If there was only one shooter? (Eric solo or Dylan solo)

How different do you think the event would've been had only one of them gone through with it? Would there be fewer, or more victims? I'm curious to see how others interpret it.

Interesting question but hard to answer because I think one of the big factors in this happening at all was that they wanted to do it together. Hmm.

With Dylan, I think there would probably be fewer casualties. I feel like it would have been a completely different plan. No bombs at all and he would have targeted a few specific people and then killed himself soon after. Might not even have picked the school, just somewhere that these people were hanging out in a group. It would be more of a suicide mission except trying to take out a few people he was angry at or a group who represented the zombie people (random jocks, preps and girlfriends of those guys) before he committed suicide. He'd empty the magazine once, get as many people as possible and then just get it over with. A real frenzied rampage with a lot less planning.

Eric would have been a similar number to the pair total maybe. I'd kind of see Eric acting out the persona in Radioactive Clothing, where he's playing the part of the serious military guy. I do think he got some of his courage from having a partner but alone, I think it would have been easier for him to get into commando mode with less distraction and he'd show less mercy because he'd be in his fantasy version of reality that he wrote about where he was a marine. Once the bomb failed to explode he would have been pissed off that he failed and would try to do the rest of the shooting like a "professional." So he would have just stayed on task, trying to rack up as many hits/kills as possible, as if it were a video game. I think he would still have snapped out of it quite quickly though because real life isn't like a video game and you can't pretend to be at war when no one is firing back at you. Once he started to come back to reality, I think he might have done some wandering around like he did in real life, trying to get the bomb to explode, shooting at random stuff or figuring out what to do next. Would probably wait for the cops and do some shooting at them but eventually he'd say screw it and just kill himself. Still, I think that alone he would have killed more people than Dylan would alone because he'd be trying to make it into what he imagined all the time even if it wasn't actually living up to his imagination. Eric seemed like he tried really hard at everything he did. Definite reloading involved.

Best I could come up with. And I basically assumed that the other boy never existed rather than one of them backing out at the last moment. Did you have a scenario in mind when you asked the question [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]?

sscc wrote:

Interesting question but hard to answer because I think one of the big factors in this happening at all was that they wanted to do it together. Hmm.

With Dylan, I think there would probably be fewer casualties. I feel like it would have been a completely different plan. No bombs at all and he would have targeted a few specific people and then killed himself soon after. Might not even have picked the school, just somewhere that these people were hanging out in a group. It would be more of a suicide mission except trying to take out a few people he was angry at or a group who represented the zombie people (random jocks, preps and girlfriends of those guys) before he committed suicide. He'd empty the magazine once, get as many people as possible and then just get it over with. A real frenzied rampage with a lot less planning.

Eric would have been a similar number to the pair total maybe. I'd kind of see Eric acting out the persona in Radioactive Clothing, where he's playing the part of the serious military guy. I do think he got some of his courage from having a partner but alone, I think it would have been easier for him to get into commando mode with less distraction and he'd show less mercy because he'd be in his fantasy version of reality that he wrote about where he was a marine. Once the bomb failed to explode he would have been pissed off that he failed and would try to do the rest of the shooting like a "professional." So he would have just stayed on task, trying to rack up as many hits/kills as possible, as if it were a video game. I think he would still have snapped out of it quite quickly though because real life isn't like a video game and you can't pretend to be at war when no one is firing back at you. Once he started to come back to reality, I think he might have done some wandering around like he did in real life, trying to get the bomb to explode, shooting at random stuff or figuring out what to do next. Would probably wait for the cops and do some shooting at them but eventually he'd say screw it and just kill himself. Still, I think that alone he would have killed more people than Dylan would alone because he'd be trying to make it into what he imagined all the time even if it wasn't actually living up to his imagination. Eric seemed like he tried really hard at everything he did. Definite reloading involved.

Best I could come up with. And I basically assumed that the other boy never existed rather than one of them backing out at the last moment. Did you have a scenario in mind when you asked the question [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]?

I agree very much with what you said! Bravo

I think Dylan really liked the crickets. But he lacked the desire to actually make them on his own so I doubt he would have any crickets at all. I think Dylan would have gone in on his own with a hit list. Perhaps walked all the way into the school with the gun concealed then shot at his intended target(s) before running off. Then he would have either killed himself or gotten captured by the police. I see the capture as possible because I am not sure if on his own he would have been able to handle his actions. Maybe (a very slight maybe) he would have run off and tried to hide or something. I know though he truly did want to die that day.

I think Eric would have pretty much done NBK the same as it happened alone to an extent. I agree with sscc that he would have treated it like a military mission. See him going commando crouched down and sniping people. I think if alone he may have had a greater shootout with the police.

There won't be just one of them. NBK wouldn't happen.

ultraviolencelv wrote:

There won't be just one of them. NBK wouldn't happen.

Very true. I don't think either would have done it. Hypothetically speaking of course!

I feel like if Dylan went solo, he wouldn't have really killed that many people. I feel like halfway through the killings, Dylan would've felt some sort of remorse and just ended up stopping.

If Eric went solo on the massacre, I feel like the body count would actually be higher. I feel like Eric would have no distractions, and just go on an all out assault.

I feel like if Eric never met Dylan he wouldn't have gone solo, ever... I think the seed was planted in Eric's head by Dylan and it just grew. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't think of it, would just be angry throughout high school and eventually turn out fine.

Dylan solo I think he'd be too scared to do it alone, he found strength in Eric and they yes manned each other into this, he'd probably just kill himself and not go on a killing spree alone.

I think Eric would have fired more shots and have more fatalities than Dylan, I don't think Dylan would have done the Massacre alone, he probably would have just shot himself.