History Essay - Underestimation

---

On my other blog, Time Traveler’s Daughter, I’ve been doing a series called “The Last Janitor”. Sort of a Star-Wars-meets-Adventures-in-Odyssey-meets-John-C-Wright-reviews thing. Initially, I wanted to post a full episode every Friday, just like his Last Straw series. I shortened it to every other Friday. Then once a month. Even by that, I’m months behind.

True, I suffer from chronic procrastinitus. True, I’m about the slowest writer in the world, at least when it comes to finishing things. But with this one, I think the real problem was that I just did not realize how much time it would take to finish full episodes. I utterly underestimated the time and effort it would take, as well as my own slowness. I underestimated the real meaning of an undertaking like this.

Of course, I’m not the first in history to do so. Very few people realize quite how vital the things they do may be someday. Take Britain, for instance. When the British Parliament convened to discuss the Stamp Act, they vastly underestimated the importance, the momentousness of the occasion. To them, it was just another day at the office. Look at that, another tax to be passed. What joy. Oh, it’s on the Americas this time, is it? That’s a new one. Is that a fly on Lord Chucksterfield’s nose?

Then again, it’s hardly likely that anyone could have estimated that it would start the American colonies on a path to independence. Some things just can’t be guessed.

But what came next should probably have tipped their estimation the other way. Britain’s colonies across the pond rebelled. They didn’t want Parliament to be able to tax them dry over paper and tea. They wanted to govern themselves, as they had generally done up to that point (while still being royal subjects). If this right was not acknowledged, they would be royal subjects no longer.

Yet even with the obvious revolt—with at least some idea of the moment of these events—Britain managed to underestimate the colonies. King George III “made up his unfortunate German mind to the coercion and humiliation of the discontented colonists.” So a small army was sent. Not to crush a possible danger, mind you, but to deal with a few unruly factions.

Because of this miscalculation, the recently-appointed General Washington was able to pull together an army of his own. And he was not one to underestimate. He knew that if his army was crushed, rebellious populations would be the only remnant of their cause. And Britain could easily quell those. So Washington’s main goal was to keep his army alive to fight another day—a goal he met, time and time again.

After a few years, Britain realized her critical error, and sent an army that might have been adequate to its task. That is, if it had been sent in time. But by the time it was even thought of, America was beginning to gain further allies; France, for one. America had grown in power, and Britain had diminished in it, due to war with France and Spain.

Finally, in Yorktown, the commander of the British forces, General Charles Cornwallis, was forced to surrender. Washington and a French general, Rochambeau, had him sandwiched. Upon his surrender, the war ended. And Britain had to recognize the independence of her thirteen revolted—and highly underestimated—colonies.

So you see, counting the cost is essential to any venture—most obviously when it comes to fighting a war or running a country, but also in commonplace tasks. When you cook a meal, you have to put together the right amount of ingredients, and cook them just the right amount of time. When you go to work, you have to make sure you get there on time, and do your job properly. When you do your schoolwork, you have to make sure it doesn’t take all your time, but enough to get it done. We all know how important it is. “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?” (Luke 14:28)

And yet still we underestimate. We underestimate difficulty, time, opponents, and our own inability and weakness. We underestimate the importance of our actions, and the depth of the consequences. We underestimate the seriousness of others. And the results of any one of these can be devastating.

Of course, my Last Janitor series isn’t exactly a recalcitrant country. But since I did underestimate the time and effort it would take to post entire episodes at once, I’ll have to compensate for the error. So far, I’ve started posting the scenes individually from the start. That’s on another site (see here). By the time I get caught up, I think enough Fridays will have passed for me to have more completed. No harm done.

Still, other miscalculations can be far more affecting. Britain’s in the latter half of the 18^th century is a good e.g., but not the greatest one. No, that greatest one goes back much further. It goes back to some very simple decisions, at a time when most things were very simple. A man underestimated the need to instruct and guard his wife. A woman underestimated the cunning of the Enemy. The first two people of the world underestimated God—His seriousness in His commands, His power to enforce the consequences He set for disobedience, and His knowledge of what they had done.

And underestimation can spell downfall.


---

 

Wanted: Angry Drill Sergeant

No, I did not fall off of the face of the planet, get sucked through a wormhole, or accidentally time travel. I simply got sick. Okay, the cold has just been in the past couple of days, but before that, it was Chronic Procrastinitis. Been going on for a while now, honestly. And it needs to end.

In short, I need a drill sergeant who will yell at me to get my work done on time (and, sometimes, at all). Do any of you know of one I could borrow? Brother Drill Sergeant Combs Sir is otherwise occupied. He's the best at it. I could settle for Principal Strickland if no one angrier is available. Leave any recommendations in the comments below!

I'm very sorry, all of you. It's almost two weeks into the New Year and I've done nothing. There's no excuse for laziness. Things will be back to normal in a very short time. I apologize. Mid-Week Music will be back this very Wednesday, no question.

As per usual, I will give you a picture with my in-between post.

A reflection of some of my watching habits during illness. A very cool combination of them. And why not?

Again, please let me know if you can find a good drill sergeant, and I apologize for my laziness.

The Second Anniversary of the Future

Well, by now, you've probably figured out that this is the special post that I told you about earlier in the week. And in that special post, I said that it was an anniversary. Well, today is the second anniversary of the future. By which, I mean...



BACK TO THE FUTURE!

That's right: today is the second anniversary of the day Marty McFly and Doc Brown travelled to the future. In fact, I scheduled this post to come out at the exact time--4:29 PM--that they arrived. Put quite briefly, I am a very big fan of this trilogy. They're some of the few movies that make me get all excited every time I watch them, and probably the only series that makes me get that way over every single movie in it. That is what this post is going to be about.

Now, I've got to tell you: before I watched Back to the Future, I liked time travel. I really did. But after I watched it... I loved time travel. The first time I watched it was the night before we went to a certain Renaissance Faire somewhere in our state. The Renaissance Faire had a theme: it was Time Traveller's Weekend. And at that Renaissance Faire, they had the DeLorean. It played music from the movies and everything. I was very, very excited!



Well, enough background: now on to the movies themselves. Now, I won't go into every little detail that make those movies great in this post. I do need something for later Back to the Future posts, and I'll go into the specifics in those. But for now, I'm going to tell you, in general terms, a few things I like about the Back to the Future trilogy.

First, it's time travel. I've said already that I liked time travel anyway, and, having watched these movies, I now love it. You could see some of your favorite times in the past, or discover how things will look after your time, far in the future. There are so many possibilities, but I think my favorite parts would be when I could meet people--from heroes in days past to distant grandchildren, and yes, even my parents and grandparents when they were my age.

Back to the Future is a wonderful example. Not only is it a Time Travel Story, but it's also a Time Paradox Story as well. Those are always fun, if sometimes a bit brain-breaking. The logic of the thing generally holds up well enough (except for one slight discrepancy in the third one, but it really isn't that big a deal), and it also doesn't break my brain when I think about it. Usually. But I haven't thought about it hard in a while, so I may have to get back to you on that.

Second, the characters are so memorable. Marty is almost a master of ceremonies, taking us--the -audience--through these many adventures, characters, and good times (and even some bad ones). Doc Brown is very funny, Great-Scotting every-which-way, and being hilariously expressive about everything. Biff, the constant villain, is a wonderful source of comedy as well. He always messes up his puns, and he too is incredibly expressive. And there are multiple versions of him too, all played by the same man, so for every version to be funny is pretty good on the film-makers. The rest of the characters are interesting too: a few of my favorites are Clara Clayton and George McFly. They all just sort of... click, I suppose. They work well together.

And this is an important part of the story to me. The story partly hinges on this point, on whether or not you have great characters. That's why I try to bring to life great characters in my writing, characters who are real but can take people by the hand and lead them into any fancied world I invent. And I don't mean realistic, which has now come to mean dark and depressing, humourless and perpetually hopeless. No, characters must be real to the readers. Or watchers, or listeners. And the characters in Back to the Future do that, for me anyway. I don't think about the acting: I think about the characters themselves. They're real to me.

This is one reason why I hope that they never remake or reboot Back to the Future, because at the current rate of reboots, they will screw up colossally, especially with the characters. But I get the feeling that it will not happen anytime soon, so that's a relief.

Along with those two reasons, the whole thing's just so well done. It's well-written, and the funny lines just keep coming, one after another after another. It's well-acted, on all counts, and well-directed, and well-cast. The special effects look particularly great for that day and age, and the music--well, let's just say it's been played a lot through the past few days, and is also going to be played a lot in the very near future. You may have actually heard one of the songs recently on this blog.

Not only that, but the action in this thing has me practically hopping up and down on the edge of my seat, despite knowing what's going to happen. It's exciting, and there are so many moments worthy of a fist pump and a yelled-out "Yes!!" My family actually says every time we watch it "No, we can't watch it anymore, it makes Grace too happy." But we always watch them again anyway. Whatever else they may be, the Back to the Future movies are some of the most fun movies of all time.

I think there's a term some people use, where people just love some movie or TV show to death, and never get tired of it. What is it... fangirl? Yeah, that's the word for it. I'm a fangirl of Back to the Future. If I'm a fangirl of anything, it'd probably be Back to the Future. I know there are flaws and shortcomings, as there are in every movie. And I'll willingly acknowledge those, and point them out. But because I can pick them out and say they're wrong without messing up the movie, I'd say it's absolutely worth it.

In short, fast-paced action and quick-witted characters are revved all the way up to 88 in this epic classic. Little wonder that this movie is one for the ages.

This clip is about how I feel every time I watch a Back to the Future movie.

In an earlier post, I mentioned that watching this movie had partially inspired a certain script I've been working on. It isn't really the main project I'm working on (or the main one I should be working on), but, you know, I've been working on it. It's currently called There and Back in Time. Funny, considering the picture that was included in that earlier post. But no, it's not a time-travel story having to do with Middle Earth. That one will come even later on.

You see, this one has a main character named Ben. He accidentally time-travels from his time (early 18th century/1700s) to this one (early 21st century, for those who don't know to which time they have jumped). He makes friends with a few different people, not least among them a girl called Glory. He furthermore makes enemies with a familiar-looking fellow named Jack Tanyer. So he has to figure out not only how to navigate this odd new world, but also how to get back home.

Now, the script's not done, and it may be some time before it's recorded and ready for listening. I'm pretty busy with other things, and those keep getting interrupted anyway. So don't be surprised if it's more than months before I say I have made an end. However, I have been working on it, and several of the details are influenced by the Back to the Future trilogy. A character here, a scene there, a few odd references dotted around, and probably more, too. What did you expect?

Well, that about wraps it up for this post. But I would also like to say that I am going to begin a tradition for this day. From now on, October 21 is Time Travel Day. The week preceding could also be considered Time Travel Week, but I won't make that official. The Mid-Week Music for that week will have something to do with either Back to the Future or time travel of another kind. And on every October 21, I will do a post having to do with the Back to the Future trilogy.

But as I said, that's about it for now. I have some things I need to do that are waiting impatiently. Great Scott, it's later than I thought. Perfect. Sorry, gotta go now. Don't want to be late again! *So take me away/I don't mi-i-i-ind/But you better promise me/I'll be back in time!*

Mid-Week Music #16 - Johnny B. Goode

Today, I had two prominent ideas for this week's MWM. But, since a recent MWM was Flying Colors, one of the ideas was not really a working option. I also thought about Kansas, but it's also prog-rock, so I guess that wasn't going to fly either. Then I had another idea.

Next weekend, my family is having their Halloween party at my grandparents' house. I could have used this song then, but I think I'm going to do a more spooky sort of thing then. Anyway, the party has a theme of the 1950s. So, what better song to do than one from the 1950s? And according to somebody or other, it was the very song that started the whole rock 'n' roll movement. But I got that from a movie, so who knows?

Anyway, a final note: I decided to put up two versions. I like the newer one better for some reasons, but I feel like I should put up the original version as well. So, without further ado, allow me to introduce you to Johnny B. Goode!

There's the original version. Now, here is the version heard by his cousin, Marvin Berry, at a high school dance in 1955. Let me know which version you like better in the comments below!

***

Way down in Lousiana, down in New Orleans
Way back up in the woods among the evergreens
There stood a log cabin made of earth and wood
Where lived a country boy, name o' Johnny B. Goode
Who never ever learned to read or write so well
But he could play the guitar just like he's ringing a bell

(chorus)
Go, go
Go, Johnny, go, go
Go, Johnny, go, go, go
Go, Johnny, go, go
Go, Johnny, go, go, go
Johnny B. Goode

He used to carry his guitar in a gunny sack
Go sit beneath the tree beside the railroad track
The engineer would see him sitting in the shade
Strumming to the rhythm that the driver made
The people passing by, they would stop and say
"Oh my, that little country boy sure can play!"

(chorus)

***


His mother told him "Someday you will be a man
"And you will be the leader of a big ol' band
"Many people comin' from miles around
"To hear you play your music 'til the sun go down
"And maybe someday your name'll be in lights
"Saying 'Johnny B. Goode Tonight!'"

(chorus)
Go, go, go, Johnny, go
Go, go, go, Johnny, go
Oh, go, go, Johnny, go
Oh, go, go, Johnny, go
Go, Johnny B. Goode


(PS: my apologies for any differences in the lyrics written here and the videos. They are two different versions, after all, so I put in parts of each one. Again, sorry about that. I think my lyrics are closest to the original, though, if that helps at all.)

Special Post Announcement

There is an anniversary coming up in four days. It's the second anniversary of a certain occurrence. And no, it's not a birthday. Not that I know of, anyway. But it's an exciting day for me, so I am going to be putting up a special post to commemorate it.

This particular occurrence partly inspired a certain script that I've been working on recently. I won't say the title--yet--but I think I might on Saturday. Yes, it actually has a title. I should probably be working on Hanesion House (see WRITING PROJECTS), but I have gotten a lot done on this script in the time I've been working on it just recently.

Now, I'm thinking that in all these little inbetween posts, I will post a fun picture. That is now a tradition. So, here is a picture that has (something) to do with last week's Mid-Week Music. And it is very funny.



See? Very funny. I can just imagine the possibilities. "This is heavy, Gandalf!"

Anyway, I suppose that's about all for this post. Keep a weather-eye on this space, because I think there's a thunder-storm brewing. Or quite possibly lightning. Well, here's hoping I will see you back again in the very near future. Bye!

DuckTales Reboot--First Episode Review

If you read my most recent Mid-Week Music post, you know that I recently watched the Pilot episode of the rebooted DuckTales. Now, I know what you're thinking: "Since when is Launchpad a pilot?"

I'm kidding. I just quoted a line from the show. I do that sort of thing sometimes.

But you're probably thinking that I already reviewed it. And I did, in very brief terms. But "I liked it" wasn't exactly a review--it's the Why You Liked It that makes a review. Therefore, I will put out my first review on this blog.

Where do I even start?

I suppose I should let you know that it was really more like a two-parted episode put together to make one episode. Pilot episodes are usually in parts. So the usual intro was not included until about halfway through. Just a note.

The plot itself was wonderful: Part One, where we are introduced to all the characters, was well done, and showed off the personalities of the characters splendidly. The entire Wing of Secrets part alone was fun, mysterious, and incredibly awesome. Part Two, where they head off on their first official adventure, was just as good.

The twists were interesting, and I did not see them coming. The adventure, the excitement, and the cleverness caught my attention. Seeing as this is an adventure show, it looks as if this is being done right. And since I'm just finishing listening to the Adventures in Odyssey episode, The Cross of Cortes, I have something else adventurous to compare it to. It stacks up well.

(Note: The Cross of Cortes is an episode where Whit and Eugene travel to Mexico to visit Whit's missionary friend, Dan Isidro. The episode includes an adventurous treasure hunt in an exotic land, maps, mysterious messages, temples, a lovely lady from said exotic land, and volcanos. If you are unfamiliar with adventure stories in general, perhaps consider starting there.)

Now, on to the characters. Of course, Scrooge McDuck is Scrooge McDuck--Scottish adventure capitalist. He's very awesome. Replacing the late Alan Young is David Tennant (most people know him as the Tenth Doctor from Doctor Who). I was a little worried that the new actor wouldn't be able to capture the character as well as Alan Young. However, Tennant does a great job, and I am highly excited to see more of this character.

Huey, Dewey, and Louie: let me tell you, I could not tell them apart to save my life before. But now, it's quite clear who's who. Huey is more the booksmart type (and wears red). Dewey is the bold--not to mention reckless and a bit arrogant--ringleader of the kids, and loves adventuring (and wears blue). Louie is... well, known as the evil triplet. I don't know how else to describe him, but you'll be able to tell. He's the one that wears green. Some people say their voices sound off, because they're played by grown men, and sound nothing like the originals. And it did throw me off a little at first. However, I think it was a good idea: now, we don't have four characters doing the Donald Duck voice!

Webby, their first new friend at McDuck Manor, is a huge expert in the history of the McDuck family, and wants to go on adventures like her hero, Scrooge McDuck. We've got Launchpad McQuack, the crash-prone chauffer/pilot for Scrooge (aka, Mr. McDee). There's Mrs. Beakley, the housekeeper at McDuck Manor, Webby's grandmother, who is decidedly not the secretary. These characters are all fun characters, whether they're the same as their 1980s counterparts or not.

And then we've got Donald Duck. As I said in the last post, it took a couple of times to get what he was saying, and there are one or two parts I still don't understand. (This is rather unusual, since I can normally understand what he's saying in other cartoons). Still, I think Donald is great. The character's a little overprotective of the boys, but it seems this comes in handy later on. I won't say how, but I will say that the point of a laser death trap is not to touch every single laser while humming your own theme song. Donald is also still very... um, temperamental.

In short, the characters were great. They were well acted, and I loved them. Even the villains were simultaneously evil and funny, without becoming idiots. "He thinks he's SO rich and SO Scottish, when I'm wearing a kilt, McDuck--A KIIIIILT!" And not only that, but both the younger and older characters together play a role in saving the day: something that few cartoon shows have today.

Moving on, the show is well written, with several hilarious parts. However, it doesn't overdo the comedy or include unnecessary jokes. Its main focus is the characters and the adventure, which is done very well. But, when it does try to be funny, it is very, very funny. And this next point makes it all the more special to me: it has no bathroom jokes. Those get on my nerves so much, and even the best of cartoons have had them. But none are to be seen thus far.

But you know what the best part was? This was one reboot among many, many reboots--not just by Disney, but in general. Most of the reboots I've seen have been awful, feeding solely off of people's nostalgia for the original story, while also having no regard for those people or the original story. Others require a full knowledge of the original story to be able to understand it at all. DuckTales is neither.

Several fans of the original have said that this is a great show. Some have not liked it, but several have. I personally can vouch for the fact that people can enjoy the new show without any knowledge of the old one. It's a show that can stand on its own feet, and doesn't have to rely on nostalgia, while also appealing to it at the same time.

Oddly enough, there are similarities between this remake and another. We have the Old School Hero From the 80s, who's been out of the action for a while and doesn't do anything interesting anymore. He is called back into action by the antics of the Clever Tween Sidekick(s), who are his nephews/niece. They go to stop the Sworn Enemy Rival from evildoing. With the aid of the Smart Tough Helpers/Supporting Characters, they stop the Sworn Enemy Rival and capture the henchmen.

Sound familiar?

However, in Inspector Gadget (rebooted), the title character is an idiot and no longer the main character. The Clever Tween Sidekick does everything, and the Smart Tough Helper does nothing but get chased around. Even the Sworn Enemy Rival is an idiot. Over the top ridiculous humour takes the place of all storytelling and characters. At least in the original the villain was intimidating, and there was actual danger.

But in DuckTales, everyone has a point, and no one is boring. It has a great story, great characters, and a good balance between bold adventures, dramatic mystery, and hilarious comedy. There's a lot of potential to be found here. My only tiff I have is that the next episodes can only be watched on TV channels. However, I hear the show may come out on Netflix at some point, so I need to master the virtue of patience. In the meantime, I think I'll watch a few episodes of the original show.

My rating? Five stars out of five. Go watch it now.

Workings of a Wordsmith: Scene One

Today, I thought I'd give you a glimpse into some of the things I'm writing. If you weren't aware, I plan on being a professional wordsmith--thus the page entitled "Writing Projects". Unfortunately, I forgot to put anything on there when I posted it. Oops. But I promise I'll get to that soon. For the moment, here's part of what should be there.

Right now, I'm working on two things: a novel and a novella. Neither, at the moment, has any official title. (Typical me, very typical.) The novel is the first in a series, which is called Hanesion House. I haven't been working on it as much lately, however. That's due to my working on the novella.

This novella is for a writing contest called "Five Poisoned Apples", for Snow White retellings. At first, I had no ideas, though I wanted very much to enter. Then I was swamped with ideas, and wasn't sure which one to do first! But finally, I've gotten it down to two. The one I'm working on now is the one I'm definitely going to enter in the contest.

I began the project on the first of the month, and finished it... I can't remember when exactly, but I think it was about two weeks later. Maybe even less. I don't know, but that was the fastest I've ever finished any writing project in my life. I'm in the editing stages now. And I'm planning to send it to Rooglewood Press (the publishing company) sometime in the first week of September.

This retelling is a science-fiction story, hopefully in the vein of something good. Perhaps Space Opera*, perhaps something else. In any case, this is a story that excites me very much. Brave heroes, beleaguered princesses--mystery, suspense, some bits of action here and romance there. Hopefully though, the story itself will do a better job of getting your interest than that brief... would it even be called an overview?

Anyhow, I would appreciate it if you were to give your thoughts on my workings. Now, if you don't mind, I'll set forth a scene for you--the very first one--and you can see what you think. I may or may not be posting the rest of the story here on my blog, so enjoy the cliffs while you can: you may be hanging onto the side of one soon.

Apologies: there are still one or two unfinished parts lurking about. I've put them in bold text so you can see them better. Sorry!

*Star Wars is an example of Space Opera, if any of you are uncertain of the term.

     "Starlog 27.3, or, uh, like us Earthlings say it, August 1, 2317, on a Tuesday. My twenty-seventh adventure." Carter Prince sighed and rubbed his hands together. "It's odd how I've been counting time by how many adventures I've had. It feels like it's been forever since I've been home.

     "Speaking of which, how are things back in Virginia? You still in charge of the American Alliance, Dad? I'll bet Mom's still trying to convince you to [do something]. Oh, and let Luke know I said happy birthday! You've gotta transmit the images soon." He sighed. "I really miss you guys. All this adventuring is exciting beyond belief, and I do a lot of good. A lot of good. But... it's pretty lonesome out here."

     He paused. Then, grinning, he got up out of his chair. "Say, you haven't forgotten me, have you? Carter Prince--adventurer, protector of the innocent, and the first Intergalactic Knight?" He chuckled. "Remember that, Dad? You gave me that idea, back when I was younger than Luke. Now, I'm doing it for real, sword and all. I--" He was interrupted by a white flash outside the window, directly at the front of his ship.

     "Whoa! What the heck was--okay, you know what? I'll get back to you. Love you." Carter turned off his recorder and started pushing buttons. "Computer, damage report."

     "No damage sustained."

     "Then what was--" Before he could continue, he noticed a sound like heavy breathing nearby. He listened for a while, trying to discern the source. Then the voice, half-whispering and shaky, spoke. It was the voice of a young woman.

     "I don't know if there's anybody out there, listening. But I--I can't bear it anymore, I can't!"

     "Are you all right?" Carter asked.

     "I can't stand having no one to talk to, and I... have to tell someone about all this, even if I can't hear them." Carter then realized what was going on: this lady, whoever she was, had recorded and sent out this message. He listened intently. "The Droids that watch me just say it's only silly dreams and fears, over and over. They never listen. No one does."

     She sighed shakily. "I've had... every night, I have these dreams. And every time, it's the same one. Or almost. They start out... that's one of the strange things, because they don't start out the way they end. I walk in a forest, a beautiful forest. Almost unlike anything I'd seen before. It looked almost..." she paused, considering her words, "...it seems magical. I don't even know what the word means, but it sounds--well, somehow right. I walk through it, in beautiful clothes, and I hold an...an apple. A very red apple, shining in light. Like a jewel, almost."

     The voice paused, and Carter could hear her breathing, which was getting more rapid and shaky by the second. "Then, as I stare at it, it gets larger as if it's coming up toward my face. And then it... the apple disappears like fire, and everything flashes into darkness. I'm... down and down, I fall. I feel as though it will never end. Then--" She cried out, and Carter jumped toward the sound, and his hand to the sword at his side, only to remember with frustration that he couldn't do anything.

     "I jerk to a stop, and I feel as if I'm dangling on a string in the middle of the darkness. I blink, and I'm... suddenly, I find myself in a beautiful case. Of glass, and gold. There are flowers around me, but they are all dead. This place... yes, it is beautiful, but it's a tomb. I will be trapped forever... I must get out, I must! I struggle to get out, but I can't... move. Not at all.

     "Then I look out of the glass case, and there is... someone is out there, outside the case. Or something is there. I feel its eyes on me, staring at me, and I squirm, trying to escape. But I can't even blink or look away. Then it... I hear it laughing at me, laughing wild and cruel, and then there are eyes of fire, and I--I can't--ahh!" She screamed. Carter could not help but slam his fist on the dashboard.

     "No! I will not let--"

     "Then I... wake up, alone in the dark, in utter silence." The voice let out a little sob. "No one is there to help me. The only thing I ever see when I wake up is the stars, hovering in the darkness. But even those aren't there all the time. The Droids don't understand, they say it's an irrational fear. They don't do a thing. It doesn't help.

     "And then, there's... when I'm awake, there's something from my dream. I..."  She said something more, but it could not be heard: the message was fading in and out. "I can't ... much longer ... "

     "No! Computer, trace the message, quickly!"

     "Please, if there's ... if anybody is out ... really out there ... help me ... only hope ... please, help me!" The voice fell silent. Carter stared at the dashboard, open-mouthed.

     "Trace successful."

     He sighed and blinked slowly. "Show me."

     "Showing coordinates. Orders?"

     Carter stood silently for a few moments. "Computer, set a course for..." He looked closer at the information. "Set a course for the Septimon System."

     "Affirmative, sir." Carter straightened and put his hands behind his back.

     "Don't worry, my lady," he murmured. "I'm on my way."

***

Well, how's that for an introduction? Now y'all have met Carter Prince, and have embarked on a quest to help this mysterious girl. Do you plan to follow him all the way through? If so, please let me know! What are your thoughts on the first scene?

Also, I have a sort of idea for the title. However, I'm not sure about it. It seems it might work. Any suggestions on that wise would be greatly appreciated, as well!

My idea:
Princess of the Seventh Star

Please leave all your thoughts about my story in the comments below!

What is the Difference Between Aliens and Humans?

No, this isn't the setup for a punchline. It's a real question. In most science-fictional stories, what is the difference between Earthlings--humans--and aliens from distant planets? I knew I had to do more than one post this week, and this is one I've wanted to do for awhile. And, funnily enough, it's related to last week's Mid-Week Music.

So what is the difference? Not an outward difference, such as how they look, but fundamental differences. And a consistent difference, between humans and all aliens. It's not reason, surely. I highly doubt that it's spunk. And please don't try to convince me of that 'advanced technology' story, because I won't believe it. First, in some stories, the inhabitants of other planets are incredibly primitive. Second, who says that humans themselves won't someday reach the same degree of technological prowess?

Then what can the answer be? I have a theory--with an occasional exclusion, I'm sure--and it is this: we are different from the aliens of distant planets in that we can tell stories. And not merely telling facts in an enjoyable way, nor just cautionary tales of 'do this or you will die a horrible death': I mean creating stories with our own imagination. Allow me to show my evidence.

In Galaxy Quest (a favourite film of mine, starring Tim Allen), we see the Thermians, who are in desperate need of help from their all-time heroes... who just happen to be characters from a Star Trek-esque TV show. These Thermians believe the episodes of that show to be 'historical documents', because they have never heard of fiction. Deception, they know well enough, due to Sarris (the villain) using it on them constantly. But they've never heard the concept of telling a fictional story for enjoyment. This makes things very difficult for the had-been heroes of Galaxy Quest. But let's not stray into spoiler territory just yet.

The next example can be found in the cartoon show, Transformers: Rescue Bots. Specifically, the episode called "Once Upon a Time". In said episode, the Burnses and the Bots find themselves lost and separated in a forest. The catch? This forest is the home of fairies, according to local legend. Most of the characters couldn't care less about the legends, though one of these thinks it good for his own story he must write. Still, one or two of them wonder if these things--literal old wives' tales--might be true. Especially after...shall we say, certain strange happenings.

But this is just part of the picture. The main focus of the story is that of stories, stories that may or may not be true. Chase (one of the Bots) tells the humans that on their planet, they didn't have things like fairy-tales. They do, however, have stories like "The Bot Who Didn't Clean His Windshield": cautionary tales and such like. They usually end with the titular Bot being eaten by a giant space monster. Cybertron may have some of the most advanced tech in the universe, but I wouldn't want to live there if those were the only kinds of story to hear.

Which brings me back to my point. How many sci-fi stories have you found in which the aliens tell things like fairy-tales? It's usually just them telling what they believe to be facts, even when they are legends. To be sure, there are exclusions to this theory. I just can't really think of any. Even those on other planets (such as Malacandra) that tell stories in exciting or epic ways do not create the stories themselves: they tell those stories about things that truly happened. And this is storytelling too, good and important. But not the same kind.

And why does this matter, you may ask? I mean, fairy-tales are just people trying to explain things they didn't understand, or trying to force their little moral systems on other people, right? Only if you happen to be one of those modern, Politically Correct types. In the real world, they are something different entirely. And that leads me to a very important point.

In both of those examples from before, in both Galaxy Quest and Rescue Bots, those fictional fairy-tales... come true. In the first example, those had-been heroes from a Star Trek show are summoned by an alien people--who believe these actors to really be their characters from the show--to help defeat a space villain. As this is a comedy, in both senses, you can be assured that they save the day. I won't say how they manage to do this, but I will say that, the moment the Thermians find the stories of the Galaxy Quest heroes to be lies, they turn round to see the stories come true for the first time. And the heroes of the movie become the heroes they had before only pretended to be.

In the second example, the Burnses and Bots get lost and separated in a forest while trying to understand why its trees are falling over. They unwittingly act out several familiar tales, which you may recognize when you watch it yourself. In that way, the fairy-tales do come true, as well as in another, smaller way, but no less important. A way very similar to what they did in "The Haunting of Griffin Rock". Put quite simply, "It's Griffin Rock. Anything can happen."

I've found that people love disproving magic and fairy-tales. I personally have mainly only come across it in movies and TV shows, and such like. People in those say things like 'magic's only science we haven't figured out yet', or 'there are no such things as that!' Sometimes they're disproved, sometimes not. In Sherlock, in a great many kid's shows, all kinds of things. I've found few things that aren't specifically fantasies that include real fairy-tales and legends.

And oftentimes, folks like disproving heroes in general, showing that they aren't really great, and are just lying to you and everybody. Sometimes this goes hand-in-hand with disproving the idea of villains, showing that they aren't really bad, and are just misunderstood victims of the heroes. These things are themes running through today's culture.

And this is why we must not lose what makes us different. Aristotle tells us that what makes us different and unique in regards to animals is our reason, our logic, rational thought. This is something we cannot lose, not without losing all humanity within us. But what makes us different from those of other planets?

You know this by now, right?

It is our ability to tell fairy-tales. To create something in our own minds, to do "such noble feats as bringing forth new worlds, stories, and adventures", to weave words into an image for those who will hear it. It is to reveal an eternal truth in something that may not be true, to create characters that strive for goodness even in situations that are not, to inspire hearts for beauty. To kindle a light in the eyes of the hearers, whether they be our families, our friends, or complete strangers. Or even those who have never yet heard of the tales of Faerie: those of far-flung worlds?

Perhaps someday...