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I think an open war would be better for humans just based on the fact that the Yeerks think that keeping it quiet is better. If the Yeerks thought they could easily and quickly win an open war they would start one.
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# ? Apr 18, 2021 15:00 |
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# ? May 25, 2024 12:41 |
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I get what you mean, but it sorta depends on how you define "better." It would get millions or hundreds of millions of people killed - bad for us, bad for the Yeerks who want the hosts. South Korea could wipe the floor with North Korea, but there's no scenario in which they go to war where Seoul doesn't get laid to waste in the first hour.
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# ? Apr 18, 2021 22:07 |
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I think the Yeerks probably lose a protracted war with Earth, but it would make World War 2 look like a minor skirmish. The logistical problems the Yeerks face are insurmountable in the long term, despite their technological superiority. The Yeerks best chances would probably be a massive first strike and hope to coerce major earth powers to surrender to avoid annihilation. But that doesn't work if it becomes known that the Yeerks need humans alive. Basically, there's a very good reason the Yeerks are opting for the stealthy approach at this point.
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# ? Apr 18, 2021 22:56 |
The other thing is, going to a hot war is the exact opposite of what the Yeerks want anyway. Every human they kill is one more human they can't use.
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# ? Apr 18, 2021 23:03 |
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I just stumbled across this thread and I am so excited to catch up and join the convo. I loved the books so much as a kid! I'm reading page 3 now and it will be a while before I get caught up with the thread, but when I do I'll participate in the discussion. Unless of course I get bored or busy and never return...
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# ? Apr 18, 2021 23:09 |
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Modern Day Marco tries to take David to call his folks on a payphone only to find that the one he's thinking of was removed years ago and he never quite noticed
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# ? Apr 18, 2021 23:13 |
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I think the other thing with Yeerks is simply - do they have enough Yeerks? They have the one pool ship and one pool on the surface, unless more are introduced later? Even if there are tens of thousands, it wouldn't be enough to win an open war on the surface. And presumably if they started openly moving a proper invasion force, the andalites would realise that there was a major prize at stake and scramble right after them.
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# ? Apr 18, 2021 23:24 |
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Strategic Tea posted:I think the other thing with Yeerks is simply - do they have enough Yeerks? They have the one pool ship and one pool on the surface, unless more are introduced later? The Yeerks would have utter air superiority and could probably threaten and carry out bombardments of the White House, Parliament, etc. from space, but yeah, essentially their whole army has to stay within three days' travel of two different spots on the globe. There's a reason they're all sticking in the same place. In the event that the invasion is made public, you might expect a guerilla resistance, but probably not even that because there's hardly any Yeerks to resist against. You would probably end up with a weird standoff with say, the Secretary of State threatening to nuke the Yeerk Pool and millions of potential hosts.
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# ? Apr 18, 2021 23:38 |
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Man, Reading this as an adult, they are absolutely terrible at integrating a new member to their group. If the circumstances would be different, they just be bad at orientation and Integration, but as it stands, they are downright cruel.
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# ? Apr 18, 2021 23:57 |
Rochallor posted:The Yeerks would have utter air superiority and could probably threaten and carry out bombardments of the White House, Parliament, etc. from space, but yeah, essentially their whole army has to stay within three days' travel of two different spots on the globe. There's a reason they're all sticking in the same place. In the event that the invasion is made public, you might expect a guerilla resistance, but probably not even that because there's hardly any Yeerks to resist against. I dont know if I'd go so far as to say they'd have air superiority. I could absolutely see a massive cruise missile strike dusting a bunch of Bug Fighters. I think we can all agree open war is a loss condition for the local Yeerk forces, regardless of what happens next. It's almost like the ending of The Thing, in a way. Once the humans go scorched earth, all bets are off.
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# ? Apr 19, 2021 00:34 |
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Comrade Blyatlov posted:I dont know if I'd go so far as to say they'd have air superiority. I could absolutely see a massive cruise missile strike dusting a bunch of Bug Fighters. Human weapons can probably take down Bug Fighters but they have stealth systems that render them invisible to radar and the naked eye, which would make shooting them down a lot more difficult.
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# ? Apr 19, 2021 00:44 |
poo poo, I forgot about that. Asymmetric RTS Yeerk invasion game when
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# ? Apr 19, 2021 00:48 |
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XCOM total conversion mod. Your team can also obtain morphing technology.
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# ? Apr 19, 2021 00:53 |
gently caress. I want this.
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# ? Apr 19, 2021 01:08 |
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Animorphs-Book 20-The Discovery, Chapter 21quote:There were two big tests ahead for David. One was his first morphing. The other was his first battle. We’d all gotten used to morphing. Almost. But the first time was a serious eye-opener. You think you’ve experienced weird? You haven’t experienced anything until you watch your own body turn into something extremely different. That's a good point, btw. quote:“Can I say something?” David asked. The first rule of being in Animorphs is don't kill other Animorphs. Chapter 22 quote:David was quick. But Cassie was quick and prepared. She stepped in, expertly grabbed the flailing eagle, and held him down. So we can agree this is probably a bad sign, right? quote:<Hey, look!> Tobias said. <There’s a helicopter coming up behind us. Marine Corps helicopter. It’s … whoa! That must be Marine One!> This chapter has both Tobias's bird rants and Ax's condescension against other species with worse technology. and also thermals. This is the best chapter of an Animorph book ever. Oh, and also the Yeerks are going to kidnap the President.
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# ? Apr 19, 2021 03:54 |
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Things Tobias knows about: -birds -aircraft, which are basically metal birds -dinosaurs, which are basically scaly old birds -thermals, which are basically hot windy birds
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# ? Apr 19, 2021 04:07 |
I'd just like to point out David has a cat. You know who else is a cat person?
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# ? Apr 19, 2021 04:12 |
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Comrade Blyatlov posted:I'd just like to point out David has a cat. You know who else is a cat person? Melissa Chapman?
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# ? Apr 19, 2021 04:23 |
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Epicurius posted:Melissa Chapman? Melisser Three
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# ? Apr 19, 2021 05:03 |
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The president is being pursued by Controllers. Are you a bird enough dude to rescue the president?
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# ? Apr 19, 2021 05:04 |
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Comrade Blyatlov posted:I'd just like to point out David has a cat. You know who else is a cat person? His pet cat was Tobias's first morph...
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# ? Apr 19, 2021 06:25 |
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Fuschia tude posted:His pet cat was Tobias's first morph... Now that Tobias is a bird, I wonder what happened to Dude. Did his evil uncle kick the cat out or something?
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# ? Apr 19, 2021 06:44 |
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Epicurius posted:Now that Tobias is a bird, I wonder what happened to Dude. Did his evil uncle kick the cat out or something? Since he tended to bounce around between family, I wonder whether it was his or belonged to (his uncle?) anyway.
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# ? Apr 19, 2021 06:59 |
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That was (vaguely) addressed in one of the letter columns on the Scholastic site.quote:You know, I've been wondering why this question has never been asked. As a cat owner, I've felt guilty about this for two years. I have to assume that "Dude" was left with Tobias' various useless aunts and uncles. Incidentally, "Dude" is named for a former kitty of mine who, unfortunately, was run over. Dude was a female, an amazing jumper and destroyer of mice. She got her name because she was abandoned by some teenagers who for some bizarre reason insisted on calling themselves "The Dudes." We used to see her around and started calling her "the Dude cat," not knowing she was female. The name stuck.
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# ? Apr 19, 2021 08:18 |
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Shwoo posted:That was (vaguely) addressed in one of the letter columns on the Scholastic site. It's funny how they misread and answered the wrong question there, which kind of was more interesting than the one that was actually asked. (Which I'm pretty sure the answer to was just "no.")
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# ? Apr 19, 2021 09:31 |
Shwoo posted:That was (vaguely) addressed in one of the letter columns on the Scholastic site. i do like this response to one of the questions: quote:Ax has only attended human school for brief periods. He goes for a period at a time, then leaves to demorph. Kind of wish you could do that sometimes? mostly because i deeply enjoy the idea that ax, who was so inattentive in andalite school, would view going to human school as a casual entertainment activity he does once a week or so; and that since he probably just picks a random classroom to join, every teacher in the school is completely confused about what the deal is with "jake's cousin, philip ip-ip"
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# ? Apr 19, 2021 10:01 |
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quote:“I have the brochure,” Rachel announced as we met once again at Cassie’s barn. “I downloaded it off the Internet.” I know YA fiction likes to break one of Elmore Leonard's cardinal rules all the time, but I love the fact Rachel "announces" this. "I downloaded it off THE INTERNET!" (Slaps down a bunch of lovely, pixelated printoffs onto a hay bale.) Jazerus posted:mostly because i deeply enjoy the idea that ax, who was so inattentive in andalite school, would view going to human school as a casual entertainment activity he does once a week or so; and that since he probably just picks a random classroom to join, every teacher in the school is completely confused about what the deal is with "jake's cousin, philip ip-ip" I like the idea that none of the Animorphs know he's doing this until one of them randomly walks past a classroom with an open door one day, where he's gone up to the front to correct the teacher and is doing a bunch of equations on the chalkboard and has just "invented" nuclear fusion
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# ? Apr 19, 2021 10:23 |
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Also, going back to the open war vs secret infiltration discussion, I forgot that we eventually learn that a big reason for this is Visser One was originally calling the shots, and she was pushing for secret invasion because she was one of the first scouts and lived among humans for years. And also - bigger spoilers, for those who might have read that book but forgot this detail and want to go in semi-fresh again - she gave birth to a human child while in a human host, or something? So she has a secret kid out there? Which I don't really like as much, the cliche of the villain just caring about their own loved one. It would be more interesting if she was just a big backer of voluntary hosts, of the Sharing etc, of the idea that the Yeerk Empire could theoretically be peaceful - which would tie in with the Yeerk peace movement. We know there are a lot of voluntary human hosts, and that a lot of Taxxons were voluntary, but it feels like an underdeveloped idea overall.
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# ? Apr 19, 2021 10:30 |
freebooter posted:Also, going back to the open war vs secret infiltration discussion, I forgot that we eventually learn that a big reason for this is Visser One was originally calling the shots, and she was pushing for secret invasion because she was one of the first scouts and lived among humans for years. And also - bigger spoilers, for those who might have read that book but forgot this detail and want to go in semi-fresh again - she gave birth to a human child while in a human host, or something? So she has a secret kid out there? Which I don't really like as much, the cliche of the villain just caring about their own loved one. It would be more interesting if she was just a big backer of voluntary hosts, of the Sharing etc, of the idea that the Yeerk Empire could theoretically be peaceful - which would tie in with the Yeerk peace movement. We know there are a lot of voluntary human hosts, and that a lot of Taxxons were voluntary, but it feels like an underdeveloped idea overall. That was the whole thing with Visser One though. She had all of that, experienced all of it, then callously and coldly turned her back on it. To my knowledge she didn't give the slightest poo poo about her child once she left Earth. That entire story was there to demonstrate what an absolute monster she was. I stress again. If Visser One had been running the show, the invasion would have been over before anyone knew what happened. I think it's Ax that describes her as "brilliant and dangerous."
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# ? Apr 19, 2021 11:40 |
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With regards to David: really, the whole morphing power probably would be a hell of a drug trip. The series has already touched on how much fun morphing can be (llama Marco, anyone?). But for someone already in a not great place psychologically, the sensation of power must be overwhelming.
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# ? Apr 19, 2021 15:16 |
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Just saw some panels from the second graphic novel. Spoiled in case anyone is avoiding these, but it's from book 2 so we've covered it already in-thread. I think this illustrator is doing a really good job of conveying the body horror of it all. The pink on that nose/trunk in the last phase is just awful. I love it W/r/t David, yeah, they are being really really unhelpful to this kid who's just lost everything and clearly got some stuff going on. I don't love how his liking metal is shorthand for him being a fuckup but hey, it was the 90s and what says Clintonian end-of-history like a good old fashioned moral panic? I always wish this next arc was a little longer, I think it would really benefit from seeing every character's perspective on the new kid. It would have been really interesting to get a book with David as the narrator after this one. Enjoy the ride, thread!
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# ? Apr 19, 2021 17:34 |
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The pretty awful job the Animorphs do with integrating David into their crew does serve as good reminder that these are 13 (maybe 14 by now?) year-old children. Kids can be brutal with outsiders who don't match their vibe, which David clearly doesn't.
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# ? Apr 19, 2021 17:40 |
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Animorphs-Book 20-The Discovery, Chapter 23quote:<Move! Move! Move!> Jake yelled. I'm the only person who feels anything like pity for the Taxxons, aren't I? quote:But none of this could be seen by the helicopter. The hatch was in a blind spot above and behind. And the chase helicopter wouldn’t see it, either. The angle was all wrong. Probably. Chapter 24 quote:I was beneath the helicopter. So were Jake, Ax, Cassie, and David. Rachel and Tobias were stuck outside. So apparently, they were not bird enough dudes to save the President. Also, probably the worst couple days of David's life.
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# ? Apr 20, 2021 04:05 |
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"She made me acquire a cockroach. She didn't make me try the morph first before we went on a mission; she said that's 'not how we do things'." Also if Jack Bauer can kidnap the POTUS on 24 you can do it with seven morph-capable guerilla fighters.
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# ? Apr 20, 2021 09:02 |
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Homora Gaykemi posted:The president is being pursued by Controllers. Are you a bird enough dude to rescue the president? extraordinary
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# ? Apr 20, 2021 09:09 |
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The Taxxon's definitely have the roughest deal of any of the aliens we've seen
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# ? Apr 20, 2021 09:43 |
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Man, when I was a kid my read on this storyline was more about how well they pulled off the Animorphs Action Thriller concept of accidentally letting A Bad Person become an Animorph and using their own abilities against them. Reading it now... yeah the team definitely just go about absolutely everything in the worst possible way. I actually have much more sympathy for David here than I would have remembered being justifiable. To the point where him flipping out after all of this actually seems more realistic than the OG Animorphs keeping it together admirably well after all they’ve seen and done.
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# ? Apr 20, 2021 19:56 |
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feetnotes posted:Reading it now... yeah the team definitely just go about absolutely everything in the worst possible way. This thread in a nutshell for me, basically. Isn't David going to start doing weird creepy stuff in addition to cracking due to this? I almost feel it might be more interesting without that...
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# ? Apr 20, 2021 20:22 |
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Bringing him along for this mission was incredibly dumb
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# ? Apr 20, 2021 20:23 |
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# ? May 25, 2024 12:41 |
Yea they basically set poor David up to fail, don't they?
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# ? Apr 20, 2021 20:45 |