An old friend of the twins could be the perfect candidate for the Shadow Academy.

In 2016, award-winning Minnesota-based photographer R. J. Kern made portraits of youth contestants at Minnesota county fairs. Each participant—some as young as four years old—had spent a year raising an animal, which they had then entered into a 4-H livestock competition. None of the youths who sat for him had succeeded in winning an award, despite the obvious care they had given to their animals. The Unchosen Ones depicts the bloom of youth and the mettle of the kids who grow up on farms, reminding us how resilient children can be when confronted with life's inevitable disappointments. The formal qualities of the lighting and setting endow these young people with a gravitas beyond their years, revealing self-directed dedication in some, and in others, perhaps, the pressures of traditions imposed upon them. Kern's beautiful portraits capture a particular America, a rural world, and a time in life when the layered emotions of youth are laid bare. Four years later, in 2020, Kern returned to photograph his young subjects. The most recent photographs show how the children have grown into adolescence or young adulthood: some of them have continued to pursue animal husbandry, while others have developed other interests. It is likely that some of these kids will not choose to continue running their family farms—an unpredictable and demanding way to make a living. These diptychs are punctuated by lush landscapes of the farms that are their homes. As Kern made the second group of photographs, he asked his young subjects what they had carried forward from their previous experience. What were their thoughts, their dreams, and their goals for the future? How would they fit into the future of agricultural America?

On the Planet of Oria, and its nearby neighbors, a near utopian society has been developed by the leaders and most intelligent beings on the planets. The great Rankin has developed a perpetual energy source by harnessing the power of the binary black hole / star through the construction of The Cube. An evil force on Oria has recently developed a desire to gain control of the planet through dubious and dangerous acquisition of nuclear weapons recently found on our planet Earth. The Committee of Ten, comprised of the greatest leaders of Oria, has found out about the evil plan that could wipe out billions of innocent people. Lyton Rennedee must be stopped. Consensus is met to call upon their best and most worthy Major in their Military. Hoken Rommeler is truly up to the test. Hoken will be sent to Earth and test his skills learned in self discipline as well as practice the drills needed to perform up to the highest standards to fulfill his mission on Earth. Once on Earth, Hoken must assume a human's body and kill the evil Renneddee. No matter what obstacles are presented to Major Rommeler, he must do what is necessary to maintain his course of completing his task. Nothing is more important than fulfilling the mission and maintaining the secret of his alien identity.