼️

ID: [two digital sketches in red of ax and marco from animorphs. In the first ax is in his andalite form, and he and marco stand with their foreheads pressed together. They are both blushing with hearts around their heads, and marco is holding ax’s face in his hands. The second image ax is in his human morph. He is leaning on marco and hugging him, leaning in for a kiss. Marco is laughing and blushing. ] /End ID