The Crocodile, Goldeneye

Hey everyone and welcome back to The Realm of the Blood Guard, home of the Prismata and the Child of the Stars! I know, the intro was a bit more wordy and posh, but considering who is being covered in this article, it was worth a grander entrance because he's just not anyone. He shares a deep bond with Artz but his deepest bond is with her sister, Anna aka Yuna, her truest believer.

As previously stated in another article, Goldeneye is Rumplestiltskin from Once Upon A Time, but you're probably wondering about a few things; Milah, Baelfire, Killian/Hook, Belle and Artz. After all, Milah was Bae's birth mother in the show but she isn't in the BG verse, so who was his mother and what the heck happened? The answer is rather easy and obvious to those that have watched Once Upon A Time...maybe, it's obvious to me anyways.

If you guessed Beauty, I mean Belle then you are correct. The relationship between Rumple and Belle in the show was essentially Once Upon A Time's version of Beauty and the Beast. However, in the BG verse, things go a bit sideways and whole lot skewed. Oh don't get me wrong, Rumple is still the Dark One, but his castle in a forest turns into a fortress on an island. Belle is actually a rather complicated story. The short version is that she was the younger of a set of twins, the eldest having been taken by an evil sorceress to be trained as a sex mage.

The term sex mage was the easiest way to explain what she became but in plain speak, basically a term you would understand instead of a long, drawn out and probably poetic explanation from yours truly. Anyways, the elder sister was named Tessa and from an author's stand point, there is a reason for that. Said reason is below.

Say hello to Tess from the series, Roswell. Yeah, pulling out all the stops for the BG verse and yes, the same actress did indeed play both parts which is why Tessa has blonde hair...initially speaking. Like I said before...Belle is complicated. But you're talking about Tessa right now. Yeah...about that...*brief pause to insert an image to avoid explaining right away, having need to figure out how to give a clear, condensed, and concise version*

*clears throat*

Okay, to put it bluntly...Belle is dead. *waves hands in pleading gesture* Let me explain! *trying to ignore the murderous glares from the Rumbelle fandom* In the show, there is a moment in Belle's history where she could have easily died and that moment was the day the orges attacked, killing her mother. In the BG verse, that attack still happens but Belle is also killed. In his grief, Belle's father begged for the return of Tessa, simply unable to cope with the loss of his wife and child.

The sorceress initially refuses, only to gasp in alarm. Little Tessa was behind her and had her tiny hand in the woman's back. She ripped out the heart and ordered the sorceress to merge the essence of her twin inside of her and as punishment for denying her father, Tessa ordered her to be at her father's beck and call. When done giving orders, she placed a spell on the heart and returned it, binding the sorceress to her father.

Her orders were carried out but the merger of two essences functioning at very different wavelengths caused Tessa to forget that she was...well, Tessa. Her hair turned brown and her memories of the sorceress and all of the training/torment/torture was buried deep within. Her father told the sorceress to alter his memories of the attack so that it would appear as if his daughter had survived because even if it was a lie, she was still his child no matter which name she went by but his people would not trust Tessa due to her being raised by an evil being; however, they would accept that the king had managed a miracle and saved Belle's life.

Unfortunately he had not given her any restrictions and thus she was able to alter his memory to where she had been the one to save the child's life. The king "insisted" that she return to his kingdom as his royal visor and eventually became his royal mistress. It was difficult to do but she had bound him to her, albeit more shallow than her own binding to him. The three of them returned to his kingdom and life went on.

The seemingly never ending war with the orges brought forth both broken men and mighty warriors. Then there were those held up higher than all the rest, the Great Heroes. Amongst these heroes was a man named Gaston, his incredible deeds during the wars had earned him both fame and fortune. He had young lads aspiring to be like him, men envious for many a reason, and there wasn't a woman that did not desire except one...Belle.

Belle held no interest in marriage or romance, gave no inclination to settling down or having children. In fact, she wanted to be the hero, exploring the world and accomplishing things that no other warrior or hero has dared to dream. Time and again, Gaston would approach her, attempt to converse with her, but ultimately failing to get any kind of positive reaction from the brunette princess with her nose always stuck in a book.

The longer she denied him, the more he wanted her. His bed partners were on the receiving end of his ferocious ire, his carnal desires making him almost beastial in nature. Most of them couldn't walk or crawl or even work anymore, he was that monstrous in bed. Not long after, he went on a hunting trip into the mountains just south of the capital where the Royal Palace resided. He left his usual short companion back at the town lodge, paying the blonde triplets to keep him occupied while he was away.

It waa during this trip that he heard the most beautiful voice singing nearby. He followed the voice, his footsteps becoming quicker but nearly undetectable. Why because he recognized the voice, who else could it be and there she was, Princess Belle, sitting in a small meadow filled with flowers. The sun filtered through canopy to cast her in array of light and shadow and the great hero realized that it was just the two of them. 

They were completely alone, no one within hearing distance. No one could see them or hear them...no one could stop him. No one could stop him from claiming his reward so he silently stepped into the clearing. Within moments, he was on top of her, pushing her to the ground.

*We interrupt this article to prevent exposure of content too graphic to depict on this site.*

Her unexpected encounter with the war hero, Gaston, forced Tessa's essence to emerge and with it came the knowledge and power of her craft. She easily used their joined position along with her magic to enslave him to her will. No longer did he yearn to conquer her but to be used by her however she saw fit. From that day forth, he was her slave. She decided that it would be in her best interest to marry Gaston as to avoid her rather meddlesome father and the machinations of her former mentor.

The sorceress could sense that Gaston had been stripped of his free will, a state that could only be brought about by sensual magic. He may have been a boisterous buffoon but he was an exceptional hunter and soldier that possessed both cunning and intellect; however, his arrogance and pride drove him directly into the clutches of her former apprentice. While the king approved the wedding and started the preparations, she contacted an acquaintance of hers...the Dark One.

He had gotten himself a rather fiesty maid, his little sapphire. Honestly, were all men idiots? His sapphire was none other than the Lady of the Blood Guard which was why the sorceress had ceased any possible proposals for him. When the Star Child became involved, it was best to vacate the area if said individual had any self preservation. She knew it was a gamble to get him involved because he was a man, but if anyone had a chance of taming the irksome child then it was him. Plus with the Star Child in residence at the Dark Fortress, her former apprentice would not be able to keep a stable bond with him because no one in creation thus far has been able to overcome the indomitable will of the Child of the Stars.

Upon hearing about the intensification of the orge wars, his little sapphire advised him to become involved and he simply sighed, transporting himself there with magic but once he was within range of a certain brunette princess, her magic began to weave around him in a non invasive yet alluring way, quieting the beast within him and thus a deal was struck. In exchange for ending the orges wars and allowing peace to finally come to these lands, the hand of the lovely Princess Belle in marriage. Gaston was about to unsheath his sword but she walked forward saying that it was time for her to become the hero she always wanted to be and behalf of her father's kingdom, she accepted the deal.

Well Artz was far from happy, she had thought Belle to be the kind hearted, book loving noble that she had heard so many wonderful things about. What she got was an abusive and cruel mistress constantly trying to undermine her influence over the Dark One. She wasn't an idiot, she knew something was off about her from the start, but there was nothing she could do about it. The one time she mentioned anything remotely negative about his recently made wife resulted in a rather fiercesome sound lashing that took weeks to recover when it should have taken only a few days.

It wasn't until Baelfire was born that things altered radically. Belle just up and left, leaving a note saying that she could no longer allow a beast to fill her with its seed nor could she bring herself to raise its spawn. Rumple had been devastated so it had been up to Artz to take care of the newborn, but even though the princess was gone, something felt off. Not long after, she received word from her Captain that Poseidon was having difficulties controlling himself around the most recent addition to their crew, a young woman named Tessa. 

She handed the boy off to his father that was sitting in front of the spinning wheel, blankly staring at. He automatically adjusted his hold so his son was more comfortable while his ever faithful sapphire ran to the closest mirror to use a spell he had taught her. She picked up a silver ornate hand mirror from within a glass windowed display cabinet and casted the spell on it, allowing her to see what she desired...the Jolly Roger. She nearly threw the damn thing across the room because that damn princess was not only on board Her Captain's ship but also had her hands all over Her God of the Sea.

Poseidon, although early in his time stream, was fiercely loyal to Artz and loved her so much almost to the point of agony, so for him to be allowing another woman to be intimate with him at all meant that something was very wrong. The problem was the nearly catatonic Dark One. She couldn't just leave him to personally deal with the issue than return because her departure would kill him and possibly Baelfire if she didn't return quickly enough. Why was Rumple like this? It didn't seem right like had been carved out or like something switched off in him.

She told the Fourth Captain to take control of their shared body for the time being, seeing as he was apparently immune to whatever was affecting Poseidon and to figure out what was going with the wayward noble even if it meant bedding the damn bitch to which the captain was not happy about. He was clearly an Artz only man, making the love she held for her beloved captain that match deeper because he always chose her and she knew that he always would. A perk of having been originally in the future and having the chance to fall for him before he technically ever met her. Don't you just love spatial/temporal mechanics where effect precedes cause?

The red haired dimensional traveler then turned her attention to the silent Dark Wizard. No matter what she tried, she simply couldn't reach him and they still had no idea where the dagger was so that option was out. She found out about a month later that the Dark One was not the first to fall to the somehow mystical noble. How did she know this when a certain asshole of a war hero barged through the front door and attempted to kill Rumple and as usual Artz acted on instinct first and got in the way, shielding both Rumple and Baelfire from being skewered on the idiot's sword.

She fell to the floor, clutching her right side in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding or at least slow it down. But what about her powers? The Dark Fortress was both designed and built by the very first Dark One and an enchantment was forged into every part of it and the surrounding grounds. This enchantment prevented any and all forms of power from being used there unless the Dark One allowed otherwise and even then, it was unlikely to work because her power was that of a star and the Beast born from darkness that was bound to the dagger would not react favorably.

Gaston attempted to finish the job, pulling out his sword from her body making her cry out in pain. Just as he raised the blade up to cut off her head, he was surrounded by a swirling fog of magic. The sword dropped to the floor with a loud clang as the magical cloud vanished, a rose falling through the air to land in front of her. A small smile graced her lips as she lost consciousness. Once Upon A Time had struck again and for once, she hadn't minded because she did not want to die again. It was far too soon and would put too much strain on her body.

Rumple was sitting next to the woman that had saved his life and that of his son. She had been looking after and caring for them both this whole time. He was angry, not at her, but himself. He had fallen victim to an almost completely forgotten art of magic. It was one of the few kinds of magic that the Dark One had no defense against if the sex mage was of the opposite gender. The only reason he had not become an empty puppet was the woman he was sitting next to.

His old associate, the sorceress, had revealed the identity of his little sapphire and he was honestly surprised that she would allow herself to be rendered powerless, only to endure his severe mood swings, foul temper, and the few times that the beast broke free and used her like it's bitch before returning to the confines of the dagger, having been temporarily sated. Then he pops off to end the ogre wars only to get married to a sex mage that treated her with such cruelty. He internally winced as he remembered the sound lashing he had inflicted upon her, using his magic to augment the whip and making the recovery time lengthen. 

To which his "wife" took advantage of and repeatedly bedded him without interference but she was unable to bind him to her. His connection to the Star Child was already too deep to overcome. This was proven when her life was about to end unless immediate action was taken. The desire to save her kick started his brain and he easily dealt with the buffoon, watching her smile when she saw the rose. She loved roses. He made a maze garden just for her, each nexus point had a different strain of roses. She seemed to favor red most of all, followed by blue, purple, silver and ridiculously black, but if it made her happy, it was worth the confusion and the walking contradiction of a puzzle that became more complex as each layer was solved.

To put her through his problems was bad enough but to drag a sex mage into the equation followed by an infant, said infant asleep by his maid, was going too far. He had tried to grant access to her powers within the fortress but it wouldn't budge and it had nothing to do with the beast. It was rather content and very smug because a star was its bitch. He had never been so disgusted in his life. Everyone called him the Dark One but he was nothing more than a host, a meat suit as it were.

He was distracted from his inner musings by what sounded like a body crashing into the table of the dining hall. Was it bad to actually what that sound was in an instant? Did it really occur that often to actually be memorable? He rose from his chair and headed towards the door, pausing briefly to place an impenetrable barrier around his maid and son. Then he simply left the room, not knowing that his life was about to change forever.

Artz: And that's a wrap for this one.

Atem: I was under the impression that this article was supposed to focus primarily on Goldeneye.

Yugi: I've got three words for you, partner. Follow...the...muse. Once she gets going, its best to just get out of the way.

Seto: Hmph. For once we agree on something.

Artz: Um...

Joey: What the hell is that supposed to mean, rich boy?!

Tristan: *holding his friend and stopping him from doing something stupid like punching a certain multi billion in the face* Settle down, Joey. Just give it a rest already!

Mai: *reclining leisurely in a nearby chair, sipping a cocktail and having a mock duel with Tea* Will you idiots keep it down over? I'm trying to teach Tea some advanced dueling techniques for that cute little deck of hers.

Tea: *sighs heavily* Don't bother, Mai. All these years and they still haven't changed.

Artz: *just turns around and walks away, wondering why the Yugioh verse just invaded for no apparent reason*

The Order of the Birds

Hello everyone and welcome back to The Realm of the Blood Guard. Today's topic is about a special regiment within the Prism Guard but are separate from the Prismata. This doesn't make them any less important. In fact, many of the members are absolutely vital in future events. Now as to why it's referred to as The Order of the Birds...it has to do with a quote from the show in which they originated from.

'Love...please teach love to all the little birds.'

I swear this show is every guy's wet dream because the girls' clothes were constantly being shredded during battle...but it's still one of my all time faves and I'm a completely straight girl, Sekirei. Yep, the super powered Sekirei aka birds are in the Realm and have been for some time. I mentioned them in one of my earliest articles. *cringes* I still need to fix those.

In a different article altogether, several actually, I've either commented on them or interacted with them on some level, so I'm going to do a brief...hopefully...overview of some of the more prominent members, basically the ones that will show up the most often.

The Bird of Water, #09 Tsukimi.

And yes, I am aware that I'm spelling her name wrong but the other way looked way too weird. Oh and in the English dub, it's pronounced skew-mi. You'll be skewered alright because despite her having water powers, she has a very fiery personality. She's quite the pistol that one. I'm not entirely sure why it's always her that I default to. *shrugs*

Now in The Realm, she has a wider spectrum of emotion and a rather complex character arc...most of which is not even remotely thought of yet. The general synopsis is that when the Birds are scattered by some event I have yet to think of, Tsukimi gets into some major trouble. The single digit Sekirei have naughtier specs than the others, thus making them more appealing and desirable. It doesn't help that she has blonde hair, blue eyes, a large chest, and all the right curves in all the right places. She is the perfect example of a blonde bombshell.

So due to all these lovely attributes, she is constantly hunted, but with her water powers for protection, she can usually escape capture. However, the Sekirei of Water, although well educated, did not know much about the outside world and just how devious humans could be. She was befriended by a wandering scholar and they traveled together for several months. She decided to trust him, caring deeply for him as a dear friend, and opening up about her past. This was a mistake...one that would have repercussions for a very long time.

After listening to her tale and feigning great sympathy, he gave her a gift as a way to cheer her up. She trusted him implicitly and he had not given her any cause to doubt him in any way, so she innocently lifted her golden locks out of the way so he could put it on her. The moment it clicked into place, Tsukimi was overcome by acute exhaustion, her body falling to the ground and refusing to obey her mental commands to rise. She didn't even have the strength to demand answers from her supposed friend.

For almost four decades, she was enslaved to his will, his every fantasy and desire hers to fulfill. She didn't have a choice for the device known as the radahan, his so called gift, forced her to obey his every order and prevented her from calling on her powers as the Bird of Water. The things he did were unspeakable, he had gone mad from his lust for her, but what came next for Tsukimi wasn't much better but at least trust wasnt an issue this time. Her former owner expired after being bitten by a rather helpful snake, a black mamba, which was said to be one of the deadliest snakes in the world.

The Sekirei chose to flee deeper into the woods and to get as far away from civilization as possible. At least until she found a way to restore her powers because at that point in time, the magical device was set to its neutral mode, meaning that any man could command her. Until someone actually claimed her by mucosal contact, she was pretty much a target for every male in existence.

She managed to evade the humans but not the elves, most were decent enough. She actually thought the prince was quite honorable...cold as ice but no less honorable. His uncle and current ruler of their kin in this region was an entirely different story because he was the one that had sent the snake to kill her master, knowing that she would run straight into his territory to avoid the human settlements.

He didn't hesitate in claiming her but then ordered her to kill the prince but she didn't move. He ordered her to tell him why and the radahan wrenched the words out of her, telling him that the device had limitations; to answer her master's questions, to never hide her feelings during certain activities...to which he asked about. She locked her jaw, trying to fight against the blasted trinket but to no avail. Instead of telling him, she simply did it instead. She pushed him back against his throne and proceeded to have sex with him right then and there.

Tsukimi actually lost track of time during the centuries she had spent with the elves; the opinion of the general populace about her had shifted radically during that time. No longer was she greeted cordially and when acknowledged, it was usually with disdain or disgust. The elven king had sent out a quiet edict to all those in his domain, telling them that the blonde woman was his bed mistress and should any wish to sample her then they were allowed to do so but she was to remain unharmed and the sampling was to be conducted behind closed doors as to not be disturbed.

Not long after he had issued the edict, he used the power of the radahan to make her forcibly submit to him within the bed chamber. After his rather violent using of her, he told her of the edict and that she was to obey it. She was not to fight back or make a scene in public, and she was to inform each participant of the best locations to utilize on her body for a variety of reasons. He reveled in her hate filled gaze because it only made things worse for her and more pleasurable for him. He longed for the day where that incredible spirit would break, but little did he know that it would not occur during his reign.

Over time, the people became bored with her and she was officially labeled as the Royal Mistress. She was to be passed on to the next ruler due to her longevity, her youth and beauty never fading. The ruler died of supposed natural causes and the prince ascended to the throne. He had been informed by his uncle's advisors that she was his mistress and that it was her duty to appease his darker and carnal desires so that he could remain as a passionate and stalwart king. The advisors didn't have time to be shocked when he used a light whip forged from his magical lineage to sever their heads from their bodies.

The Bird of Water stared at the silver haired elf, his pale blue eyes colder than steel. She remain frozen as he moved towards her, coming to a stop in front of her. She waited for him to claim her as the scholar and former king had, but instead pulled out a small silver key and reached for her neck. She unfrozen and took a step back.

'Do not move again.'

He ordered, his voice like the wind in the dead of winter, and the radahan activated, making her comply. He reached towards her neck once again and inserted the key into the device. There was an almost inaudible click and she lost consciousness. When she came to, she was outdoors by a crystal clear lake that had a single pier extending into it. She rose to her feet and appraised her new attire. It was bold yet elegant, alluring yet sophisticated and could be summed up with one word, a single adjective...badass.

She jumped when a group of men walked out of the forest...no, not again! She couldn't do this anymore! She'd rather die than let any male ever touch her again! They moved towards her and she could already see the members becoming stiff, straining against their clothing. It made her angry, angrier than she has ever been. She was not an object to be owned, a tool to be used, a doll used to pleasure themselves with, and she most certainly wasn't human! She was a Sekirei, the Bird of Water! 

Without fully realizing what she was doing, she attacked them...with water. Her enemies went flying into the trees, all of them dying on impact. The force of her freshly emerged powers had been intensified over the years by the radahan, suppressed and folded back in on itself becoming more and more dense and that much more destructive. She fell to her hands and knees, weeping in joy an relief. She hadn't realized just how much her powers were a part of her until now.

She looked over at the men she killed, tears still pouring down her cheeks. Never again will she be fooled by those loathsome monkeys and she will tolerate the elves as a show gratitude to the newly appointed elven king that had released her from this terrible nightmare. She rose to her feet and walked out onto the pier, reaching its end she looked up at the night sky. She will never trust again.

And that's it for this segment. I'll save the rest for another article down the road. I had a feeling that I would end up focusing on Tsukimi, so I've already mapped it out into series.

Preacher: *leaning on his cross shaped weapon, The Punisher, and lighting a cigarette* Meaning that she hasn't thought out a damn thing for any of them.

Artz: *blushes from embarrassment* He's actually right about that, but I do have a reason. I've noticed that when I plan something out that I'm less likely to finish it or get hung up on transitions or even writing anything at all.

A man dressed a dark monk's outfit walks in, the rings on his staff jingling pleasantly.

Man: Ah, I see now. I was noticing the irregularities in the levels of quality for your combined works.

Preacher: What the hell are you doing here, womanizer? *eyes narrowing*

Man: My name is Miroku, not womanizer and I am nothing more than a wandering monk.

Artz: *raises an eyebrow* Get anywhere near my ass and I'll sick one of the Sekirei on you...maybe even...Mia.

Miroku: *face drains of color and starts sweating profusely* Now now, no needy to be hasty. Allow me to state my point and I shall leave forthwith. *clears throat* As I stated earlier, there are irregularities amongst your combined works. The stories in which you were simply writing whatever came to mind possess a much higher quality than those where you forced yourself to adhere to a set design or plot path. 

Thus the reason many of your stories have not been updated because you are caged by what is already there, but by allowing yourself to simply wander about, the flow is smooth and possesses a greater refinement. You have literally come up with entire origin stories on the spot, not even knowing what the article would cover at all. Prime examples are Mars, Venus, Van, Neptune, most of Starsea, Tokemi, Gemini, Preacher, Death Toll, and Vash to a certain extent. 

Artz: *punts him out of the article* Thank you, Captain Obvious. Not to mention that you completely ignored the Hollows and everything based around Eleanor and Clare Oswald.

Preacher: *picks up his weapon* Well that's my cue to leave. *gives her a lazy wave as he walks away*

Artz: *runs hands through her hair in exasperated manner* This is my life now...the butt of a terrible joke or the lamest pun in history. *sighs and wanders off mumbling to herself*

Aquarius - The Underwater Complex

Hello any and all! Welcome back to The Realm of the Blood Guard once more. Today's article covers one of the planets in the Alpha System and was the second planet to be created within The Realm. 

Aquarius, as the name suggests, is a water planet but with a solid core. This core is actually connected to the underwater complex which spans a great deal of the deeper ocean. The complex is anchored to the core but draws power from solar panels positioned in low orbit of the planet which channels energy directly into the very essence of the water, essentially creating a self-sustaining loop.

The complex is not the only thing of note on this planet. A great many creatures of aquatic nature are kept there, most swim freely but others must be contained within specific areas. Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever and sometimes some of them get loose and cause a bit of chaos but with all the water elementals around, along with anyone that can breathe underwater and have powers that work under deep pressure, they are eventually wrangled back to their original stomping grounds.

Now then, you're probably wondering why I'm doing an article on the second planet, Aquarius, as opposed to the first planet, Draconis. This actually has to do with Starsea for the next chapter of their origin story occurs in the underwater complex, but I won't be covering that just yet.

The architecture of the underwater complex was inspired by the Gungan's underwater city on the planet of Naboo from the movie, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Hey, don't knock it! That city was fucking badass as hell and works perfectly for The Realm! Why? The bubble technology used to hold the water back and the openess of the interiors. Not to mention that it allowed free access for the people to just float within. The only difference is that it actually removes all water that was not originally a part of them...basically they're dry instead of sopping wet.

Now some areas are more solid than others, mainly in part that many of the Guard live on Aquarius and is surprisingly the main hub for mass communication. You want to know something, go to Aquarius, because that place is gossip central. One of the reasons why it's so popular is because it is unlike anything anyone has ever seen.

Though to be perfectly honest, it's like a mall, an interstellar market, restaurants and entertainment of all sorts. It also serves as one of the main transit nodes, meaning that it connects to the other two galaxies within the Realm, along with all the systems within the first galaxy. I haven't named the galaxies yet but for now I'll end it here. You'll get a more in depth look when Silver takes Poseidon and Hook to The Realm. *sweat drops* That's when thing get a bit crazy.

Poseidon: Is that exactly a bit?

Artz: Ish.

Hook: What are you up to, wench?

Artz: Nothing in particular at the moment and that's kinda the point.

Light: Meaning?

King: Meaning that she has temporarily lost the passion that drives her and she's trying to find the wind up key.

Artz: I am not a doll nor am I jack-in-the-box but unfortunately is remarkably accurate. I just don't seem to have the oomph. I mean the knowledge is there, the imagination too, but every time I try to type up anything lately, it just seems so tedious.

Preacher: *walks in, hands in pockets with a lot cigarette in his mouth* That isn't what's really bothering you. Might as well get it out now.

Artz: *closes her eyes as she lets out a sigh of resignation* What's the point in doing all this if no one ever reads it? Sure, Ren and Hope and every once in a while, Anna, read but that's it.

I created The Realm for two very specific reasons; one is selfish and one is selfless. The first reason is what started it all; to act as a coping mechanism. My job has me spending a great deal of time on my own so I created Poseidon to keep me company but then Hook just popped then Light and Shadow and suddenly my head was so full.

I had a difficult time trying to hold onto it all because at the time, I simply viewed it as a story. It wasn't until I described what Jiggery Pokery is that it finally clicked. This wasn't just a single linear path but multiple paths crossing each other, weaving a pattern all its own. That's when The Realm of the Blood Guard truly came into being. It's an entirely different universe filled with countless people and their stories.

Instead of trying to map out everything like any normal writer would do, I decided to simply be there. To roam around The Realm, talk to all the people, make wonderful memories while breaking the fourth wall constantly *high dives Deadpool*, and then Anna and I reconnected after 2 years of silence. 

I realized then that I wanted people to see this amazing place within my mind, to be inspired to make their own realms, and not be afraid to branch out and try new things...so long as they have a legitimate reason for an established character deviating from their original portrayal. Otherwise every fan from here to Pluto would be flaming you to the point of being char broiled.

Poseidon: To be fair, love, you'd get a greater readership if you actually used socially media like Facebook, Twitter, etc. Not to mention learning the basics for coding.

Artz: *cloud of despair over her head*

Light: *blasts Poseidon away with an arc jump* Good grief. After all these years, he still hasn't changed.

Hook: The brat isn't known for subtlety nor does he know the definition of tact, but he has made valid points; however, my wench doesn't need to worry about that.

Artz: *looks up, her eyes curious*

King: For once we agree on something, Captain.

Light: I'm confused.

Artz: You ain't the only one, Light.

King: *smirks* I believe you said something along the lines of why keep doing this if no one is going to read it...well words to that effect anyways.

Artz: Yeah...

Hook: Ren...Hope...Anna...but most importantly...

Hook/King: You.

Light: *Light bulb goes off* Oh! Of course!

Artz: Wait, what? I'm still confused!

Preacher: You read your own blog and through it become inspired or driven or to simply claw your way out of emotional pitfall. In doing so, it allows you to connect with others when no one else will. 

You, most of all, know just how cruel life can be, how it can practically choke the life out of someone. You know how evil humans can be, how world suppresses those that do not adhere to the fabric of their self imposed reality.

The long and short of it, kid, is that you still have hope, even after all the shit the world has thrown at you. You haven't changed and you never will because you don't give up. No matter hard things got, you pulled through and stayed strong. The world pushed you down, isolated you, but that only made you that much more unique. Anyone else would have become jaded but not you...your loneliness made you kind, impossibly so.

They have unleashed a power far greater than anything they could ever hope to combat. Seriously, how do you fight kindness, especially when it's coming from a girl that befriends a guy a two in the morning who is drunk, high, has a twisted ankle, is carrying a crowbar and is about to break into someone's house to steal stuff to sell so he can give the money to his mother that was in the hospital with cancer?

Artz: He is not lying. That actually did happen. I convinced him not to do; that his mother doesn't money, she wants her son. I got a letter from him about a week later thanking me and that his mom sent her thanks too. About year after that, I got another letter but this time from his mother, telling me that she had been cured of cancer and she thanked me for it.

Weird, right? Well according to her, ever since her son came back to her, he was different. That the single encounter with me had altered him on some deep and profound level and that he got his life together and fast. He said that he wanted to make her proud but she knew the truth...he didn't want to betray the faith of a single person that chose to believe in him, to show him that there are always alternatives, but to also be true to one's heart. By the end of that letter, I was bawling because she said it was my kindness that saved him, saved them both.

Okay...I think I get it now. Even if no one else reads my blog, I do and it will push me to help others both literary and in life. This article was meant to be about Aquarius but I'll leave the title as is. Besides you should be used to me suddenly wandering off in a completely different direction. After all...follow the muse.

The Contractor, Kyubey

Hello everyone and welcome back to the insanity that is The Blood Guard. Today's article, we will be covering part of the origin story for why Artz had suffered so much and go through things that no one ever should have gone through. It all started with a simple contract with the wrong person before understanding the dynamics of how that world effected every other reality in existence.

 

The creature more commonly known as a Contractor comes from another dimension and supposedly have no emotions of their own which is why they do not understand why the sacrifice of a single life to save billions was considered taboo or immoral.

According to Puella Magica Madoka, these so called contractors are part of a race known as The Incubators and it was their mission to collect massive amounts of energy to utilize in the construction of new planets and various interstellar phenomena as the universe continues to expand. Their supposed end goal was to prevent the eventual demise of said universe but much is still unknown about the Incubators so it's difficult to draw any definitive answers on that front.

This cute little guy is the main subject for this article and his name is Kyubey. In Puella Magica Madoka, Kyubey would seek out young girls, mainly eight to fourteen max, and offer them a wish, anything within his power to give...which was quite a lot apparently...but in return, they had to have magical powers bestowed upon them to destroy powerful evil creatures called witches.

What he neglects to mention, which is also a fair bit, the gem produced by the sealing of the contract was, in fact their soul and should they be separated from it, either by distance or time, the body from whence it came from would die with no chance of revival.

Then there is the soul gem itself. He deliberately leaves out the part of what would happen if a soul gem would become so tainted that it becomes a grief seed. Now the soul gems can be purified but the item required for it is extremely difficult to procur and it comes from the witches themselves upon defeat...if at all.

There is also one very big piece of information that is conveniently omitted or simply not volunteered at all. These so called magical girls that fight the evil beings known as witches are, in fact, are their predecessors, the previous magical girls that had become before them ...including themselves. When a soul gem has become completely blackened by despair, it will force the grief stricken magical girl to transform into that which she fought so hard to defeat...a witch.

When this truth became known in the series, everything goes sideways big time which cause the other magical girls to essentially lose their shit over it, leaving only Homura as the last one standing, having prevented Madoka from becoming a magical girl the entire time.

Madoka, having witnessed everything and learned so much, finally made a contract with Kyubey and in doing so, she gained the power to prevent all witches from ever coming into being. Instead of such a terrible fate, she gave them peace in the form of disappearing, their souls freed from the gems and their converted bodies fading from the world.

There was, however, a slight hiccup and that was the magical girl with the power to traverse back in time to before Madoka made a contract with Kyubey. She had done this many times before because she kept losing the girl she loved more than her own life and it was because of her that Madoka's potential was so strong, allowing her to become a goddess in the first place. Homura thought for certain that nothing could overturn her love's wish until the other incubators decided to see how much energy could be provided by the creation and subsequent defeat of a witch.

Again, there was a hiccup... this time in the form of Madoka that fought valiantly, breaking through the barriers keeping her from her friend. Upon reaching her, the tides were turned once more and Homura refused to simply disappear so she ripped a shard of Madoka's soul from her and fused it with her soul gem, becoming a dark goddess but it allowed them to relive their first timeline together but without the a certain furball getting in the way.

Now I don't know much more about the series after this, simply that Kyubey appeared to be leaving because humans were too contradictory and that they didn't make sense. Which is why I went and researched a bit. I discovered a small paragraph of how the lovely dark goddess, Homura, cursed the incubators to feel all the pain, sorrow, grief, and despair of all the magical girls...especially Kyubey. So in typical Artz fashion, I decided to give it a whirl Artz style...and yes, that is a thing.

After the events of the show, the Star Child was being drawn to specific verse like someone was calling to her so she allowed herself to be transported...which didn't make her Guard happy...and she found herself in a normal looking city, Japanese going by architecture and signs. She wondered what had so desperately called her to such an ordinary place.

'Help...please...I do not...under...stand...too much...I can't...make it...stop...please...'

Artz was shocked because not only had the voice bypassed her psychic defenses, but she also recognized the voice. It was impossible...why would he be there? She looked all around, becoming more and more frustrated as search bore no fruit.

'Kyubey, where are you?'

'You can...hear me?'

He was definitely in a lot of pain but of the physical variety but emotionally, he was like a Catergory 10 hurricane.

'Of course I can hear you, you stupid cat/rat. Now tell me where you are.'

'No. I will not allow another human to hurt me.'

'I don't want to hurt you, Kyubey. I want to help you. Oh and for the record, I may have been human once but I'm 100% celestial avatar now. *pause* Look, this is gonna go down one of two ways; either you come to me of your own accord or I'll use my power to drag your ass over to me then try and figure out what the hell is going on inside you because it feels like a war zone on fucking steroids.'

The Contractor somewhat relented. He did not appear but he did explain the recent events in his past and that he was now being punished for his deeds. Imagine his surprise when Artz suddenly picked him up from behind and held him close. What confused him was the fact that ahe ahe was crying...for him, she was crying because he was hurting. He was then further perplexed when she offered to take the curse from him and carry it herself.

He was an incubator so naturally he agreed to this contract of sorts, but instead of her becoming a magical girl, his eyes bulged as his body trembled ... emotion. He was feeling emotions, his own personal emotions, and he felt his eyes get hot and his cheeks get wet. What was happening to him? He caught a glimpse of himself in thw reflective surface of a window and he realized what are the weird sensations meant.

He was crying.

No incubator has ever shown tears, revealed emotion, or show anything remotely close to sentiment. They didn't care, they just did their jobs, using whatever methods were most efficient...and now he knew why. The ability to feel had been stolen from them, by what means he did not know, but he did know that his kind were only supposed to make contracts when absolutely necessary and only as a last result.

This was not good. He had made so many contracts across so many lands, realms, and realities...he was a monster. He got bonked on the head rather hard and he looked up at the source to see his savior glaring at him.

'What I'm about to say, I have told to countless others whose deeds make yours pale in comparison. Monsters do not shed tears but you do, so you see, you're not a monster at all. You were just a little lost is all.'

Why? This was the question bouncing around his head because this woman made absolutely no sense. He didn't get much more time to think about her words because they were suddenly dodging an attack...from the Dark Goddess.

'Those that make contracts with these vermin feel nothing but pain...'

'I'm gonna stop you right there because I've experienced things far worse than simply living the same set of events over and over again. *she tries to speak* I...am...talking! You will listen to what I have to say because I've walked through history; age after age, eon after eon, countless millennia, trillions upon trillions of years. 

I have seen the rise and fall of kingdoms, empires and countries. I created a massive city with my own two hands, filled it with people and then it fell. Why because of time. My curse, little girl, is that I make friends, watch them get married, have kids and grandkids, only for them to die from old age while I remain untouched by time...young and beautiful and powerful but I would give it all up for a mortal life with the man I love, surrounded by the few friends that just refuse to die just so that I wouldn't lose them too.

You ripped out a part of her soul without her consent, becoming a cosplaying demonic deity of a wannabe, but where you stole, I gave. I gave a piece of my soul to the ultimate evil that had destroyed my city and all the people in it and from that fusion came a being far more powerful and benign than anything else in creation. Let me show you what true love and devotion looks like.

Come to me, Crow of the Deathly Hollows.'

'Ah, so my assumption was indeed correct. I had feeling that we would be crossing paths with you soon, Sir Kyubey.'

The demonic butler took the contractor into his arms and cradled him gently. Kyubey didn't understand, none of this was making sense. He could feel the darkness and evil from which the butler's body was made of but he sensed no evil from his actual soul. In fact, the one known as a Crow held within a soul of such incredible purity. He was so entranced with it that he barely noticed the Hollow stroking his fur in gentle yet soothing manner...so warm.

While the little Contractor was thoroughly enthralled by the Second Hollow, Artz jumped onto the roof of the building opposite of Homura. The Star Child knew that there would not be a peaceful solution to this conundrum because with taking on the link from Kyubey, she realized just who exactly she was dealing with.

There are an infinite number of parallel realities and in each reality, Artz and Anna exist in some shape, form or fashion, along with quite a few others...mainly the Prism Guard. How does this apply to her current situation? The so called demonic goddess was...Anna...and Homura held an unending and unyielding love for Madoka...Artz.

She couldn't set this world straight herself but she could take Kyubey away from this reality and into the Realm. She had felt it when his own emotions began to erupt from within, having been suppressed for generations. He needed time to recover, how to cope with sudden surges, the intensity of it all, how to control his powers so that his emotions couldnt trigger them, and create a mask to prevent others from sensing his true self...lethal intent and demonic cloak were two phrases that popped into her head.

She smirked inwardly, a fusion of the Copy Ninja of the Leaf and the Demon of the Mist...she felt like cackling like a mad woman but held it in. Work first then diabolical scheming later. Well she's said it frequently enough that people should have gotten it by now...expect the unexpected especially when she's involved.

And on that bombshell of a line, I will leave it there. I haven't really done much into Kyubey's involvement with the Guard. He just sorta pops up whenever he pleases just to give you a jump scare. *snickers* I know that there are some die hard Pokemon fans out there and hey, I played up to just before Sun and Moon and that's only because I didn't have the money...still don't but I absolutely hate what they have done to poor Sylveon. It had so much potential and could have been the new face of the fairy type. *wails in sorrow*