Impact Statement of Ness
Drafted by: Ness
Revised by: Paula Polestar and Lucas
Delivered by: Ness on October 18, 2016
…
Hello, and thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak to you this afternoon. My name's Ness, and I hail from an ordinary city known as Onett. Three years before the first tournament, my ordinary life turned extraordinary when a meteor landed in my backyard, setting in motion a chain of events which led to me, along with my friends, Paula and Poo, defeating a being known as Gigyas and saving the world. My heroism attracted Master Hand's attention, and he invited me to show off my skills in Super Smash Bros, along with eleven other fighters.
It was my honor to meet such icons as the Super Mario Bros, Samus Aran, Link and Pikachu. During the tournament's first few weeks, I easily fit in and won them over as friends. Luigi, Jiggs and Captain Falcon especially stood out, because the four of us were secret fighters. The Formidable Four was born, and whenever we could, we spent time together. The Smash tournament wasn't just about fighting—it was about making friends. Or at least I thought it was—until Master Hand put up the tier list.
As soon as that list was tacked onto the board—the tournament became unrecognizable. It turned into a hostile place where, as Luigi said earlier, each day was a struggle not to fall apart. I faced relentless bullying and harassment for being in the C-tier, and the brunt of it came from Falcon and Fox. They began stealing and misplacing some of my items. Then, they graduated to pulling down my pants in public and targeting me for shower and bathroom pranks. Also, they openly egged on those tormenting me over the Smash Blog as well as the hecklers in the audience. And then—four older teens—targeted me—every day—they cornered me and called me names, and it didn't take long for things to get physical.
If not for Luigi, then I would've snapped. Anyone without Luigi's patience and grace would've snapped. While he was hurting more than me, he took the time to lend an ear when I needed to vent to someone, to give me advice whenever I needed it and to pull me back from the brink of doing something I'd regret later. We'd play board games like Chutes and Ladders together. We'd shoot hoops on the basketball court. We'd go for jogs outside. We'd disconnect from the people attacking us and chat about life. I was caught in the middle of a raging storm, and Luigi was the rock to which I clung for dear life.
Luigi's presence girded me, and I was able to weather the attacks coming my way. But while I was able to stand firm against these attacks, I still felt the pain, and I still feel it today. It's not something you magically forget after over a decade and a half. It changes you. It certainly changed me and the way I viewed Falcon and Fox. It changed my outlook on the world in general; it's become more jaded. It made me more reluctant to trust people. And the memory of what's happened to me cuts in when I least expect it, and it hurts so much.
I was just an ordinary kid thrust into extraordinary circumstances when I first became a Smasher. In the first tournament, I felt perfectly at home, but all it took was a processed tree carcass for it all to come apart. And all I want to know is—why? Why did Falcon and Fox turn on me? Why did the audience heckle me? Why did those four teenagers corner me? Why was that tier list a catalyst for the Hell I endured? Does anyone have an answer? Because I don't—and I don't think I ever will.
Please R&R.
