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Introductions & Departures / Re: Oh god does anyone still remember me?
« Last post by Shenmue654 on February 16, 2026, 04:16:55 PM »This is gloriously petty. 
My hat's off to you.
My hat's off to you.
Recent Posts
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Animorphs Forum Classic / Re: Why Visser Three Isn't Actually Stupid
« Last post by Shenmue654 on February 16, 2026, 03:46:59 PM »Yay, glad to see you Gumby! 
Welcome back to the old haunt!
When I was last on RAF as a genuine regular rather than an infrequent visitor, I was a little bit more embarrassed than I am now about expressing an extreme enjoyment of anything, let alone a character that most fans thought of as a joke. But after turning 30, I started caring a whole lot less, and the early-book versions of V3 are frankly where a lot of my ideal villain came from. And I feel like most people really don't consider the situation V3 must effectively be in when evaluating his competency, hence the rant.
And yeah, the Yeerks must have, by the standards of biological slavers, been a relatively peaceful race. In my headcanon they did have some inter-tribal conflicts that were genuine wars early in their history, but it was never more than the "handful" Edriss suggests. Visser Three is one of those rare people who could never have been happy outside of an armed conflict (he says he "would have lived happily enough," but Esplin, buddy, I think you're wrong). For a species without humankind's very particular history, they learned alarmingly fast. But they're still at a huge disadvantage, and the assignments should have been very different. The war was as much lost to resource mismanagement as the Animorphs.
Welcome back to the old haunt! When I was last on RAF as a genuine regular rather than an infrequent visitor, I was a little bit more embarrassed than I am now about expressing an extreme enjoyment of anything, let alone a character that most fans thought of as a joke. But after turning 30, I started caring a whole lot less, and the early-book versions of V3 are frankly where a lot of my ideal villain came from. And I feel like most people really don't consider the situation V3 must effectively be in when evaluating his competency, hence the rant.
And yeah, the Yeerks must have, by the standards of biological slavers, been a relatively peaceful race. In my headcanon they did have some inter-tribal conflicts that were genuine wars early in their history, but it was never more than the "handful" Edriss suggests. Visser Three is one of those rare people who could never have been happy outside of an armed conflict (he says he "would have lived happily enough," but Esplin, buddy, I think you're wrong). For a species without humankind's very particular history, they learned alarmingly fast. But they're still at a huge disadvantage, and the assignments should have been very different. The war was as much lost to resource mismanagement as the Animorphs.
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Introductions & Departures / Re: Oh god does anyone still remember me?
« Last post by Gumby on February 16, 2026, 04:36:09 AM »24
Introductions & Departures / Re: Back from outer space!
« Last post by Gumby on February 16, 2026, 03:52:27 AM »Well lick my toes and call me a stick of Irish butter, I wouldn't mind a RAF discord to idle time away at work on.
Adulthood has been... OK? I've been on a trajectory of falling upwards. Got my dream job of being a decently paid office drone, and a decent-ish house in a small town. So honestly especially for my generation I can't really complain.
Here's hoping some sort of modest life can be kept ticking away here. 'Twas a good place. And I think the sort of community fostered by sequestered message boards is just a much more positive thing than what has taken over with the current social media /old man yells at cloud.
Really glad to see you're still kicking around, along with some of the other wizened ancients.
Adulthood has been... OK? I've been on a trajectory of falling upwards. Got my dream job of being a decently paid office drone, and a decent-ish house in a small town. So honestly especially for my generation I can't really complain.
Here's hoping some sort of modest life can be kept ticking away here. 'Twas a good place. And I think the sort of community fostered by sequestered message boards is just a much more positive thing than what has taken over with the current social media /old man yells at cloud.
Really glad to see you're still kicking around, along with some of the other wizened ancients.
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Introductions & Departures / Re: Back from outer space!
« Last post by Estelore on February 15, 2026, 07:10:08 PM »There actually is a Discord already! I think Goom might be able to provide an invitation to it, or knows who can. As to what precisely happened to the forum, all I know for sure is that the last post before it vanished for around a year was in December of that year. A lot of folks tried to contact Richard through the last known contacts, but many of them routed through the forum's own domain, so there wasn't any luck with that for a long time. Now Richard himself is back, seems like, since he posted in the 'say you're alive' thread recently.
I've really missed message boards, too; it's wonderful to have RAF back, and I'm really hoping we can build up enough momentum with our interactions to attract more posting activity from others. Gracious, but it's good to see you. And yes, still twinkling in the Arches Cluster, which can be found right in the middle of Sagittarius.
Denmark! That's quite a change! I hope adulthood is managing to treat you decently.
I've really missed message boards, too; it's wonderful to have RAF back, and I'm really hoping we can build up enough momentum with our interactions to attract more posting activity from others. Gracious, but it's good to see you. And yes, still twinkling in the Arches Cluster, which can be found right in the middle of Sagittarius.
Denmark! That's quite a change! I hope adulthood is managing to treat you decently.
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Animorphs Forum Classic / Re: Why Visser Three Isn't Actually Stupid
« Last post by Gumby on February 15, 2026, 05:35:34 AM »**** (wait are we allowed to swear now?) this was a good post. And honestly a good rationalization for V3's strategic struggles.
There is something to be said for the fact that the Yeerks are undertaking a campaign of galactic war and conquest on a speed-run setting having literally only gained access to space flight (and higher technology in general) under a century ago. Their selection for experienced, talented commanders is pretty slim since they do not have any tradition of literally anything they are doing. All considered it makes sense Esplin was given command of the earth campaign.
There is something to be said for the fact that the Yeerks are undertaking a campaign of galactic war and conquest on a speed-run setting having literally only gained access to space flight (and higher technology in general) under a century ago. Their selection for experienced, talented commanders is pretty slim since they do not have any tradition of literally anything they are doing. All considered it makes sense Esplin was given command of the earth campaign.
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Introductions & Departures / Re: Back from outer space!
« Last post by Gumby on February 15, 2026, 05:23:04 AM »You still burning away in some distant constellation?
Its-a-going.. pretty OK. By hook and by crook I wound up in Denmark, been dragged kicking and screaming into 'adulthood' and find myself increasingly bemoaning the decline and fall of message boards which is now replaced by the Abominable Media.
What happened with the ol' place anyway? I recall being sad a year or so back when I read on the ani subreddit that it had finally died. Who brought it back?
I had otherwise been half-wondering if there would be any merit to setting up a discord to rally the survivors back to again..
Its-a-going.. pretty OK. By hook and by crook I wound up in Denmark, been dragged kicking and screaming into 'adulthood' and find myself increasingly bemoaning the decline and fall of message boards which is now replaced by the Abominable Media.
What happened with the ol' place anyway? I recall being sad a year or so back when I read on the ani subreddit that it had finally died. Who brought it back?
I had otherwise been half-wondering if there would be any merit to setting up a discord to rally the survivors back to again..
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Introductions & Departures / Re: Back from outer space!
« Last post by Estelore on February 14, 2026, 10:34:44 PM »I could say the same about you! How've you been?
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Introductions & Departures / Re: Post Here if you're ALIVE and don't want the RAFians to WORRY about you.
« Last post by Gumby on February 14, 2026, 04:26:13 PM »I spitefully continue to assert existence.
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Introductions & Departures / Re: Back from outer space!
« Last post by Gumby on February 14, 2026, 04:25:19 PM »Insert that 'now that's not a name I've not heard for a long time' line from A New Hope.