Appearance:Artwork Originally of Jason Levasseur from Moonlight Apparition, a webcomic made by one Darkhalo4321; all credit given to her. Former Title: The Chosen of Stories
Nickname/Alias: Ashton Andrews
Name: Ashton Andrews
Age: 16
Pronouns: He.
Race: Human
Personality: Ashton used to be cheerful and optimistic, always believing that purity and innocence would win against all odds; this was beaten out of him by King Kazzok's victory. But the boy's other traits from his life on Earth-Hope, the kindness and compassion instilled in him by his parents, those remain intact for life in prison hasn't touched them. But right now, the boy is burdened by submission and despair, as his ultimate failure to stand against the darkness
and see the underlying patterns behind the enemy's triumph mix with the fact of his captivity and the fear of what the enemy might do to him to place him in utter depression...
Abilities/Powers:Librarium Soul: When Ashton touches another sapient being's skin, he can conjure up a book showing said sapient being's secrets; things they wish to keep hidden, information critical to their plans, said plans themselves, and of course, how their powers work. This power relies on direct skin-to-skin contact, so armor or simply making one's skin burn white-hot can counteract it.
Librarium Heart: As long as Ashton has the book containing another sapient being's secrets, he can duplicate said being's powers, even if the laws of their universe say that the person duplicated is the only one who can have said powers. Note that he also inherits the flaws of said powers, meaning that if those powers are innately evil/harmful/corrupting... He's toast.
Equipment: Library of Heroes and Villains: A collection of books Ashton made that contains the secrets of various heroes, villains, and ordinary people, and contains their powers as well.
Ledger of the Librarium A mysterious book that came into Ashton's possession, and which bestowed upon him the power of Librarium Soul and Heart, as well as contains the power to create portals to other Universes.
Inventory: iPod, Laptop, Smartphone, Wallet, Passports, and a bag containing snacks and drinks.
Origin: Earth-Hope, a world much similar to our own, but much more optimsitic, happy, and yes, hopeful in general until King Kazzok conquered it. Earth-Hope generally has the same nations as our world, but peace and prosperity are the norm and only a few places are as bad as they are in real life. Earth-Hope also has a large collection of fictional stories, stories that inspire increasing numbers of people to take up writing tales of their own; some bad, some good, and most average. Magic is almost unheard of in Earth-Hope, but technology is as advanced as it is today, perhaps even more.
Backstory: Ashton was born in Bangor, Maine, in the Earth-Hope version of the United States of America. All his life, he was fascinated by the stories of heroes and villains, quests and perils, and dreamt of saving the world one day. But for the first thirteen years of his life, all was ordinary, filled with school and friends and as he grew older, crushes on both boys and girls. All was happy, and Ashton was even starting to contemplate a future for himself as a chef. Then one day, something happened that would change the course of his life forever.
Ashton's favorite Uncle died, leaving a mysterious book known as the 'Ledger of the Librarium' to the boy. And when the latter read it, he felt a warmth suffusing him, as brightness filled his mind. And he knew he now had the power to go to other worlds, worlds where Magic and Super-technology were real.
But being more sensible than other kids his age, Ashton made sure to be cautious first, planning his trips caefully and taking extra supplies with him when he went to visit other worlds. In time, however, he grew bolder, using his powers to discover secrets and gain new abilities. However, he never lost sight of becoming a hero; he refused to use Librarium Soul on anyone not an enemy without their consent. Rather, he was up-front about being a Multiversal traveller with all those who would trust him, even when doing so risked his welfare.
Then, when helping a local 'Chosen One' defeat a band of assassins, Ashton discovered from one of the assasins' books (they were his enemies, so he can use Librarium Soul on them without their permission) that a new 'Dark Lord', King Kazzok, was taking over worlds left and right. Further investigation (read: More uses of Librarium Soul on consenting and nonconsenting targets) revealed that
King Kazzok knew about Earth-Hope. Desperate to prevent his homeworld from being invaded, Ashton acted from behind the scenes to strengthen and bolster heroes of various worlds to fight King Kazzok and his minions, only to find them defeated and himself forced to flee every time.
Finally, King Kazzok and his armies reached Earth-Hope, and Ashton was the only one with magic powers amongst its defenders. Nevertheless, the forces of Earth-Hope lasted for six months against overwhelming force, enough for them to hatch one last plan to turn the tide: They would lead a diversionary attack to draw King Kazzok's forces away from his fortress so that Ashton and a team of Navy Seals can enter the conqueror's sanctum and engage him in a final battle.
In said battle, one of King Kazzok's armor plates seemed to fall off, and Ashton, on impulse, reached out with his right hand to use Librarium Soul on the evil overlord... Then everything went black.
The boy woke up in a dark cell, with King Kazzok telling him that the boy had managed to duplicate the Dark Lord's powers, only for them to take over his psyche and cause him to kill his friends, the Navy Seals. And with that, Ashton broke.
Other: youtube.com/watch?v=m_TLAkXMYK4'LUMIERE IS MY SENPAI'