Young Writers Society

Love the gif @Wolfical! XD

So, based on what Fantasy and I have talked about with solider Riley, basically...

Riley gets kidnapped by the Japanese and is implanted with a chip that turns her into "soldier Riley" by basically programing her to kill other Animorphers. So she has no idea what she's doing and when they are able to remove the chip, she doesn't remember anything that happened while she was chipped, including Cole's death.

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned on the DT yet, so if you're interested in what Fantasy and I were tentatively thinking for Cole's death, I have enspoiled it.

@LordZeus - I think the main issue is balancing all of the rogue factors in the storybook. Our ten characters strung between three enemy factions could have multiple combinations.

What if after Riley is captured by the Japanese, it causes a freak out among the Animorphers (How do we get Riley back? Who do we trust? What do we do?) and it causes a bit of a rift between the group, causing them to temporarily go separate ways? Maybe three of them could turn to the rebels, three of them could turn to the government, and three could go it alone, on the run? And if some of them did turn to the government, what if they discovered something they didn't know before? Like a new Animorpher facility being built or something?

Also, the whole thing with Jackson evoking emotion could be a good explanation for Riley freaking out at Battle of the Bands and turning into a Lynx; i.e. she's under more stress than usual, afraid that something is going to happen?

I've grown attached to Cole's character but that death scene is brilliant. I feel sorry for Riley already, having to live with the knowledge that she killed him.

If it works out that way and Cole dies, that means Rileon could become a thing. :3

Actually, @Chaser, that's how Jackson is. I guess you can say he wants to use the Animorphers for something grander. I was thinking though, Jackson is so caught into the thought of using the teens that he doesn't exactly know the dangers that could arise from it. I think also Jackson might try to break/strengthen Charlotte's relationship with Michael. He wants to see how the tables will look like later on, I guess.

Another thing to think about: what if Jackson is just being forced to take the Animorphers because his parents were killed/kidnapped? Or, perhaps, he is just doing it because he's so absorbed?

Got a bit of time to duck in and saw you guy's posts regarding the shooting plot point. I'm going to try my best to sway you.

Riley being shot poses a few roadblocks, yes. It affects all the characters in various ways, and there's bound to be a lot of backlash from police, media, and parents. However, I think we could turn these disadvantages into advantages.
In any story, there's usually one pivotal moment that affects the way a group or individual character develops. In a way, this point could act as both.
While the group does realize that people are after them and want them gone, I think part of them-Riley especially-is still denying that their lives have been majorly affected. Instead of going into hiding or trying to get help like they do later on in the storybook, they keep their abilities a secret and go in with their usual lives. When Riley gets shot, she's put in a position where her life is truly in immediate danger. It's not just the possibility that she could be killed or injured, Riley really is teetering between life and death. For a while, no one really knows if she'll survive. And this is all after she and Cole were heading back from a normal activity. This moment could drive home the fact that the danger is more real and constant than they were telling themselves it was, that their lives are constantly in jeopardy, and that none of their lives will ever be the same. This realization would hit Riley, who really was trying to convince herself they'd be safe as long as they kept on going as they always did, especially hard, and start her off on the road to becoming a more serious and mature person. I had also planned on using it as a starting point in Riley and Cole's relationship. The two are already friends, and their bound to become closer over the fact that he saved her life. She may also reflex on all the other times she had been the one in the most danger, and start to feel like the weak link. This would lead to her wanting to become stronger and more independat, which adds to her own inner struggle while also spurring on her development as a character.

You could argue that that character development starts when she kills Cole. Or rather when she remembers that she kills Cole. While this does play a major role in Riley's development, I feel it happens too late in the story to be the start of that development. Especially with an upbeat character like Riley. If she were to nearly die closer to the beginning, she'd have a lot more time to grow up, but if we were to use Cole's death as that starting point, everything may happen a bit to fast for our readers to handle. She'd have been a sort of bouncy ball through the entire first part of the story, and suddenly all this happens and her entire character changes. It's realistic, but it think it would all happen a little to quickly.

As for the outside attention, we may be able to use that as an element in the plot. Another dangerous factor that the Animorphers have to deal with. All the attention from the media, Riley's parents becoming overprotective, and the police investigating the shooting could lead to some close calls where their secret almost gets sniffed out. The attention may cause stress within the group, which causes tensions to rise and rivalries to form. With the danger of the rest of the world finding out the secret they've so carefully kept, the government may up their efforts in trying to capture the Animorphers. Some characters may want to use the attention to their advantage and reveal the truth, which sounds insane to everyone else, and creates another seed of conflict within the cast. If we talked about it more, we could come up with multiple other possibilities. (And when I get back I could have some fun with writing hound dog parents! ) With the police, there was the idea of using the cover story of it being a drive-by shooting, and they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and/or one of the rebels confessing to the crime to keep the suspicion away from the other Animorphers. If the protectorate did that, it may make the others a little more curious about the rebels intentions, and eventually lead to some of the Animorphers siding with them later on during the Soldier Riley arc. ("They helped us before, so why is it so wrong to trust that they'll help us now?") All of this could snowball until Soldier Riley and Cole's death, where everything falls apart.

Now that I've said what I needed to say, I'll take my leave. I hope I've managed to change the minds of at least some of you. Tell me what you think.
-Fanty

(Ps, sorry for any typos. I'm doing this on a tiny phone keypad and auto correct is stupid.)

@Wolfical, you posed a good point about Cole not surviving the fall, so I did some research on falling and it sounds like it really depends on how he lands, and how high up he was when he fell. If he originally landed on his feet, or a part of his body that wasn't the head/neck, then he could potentially land without hitting his head/breaking his neck and survive with several broken bones and/or some other complications that could kill him--just not instantly. And I've grown really attached to him too. It's gonna be really hard to see him go.

So, back to what @Steggy said. Did you have any ideas for what Jackson would want to use the Animorphers for? Or where they took Michael's mom?

If Jackson got in over his head, not knowing the danger he's getting himself into... would there be a possibility of him getting killed through all this?

We also need to remember that Jackson is Emma's brother, so she would be closely connected to this, and if something happened to his/their parents (killed/kidnapped) it would directly effect her too, just like it would if Jackson were killed.

I like the idea of Riley getting shot. I think it will push the plot along in a great way and really test the characters. It will draw attention to them, but I don't think that will necessarily be a bad thing. It will just cause more stress through the group as they try to hide while being under a bit of a spotlight. I really liked LordZeus's idea of having the doctor caring for Riley secretly be a Protectorate agent, or having a Protectorate agent turn himself in to cover it up, which would be a good way of piquing the Animorphers interest in the Rebels. In a way, I think it could push the storybook into the next "act" as they leave their simple high school lives and have to deal with more serious situations and higher stakes. But that's just me. *puts in two cents*

*poke* thanks, @LeftyWriter! In any case, in my head, Jackson was a Government agent. Maybe we never said that, but that's what i had in my head. also, i think it makes the most sense, because I'm not sure where Jackson would get the ideas or resources to try anything by himself. With the backing of the CIA (which is probably the unit to which the US will assign the Animorpher's recovery too), on the other hand, he might.

Plus, it should be all too easy for the Intelligence operatives to draw a teen over to their side when they give him a speech about serving the country, and offer him gadgets and tech, and give him the chance to be a CIA special agent. Many, many kids dream of becoming one of those. Just a thought. What do you guys think?

@Steggy @Wolfical @HazelGrace16 @LeftyWriter @Chaser @TheFantasy14

I think it could work to have him working as a government agent, but why would he kidnap Michael's mom? I always imagined that the government sort of "lost track" of the Animorphers after the bombing and have been wanting to find them again (given all their info was destroyed). I imagined that they would be kind to them, telling them they would protect them and would be shutting down the experiment for good... even if they really had an alterer motive for getting the Animorphers on their good side. But that's just me.

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Technically, Jackson could be just, well, crazy without any affiliations. So he could be taking his Animorpher knowledge too far and they just need to stop him and potentially get him locked away so that he doesn't expose them.

Or, going even more out there... what if the Japanese chipped him like they do Riley, but it's the first prototype and it doesn't work right, so it makes him essentially go crazy?

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If we did want to go with an affiliation of some kind... we need to figure out why Jackson (or this organization he works for) would want to kidnap Michael's mom and what they would want to use the Animorphers for.

What'd I miss, guys? Comcast finally decided to actually do their job and so now I have actual wifi!

Do we have a specific plan of action for this part of the storybook? I know that Battle of the Bands is drawing closer, But what about what happens before? Also, the newsletter. When's the first one coming out? *Patiently waits in line*

Oaky, I think I've found a way to sweep Jackson to the side quickly, while also incorporate some other elements f the story that haven't been firmly established yet.

Building off of the idea that Jackson was they're first attempt at a chipped soldier, I was thinking that the Japanese would use the chip to track their defective weapon, reasoning that since he was still under the influence of the chip, he'd be solely focused on finding them and lead their forces straight to them. They didn't anticipate him kidnapping Michel's mother, but they didn't exactly care, either.
When the Animorphers do show up, She Japanese launch an attack, but the American government caught on to what was happening, and sent in their men to beat the Japanese off. In all the confusion, our heroes could free Michel's mom, and slip out with little to no true involvement in the whole affair.
And if we use the chip theory, it could give more background and a reason for explanation when Riley is kidnapped for the exact same purpose.

I really like that idea.

What do you guys think?

@Steggy @HazelGrace16 @LordZeus @Chaser @Wolfical

Me too!

So I don't remember how I got here, but this sounds like a pretty fantastic plot you have put together here. Where do y'all formulate the honest parts of these developmental adaptations- ? is meaning-- like in recount the depictions of the story as it actually unfolds.
{I'd love to read it and enjoy the specified accounts} !!!

Edited:

Hey @Wriskypump! Thank you for the compliment.

I'm not sure I entirely understand your question, but I'll try to answer it the best I can.

The original premise for Animophers (on the SB main post) was an idea I came up with, though it was probably somewhat inspired by the original Animorphs. I've just always thought the concept of humans being able to turn into animals was a really cool concept and thought it would be fun to explore it more.

The specific plot points after that (the Protectorate, the Japanese, etc) and the smaller specific plot points that have sort of driven the SB and the characters actions (going to the lake house, battle of the bands) were mostly discussed and collaborated on here on the DT through the 84 pages and some in private messages.

Lastly, the characters were each created by their own person, and while some characters have been taken over by people other than their original creator, the characters have always stayed true to their original creators intentions.

But of course the best and most important part, with all the little special things, relationships, character quirks and character specific plot points have come from the awesome people who are a part of the storybook, their creative minds, and their awesome, amazing posts.

And with all of that, Animorphers has been a collaborative effort, which is one of my favorite parts. Everyone has put something into it that wouldn't have been there otherwise. Animorphers wouldn't be as awesome as it is without the amazing group of people that have collaborated to create it.

I hope that answers your question!

so did you all ever write any of it out in real fiction, novel format?