The Avatars - Kali, Kanaan, & Hakan

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*

The Fading Light, Silverfrost

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*

The Archmage, Noel

Hey everyone and welcome back to The Realm! Today's article is dedicated to the most powerful warlock in history, The Dragonlord, Merlin...and no, not the Sin of Gluttony. Oh yeah, you read that right, but you're probably wondering about the title of this article. I will explain that momentarily. For now it is introduction time!

Second Commander of the Shield Corps, The Archmage of the Blood Guard, The Dragonlord. He is Noel of the Prism Guard and he is her wisdom.

Now to answer the questions that are undoubtedly burning in your mind...or is that just me? First question...his name. Noel is the name of a character that starred in the Final Fantasy franchise, his debut being Final Fantasy 13-2. He continued his role in Final Fantasy: Lightning Returns as the mysterious Shadow Hunter. Now what does this character have to do with the greatest warlock that has ever lived?

In both of the previously mentioned Final Fantasy games is a character known as Yuel. She was a young teenage girl cursed with the Eyes of Etro. In the Final Fantasy 13 universe, Etro is known as the Goddess of Death and her realm, untouched by time, is Valhalla. Yuel was a seeress that existed in every era of history, each one having a soul of their own yet almost completely identical. Their visions of the future were not without a price. Each new future they saw, the more they were drained of their life force. None of them made it to adulthood and always died in their early teen years.

Again what does this have to do with our beloved Archmage?

This is Noel, a hunter that lived in the distant future and was one of the few remaining survivors of the human race after Cocoon had fallen onto Gran Pulse. He was drawn into Valhalla through a time gate, was given the moogle named Mog, then sent into the past to retrieve Serah, Lightning's younger sister to aid her in her battle against Caius, a man hell bent on warping the timeline to prevent the deaths of all the Yuel's throughout time. 

Noel had grown up with Caius and the last seeress to bear the name and visage of Yuel. Caius became the Guardian of Chaos and companion to all of the Yuel's in the past, leaving Noel as the only protector of the last seeress. She died in Noel's arms, neither having told the other about what was in their hearts for one another.

Their story was so brief yet so heartfelt, so when I gave Morgana her name within the Guard, Yuel...I made Merlin's name, Noel. In the TV series, I always sensed some underlying connection between Morgana and Merlin, honestly believing that they would pair up and get married. This never occurred and instead Morgana was twisted and warped into her darkest form, very much like the timeline in Final Fantasy 13-2 that depicted such a bleak and hopeless future.

I had always intended for Morgana and Merlin to be an item almost straight out of the gate with Mordred being their biological son because seriously, this kid looked so much like a mix of the two that I thought some weird, funky magic had given birth to him or they had a super secret affair no one knew about before Merlin's actual arrival in Camelot...unlikely but fun to think about sometimes.

Now then, moving right along to his profile. His origin story, like his beloved Yuel's, is a heavily revamped version of the TV series from whence he came; however, there are some deviations...specifically his childhood in Ealdor. This small village just beyond the borders of the Kingdom of Camelot was far more prosperous than its appearance would have you believe. In the show, it held the appearance of a poor farming village trying to scrape by a living and keep their children from starving.

The true visage of the town was concealed within the forest, beneath ground as well, and the village normally seen is a well crafted facade. Why because Ealdor was one of the places that swore loyalty and under the protection of the Blood Guard. Many so called villages, camps and towns were also aligned with the Blood Guard, these places becoming temporary sanctuaries for those deemed unnatural or evil by the surrounding kingdoms.

Merlin was not actually born in Ealdor, but within a crystal cavern because his mother had fled with her husband, Balinor. He was the last Dragonlord and father to the Archmage and Druid King. The King of Camelot, Uther Pendragon, had given orders for the man to be executed on site and any that aided him, their lives were forfeit. In an attempt to conceal the knowledge of his wife, neither knowing that she was already with child, he took her to the crystal cavern that lay just within the Valley of the Fallen Kings.

Balinor placed his wife into an enchanted sleep, knowing she would follow him otherwise, and laid her to rest deep within the cave, knowing its magic would protect her. He left the cave to lead the hunting parties away, not knowing that the very essence of life itself was reacting to the shifting of fate itself. When Balinor returned, he discovered that his wife was gone. 

He had not expected her to wait for he had been gone for almost three and a half weeks, but he did discover something very unusual contained within one of the crystals. Contained within was the image of two small children bearing a remarkable resemblance to both himself and his beloved wife, Hunith. He looked into the surrounding crystals and saw many more images, all out of order but filling him with such a profound hope that it could not be contained.

The children, a boy and a girl, were to be born with magic. The boy was a defender, a healer, a conveyor of wisdom and an unwavering kindness. The girl was a fighter, she was a powerful combat mage, a natural born leader, and possessed a deep respect and reverence for life in all its forms. He knew who they were, both had been prophesied long ago...The Archmage and The Druid King.

The destiny of the Archmage was to protect the Once and Future King that would unite the lands and bring forth a lasting piece, but that was only the first segment of his multifaceted destiny. His sister was destined to become the leader of the Druids, uniting the magical kingdom under a single ruler, the High Priestess of the Old Religion. There was a problem, a great evil was trying to revert the path of the world back to its original course. A course that led to the destruction of Albion, the death of Arthur Pendragon, and magic itself would disappear, the balance forever broken.

The Dragonlord sent word to his friend, the physician of Camelot's royal court, and Gaius sent a courier to the northernmost kingdom of Rozarria, requesting assistance from his former mentor and long time friend, the Star Child. She set a plan into motion, using her gift of probability mapping to successfully counteract every attempt to sway the timeline. It was not an easy task and had taken a great deal of effort and planning in order to retain the current balance and insure the best possible future.

The so called devastation caused by magic users to the kingdom was actually the work of her Illusionist working in tandem with other divisions and the result was remarkably accurate and very believable, especially once Emma put things into motion. The First Mage de-aged herself so that she could pretty much super glue herself to the terrified child that was Morgana that was coming into her gift of prophecy. 

As for the twins of Balinor and Hunith, their parents having returned to the crystal cave for the duration of her pregnancy, were constantly surrounded by the pure essence of life, untainted and thus making them quite powerful...especially when they were together, acting as natural amplifiers for each other. Thus the reason why the twins had to be kept apart, neither knowing of the other's existence but still feeling the connection they shared as twins.

The boy was given the name, Merlin, in honor of his godmother...which turned out to be Mystic of all people and this caused quite a lot of hysterical laughter from most of the Prismata in later years. The infant Archmage was to remain with his mother in Ealdor. His twin sister and future King of the Druids was granted the name of Emrys in honor of the Star Child's sister and truest believer...the irony was not lost them in the slightest.

Eventually the siblings would cross paths when Arthur and Merlin begin their search for the last Dragonlord, Balinor, because the Great Dragon, Kilgharrah, was attacking Camelot but in the Blood Guard universe, Kilgharrah is not in control of his actions and actually begging the young warlock to stop him. As it turned out, the blade needed to free Kilgharrah from the mystical chains that bound him in the underground cavern beneath the city...was enchanted. 

When the blade struck the chain, the enchantment activated, forcing the Great Dragon to react violently and by violently, I mean he was in utter agony. He could barely discern anything and he just wanted the pain to stop and because of this enchantment, it allowed a powerful sorceress to take control of his body and used him to wreak havoc on Camelot, the very kingdom that he had promised a young Arthur to protect. So when Arthur and Merlin finally find Balinor, he initially refuses, claiming to have a greater obligation that could not be neglected.

Arthur was more than a little angry and the power he had kept hidden for so long erupted from his body, his eyes flashing a molten gold and sent a blast wave of magic towards the man. A young woman with similar features to Merlin appeared in front of Balinor and sent a greater wave of magic to rebound Arthur's which forced Merlin's hand and he projected a magical barrier around him and Arthur, but also around Balinor and the woman, forcing the clashing magicks to cancel each other out.

The barriers disappeared and the Crown Prince of Camelot immediately apologized to the Dragonlord for his magic reacting so violently. Balinor demanded to know why the son of Utter Pendragon would use magic at all and Arthur admitted that he had asked Kilgharrah, actually mentioning the Great Dragon by name, to teach him everything about magic, about the Old Religion, and about the enormous amount of history that the dragon had lived through in the hopes of not repeating past mistakes...that he honestly wanted to build a kingdom that respected the Old Ways, embraced the new, and protected the balance between the life of creation and the destruction of man.

To say that the Dragonlord was surprised would be a very big understatement and the young woman with him said that the prat was speaking the truth which had Merlin laughing because he always referred to the prince as a prat, a clotpole, or a royal ass. This drew the woman's attention to him and the moment their gazes met...they knew. Both Balinor and Arthur were taken off guard when their companions ran toward each other and hugged one another tightly, relief and joy being heard in their laughter.

Balinor was the first to understand why and cleared his throat, both siblings looking at him instantly...thus ensued a three way hug and a somewhat lengthy explanation for Prince Prat since he had no idea what the hell was going on. The group of four started their journey to Camelot and just like in the show, Balinor took a hit meant for his son which resulted in three forms of magic being directed at the one responsible. Emrys stayed behind to keep their father a proper burial and told her twin brother what he needed to do about the Great Dragon.

Imagine Merlin's surprise when he visits his mother after he rescued Kilgharrah and finds his father at the dinner table, having supper with Hunith. When asked how, his father simply pulled out a fob watch emblazoned with the mark of the Dragonlord and gave it to his son, saying that the watch was to passed on until it came to rest in the hands of its proper owner...Merlin...and not answering His son's question at all. His father then explained that the Dragonlords were members of an ancient civilization that spanned countless eons. 

The first to receive the ability to command dragons was given that watch and was passed down through the ages, absorbing all the knowledge and wisdom of each bearer to better aid the true owner in the future. The Archmage asked him why he believed that he was the owner of the watch and not Emrys. Balinor told him that only three people were capable of opening that watch; The Archmage, The Truest Believer and The Star Child. 

Merlin knew that Artz was the Star Child, her sister Yuna was the Truest Believer, which left only the Archmage, but that wasn't him. Kilgharrah had said that he was the most powerful warlock that had ever existed, but the Archmage was supposed to possess a power far greater than the combined might of his magic. What that something was, he had no idea so he just placed the watch on the table in front of his father and began to leave, only to be nearly toppled over by the woman that he could never stop thinking about, that was always in his dreams, and made his heart feel like it was about to burst out of his chest...the Lady Morgana.

When their eyes met, she smiled at him and he kind of forgot how to breathe. She was absolutely beautiful and he was so grateful that his friend, Artz, had been so pushy about him spending more time the Seeress. There was something there, something connecting them, and it was so strong. He didn't even notice his father getting up and handing the fob watch to the new arrival and nodded in his son's direction. Morgana asked him to open it for her so she could see what was inside and he did so without realizing what he was actually doing until a melody reached his ears, making him look down.

The watch that he had been so sure that it would remain closed to him forever...it was open. It wasn't a watch at all but a musical watch, playing a familiar melody and he looked up from the watch in his hand to the woman that made his life both heaven and hell simply by breathing. It was in that moment that the young warlock finally understood what the Great Dragon had tried to tell him. The power that possessed a force far greater than anything magic could ever produce...it was love. 

He loved Morgana and that revelation rendered him entirely speechless. Fortunately for him, the Seeress knew exactly what she wanted and was quite stubborn as well and one day, the First Oracle and the Archmage... with a little bit of help from two gingers, a blonde, and a rather nosy prince...finally got their act together and agreed to get married, sadly the official wedding couldn't occur until after Arthur became king, considering that Uther would have executed him for even touching her in the first place, but thanks to a certain Druid King, they did at least have a soul binding ceremony, tying them together forever and always.

It would take several more years and one more visit to a certain crystal cavern for Merlin to actually accept the fact that he was indeed The Archmage spoken of in countless legends and prophecies. When Merlin finally joined the battle at Camlann, his true potential unleashed by the restoration of his magic...the tide of battle swiftly turned, for with his arrival came the dragons, Kilgharrah and Aithusa...not to mention that his twin sister got one hell of a power boost and literally started blowing shit up while cackling like a maniacal witch.

The Archmage sought out his brother-in-law and best friend, Arthur, only to freeze in shock upon seeing the Star Child use herself as a shield to save the Once and Future King. Merlin tried to reach them, that perhaps maybe his magic could save her, only to be deflected by a powerful barrier. His sister, along with a woman with eyes of the purest amethyst, approached him and he was forced to wait, the new arrival telling him of the vision his wife in the future had.

He watched helplessly as his closest and dearest friend died in Arthur's arms. Silent tears rolled down his cheeks as his brother-in-law let out a soul wrenching scream of agony, losing himself completely within the raw power and might that was the life force of the world, the core essence of all magic both light and dark. The two women each took one of his hands and he didn't have to look at them to know that they were crying too. Their hands tightened as they watched the King of Camelot forcibly rip out the corrupted life force of the sorceress, Morgause, and then willed it into the Star Child's body which had dire consequences.

When his friend tried to attack the man that had just saved her life, both he and his sister channeled the entirety of their combined powers into the amethyst eyed woman while she created a reflective barrier strong enough to keep the Lady of the Blood Guard contained. So much sorrow and pain followed, along with countless other emotions...then one day, she was gone. The Star Child had disappeared not long after the corrupted life force had been fully extracted and with her departure, the bright colors that had once been so vivid and vibrant became dull and muted.

For months it had remained this way until Lancelot and the other elite knights sought him out. Why because strange crests had emerged on their hands and they asked him if he knew what it meant. Sir Leon also informed the Archmage that a similar crest had appeared on their King's hand as well. He was about to answer them when an explosion of glass occurred, the sound originating close to where his and Morgana's personal chambers were. 

He immediately transported himself to his wife who was gripping a piece of furniture with one hand and holding her swollen stomach, a puddle of fluid on the floor around her. Her water had just broken and judging by the high intensity bursts of magic comijg from every time she experienced a new wave of pain...well it meant only one thing...he was about to be a father. All hell broke loose as several people helped prepare for the birthing, dashing about all over the place and people barking orders.

The Archmage would have remained with his wife had it not been for the vision that flooded his mind...Artz was in danger and and she was alone. He was forced into making a choice; his wife or his friend. He called out to Morgana within their minds but she couldn't hear him, the pain from the contractions preventing a stable connection. He was surprised when another answered his call and in his mind's eye, there was a vision of a young boy, no older than ten years of age.

His physical features resembled both he and his wife...was this their child, their son, the one that his wife was trying so desperately to bring into this world? The boy told him that he needed to leave, to rescue the currently powerless Star Child, and if he didn't then the entirety of the past and future would be unwritten. Merlin was blindsided by the sudden surge of images, a timeline without the Star Child, without the Blood Guard, without Emma...his wife would have been his enemy; the darkness to his light, the hatred to his love.

Morgana would have been converted to evil by the vile Morgause, twisting and warping her into most darkest and purest evil form, becoming the instrument that would lead Albion to ruin, destroying magic, killing Arthur...she would have died by his hand, holding her in his arms as she took her final breath and leaving a gaping a hole within his heart. Without Artz, her daughter would never be born. Without Emma, Morgana would have grown up believing herself to be a monster, so lost and confused and afraid. 

Without them, Arthur would never have befriended the Great Dragon. Without them, Merlin would have lived a life that was nothing but lies, always wanting to tell Arthur about himself and about his magic, barely managing to reveal it at the end and have Arthur die in his arms too. If he didn't leave right now then that very future would come to pass and with it, the deaths of his father, his love, his best friend, and his sister would never be born at all either.

He turned and left and was stopped by Arthur. Once the words Artz is in trouble left his mouth, the King of Camelot and the elite knights bearing their new crests joined the Archmage in rescuing the Star Child, but she held no memory of being the Lady of the Blood Guard, her mind having temporarily reset itself... roughly nine months ago and the only reason why she had been anywhere near Camelot at all was because she had been following the image of a boy matching the one that Merlin had seen.

His son's essence had been calling to her, guiding her home, and she had been instinctively following that instinct. They managed to convince her to come with them to Camelot, that she would be safe there, but as they tried to leave, they were ambushed by the remnants of Morgause's fake Blood Guard and one of them managed to latch a silver band around her neck, making her crumple like a rag doll and her eyes fogging over, essentially rendering her blind and whatever power she might have had access to was now locked within by the magical device.

I'm gonna stop it there for that part of his story...why...because I haven't written it out yet. You're probably wondering what all of this has to do with the most recent chapter of Stardust on fanfiction.net and if not then you might want to go read it first then come back.

As I was saying, within the chapters of Book One are two references to everyone's favorite warlock. The first is when Anna meets a strange man bearing a remarkable resemblance to the Archmage. The second instance is in regard to the most addition to the Zimmerman family.

This cute little guy is found by Doctor William Zimmerman and ends up picking up the cat, fully intending on taking their furry new friend home with them, but there is something rather odd with the suspiciously intelligent feline. This fact is proven true when Will witnessed an unusual event...fortunately his sister had been preoccupied at the time so she hadn't noticed. Will had been zapped by electricity and was still dealing with the pain, when all of a sudden...

The kitten's eyes flashed gold for a moment and the lingering pain in his hand had instantly disappeared. He did not have a chance to tell his sister because she had distracted him with new information about the items they had been searching. These items were procured separately; one the previous night by Will and the other today by Anna. The items in question...fob watches...more specifically, music boxes in the shape of a fob watch, each containing a specific song acting as the bearer's personal theme tune. I'm gonna list off the ones mentioned in the story...though Light's is still undetermined at this time so you'll be getting the list of candidates. I'll start off with the confirmed theme tunes.

The Third Captain, Poseidon Jones - Song: Blackheart aka Pirate Love Song

The Fourth Captain, James Hook - Song: The Davy Jones theme (with lyrics)

The Profiler, Durga Zimmerman - Song: Ain't No Rest For The Wicked

The Punisher, Preacher - Song: Thrown Away

The Star Child, Artz Lanaria - Song: Shot In The Dark

Did you know that the Blood Guard as a whole has their own theme as well?

The Blood Guard - Song: Hair Up

Seriously, this song inspired an entire performance scene. A group of members predominantly from the Prism Guard are dressed in dark suits, wearing dark fedoras, some with black sunglasses and the leader of the Guard, the First Captain has a cane. He just stands in the middle of the group, looking like a total badass, while the other captains and a few others do the main vocals and doing a dance routine around the First Captain. He does sing, mainly the deeper vocals. Anyways, the chorus is done by the rest of the group and most of the dancing and clapping. Off to the side is the sound mixer that takes care of the instrumental parts and moving spotlights above and a light fog floating along the floor. Sweet Menti Celesti, I wish I could take the scene out of my head and make it into its own music video because I am so not doing justice to what's in my head right now.

That being said, Yuna's theme tune is entirely up to her. I am personally leaning towards this song; The Daughter of the Moon.

Now comes the mother of all ice cream headaches that is this guy's theme.

The Second Captain, Light Zimmerman - Song(s): Sabotage, Immigrant, The Wanderer's Lullaby, The 12th Doctor's guitar solo, I See The Light, Powerful Magic, and recently thought of...I Think it's Called Clara.

The 12th Doctor's Guitar Solo is the very first one in Suite. Sorry couldn't find one with just the first part.

In several scenes, Light is seen reclining on a couch in Henry's workshop. He has his electric guitar in his hands and he plays this song almost absent-mindedly. I think it puts him at ease, calming his lightning fast mind, it's one of Artz's favorites, and so it kind of ended up as his 'thinking song'.

I know this turned into quite the spectacle and let me assure you that there will be more articles that will undoubtedly follow this trend. Also there are other themes already set in stone, but I also have some songs that I want to use as theme tunes but I haven't found the right characters for them. Then there are the characters that are supposed to have very recognizable theme tunes but I keep coming up with a great big blank.

Hook: Translation - she hasn't found one for the very person this article was about...The Archmage, Noel.

Artz: *whines* Captain!

Hook: *chuckles* Quit your belly aching, wench. I was only teasing. I'm perfectly aware of how busy you've been lately; posted several chapters for His Guiding Star, completely overhauled some of your older posts, literally made up this article on the spot, spent several hours a day for the last month scouring the internet for both images and transcripts, started a new blog called ouatscripts.blogspot.com just so Anna could read them since she usually doesn't have time to actually watch the episodes, and on top of all that, you've got your job and the ridiculous amount of work to do at home.

Poseidon: it's a bloody miracle that she hasn't collapsed from exhaustion.

Light: It's called burning the candle at both ends.

Hook: Something has got to give, Sparky.

Poseidon: Yeah...her.

Noel: Umm...would now be a bad time to mention that...*twenty minutes later*...I was going to say fall asleep but she stopped typing and took a short nap instead.

Artz: *groggy* Sorry, everyone but it's time for some shut eye. Goodnight. *is carried away by her Captain*