Tommy Karter

This article contains spoilers for the comic's main series. Reader discretion is advised.

## Thomas (Tommy) Karter

* Current
* Ascended
* End of S1
* Debut

## Personal Status

### Relatives

* Marissa Sabell (partner)
* Katrina Karter (mother)
* Darum Karter (father)
* Haru Karter (sister)
* Aska Karter (sister)
* Sophie Karter(sister)

## Media

### Debut

Chapter 3

**Thomas (Tommy) Karter** is the True Guardian of World 3.

In Series 2: Destiny's Traitor, Tommy returns with the rest of the True Guardians to World 3 via the Umberbug's reconstruction of stardust. There, he learns to find resolve in the unpredictability of life after re-experiencing the death of his mate, and ascends into the Guardian of Acceptance.

## Appearance

Tommy is a large and bulky guardian with thick red fur and a “beard”. There are flecks of darker red in the fur around his neck, and his nose and hooves are a darker shade. His eyes are lime green. He has a series of long scars crossing his back, all from Orizon. His ears were split in half by the god as well.

## Personality

Tommy is a very polite and good-natured guardian, often acting as a father figure and source of comfort for those around him. Despite the obvious characteristic, Tommy disliked being associated with the term after the death of his wife and unborn son, blaming himself for their deaths. He has, however, come to terms with their passing and is much more accepting of being acknowledged as a father figure, even unofficially adopting Jasper as his own son.

## Relationships

### Jasper Balt

After meeting on World 8, Tommy and Karter quickly developed a father-son relationship due to Karter losing his own son, and Jasper losing his father. Tommy would often mistakenly refer to Jasper by his son’s planned name, Lewis. While the two were reluctant to admit such a relationship existed between them at first, Tommy eventually accepts Jasper as his son, both content in the belief that neither had truly replaced their lost loved ones.

### Zann Tau Imari

Zann and Tommy have a complicated relationship, whilst not at all what he would look for in a mate, Zann brings a particular comfort to him unmatched by any of the group, with them both often enjoying each others quiet company. Tommy actually takes some relief in Zann’s lack of prying into his personal matters over the extent the rest of the group normally do, and finds himself able to relax more around him, while Zann feels some degree of protection from Tommy with now having someone bigger and stronger than himself to rely on. Zann also shares the nickname ‘Mari’ with his late wife, Marissa, and both of them find solace in this with it previously being used in reference to people once close to them. Tommy’s warm and thick fur are a blessing to Zann especially in winter with him being used to the heat of the desert, and he often curls up with him especially on a night for warmth, and though he would never admit it, Tommy actually enjoys once again feeling another non-judgmental presence next to him.

### Marissa Sabell

Marissa was Tommy's original romantic partner during his life on World 3. Marissa first met Tommy as fawns following an accident in which she came to his aid after a head injury, and over the following years the pair would frequently sneak out to each other’s villages to visit one another. In their late teens, Tommy would ask Kaden for his blessing to marry his daughter, though he would refuse, claiming Tommy’s position as TG would put his daughter in grave danger, a protest the pair ignored as they fled to Tennahram regardless to be together. Marissa in later life would fall pregnant with a single fawn she had dreamed to be male, whom the pair had agreed to name Lewis, though due to pregnancy complications and the child’s size, Marissa realised near the end of her pregnancy Lewis had already passed away before being born. Far into denial, she would continue to carry the child regardless, sustaining horrible internal infection and swelling inevitably sealing her own fate, though before nature could take it’s course, Marissa would meet her end at the hands of Orizon, who ripped Lewis from her in revenge for Tommy’s broken promise towards him. She would soon after pass away in Tommy’s arms that day.

## History

### Pre-Series

Born a Guardian in Tennahram Village, Hutan, to parents Duram and Katrina Karter, alongside three younger sisters: Haru, Aska, and Sophie Karter, he is raised initially as just another member of the village. Following a hunting party as a fawn as is tradition to learn, he ends up falling from a small cliff due to a rockslide and sustains a nasty head injury, the group collide with a neighboring village’s party, of which a young Marissa Sabell concerned about Tommy has drawn over. The two immediately click and hope to see each other again, despite the injury leading to their meeting eventually rendering Tommy’s sense of smell next to nothing. In his late teens, he is eventually chosen as True Guardian by Ecalypse. In a new attempt by the gods to build a stronger True Guardian, Orizon meets with Tommy and informs him of their future fight. He tells Tommy by a certain date he must gain enough strength and meet back with him to battle, should he win his village would be granted eternal peace, though should he lose, the world would break apart.

His new title results in Tommy becoming the new leader of Tennahram, though only a deputy until he is fully grown. All the while he continues to sneak out to Marissa’s neighboring village to meet with her, and the pair continue to bond as they grow eventually starting a relationship, for one birthday his sisters have him made a golden necklace with her portrait in it. Eventually the pair make plans to meet with her parents: Kaden and Moki Sabell, the leaders of said village. However, things escalate when Kaden raises concern about his daughter being with a True Guardian. The parents claimed Tommy would be putting her in grave danger and refusing to give the relationship his blessing, leading to an infuriated Tommy stating they would run away back to Tennahram anyway despite his wishes. Though knowing how much her parents truly did care for her, and only wished for her wellbeing, Marissa knows her future lies with Tommy, and agrees to go back with him, the two continue to lead the village together and eventually she falls pregnant with their son who they plan to name Lewis.

The set date that Orizon and Tommy had agreed to fight on finally came. Now realizing there was more than just himself at risk, his family, his home, Tommy chose to never show up for the battle, being unsure if he could actually win it. Several days passed uneventfully, and he thought all would be fine, until one day upon returning to Tennahram, he finds the village ablaze and Marissa informs him how the god was to blame, Tommy chooses to leave her in the safety of the village outskirts and run back into the flames in an attempt to save any survivors. After discovering the rest of his family dead or missing, he leaves in terror back to where he had left Marissa. Tommy discovers her taken down by Orizon, who, as Tommy ran towards him in blind horror, deeply biting his back rendering him immobile with pain. The god proceeds to mock Tommy for his foolishness, holding up the carcass of Lewis who he had ripped from Marissa’s stomach, presuming the True Guardian on death’s door, Orizon eventually leaves. As the tropical rains kill the fire around them, he has but a few minutes left to talk with his partner before she passes. Tommy awakens sometime later realizing he had survived the attack, he reclaims Lewis’ body and brings him back to Marissa, saying his farewells to the pair before leaving. He runs for hours to the highest peak mountain in the area and screams for Orizon to fight him, determined to avenge his family. The god humors his plea and proceeds to drag him into the Stardust Realm for their final battle. Tommy puts up a good fight, but inevitably dies via a bite crushing the back of his neck.

### Series 1

Continuing into series one, Tommy continues to be a strong parental figure and voice of reason within the group, using his size and strength to protect them, though from shame of failing his prior family he becomes uneasy and hostile if addressed as a father. Immediately upon Jasper’s revival Tommy feels the overwhelming urge to care for him, despite the former already being an adult, Jasper however enjoys this given the painful death of his own father, and the two albeit unspokenly begin to fill the gaps left behind by their lost loved ones. The truth begins to come out when following a nightmare about his father’s death, Jasper slips and accidentally addresses Tommy as ‘dad’, shortly after which Holly admits she understands the comfort behind having a father figure again after losing hers too, causing Tommy to snap before finally seeing their point and telling his story to her. On the evening before the final fight, Jasper presents him with a larger replica painting of Marissa as well as the necklace he copied it from, which was thought to have been previously lost during the tram battle, Tommy thanks him for the heartfelt gift, thrilled at being able to somewhat see her clearly again. Whilst clearing the city the pair are mistaken as father and son after both being covered in white paint, leading to an ultimatum discussion where Tommy openly admits to seeing Jasper as his son, and the latter hopes to one day be able to address Tommy as his father too. In the final battle Orizon grabs the TG by his ears after defending Holly, forcing her to either shoot at the god with Stardust or have him crushed, Tommy is saved as Jasper jumps for his attacker instead, though had both ears ripped in half in the process, he then proceeds to save King from the falling Jackard sign, injuring his leg, and making some last ditch attempts to attack Orizon before the fighting ends. In the closing chapters of the series Tommy seems to have formed a closer familial bond with Jasper and Zann, even with Jasper’s new interest in Cara pulling him away at times, the other TG’s are still there for him and even if bittersweet, at least he has a new family in them to love.

### Series 2: Destiny's Traitor

During Part 11, Tommy returns with the rest of the True Guardians to World 3 via the Umberbug's reconstruction of stardust.

## Trivia

* Tommy has an extremely poor sense of smell, due to a hunting accident in his youth.
	+ This was also when he met Marissa.
* Up until revisiting World 3, he kept a locket necklace with a painting of Marissa in it on him at all times. Upon realizing her fate, Marissa discarded it, and it dissipated with the rest of the world.
* Tommy loves nature and gardening, a favorite flower of his being the Panah Rose from back home, one of which he now cares for in his own garden.