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The logic of the morphing ability healing wounds and injuries done to the morpher's original body makes me wonder why it doesn't erase the Visser One while he's inside of Alloran's head, since the Yeerk is its own organism with its own genetic code and properties. I suppose the science that went into creating the morphing cube deals with that issue by including things like gut bacteria and other microorganisms that live inside an individual to make sure that they are also present when unmorphing, so a morphing-capable person would also keep their Yeerk and the Yeerk would still be the one in control. Does the host's mind accompany the Yeerk's mind while in morph? It's magic. It's just all magic
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# ? Oct 16, 2022 03:37 |
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# ? May 27, 2024 22:17 |
Since no one else will post it: Here is Champ, who looks like a very, very good boy.
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# ? Oct 16, 2022 03:59 |
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Luckily your haircut is encoded in your DNA so the morphing cube can restore it.
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# ? Oct 16, 2022 04:25 |
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One thing I thought when I was first reading it was "How does it know how old you are?" And then I thought, "You know, there's got to have been some Andalite who was dying of old age and morphed a young kid, went past the two hours, and had a second life."
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# ? Oct 16, 2022 04:28 |
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OctaviusBeaver posted:Luckily your haircut is encoded in your DNA so the morphing cube can restore it. 90s center parts are encoded in the DNA of every white boy
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# ? Oct 16, 2022 05:11 |
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so uh, Tobias' mom wouldn't be wearing morph clothes or whatever, so uh , nah not finishing that though
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# ? Oct 16, 2022 05:36 |
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Mazerunner posted:so uh, Tobias' mom wouldn't be wearing morph clothes or whatever, so uh , nah not finishing that though The criteria for 'morph clothes' is just that they're skintight so worst case she's probably in her underwear. Also thanks to the power of scene changing we never have to worry about it.
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# ? Oct 16, 2022 05:43 |
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As mentioned earlier I loved this book when I was a kid, and it really holds up. Previous books showed escalating tensions (Marco faking his death and Visser 3 getting promoted, the Yeerks openly attacking a carrier group), but it's not until this book that the status quo is completely and irrevocably blown up—and it does so in a way that not only culminates Tobias' longstanding desire for human connection and family, but also sets up the final stage of Jake's arc in his failure to protect his family and to save Tom, his core driving motivation since the very first book. It's a bummer that the series ends so soon. Obviously, it's a bit sad for any good series to come to an end, but to me the last few books really showcase what the books could have been had it been more serialized narrative from the very beginning, as opposed to loosely-connected individual adventures for most of the series' run. Funnily enough, I think Applegate and Grant had the same thought, which is why the Remnants books which followed this series were both individually longer and a full-on serial narrative. And is even more horrifying and hosed up!
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# ? Oct 16, 2022 07:29 |
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Acebuckeye13 posted:It's a bummer that the series ends so soon. Obviously, it's a bit sad for any good series to come to an end, but to me the last few books really showcase what the books could have been had it been more serialized narrative from the very beginning, as opposed to loosely-connected individual adventures for most of the series' run. Funnily enough, I think Applegate and Grant had the same thought, which is why the Remnants books which followed this series were both individually longer and a full-on serial narrative. And is even more horrifying and hosed up! Yeah, you can imagine a world where the endgame starts around five books earlier and everything isn't so compressed. Like the whole thing with Jake's parents absolutely should have happened in a Jake book; as it stand we're not going to get his (internal) perspective on what happened for another four books because of the narration order.
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# ? Oct 16, 2022 13:40 |
Capfalcon posted:One thing I thought when I was first reading it was "How does it know how old you are?" And then I thought, "You know, there's got to have been some Andalite who was dying of old age and morphed a young kid, went past the two hours, and had a second life." Technically the morphing ability is imparted via cube so in a real world the andalites would be ruled by a cabal of people who just morph younger andalites when they get old over and over.
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# ? Oct 16, 2022 13:55 |
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SSJ_naruto_2003 posted:Technically the morphing ability is imparted via cube so in a real world the andalites would be ruled by a cabal of people who just morph younger andalites when they get old over and over. Yeah but it doesn't work on nothlits so you can only do it once. If you keep morphing back and forth you'd still have to sleep in your regular form and inevitably die in your sleep.
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# ? Oct 16, 2022 14:18 |
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Comrade Blyatlov posted:Since no one else will post it: They replaced all of the Animorph cover models over the course of the series, i assume as the models got older. Tobias there was the last image to change. They were having trouble finding a new Tobias, until this kid, who was apparently an anthropomorphic personification of the 90s, walked in, skateboard in hand, for some completely unrelated reason. They grabbed him and got him signed up as the new Tobias.
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# ? Oct 16, 2022 14:50 |
kiminewt posted:Yeah but it doesn't work on nothlits That's what they want you to think
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# ? Oct 16, 2022 15:06 |
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SCP12345 Subject is a teenage male who appears and behaves at the exact average of all Scholz matrix cultural metrics for the United States as at 29 August 1991. Also he sometimes turns into a [REDACTED] and fights [REDACTED].
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# ? Oct 16, 2022 15:44 |
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Rochallor posted:Yeah, you can imagine a world where the endgame starts around five books earlier and everything isn't so compressed. Like the whole thing with Jake's parents absolutely should have happened in a Jake book; as it stand we're not going to get his (internal) perspective on what happened for another four books because of the narration order. There's even an argument that the "get the families out" book should have been a special edition with rotating narrators for each unit, although I must stress as much as possible that learning what Applegate and Grant were under during production leaves me with nothing but respect for what they did manage to get on the page.
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# ? Oct 16, 2022 15:58 |
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SSJ_naruto_2003 posted:That's what they want you to think Ah I see you don't know about the Real Morphing Cube.
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# ? Oct 16, 2022 16:10 |
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Really liked this book. I think it might actually be the best Tobias book. I particularly loved this:quote:“Visit? I know. I was in the hospital for a long time. When I got out, I didn’t know where you were. They sent you to stay with my sister, but I didn’t know her address. I didn’t even know her last name. The hospital didn’t have it on file. Maybe I could’ve tried harder. I just thought - hoped - you were happy. With people who cared about you. Who at least knew who you were. You didn’t need a crazy, blind woman in your life.” Especially afterwards when he tells her "that stuff doesn't matter anymore" - except it does, of course it does. Rochallor posted:Yeah, you can imagine a world where the endgame starts around five books earlier and everything isn't so compressed. Like the whole thing with Jake's parents absolutely should have happened in a Jake book; as it stand we're not going to get his (internal) perspective on what happened for another four books because of the narration order. I sort of agree with this, but at the same time I think the juxtaposition of Tobias recovering his family and Jake losing his works really well. Ideally, as someone else noted, I think this part of the story should've been a big Megamorphs book with rotating narrators (and then could've included 45 with Marco being the first to have his cover blown - the handful of books where he's living as an outlaw and hanging in the wilderness with Tobias and Ax is cool in theory but they never really did anything interesting with it). Also, lol: quote:Toby, the young Hork-Bajir seer, had organized another group to debrief Marco’s mom. Eva had been Visser One’s host body for years. She’d seen everything the former Visser One had seen. She knew the Yeerk organization, the Yeerk fleet, and the Yeerks’ future plans. And Toby was determined to pick every shred of that information from her brain. I'm glad somebody thought to do this! In the real world Eva would be an invaluable resource and a near-fully integrated member of the team by now (especially if they're willing to give Loren the morphing power!) but in practice it runs into the forbidden YA narrative constraint of No Grown-Ups Allowed. edit - also I can't remember what they end up doing, but if Loren's blindness has been cured by morphing it'll be a bit hosed up if they don't let Eva cure her maimed limbs and horribly burned face the same way
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# ? Oct 17, 2022 07:47 |
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Book 50-The Ultimate Chapter 1 quote:Tsseeeewww! Tsseeeewww! Well, good series, everyone. Chapter 2 quote:<Thanks, Toby,> Jake said dryly. Ah, just a wargame. And I have to think that Jake isn't himself right now.
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# ? Oct 18, 2022 04:01 |
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Hell of a way to start a book. I feel like practicing with war games is something they should have been doing like half a series ago.
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# ? Oct 18, 2022 04:16 |
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Vandar posted:Hell of a way to start a book. They have had that hidden valley ranch for a few dozen books now, haven't they? And they didn't actually make much use of it until Jake decided to try his hand at being a Civil War reenactor a few books ago.
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# ? Oct 18, 2022 06:22 |
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Fuschia tude posted:They have had that hidden valley ranch for a few dozen books now, haven't they? And they didn't actually make much use of it until Jake decided to try his hand at being a Civil War reenactor a few books ago. Honestly, you'd think 'get our families to safety just in case' and also 'hey let's try to save Tom' would have been way bigger on the priority list, rather than waiting for the last possible minute.
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# ? Oct 18, 2022 06:34 |
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Vandar posted:Honestly, you'd think 'get our families to safety just in case' and also 'hey let's try to save Tom' would have been way bigger on the priority list, rather than waiting for the last possible minute. I do get it though, for all they've been through these are like 15-16 year olds who've been fighting a grueling guerilla war for 2.5-3ish years at this point. Their biggest touchstone keeping them going has been keeping their families safe and letting them live normal lives. Uprooting their families and disappearing also loses them one of their biggest advantages in anonymity and the ability to walk around as themselves. Like its definitely a bad choice in retrospect but I totally get why Jake couldn't make the call before it was too late.
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# ? Oct 18, 2022 06:38 |
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There’s an element to it as well, I think, of ‘sometimes people make mistakes’. I know up there last book Jake beats himself up over it for a hot minute about ‘oh, I rush in when I should wait and wait when I should rush in’ over it, and as noted they’ve been doing this for years and are also children. The stakes are a little higher than ‘missing out on the soccer team’ or whatever, but people do make mistakes. What’s important is how you handle it.
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# ? Oct 18, 2022 06:47 |
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Fuschia tude posted:They have had that hidden valley ranch for a few dozen books now, haven't they? And they didn't actually make much use of it until Jake decided to try his hand at being a Civil War reenactor a few books ago. Well, they don't really have a lot of use for it until they want to get their families to disappear, right? It's not that it's a useful place, but it's an important place to protect.
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# ? Oct 18, 2022 13:39 |
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Chapter 3quote:Jake’s parents, Jean and Steve, didn’t make it out in time. The thing about this is that Cassie is right (if not diplomatic), and even though her mom wants to protect her, Cassie has a lot more experience here than her mom does and is able to understand the stakes, because she's been living it. Also, and i've said this before, but Rachel and Marco are more similar than either want to admit. Chapter 4 quote:Marco. Always vigilant. Always alert. Always scheming or, amazingly, figuring out the enemy’s schemes. That's the thing. They're all scared. This is a massive upheval for everyone, and everyone is concerned about everyone.
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# ? Oct 19, 2022 03:15 |
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As someone with neglectful, damaged parents who was forced to be an adult about far more than I wanted to, these chapters speak to me something fierce.
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# ? Oct 19, 2022 06:26 |
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I also think it gives another decent reason why they haven't really conscripted Naomi or Cassie's parents, or given them morphing powers. None of them are really internalizing reality yet and they are probably (correctly) fearing the first thing they would do is sneak out in morph and do something really stupid. Of course even if you handwave that to extend to Peter and Loren it uh really doesn't help explain why Eva's been sidelined since her rescue outside of kidlit tropes. Ditto Toby and at least some of the other Hork-Bajir.
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# ? Oct 19, 2022 06:52 |
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I just rationalize it in my mind as "Applegate and Grant were obvious Trekkies and lord knows that's a franchise known for introducing phenomenal, game-changing ideas and then swiftly forgetting all about them by next week"
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# ? Oct 19, 2022 07:00 |
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mind the walrus posted:I just rationalize it in my mind as "Applegate and Grant were obvious Trekkies and lord knows that's a franchise known for introducing phenomenal, game-changing ideas and then swiftly forgetting all about them by next week" You know, I never really thought about it in that context before, but it makes perfect sense now. Just like in Star Trek, direct continuity in Animorphs should be avoided at all costs lest there be consequences for actions and we're not equipped to deal with that.
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# ? Oct 19, 2022 07:16 |
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Zore posted:I also think it gives another decent reason why they haven't really conscripted Naomi or Cassie's parents, or given them morphing powers. None of them are really internalizing reality yet and they are probably (correctly) fearing the first thing they would do is sneak out in morph and do something really stupid. After all, that's what David did, right?
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# ? Oct 19, 2022 07:41 |
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nine-gear crow posted:You know, I never really thought about it in that context before, but it makes perfect sense now. Just like in Star Trek, direct continuity in Animorphs should be avoided at all costs lest there be consequences for actions and we're not equipped to deal with that. Tunzie posted:After all, that's what David did, right? You're right and that is a window into Rachel's mindset rn but drat son
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# ? Oct 19, 2022 08:05 |
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Zore posted:I also think it gives another decent reason why they haven't really conscripted Naomi or Cassie's parents, or given them morphing powers. None of them are really internalizing reality yet and they are probably (correctly) fearing the first thing they would do is sneak out in morph and do something really stupid. I think this also actually makes sense as to why the adults aren't necessarily coping well. When the kids got a hole blown through their reality back in book 1, they still had normal stable lives to take refuge in, double identity superheroes that they are. The adults on the other hand were immediately shanghaied to the woods. That dialogue with Marco was weird though. I thought he was about to illustrate some kind of point to Cassie.
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# ? Oct 19, 2022 20:34 |
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Sorry, post tomorrow, and we'll see if they execute Rachel's mom for desertion.
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# ? Oct 20, 2022 04:50 |
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I'm here in Book 27 and I have to confess I just don't buy the Rachel/Tobias stuff. Feels way more told and not shown or earned than Cassie/Jake. Marco has more chemistry. With all 4 people involved actually.
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# ? Oct 20, 2022 18:53 |
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Chapter 5quote:Rachel’s sisters gathered protectively around their mother. Jordan took her hand. “I don’t think you’re useless, Mommy,” she whispered. A tear rolled down Sara’s cheek. i mean, Jake's been traumatized as well, and really, he was the one keeping the group together. Chapter 6 quote:That afternoon I lied and told everyone that Jake had called a meeting for later that evening. Then I told Jake about the meeting. Two minutes before it was about to start. i mean, i think this meeting is going to be good, in the long run, as painful as it is now.
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# ? Oct 21, 2022 02:57 |
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Really do have to hope that they can show some kind of real evidence for the Yeerks. Loren and Eva understand obviously, and Cassie's parents are healers by nature so they'll just keep themselves busy, but yeah Naomi needs something harder than what they've got and I do like the emotional realism of these kids just not having anything on-hand other than "but mom you've got to trust me."
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# ? Oct 22, 2022 03:57 |
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The kids had the advantage of having, on the first night in the construction site, seen humans among the Controllers. And then they encountered that again at the Sharing beach meeting. It's one thing to be told that aliens are infiltrating your society - another to actually see it.
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# ? Oct 22, 2022 04:03 |
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Chapter 7quote:Jake stood. Reluctantly. But he stood. Here's the thing. I don't know that Cassie's dad is entirely wrong. I mean, obviously, if they go to Visser One, Eva's prediction will come true. But the Yeerks aren't united....we see that in the way that the Animorphs were able to play Visser One against the former Visser One, and Visser One's conflict with the Council. And the Yeerks are desperate right now, because it looks like the Andalites are closing in. If there's a time Yeerks will be open to a deal, it's now. Chapter 8 quote:Early the next morning. Jake called us together, privately. So, as we've discussed before, these are kids's books, and it should be kids leading the action, in the main roles. We've talked before about kids, adults, authority figures and all that. Narratively, though, we just recently discussed the question about giving the parents morphing, and i think the book gives a pretty good reason here. Like Zore pointed out, the only adults in the group who probably could handle it are Peter and Eva, and I sort of respect Marco's opinion here that they've been put through enough. I understand his protectiveness. I think i also understand what the book is saying about the Hork-Bajir...with the exception of a seer like Toby, they don't have the level of mental control not to be taken over by the morph....or at least it isn't likely they do.
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# ? Oct 22, 2022 05:34 |
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Epicurius posted:Chapter 7 The problem with this is: what does a deal even look like? At the end of the day, the average yeerk has to have a living being that they're puppeting to have a remotely reasonable standard of life. It's a cruel biological fact, but it's still the crux of the issue. Ending spoilers: I know how it shakes out at the end of the series, but that's 1. Effectively a bloodless genocide and 2. The kind of terms victors get to dictate to the defeated.
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# ? Oct 22, 2022 05:49 |
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# ? May 27, 2024 22:17 |
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Capfalcon posted:The problem with this is: what does a deal even look like? At the end of the day, the average yeerk has to have a living being that they're puppeting to have a remotely reasonable standard of life. It's a cruel biological fact, but it's still the crux of the issue. Well, that's the problem. The only solutions i can see are. 1. Non-human primates. Would Yeerks be willing to puppet chimps, gorillas,, maybe even monkeys? it's not ideal, but it's a step up from Gedds. 2. As was talked about before, some sort of time sharing agreement between the Yeerk and the host? it works for the Peace Movement, and for fans of the Stargate TV show, it's the way the Tok'ra work with their hosts. Other than Yeerk aggression and a sense of their own superiority, there's no reason they can't form a symbiotic relationship with their hosts.
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# ? Oct 22, 2022 06:08 |