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quote:Luckily, our school has no guards or metal detectors like they have in the high schools. Yikes. Even pre-Columbine?
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# ? Oct 20, 2021 05:15 |
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# ? May 28, 2024 05:39 |
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freebooter posted:Yikes. Even pre-Columbine? Even post-Columbine, my high school had no metal detectors, just one cop on campus all the time that was called the "Student Resource Officer" IIRC
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# ? Oct 20, 2021 08:06 |
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Fuschia tude posted:Even post-Columbine, my high school had no metal detectors, just one cop on campus all the time that was called the "Student Resource Officer" IIRC Same, I went to high school in the mid-late 00s and no school in my city had metal detectors or anything more than the Resource Officer.
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# ? Oct 20, 2021 16:54 |
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I really enjoy seeing Jake grow from "reluctant leader but only because someone needs to make the call" to "no he's actually the leader this is just how it works now" by sheer necessity of how long it's been going on. Yeah, following Columbine our school had a few more "security guards" which were just janitors who sat in the foyer and watched who came in sleepily. The school shooting panic is something that got built up to its current nightmare world.
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# ? Oct 20, 2021 18:07 |
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It must feel really weird to arrive at school every morning and be immediately reminded that People Are Trying To Kill You.
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# ? Oct 20, 2021 23:54 |
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Tree Bucket posted:It must feel really weird to arrive at school every morning and be immediately reminded that People Are Trying To Kill You. People Are Trying To Kill You and if you get a bad grade on your math test, you'll probably get grounded and won't be able to go out and stop the intelligent space parasites who are trying to take over Earth from developing a hypnosis beam.
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# ? Oct 21, 2021 01:02 |
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quote:At eleven-thirty that night, with my dad safely snoring in his room, I morphed to seagull and flew to one of the little urban parks scattered throughout the downtown area. Benches, shrubs, trash cans, a few spindly trees. A place where the suits go to eat their bagel sandwiches. At least Marco got to eat before the mission. Also, I get the impression that the writer doesn't much like office workers.....the 'suits' eating their bagels. Chapter 8 quote:<The railing is continuous,> I pointed out. <We could race down along the railing.> So here's the thing if they fall off the wrong end of the railing. I don't know what kind of cockroach they morphed, but the two most common cockroaches found in the US are the American Cockroach and the German Cockroach. They both can hang on to walls. And they both can fly, They're not aerodynamic, and they don't have strong wings, so it's largely gliding, But still, if they do fall off and down, they can probabl get to the stairwell wall or to the steps.
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# ? Oct 21, 2021 03:20 |
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also I can't imagine the terminal velocity of a roach is that high. especially since we just spent a whole paragraph musing on their indestructibility... but yes also they can fly. still, it's impressive that 30+ books in we're still finding new ways to break into buildings.
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# ? Oct 21, 2021 04:21 |
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Epicurius posted:So here's the thing if they fall off the wrong end of the railing. I don't know what kind of cockroach they morphed, but the two most common cockroaches found in the US are the American Cockroach and the German Cockroach. Huh. I had no idea there were different kinds, I assumed they were just some super tough ancient proto-bug that spread to every corner of the earth long before humans ever did. But apparently the ones I'm familiar with are the Australian cockroach, almost identical to the American cockroach, since both originally come from Africa. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_cockroach (And I don't know why I didn't realise this, because I know that, counterintuitively, the housefly is an introduced species to Australia and also originally comes from Africa)
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# ? Oct 21, 2021 06:07 |
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Chapter 9quote:I went into the final turn. No banking this time. It was time for the sled to go off the path while the announcer said, “Oh! Ladies and gentlemen, there’s been a terrible accident; I hope everyone’s okay!” So first off, that's horrible. I think we can all agree on that. Also, audits! Am I right? And random roach fact....the reason it's very hard to kill a roach by stepping on it is that they can actually flatten themselves.....that's how they get through narrow spaces (and, in fact, roaches prefer very tight spaces. Chapter 10 quote:<Marco!> Tobias snapped. I don't usually have a lot to say about combat chapters, but I really feel for Marco here.
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# ? Oct 22, 2021 04:17 |
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I like the moments when we get a smaller group separated from the rest of the Animorphs and I feel like Marco/Tobias/Ax as a trio have a good dynamic. Though Ax is being a bit of a dick here.quote:<The person in the next room is not your mother.> Like... yes it is, because there are two people in that room. edit - also it just occurred to me Marco hearing his mum say "rot in hell" is the first time in the series that either we or he have heard her speak, rather than Visser One speaking with her voice. So it's probably nice for him to know she's still putting up a fight. freebooter fucked around with this message at 09:10 on Oct 22, 2021 |
# ? Oct 22, 2021 09:06 |
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I had never read that most recent Megamorphs. Honestly, it kinda fell apart for me. After Jake died and they are somehow immortal, it lost any stakes. Meanwhile this plot involving Marco’s mum is absolutely engaging.
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# ? Oct 22, 2021 10:28 |
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freebooter posted:I like the moments when we get a smaller group separated from the rest of the Animorphs and I feel like Marco/Tobias/Ax as a trio have a good dynamic. Though Ax is being a bit of a dick here. Ax knows. He was the one who couldn't kill Alloran, remember? But I think what Ax is trying to warn him is that he can't treat Visser One like his mother, or let Visser One live because Marco doesn't want his mother to die.
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# ? Oct 22, 2021 13:35 |
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Epicurius posted:Ax knows. He was the one who couldn't kill Alloran, remember? But I think what Ax is trying to warn him is that he can't treat Visser One like his mother, or let Visser One live because Marco doesn't want his mother to die. Yeah. There are two people in the next room, but only one of them is going to be an active participant in what happens next, and it's not Marco's mother.
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# ? Oct 22, 2021 13:56 |
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IMO it makes excellent sense to keel her alive so she and V3 can continue to waste Yeerk resources feuding with each other. Also having a load of controllers escape to report she was bailed out by andalites hiding in her bathroom will only stir the pot further
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# ? Oct 23, 2021 00:33 |
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Epicurius posted:Ax knows. He was the one who couldn't kill Alloran, remember? But I think what Ax is trying to warn him is that he can't treat Visser One like his mother, or let Visser One live because Marco doesn't want his mother to die. disaster pastor posted:Yeah. There are two people in the next room, but only one of them is going to be an active participant in what happens next, and it's not Marco's mother. It's effectively a hostage situation and I think it's fine to enter a hostage situation with the aim of keeping the hostage alive, whether it's your mother or not. Ax surely knows Marco well enough at this point that he knows he's not just going to be like "oh we can trust her, that's my mum!" edit - and as for killing her, there's absolutely no reason they couldn't kidnap her and starve the Yeerk out, since she's clearly a fugitive anyway
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# ? Oct 23, 2021 01:03 |
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This is genuinely the first book I have never heard of, neither have read it or read any description online. I actually reached the end of my Animorphs experience. And so far, it is a really strong showing.
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# ? Oct 23, 2021 01:04 |
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freebooter posted:It's effectively a hostage situation and I think it's fine to enter a hostage situation with the aim of keeping the hostage alive, whether it's your mother or not. Ax surely knows Marco well enough at this point that he knows he's not just going to be like "oh we can trust her, that's my mum!" I don't know that Ax does know that. I don't know if I know that. I don't even know if at this point Marco knows that. I mean, look at what just happened in this chapter. He would have gone to his mom, locked up over the Yeerk poolm even though he knew it was a bad idea and Tobias told him not to, if Ax wasn't willing to threaten him with death to stop him. Look, I'm not saying Marco is actually going to say, "She's my mom, we can trust her.", but like Ax observed in an earlier book, human beings judge by appearances, and even though Marco knows that this is Visser One in his mom's body, is that fact that this is his mom going to affect his behavior? Will he be more likely to take risks that could get the team in trouble? Is he going to be more reluctant to kill Visser One if he knows his mom will die too?
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# ? Oct 23, 2021 01:29 |
God I love all the books with Visser One. She is such a great villain, and the only thing that really saves the Animorphs is that she's more focused on Visser Three than them.
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# ? Oct 23, 2021 01:51 |
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Epicurius posted:I don't know that Ax does know that. I don't know if I know that. I don't even know if at this point Marco knows that. I mean, look at what just happened in this chapter. He would have gone to his mom, locked up over the Yeerk poolm even though he knew it was a bad idea and Tobias told him not to, if Ax wasn't willing to threaten him with death to stop him. That I actually think was totally understandable, given that it's a very lucky and brief window they've stumbled into where the Visser's vulnerable - they could kill her and free his mum, two birds one stone. And it's Ax who has to warn him that the technology means it's not going be a simple matter of just unclasping her. But I can also definitely see why Tobias and Ax are on edge about it and the more that I think about it, "I've got a family event to go to" was really not a good excuse for Jake to delegate responsibility on this mission.
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# ? Oct 23, 2021 01:52 |
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Comrade Blyatlov posted:God I love all the books with Visser One. She is such a great villain, and the only thing that really saves the Animorphs is that she's more focused on Visser Three than them. I honestly think Visser Chronicles (or just "Visser" or whatever they called it) is one of the best books in the series.
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# ? Oct 23, 2021 01:53 |
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freebooter posted:That I actually think was totally understandable, given that it's a very lucky and brief window they've stumbled into where the Visser's vulnerable - they could kill her and free his mum, two birds one stone. And it's Ax who has to warn him that the technology means it's not going be a simple matter of just unclasping her. hindsight 20/20 etc. it was supposed to be a recon mission.
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# ? Oct 23, 2021 02:15 |
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freebooter posted:But I can also definitely see why Tobias and Ax are on edge about it and the more that I think about it, "I've got a family event to go to" was really not a good excuse for Jake to delegate responsibility on this mission. "Sorry, dad. I want to go to Grandma's birthday dinner, but I have to turn into a cockroach so I can break into an office building downtown with my friends to find out what the parasitic alien that lives in Marco's dead mom's brain is up to. Err, don't tell Tom, ok?" Epicurius fucked around with this message at 02:48 on Oct 23, 2021 |
# ? Oct 23, 2021 02:45 |
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Epicurius posted:"Sorry, dad. I want to go to Grandma's birthday dinner, but I have to turn into a cockroach so I can break into an office building downtown with my friends to find out what the parasitic alien that lives in Marco's dead mom's brain is up to. Err, don't tell Tom, ok?" You can tell this is a product of the 90's. Of course now it would be "Sorry, son. I want to go to Grandma's birthday dinner, but I have to turn into a patriot so I can picket an office building downtown with my Qanoneers to find out what the parasitic alien that lives in Marco's liberal mom's vaccinations is up to."
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# ? Oct 23, 2021 02:59 |
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Chapter 11quote:<Kill her now,> Ax said in public thought-speak. The Elimist: "Tobias, I have made a Hidden Valley for the free Hork-Bajir, where they will remain undetected! Visser One: "I think I'll just use this drone here on earth, and see what I can see.... <Drone shows free Hork-Bajir eating salad with ranch dressing> Tobias: <drat it, Elimist!> No, really, great job with the undetectable valley, Elimist. Also, I'll point out that Marco can't even restrain Visser One here without being emotionally conflicted, and he won't frisk his "own mother". Marco is a lot less psychologically able to deal with this situation than he thinks he is. Chapter 12 quote:A moment of silence. So, no wrong answers....what's Visser One's email address?
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# ? Oct 23, 2021 04:14 |
Visserthreeisafool@yeerk.mil
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# ? Oct 23, 2021 04:31 |
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"This is account is already in use. Please select an unused address."
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# ? Oct 23, 2021 04:33 |
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quote:Then she narrowed her eyes and looked at us, each, one after the other. “One of you does almost all the talking. Two of you stay in morph. Visser Three is a fool. He has overlooked something strange about your group of rebels. He has missed something.” She has absolutely already figured it out and so has any other Yeerk who wonders why everyone's always in a "battle" morph except for the one Andalite. (I can't remember - have we seen any Controllers talking about rumours that actually maybe some humans have the morphing power?) Also have to admire the commitment here of the Dracon beam onomatopoeia making its way into actual dialogue.
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# ? Oct 23, 2021 07:20 |
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freebooter posted:She has absolutely already figured it out and so has any other Yeerk who wonders why everyone's always in a "battle" morph except for the one Andalite. (I can't remember - have we seen any Controllers talking about rumours that actually maybe some humans have the morphing power?) It hasn't been explicitly stated. After the David sequence though the idea that humans could have used the device should be floating around out there as at least theoretically plausible, considering they know at least one human had his hands on it.
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# ? Oct 23, 2021 08:04 |
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Epicurius posted:
You think that wasn't an intentional 12-dimensional chess move?
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# ? Oct 23, 2021 12:14 |
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Epicurius posted:Chapter 11 I’ve been noticing how physically Marco talks about his mother in this book. Her smell, being able to see her shoulder blades through her shirt, holding her in the half-chokehold half-hug…sure, it’s about how her body is the only thing that’s really his mom as long as she’s infested, but it also tunes into the infant-brain that imprinted on his mother so long ago. That part of it is heartbreaking and keeps making me unexpectedly emotional. E: also he might not want to frisk Visser One because then he’d have to touch his mom’s butt and inner thighs. Bibliotechno Music fucked around with this message at 17:40 on Oct 23, 2021 |
# ? Oct 23, 2021 14:36 |
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The most hosed up Marco's mom thing is that his dad loved her the most when she was a Yeerk because the Yeerk didn't give a poo poo about getting into fights about dumb stuff so he felt like they were finally in sync.
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# ? Oct 23, 2021 17:19 |
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Fuschia tude posted:It hasn't been explicitly stated. After the David sequence though the idea that humans could have used the device should be floating around out there as at least theoretically plausible, considering they know at least one human had his hands on it. I might be misremembering it but I feel like at some point the rumour starts floating around the Yeerks, but never gets any traction because if it turned out to be true it would mean Visser Three had overlooked something pretty loving major and nobody wants to be the one to bring that up.
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# ? Oct 23, 2021 21:57 |
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freebooter posted:I might be misremembering it but I feel like at some point the rumour starts floating around the Yeerks, but never gets any traction because if it turned out to be true it would mean Visser Three had overlooked something pretty loving major and nobody wants to be the one to bring that up. It's something Tom's first Yeerk suspects in The Message, when he sees human footprints on the beach near where the Animorphs disappeared, and he mentions it to Chapman. From that: quote:Tom's voice. Then Chapman's. "I don't see them. They can't swim far. The current is too strong. Fan out up and down the beach." It's an example of how Visser Three's management style and his willingness to listen to employees makes him an effective leader.
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# ? Oct 23, 2021 22:41 |
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Chapter 13quote:We left. We demorphed in the stairwell and climbed the stairs the hard way. As soon as we reached the roof Tobias took to the air to catch a look around. I mean, the highlight of the chapter is Marco's explanation of the term ruthless, but I also admire the way he can manipulate Tobias here. (Tobias isn't really a great leader, I don't think) Chapter 14 quote:The night was peaceful as we flew. Poor Marco. Just for the record, while Marco thinks he's cool and collected here, judging from Cassie's comments, he's pretty clearly not.
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# ? Oct 24, 2021 02:27 |
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That definition of Marco's idea of what ruthless means sums that aspect of his character up pretty well, and it's something from the series I remember really well. (Though it's also wrong - by dictionary definition ruthless does in fact mean cruel.)
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# ? Oct 24, 2021 04:38 |
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freebooter posted:That definition of Marco's idea of what ruthless means sums that aspect of his character up pretty well, and it's something from the series I remember really well. (Though it's also wrong - by dictionary definition ruthless does in fact mean cruel.) The kind of cruelty implied in ruthlessness isn't cruelty for the sake of cruelty, though. It isn't sadism; its lack of compassion. The ruthless person doesn't go out of their way to hurt someone, b they just don't care if their actions hurt someone if it's in furtherence of their goals.
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# ? Oct 24, 2021 13:38 |
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Yeah I do love that description. Riding the bright clean line baby
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# ? Oct 24, 2021 14:07 |
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The description of the inner life that goes with “seeming manic” is really spot on. There’s the desperation and denial, the grandeur of fighting V1 on a mountaintop, but the bright clear line is also something I’ve “seen” during a manic episode. Don’t t get me wrong, just because it can be a component of mental illness doesn’t mean it won’t work out. The overactive brain is actually pretty good at figuring things out, being witty, etc at the onset. I think it’s worth noting that Marco is being pretty ruthless to himself here, too. He’s intentionally setting up a situation where he might have to kill his own mother and demanding of himself that he triumph no matter what (obviously he has a plan to avoid that, but it can’t not be a possibility).
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# ? Oct 24, 2021 15:01 |
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# ? May 28, 2024 05:39 |
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Chapter 15quote:The Gardens: Kick-butt amusement park meets zoo. Very expensive admission price. If you go in through the gate. I guess we know why it's called butting. Also, the fact that Ax mentions long white beards as a similarity between Andalites and mountain goats brings up all kind of questions. And, if you're curious, male mountain goats have thicker horns. Plus, male horns curve consistently.female horns tend to go straight and then curve near the tip. Chapter 16 quote:I lay in my bed, in the dark. Every few minutes I’d check the glowing numbers of the clock. The conversations you have in the middle of the night trying to justify yourself to yourself...
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# ? Oct 25, 2021 03:01 |