cw: ableism/implied queerphobia, substance use (marijuana), mental health struggles, unhealthy friendship

Wacky was born in Tokyo, but doesn't really remember his time there due to moving to the United Statesthis AU takes place in the United States... specifically suburban New York... because I can :) as a very young toddler. There he grew up in a safe and comfortable environment. His parents owned an independant record label that specialized in rising experimental artists. His parents were both pretty quirky individuals who are very much obsessed with media of all types and made sure to practically raise him on it. He's had the nickname "Wacky" for as long as he can remember for his hyperactive behavior (when he was litle) and oddball sense of humor. It was an affectionate nickname that just sorta stuck and became what everyone knew him as.

Although in a very loving home, it didn't stop Wacky from having his struggles among his peers. He had trouble getting along with most other children, feeling like the black sheep of whatever group of friends he tried to fit in with. He'd rather talk about things like 60s spy shows and obscure foreign music than the latest trends, plus having emotional issues didn't help either. He always felt very out of place, and was sometimes bullied for whatever petty reason his peers could think of. Often he was picked on for being the "weird kid" or the " meltdown kid" and often fell victim to getting his social quirks exploited and manipulated. It was clear from an early age he was on the autism spectrum. He only really had a small handful close friends. One being Johnny D, whom he met all the way back in elementary school when he first moved from Liverpool. They quickly became friends upon realizing they had a lot in common, especially when it came to musical taste! He was the first person to make Wacky feel like he wasn't alone. Another close friend was a girl named Judy, who was full of spunk and loved to sing and dance! Not unlike Wacky, her family was part of the entertainment industry. They met during middle school, and she shared the love Wacky and Johnny had for music. The three were very quickly seen as an unbreakable trio. They all put their focuses on music classes as they all aspired to be big stars together... Of course, these two friends weren't just there to reach for stardom with. They cheered for his highs and lifted him back up from his lows. They comforted him at the pivotal time of life where one truly questions themselves... discovers themselves... and all the hectic chaos that came with it.

Over time he felt more disconnected from himself. By his teenage years, Wacky started to realize something about himself that he had been feeling for years by that point, but it was often brushed aside. It was becoming more and more clear that he was transgender. The dysphoria was becoming more and more unbearable. He had to do it, he had to come out. Thankfully, his parents were supportive and so were Judy and Johnny D. Although he was lucky for that, it quickly became clear that their support was going to need constant reassurance. Bullying became even more of an issue.

Judy and Johnny buckled down on steering him away from students that just wanted to feel power over him. and they all focused on starting on their rise to the yop - but not by bullying an other rat-race tactics. They formed a garage band. From the very beginning, the band sang songs of peace, love, and happiness - something they felt everyone deserved. Wacky named this project the "Sunshine Lovers," named for the trios' fond childhood memories of playing under the warm glow of the sun. They spent countless days of brainstorming lyrics, printing out fliers at the library, and hearing many countless screams of "IT'S THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT! STOP THAT RACKET!" It was all working out... they were even starting to play in small festivals around town! Wacky felt a lot more confident in himself and finally seemed to get more respect for being himself. He was finally making friends outside of his tiny circle and seemed overall more outgoing and ready for the world. It was all uphill from here... right?

"I'm sorry... We're moving back to California" - said Judy.

At that moment, that was the worst news of his life. It was clear that after graduation, things were changing. Many fairweather friends were lost once everyone was going their own path in their next chapter. Many were on the road to college, including the Sunshine Lovers. But... Judy was going to college all the way in California - although the Sunshine Lovers was her dream, dreams don't always come true. Her family was moving back to California for business reasons and she was expected to persue work there. Wacky was devastated. What mattered more than his dream being torn apart was that he that someone who had helped him so much in life wasn't going to be a part of it much anymore. When Judy hugged Wacky tight one last time, he promised through tears that he'll try his best to keep the dream and good vibes alive. Was he going to keep that promise....?

Throughout college, Wacky became a mess and a shell of what he built up. He became a lot more neglectful of himself and often kept himself isolated, burying himself in artwork, pot, and music. He didn't care about his grades nearly as much as he cared about rotting in bed. Johnny D was often the one keeping keeping his head above water, whether it twas through helping him study, comforting him during moments of weakness, or even reminding him to take better care of himself. They even tried to make the Sunshine Lovers' legacy continue! Johnny D's kindness and patience was very soothing to Wacky. It was like the one thing keeping him going. He was running on it. He CRAVED it. He wanted more, and more, and more. Johnny was willing to dish it out, but it was beginning to take a toll on his energy. The boat was starting to rock as Johnny D would start to show signs of exhaustion, which oddly angered Wacky. Things were getting uncomfortable and unhealthy. One day, they mutually had enough. Wacky completely split on him, nearly destroying their friendship for good. Both broken down to dust, Johnny gave Wacky an intervention that he needed to shape up or he was cutting full ties with him, while Wacky was consumed by shame in what had transpired. Ultimately, the Sunshine Lovers disbanded for Wacky's wellbeing. Johnny still cared deeply for his friend, but things weren't going to be the same. The two mutually came to terms that there was indeed some broken trust caused by Wacky's poor actions and he needed to seek help. Johnny established a boundary to not let Wacky get that close and depedant again. The guilt became debiliatating. He became even more neglectful of himself and felt like he wasn't getting out of it.

One night, he was hunkering down in his bedroom and blasting music while under the influence, doing anything to take his mind to another world. He was at this point no stranger to using this as a coping mechanism, but this particular moment of recreation was different. He felt a sensation like the opening of a third eye - or maybe a voice guiding him through what was wrong with him at his core. It was like someone was telling him directly that his lack of confidence and care for himself lead to everything. He let that stunt his personal growth and was starting to let that hurt others. That needed to be put to an end. he sought out help for his issues. He dropped out of the semester to focus on that path by seeing mental health specialists. He later realized that he had Borderline Personality Disorder and posssibly more...he's plural (osdd-1b) - this is a much more personal headcanon that I'm not fully sure how to really go about in my fanlore just yet. I only really talk about this with close friends. Once again, he felt more content now that he better understood himself, but he started asking a serious question; Was he even in a position to be fully indepedant? After spending so much time unable to take care of himself, he was worried he could never improve. But that defeatist attitude he had before was what got him into this meet. He refused to let it happen any more. Once Wacky felt more stable, he was ready to hone in on a career in music and put all of his focuses on it. He took private classes, and being gifted with the privelege of being able to meet artists through his parents' connections was absolutely a help. He even started to record his own music, though even to this day in only resides in a private collection. He now also had emotional support pets - three colorful dwarf pandas he named Strawberry, Blueberry, and Blackberry. Companionship and having a clear goal was good medicine, besides the actual medicine. Baby steps...

Rising star W.B. Rose had recently moved to the United States and was ready to expand his horizons as an artist. Wacky was a fan of him before he was considered popular - all the way back when virus-filled piracy sites and Johnny D having to get low-distributed physical media from his family across the pond was only way he could archive his work. His work was even oftene pointed to whenever Wacky was asked who inspired him. The stars aligned and they were able to meet. He was nervous at first, but the singer was happy to meet such an adoring, dedicated fan. He was given the opportunity for Mr. Rose to be his mentor to help him through moving forward in his career - of course he happily accepted! As they worked together for Wacky to build up his strong vocal skills, W.B. grew so impressed, he felt that they were destined to work together and play off their strengths. He was incredibly baffled by this offer. No way, man. Was there a catch? Where were the strings?

It was no trick. Mr. Rose was eager to eager to help the younger artist he grew to learn so much about. Over his time mentoring him, he learned a lot about him on a personal level. A simple mentor-protégé dyanamic became an earnest friendship. Wacky started visiting his idol for reasons outside of merely business reasons, and even got to know Ted=Pete, W.B. Rose's songwriter and husband. All three of them had quite the synergy. Not only did they all have a passion for music, but a strong desire to create something that inspired a message of peace, love, acceptancetence, unabashed self-expression, and hope for a brighter future without grueling hate. All three have faced hardship and the ugly truth of discrimination and grew a very strong mutual bond. With careful consideration, Wacky finally decided to leave his nest and moved in with the couple to further solidify this dream. Ted spitballed ideas for the name of this new avenue, but ultimately, Wacky suggested the use of his childhood garage band. It was perfect for what this project was shaping up to be. Things moved within this dream team at a rather humble pace. Small shows that scratched an itch for scrappy youngsters looking for a small project with big potential were satisfying enough for the three, but they knew deep down there was going to be more to this story...

Well... on a fateful day, it was almost like someone made a wish to the stars. Wacky's singing voice was noticed from afar... very far, indeed! Yep! An alien prince and his floating virtual child came to visit.... that's sure a sentence! The singer was absolute dumbfounded by these vistors' prescense, but W.B. Rose happily invited them over so they could hear more! The newcomers showed off their own musical talents in return and expressed their own goal of spreading their own message of love and peace. Needless to say, they quintet joined forces and became the Sunshine Lovers we all know today. But how did this affect Wacky in particular?

Prince M was incredibly folksy and just had this natural charm to him that truly was out-of-this-world (god I'm so fucking corny), and Wacky absolutely took notice. Throughout their time as bandmates, they sparked a close friendship. It sorta reminded him of how his friendship with Johnny D back in the day was... though perhaps... it was going to be something more than that. Oh crap, Wacky thought. What if this turned into something ugly. I promised myrself to never get THAT close to anyone again.Nah, Wacky was just being overly careful. Outside of band-related acitvities, they hung out and had fun, casual adventures as Prince M wanted to get a feel for his new surroundings. Really often tagged along too, not wanting to be seperated from their father. Sometimes W.B. and Ted=Pete tagged along too for the heck of it. Hot damn, these weirdos kinda sparked into something special. Although he still of course he was never going to be perfect with his emotions, he was in a much happier mental state. He had many new fans who admired his vocals and charm, but more importantly, He now had a bunch of friends who kept him in check and loved him for who he was and were all on the same page of spreading love and peace.