This is the continuation of the first article, The Legacy of Light, so if you have not read the first one, do so now...otherwise your head will be doing the backstroke. Oh and welcome back to the insanity that is The Realm!
WARNING: There are major spoilers for Book 2 and the Star Child. You have been warned!
Although peace and cohabitation had been achieved, she could sense an underlying current...directed towards her. The Draconians had easily accepted the avatar's longevity because their own life spans were quite long as well, but the humans, who lived such brief lives...a mere fraction of their own...were quite divided. Some viewed her as a goddess, others believed her to be cursed, and then there were those that despised her, mistrust stemming from their own jealously.
The previous generations that had been directly brought to the city by the Star Child had already passed on, even their children and children's children, so the purity of the people's faith was beginning to wane. Every time she entered or traversed the city, they would whisper and she really wished that she didn't have a good sense of hearing and eyes sharper than a hawk's. The things they whispered about, the names they called her, the looks they gave her...it hurt.
Never before had she experienced anything like this. It was one thing to be bullied in school, it's school and is expected, but to have a similar phenomenon occurring within the city she had built with her own two hands, from the descendants of those that she had chosen to bring into the city...why? She had given them a home, a safe place to have a family, taught them more advanced skills, showed them how to operate and maintain the city's technology...so why?
Why was she being treated like an outcast, a freak of nature...like some vile and twisted monster? Then one day, a single random thought gave her the answer...she didn't age. Throughout the construction and colonization of Atlantis, her longevity had never been questioned because she had told them about, explaining the how and why, spending time with each individual personally so that they could better understand the kind of person she was, but as the demands of the population steadily increased, the less time she spent living and walking amongst them.
She was so busy trying to attend to their needs, to settle in properly, and smooth things over with between the two races inhabiting Atlantis...the workload was tremendous and she oftentimes wants days without food or sleep...before one of the Draconians chastised her for neglecting her health. The distance and time away from the people, this was the cause of this mess. Contrary to popular belief, she could not be in two places at the same, but by neglecting the interpersonal aspect of the equation, she caused this.
As more time passed, her treatment became worse. The children, who had once rushed to her and begging for her to tell them stories, kept their distance or ran away to hide. The merchants that she had worked tirelessly to create a system that was both profitable but affordable...most of them either ignored her presence or simply flat out refused to sell her their wares.
The artisans that she devoted an entire section for them to express their creativity and allow others to view or purchase their completed works...no longer was she depicted as a benevolent leader, but became something so much darker and more ominous. A group of them had created a fountain with her as the centerpiece, but at her feet were the decrepit and the elderly, the basin of the fountain depicted countless skeletons...like she was sucking the life out of them.
This creation really rattled her because it quite adamantly portrayed the effect of time, the people around her that had lived and aged and died right before her eyes and there was nothing she could do to stop because she didn't know how. That was not what the people believed...they believed that she was deliberately keeping the secret of eternal youth and power all to herself and that the alien race known as the Draconians held the key to this supposed immortality.
The Star Child spent more and more time, simply wandering about the city. She didn't know what to do about this. If things kept going along this course, then the legend of Atlantis from the distant future would come to pass...Atlantis would fall. Decades passed and the few remnants that once admired and respected her were all dead. She was prohibited from entering any government building and the entire science divison as well.
She, politely, tried to explain that she had built this city with her own two hands, but they cut her off and said that just because she built the city, did not mean that she owned it. If she went against their edicts then she would be punished. She was stubborn and clever so she still managed to get inside, mainly to acquire what few belongings she had, but was caught leaving the area.
She was stripped of her belongings and her clothes then shackled in a cell, naked and cold. Once morning came, she was dragged through the city, still naked, and chained to a pole in one of the main plazas. The ruling officials proclaimed her so called crimes, exaggerating quite a bit, and she tried to defend herself, but her powers were quite weak because of her physical and emotional state.
In retribution for her crimes and speaking so belligerently to her betters, she was beaten and whipped...in full view of hundreds of people. No one moved, no one tried to help her...they all just stood there and watched as her naked body was battered and bruised, the lashes from the whip actually causing her to bleed. It was in this moment that something occurred to her and filled her heart with a terrible dread. Everyone that was watching...they were all human. There was not a single Draconian amongst them and she knew that they would never allow her to be subjected to something like this.
A single question burned in her mind...where were her friends, where were the Draconians that she loved so much? A scorching fury erupted from within her soul because her mind had just made the connection. She was banned from all government buildings and all of the science division which meant that the answer to her question lay within one of the labs. If they have done any harm to her family...her mind simply trailed off as she lost consciousness.
Artz: And...CUT! I know, I know...a bit shorter than my usual ones but I didn't want to get too graphic about her treatment, just sort of skimmed it. There will be a flushed out version in the actual book.
Anyways this is where the beginning of Shadow's origin starts...when she wakes up...then a series of events unfold and you'll soon understand why the First Captain is known as The Fallen One. *poofs away to find images for the article*
Okay, I lied...there is a lot more that happens to her but I'm trying to keep the darker and more sinister stuff to a minimum. I would hate to have to label my blog with an extreme mature content warning...that would suck. Anyways...up next is the First Captain's profile. Seeya! *poofs away again*
Hello everyone and welcome to The Realm's brand new article...which was split into two separate articles as to avoid confusion or being more long winded than usual. This article will cover a specific time in Artz's life that occurs before the First Captain was even born...a long time at that. The irony is that I had to do yet another article to explain the significance of a later event.
WARNING: There are major spoilers for Book 2 and for the Star Child! You have been warned!
Anyways...this particular time period is a bit mysterious because no one actually knows just how far back Artz travelled in time and by travel, I mean shot at the speed of transwarp and breaking the very laws of time, space, and matter. They simply know what occurred with Kali then there is a giant blank spot and then it starts with the mother of all random encounters.
Now don't laugh but...she encounters beings from another world...no not little green men or gray ones with big heads or something that looked like it crawled out of the Aliens vs Predators movie and most definitely not Time Lords. They were from a planet whose name could not be pronounced in human tongue and much of their language, both written and oral, were too advanced for such a primitive species to understand.
'I'm making an effort to not be insulted.'
Imagine their surprise when they heard her speak in the ancient language of the Great Observers, more commonly referred to as High Gallifreyan...this was before it became Old High Gallifreyan. She just sort of blinked when they spoke to her in the same language...cue fan girl moment on steroids...once again shocking them with her reaction. She actually laughed and told them the story of The Doctor, a member of the species whose language they were currently speaking in.
As more and more time passed, these beings became extremely interested in the young avatar...so much so that they spoke in their native tongue. It shared a similar grammatical structure to the language of the Observers and she surprised them yet again.
'Draconis! That's the language of the Draconians!'
She rushed through a rather long winded explanation and how that language tied in to an ancient myth from her time, one of the variations of the myth found within the story called The Vision of Escaflowne. This story referred to the denizens of Atlantis as Draconians, beings transcending to such great heights that they were granted wings with pure white feathers and she further explained about a machine that channeled thoughts and emotions, the Engine of Creation, and that it was this very device that led to the destruction of the ancient civilization.
Little did she know just how close that story mirrored their own and it was several years later that they finally told her their story, how their arrogance and foolishness caused the premature destruction of their planet. She smiled at them, tears slipping down her face and her eyes filled with kindness and compassion.
'Then I will simply have to build you a new one, but it's only temporary. Why... because I'm going to do the impossible and give back what you have lost. It may not be like the one you once knew and loved, but I give you my word...Draconis will rise again.'
Many of their number scoffed at such idealistic nonsense, but there were some that could sense that the girl before them was anything but ordinary. The brightest among them chose to give the odd girl a chance and started teaching her a great many things. The more she learned, the more impossible she became to them. They had traversed the earth and met many other humans, all of them running away in fear before they could even speak a word...which begged the question...why?
Why did this single human accept them so readily, treating them not as equals but as kin? She embraced them, all of them, even the rather cynical pessimistic elders that still remembered the fall of their world. In fact, she outright sassed them and challenged them until one day the elders had had enough, stating quite firmly that she knew nothing of their pain, their sorrow, the loss of their home and kin...
'That's not entirely accurate. I'm not just from a different time, but from another world, one parallel to this one. You say that I don't know about pain or sorrow or loss, but the truth is...it's the opposite.
Look around you, there are so many of your fellow kind here. You are not alone, but I am. You say that you are the last of your kind, but in reality, that statement applies to me and me alone. You will not interrupt me because you need to hear what i have to say.
I have told you the story of the Doctor and up until a certain event, he was merely a work of fiction, but then effect preceded cause. My reality moved faster in time than his and so my world fell victim to the whims of madman. The creator of his own species and the true antithesis to the Doctor... Davros. He created a terrible machine, one far more devastating than the Engine of Creation could ever be. It did not effect the world in which he resided in, but instead it affected the infinite number of parallel universes.
This device was called The Reality Bomb, and yes, it is the one I spoke of before...the machine capable of cancelling out the bonds between atoms, the very fabric of the space/time continuum unraveling. I can see it in your eyes, feel it radiating from your minds and the answer is yes. My world, it's gone...before its time.
I discovered a series of anomalies while watching the stars, entire systems and nebulas, whole galaxies were simply disappearing. I watched as one of the most powerful singularities completely vanished, all gravitational forces ceasing to exist. Within days of my discovery, it was validated by others that had witnessed similar events.
The humans of my world, for the most part...were idiots. They were stubborn, terrified of the unknown, resistant to change, and flat out ignored anything that would negatively affect them on such a massive scale. Even my own parents, my grandmother and uncles...none of them believed me. I was turned away and tossed aside but I wasn't alone. My elder brother... he didn't need proof, he simply believed. My two best friends...my truest believer, Yuna, and my beloved Silverfrost...they were by my side.
While the world kept turning, living in blissful ignorance, I made a choice. The Doctor that had defined the core of my being was real and he never gave up...so I didn't either. It took great effort and even greater courage to convince even the fewest of individuals, but with each new person joining our ranks...that number began to grow and then I found myself surrounded by the best and brightest minds of our entire species, all looking to me, the one that had brought them together, for guidance, for direction, for a purpose. It was in that moment that I finally understood what my brother and friends had been trying to drill into my thick skull for so many years.
Our world never needed the Doctor because it had something so much better...it had Artz, the Doctor he could never be. I asked them not to believe in the future, but to believe in me. That I would carry the light that would shine like a beacon of hope and bring about a miracle to save us all. They rallied around me, placed their faith in me...and we did it...we found a way, but it was too late. The machine was powering up to take us to a parallel universe, so i told everyone to get their families and friends and tell everyone to come to the place where the bridge would form.
My brother and my friends, they ran with me to retrieve the very family that had thrown me away. Hey...just because someone you care about hates you, doesn't mean that you should simply abandon them, leaving them at the mercy of fate. You don't abandon family, blood or bond...take care of your own especially when they hate you for it because it's within those times that need us most.
We made it to where they were, all of our families...and we had to watch as they literally deatomized right in front of us. My brother pulled me away, just as Silverfrost pulled Yuna away. We ran but then got stuck in a crowd of panicked people. I was ripped away from my brother but was fortunately caught by my friends and pulled out of the chaos. I called out for my big brother and there he came...stumbling out of the crowd...and then he was gone, both him and all those people died at once. At this point, i had lost all sense of self-preservation. Had it not been for my friends, I would have just crumpled to the ground and waited for the end.
Please...allow me to finish. My friends and I continued to run but Yuna tripped. I went back for her, pulling her to her feet...only to realize that she was beginning to disappear right before my eyes. Silverfrost...he tried to pull me away but I couldn't leave her...not her, not my truest believer, the one person that never doubted me, always trusted me and believed that I could do the impossible...but then she let me go, tearing her hand away from mine to save me from sharing the same fate. My name was the last word she spoke.
I only had him then and he kept me running...even as the light from the sun began to diminish little by little, casting our world in shadows and fragments of light. He pushed up and over a fence and I turned around to help him, but like everyone before him...he was dying too.
"Run, run, you clever girl and remember me. Run!"
His final words so I ran and I kept on running until there was no place left to run to. So many people were screaming and then...silence. Everything became so quiet. When I fell to my knees, the sounds were so loud. I looked up at the sky and watched the sun being eaten away, silence fell and the darkness descended. I sang a song...his song...the song of my beloved Captain. Afterwards...I screamed...not in fear or despair or anguish...but in bloody frustration!
I was literally watching the world come to an end yet I still had hope! I just couldn't give up and then he came...like a miracle... my Light in the Darkness and in his wake, my God of the Sea and my beloved Captain. All three of them had only been a story...my story...to cope with the insanity of that was the human race. Once again, effect preceded cause...because they had met me before and they loved me, they came to save me so that I could one day meet them.
I survived, only to watch them die before me...a group of self righteous, egotistical bastards that wanted to rule the world and turn me into a weapon were the cause. I endured so much and there are some years that I can't even remember because in order to live, I had to be reborn and with that new chance at life, I forgot who I had become, all those amazing and wonderful memories...I had to forget what it meant to truly love someone and to know how it felt to be loved in return...something I had yearned for so long.
The point I am trying to convey...is that unlike you, I am alone. I am truly the last of my kind, the sole survivor of an entire universe...I die and my world dies with me, but so long as I live, my world will too. It lives on through me and this is why memories need to be protected because not only are they precious, they are irreplaceable.'
The Star Child simply turned and walked away, silent tears streaming down her face, but her body was strong, her posture resolute, her face determined, and her eyes filled with loneliness and pain clashing with kindness and faith. This moment changed the course that the Draconians once held...for now, they had a new purpose.
Before they had simply being looking for a peaceful place to live out their final days, most of them with less than five thousand human years left to live...but now...they wanted to live, to be remembered, they wanted to leave behind all their knowledge and science, all aspects of their culture and history...they wanted to have a legacy that would guide this world and many others, so that their mistakes could be avoided and create a brighter future.
The vessel chosen to house their legacy...the woman that shined with the light of her very own star. Once the young avatar had returned, her emotions once again under her control, the elders implemented their plan and Artz was practically drowned in new information. It had been quite difficult for her to assimilate the vast amounts of knowledge...in fact, she couldn't.
There simply wasn't enough time for her to learn everything and they began to despair. Then one day, a woman bearing the mark of the boar upon her left hand, appeared before them with a message from the future. The Seeress of the Blood Guard had seen a significant disruption to her Ladyship's timeline and sent a message into the past to be delivered to the Draconians, specifically to the youngest among them...Solanna, the only Draconian that had been born since the destruction of their world.
Once her task was complete, the mysterious woman left and they knew what they had to do. Their desire to leave behind a legacy was now a necessity, one that had to be accomplished no matter the cost...for without it, the whole of history would be rewritten. The Draconians would never have come to the earth had it not been for the young avatar's soul calling out to them across the stars, guiding them to her. Without the legacy to light the way, the darkness that destroyed her world would come to this one and there would be nothing and no one to stop it.
The young Solanna revealed that to create an eternal light, one that could never be extinguished, the Star Child must reach her highest moment of accomplishment then plunged into the depths of ultimate despair. She must awaken the darkness that has slept within her soul for entire life and unleash it all at once. The Legacy of Light could only be born from the deepest depths of darkness; embracing both good and evil, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, war and peace, life and death.
The balance had to be broken to create something entirely brand new...a family that would span the ages...the Blood Guard and the young avatar was to be its founder, the very heart and soul of this incredible yet benevolent source of immense power and might.
This family would right so many wrongs... causing a fair bit of chaos and accidental destruction along the way...they would do what was right instead of what was easy. The Light of their Legacy touching countless lives and they would be remembered. The young Solanna told them one final thing...from their ashes, Draconis is reborn...the young avatar keeps her word and their home is the first among many worlds that would rise again, more and more being needed because Artz kept bringing home strays. Solanna had been shown the place known as The Realm and it was wonderful; so much life and beauty, a true sanctuary. She begged her people to believe in the avatar as her own race once did because through them...she will fulfill her promise to the fallen of her world...she would save them all.
And so their course changed yet again, initially confusing the Star Child, but soon realized that they wanted her to build that temporary home she had promised them. It took several centuries and an insane amount of effort on her part, but Artz successfully created her very own city. She had modeled it after the Atlantis base in Stargate: Atlantis and that's what she called it, the city of Atlantis. The Draconians made themselves at home, but it didn't stop the elders from being stubbornly picky and she just shakes her head in a fond exasperation.
Solanna noticed how lonely the young avatar was, despite the fact she spent a great deal of time the young Draconian. She finally made the suggestion that they bring other humans to the city which initially made Artz panic because she knew how her kind reacted to what they did not know, lashing out as a result. The other Draconians agreed with the proposal and suggested that she, herself, bring them here. That way, she could approach them easily, gauge their trustworthiness, and tell them of about the alien race that inhabited the city.
Artz knew that she was far too trusting and commonly believed in people which by all rights, she should run away screaming from...but she did as they asked and over the next few decades, the city began to fill with more and more people. There was a fair bit of chaos, misunderstandings, fear, and one massive headache for the Star Child. She spent the next three hundred years smoothing things over between the two races, and she was proud of what she had accomplished. She had finally created her own sanctuary, the one thing she had wanted to create from the very beginning...a place where everyone had a home and a family to love them. She had never risen higher and she doubted that even her beloved Blood Guard would ever surpass this quite frankly impossible miracle.
Artz: *solemnly* Just as the Doctor had taken over Demon's Run without a single drop of blood spilled, having risen higher than ever before...so did I.
The next article takes on a very different tone and sadly, depicts the darker side of human nature and just how deep a person can be hurt...which will lead into the First Captain's profile. *sighs* Now to go find some images for this thing. *walks away*
Hey everyone and welcome to The Realm once more! I had started writing the First Captain's profile but then realized that I needed to explain some things prior to his origin so that you could have a proper context from which to draw upon...then discovered that in order to explain something that occurred directly after his origin, like mere minutes afterwards...it meant that I had to back up even further.
Now as the title implies, this article will center around three characters from the tv series called Sanctuary which is where Book 1: Stardust takes place in. A bit of a hiccup occurred when trying to discern the name of the third character, only to discover that he didn't actually have a name in the series...believe me, I've checked hundreds of sites trying to find out, so I named him myself. Right then, moving things along. I suppose it is Introduction Time!
The Empress of the Sea, Kali.
This is her avatar form and it's only seen by those who have been deemed worthy by the Macri, a sub species of abnormal that uses other's bodies to form a psychic link to Kali's avatar, but if the Macri is taken and forcibly implanted into another's body against its will, the link will still be established but her avatar will not appear to them at all.
In Sanctuary, Kali is referred to as the hyper species abnormal named Big Bertha. Doctor Helen Magnus, leader of the entirety of the Sanctuary network, was supposed to have euthanized her, but she recognized Kali's importance and the symbiotic bond between her and the ocean. So she lied to the other Heads of the Sanctuaries to conceal and protect her. To be fair, I can see why people would be utterly terrified of her. *points below*
Kali, as previously stated in an earlier post, is a very large aquatic spider, but unlike actual spiders, she easily travels along the ocean floor, unaffected by the intense pressure, extremely cold temperatures, and ya know...breathe underwater. Her exoskeleton is hardened, meaning that she is capable of withstanding several underwater explosions...depth charges...and has some protection from missiles when above ground though it can render her unconscious.
Her primary abnormal ability is referred to as magnetic resonance. She is capable of altering the magnetic resonance within her own body to manipulate the tectonic plates, create underwater earthquakes, releasing a magnetic burst to cause giant waves capable of flooding an entire country, and even has the ability to create new volcanic islands by directing her power directly into the ocean floor.
Now...as to how she fits into the Blood Guard variation of the Sanctuary verse, the Star Child had been shot through time into a past so far back that by the time she reached present day, she would have witnessed the rise and fall of countless eras of history...most which were erased by time itself. However, the hyper abnormals also have this rather extensive longevity which later on is finally explained.
The irony is that in order to do a more in depth profile for the Star Child, I would have to make it a series of articles and separate them into several categories; before coming to the BG verse, her time before and during the events of Sanctuary, the beginning of her journey through time, then all the segments of the eons she lives through, her swan dive and the effects that happen afterwards. Oh wait, that's The Star Chronicles in a proverbial nutshell.
Artz shares a deep connection to the hyper abnormals, but has an exceptionally strong bond with Kali due to her relations with Poseidon, Hook, and Durga; the three individuals that share a connection with the Sea or Kali herself. The Empress of the Sea feels this unusually strong bond and investigates it, only to discover the Star Child. She knew the moment that Artz had screamed excitedly and glomped one of her legs that this tiny little creature was one of their own...an avatar.
The three hyper abnormals governed and maintained the balance and life force of the earth, but Artz was what they called a child of the stars which was later shortened to Star Child. The young woman spent a great deal of time with the Empress of the Sea, discovering and learning more about her power as an avatar, but as always, their time together came to an end because Kali needed to return to the Sea and restore the balance that had shifted during her absence.
It would not be the last time they meet and due to her connection to the Star Child, Kali inadvertently inspired a certain myth that would remain alive throughout the ages...the destruction of Atlantis. More on that in another post.
Moving right along, the spotlight now turns to next known hyper abnormal whose demain is the earth.
The Guardian of Praxis, Kanaan.
The reason Kanaan is referred to as the Guardian of Praxis is due to his alliance with the Praxians that had built a highly advanced technological city underground, more commonly known as Hollow Earth. He may be the strong stoic type, but he is remarkably kind...in the BG verse. In Sanctuary, Kanaan is a bit ambiguous but he did ally himself to the Praxians and caused three earthquakes in the exact locations necessary to create a counter wave to dissipate Kali's initial outburst of rage.
Now if you've played Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs than you'll understand the concept of a lava turtle. When crossed with the concept of a star whale from Doctor Who, you basically get Kanaan in a nutshell. For you see, my lovely readers, Kanaan is capable of traversing the many paths of lava and use the earth to counteract dangerous lava pockets that threaten Praxis but also provides them with limitless geothermal energy...and he looks like a whale swimming through lava. *points below*
Seriously...a lava whale...*shaking her head*..First aquatic spiders, now lava whales. Anyways, most of Kanaan's interactions with the Star Child occur within the Avatar Chamber...a meeting place of sorts for the hyper abnormals to communicate with each other no matter where they were in the world but to also communicate with those that serve them or have befriended them.
As you can see in the image above, this is the avatar chamber. The figures in white robes are, in fact, Praxians...one of which was Helen's own father, more on that later. The only way for Will to reach Kali after losing the Macri and some really sucky timing in regards to the Rapati Sungu aka The Dance of Kali...well...he had to die. His heart stopped, all brain activity ceased, and he finds himself within the chamber, begging Kali and the other two avatars for help, to stop the waves from killing countless innocent people.
I haven't progressed far enough into Stardust to know just how Artz or the Guard will be involved, so instead check out the YouTube video below to see William Zimmerman acting completely bonkers and dancing a little jig.
Now for the third and final member of the Avatar Council...the one with no name and almost impossible to find a decent picture for, but the actor that plays him is Byron Chief-Moon so you can Google him if you want to. Anyways, not much is known about this particular avatar. We don't know his name, his dominion, or what abilities he was supposed to have...but Artz, there is a third name in the title of this article, what gives?
The answer is that I gave him a name, a dominion, and a general idea of what his abilities and purpose might be. Before I get too much further, I need to introduce him and I used the capture function on my phone to sorta get a picture of him...I apologize for the low quality of said image.
The Spirit Warrior, Hakan.
Yeah...like I said, really hard to find a decent image and again I am terribly sorry. Once I do something clever with my phone and laptop, I will be updating this article to include...hopefully...a better image.
Moving right along, given the fact that this particular avatar is clad in red and has the outward appearance of a Native American...no prejudice here, I am part Indian too, though which tribe is anyone's guess because my great grandmother kept changing tribes every few years...I decided that his name and dominion will reflect his depiction.
A quick comparison so you'll understand why I chose particular attributes.
Kanaan is depicted as a dark skinned man clad in brown and beige clothing. His name and appearance hold ties to the earth and the almost wild and chaotic power that symbolizes the plains in Africa and much of its rugged yet extremely lethal beauty.
Kali is a deity in India, often attributed with the concepts of time, creation, destruction, and power...so too are these reflected in her avatar. The way time seems to warp around Will every time he communicates with her or time seems completely without meaning during his psychic visions after he receives the Macri. Creation is portrayed in her ability to create land but also the surge of red algae to stop one of the waves. Destruction and power are depicted as well when she proves to be rather sturdy against depth charges and unleashes massive tidal waves.
Ah but look at what she is wearing whilst in the chamber...blue. Her dominion is the ocean and her outfit reflects this...but Artz, she's kinda not wearing anything in Will's visions. This is not some ploy by the cast and crew to up the sexual appeal of the series but actually ties into the mythology surrounding her and has a deeper meaning when in conjunction to the events that were occurring at the time.
Her mythology depicts her naked because she is considered a being of the highest and greatest purity. As for the deeper meaning, it ties back into the concept of creation. Will has only just received the Macri, a new beginning, and later after the Macri is taken she is clothed as if he is no longer pure. Taking it a step further, we can safely draw parallels from the act of creation, a woman giving birth. When a child is about to be born, the bubble of fluids surrounding the unborn child snaps and releases...thus the her water just broke concept. In the psychic visions, Kali is sitting within a pool of water then later after the Macri is taken, she rises from the pool when she tells Will what to do to find her again.
There is a lot of symbology in the Sanctuary series that is completely overlooked but as a result of me researching the avatars depicted in the show, I became aware of this deeper meaning and just how much Sanctuary tried to adhere and show respect for the myths and beliefs of others. Plus...Kali being a spider makes sense when you go look up her historical counterpart...so many arms.
Now back to the third member of the Avatar Council. His name is, in fact, Native American and it literally translates into fire. Given how he is depicted as a red clad Native American, I came to the conclusion that his dominion and abilities were based within fire, heat, lava, etc...but Artz, Kanaan is a lava whale? Of this I am aware but as in all things in nature, everything is interconnected. Kali is connected to Kanaan because the ocean floor is earth and she is connected to Hakan because her abnormal ability allows her to tap into the lava to create new land.
If that doesn't satisfy you then dig a little deeper...lava comes from somewhere, does it not? It's origin comes from the very core of the earth...its molten core. The core of the planet is one great big hot spot, so why doesn't it just explode and go kaboom? Answer...Hakan...a hyper abnormal whose domain is the core of the earth, his abilities allowing him to regulate and maintain most of the core's power and might, but he isn't all powerful and this is where Kanaan comes in with his earth based abilities and immunity to the heat generated by lava. Follow the chain of thought and you lead yourself to Kali whose power resonates with the earth yet controls the water, keeping the planet from overheating because of the massive amounts of water that is contained within the oceans.
When it comes to Hakan and Artz, I have absolutely no idea, but something will undoubtedly unfold at some point and I'll post another article about it. The main focus though is Kali...she holds a great of secrets and is connected to many events. Her bond with the Star Child is so deep that should a certain event occur, the Empress of the Sea will react quite violently...completely blindsided by what was happening to the young avatar...which ultimately results in the creation of The Realm. The history of the time before this cataclysmic event occurs will be the next article, followed by the downward spiral that lands you smack dab in the middle of the First Captain's origin story...and mere minutes later...the Second Hollow's origin story as well.
That's all for this article.
Edward: So post the damn thing already.
Artz: *bops him on the head* You don't get to talk! You took the Macri from Will and tried to get your own damn island!
Edward: *gives her a do I look like I care look* So you gonna save me or what?
Artz: That remains to be seen.
Edward: *gives her a smug smirk, knowing look in his eyes* Meaning That you've already saved me but haven't fully flushed out the scene yet.
Artz: *blushes slightly and looks away*
Edward: *chuckles* I won't delay you any longer. Just popped by to...hmm...why did I come here?
Yuna: To postpone the ending so that she doesn't have to go type up three more articles.
Durga: Four actually. To explain what happens after Shadow and Crow have been named.
Yuna: Of course! The actual founding of the Blood Guard!
Artz: Enough already! *pushes them out of the article* And off I go! *shimmers away*
Hello everyone and welcome back to The Realm! I know that everyone is just dying for me to do the more in depth profiles for both The Captains and The Hollows...not to mention quite a few others as well, but I thought it more prudent to give you all some history on an individual that has been mentioned and briefly seen in a flashback in Stardust. That character is one of three people that had the greatest influence on Artz before the destruction of her reality.
As you have probably surmised, each character is basically a stand in or example of a certain concept, ideal, or emotion. Like the Second, Third, and Fourth Captains represent the three main concepts associated with the Star Child; Light, Hope, and Miracle. So too are the three individuals before Artz watched the world end. Those individuals are Anna, Trinity, and Erin. Anna is considered to be the truest believer and is often associated with the concept of Light. Trinity aka Trin is her elder brother and in his darkest hour, his sister gave him what he needed to keep going...Hope. Thus leaving us with Erin and the concept of Miracle. Rest assured, my lovely readers, you will understand why Erin is associated with Miracle...eventually.
Let's just get this out of the way because it is connected to Doctor Who...the full name of this character is Erin Clarence Oswald which might as well be the male version of Clara Oswald, the companion of both the Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors... who dies a very dramatic death via a raven/crow like shadowy creature... *blinks*...oh wow, uh sorry. I just realized something and it was entirely unintentional and no, I'm not going to tell you...yet.
Now then...in Stardust, Anna reflects upon her memories before her death and we are given a very brief peek into the man that so valiantly defended her beloved Doctor. Also stated in Stardust is the fact that Erin loved Artz, not in love because that would imply that he could fall out of love with her and that was never going to happen. Like Durga after him, Erin gave his heart to the woman that wrote the stories that had pierced him directly to the center of his soul, forever changing them both in the process.
Erin was born into a wealthy and influential family and he rarely dated anyone because they simply wanted his money or use their relationship as a means to elevate themselves into a higher society. This guy had some major trust issues when it came to women and his so called friends were simply fellow members of this higher caste, none could be considered actual friends. He was very much a loner and he didn't find joy in much of anything in his life. His parents tried many times to help him and in many different ways, but nothing worked, his life felt more like a never-ending nightmare that he couldn't wake up from.
Serendipity...a happy accident, very much like the one that had occurred with the truest believer. Erin had simply been surfing the web with random words, basically anything that just popped into his head, and something caught his eye, a specific link to a specific story. It was called Destiny of a Dream, and it was a fan created story based off the anime called Inuyasha, A Feudal Fairytale. Under normal circumstances he would have immediately clicked away because he wasn't in to that whole lovey dovey, wishy washy teen drama stuff...plus Kagome got on his nerves big time...but he realized that it was taking a completely different approach to the original series.
For starters, it was actually a story occurring after the series had ended with a few flashbacks to better explain what was happening in the present. He could tell that she was new to the site and obviously didn't use the computer very much, but the story itself, albeit a little bumpy in the beginning, was actually quite good. Instead of approaching it from a romantic way, she went more for trying to establish an actual friendship, giving clear and precise reasons as to why the characters from the anime were changing, personality wise. Having a pre-existing connection with the main male lead, Sesshoumaru, in her story was a smart call and prevented a lot of unneeded drama that many such stories have difficulties with...thus the reason he usually avoided said stories.
As he read the story, two very specific things about the authoress came to light; she was somewhere in her teenage years and that she was a virgin... though her descriptions of the more provocative actions, albeit limited, were not needlessly dragged out unless it was required for the story's core plot...which was quite refreshing because some stories he had read, even published novels, sometimes went full on smut, so her approach was much appreciated. Once he got past Chapter Seven, she had definitely hit her groove because he was so absorbed by the story that he didn't even hear his parents calling him for dinner and he practically bugged out when he reached the end of the final chapter...and the story had not been updated in years.
He had to force himself to regain his composure, otherwise his computer would have gone flying. He finally found something that caught his interest and held it, but it sputtered out into oblivion. He went to the author's profile page in the hopes of learning more about her and was honestly surprised...she had a plethora of stories but due to her ADHD and the several times of moving to new locations, she had a difficult time keeping up with everything, had lost quite a bit of her original content because of the moves and then she actually apologized to her readers, but it didn't stop her from figuratively pointing her finger over to a list of other stories she had on the fan fiction site, but also quite a few blogs on another site.
Still Under Construction
His parents grew concerned when their son spent hours on end shut up in his room, especially with all the strange noises that were occasionally heard...then they heard a specific sound that they hadn't been privy to since he was a small boy...laughter, true and genuine laughter. His mother actually started crying tears of relief and his father was just too curious for his own good, barging into his son's room to demand what was so funny...only to start laughing himself, having read the private message that had been sent by the author to his son.
Once the parental units figured out what he was doing, they decided to investigate it for themselves and were quite pleased by the girl's more recent works, and that she was apologizing quite often for the cringe worthy material from her early days but left it up to show just how far she had come as a writer since then. This one thing, it had such a profound impact on their son...even on themselves. Each day, he would smile more and more, his speech becoming more enthusiastic and energetic. His eyes positively glowed from joy and anticipation, his personality gradually morphing into a rather outspoken, determined, and surprisingly more emotionally open state of being...a great relief for his parents because he had kept so much inside, never allowing anyone in...until now.
Then one day, it clicked for the mother...her son was in love. When she told his father, he wrote it off initially but then his son's favorite writer suddenly stopped posting chapters and no longer replied to her PM threads...and he changed his mind rather quickly. His son was like a powerhouse, his deeper emotions driving him to find his girl. Almost a year and their son was going bonkers, his emotional state becoming more and more volatile with each day of silence, but then fortune smiled upon them in the form of one Anna Lanaria, having taken the last name of their son's favorite author as her own.
She was practically begging all of the girl's reviewers to help her find her Doctor and Erin jumped on the opportunity, readily agreeing to help...though his parents were less trusting of this new development but did that stop their son...nope. He actually told his parents that he was going to find his girl, no matter what it took...even if he had to become the devil's bitch to do it, so instead of fighting against him on this, they assisted as much as he would allow, knowing that this was something he needed to do for himself.
Anastasia Emrys Lanaria was about as close to an explosion one could get while simultaneously bulldozing anything that got in her way, and quite commonly fizzling out from over exertion. This was his first impression of the woman that his girl called her truest believer and he could honestly see why. The girl was like her very own star, shining so bright in the darkest of nights...why because like him, she had been so profoundly altered by a single person that was oblivious to just how much of an effect she had on other people. He would admit that it took a while for him to get used to Anna's constant presence, always nearby, continuously popping up when he least expected it, and adamantly refused to leave him alone because like Artz, she was keenly perceptive and she picked up a lot of what he didn't express.
His parents, on the other hand, found the constant pain in his ass that was Anna Lanaria, to be a rather lovely young woman. His mother practically adopted the woman on the spot, but then settled for her being a willing ear and helping her with all her secret scheming. His father had been a bit more reserved but Anna's constant radiating light eventually broke through his flimsy barriers and he had started teaching her things from a wide range of fields...including chess which he sorely regretted later on because she taught Artz how to play and with her aptitude for probability mapping...he never won again.
With the two of them working together, they spent next few months practically bombarding their fellow reviewers and even picking apart Artz's stories for the tiniest of details. Erin was about to launch into a campaign of learning how to hack computers so they could backtrace her IP address, but once again...serendipity. Ironically it had been Erin's idea to widen the search pattern and start dive bombing the people that only favorited or followed her stories, but did not actually leave a review. This serendipitous event led them straight to the one person that could give them what they needed to find their target...her elder brother.
Now Trinity had been going through a rough time ever since his wife was killed by a drunk driver and before he could do anything... permanent...he discovered an old email from his sister as he was cleaning out his inbox, asking him to check out her stories when he had the time. The reason why he had never opened the email was because his inbox had almost ten thousand unread emails, stupid junk mail. So on a whim, he started reading her stories and the constant struggles of her self-insert original character. He always knew that his younger sister was special...he just never realized how much and how lonely it made her, but she never gave up, she kept going...tears rolling down her cheeks, a heart breaking smile on her lips, and an impossible kindness in her eyes.
After so much pain and sorrow, grief and despair...his sister rekindled the flame of hope that had been almost completely extinguished and as a result, he reconnected to his younger sibling who had been over the moon with joy. This reaction from her...it made him feel guilty. He was her big brother and he had pretty much forgotten that he even had a sister seven years his junior. He had a lot to make up for, so many years wasted, but he was determined to do whatever it took to make his sister happy but also keep her safe.
When the dynamic duo of Erin and Anna suddenly crashed into his life, he decided to stretch out to them with an olive branch but remained quite aloof. Eventually the two idiots that was so desperately searching for his baby sister met him in person and to their credit, they did not squirm or fidget under his rather critical gaze. In fact, Anna was practically vibrating in place and looked about two seconds shy of hug tackling him to the floor...and probably would have if Erin hadn't grabbed the back of her shirt when she had started inching forward.
The coming months were spent evaluating these two chuckle heads that squabbled about everything under the sun and over it, yet he could sense the deep bond of friendship that had been formed between them rather quickly. What truly shined through was their love for Artz...they honestly and truly loved her, to them...she was irreplaceable. His sister's influence had completely changed them, making them want to do more and to be better, to have the courage to face the unknown and forge a life they could be proud of.
The only problem was that a life without Artz... they couldn't see it. She had to be a part of their lives because they knew that she was alone and would eventually break under the strain. His Girl and Her Doctor...these were simple titles that held a far greater depth and meaning than Trin could ever hope to comprehend. As his sister's birthday came closer and closer, he could practically feel his sister's sorrow and loneliness through their conversations and text messaging. After much deliberation, he decided to give his two house guests a chance because he honestly believed that they were the only ones that could truly help his sister.
Artz was very stubborn and even more strong willed. She would not accept charity or assistance easily if ever, but he had a feeling that Erin and Anna were the exceptions to this almost unbreakable mindset. When he informed them of his decision, just as he predicted, Anna full on glomped him right down to the floor, crying tears of happiness and relief. She swore that once she was by her Doctor's side, she would never leave and Erin promised something similar though he threw in a part about keeping his excitable friend from running herself into the ground while trying to help Artz.
As in Stardust, Anna finally met Artz face to face then a rather ridiculously abusive supervisor started beating the crap out of Artz because she had just quit on the spot and told her exactly what she thought of the rather despicable woman. Erin had to intervene but their friend was barely conscious and her face badly bruised, along with some other injuries along the right side of her body. It was shortly after this encounter that the truest believer learned that Erin's family had their own security taskforce and was actually quite wealthy. How was she supposed to know? They didn't act like rich snobs or sanctimonious elitists. Heck, their house was only two stories tall, had a very small lawn, didn't have a garage, and could barely fit a small pool in the backyard!
When Artz was released from the hospital, Anna brought her to her new home, a place that Erin's parents had painstakingly planned, constructed, and furnished with the greatest of care and tailored just for her... though their son hadn't been privy to that knowledge until much later. It was that day that Artz met him, but unlike Anna, she didn't know who he was and to be fair, he had held quite a bit back when it came to anything remotely personal in nature while they had been communicating through their PM thread. He told her his name, how he helped Anna find her, but neglected to mention the fact that he was the one she knew as Silverfrost, one of her closest and dearest friends from the fan fiction site.
He had given the truest believer a look that pretty much said to keep her mouth shut before explaining to Artz that the three of them were housemates. Of course their beloved friend asked what duties she needed to perform, what bills she would be responsible for, and a list of tasks and chores that she needed to do around the house to earn her keep. The look on her face when he told her that she was responsible for only one thing...being happy. It took some explaining and a fair bit of translation from Anna before their friend comprehended what was expected of her...though she still insisted that she get a new job.
Erin was more than happy to help with that and approached his parents about possible employment opportunities for someone with a limited work history and only a high school diploma. It was his turn to be floored because the job they wanted her to do was to be an astronomer, basically the person that looked into the multi-million dollar telescope and watch the stars she loved so much. Their son had tried to explain her history but they wouldn't budge. Why because they knew he loved her and hoped that by giving her a job she would love, that she might one day realize that she loved him too.
He told them that she didn't know that he was Silverfrost, that he hadn't told her on purpose. Little did he know that the woman he loved so much had been going over her recent interactions with him, wondering why he felt so familiar to her and it hit her like a ton of bricks, about three and a half weeks into her new job at the observatory. Poor Erin started freaking out when his girl suddenly started crying for no apparent reason while she was sitting in the observer's chair connected to the telescope. He was even more confused when she practically leaped out of said chair and latched onto him in a rather tight hug, apologizing over and over again.
Erin simply smiled and hugged her, telling her that he wanted her to get to know him as Erin instead of Silverfrost. She Gibbs smacked him in the back of the head and flat out told him that it didn't matter what name he went by, he was still him and that was enough for her. He hugged her again, mainly to conceal the few tears that had slipped down his face. Sweet Menti Celesti, he honestly loved this woman, this incredibly brilliant and impossibly kind woman that was utterly oblivious to the true depth of his feelings for her...it was enough...just being able to hold her in his arms for even a moment, it meant more to him than he could ever express in a thousand life times.
He did try to tell her that he loved her, but the first three times had been when she was asleep and he hadn't realized it, followed by some very bad shit which included both her and Anna being kidnapped by human traffickers. After the first three times, he wasn't just paranoid, he was utterly terrified. Every time he tried to verbally declare his love for the woman that was his soul, such terrible things would happen, scarring all three of them for life. He simply couldn't bring himself to say it so he let his actions speak for him, oftentimes overwhelming her rational mind and Anna had to run interference to keep things from going too far, too quickly...knowing just how much he cared for their oblivious and quite sensitive friend.
Still...life was good for them, especially when her elder brother moved into a recently vacated house about two blocks away...which he had absolutely nothing to do with it. Having Artz and Trin in the same room was both absolutely amazing and bloody horrifying at the same time. These two in one room equaled to inspiration overload which resulted in the two either descending into an argument or they simply gave each other space to calm themselves before coming back for another round...and when his parents finally got involved, Artz was able to learn so many skills and fields of study which included a wide assortment of instruments but she favored the violin over everything else.
He personally favored the flute which had her laughing because of the Trowa/Catra scene from Gundam Wing where Trowa played the flute while Catra played the violin. Anna just stuck to the sound mixer and served as their personal DJ. Trin, on the other hand, surprised everyone when he revealed that he had been learning how to play the piano and he wasn't half bad. He wasn't Mozart, not by a long shot, but at least he could carry tune and knew all the keys...Poor Artz had to label each one and even then she still got them mixed up.
Then came martial arts, dancing and eventually dubstepping. Artz practiced tirelessly to learn how to dubstep while playing her violin. It was not an easy feat in the slightest. She practically exhausted herself just learning how to play her favorite instrument, but then attempting to learn all the breathing exercises necessary to accomplish dubstepping, taking classes in yoga and other forms of disciplines to gain the flexibility she needed, and the sheer amount of effort she put in to play, dubstep, and sing simultaneously...simply astonishing.
Then she dragged him and Anna into taking singing lessons so that they could perform with and without music...he tried to ignore how awful he sounded in his own ears and focus on the beautiful blend of the girls' combined singing. They did especially well with The Willow Maid, The Davy Jones theme, and Daughter of the Moon....then came the learning of the songs from the musical episodes of both Sanctuary and Once Upon A Time...he just couldn't say no to her.
So many wonderful and fond memories were created during those few short years and then he worked up the nerve to tell her one more time that he loved her and the very next night...everything changed. Artz discovering the effects of the Reality Bomb, Trinity getting verification from a friend that worked at NASA, Anna bringing up the silver lining that they at least had proof that the Doctor was real, and Erin feeling her much like the Tenth Doctor must have felt during the final specials of his tenure...four times. In the show, it was he will knock four times and now in reality, he had tried to tell her what was within his heart four times...yet she still held hope.
Artz Gallifreya Lanaria refused to surrender, that she would not go gentle into that good night. She tried to warn her family and they pretty much disowned her, the exception being her brother. She stood tall and in the months that followed, she became a brilliant shining star that carried the hope of the world and was determined to bring about a miracle. He was so proud and inspired and he fell for her all over again. Then the end came, the darkness fell and all became silent...except for a single voice singing a song. With it came the Light followed by Hope which resulted in a Miracle.
Artz faced the absolution of certain death and lived. Anna, her truest believer, was reborn into the world she had escaped to. Her brother took on a different form in this new world, only recovering his memories from his previous life after a certain series of events had transpired. Then there was him, Erin Clarence Oswald, the man that loved a woman so deeply and so much that his soul refused to move on, lingering in the Darkness of what was until that soul took flight in a realm reversed from their own.
In doing so, his soul became as black as night and filled with a frozen cruelty...but alas, this story is a very different tale altogether and will have to be covered in a completely different article. No seriously because this has got to be one of the biggest twists/spoilers in the entirety of the Star Chronicles...but where does it lead and should you follow the trail of Stardust left in her wake?
Hook: Enough, wench. Your hands are cramping and your eyes are so blurry that it's a bloody miracle that you can even type right now.
Preacher: Not to mention that her battery is dying and there isn't a single image, gif, video, or link in this entire thing.
Anna: Yet. Rest assured, dearies, that will soon be remedied.
Poseidon: You spend way too much time with the bloody crocodile.
Artz: *pulls a drawstring and they all drop out of the article* Be back after some shut eye to finish artzifying this article. *pops back in the next night* Okay I'm back! Now for adding some media stuff to spice things up...*looks over the article and sighs* ...but I need to go do an image searching spree again. *pops off*
Wrath: *pops up* Hey Elizabeth!
Artz: Oh hey, Mels. What are you doing here...considering I am trying to wrap up this article...finally.
Wrath: *hands in pockets and a cheeky grin on his face* Just wondering when you're gonna get to me and the others.
Artz: *skeptical* Uh huh...more like you want to spoil the ultimate plot twist in regards to this particular character.
Wrath: Nah, I wanna tell them the story about when Poseidon got transformed into a tea pot...
Poseidon: Wrath, I can and will kill you.
Kakashi: *walks in, seemingly reading a book but starts whistling a very familiar tune that has the Third Captain's face twitching in irritation*
Wrath: *beams happily and starts singing* I'm a little tea pot, short and stout. Tip me over and pour me out!
Poseidon: *shoots a blast of water at both idiots, sending them flying through the air*
Wrath/Kakashi: We're blasting off again! Whee!!! *ding*
