Hope Burns Bright...

"Hope" is the thing with feathers—
That perches in the soul—
And sings the tune without the words—
And never stops—at all—

When I was born, they told my parents there was no hope for me. Now, I am hope incarnate. Never let them tell you there is no hope, for it is the strongest force in the universe. Where there is sentience, there shall it be also. My name is Karvak, aliased Blue Lantern. My home planet is Arota in Sector 240. I am aged 36 of your human years, 6 Rises according to my own. I am the Lantern that burns brighter than them all.

My story begins with the founding of the Green Lantern Corps by the Guardians, an immortal race of sentient beings. The Corps was founded to be an intergalactic peace force, using their Green Lantern rings (which harnessed the strength of willpower) to enforce their rules. The history of the Green Lantern Corps is quite extensive, but now is not the time for that. After the initial Corps was founded, six others followed in its footsteps, until the seven emotions on the spectrum were all harnessed: rage, greed, fear, willpower, hope, compassion, and love.

My Corps harnesses the power of hope. We were founded by the exiled Guardians Ganthet and Sayd. The Green Lanterns, in their folly, saw fit to banish all emotion from their midst, including hope. By consequence, our founders, who embraced it wholeheartedly, were sent away. This is where the Green Lantern Corps has gone wrong; no one can ignore emotion. The Green Lantern Corps has become lost in their ways, and so the banished Guardians created us, so we might bring some hope to the universe.

The leader of my Corps is Saint Walker, a highly honorable man. I owe my life to him. For, you see, when they found me, I was barely alive. When I was born, I suffered from a crippling disease the doctors said was doomed to kill me. Most people would become down-heartened by such a thing, but my parents gave me my first lesson in hope. They taught me to live life to the fullest, even if it was going to be a short one. They never gave up on me. As I grew, the world around me began to shift though.

And sweetest—in the Gale—is heard—
And sore must be the storm—
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm—

Arota was in the midst of a war with a neighboring planet over precious resources located on their moon. In the scope of the universe, it was a small conflict and didn't attract too much attention... that is until Gragath, the neighboring planet, developed a weapon that could wipe our planet from existence. Finally, we caught the attention of the Green Lanterns, who sent the Lantern of our Sector as a peacekeeper and ambassador between the plants. I can still remember the first time I saw the Green Lantern distinctly. Even in my weakened state, I forced myself out onto the balcony to welcome him just like everyone else. His name was Etola. In him, I saw hope for everything and everyone I loved. From that day on, I dreamed of becoming a Lantern. At the time, I was not aware the Green Lanterns would not be the Corps for me though.

It seemed at first that everything would work out, but in the end, something went drastically wrong. Because of some silly political blunder on the part of our ruler, the people of my planet found themselves being shot down by the invading armies of Gragath. The Green Lantern came to our defense, but it was not enough. I sat huddled in my room, hoping desperately for something more... anything to save us. And it came!

Alone, a Blue Lantern can only fly and cast a protective aura, but in the presence of the Green Lantern, their powers become magnified, surpassing that of even the Green Lantern Corps. When they arrived purely by luck on our planet, it was their aide that saved us all. After the last soldier of Gragath had fled, the Blue and Green Lanterns set about cleaning up after the mess and healing all the wounded they could (since Blue Lanterns gain healing powers in the presence of a Green). Saint Walker found me holed up in the top floor of a building with a bullet wound in my arm. However, when he stopped to heal me, not only was I rid of my wound, but also of my disease.

What happened after this is too long to tell, for I have had many adventures over the years. After I met Saint Walker, I refused to leave his side because of what he had done for me. Eventually, he became impressed by my charisma, loyalty, and hopeful attitude. He had a ring forged for me and I became the third member of the Blue Lantern Corps. As the years have gone by, I have set of on my own to go wherever my help is needed. I have a mission, and that mission is to spread hope throughout the universe.

I've heard it in the chillest land—
And on the strangest Sea—
Yet, never, in Extremity,
It asked a crumb—of Me.

~Emily Dickinson

Pet Profile by zonic_boom.
Pet and minion overlays by MsWonDerlAnD.
Sketch by cinn