Character Discussion Jake and Tom

[buffyangellvr23.livejournal.com]

Cutting, because of the major spoiler here.This was a conflict that was understandably attractive to go for knowing it would generate a LOT of conflict during the whole series. Jake has to be careful not to reveal himself to Tom, and at the same time, Tom is his main reason for fighting. I still wish we could have gotten a bit of non-infested Tom, rescued him at the end, but I can also see why KAA decided to have him die.

EDIT: Tag confusion becuase I'd posted this to my own journal first by mistake. *FACEPALM*

Comments

[blue_rampion]

(Okay I don't really have time to comment properly right now, but 'csi tag'? We don't have a csi tag. or at least we shouldn't.)

[blue_rampion]

Also, can you please put the part about Tom's death behind a lj-cut?

[buffyangellvr23.livejournal.com]

oops ok. And nevermind the tag, that was a goof on my part. Posted to my own journal first.

[blue_rampion]

Thanks! (And aah, I see! XD Though now I'm kinda wondering about what would happen if you crossed CSI with Animorphs (they wouldn't be able to use DNA evidence anymore! THE HORROR!)

[rivier.livejournal.com]

Many apologies if I've misunderstood the spoiler policy here, but isn't that a bit of a GINORMOUS spoiler right there in your post with no cut or warning...?

[blue_rampion]

You would be correct there, actually (I missed it when I glanced at the post myself, so thanks for pointing that out). But yes, Tom's death should be behind a cut.

[dgcatanisiri.livejournal.com]

I wish we could have gotten flashbacks to the old days of Jake and Tom's relationship prior to the Yeerk taking over his body. As important as it was for us to see Jake missing that, we should also have had a better understanding of what it was that he was missing. I understand him dying at the end, but some greater glimpse of Tom prior to him being made a Controller, maybe the Yeerk that infested Jake taunting him with more of Tom's memories.

A CSI tag? Really? Okay, actually, now I want to see that ficced...

[rena-librarian.livejournal.com]

Flashback, or like him not getting infested until a couple books in?

(Either way I concur!)

[dgcatanisiri.livejournal.com]

Since it was a key part of what encouraged Jake into the fight, I'm not sure how it could have been delayed (well, maybe with the kids taking longer to come to terms with everything that got dumped on them... actually, that might be a good idea... *begins to ponder*)

[mattiris.livejournal.com]

I think one of the most unrealistic things about the series (apart from turning into animals and blue deer aliens) is that Jake and his family weren't just infested from the get-go. No way Tom stays a Controller for over three years, especially with his Yeerk being a sub-Visser by the end of the series, and puts up with "Daaaaad, why won't you let me go to The Sharing this week?!" I mean obviously I get the narrative reason, but especially after #31, Tom's Yeerk would have been saying "fuck it, gas the house and infest them all."

[sherrilina.livejournal.com]

Lol this is true, I didn't think of that...oh well, at least they did it in the end! :p

[sherrilina.livejournal.com]

I love this relationship, especially the tragedy of its ending! I love that KA chose to end the final arc of the series with Tom's Yeerk as the main villain (kind of sad how they always referred to the Yeerk as Tom though) rather than Visser Three, there were some really epic scenes, loved their confrontations once the Yeerk was in the know, like when he slaps Jake, or when they have their "alliance" or at the very end when he begs Jake to stop. Really though, sending your cousin to kill your brother, so messed up, but bold and wonderful at the same time, though when I read it I was so horrified about it, that they didn't save Tom, just as I was about Rachel dying and J/C breaking up and everything else!

I do agree with others here though that some flashbacks would have been good and more emotional. Really in this series we mainly just get a Jake/Tom relationship in the sense in which they always referred to the Yeerk as Tom, so that Tom was almost a Yeerk character rather than a human one.