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12:01 AM
@Shokhet Oh, I always liked that cheat card. It makes sense because they're copying an animal's DNA, not its health or physical state. And it doesn't even violate Sanderson's second law, because by morphing in and out they'd need to reveal that they're human and not Andalite, which is often too risky to do.
 
@Randal'Thor I didn't, but I did after finding him on a Google search.
 
@Shokhet Found it: book #6.
 
I thought that David was a nice touch -- not everyone who receives great power lives up to that great responsibility (and it might be something of a fluke that they got five friends who are all responsible and well-intentioned)
 
@Shokhet The whole David arc was chilling as hell.
I may have had nightmares inspired by parts of that.
 
@Randal'Thor That early? I read it much later than some other books, then.
 
12:03 AM
@Shokhet Unless you're thinking of a different capture-a-Yeerk story.
 
Could be.
 
The first one I ever read was ... lemme find it. They spot something weird on an internet chatroom, and end up finding Visser Three's twin Yeerk hidden inside an American businessman.
#16, that's right.
!!!!!
An internet chatroom!
@Shokhet, what have we done!
 
@Randal'Thor According to Wikipedia, that actually was the same Yeerk that got Tom.
@Randal'Thor ROFL!
 
6 mins ago, by Rand al'Thor
I think it was the same Yeerk who'd been inside Tom?
 
Exactly. (At least, that's what the Yeerk says. Doesn't mean it's true.)
 
12:07 AM
Nah, I think it was confirmed by the Yeerk's intimate knowledge of Jake/Tom's family.
 
@Randal'Thor <<we need to stop speaking in a way that others can understand us>>
@Randal'Thor I see.
Whose mother was a Visser?
 
Oh, the angle brackets!
nostalgia again
@Shokhet That was Marco.
And Visser One.
Who was disgraced in #45 and they had to rescue her, whereupon our old friend Visser Three became the new Visser One.
 
Right. I knew that Visser Three was promoted to Visser One
I thought that was all the mother.
 
Ah yes, GoVikes.
I still remember the username of one of the people from that internet chatroom :-)
 
I don't remember that level of detail from the Animorphs. Pretty good :)
@Randal'Thor Coming back to this for a minute; it's definitely cheating. You're copying DNA (ignoring conservation of mass etc), but the body is yours. Why shouldn't a broken bone carry over from one morph to another? (I don't know Sanderson's second law.)
And also when a body gets wounded, the DNA is generally unharmed. (Unless it's a radioactive incident or something.)
 
12:22 AM
@Shokhet Sanderson's laws (more detail on his own website).
@Shokhet That's my point: the DNA is unharmed, so when you morph out and morph back, you get an unharmed body afterwards.
 
@Randal'Thor Oh, now I see what you meant. Getting back an unharmed whale's body makes sense, but I was more bothered by the fact that the human body emerged unscathed when demorphing from a damaged morph.
@Randal'Thor Oh. I've seen those before, I think, but I didn't remember them offhand.
I know Asimov's laws better :)
 
Isn't their own body just another of the DNAs they have in their databank, just with a "home" designation so that it's safe to stay in that form for longer than 2 hours?
(damn, now I'm talking like a programmer)
In other words, when they go back to their own form, is it just their own DNA they're using, as if they were morphing into anything else?
 
Oooooh! Now that makes sense.
Thank you very much for explaining that. Now it all makes sense.
@Randal'Thor I don't know if you need to go so far, but what you're saying is my assumption (that they were using their own bodies in exo-suits or something) is incorrect.
 
Well, I dunno. It's just an idea, which might be contradicted by something in the books for all I know.
What happens if they get a genuine injury in 'real life' - say when playing sports or something, not as part of their Animorph life? After morphing and morphing back, do their injuries miraculously disappear? How do they explain that to their families?
 
What I mean to say is that I don't think you need to say that they morph into their bodies -- maybe their bodies are stored in Z-space or wherever while they're gallivanting around in leotards. So demorphing can stay unchanged. But the way you explained morphing, that they are using the DNA to create a whole body -- it's a new whale every time.
 
12:32 AM
Hmm, now I vaguely recall something about extra body mass, as well as the clothes from their human morph, being shunted off into Z-space when they morph.
 
And injuries don't need to go away from their human bodies
@Randal'Thor No regular clothes, but they are allowed to morph with tight-fitting ones (so that it doesn't get awkward when they demorph)
 
@Shokhet Ah, OK. Now that makes sense.
We should create a Q&A on the main site out of all this brainstorming :-)
 
@Randal'Thor You have your own jargon to explain it....I was trying to type without using Talmudic terms :P
@Randal'Thor Maybe, but it would be much better with quotes from books and/or authors. I don't have any of the books with me right now.
 
Btw, you might be interested to browse the existing questions - there are quite a few. But the system may think you're serially upvoting @Fiksdal, since he asked nearly all of them :-)
 
I'll take a look, thanks :)
I saw this one; it's new.
 
12:35 AM
@Shokhet coughPDFcough
 
I don't have those either, but I could check if my library has ebooks for loan.
 
How do you think I was so quickly able to check the names of the people in that internet chatroom?
Now I need to persuade someone in here to change their name to GoVikes or Gump or something.
 
Ooh, this is a good one. And clearly Fiksdal shares your feelings for the Animorphs: scifi.stackexchange.com/q/139582/41144
 
There's a Yeerk Peace Movement?!
Well, once more I must head bedwards. It's been great fun, @Shokhet - hope to chat more with you about CotRK and Animorphs in the future!
 
@Randal'Thor Yup. Gnite!
Maybe we can rustle up some Lit.SE questions :)
...it's been a while though, so I'll probably have to skim them first.
 
12:50 AM
Lit, SFF, or even both!
Goodnight :-)
 
@Randal'Thor <oh. i forgot which chat room we were in>
:P
 
<how can you miss the background of an SFF room?>
 
<fair enough>
 
1:07 AM
@Randal'Thor Ooh, but Megamorphs: scifi.stackexchange.com/q/139356/41144
And some more on morphing and host's bodies: scifi.stackexchange.com/a/65845/41144
 
1:27 AM
1
Q: How does Charles Xavier pay for all of the gadgets at the X-Mansion?

ThunderforgeIn mainstream Marvel Comics, how does Charles Xavier pay for all the gadgets at the X-Mansion? I understand that the mansion itself has been in his family, but the Danger Room, Cerebro, the X-Jet, missile defense systems, and all of the advanced technology must cost and arm and a leg, not to ment...

 
 
2 hours later…
3:08 AM
1
Q: Title of book - girl bioengineered ​to be different

SaraI've been looking for a book I read probably in the late 80's to very early 90s (pre 1994). My recollection is that the main character was a girl who lived in a dystopian future where kids were bioengineer​ed & society lives in tunnels/underground/dome. Most were the same but she was created diff...

 
3:43 AM
0
Q: Is wonder woman Immortal?

Nasrul BharathiIn the Wonder woman movie she was born before WWI and in the BVS she was fighting doomsday. It doesn't looked like she is aged a little bit. Is she is immortal or having a slow aging rate ? Whether she will get old ?

 
4:20 AM
1
Q: Are there any foreshadowings of Adam Warlock prior to GotG Vol.2?

VoronwëIn the post-credits scene in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Adam Warlock makes an appearance (in his cocoon) in the MCU. Referring to this scene: Other than and prior to this, is there any other foreshadowing of Adam Warlock in the MCU?

 
 
2 hours later…
6:09 AM
0
Q: How could the Istari act openly against Dol Guldur (or did they?)

cometaryorbitThe Istari were forbidden to "match [Sauron's] power with power". Yet the White Council was able to attack Dol Guldur and drive out Sauron. Why was that allowed? Or did the Istari just help out with the planning, and the Elves of the White Council handle the actual attack?

0
Q: Why did the Aes Sedai fear opposition from normal humans?

cometaryorbitApparently, the Aes Sedai instituted the Three Oaths because they were afraid that, without the assurance that they wouldn't war against normal humans, they would be hunted or wiped out by others. However, given how impressive their combat magic is, how was that ever a possibility? In the Great ...

 
6:46 AM
0
Q: Wouldn't the 2001 Monolith know/suspect that teaching apes how to use tools would lead to war?

RichSThe movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey shows a Monolith uplifting apes by teaching them to use bones as tools. One tribe of apes use the tools as clubs to kill another tribe to gain access to a watering hole. The book 3001: The Final Odyssey tells us that the Monoliths decide to Wouldn't the origi...

 
7:00 AM
0
Q: Why doesn't Smaug die in the 2nd Hobbit film if it was titled the 'Desolation of Smaug'?

LamphamDoesn't desolation mean a state of complete emptiness or destruction.? So why doesn't Smaug perish by the end of the 2nd Hobbit film if the film's title was made to describe his end? He only dies at the start of the 3rd film: Battle of Five Armies. Does Jackson say why?

 
7:23 AM
0
Q: Dark Knight Returns - Joker / Two Face talk

user431806In the Dark Knight Returns movie (Nolan one), the Joker talks to Two Face while they are inside the Gotham General Hospital. The Joker clearly explains that he didnt plan the Kidnapping of Rachel and Harvey, since he is clearly a Person that does not make plans. Is this a lie and why would lie a...

 
 
1 hour later…
8:43 AM
1
Q: Story-identification, Short Story with Time Dilation

LodestoneTrying to remember where this story is from. A girl, concerned about humanity overpopulating the planet and/or destroying itself, wishes for something or someone to make a change. Some kind of alien or interdimensional being hears her and does something that affects the world and humanity. Time...

 
SQB
@Babelfish Can we please reopen this? I have an answer ready that clearly shows this question is not a duplicate.
 
@SQB Can you elaborate? I'm not seeing it.
 
9:07 AM
.... just discovered this.
Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers (ディスク・ウォーズ:アベンジャーズ, Disuku Wōzu: Abenjāzu) is an anime television series produced by Toei Animation and Walt Disney Japan, based on the Marvel Comics universe. The series began airing in Japan from April 2, 2014, on TX Network stations. The series was aimed at boys 6-12 and tied in with merchandising produced by Bandai. == Plot == With help from Japan's Dr. Nozomu Akatsuki, Tony Stark aka Iron Man develops a new device called the Digital Identity Securement Kit, known as DISKs for short, designed to help the cause of stopping and detaining villains. However, whilst...
WHY?
 
SQB
9:27 AM
@Politank-Z Well, the closure as a duplicate depends on a certain interpretation of the question, which in turn hinges on the interpretation of the word desolation. I have an answer ready that shows that that interpretation is not necessarily the correct one.
It's in the same direction as the current answer, but takes it a bit further and adds quotes to support it.
 
@SQB Isn't that covered by the answers in the other question?
 
SQB
Not at all. The other question is more a question of timing of story-telling.
Its answers are along those lines as well. Which is correct for that question.
The closed question is "the film is called The Desolation of Smaug, why don't I see Smaug's desolation?" and my answer boils down to "you do see the desolation of Smaug, but you're interpreting desolation incorrectly".
While the dupe target is "why does the third film start with the death of Smaug, instead of having the second film end with it?", which the answers address.
@Edlothiad I saw your comment on the closed question, does the above clarify it?
(Also, I was composing an answer when the question was closed and I couldn't add it. Quite frustrating.)
 
Add it to the original question? The body of that question is a dupe. There's no real question there. It's gone through the re-open queue and been unanimously left closed.
why doesn't Smaug perish by the end of the 2nd Hobbit film if the film's title was made to describe his end?
why did the movie start with Smaug's death? Why did this not conclude during The Desolation of Smaug?
These are so identical, it was closed by the Community user. I don't see any reason to re-open this question. The asker clearer doesn't agree with your interpretation of his question.
Anyways, your viewpoint is covered, albeit very poorly by Daniel Roseman
 
SQB
9:44 AM
Ah, nevermind that last point; going to the original window still let me add my answer. That alleviates my frustration.
 
And ye, you should be able to answer dupes right?
I'm not seeing your answer though
Ah there we go.
 
SQB
0
A: Why doesn't Smaug die in the 2nd Hobbit film if it was titled the 'Desolation of Smaug'?

SQBIt does not have to mean the destruction of Smaug. Dictionary Definition Definition of desolation the action of desolating the pitiful desolation and slaughter of World War I — D. F. Fleming   grief, sadness ... he put his trembling hands to his h...

Ah, you already had it.
 
yeah :P
9 First post reviews before I even woke up today... Man people were busy asking questions last night...
 
10:00 AM
I don't understand how you can try putting words in the askers mouth. The asker asked a question, it's a duplicate. Whether it's possible to interpret words differently or not. If it is post it on the linked answer. Simple
 
SQB
Well, the answers on the closed question aren't answers to the dupe target, but are answers to the closed question. So that alone is a powerful indicator that they are not dupes.
Also, it reads
> Doesn't desolation mean a state of complete emptiness or destruction.?
And both answers say "no, not just that."
 
If that is the question he's asking than the question should be migrated to ELU
The answers on the closed question don't have to answer the dupe target?
as long as the answers on the dupe target answer the question on the closed question.
Wait yeah. I don't see how you have an argument if the OP marked his question as a dupe...
@SQB ^^ @ibid
 
SQB
@Edlothiad ...if not for the quote from The Hobbit showing which interpretation is most likely correct.
 
10:16 AM
Are you simply ignoring the fact the OP himself accepted the duplicate?
 
SQB
Which is still based on an incorrect assumption by the OP.
 
What the OP is wrong?
I don't understand you're obsession with re-opening a question that the OP has said was a dupe?
 
SQB
It's not an obsession. Adding my answer was, perhaps. Now it's just a discussion.
 
10:31 AM
We effectively have the equivalent of Word of God. So I mean, no point discussing
 
10:47 AM
looks around
runs away
 
SQB
11:03 AM
 
@SQB Give Disney some time... By episode 42 they should be fully capable to reach this.
 
SQB
@Derpy You mean Lucas' 42nd rewrite of Episode IV?
Discussion in 2117: "Han Solo did not pass Harry!"
 
 
3 hours later…
1:41 PM
0
Q: Wonder Woman's strength (2017 film) vs the comic books

BeoI noticed Wonder Woman is incredibly strong in the 2017 film, being able to pretty easily lift a tank over her head. The only other Wonder Woman I am familiar with was the Linda Carter TV series, where I don't remember her being that strong. Does her strength and other powers reflect some of wha...

 
0
Q: What short story features an explorer that finds a machine that allows him to simulate his death?

RicardoTrying to find a story about an explorer in some planet in space, who comes across a machine allows him to simulate and experience his death in many different ways, ultimately conquering his inherent fear of death as a human.

 
SQB
2:19 PM
14
Q: What's the East India Trading Company doing out West?

SQBOne of Captain Jack Sparrow's nemeses is the East India Trading Company. Captain Jack Sparrow is one of the many pirates of the Caribbean. The Caribbean is also called the West Indies. So what is the East India Trading Company doing out West?

Seems to be slipping in and out of the HNQ.
 
1
Q: What creatures can apparate?

janiszIt's known that House elves can apparate without a wand. Wizards can do it but only with a wand. Are there any other creatures able to apparate?

0
Q: What is this in the Title sequence of Game of Thrones?

KyloRenBeing that the Title sequence for Game of Thrones tells us a lot about each house, each city for that particular series or represents a place in the world of Game of Thrones. I keep on wondering what is the thing that looks like a lit up shield in the below pic; Here it is again later on in th...

 
 
2:42 PM
@xkcd A grammar mistake? In XKCD?
 
heresy
(I actually don't see a grammar mistake)
 
oh, he wrote "and and" in the middle
 
-2
Q: Do you sympathize with skynet?

SnowflakeWhat that thing was done is for protect it's own survive.And I think ze understand human deeply ,ze knows there is no way to survive if ze don't nuke them.

 
it confuses me that I didn't notice it, but confuses me even more that Randall didn't either
 
3:03 PM
@SQB It's back in, just got 4 upvotes
Just got another
5 more upboats until REPCAP!
Right @SQB, I'm going to get back to trying to find that clip
It seems like I might have to purchase it legally, which I don't think I can afford, but we'll see
 
0
Q: Story Identification YA Fantasy - two warring factions of gods and a girl who is becoming a god

Daniel DomiguezSo all I can recall was that the story revolved around two "warring" factions of gods and their chosen people. One culture believes their gods to be the only "true" gods, and the other culture believes the same about their own gods. The story starts off with a girl who experiences a magical phe...

 
4:07 PM
@Riker More of those, please :)
 
4:36 PM
0
Q: Why did Biff come back to the same timeline in the future?

CalabacinWhen old Biff takes the DeLorean and goes back to the future, he comes back exactly to the same time and place he left, but according to Dr. Brown's explanation on the blackboard, he should have gone back to the new future he created, in which he has been rich all his life. Why doesn't he appear...

 
@Babelfish that's gotta be a dupe
there's no place I would have learned the answer from except here
 
@Gallifreyan cat is out and about but I shall try to take more photos :p
 
 
2 hours later…
6:21 PM
-2
Q: Does a space opera have to feature supernatural abilities, à la the Force?

Marlo ReyesI'm creating a space opera video game and I was wondering if to be considered a Space Opera it had to feature some supernatural abilities like Star Wars has with the Force. Or can I completely forgo that entire idea altogether and keep the rest of what the Wikipedia page says about Space Operas?

1
Q: In Verhoeven's Starship Troopers, how did Lt. Zander Barcalow achieve his grade so fast?

riccs_0x Zanders states that he will go to the fleet academy, and at the same time that Ibañez was going to take the service. Then how did the lieutenant get the grade so fast? (Less than a year, I think).

 
@Babelfish why is this one about to be closed?
it seems like it's about sci-fi/fantasy, so the close reason doesn't make sense to me
 
SQB
@DaaaahWhoosh voted to reopen.
 
7:05 PM
@SQB The front page needs more edits!
 
SQB
@Gallifreyan don't tempt me. ;)
 
7:32 PM
1
Q: Comic book short story where a couple of robots take off their metal skin and get eaten by bugs

SunnyI've been looking for this sci-fi comic book / graphic novel for years with no luck. The book is made up of a number of short stories. These are the storylines that I remember: Two robots walk into a forest together. They eventually start holding hands, kissing, etc. One robot then convinces th...

0
Q: Looking for a Sci-Fi book - Aliens communicating through walls

LarsI'm desperate to find a book that I read ages ago. It started off with aliens contacting Earth and then anyone who wanted to leave with them had to meet them by a large expanse of water (sea or lake). When the humans got on board the aliens didn't appear to be there. The humans had to build thei...

 
8:01 PM
1
Q: In the film Wonder Woman (2017), how did they sail from Themyscira to London in one night while sleeping?

BigDataLouisOne would have thought it would take longer to sail that far and also it seemed unreasonably lucky that the boat went in the right direction while they were sleeping. (But I'm not a sailor).

 
For your consideration:
5
A: Can we increase the maximum tag length?

Shog9This can be increased, but only up to a maximum of 35 characters. This means zen-and-the-art-of-motorcycle-maintenance is right out. I increased the allowed length to 32, thus allowing zen-and-art-of-motorcycle-maint, which should be a little bit easier to recognize. This sort of compromise is ...

 
SQB
@NapoleonWilson !!!
@Mithrandir I think this is the best answer to your Monopoly question:
6
A: Where do you go for the 'nearest railroad' in Monopoly?

BeofettThe wording is ambiguous, but in the many years that I've played this game, I have never heard it interpreted as "Find the closest railroad in front of or behind you, and advance until you arrive there". While I know of no official ruling that spells this out (which is, in itself, somewhat telli...

 
I know, right?!
 
SQB
Shog notes that the maximum length is 35, which is exactly .
 
does SFF get the new tag limit, or just Lit?
(is it called Lit? Is that the right abbreviation?)
 
SQB
8:16 PM
I tested, it seems to be per site.
That is, ours still is 25.
But I've asked.
0
Q: Can we please increase our tag length?

SQBCurrently, our tags can be a maximum of 25 characters. Maximum tag length on Literature has been increased to 32 characters. The theoretical limit is 35, according to Shog9. Can we please increase our maximum tag length to 35 characters, so we can properly tag questions about the classic do-and...

 
@DaaaahWhoosh For now just seems Literature. But it's a precedent now! So practically, yes, SF&F, probably too.
@SQB And another one of these feature requests. Arqade just opened one, too. It's exciting times! \o/
 
@DaaaahWhoosh Yeah
 
8:31 PM
@Mithrandir I want to say "that's lit" but can't bear to use modern slang even as a joke
 
4
Q: Can we please increase our tag length?

SQBCurrently, our tags can be a maximum of 25 characters. Maximum tag length on Literature has been increased to 32 characters. The theoretical limit is 35, according to Shog9. Can we please increase our maximum tag length to 35 characters, so we can properly tag questions about the classic do-and...

 
@NapoleonWilson Wut.... where's the M&TV request?
Why does a beta site get it when all of the sites have been asking for so long get ignored?
 
@Catija I'm writing, I'm writing.
30 mins ago, by Napoleon Wilson
I know, right?!
 
@Catija Mwahahahahaha! Mwahahahahahahaha! Mwahahaaaaaahahaaaaaaahahaaaa!
 
I wanted to let it settle a bit first and see how the Literature thing actually goes. But it's exciting times and I want to chime in to all the other exciting meta posts popping up everywhere.
 
8:38 PM
@NapoleonWilson I wonder what would happen if all of the mods knew...
 
SQB
@Catija because it's easier to f' around with a beta?
 
@Catija Well, I posted into at least the chatrooms of all the media-oriented sites.
And I also freaked the hell out in the secret moderator room.
 
@SQB I don't know that's true... All of the sites pretty much have the standard CSS now, so it shouldn't really matter.
 
So whoever doesn't know yet, is blind and deaf. ;-)
 
@NapoleonWilson Oh, I missed that.
 
8:42 PM
Everyone has to know this. I couldn't imagine what would happen for this to sink into the depths of little Literature secrets.
 
@NapoleonWilson Except it apparently was already possible on the Russian site?
 
Sick burn!
goes to check it
 
@Catija Well, their luck the majority of people didn't speak Russian. This time they're not gonna get away with it, though. ;-)
 
@NapoleonWilson I've upvoted your meta on M&TV anyway.
 
@Catija Nope, the Russian site is 25 too.
 
8:46 PM
It's not network-wide, @Cahir; let's try it here for a little bit & make sure nothing breaks unexpectedly. The only other place this has been changed from the default is the Russian-language Stack Overflow, and there are a lot of other differences there too - so this is the first time it's been changed on an otherwise-standard English-language site. Also, 32 is a nice round number. — Shog9 ♦ 17 mins ago
 
@Gallifreyan I think they're talking about Russian SO, or the other of the two Russian language sites.
(The situation of Russian on SE is...complicated, it seems.)
 
@NapoleonWilson Yep, I checked and Ru.SO allows 30 characters.
 
I guess we all know which site Shog really loves now... :P
 
They're also not getting away with just reverting when no super-long questions get asked for a week on Literature. This is the effin' precedent!
 
So we're the guinea pigs. Lovely.
 
8:48 PM
(But just in case, any Litetature people are encouraged to test this thing to death.)
 
Also, the Thug Notes for Pride and Prejudice is brilliant and I highly recommend anyone who hasn't seen it, watches it.
 
@Catija I already watched a ton of these things. They're certainly interesting and funny.
 
in The Reading Room, 3 mins ago, by Shokhet
Did anyone here read The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson (or, perhaps better, have a searchable copy of it)? I'm trying to find a particular passage for a Literature answer, but it is eluding me.
 
9:06 PM
in The Reading Room, 1 min ago, by Shokhet
Oh, I think I found it. It was much earlier than I thought it was.
 
 
2 hours later…
11:27 PM
0
Q: What was Mad Sweeney screaming in Gaelic?

YasskierIn the "Prayer for Mad Sweeney" episode, the car accident throws Laura through the window and rips the golden coin from her body. Mad Sweeney picks it up and he is ready to walk away from the dead Laura's body, but then he changes mind - he screams something in Gaelic (I believe that at least......

0
Q: How strong is Battle cat?

PabloI've watched the He-man 1983 series when I was a kid, in 1986. Later I watched some episodes again when adult. Never watched the 2002 series or read comics. Additionaly I've only seen the 80's live action movie. I remember from the 80's cartoon He-man was strong enough to move a moon or lift ca...

 

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