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Chapter 52 - The Alliance Part One quote:
81st sigh of the book. quote:
In Chapter One, Rodney / Railrunner described Merrylegs and Static’s human forms as “They looked like they were in their middle thirties.” Just how old is Clare if “middle thirties” means “young girl, and a boy” to her? quote:
“Let’s get out of here immediately because, after your house, the house of your girlfriend, which the police and FBI had already raided, is the second-worst place to hide in this town.” quote:
None of them even pretend to care about Static. quote:
Stop pretending, Railrunner. You don’t give a drat about either of them. You didn’t bother to visit them after you put them in hospital with glass in their hands. You didn’t even inquire after their well-being when you later met them at the amusement park. You have no friends, only people you use and then discard. You are lower than pond-scum and a horrible excuse for a sentient being. quote:
I’m still annoyed at the whole nonsensicality of tying the transformations of amusement park rides to the rising and setting moon. What connection is there between the moon and freakin’ amusement park rides? Why not link their transformations to the opening and closing times of amusement parks? That took me literally 3 seconds. 3 seconds. quote:
82nd sigh of the book. quote:
83rd sigh of the book. quote:
“I don’t want anybody else involved,” said the perpetrator of the following murder in Chapter 18: “Time to bring this coaster into downtime!” he laughed. He aimed the weapon at my head. He placed his hand on the trigger. Before he could fire, a lightning bolt made contact with him. The air started to smell like burning flesh. I turned around to see Thunderbark standing upon the clock tower. He dropped down, landing next to me. Thunderbark can’t even claim that he was defending Railrunner, since he (Thunderbark) knew that only roller coasters could harm another roller coaster and therefore the FBI captain couldn’t have hurt Railrunner. quote:
Just as I’d guessed, Railrunner hadn’t left the gas station without leaving a trail of casualties behind him. Clare has already descended into complete amorality, judging by her utter lack of reaction to, or even mentioning of, those casualties on the way back from the gas station to her home. \ Unfortunately for the forces of good, the police have become woefully inefficient ever since Detective Black’s retirement – it’s been more than two hours (119 minutes for the movie, plus the time spent walking back from the gas station) since Railrunner’s devastation of the gas station and the police still have not tracked down Railrunner. quote:
Have they never heard of the concept of “disproportionate response”? quote:
Seems like Thunderbark’s brief stay in prison hasn’t wisened him up in the least – he’s already back to his old idiotic self. It’s not like the police only knew that Railrunner’s car is Railrunner’s car just because he committed that recent atrocity at the gas station. JosephWongKS fucked around with this message at 08:04 on Jun 19, 2013 |
# ? Jun 19, 2013 07:26 |
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# ? Mar 29, 2024 14:10 |
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Chapter 52 - The Alliance Part Two of Two quote:
Tension rising… quote:
And resolved immediately by magic transforming money. quote:
84th sigh of the book. quote:“Look on the bright side, it is a big plus it is an armored car. So it gives us extra protection in case we are ambushed at all. The thing about it is, lots of people have done the wildest things to their rides here, so nothing to worry about.” Is there a word for something that goes beyond “Mary Sue”? quote:
Railrunner’s special talent is to be absolved of all responsibility and guilt for the many, many atrocities he’s committed and to deliver forgiveness to others for the wrongs he’s done to them. JosephWongKS fucked around with this message at 13:50 on Jun 19, 2013 |
# ? Jun 19, 2013 08:25 |
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quote:“Look on the bright side, it is a big plus it is an armored car. So it gives us extra protection in case we are ambushed at all. The thing about it is, lots of people have done the wildest things to their rides here, so nothing to worry about.” Rodney owns an Mustang. And Clare owned a convertible. While Rodney had a job as an engineer at a cake factory (what?), we never get to hear what job Clare has that allows her to afford such a car. And now owning a armored secret service hummer becomes an expensive deal? Also, I know that Hummer did pride itself in making special order cars, but why would there be a "secret service" model of a Hummer on the showfloor at all? It would take months to actually get the car if it was special ordered, so it appears that the dealership had one just lying around for someone to buy. Also, the Secret Service doesn't use Hummer, they use armored Chevy Suburbans.
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# ? Jun 19, 2013 08:43 |
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I hate this book so much.
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# ? Jun 19, 2013 13:43 |
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quote:A little while later, the afternoon hours had settled in and the sky turned to various shades. Don't bother to describe them then or anything. attackbunny posted:Metamorphosis
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# ? Jun 19, 2013 13:52 |
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Lord of the Rings Frodo got a ring from his uncle. "Frodo, there is something I must tell you. This ring is pretty cool." "Cool", Frodo expressed. "NO!" Said the wagon maker. "I'm a wizard and that is a bad ring." Frodo put on the ring and killed orcs with concussion beams. "Cool", Frodo uttered. Then gollum bit his finger and fell into the lava to Frodos amusement. "Cool" Frodo verbalized.
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# ? Jun 19, 2013 15:51 |
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Phummus posted:Lord of the Rings Not even a single sigh?
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# ? Jun 19, 2013 16:08 |
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quote:Trust me think, James Bond. Gotta put this one in the hall of fame with the others. I have no idea what the intended sentence would look like.
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# ? Jun 19, 2013 16:08 |
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Bobbin Threadbare posted:Gotta put this one in the hall of fame with the others. I have no idea what the intended sentence would look like. She probably meant "Trust me, think 'James Bond'".
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# ? Jun 19, 2013 16:15 |
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JosephWongKS posted:She probably meant "Trust me, think 'James Bond'". Knowing Miranda Leek, she probably meant "Trust, me think James Bond."
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# ? Jun 19, 2013 16:22 |
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JosephWongKS posted:Is there a word for something that goes beyond “Mary Sue”?
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# ? Jun 19, 2013 16:40 |
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Railrunner is basically Red John.
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# ? Jun 19, 2013 17:31 |
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quote:“Thunderbark,” I began. “How much is ten thousand g’s in real world currency?” So one g = ten dollars. Buying a ship and hiring a crew to go with it was seven thousand g’s, so seventy thousand dollars. One night in the penthouse suite in Zegria was six hundred g’s. So, six thousand dollars. One drink in a small bar in a small village cost six g’s. So... sixty dollars. Man, that guy ripped Railrunner off. Good for him.
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# ? Jun 19, 2013 17:56 |
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I refuse to believe this was written by an actual human being. I am now convinced that you are making this up. Someone would have to be a total sociopath to believe that these miscreants are actually good, moral people. They're all just so horrible. The story is just so bad. I'm offended by the thought that anyone would charge money for this horseshit. It is too cruel a thought.Sindai posted:This is a level beyond Mary Sue. I call it...Mary Two. Someone needed to go there. You're an honor to your country, son.
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# ? Jun 19, 2013 22:42 |
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GrizzlyCow posted:I refuse to believe this was written by an actual human being. I am now convinced that you are making this up. Someone would have to be a total sociopath to believe that these miscreants are actually good, moral people. They're all just so horrible. The story is just so bad. I'm offended by the thought that anyone would charge money for this horseshit. It is too cruel a thought.
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# ? Jun 20, 2013 07:52 |
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Are car dealerships really okay with someone dumping a bag of cash in front of them and sighing "Give me something bulletproof"?
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# ? Jun 20, 2013 08:01 |
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List of atrocities and villainous acts committed by Railrunner and his gang of psychopathic monsters Chapter 4 1. Shattered the beer bottles being held by his friends Buddy and Sly, injuring their hands 2. Killed a cat 3. Wrecked the ambulance that came in response to Buddy and Sly's injuries 4. Wrecked a bar, killing at least 1 civilian 5. Attacked the bar-owner 6. Attacked the police officers who came in response to the chaos, killing 5 of them Chapter 5 7. Killed and ate a bull Chapter 8 8. Attacked his girlfriend Clare Chapter 9 9. Attacked Detective Black when he jumped in front of Clare to defend her from Railrunner's assault 10. Ran through the carnival, destroying nearly everything in his path, from toppling over small rides to completely obliterating food stands 11. Killed and ate a "fat black and white dairy cow" 12. Attacked and killed a SWAT officer who came in response to the chaos 13. Attacked his girlfriend Clare again 14. Attacked Detective Black again 15. Tried to attack Thunderbark with lightning Chapter 11 16. Cold-bloodedly murdered a gang of thugs who had accosted Clare but who had swiftly surrendered after seeing Railrunner's were-roller-coaster form 17. Attacked a pair of police officers who had come in response to a report of armed robbery in the area 18. Pushed large trucks out of his way while chasing the abovementioned police officers on the road, presumably causing multiple vehicle collisions Chapter 13 19. Killed a police officer by biting him in the neck 20. Killed another police officer by deflecting a bullet back into the police officer 21. Caused mass destruction to a group of police officers by firing a “concussion beam” 22. Flattened some more police officers by “flipping their cruisers” and crushing them underneath Chapter 15 23. Cruelly destroyed a mouse by manipulating the metal in its blood 24. Inflicted a minor injury on Detective Black 25. Slammed a few police offices on to a wall 26. Smashed a few more police officers with his tail 27. Knocked out a police officer by popping open his restraint 28. Attempted to crush a FBI captain by throwing a police car at him Chapter 16 29. Broke into a museum and stole a piece of jewellery known as the Augu Ra Chapter 18 30. Threw a dog into a tree, knocking it out (Thunderbark) 31. Destroyed a ferris wheel by climbing onto and then jumping off it with all of twenty thousand pounds of weight 32. Threw an armored truck at a group of police officers, hitting “several squad cars and policemen” 33. Broke off a light post and used it as a bat, breaking bones and smashing cars 34. Stabbed police officers with her “unicorn-like horn” (Merrylegs) 35. Stung people “as if they were a scorpion’s prey” (Static) 36. Disintegrated a row of police officers with his McGuffin 37. Struck down an FBI captain with a lightning bolt (Thunderbark) Chapter 26 38. Went out of control (again) during a sparring session and bit and poisoned Thunderbark Chapter 27 39. “Wiped out the first row of helpless men” with “a searing inferno” 40. Destroyed six tanks of soldiers Chapter 35 41. Threatened to kill Merrylegs 42. Threatened to assault Static Chapter 36 43. Threatened to “cut the restraints off” a bartender roller-coaster 44. Threatened to “shove the head up” a “diminutive” tin-lizzy ticket-taker Chapter 38 45. Seriously considered the deliberate killing of another gladiator solely because the other gladiator had smack-talked Railrunner Chapter 39 46. Made Merrylegs and Static wait four hours for dinner while he indulged his gluttony Chapter 40 47. Went out of his way to kill a roller-coaster bandit for his blood, without the slightest hesitation or regret Chapter 47 48. Threatened Merrylegs because she had the sheer temerity to ask Railrunner to use his death-prediction powers to predict which of their allies might die in the upcoming battle 49. Caused mass destruction to the town of Alcator during his “liberation” of it Chapter 50 50. Killed one person and injured many others at a gas station
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# ? Jun 20, 2013 09:14 |
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Chapter 53 – Unexpected Part One quote:
This is Miranda Leek’s idea of “handle everything like a pro”? quote:“We’re in.” Thunderbark said handing the phone to Clare. I looked at him astonished, surprised that he actually pulled it off successfully. All this shows is that Rodney / Railrunner’s friends are as gullible and stupid as he is. quote:
85th sigh of the book. quote:
The fact that Miranda Leek wrote Sly as simply believing everything Railrunner says about the existence of “Amusement Park Between” and “Fallen” and “King Ironwheel”, at the first go, without the slightest skepticism or disbelief at such outrageously stupid bullshit, legit makes me furious. This is the laziest of lazy writing. This is the laziest of lazy writing. quote:
“Trust me, I know the red roller coaster is a good guy”, said the red roller coaster, after killing one person and injuring “many” people at a gas station earlier in the morning. quote:
It bothers, bothers, bothers, bothers, bothers me that Sly automatically and immediately accepts every nonsensical thing Rodney / Railrunner tells him. quote:
We’ve seen how “advanced” the level of technology in Amusement Park Between is, and given that Railrunner is their paragon of virtue, they clearly aren’t spiritually or morally advanced either. So in what way are the amusement park rides “a lot more advanced”? quote:
Why do they never prepare a cover story in advance? What happened to being “pretty good at” subterfuge? JosephWongKS fucked around with this message at 11:04 on Jun 20, 2013 |
# ? Jun 20, 2013 10:30 |
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I hope this teaches you not to offer a book review as a prize
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# ? Jun 20, 2013 11:43 |
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Chapter 53 – Unexpected Part Two of Two quote:
Why is everyone backing up to the walls “in alarm”? All the amusement park rides know that Railrunner is immune to bullets. quote:
They… I don’t even… what? They bought the car under Rodney’s own name? When they know he’s wanted by the police and FBI? After they just saw the news programme stating that the police and FBI have been alerted to his return? This isn’t “carelessness”, this is a level of stupidity which all the languages of the world put together are insufficient to describe. quote:
I can understand why Sly is surprised, but why is Buddy surprised? He knew that Rodney was Railrunner - surely he should have anticipated that the people travelling with Railrunner are in cahoots with him. Man, ever since Detective Black retired the quality of the local police has gone downhill really fast. How desperate they must be for recruits if they are taking on people who are Rodney’s friends, all of whom are evidently infected by his aura of stupidity and incompetence. quote:
At the start of Chapter 51, “Clare and I moved silently through her neighborhood. It was now five in the morning and still no one stirred.” A few paragraphs later in Chapter 51, “I nodded in reply and looked to the horizon. In the far off distance I could see the faint rays of the sun. “ Still in Chapter 51, they watched the movie “Roller Coaster”, which is 119 minutes long. At this time, it would be about seven in the morning. After that, there was a brief conversation and a kissing scene, before Thunderbark, Merrylegs and Static arrived in Chapter 52. In Chapter 52, they had a brief discussion on what to do next, and agreed to expropriate Sly’s home to be their base of operations. They lamented their lack of a car and then Railrunner took out his bag of magic transforming money. Let’s be generous and say that one hour has passed, so it’s now about eight in the morning. Still in Chapter 52, “Hours later we drove out of the lot with my new car…. A little while later, the afternoon hours had settled in and the sky turned to various shades.” This means it took them at least 5 hours to buy a car, but set that aside for the moment. Let us say that “afternoon hours” is about 4 pm. They reached Sly’s home at the start of Chapter 53, and there was no time-skip in between the start of Chapter 53 and “the moon had finally risen” described above. Let’s say the moon rises at 8 pm. So this means it took about 4 hours for them to drive to Sly’s home, “who lives outside of town in a cabin”. Just how huge is this “small town” if “outside of town” encompasses an area four hours away by car? quote:
How large is Sly’s cabin if it can (apparently comfortably, since there is no indication that any furniture was destroyed or knocked out of the way during the transformation) accommodate a seventeen-foot tall, twenty-thousand pound roller coaster? quote:
“The boomerang effect”. quote:
“Custody of the weapon”. quote:
Is there a need to state “with his (eyes)”? Do people in Tennessee “glare” with their noses, their teeth or other parts of their body? quote:
I should start keeping track of the number of times people apologise to Railrunner. quote:
Even if we accept that specious reasoning, Railrunner is still responsible for everything he did after “gaining control” in Chapter 13, which is all of the following: Chapter 13 19. Killed a police officer by biting him in the neck 20. Killed another police officer by deflecting a bullet back into the police officer 21. Caused mass destruction to a group of police officers by firing a “concussion beam” 22. Flattened some more police officers by “flipping their cruisers” and crushing them underneath Chapter 15 23. Cruelly destroyed a mouse by manipulating the metal in its blood 24. Inflicted a minor injury on Detective Black 25. Slammed a few police offices on to a wall 26. Smashed a few more police officers with his tail 27. Knocked out a police officer by popping open his restraint 28. Attempted to crush a FBI captain by throwing a police car at him Chapter 16 29. Broke into a museum and stole a piece of jewellery known as the Augu Ra Chapter 18 30. Threw a dog into a tree, knocking it out (Thunderbark) 31. Destroyed a ferris wheel by climbing onto and then jumping off it with all of twenty thousand pounds of weight 32. Threw an armored truck at a group of police officers, hitting “several squad cars and policemen” 33. Broke off a light post and used it as a bat, breaking bones and smashing cars 34. Stabbed police officers with her “unicorn-like horn” (Merrylegs) 35. Stung people “as if they were a scorpion’s prey” (Static) 36. Disintegrated a row of police officers with his McGuffin 37. Struck down an FBI captain with a lightning bolt (Thunderbark) Chapter 26 38. Went out of control (again) during a sparring session and bit and poisoned Thunderbark Chapter 27 39. “Wiped out the first row of helpless men” with “a searing inferno” 40. Destroyed six tanks of soldiers Chapter 35 41. Threatened to kill Merrylegs 42. Threatened to assault Static Chapter 36 43. Threatened to “cut the restraints off” a bartender roller-coaster 44. Threatened to “shove the head up” a “diminutive” tin-lizzy ticket-taker Chapter 38 45. Seriously considered the deliberate killing of another gladiator solely because the other gladiator had smack-talked Railrunner Chapter 39 46. Made Merrylegs and Static wait four hours for dinner while he indulged his gluttony Chapter 40 47. Went out of his way to kill a roller-coaster bandit for his blood, without the slightest hesitation or regret Chapter 47 48. Threatened Merrylegs because she had the sheer temerity to ask Railrunner to use his death-prediction powers to predict which of their allies might die in the upcoming battle 49. Caused mass destruction to the town of Alcator during his “liberation” of it Chapter 50 50. Killed one person and injured many others at a gas station quote:
How does he know? He wasn’t present at any of those events, and this is the first time he’s hearing about it. quote:
They just came here less than 10 minutes ago, how does that amount to “It took me some time to believe it too”? quote:
How does he know? This is the first time he’s met Clare in the company of these amusement park rides or otherwise been aware that Clare was in on the secret. Lazy, lazy, lazy writing. quote:
“All kinds of misfortunes”, none of which we’ve seen or heard of. quote:
Lazy, lazy, lazy, lazy, lazy writing. quote:
Why are they wantonly destroying the police car? Setting aside its pure utilitarian value as an additional vehicle, Buddy’s status as an insider in the police force is immensely valuable for a group of renegades on the run. Why is everyone in this book (other than Detective Black) so utterly god-drat stupid? quote:
They are not baby-sitting you, they are deliberately putting you in harm’s way by their very presence. quote:
Unfortunately, Miranda Leek can and has answered that question, in great and horrifying detail. JosephWongKS fucked around with this message at 13:30 on Jun 20, 2013 |
# ? Jun 20, 2013 11:58 |
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The second part of the chapter has content from the first part as well - you may want to delete that.
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# ? Jun 20, 2013 12:47 |
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Miranda's never met actual humans. Only explanation.quote:I looked at him astonished, quote:surprised that he actually pulled it off successfully. quote:“We are almost there anyways; I think I’ll call Sly now.” I said pulling out Clare’s cell phone. quote:Thunderbark nodded for me to give him permission to speak, I agreed and he started.
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# ? Jun 20, 2013 12:48 |
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FYAD: the book
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# ? Jun 20, 2013 13:00 |
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Jeek posted:The second part of the chapter has content from the first part as well - you may want to delete that. Thanks! I've fixed my post.
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# ? Jun 20, 2013 14:22 |
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Buddy and Sly seem to have lost all scorn for rollercoasters in the mean time then.quote:“So Rod, where did you get your job?” asked Sly.
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# ? Jun 20, 2013 14:41 |
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So according to Miranda, criminals, cops or any kind of law enforcement and men hitting on Clare are not "people". How the hell can you be so blind? How is it even possible that she never stopped to consider the fact that Railrunner killed several people after he gained control? How the hell is it possible to think that if someone threatens you while you know that they can't do poo poo to you at all it's okay to kill them? Officer, I was home invaded. I broke the burglar's arms and legs but he spit on me so I had to eliminate the threat he posed to me. Don't worry, that's totally reasonable reaction, you're free to go. When I first read that part of the book, I seriously thought that Railrunner was going to kill Buddy. There was no question about it. Buddy was a cop now and all cops have to die if they even think about Railrunner.
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# ? Jun 20, 2013 14:55 |
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Les Miserables "I did not attack the man" Fantine sighed "Oh ok that makes sense," Javert laughed Fantine then transformed into a roller coaster and gave birth Enqueue scene "Javert's Suicide"
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# ? Jun 20, 2013 15:21 |
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Every time you post a chapter, I try to read along. Every time I give up halfway trough, and just read your comments. Miranda Leek is definitely a unique writer. I don't think there are more like her. If there are, please don't don't tell me.
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# ? Jun 20, 2013 15:53 |
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quote:“This is Woody Jackson of the US secret service. For federal investigations we will be staying at your residence. The situation concerns you and the ones known as Rodney and Clare. Several of our agents will serve as your guards until further notice.” Thunderbark said in a serious tone. For a minute there was a long silence between the two, and then he unexpectedly smiled and hung up. Ahaha. I know the guy is spouting bullshit on purpose, but it's so rare that I see fictional characters violate the Third Amendment to the US Constitution. Constitution of the United States of America posted:"No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law." Federal agents can operate inside a person's home for the sake of an imminent security risk, but they cannot "stay" at a residence except in shifts.
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# ? Jun 20, 2013 16:09 |
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tonberrytoby posted:Every time you post a chapter, I try to read along. Every time I give up halfway trough, and just read your comments. You had to remind me of one whom I ran into some time ago. When the whole "anthro airplanes" came up on the "strangest things on DA" thread, I figured I could look into some of the more absurd drawings. I encountered someone's DA account. Saw that the artist claimed to have published seven books already and one of his/her drawings actually made it on board the ISS. I'm ashamed I found the artist again so quickly. I looked at the preview of one of the books and it's totally bonkers. Here is the rest of the author's books. I should stop looking for the freaks as this brings no joy. Iced Cocoa fucked around with this message at 16:39 on Jun 20, 2013 |
# ? Jun 20, 2013 16:35 |
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"Do the boomerang effect" sounds like something you'd say before bursting into dance.
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# ? Jun 20, 2013 17:14 |
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Iced Cocoa posted:You had to remind me of one whom I ran into some time ago. When the whole "anthro airplanes" came up on the "strangest things on DA" thread, I figured I could look into some of the more absurd drawings. I encountered someone's DA account. Saw that the artist claimed to have published seven books already and one of his/her drawings actually made it on board the ISS. I'm ashamed I found the artist again so quickly. Yeah, he was one of those Bizzare Anthros people who didn't make it into my post. For obvious reasons. I feel his ideas could work if they looked better. He seems to have skills with animation. But he seems to take his anthropomorphic airplanes supr srsly and that doesn't do anyone any good. Some of them get really weird too. Anyway, some better work from the "Forever Remember Us" dude:
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# ? Jun 20, 2013 19:00 |
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Chapter 54 – Shiftquote:
Why does Miranda Leek bear a grudge against Static? quote:
Even if he did “give up police work”, I question the value of “friends” who would so willingly and rapidly throw in their lots with creatures known to be brutal, sadistic mass murderers. quote:
86th sigh of the book. quote:
How lush can the forest be if there’s a road through it wide enough to drive a Humvee and sufficient room between the trees and vegetation for a seventeen-foot tall, twenty-thousand pound roller coaster to “bound”? quote:
It’s always “me, myself, and I” in Railrunner’s world. quote:
Those must be some truly gigantic trees, to conceal a seventeen-foot tall, twenty-thousand pound roller coaster. quote:
This is really telling of Railrunner's world-view – the only purpose of women is making babies. quote:
A few paragraphs up, it states that “I stopped in the middle of a clearing that housed a small pond. I knew this was a popular hotspot for animals such as deer, which sounded really good right now”. Now the “small pond” has transformed into a “lake”. This never happened in Amusement Park Between - perhaps it is the “real world” that is the more “imaginative” place after all? quote:
Infinite quote:
“Wait a minute!” Sly interrupted. “Are you saying that the red roller coaster is a good guy!” “Trust me, I know.” I said smiling, before killing a helpless prisoner who gave me the information I had requested in exchange for an implicit promise of safe passage. quote:
Railrunner is self-aware enough to recognize that what he did was “butchery”, but lacks the morality to realize that it was “wrong”. quote:
They know that the opposing force is down to Ironwheel and Freakshow, which means they have a numerical advantage. They know that Railrunner is a match for Ironwheel and Freakshow, which means they have at least qualitative parity. They know that the opposing force is already here, so the opposing force will not have the advantage of surprise. So why are they still so terrified? quote:
87th sigh of the book. quote:
And of course JosephWongKS fucked around with this message at 04:03 on Jun 21, 2013 |
# ? Jun 21, 2013 03:51 |
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"What do you mean you don't know what's happening next? I thought roller coasters could see the future." "Well, yes, but only when it's convenient. By the way, how come you're asking me? You're a roller coaster, too!" "...I don't understand."
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# ? Jun 21, 2013 04:13 |
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Chapter 55 – Demandsquote:
Ironwheel and Freakshow. I hope we’ll get the rest of the story from their POV. Can’t be any worse than getting it from Railrunner’s. quote:
Note that up to this point, Ironwheel and Freakshow have treated Mr Callahan with much more civility than Railrunner gave to the bartender in Zegria: “Trust me; I’ll be worth your time.” I said sliding up my sleeve slightly to show my red metal. He glared in shock at me. “You’re a –.” “Shhh - you say –it, and I’ll cut your restraints off.” I said with an earnest tone… “Thanks.” I said as I was exiting. I took the last gulp of the Red C and then threw the glass to the ground. quote:
I’m going to ignore this part because this is just Miranda Leek making the designated villain gratuitously kick a puppy for the sake of kicking puppies. Even if we don’t ignore it, Railrunner’s body-count is still far, far higher. quote:
This mirrors the scene at the end of Chapter 22 where Railrunner swears vengeance on Ironwheel: “All right. I have one final question, what is Ironwheel’s motive?” I asked, my question only making Thunderbark swallow apprehensively. “Ironwheel has the deepest hatred for humans, even more than Freakshow’s. He wants to gather his armies and get his revenge on the humans. He wants to rule Amusement Park Between and make every ride and man his slaves!” I nodded and stood up, Thunderbark watching me eagerly. “I want revenge and justice. I want to kill Freakshow, because she murdered my mother and probably countless others. Most of all, I want Ironwheel dead! I want to burry [sic] him in his grave! I want to make him pay!” The difference is, we only heard Thunderbark’s account of Ironwheel killing Angeltrack, and never “saw” it with our own eyes. We’d also never seen or heard any other accounts of any atrocities or brutality by Ironwheel or his regime. On the contrary, in the last chapter, we’d just seen Railrunner brutally execute Bones, a helpless captive, and previously we’d seen many, many examples of Railrunner indiscriminate slaughter of many other people and amusement park rides. Without any intention to do so, Miranda Leek has made the designated villan Ironwheel a much, much more sympathetic character than the designated hero Railrunner. That takes talent.
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# ? Jun 21, 2013 09:17 |
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For those who were wondering how the Fallen were really enforcing their rule, please notice what Bones said:quote:“Thanks to you, it is just me, Freakshow, and Ironwheel. We are the last of the Fallens!” Which means that all the fallen but one and one squad were in that Fallen-taken town where Railrunner first met Freakshow, or in the prison, or in the capital city or the castle. The squad was committing piracy on the river. And the last one was a random go-kart car in the first town Railrunner was in. Those are the only Fallens there were, in a land that it takes days to go sailing up some river.
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# ? Jun 21, 2013 10:07 |
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JosephWongKS posted:I’m going to ignore this part because this is just Miranda Leek making the designated villain gratuitously kick a puppy for the sake of kicking puppies. Even if we don’t ignore it, Railrunner’s body-count is still far, far higher. Untrue. The bartender could feasibly have warned Rodney or Clare about the people asking questions - he obviously knows where they live, and likely also has their phone numbers. Ironwheel isn't being brutal for the sake of being brutal, he's just committing the evil but necessary act of covering his bases. He is accompanied by Freakshow, a social outcast, and her presence (since she looks like Frankenstein's monster) is notable in itself such that there wouldn't be any ambiguity as to Ironwheel's presence if the bartender were to issue a warning.
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# ? Jun 21, 2013 11:10 |
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quote:The woman had short black hair that went into a Mohawk that was died [sic] purple at the tip. She was tall and skinny, but the most striking thing about her was the woman’s skin. It looked like it was from many different people all stitched together. Even her body parts were not identical, her hands did not match nor did her eyes. quote:He too was tall, but extremely muscular looking. quote:“I will - I would love to, I like it fresh.” he hissed. Suddenly his mouth opened wide and his teeth became fangs. He then lunged for the bar owner, sinking his teeth into his neck. With a jerk, the man’s throat was ripped out instantly. Iro stood and licked his lips, wiping every inch of blood off his face. Frankly, I don't believe Leek's history is accurate. Her sympathies towards Railrunner are clear and she's obviously taken the propaganda of his early rule as simple fact. The story that Freakshow and Ironwheel arrived in the human world and immediately began to slaughter indiscriminately is unsubstatiated by police records and entirely at odds with the caution he displayed at other times during his reign. Ironwheel doesn't even support the death penalty, as shown by him keeping all the rebels in prison so they can be rehabilitated into productive members of society. The idea that Ironwheel would refrain from executing rebels who threatened the stability of his government and Amusement Park Beyond, yet pointlessly tear out the throat of a harmless barkeeper who had been nothing but helpful to him, is ridiculous. (Speaking seriously, it's interesting that when Miranda realised Ironwheel had barely done anything evil and needed to be evilled up in a hurry, she picked 'coldbloodedly slaughtering someone who posed no threat and gave him useful information'. She's got no self-awareness whatsoever. attackbunny fucked around with this message at 18:26 on Jun 21, 2013 |
# ? Jun 21, 2013 18:24 |
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And unlike Railrunner, Ironwheel has tact about killing the man. Sure he ripped out and swallowed the man's throat, but he didn't go into some crazy bloodlust frenzy like Railrunner does.
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# ? Jun 21, 2013 18:28 |
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# ? Mar 29, 2024 14:10 |
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Detective Black woke up and found a covered plate on a tray by his bed. Inside was a pair of Belgian waffles with strawberries and syrup, sausages links, and three eggs cooked sunny side up. While not quite what he'd call a perfect breakfast, Black was still impressed by the meal and ate heartily. After he finished, he walked downstairs and followed the sound of conversation into the back room where Thunderbolt and Terry the Teacup were cleaning up after bowls of plain cereal. "So did neither of you get breakfast in bed?" Black asked. "No. This world may be a paradise, but it's not that nice. There's fixings in the kitchen for better than cereal, but Terry and I don't know how to cook. I've heard there are luxury hotels you can find where meals appear overnight and in rooms that unlock on their own at lunch and dinnertime, but nobody's been in one of those aside from Iron Raptor and his lieutenants since he took over. Why, were you expecting better? We don't exactly have General Mills here, but--" "No thanks, I'm good," Black assured them. Terry and Thunderbolt gave each other concerned looks, but decided not to comment. "Well, if you're ready to go, we should leave right away. I understand the local Raptor agent is getting suspicious of us, so we should get to my cell's meeting place. Hopefully you'll find something to prove your worth when we get there." "I hear you're the reason we won't have to stick around for the coin distribution!" Terry added cheerily. "True enough. Come on." As Thunderbolt walked to the front door, he stripped off his clothing and folded it over his arm. Black averted his eyes as the old man pulled off his pants, but Terry came up and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "You'll get used to it. Everyone has to be naked to shift. Even most automatons don't use real fabric," the teacup explained. The detective still decided to wait inside until the transformation was complete and only emerged once the creaking and stretching noises ceased. Thunderbolt's bulky white frame was hard to see in the early morning fog, and the sun was a faded white disc just visible past the thick tree canopy along (what Black hoped was) the east end of town. The roller coaster train was stuffing his human clothes just underneath the row of seats behind his head when Terry and Rick approached him. "Hop aboard, boys," he offered. Trying not to think about how the creature he was climbing onto was technically both alive and naked, Black selected a seat a few rows back from Thunderbolt's head and locked the lap restraint against his thighs. The detective noted that the foam cushion on the restraint was sloppily painted white over the original black, and the paint still felt a bit sticky when he pulled his hand away. Terry picked a spot more towards the middle of the train, and then Thunderbolt turned his head to face his passengers. "Watch this," he said with a wink. Thunderbolt took a deep breath and blew. As he blew, the morning mist cleared in a corridor in front of them, parting to either side like the Red Sea. As Thunderbolt rolled forward, the fog continued to clear in front and drew back together as they left it behind. "I love fog," the roller coaster remarked as they plunged into the woods. "Ice and snow, too. A shame we don't see much around these parts." "So where are we heading?" Black asked. "There's a settlement along a river nearby. We can buy passage on a ship that'll take us right where we need to go." "Looks like we're going pretty fast as it is," the detective commented as he watched trees fly by in a blur. "Can't you take us there yourself?" Thunderbolt laughed. "Through a swamp? Come on, do I look like I could float in water and mud? Besides, wooden coasters are built for traction, not comfort. Even if we were in Plains Land, your rear would still be sore in under four minutes. Trust me, you'll be glad we're taking a boat by the time we hit Voodoo Town." Detective Black had to admit the train was right as the group came to a halt in a tree stand outside Voodoo Town. Still beyond the town limits, Thunderbolt transformed back and put on his clothes, explaining, "I'm a bit of a notorious member of the Resistance these days. Lucky for me they don't know my human form yet, but Thunderbolt the Roller Coaster can be identified just about anywhere he goes." "So what do I call you while we're there?" Rick asked. "Allen. You remember the director, right?" Thunderbolt gave the detective another wink. The roller coaster led the way into Voodoo Town. The village was built on a series of uneven wooden planks and walkways that crossed between posts driven deep into a marshy outflow of the nearby Cedar River. Mismatched wooden shacks rose up at random intervals along the walkways, with workshops, stores, and residences sharing space without any apparent regard to order or urban planning. There was also another concrete structure in a small clearing on nearby solid ground, but Detective Black chose not to draw attention to it this time. Thunderbolt took the lead in finding passage, so Terry and Rick passed the time by sticking gummi worms on toy fishing poles to try and catch Swedish fish off the side of a dock. "You shouldn't let on you're a human while you're here," Terry advised the detective as he threw back a bright goldfish which had bitten on the hook by mistake. "I don't think most folks would mind, but Raptor's thrill rides would see you as a big, soft target that can't fight back. They'll be all over you." "We'll see about that," Black muttered. He reeled in his fishing line and pried another wriggling red fish off his hook and dropped it into a steel bucket where it began swimming around with the others they had caught. "I thought you said these things came in more than one color." "Must be a school of the red ones down there right now. They are more common," Terry admitted with a shrug. "Anyway, since your necklace was meant for a roller coaster train, it should be pretty easy to make people think you are one just by leaving it out. I'd use a different last name, though. Nobody really likes black these days." Terry shivered. "Richard, Terry." The pair turned to see Thunderbolt smiling behind them. "I found us a ship that leaves today. It was supposed to leave tomorrow, but I was able to...fund its early departure. Eat the fish you want and throw the rest back. We're boarding right now."
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# ? Jun 21, 2013 20:37 |