Welcome to the Moonlight Library’s 30 Day Animorphs Challenge!
Despite Project Animorphs in 2013, I clearly do not talk about Animorphs enough.
This particular challenge is taken from the Heck Yeah Tumblr Challenges archive on Tumblr.

Day 10: Your One True Pairing

I think, like most people in the fandom, that my One True Pairing is Tobias and Rachel.

And no, this isn’t because I don’t like Cassie and Jake, because I do. They were the rock and foundation of my teenage romantic years and I’m okay they don’t end up together, because it doesn’t always work out that way.

But Tobias is broken, and Rachel is fierce, and I love that combination swapping the normally mainstream dichotomies of the masculine and feminine ideals. Because there is no two ways about it, Rachel is feminine as you can get but she also kicks ass and is the bravest and toughest of the group, which I LOVE. She’s such a great role model and it’s so refreshing to see someone like her in fiction, even now (especially now when the feminine ideal in fiction is to be wife/caretaker author insertion Mary Sue like Bella Swan).

And Tobias has so much growth to do. Rachel feels protective of the boy who was bullied but doesn’t fall in love with him until he changes. He becomes way more assertive and comfortable in his skin when he’s a bird. It’s his true form, more than even being human was.

IT LOOKS LIKE RACHEL IS CUDDLING TOBIAS. HEART MELTS.

I honestly don’t think Rachel ever tried to trap him back in his human form. I don’t think she’d do that. Of course she’s confused about her role, because she’s the ass kicking Amazon mall rat in love with a dude who’s actually a bird, and I can totally relate to sometimes needing to be girly and feminine when your main role is to be the antithesis to that. Becoming human again would be the worst thing for Tobias. Rachel just needed some human interaction.

As for Tobias, scoring the hottest chick in the world, the most beautiful and bravest and reckless, the girl who would go psychotic and kill anyone who hurt you, well, that’s gotta make you feel good, even if you are a bird. Right?

About Nemo

A lover of kittens and all things sparkly, Nemo has a degree in English Literature and specialises in reviewing contemporary, paranormal, mystery/thriller, historical, sci-fi and fantasy Young Adult fiction. She is especially drawn to novels about princesses, strong female friendships, magical powers, and assassins.