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Vandar posted:Surely they could have gotten ducks from literally anywhere else. The ducks probably have their wings clipped, so they can't fly away as easily.
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Nov 11, 2022 04:22
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I remembered this scene as taking place at night and the idea was the morph-Controllers had been purposefully staking out the Gardens, but I kind of like the idea more that a) the invasion is reaching such a height that a significant chunk of the city's populace just happen to be Controllers now, and b) they are basically giving the morphing power to every available human-Controller.
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Nov 11, 2022 12:37
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Zore posted:
only as a last resort after failing several infiltration attempts, while also having their attention split dealing with David's shenanigans e; late edit, but they did plan on secretly revealing themselves to a president/prime minister. So that's what their mindset was for most of the series- only revealing themselves, secretly, to the most powerful individuals in the world, presumably so they could begin secret preparations and counter-ops rather than the military invading a California city. if they wanted to get people to notice, they could do it instantly just by parading Ax around or having him/Tobias (to preserve their identities) morph. Or telepathically start yelling at people they take great pains to keep things clandestine unless they have no other option, because they don't want the yeerks to go to open warfare (plus a fear than anyone they trust may be infested, or become infested). They've gradually abandoned that as they realize that the Andalites aren't coming/might be worse and the yeerks are pressing harder, culminating in this book where the plan actually is "ok let's get someone in on this". Mazerunner fucked around with this message at 21:01 on Nov 11, 2022 |
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Nov 11, 2022 12:41
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nine-gear crow posted:I'm honestly not sure if I've ever seen a moment in all the fiction I've read that's so quick and so small yet so ruinous to an interpersonal relationship (let alone everything else) as what Cassie tackling Jake so Tom could get away did to her and Jake as people. Jake loving unpersons her for it, and it sticks for the rest of his life (?). I think he eventually reconciles with her to the extent that he can look her in the eye and talk to her and respect her - I'm thinking, specifically, of their last ever conversation - but their romantic relationship is over forever from this moment. In that last conversation they ever have you can see there's still embers of love there (although it's told from Cassie's perspective, so big pinch of salt) but they know they'll never be able to stir it back into life because the hurt and betrayal is always going to be there too.
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Nov 11, 2022 14:22
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Caught up with this thread just in time for the endgame. Epicurius posted:I forget if we ever discussed the different raptors people morph into. Anyone want me to go into that? I am, as you might guess, always down for bird chat. 
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Nov 11, 2022 19:05
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freebooter posted:I think he eventually reconciles with her to the extent that he can look her in the eye and talk to her and respect her - I'm thinking, specifically, of their last ever conversation - but their romantic relationship is over forever from this moment. In that last conversation they ever have you can see there's still embers of love there (although it's told from Cassie's perspective, so big pinch of salt) but they know they'll never be able to stir it back into life because the hurt and betrayal is always going to be there too. He proposes to her at some point after this. The penultimate book, IIRC? I found Ax's shunning of Cassie when what she did gets out to be more interesting, even though it only lasted for a couple chapters
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Nov 11, 2022 22:05
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Bird Chat will be tomorrow. Today, though, it's time for more chapters. Chapter 11 quote:“KYEEEEEEEEER!” Well, a little Tobias bird chat today. He feels superior to ducks too. Chapter 12 quote:I pushed off with my feet, flapped my wings, and sprung straight into the air. Through the trees. Above the waterfall. If you're curious, here's the actual picture of the California Governor's Mansion. Chopper is right. Governors of California lived there from 1903-1967, when Governor Reagan leased a house in Sacramento. It remained unoccupied (except as a tourist attraction) until 2015 when Governor Jerry Brown and his wife moved in, after major work was done on the house to upgrade the electrical wiring, get rid of lead paint, and bring the building up to modern fire codes. The current governor doesn't live there now....he and his family bought a house in Sacramento, partly, because while the mansion is nice, it is over 140 years old. 
Epicurius fucked around with this message at 05:30 on Nov 12, 2022 |
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Nov 12, 2022 05:22
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Even though I know full well the capital is Sacramento, when I imagine Jerry Brown or Gavin Newsom or Arnie, or whoever, I still subconsciously assume they live and work in LA. Also I totally get how it's a kid's book series and so all throughout, they've always just knocked human-Controllers unconscious etc even while intelligent Hork-Bajir are slaughtered by the roomful. But it's a bit of a weird vibe that human-Controllers morphed to animals have apparently crossed a line into being fair game for the reaper's scythe, even as they scream out for their lives while being devoured by tigers.
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Nov 12, 2022 07:26
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I am become David, destroyer of animals. It's ok because they're just animals.
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Nov 12, 2022 07:36
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I think that with three books left it’s not a big spoiler that they never acquire this morph so I can bring up another huge missed morph along with the duck one: ladybugs would have been so much better than flies. no one crushes them, they’re just as unobtrusive, so it’s a lot safer overall.
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Nov 12, 2022 21:38
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When do you ever see six ladybugs together? And indoors?
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Nov 12, 2022 21:57
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kiminewt posted:When do you ever see six ladybugs together? And indoors? As for me, I'm just morphing everything i can catch.
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Nov 13, 2022 01:54
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kiminewt posted:When do you ever see six ladybugs together? And indoors? I used to get tons of them in my childhood bedroom at certain times of year, all around the window frames and baseboard heaters
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Nov 13, 2022 04:08
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Ladybugs do have the advantage of being smaller, not so noisy, and less likely to be attracted to a person.
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Nov 13, 2022 04:38
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Chapter 13quote:We’d followed Chopper’s directions. We found the governor’s mansion and landed in the shrubs in the middle of the circular drive at the front of the house. We demorphed and were now staring at the front door, trying to figure out how to get in. Ax is no doubt shocked by the lack of civic engagement among his Earth peers. Chapter 14 quote:RUN! Team Finesse, everybody.
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Nov 13, 2022 04:43
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quote:Ax frowned. <But he is the most important government official in your state. Isn’t his picture placed prominently in all your educational facilities?> Unexpectedly disturbing new fact about Andalite society for the dossier edit - or wait is this actually a joke, in that the governor's picture genuinely would be placed in American schools?
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Nov 13, 2022 09:57
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freebooter posted:Unexpectedly disturbing new fact about Andalite society for the dossier My school didn't have it, but I think we might have had the President's portrait. It's the sort of thing where I never heard it happening, but I also wouldn't be surprised if I did.
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Nov 13, 2022 14:54
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I love Team Finesse.freebooter posted:Unexpectedly disturbing new fact about Andalite society for the dossier I know my high school had a bunch of pictures of various people in the front office, though I can't remember which ones. Not like any student would ever pay attention to the specifics, though.
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Nov 13, 2022 17:39
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I grew up in schools that didn't have portraits of local politicians in it. Was weirded out to find it's a thing some places.
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Nov 13, 2022 18:00
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Also lmao at "hey guys.... long-distance with ducks is way easier why the gently caress didn't we do this sooner?"
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Nov 13, 2022 18:00
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I think DMV or highway rest stops when I think of portraits of the governor up on the wall. I wouldn't be shocked to see one in a school, but I doubt it's common.
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Nov 14, 2022 03:51
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No chapters tonight, but i am preparing a little informational guide to the birds of prey that the Animorphs use. and that should, i hope, be done tomorrow.
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Nov 14, 2022 04:40
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Rochallor posted:I think DMV or highway rest stops when I think of portraits of the governor up on the wall. I wouldn't be shocked to see one in a school, but I doubt it's common. I think pretty much every state office has one. It's just the DMV and rest stops are probably the state buildings you go into or interact with most.
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Nov 14, 2022 04:41
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Epicurius posted:No chapters tonight, but i am preparing a little informational guide to the birds of prey that the Animorphs use. and that should, i hope, be done tomorrow. Haha, awesome. Your commitment to the thread is exemplary. (also if you could also include a brief summary of the danger posed by each species to small australian passerine birds, that'd be rad. No reason)
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Nov 14, 2022 09:29
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Ok, so lets talk birds of prey. or raptors, as they're sometimes called. Now a lot of birds eat other animals to some extent, from the penguin to the robin, but raptors are special. First, all raptors are hypercarnivores. This means that more than 80% of their calories come from meat. They're also known for their good vision, their sharp talons which they use to kill prey, and their hooked beaks, which they use to tear flesh. Between them, the Animorphs have 7 raptor morphs. We'll start with the one that everybody except Tobias has as a backup morph, but nobody has as their primary morph: Great Horned OwlThe Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) is the only owl morph the Animorphs have. it only lives in the Americas, so it's not of any danger to small Australian passerine birds. Owls, unlike the other birds we're talking about here, are nocturnal, sleeping during the day and hunting at night. Even though they're only about 64 centimeters high, their eyes are about the same size as people, giving them one of the largest eye to body size ratio of all the terrestrial vertebrates. When it comes to hunting, they're opportunists, mostly eating small mammals, like squirrels, other rodents like mice, and rabbits, but also small birds, lizards, frogs, and even fish and insects. They've even been known to eat armadillos, fox kits and coyote cubs. Like most owls, the great horned owl is capable of silent flight, which means they can be on prey before the prey even realizes they're being hunted. They're also the provincial bird of Alberta. Switching to primary morphs, you know we have to start with Tobias's, the Red Tailed HawkThe Red Tailed Hawk (Buto jamaicensis), while it's often conflicted emotionally morally and emotionally over its dual nature as human being and hawk, is nevertheless one of the most common of the American hawks. it's range is restricted to North America (no doubt reassuring small Australian passerine birds), its range is all over North America, from Canada to Mexico and Cuba, and it can live in almost every environment there. its primary diet is rodents and rabbits, although its an opportunistic hunter and also eats a lot of birds and reptiles. it's one of the three North American hawk species referred to as a "chickenhawk", but that's not really an accurate name, because even though they'll eat chickens if available and easy to catch, they don't generally hunt chickens. There are 14 different subspecies, one of which, Krider's Hawk, is controversial. it's found in the western US and Canada, and is paler than most other Red Tails, with a bunch of white. it's generally recognized as a subspecies, but there are some biologists who think it really should be considered a separate species. Now we turn for a minute to Ax's morph, the Northern Harrier If you saw a northern harrier (Circus hudsonius), sometimes called the ring tailed hawk, you might mistake it for a Red Tailed Hawk. They're about the same size and look similar, although the northern harrier is darker. it's also migratory (although strictly in the US and Canada, meaning that small Australian passerine birds have no need to worry) They almost entirely eat small mammals. An interesting thing about Northern Harriers is that they're one of the few hawk species to be polygamous. A male northern harrier will mate with up to 5 female harriers per mating season. We also have Marco and Cassie, who's morph of choice is the Osprey Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), also called the fish hawk, are found in a lot of places, including the costs of the Americas, subsaharan Africa, the coasts of South and Southeast Asia, a band in Europe and northern Asia, and, yes, the coast of Australia. Lest any small Australian passerine birds get nervous, though, over 99% of an osprey's diet is fish, which is why you mostly find them confined to coastal regions. Other than their exclusive fish based diet, osprey aren't particularly notable, although there was a belief in the middle ages that fish recognized the osprey's natural rule over them, and would willingly allow themselves to be caught so as to feed their lords. There are our hawks, so lets move on to the eagles. Bald Eagle The national bird of the US, the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is also Rachel's main raptor morph. A form of fish eagle, they nest in trees, usually near lakes, oceans, and marshes, and their primary diet is fish, although they've been known to eat birds, usually waterbirds and mammals when they get the chance (although, because they're native to America, only American birds, and not small Australian passerines. Most of the mammals they eat are waterdwelling or live near the water also, like seals, although in certain places, they've been known to prey on jackrabbits, for instance too. in the 50s and 60s, the bald eagle was severely endangered and almost extinct, from DDT poisoning and also hunting (bald eagles were seen as dangerous by farmers. There was a false story that they preyed on lambs, and even on babies. it's estimated that in the 1950s, there were only about 400 nesting pairs in the entire continental US. Because of the outlawing of DDT, though, and strict bans on hunting, the Bald Eagle population is coming back, and it's been moved from Endangered to Threatened....still serious, but at least going in the right direction. we move on now to a bird acquired by David. the Golden eagle Native to North America and Eurasia, with small populations in Northern Africa (but, much to the relief of small Australian passerines, not Australia), the Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is one of the largest eagles. They mostly eat small mammals, but have been known to even prey on sheep, goats, owls and falcons. The Aztec sun god, Huitzilopochtli was sometimes portrayed as a golden eagle (more often as a hummingbird, but this isn't about hummingbirds in the Animorphs), and the flag of Mexico has a golden eagle on it, from the legend that Tenochtitlan, which would go onto become Mexico City, was founded after the Aztecs saw an omen of a golden eagle dropping a snake on a cactus. They've also been used traditionally in Central Asia as hunting birds. Finally, with falcons, we have the Peregrine Falcon Jake's hawk, the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), as has been mentioned, is the world's fastest land animal, able to dive at over 200 miles an hour. it feeds almost entirely on birds, using its remarkable speed to grab them in the air, and its range is almost worldwide, including having two subspecies in Australia. so if i were a small Australian passerine, i would be very nervous, and find a very safe hiding spot. As far as humans go, peregrines have been used in falconry for a long time. So beware the dart that comes from the sky. I have to give honorary mention to two other morphs, neither of which precisely fit my category. The first is the' Kafit Bird a morph that Ax probably has because they're given to Andalite arisths. these are fast birds with sharp beaks that they use to spear their prey. it's probably not actually a raptor, and cross planetary speciation is a no-no, but i still want to note it. The second is the Deinonychus that Tobias acquired in The Age of the Dinosaur. Given that Michael Crichton and Stephen Spielberg built the Velociraptors on the model of the Deinonychus, instead of actual Velociraptors, I'm giving them an honorable mention. Neither seem dangerous to small Australian passerines. The Kafit bird might, but it lives on a different planet, and the first evidence we have of passerines in the fossil record date from about 19 million MYA, and Deinonychus died out at latest, 65 MYA, it shouldn't be a problem. Ok, birds were today, and chapters will be tomorrow. Sorry for the delay.
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Nov 15, 2022 04:33
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Hmm, fascinating research. Might I suggest next making a list of all the biomes each of these birds don't live, so you could immediately tell if one was out of place? No reason, just thought it might be interesting. Kill all Yeerks!
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Nov 15, 2022 04:54
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Interesting bird fact I just learned: Bald Eagles sound kind of underwhelming. Whenever you hear a bald eagle’s cry in a show or movie it is actually replaced with a red tail hawk’s cry! Tobias thanks for looking out for Rachel.
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Nov 15, 2022 05:59
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Fritzler posted:Interesting bird fact I just learned: Bald Eagles sound kind of underwhelming. Whenever you hear a bald eagle’s cry in a show or movie it is actually replaced with a red tail hawk’s cry! Tobias thanks for looking out for Rachel. Fun fact - a recording of a red-tailed hawk is the second-most commonly used sound effect in film and TV, after the Wilhelm scream. (It's the classic scene-setting noise you associate with someone trekking through a desert while a hawk circles overhead.)
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Nov 15, 2022 07:33
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I didn't know vultures were hawks
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Nov 15, 2022 08:02
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Epicurius posted:Ok, so lets talk birds of prey. or raptors, as they're sometimes called. Now a lot of birds eat other animals to some extent, from the penguin to the robin, but raptors are special. I somehow went my entire life without ever realizing until last month that 'raptor' is a big umbrella term for hunting birds rather than, like, a species or something.
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Nov 15, 2022 08:46
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Fuschia tude posted:I somehow went my entire life without ever realizing until last month that 'raptor' is a big umbrella term for hunting birds rather than, like, a species or something. derived from latin, where it meant 'plunderer, robber, abductor'
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Nov 15, 2022 09:35
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Mazerunner posted:derived from latin, where it meant 'plunderer, robber, abductor' The opening chapter of the novel Jurassic Park is still so loving cool
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Nov 15, 2022 12:04
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Thanks for the raptor guide! Thread delivers, as always. (Here's an absolutely terrible photo I took recently- birds of prey are unbelievably fast and maneuverable; scary stuff if you're, eg, a small australian passerine) 
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Nov 15, 2022 22:45
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Tree Bucket posted:Thanks for the raptor guide! Thread delivers, as always. Let's Read Animorphs: Scary stuff if you're, e.g., a small Australian passerine
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Nov 15, 2022 23:55
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Chapter 15quote:I swung around. Snagged the wire with a second leg. And a third. Pulled my remaining legs in and around. Marco knows the corruption inherent in politics.. Chapter 16 quote:Ax and Tobias stayed hidden in the tweed cuff. I crawled down the high heel and into the thick carpet under the conference table. He doesn't, however know thee sex of the governor. My guess is that Frank's a Frank-Controller, just one who's better at controlling his hatred of Animorphs.
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Nov 16, 2022 04:31
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The Yeerks could be anyone. They could your teacher, a cop or even your own parents. But usually they're the guy screaming "ANDALITE SCUM!" at the top of his lungs.
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Nov 16, 2022 04:53
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Aw, Ax didn't say "ninety seven of your minutes." OctaviusBeaver posted:The Yeerks could be anyone. They could your teacher, a cop or even your own parents. But usually they're the guy screaming "ANDALITE SCUM!" at the top of his lungs. It's all about that stealthy subterfuge. Superterfuge???
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Nov 16, 2022 05:37
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quote:Short Guy whirled. Aimed. I like the idea that because Marco is so unused to engaging in combat in his own human body that here, he doesn't fail to overpower the adult guard when tackling him, he just... dives at him and misses entirely, lol quote:She turned to Wing Tip. “Go back in to the ballroom. Make my apologies. Tell everyone I’m not feeling well. Assure them it’s nothing serious. A cold or something.” The governor's sneezes are infamously as loud as gunshots
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Nov 16, 2022 07:45
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Tree Bucket posted:Aw, Ax didn't say "ninety seven of your minutes." Immigrant assimilation at work in the great American melting pot 
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Nov 16, 2022 07:45
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freebooter posted:Immigrant assimilation at work in the great American melting pot Reading animorphs is great. You get to explore a strange culture that is a compelling mix of ferocious militarism, technological prowess and baffling tradition as it grapples with the realities of its own ideals; and also there are Andalites
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Nov 16, 2022 12:09
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