Geekdom Madness 2017: Hothouse Power/Personality Shift

This week: Divergent Character Evolution!







Let's meet the combatants:



MATCH 1: Hothouse Power

ANAKIN SKYWALKER

Born to the life of a slave on Tatooine. Youngest winner of the Boonta Eve Classic podrace, and the only human to boot. Prophesied to bring balance to the Force. Peerless pilot. Jedi Knight. Hero of the Clone Wars. Loving husband. It is the cruelest of ironies that this boundless love and light of Anakin Skywalker was twisted - twisted through the manipulation of some, through the coldness of others, and through his own fear of loss - twisted into one of the greatest darknesses the Galaxy has ever known.

Pros:
* Greatest raw connection to the Force of any known Force-Sensitive.
* Unending loyalty to his loved ones.
* Almost supernatural ability to construct, repair, and operate machinery - especially vehicles.

Cons:
* Afraid of losing those he cares about.
* Can be petulant when feeling unfairly treated.
* Incapable of controlling his emotions in spite of all Jedi training.

SCEPTILE

Pokémon #254, a Sceptile is the final evolved form of Treecko. The seeds growing on its back are said to be bursting with nutrients that revitalize trees. It is without peer in jungle combat.

Pros:
* The leaves growing on its arms are sharp enough to slice thick tree trunks.
* Extremely agile.
* Has a Mega-Evolution in Generation VI.

Cons:
* Weak to Fire, Bug, Flying, and Ice-type moves.
* Difficult to find outside of Generation III and VI.
* The only fully-evolved Generation III starter without duel-typing.




***





MATCH 2: Personality Shift

SARUMAN THE WHITE

Also known as Curunir or Curumo. The leader of the Istari - after Gandalf turned down the position. This fostered an early streak of jealousy towards his fellow wizard, and while Saruman ably lead the White Council in its heroic deeds through the centuries, his desire to prove he was better than Gandalf eventually lead him to join the very evil he had spent his time on Middle-Earth trying to destroy.

Pros:
* A powerful wizard.
* His voice has hypnotic properties.
* Possesses a cunning and scheming intellect.

Cons:
* Prideful and arrogant.
* Power-hungry.
* Underestimates "lesser" beings.

THE BEAST

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young Prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the Prince was spoiled, selfish and unkind. But then, one winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the Prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances for beauty is found within. And when he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. The Prince tried to apologize, but it was too late - for she had seen that there was no love in his heart. As punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast, and placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there. Ashamed of his monstrous form, the beast concealed himself inside his castle with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world. The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom until his twenty-first year. If he could learn to love another and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope.
For who could ever learn to love a beast?

Pros:
* Great physical strength.
* Superhuman durability.
* At least feels guilty of his bad behavior.

Cons:
* Rude.
* Animalistic.
* Has difficulty controlling his temper.


***


Final Verdict
Match 1: While they are treated in lore as essentially different characters from a certain point of view, a vote for Anakin Skywalker is a vote for Darth Vader for what that's worth. Match 2: What gave you the better feeling: hearing Christopher Lee's dulcet tones while reading Saruman's bio, or hearing Alan Menkan's score when reading The Beast's?

As always, make sure you're viewing the WEB version of the site and vote in the polls on the right-hand side of the screen. Polls close Friday at 5:00 p.m., and results posted on Saturday. Feel free to discuss your picks in the comments below.