A YJA Moment - The Children of Thanos

During the Mad Titan's campaign for the Infinity Stones, perhaps the most fearsome tools Thanos had was his "Children".  These were not his flesh-in-blood, mind you, but individuals he gathered from his many conquests.  Brainwashed and enhanced, the members of his family would be sent on dangerous missions that he could not trust the Chitauri or his other allies to complete by themselves. Of all those in his family, the two most capable were Nebula and the renegade known as Gamorra.

It is ironic the Children saw little front-line action during the Infinity Crusade, as many of their tasks were often behind the scenes.  Whether maintaining the loyalty of allies or conducting raids on enemy worlds, the Children of Thanos rarely fought in the open.  The most powerful of the Children were the Cull Obsidian, or The Black Order - Ebony Maw, Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, Black Dwarf, and Supergiant.  It was these five individuals who served as Thanos' honor guard and were stationed on his flagship,  the Sanctuary II.

With the death of Thanos, the Children fragmented.  The majority, including the entirety of the Black Order, made the decision to swear oaths to Darkseid, the Lord of Apokolips. The remainder have either remained with their father's former allies or have struck out on their own.  Those that have set on their own path, find freedom is a double-edged sword - though their reputation gains them instant respect, they are often the target of retribution from both Apokolips (who sees them as traitors) and the forces of Known Space (who seem them as war criminals).

Despite having adopted dozens of children, Thanos does have a biological child, conceived with a Human during his many adventures on Earth.  Born with the metahuman ability to drain life energy, Thane grew up in a world that feared and hated him like many other metahumans.  Instead of his powers, however, he was detested for his lineage and even the Xavier Academy did not admit him for fear of his father's wrath.  While Thanos attempted to reconcile with his child, their differences in worldview eventually tore them apart.  Thane wanted no part of his father's mad attempt to please Death, and the Mad Titan rejected his son's desire for a quiet life.

One of the unexpected results of Thanos' death at the hands of Kentauride, the Chitauri were unable to function without a leader.  Much of their cybernetics systems were keyed to obeying the Mad Titan and thus were lost without them.  Finding the members of the Black Order lacking, they sought out Thane and demanded he become their leader, to which after some time he reluctantly agreed.  The remaining members of the Children of Thanos do not trust Thane but because of his lineage, find themselves unable to move against him due to his newfound allies.

With Darkseid gathering a new Army of Darkness to let begin a Second Shadow War, one wonders whether Thane will join with his grandfather in order to have vengeance on the people who slew his father.

A YJA Moment - A New Dawn in Paradise (Island)

 The Amazons were created by the goddess Artemis, who cast the souls of murdered women into new ageless bodies.  Artemis led the majority of the sisters to an island in the Atlantic Ocean which they named Thermyscira.  This island would be cloaked magically, allowing the sisters to remain sequestered away from the World of Men, developing themselves into peerless warriors.  Only a few women ever have left the island for any reason, the most famous of which was Princess Diana who would be known throughout Known Space as Wonder Woman.

Because of Wonder Woman, the forces of Apokolips considered Thermyscira a prime target and launched a vicious assault against the island.  With hundreds of immortal warriors and scores of ancient relics at their disposal, the Amazons were ultimately victorious but at a terrible cost.  It is said that Hippolyta herself sacrificed her life in order to collapse the Boom Tube and cut the Parademons from reinforcements.  It is said that almost half of all Amazons perished that day.

In the wake of the assault, Diana was forced to return to Paradise Island and take the throne as its Queen.  She was immediately forced to confront the tragedy that had struck her people and deal with the effect the loss of thousands of her sisters had on their society.  Her land was defenseless and without the vital skills needed to rebuild.  She considered calling for S.H.I.E.L.D. assistance, but she knew that they would demand concessions that she could not give them and maintain their independence.

So she started an ambitious plan to recover her nation.  She allowed the immigration of young women across the globe to become a new generation of Amazons.  They would have to renounce all ties to nations and family, committing themselves to the culture and laws of Themyscira.  Given a mystical potion created from the blood of Diana herself, they were granted the same mystical longevity and abilities as any of the original Amazons.

In addition, she accepted the offer of Regent Kentauride of Outland to join the Sword Nations, adding the mystical knowledge of Paradise Island to their arsenal.  This was a difficult decision because of her ties to the rest of Earth, but S.W.O.R.D. was very much a mutual defense pact with little interest in changing the cultures of the member governments.  

Things have not been smooth, however, for there has been a clash between the old Amazons, who still cling to conservative Therysciran values and the Immigrants who often hold more egalitarian and liberal philosophies.  In this situation, the Queen has been well equipped to bridge the ideological divide between the generations - the old guard respects Diana for her prowess and lineage, while the new guard grew up with tales of Wonder Woman.

This mutual respect has dampened the scandal of Diana marrying an icon of the World of Men and allowing him to live on the island.  While there is a threat of civil war between the various factions the influence of Kentauride and the rest of S.W.O.R.D. is the best bet to integrate Paradise Island with the outside world.

A YJA Moment - The Wizard

The individual known as Shazam has served as the Wizard for millennia, protecting the universe from those who would misuse or abuse the mystic arts.  As the Guardian of Magic and the keeper of the Rock of Eternity, his identity has remained a closely guarded secret.  Few know that long before he was known as The Champion, in a forgotten pre-historic era, he walked amongst humanity as another Wizard.  A Wizard who was known by many names, but most notably as Gandalf the White.

Gandalf began life as Olórin, who was one of the Angels who served the Valar, the celestial caretakers of the early incarnation of Earth known as Middle-Earth. Unlike the conventional Nephilim of the Grigori, the Wizards were not angelic offspring but spirits who were transformed into material forms by the power of the Valar.  Formed fully grown, they were sent to Middle-Earth in order to help the peoples there to defend against the Dark Lord Sauron and his Army of Darkness during the legendary Third Age.

During this Third Age, Gandalf was instrumental in gathering the forces that would thwart and ultimately meet Sauron in battle at the gates of Mordor.  Though the conflict would cost him dearly, he and his allies were triumphant and forever ended the Dark Lord's presence on Earth. In the Fourth Age, legends state that Gandalf helped the fractured nations of Middle-Earth for a time before journeying to Valinor with a number of his friends and traveling companions.

The legends were wrong.

Gandalf did not leave Middle-Earth, choosing to help the free peoples survive in the Hyperborean Age before the rise of the historical kingdoms of Sumer.  Much of his work remains unknown, but he attracted many followers, many of them who would become his apprentices, including a young man who would become known as Agamotto.  It was Gandalf who taught Agamotto the secrets of the Istari School of Magic, inspiring the mystical prodigy into developing his own style that became the basis for most of the mystic arts.

As a new era of civilization grew, Gandalf traveled the ancient world and witnessed the rise of its great religions.  Because his style of mystic practice was very subtle, most believed he had no magical ability. He used his power to overcome the trials of the ancient gods, gaining a portion of their power. Being reborn as The Champion, the former Wizard became a protector of the people, ultimately leading to an encounter with Agamotto, who had ascended to the role of Guardian of Magic.

Agamotto asked The Champion to take over custody of the Rock of Eternity, to which he agreed.  Again reborn as The Wizard Shazam, Gandalf served as the Guardian of Magic for thousands of years.  He briefly shed his physical form to walk again with the Angelic Host but returned to take the role of Wizard away from Billy Batson, when it was clear that both Captain Marvels would be needed in the final battles with the Army of Darkness.

A YJA Moment - Magical Schools

Though many individuals throughout history have wielded metahuman abilities, few are as powerful or least understood as the mystic arts. Sorcery is the ability of an individual, through the use of special components, to impose their will to change reality.  Depending on the Mage, the spell, and the technique used, the effect can be very subtle or be very obvious.  Almost every species in Known Space has had some sort of Mystic Tradition (known as Schools) in their history.  On Earth, there is a rich magical history, though a few Magical Schools have stood out over the millennia.

The oldest school of magic utilized by Humans was arguably the Istari School, which had the same roots as the Eldar School practised by the Elves.  It was introduced by the Nephilim Wizards Alatar, Gandalf, Pallando, Radagast, and Saruman during the Third and early Fourth Ages of Middle-Earth and it would continue to be practised by small covens centuries later.  Few today practise the Istari School, though rumours that the Wizard Shazam is well versed in its lore.   It would ultimately serve as the building blocks for the magical revolution that was overseen by arguably the greatest mortal magic-user in history, Agamotto.

Very little is known about Agamotto himself, other than he was a gifted practitioner of the mystic arts.  He took as his foundation the Istari school, but combined elements from the Eldar school and dozens of other smaller traditions of magic, forging them into what has become known as the Agamotto School.  This robust and comprehensive technique would ultimately lead him to claim the title of the Sorcerer Supreme and led to many of the traditions that will-workers follow today.  Indeed, the Agamotto School has served as the basis for almost every other modern school and is still practised today by Doctor Stephen Strange and Doctor Fate.

Of the other magical traditions a few are notable:

The Ollivander School took the Istari practice of consolidating magical power into implements such as a staff and made it a core feature of their magic.  Practitioners of the style utilize wands to focus their magic and cast their spells.  While their style is very potent they are so dependent on their implements that they cannot cast spells if they don't have access to their wands.  This style is taught and practised primarily within the British Isles through the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and other schools approved by the United Kingdom's semi-secret government department, the Ministry of Magic.

Long before the island sank, the Atlantean School developed as an attempt to develop the ultimate School of Magic.  They attempted to alter the human genome to sense the paranormal and better channel magical energies.  The result would be the Homo Magi, a divergent subspecies of humanity whose sorcery is inherited and almost instinctual.  Practitioners often develop their own personal techniques of casting magic, unaware that it's largely unnecessary.  Known users of the Atlantean style are Arion the Immortal, Zatanna Zatara, and Wanda Maximoff the Scarlet Witch.

A YJA Moment - Hobbits

There is none so mysterious an ancestry as the Hobbits, a diminutive people who first were discovered living on Middle-Earth during its Third Age.  There are no records, not in the annals of the immortal Elves or even within the Hobbits themselves of their origins.  They have never been known for their use of magic or technology, yet there are enclaves of Hobbits throughout known space.  In short, they are a mystery wrapped in an enigma.

In almost every enclave, which they all refer to as The Shire, life continues on at a technological level of pre-industrial England.  In an agrarian culture, the Hobbits spend their time tilling the soil, producing foodstuffs, and managing the other needs of their settlement.  Only a few law enforcement representatives, named Bounders exist to keep the peace, which usually involves neighborly disputes or rough-housing at the local pub.

The original Shire on Middle-Earth only came about during the Third Age, long after the War of the Last Alliance had defeated Sauron for the first time.  They did not involve themselves much with the other people, save for setting in and around the village of Bree, one of the main human settlements in eastern Eriador. Indeed, the very thought of "adventures" was anathema to the dwellers of the Shire, and they viewed anyone who enjoyed such endeavors with suspicion.

During the War of the Ring, they remained sequestered save for a handful of Hobbits who undertook one of the most important missions of the entire conflict.  Two of them had stumbled upon the One Ring, the dark magical trinket infused with the power of Anti-Life.  They traveled across the continent to the dark lands of Mordor, where they cast the ring into the magma beneath Mount Doom, ending Sauron's resurrection once and for all.

Beyond the countless worlds and populations where Hobbits inexplicably find themselves represented, there are two main Shires in Known Space.  The Grey Shire lies on the planet Valinor, the only non-Elven settlement allowed by the White Council.  There, under the magical energies of Alfheim, the Hobbits enjoy long and healthy lives.  The second is the original Shire which still exists in a pocket dimension crafted by Gandalf, who set secret passages in hidden locations known only to a few.