Old, Old, Old Star Keepers, Prologue

Here's a really embarrassing blast from the past. The original rendition of my book from well over seven years ago. Fun to see how far I've come.

Star Keepers: Prologue

 by

Paul Adams

The night sky overhead was a cloudy gray. The slight smell of rain, a clear omen that a downpour was not too far away, hung in the air. A cold wind whipped about Leonard Centaurus’s gray hair and green Earth Space Force uniform. Everything seemed to have molded itself to perfectly match his inward feelings.

Ever since he’d received the news that his son and daughter-in-law had been killed alongside other comrades in battle, Leonard had been dreading this day. It felt almost as if he had been in a dream the past few days, and that it wouldn’t be real until the messengers arrived in person to confirm the fact.

A silent hush woke Leonard from his thoughts. He turned to look at his daughter Angelica, who was silently rocking her infant son Kent to sleep. She too had lost an important person in her life. More than just a brother and a sister-in-law, her husband, the child’s father, had been among the casualties.

Leonard couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming surge of affection for his daughter. When her mother died, she had been the lifeline that had given him the strength to carry on day after day. Now it was she who would have to endure this trial.

Leonard turned his attention back to the sky. A small patch of stars had managed to shine through a small opening in the clouds that otherwise completely blocked out the remainder of the night sky. Leonard thought back to his youth, when he would stare up at those stars every night in wonder and amazement pondering the multitude of spectacular wonders that could be out there.

That was before this war began. Before Filius, the son Leonard had now lost forever, even existed. Before entire planets lived in fear that Lord Compuzon and his confederation of power-hungry rulers would send their combined forces to decimate their world as they had done to so many others. Leonard considered it a cruel twist of irony that the place he had once looked upon as wondrous and awe-inspiring now felt foreboding and treacherous.

As Leonard pondered them, he became so deep in thought that he almost didn’t notice when one of the stars slowly started growing and moving towards him.

Thousands of miles above Leonard, the Earth Space Force commissioned star cruiser, the Arrowhead, swiftly entered the earth’s atmosphere and began its swift descent toward the planet’s surface. A century ago, any craft to attempt such a feat would have burned up shortly after entry. Now, thanks to great technological advancements, and communion with more highly advanced races, the ship could easily endure the Earth’s atmospheric pressure, and the ship’s airfoil design allowed it to move smoothly and easily with little resistance.

Within minutes, the hangar in which Leonard and Angelica were waiting came into view. The ship’s pilot flew the craft directly over the landing pad. The patient spectators covered their faces to block the intense wind as the ship slowly descended into the hangar and landed gently upon the tarmac.

A gentle hum signified the ship powering down, and the roar of the engines slowly died. A brief burst of air was jettisoned to release the air pressure of the interior of the ship. For a few moments, there was absolute silence.

A hatch opened on the side of the ship, and a ramp descended. Leonard watched as the crew slowly filed out. He recognized most of them. During his years of service as Fleet Admiral, he had grown to be very good friends and comrades with many of those who had currently been serving alongside his son. Leonard winced at the solemn look upon each crewmember’s face.

The two people at the forefront of the throng came out to meet him. These were the two he had been expecting. Those who were specifically chosen to act as messengers. One of the two men carried a large ornate chest, while the other was cradling a small bundle in his arms. They stopped when they reached Leonard.

The man carrying the chest, a straight-laced man with high cheekbones, spoke first.

“Admiral Centaurus. Angelica,” he addressed them curtly.

Leonard gave a brief nod of acknowledgement. “Hewlett, Jamisen,” he replied, unable to get out any more than that. His throat felt dry. He turned his attention to the chest in Hewlett’s arms.

Hewlett held it out. He looked slightly sick.

“Their remains,” he said. Leonard looked at the box, feeling slightly nauseous himself. He had hoped that at least the bodies would be still intact. From what he’d heard of the person responsible for their deaths, most of his previous victims had been left with only a burn mark upon their foreheads. There must have been something else involved this time. Leonard momentarily considered inquiring about it, but he felt he probably wouldn’t be able to stomach the answer. It was bad enough thinking about the bits of Filius, Deah, and Tyler contained within a chest less than five feet away from him.

He took the chest, and turned his attention to the one good thing to come from this day: the bundle in Jamisen’s arms. The tall man brushed back the lock of unkempt hair he had been allowing the child in his arms to play with and stepped forward.

“Leonard, Jelly,” he said sympathetically, handing Leonard the baby. Leonard looked down at the child. His grandson was staring up at him with large, curious eyes. Leonard smiled at him, but was inwardly pained at the thought of this innocent soul growing up without his parents.

His attention was drawn to two distinct features of the child. First, was the gem placed on top of the infant’s blanket, a gem which appeared to be a simple diamond from a distance, but upon closer inspection a bolt of lightning appeared to be preserved within it. Secondly, although the child’s hair was mostly brown, two small patches, one on each side of his head, had lost their color completely.

Jamisen noticed Leonard’s observation of the baby’s hair, and attempted to explain. “The phantasm, whatever he was using, it had a lot more power than we had ever expected. Korvan, he, well, he was slightly grazed by its power when it . . .” he stopped short, and made a quick glance in the chest’s direction.

Leonard nodded. Although this helped him to comprehend just a little better, he was still concerned and much more afraid. What kind of weapon were they dealing with?

Hewlett whispered something to Jamisen, and Jamisen nodded in reply. He turned back to Leonard.

“I’m so sorry for your loss, Leonard,” he added, in parting words of comfort, “and you too, Jelly. Filius was a great friend, and I’m sure he was an even better son and brother, and Tyler and Deah were no less.”

He bent over and gave the child in Leonard’s arms a kiss on the forehead. The infant reached out to grab at his hair again, but he softly lowered the small hand back down. “Good-bye, sweet Korvan,” he whispered, “I hope to see you again one day. Until then, grow up happy and safe. Your destiny is far greater than you can possibly hope to comprehend. Good luck, little one.”

He straightened up and gave Leonard one last parting glance, his eyes full of sorrow, then he and Hewlett turned and slowly made their way out of the chamber. Leonard watched them go. When they were gone he turned his attention back to the infant in his arms. The child stared up at him with those large inquisitive eyes again. The words Jamisen had spoken were all too true. Little Korvan’s destiny was far greater than he, or anyone else for that matter, could ever possibly hope to comprehend. The gem within Korvan’s blanket glowed slightly as Leonard turned his gaze back toward the night sky.

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Seven Things: Harry Potter

Seven Things About:

HARRY POTTER

By Paul Adams

            Works of fiction can often be difficult to get into, and latecomers to the game can often be confused by the sheer amount of lore and plot built into something ongoing. So, I’m here to break down what one needs to know into seven easy-to-understand plot points, followed by what, in my opinion, are the seven strongest points of the work as well as the seven weakest. That way, a new reader or viewer has some sense of what they are about to get themselves into. What are we covering today? The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

1.     This is Harry Potter: He is a bright and kind young boy who has had the misfortune of being raised by an abusively neglectful aunt and uncle, who even forced him to sleep in a cupboard for the first ten years of his life. But on the day he turns eleven, he discovers that . . .

2.     He lives in a world of magic and wizards: That’s right. He finds out that a whole other world full of magic and wizards and witches has been existing in secret right alongside the world of ordinary people (otherwise known as Muggles). People fly on brooms, cast spells with magic wands, and all sorts of magical things.

3.     He attends a school named Hogwarts: At age eleven, wizarding children attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, under the tutelage of the wise old headmaster Albus Dumbledore. While there, they take classes on transfiguration, potions, divination, care of magical creatures, defense against the dark arts and so much more. They are also sorted into one of four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.

4.     Ron and Hermione are his best friends: Once he arrives at Hogwarts, Harry makes many friends, most notable of whom are Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. Ron comes from a wizarding family with lost of siblings, and he teaches Harry the ins and outs of wizarding society. Hermione, on the other hand, is a Muggle-born bookworm who taught herself all the intricate complicated details of magic itself.

5.     The wizarding world lives in fear of Lord Voldemort: We quickly learn that at the time Harry was born, the wizarding world lived in fear under the tyrannical reign of Lord Voldemort. For unknown reasons, he attacked and killed Harry’s parents and attempted to kill Harry only for the spell to backfire, causing Voldemort to disappear, leaving Harry with only a lightning-shaped scar. Rumors abound that Voldemort is still out there somewhere.

6.     A heavy anti-Muggle sentiment pervades the Wizarding World: Much of Voldemort’s power came about through the strong anti-Muggle feelings of many in the Wizarding World, most notably through many wizards that came from Slytherin house in Hogwarts. This leads to heavy persecution of many Muggle-borns at the school, including Hermione.

7.     There are seven books: A good thing to know is that this series is made up of seven books in total, centering on each of Harry’s years at Hogwarts. They generally feature a few chapters of the summer months leading up to Harry’s return to school, the beginning of his school year, important events occurring around Halloween and Christmas, and the climax taking place around the end of the school year. Movies have also been made of every book.

And now, here’s just a few of the things I like most about the series:

1.     The Characters: If one thing stands out about the series, it is the enormous number of well-developed, nuanced, and beloved characters in the series. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are all strong characters in their own right, as well as many fellow students such as Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood. The teachers and staff of the school, such as Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape and the gamekeeper Hagrid, are also strong characters, with a major character being introduced in each book via the constantly shifting Defense Against the Dark Arts position. Outside of the school, we meet many other wizards, such as Ron’s family or the Order of the Phoenix, all of whom make for a complex world of vibrant characters who feel as real as any person in real life.

2.     The World-Building: If you are an aspiring author and read these books for only one reason, that reason is world-building. Many consider the series a master class in the subject. The first book does a solid job of capturing the wonder and fantasy of such a world and school, but each book builds upon the last, with each installment introducing you to: how a wizarding family lives (book two), the wider international wizarding world (book four), the inner workings of the wizarding government (book five), and so on.

3.     The Steady Maturation Level: This series was first introduced to elementary and junior high students as a fun, fantastical adventure of wizards and spells and magical creatures, and the first book maintains a childlike whimsy to it. As the books go on though, they are carefully matured to grow with the generation who started reading them, each one becoming more and more adult as they went. The second book was still whimsical, but also brought in a stronger focus on the anti-Muggle bigotry of the wizarding world. The third dealt with an escaped murderer, only to find that things were not quite as clear cut as they seemed. The fourth featured the return of Lord Voldemort and the first real death in the books (of one of Harry’s fellow students, no less). The fifth featured a corrupt and unreliable government, and a cruel, vindictive authority figure in Dolores Umbridge. The sixth explored the past of Voldemort, previously only seen as a two-dimensional bad guy, and featured the murder of Dumbledore at the hands of fellow teacher Professor Snape. Then we have the seventh book, which follows Harry, Ron, and Hermione as they become fugitives of the law, Voldemort overthrows the government, enacts discriminatory laws against Muggle-borns, the death toll reaches into the thousands, including several named and beloved characters, and the previous assumptions of characters such as Dumbledore and Snape are bucked entirely.

4.     The Creativity and Imagination: One thing the series is in no short supply of is endless creativity. From sports played with magic brooms, to jelly beans of every flavor imaginable, to house-elves and centaurs and mermaids and dragons, J.K. Rowling’s books feature a world full of magic, magical creatures, and magical institutions that get the mind racing with all the possibilities and wonders such a world could possibly hold.

5.     Depth of Themes and Issues: Related to the maturation point above, but not entirely, another thing these books excel at is the depth to which the various themes are explored. Hatred and bigotry of course are explored, not only through the Slytherins and their anti-Muggle sentiment, but also through Muggles like Harry’s aunt and uncle in return. We also explore themes like coming of age, as Harry grows and matures throughout his years at Hogwarts; learning to see past initial assumptions, as many characters prove to be far more than they seem as first presented (i.e. Dumbledore, Snape, Voldemort, Aunt Petunia, Sirius Black, and so many others); and loss, as we see Harry come to terms with losing friends, parental figures, mentors, and so many others.

6.     Subtle Layers for Re-Reading: One thing I’ve noticed as I read and re-read these books is that I always pick up something new with each readthrough. Snape’s actions suddenly take on a whole new light once the final reveal about his character is given in the last book, and many of Dumbledore’s actions make you see him differently once you know all there is to know about the character. You may also pick up on subtle actions by minor characters throughout the books that you didn’t pick up on the first or second or even third times. Ron’s mom, for instance, becomes a better and better character every time you read her.

7.     Accessibility: And finally, one of the greatest strengths of this series is just how accessible it can be to readers of all ages. While most of the later books are massive, it uses simple, easy language that doesn’t bog down the reader and always keeps them entertained. Likewise, the series is kept firmly at seven books, so one can easily pick up the first and read them through without too much trouble.

Now, even though I don’t really have much negative to say about the series, for the sake of balance and fairness, here’s seven things I don’t care for.

1.     S.P.E.W.: Toward the fourth book, Hermione becomes aware of the plight of the house-elves, who are more or less enslaved by many in the wizarding world. She then takes it upon herself to found the “Society for the Protection of Elfish Welfare,” using it to bully and intimidate many of her fellow students and attempt to free the elves, sometimes against their own wishes. While the sentiment is fine in theory, it tends to be very poorly executed and often drags down the story.

2.     The Romance Department: The Harry Potter series is strong for a thousand different reasons, but one should not go into it expecting a good romance. The final couples of Ron/Hermione and Harry/Ginny (Ron’s little sister) both tend to leave a little to be desired, even if you supported the pairings, and many feel Harry/Hermione would have been a better couple. Even outside of those couples, Harry and Ron’s relationships with their first girlfriends Cho and Lavender came off as annoying and aggravating at the best of times. The best romances in the story (such as Lupin and Tonks) mostly happen offscreen and are only known by Harry when they affect the plot in some way. If that’s what you’re going in for, you’re going to be disappointed.

3.     Character Mood Swings: When your main characters are teenagers, this is bound to happen, and probably should happen, but that doesn’t make it any more enjoyable when it does. Throughout the books, Harry, Ron, and Hermione have their periods when they are emotional, rude to everyone around them, and liable to fly off the handle at a moment’s notice. Harry is especially prone to throwing enormous temper tantrums throughout the fifth book, and Ron has his bouts of being a generally awful person in the fourth, sixth, and even a bit of the seventh book. Hermione can often be preachy, judgmental, and condescending to her friends and will occasionally stop speaking to them for months at a time. Again, part of their character development, but it can turn you off real quick.

4.     The Movie Effect: Movies will always be a bit better known to the general public than books. It’s a little easier to watch a two-hour moving picture than it is to read a three-to-seven-hundred page book. That’s just how it is, and it is probably why live-action blockbuster movies are sometimes treated as the be-all-end-all of a given work. That said, the movies made of this series did a relatively decent job adapting the story (at the very least, the casting was nearly perfection), but not a perfect job, and the little imperfections here and there built up over time, so that the final picture was more a shadow of the books than a real representation of the books. For many who have only seen the movies, this can often tarnish their opinion of the series as a whole.

5.     The Dursleys’ Cartoonish Behavior: Now, while I said earlier that Harry’s aunt and uncle presented the hatred of Muggles for the wizarding world, far too often, they are more cartoony stereotypes than anything. They fit in well with the whimsical world of the first book, as their over-the-top neglect and obsession with normalcy was just as weird as anything else in the world, as the books grew and matured, the Dursleys’ behavior became more and more out of place in the story, to the extent that the movies tended to ignore them almost entirely in later installments.

6.     Occasional Plot Contrivance: These are mostly the surface-level complaints that you’ve probably all heard once or twice before. “Why does September 1^st fall on a Sunday every year?” “Why is it that every major thing that happens to Harry doesn’t come to a head until the end of the school year?” So on, and so forth. To be honest, the books are so full of nuance, depth, character, and intricately layered detail that I find it hard to even really care about superficial stuff like this.

7.     Popularity Backlash: It happens to the best of them. When something gets really, really popular really, really fast, there always crops up that counter-culture element that becomes determined to hate it on sheer principle of “not following the crowd.” Back when this was first popular, I was a little kid and I fell into this trap with not only this but Pokémon too. It didn’t last long though, and as I grew up, that experience gave me enough self-awareness to try to avoid doing that with anything else. It’s still an easy trap to fall into, and one always has to take a step back and ask themselves why they are hating on it. Sometimes, you still do, but it’s for more substantial reasons than just “I hate it because everyone else likes it.”

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The Smash Freshmen, Chapter 3

The Smash Freshmen

Chapter 3: Wii Fit Trainer

by

Paul Adams

"Alright, guys," Pit said, "welcome to Day One of training."

Villager rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and straightened his hair. Pit had gotten them up at six in the morning, at least three hours earlier than Villager was accustomed to. Standing next to him was Rock, who showed no signs of fatigue at all. Stupid robot, Villager thought to himself. The three were now standing in the center of the Smash Grounds as the sun rose over the distant mountains. All around them, the skeletons of slowly forming stages rose ominously from the ground.

"So, is it true another newcomer's arriving today?" Rock asked.

Pit grinned and chuckled to himself. "You're just going to have to wait and see. Follow me."

As they walked, Pit started asking them questions. "So, what kind of skills do you guys have?"

He looked at Rock. "Well," Rock said, "One of my basic abilities given to me by Doctor Light is the power to assimilate the weapons of defeated enemies into my own body. I have equipped a number of the weapons I picked up over the years to use in the tournament."

"Excellent," Pit said, "And what about you, Villager?"

Oh, um," Villager said uncomfortably, "I don't really have any skills."

"Oh, sure you do," Pit pushed. "You must have some special talents or something. Mario and the other founders wouldn't have chosen you if you didn't."

Villager was reminded of Samus's disdainful look the night before. "Well," he said, "I mostly just brought stuff I picked up from around my house."

"Well, let's see some of them," Pit said.

"Yeah, come on, Vil," Rock said.

"Don't call me Vil," Villager said as he reached into his pocket. The pockets on his trousers were just about the most special thing on his person. He could store an endless number of objects within them and pull them out at a moment's notice. He pulled out a butterfly net.

"I have this," he said.

"Possibilities," Pit said thoughtfully.

Villager continued to empty his pockets, pulling out a small hatchet, a bowling ball, a potted plant, a shovel, a pair of boxing gloves, a slingshot, and a small firecracker launcher.

"Well," Pit said, looking over the pile of stuff, "I'd say we could definitely work with some of this stuff. Those are some interesting pockets you have there."

"Yeah, they're hammerspace pockets. My mom made them for me."

"Those could definitely come in handy." Pit led them to the door of the finished training studio next to the stadium. "Here we are." He opened the door to allow them inside.

Villager and Rock stepped inside to see a large room with white, blue, and green walls. Mario, Link, and Kirby were currently standing in yoga positions at the far end of the room being coached by a tall, statuesque woman with pale white skin and yoga clothes. Samus and Pikachu were training separately at another end of the room, Donkey Kong was busy beating the crap out of a nearby sandbag, and Bowser was watching in amusement.

"This is the Wii Fit studio, isn't it?" Villager asked.

"Yes, sir," Pit said, looking around proudly, "Not only is this our center for training in the months leading up to the tournament, but it will also be one of our stages once the tournament starts."

"Awesome," Rock said. He and Villager stared around in awe.

"Hey, where's Fox," Villager asked.

"He's taking care of some business," Pit said, "He'll be here soon. Now, let's join Mario, Link, and Kirby with the trainer, shall we?"

Pit led them over to where the three founders were currently standing with their arms stretched over their heads and one leg in the air. The pale white trainer was currently walking around them, observing their form. Mario lost his balance a little. She tapped him on the shoulder, and all three turned to look at her. She pulled a yoga move where she stamped at the floor in front of them, which somehow blasted all three into the wall.

"No, no, no," the trainer said, "What kind of form is that? You three are a disgrace to the name of yoga."

Mario, Link, and Kirby sat up rubbing their heads, looking a little sheepish. "Can she do that?" Villager asked Pit.

Pit shrugged. "It's her gym."

The trainer looked at the three newcomers. "And just what do we have here?" she asked, looking them over.

"Three for the next hour of yoga training," Pit said. Villager and Rock groaned.

The trainer nodded. "I see," she said, "Well, get into positions and we'll get started."

For the next hour, the trainer forced Pit, Villager, and Rock to put their bodies into positions that Villager didn't even think were possible. Soon, his small, underused muscles were screaming at him. Next to him, Rock had popped his artificial limbs out of place on at least more than one occasion. Pit however did not seem to be having any trouble at all. It must have something to do with being an immortal angel or something like that.

After about forty-five minutes of sheer torture, Villager leaned over to Pit. "Is this really a necessary part of our training? I don't see how any of this is going to be used in the ring."

Pit smiled. "You'd be surprised."

A shadow fell over Villager, and he looked up to see the trainer standing over him. "What's your name, shortstack?" she asked, glaring down at him with her pale gray eyes.

"V-Villager, ma'am," he said. Despite the unnaturally white skin, she had a very pretty face and didn't look that much older than Villager himself, but right now she looked absolutely terrifying.

"Villager, huh?" she said, "Considering your performance here today, I think it's more like Villa-germ. Or maybe Germ for short." She crouched down to look him straight I the eye. "So, you don't think yoga is necessary to your training, huh, Germ? Would you like to see just what yoga can do?"

Villager gulped. "N-no, ma'am," he said.

She stood, ignoring his last answer and walked over to a small pile of supplies nearby. She pulled out a small silver box and opened it. A small glowing Smash emblem floated out and she caught it in her left hand. She positioned herself right in front of Villager, Rock, and Pit, and grinned at them. With the slightest clench of her hand, she destroyed the emblem, allowing its glowing energy to transfer to her. The room grew slightly darker.

"Let's see how you fare against this," she said, jumping into the air. She focused the energy swirling around her, and released it. Villager, Pit, and Rock found themselves being bombarded by silhouettes of her in various yoga poses made of sheer energy. The three were blasted back against the wall. After a few seconds the bombardment ended and the attack's three victims slumped to the floor.

The trainer stepped up to them and put her hands on her hips. "Had enough?" she asked with a smug smile.

Villager sat up. "She . . . she used a final smash," he stammered, "But . . . only competitors in the tournament are authorized to use those, aren't they?"

He looked at Pit, who grinned. "Oops," he said, "Did I forget to mention that she is the newcomer who was arriving today?"

Rock shot straight up. "Wait, what?"

Mario walked up to the group chuckling and placed his hand on the trainer's shoulder. "Villager, Mega Man," he said, "Allow me to introduce your newest competitor, Wii Fit Trainer."

Wii Fit Trainer grinned and crouched to look Villager in the eye again. "I look forward to kicking your butt with my unnecessary yoga when the tournament begins," she said.

On the other side of the gym, Bowser scratched his chin as he watched the interactions between the new recruits. "Interesting," he mumbled to himself.

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Movie Talk: 12 Angry Men

Movie Talk: 12 Angry Men

by Paul Adams

            When someone asks me what my favorite movie of all time is, I have a few answers I like to give out, but among them is the classic 12 Angry Men from 1957, starring Henry Fonda and directed by Sidney Lumet. The movie’s plot is about as minimalist as it gets, with almost the entire film taking place in one room with a bathroom attached, and the cast is primarily made up of the titular twelve men who have been called to jury duty. None of the men even have given names until the last line of the film.

The “plot,” if you will, is them deciding the guilt of a young man accused of killing his father. On the surface level, the case seems pretty cut and dry that he is guilty, but Henry Fonda’s character, only known as Juror #8, is not so sure, preventing the jury from reaching a unanimous decision. The rest of the movie details the jury going back and forth over every detail of the case until at last every member comes to question their own preconceived notions and prejudices, eventually all siding with Fonda.

The movie serves two primary themes, firstly, it tackles the importance of due process and why being careful in judgments and decisions of this magnitude is so essential to a court system. The movie does not end with any clear statement on whether the defendant is innocent or guilty, it simply concludes that the case is not clear enough to make such a statement at all. Although a myriad of strong evidence is presented that to most in the jury room proves him unquestionably guilty, Juror #8, and his growing number of allies, go through and poke holes in just how unquestionable it all is. The movie serves to demonstrate just how much power a jury can have a single person’s life, and why they need to truly think and analyze the situation instead of leaping to a rash decision. In a day and age when a single accusation equals undeniable guilt in the minds of many, and far too many are quick to condemn at even the slightest semblance of corruption, this is an important message to remember.

This movie also acts as a character study for the twelve men in the room, and everything is carefully laid out to tell you about them. Not a line is out of place, not an outfit is unplanned, their speech patterns and mannerisms all give you an idea of their characters, and even their seating arrangement is plotted out for maximum effect. For the sake of brevity and understanding, I will list the characters first, describe them, and then give them quick nicknames by which I will be referring to them from here on out.

1.     Juror 1 is the predesignated leader of the discussions. He wants to do his job and do it well, but is a little inadequate to the task. He primarily acts as an attempted peacekeeper during the more heated discussions. I’ll call him Leader.

2.     Juror 2 starts out as a wishy-washy character with little to no backbone, just following the crowd and quailing under pressure from the more forceful jurors. As the movie goes on, however, he becomes one of the first to switch their vote and quickly becomes one of the fiercest defenders of Juror 8’s cause. Since he was played by the character’s voice actor and behaves in much the same way, I’ll call him Piglet.

3.     Juror 3 is more or less the main antagonist. The staunchest claimer that the defendant is undeniably guilty and the last to rescind his vote, Juror 3 is rude, abrasive, and hostile to those around him. As the movie reaches its climax, it is revealed that he had a falling out with his own son and is projecting his own situation onto the case that he is supposed to be unbiased towards. I will call him Bias.

4.     Juror 4, like 3, is also one of the last to rescind his vote, however, he does so for the opposite reasons. He is analytical and intelligent, wearing thick-rimmed glasses and a clean suit. Unlike some of the others, you can tell he has thought through every single detail of the case before casting his vote, making him more akin to Juror 8 despite their differing views. I will call him Thinker.

5.     Juror 5 is one of our more quickly swayed individuals. Coming from the slums himself, he finds himself relating to the kid more and more as they examine the case. Although, this presents a little bias akin to Juror 3, it also allows him to put up a dissenting opinion whenever another tries to put forward a blanket statement about kids in “that” situation, and allows him insight into some of the details relating to that life. I will call him Slums.

6.     Juror 6 is probably the only member who doesn’t seem to have any defined attributes at all. He is mostly agreeable, and comes over to Fonda’s side about the same time as a number of others, but nothing about him stands out. I will call him Blank.

7.     Juror 7 represents another dangerous mindset when going into jury service. Unlike Bias who goes in with a personal bias, he goes in not caring at all. He is far more concerned with his baseball game later that day, and just wants to get out of there as soon as possible. He only changes his vote when more than half have gone over to Fonda’s side, leading him to be called out by Juror 10 (one of Fonda’s allies) who demands that he change his vote because he means it and not just to follow the crowd. I’m going to call him Baseball.

8.     Juror 8 is our protagonist, played by Henry Fonda. He goes into the case with an open mind, willing to give the kid every benefit of the doubt. While he doesn’t necessarily believe that the kid is innocent, he’s not so convinced of his guilt either. Fonda is a perfectly fitting name for him.

9.     Juror 9 is an older man, the first to switch over to Fonda’s side, and one of the most calm and collected of the bunch. Like Fonda and Thinker, he tends to think through the situation before acting, and is one of the leading voices of reason. I will call him Wiseman, due to his age and wisdom.

10.  Juror 10 is the racist (or at least bigot) of the bunch. Like Bias and Thinker, he is one of the last to switch over, and the meat of most of his arguments are “of course the kid did it. You know what ‘those’ people are like.” He represents those who go into a jury with their minds clouded by the demographic of those involved rather than seeing them as people. The kid’s race or whatever is kept uncertain throughout to movie to show that this mentality is dangerous in a jury no matter who is bringing it or who the defendant is. I will call him Racist.

11.  Juror 11 is the only character with a clear ethnicity outside of general “American.” He identifies himself as a German immigrant, and as such often shares the role of empathizing with the kid’s plight as Slums through being in similar circumstances. Likewise, like Slums, it does carry some bias, but it also allows him some insight to bring to the table. I will call him Foreign.

12.  And finally we have Juror 12, a cocky salesman more interested in pitching his product to his fellow jurors than in the case at hand. At the start of the movie he is loud and arrogant, being one of the more vocal members, but towards the end, proves to be one of the more spineless, flipflopping back and forth between guilty and not guilty. I will call him Salesman.

Now, so many things about the way these characters are set up is essential to making this movie work. First of all, at first glance it seems like all of these characters are of the exact same demographic: middle-aged white men. Outside of cosmetic differences, you cannot particularly tell any of them apart in that opening scene. While in most movies, this would be seen as a weakness, here it is part of the film’s power. On one hand, it further illustrates the point of the movie, that things are not always as simple as they appear on the surface. Just like the case looked black-and-white on the surface, but as they kept digging found it to be a lot more hazy than they thought, these twelve characters also look all the same on the surface, but the more time we spend with them, we start to see each as a unique, fully realized individual far different from those around them. And just like we don’t really get to see much of the case ourselves so can’t form our own preconceived biases about it, the characters’ shared demographic also prevents us from forming a bias toward or against any of the characters right from the get go (at least none that we wouldn’t have toward any of the others). I feel this could work with any demographic, really, but I do consider it essential to the core of the story that they do all remain the same as each other.

The seating arrangement is also carefully plotted out to fully accentuate the characters’ personalities. Leader, of course, is positioned at the head of the table, being the designated leader of the jury, while Baseball sits opposite him at the other end of the table, giving him all the room he needs to lean back in his chair and demonstrate just how much he doesn’t care. At Leader’s right and left hand sit Piglet and Salesman, one who starts out meek and cowardly but develops into a fierce defender staring right across the table at another who starts out cocky and arrogant but soon turns into a weak-willed flip-flopper. Racist and Thinker face each other in the center of the table, allowing them to dominate the room any time they speak, and placing them in prime positions toward the end, when Racist launches into a bigoted, hate-filled rant, during which all but Thinker turn their backs on Racist, leaving Thinker to calmly and firmly to shut him down and tell him to never speak again. The face that Thinker was staring straight across the table at Racist during all of this just added further weight to the imagery of the scene. It helps that Slums and Foreign were positioned on Thinker and Racist’s respective left sides during all of this.

Fonda, despite being the protagonist, is placed at the far back corner of the table, the one spot where he could most easily be overlooked, adding the room’s staging to the image of him as a single solitary voice speaking out against the popular opinion. His first supporter, Wiseman, is placed on his immediate left, siding with him not only in thought, but also in body. His strongest opponent, Bias, is placed across the table from him, but also toward the head of the table, not only centering him in the midst of the popular opinion, but making sure that when they face off with each other, they have to talk over the people between them, making sure their fight never becomes isolated from the group. Fonda’s position in the far back, making him easy to overlook, is accentuated by Blank sitting in the other back corner, right across the table from him, the only character to get overlooked by the plot itself.

Above all else, every character represents an archetype, twelve different mindsets one can have going into an important decision-making position like this. We have characters like Thinker who cut out all emotion and look only at the facts, thinking through the problem thoughtfully and analytically. We also have characters like Fonda and Wiseman who also use logic and reason, but who also put enough emotion into their reason to still care about the person they might be condemning. We have characters like Racist and Bias, who cloud their judgment with personal prejudice, both on a general and more personal scale. There are people like Foreign and Slums who can find a part of themselves in the situation, and can either bring a different sort of bias to the table, or bring an insight otherwise not considered by those who do not. There are also people like Piglet or Salesman, weak-willed crowd followers until they find a conviction they can really stand for or self-confident wheeler-dealers who fold under pressure. Sometimes there are the Leaders who want to do their best, but just aren’t quite up to the task, and there are Baseballs who care more about their own lives than the case they preside over. And sometimes there are Blanks, the ordinary people who don’t have much important to say, but are still a part of the process.

All in all, 12 Angry Men is one of my favorite movies. Tightly crafted, with well-written characters and dialogue, and a strong message to share. Old but timeless. You should definitely check it out if you get the chance.

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The Smash Freshmen, Chapter 2

The Smash Freshmen

Chapter 2: Opening

by

Paul Adams

"Ladies and Gentlemen," a familiar announcer's voice called out through the loudspeakers over the stadium, "Please welcome your hosts, the Super Smash Founders!"

Villager and Mega Man were currently sitting in special front row seats in the new Stadium that had been built for this year's tournament. All around them, Toads, Koopas, Gorons, Zoras, Kongs, Kremlings, Waddle Dees, and various other species from all around the universe had been gathered to watch the opening ceremonies for the Fourth Smash Tournament. The stage in the center looked like a boxing or wrestling ring with the Smash's crosshairs symbol in the center of the mat.

"Please, welcome," the announcer continued, "the shocking, the electrifying, the most well-known Pokémon of all time! PIKACHU!"

Some unseen person somewhere in the middle of the crowd threw a Poke Ball onto the stage. The ball sprang open and a blast of white light spilled from it. A small creature emerged from the light. He was small, with bright yellow fur, a lightning shaped tail, and bright red cheeks that emitted sparks. He sat up on his back legs and waved at the audience with his two front paws.

"Pii-ka! PIKA!" the little creature said in Pokémon speak.

The announcer continued. As soon as it announced the name Fox McCloud, a sleek star fighter zoomed down from high above, and a shadowy figure ejected from it. The figure landed on the mat and stood, revealing a humanoid fox wearing a star pilots' uniform. He was followed by a bright yellow star-shaped object that crash-landed onto the stage, depositing the small pink form of Kirby next to him.

"HI!" Kirby said, waving to the crowd.

A small doorway of light opened behind them all and a tall statuesque figure stepped out. Samus Aran strode onto the stage wearing her red, orange, and yellow armored suit and carrying her helmet under her arm, revealing a slender, feminine face and long blonde hair in a ponytail. Although the crowd cheered heartily for her, Samus didn't wave or do anything flashy like her comrades beside her. She simply stood with an air of stoicism, her icy blue eyes scanning the audience.

A sharp wind blew through the stadium, culminating in a small twister beside Samus. Within the twister appeared the form of a teenage boy with blonde hair, pointy ears, green clothes, and an Elvish cap. Strapped to his right arm was an iconic blue shield with markings from the land of Hyrule. In his left hand, he carried a sharp steel blade Villager knew as the Master Sword. Villager knew this fighter well. He was probably the most famous warrior in the entire tournament, second only to Mario. The defender of Hyrule. The Hero of Time. Link.

Link waved to the audience, casually flipped his bangs, and strode over to a wooden barrel in the far corner of the stage that no one had been paying attention to. He tapped the barrel sharply with his knuckles. "Come on out, Monkey Boy," he said, "The show is starting."

As soon as he said that, the barrel started rumbling around like there was something in it that wanted to get out. With a loud crack, the barrel burst into tiny splinters, revealing a massive brown-furred gorilla with a red necktie emblazoned with the letters "DK." The gorilla pounded his chest as his fans in the audience went wild.

"And now," the announcer said, "the man you have all been waiting for! Your host and master of ceremonies! Give it up . . . for MARIO!"

A green metal pipe emerged from the Smash symbol in the center of the stage. After a momentary pause, the form of Mario shot up out of the tube. "WAHOO!" he said.

The crowd exploded with applause as Mario swept of his trademark red hat and bowed to them all. With a resound CHOONK CHOONK CHOONK, the pipe vanished back into the floor.

Kirby handed Mario a mike. "Hello, everybody," Mario said, his familiar voice booming over the loudspeakers. "Welcome to the fourth annual Super Smash Bros. tournament!" He paused so that another round of applause could pass through the audience.

After they were finished, he continued. "We still have a long way to go before we open, but as I'm sure you all saw as you came in, there is a lot being done. We're planning a lot of great new stages, we have selected several excellent newcomers, and we may even throw in a surprise or two. One of the first surprises I would like to reveal at this time is that, unlike the previous years, we will be hosting this year's tournament at not one but two venues: here, and also in that separate section over there that you all may have noticed as you came in."

A wave of muttering swept through the crowd as they took in this news.

"Now," Mario said, "Let me introduce you to our combatants. I'm sure you all know my fellow founders."

The crowd applauded again as the six standing behind Mario waved. "As you may notice," Mario pointed out, "My friend Yoshi could not be here with us tonight. He's dealing with a bit of a . . . yarn problem. I'm sure he will be with us shortly."

He and the other founders kept on cheery faces for the crowd, but Villager got the feeling there was some unspoken concern passing between them. He wondered if this "yarn problem" was the whole story.

Mario continued. "Also joining us tonight, a tournament regular for the past two years: my . . . friend, King Bowser."

Flames burst from a spot on the mat and the imposing form of Bowser emerged from within. The massive turtle-dragon breathed flames into the air and stomped forward to present himself to the audience. A chorus of hisses and boos rumbled through the crowd.

"Bowser has courteously agreed to help us in the setup for the tournament," Mario said, shaking Bowser's hand cordially. He met his eye cautiously. After a few seconds, he broke away. "Also joining us is our newcomer from last year, who has agreed to train our new recruits: PIT!"

A pillar of bright light descended on the stage from above and a winged figure in a bright white tunic descended. The angel was young, about the same physical age as Link with uncombed brown hair and golden laurels resting on his ears. In his hand, he held a shining blue-and-yellow bow. He swept over the stage waving as the crowd cheered him on. He looked at Villager and Megaman and gave them a thumbs-up. He landed next to Samus.

"And now, if they will kindly come to the stage, our first two newcomers Villager and Mega Man." The crowd cheered as Villager and Mega Man stood. Link and Fox held open the ropes surrounding the stage, allowing the two to step through. They stepped onto the stage, and Villager looked around as thousands of people cried his name. Mega Man waved, and Villager figured he should to. The two stood before Mario and the others.

Mario shook their hands. "Welcome to the Smash Bros."

Villager smiled as Mario gave him a reassuring nod. He looked around at the faces of his new opponents, each of them giving him a supportive and welcoming grin. Everyone that is, except for Samus, who was coldly looking him over as though he didn't live up to her expectations, and Bowser, who was simply staring at him like a piece of fresh meat.

The next morning, a pair of wings fluttered outside of Mario's dorm room just before he heard a swift knock on his door. He looked up from his papers. His roommate Donkey Kong was currently snoring deeply in the next bed. Mario put on his hat, set down the papers, and answered the door.

"Delivery for Mario," a familiar voice said.

"Good morning, Parakarry," Mario said to the cyan-shelled Paratroopa that had acted as his postman for several years. "Word from Yoshi?"

"Not yet," Parakarry replied. "I do have a letter from your brother though."

Mario felt a little disappointed. He hadn't heard from Yoshi in several weeks and he was starting to become worried. He took a deep breath. "Thanks, Parakarry," he said, taking the package from him. He pulled out a golden coin from his pocket. "For your trouble."

Parakarry took the coin. "Awesome, lunch money," he said, "See you around, Mario."

With that, the turtle spread his feathery wings and flew off into the sky. Mario looked at the package in his hands. It was a small paper parcel with a letter taped to the front. Mario pulled off the envelope and opened it.

Dear Mario,

I hope things are well on your end. I would like to say my mission to recruit secret fighters is going well, but I'm sad to say that this is not the case. Two days ago, Ness, Captain Falcon, Jigglypuff, and I were meeting with a couple of candidates that we were considering: our friend Toon Link from last year's tournament, as well as a member of the Balloon Fighter Corps named Ace. During our meeting, our location was bombed. I am happy to say that Toon Link and I got out unscathed, and Captain Falcon and Ness only sustained minor injuries. Sadly, Jigglypuff is in critical condition and it's currently unclear if she will recover or not. Ace is currently missing. We were only able to recover his hat, which I have enclosed in hopes that you might be able to hold onto it. I have also sent Toon Link your way and he should arrive within the next few days. Currently, we do not know who perpetrated the bombing, but I found an interesting symbol at the sight. A circle with a line stretching from the left side to the center. The symbol of the Subspace Army. I will continue to look into this and write back soon.

Your brother,

Luigi.

Mario read the letter over again. He quickly opened the small parcel to reveal a small red cap with two flat red balloons attached to it. The hat of a Balloon Fighter. Mario looked at the hat and then back at the letter.

"Luigi," he said.

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