Status Updates From Space Demons

this game is awful. it thrives on hate.

how it works is if you have a surge of negativity towards someone while holding the gun, it zaps them into the game. shockingly elaine zapped herself in by thinking about how her mum just disappeared one day and that it was her fault for being unlovable (it was almost like a suicide).

meanwhile andrew tries to zap himself in but can't cause he's so full of himself

ooh! now ben's brother has called andrew "prince andrew" and says "he's a creep" (this is accurate). ben needs to learn to break away from 'best friend' andrew. i think he will. it'll just take time

elaine has gotten used to john now (who she desperately wanted to escape at the beginning) and just thinks of him as an annoying younger brother who looks up to her and follows her around

this book is extremely good

ooh! now ben's brother has called andrew "prince andrew" and says "he's a creep" (this is accurate). ben needs to learn to break away from 'best friend' andrew. i think he will. it'll just take time

elaine has gotten used to john now (who she desperately wanted to escape at the beginning) and just thinks of him as an annoying younger brother who looks up to her and follows her around

this book is extremely good

andrew and linda are a 7th grade couple. they're both high status; attractive, rich, mean. andrew's "bestie" ben likes new girl elaine but andrew is the alpha male who looks down on them both and wants to control everything. in this world you're low status if you are from an immigrant background, single parent family... maybe parent's job also? eg cleaning toilets vs being a doctor. this is really good

i remembered this as being about video games. reading it as an adult - that's the surface topic - but it's actually about class differences, how that affects how you treat other people and group dynamics. holy crap! it's shocking the difference it makes reading something as a child versus as an adult. so far it's excellent. the author is obviously quite observant and has some things to SAY