Ascended (Resurrected/Ghost/Angel) Mari AU reboot: Truth's Ascension (tentative name)
So, this is a reboot idea of my "By Your Side, Always" story that’s been bugging me for a while. This won't be written until I feel motivated enough to do so. But this is the outline I have made so far (everything is subject to change).
Mari’s void/essence form: “Primordial Truth”
Human: “Truth Given Flesh”
Spirit: "Truth Since Expired"
Angel: “Truth Given Wings”
Broken Angel: “Truth Tainted By Guilt”
Fallen Archangel: “Truth Ignited By Fury”
Guardian Angel: “Truth That Protects”
Goddess: "Mari No Okami (Goddess Of Truth)/Mari No Mikoto (The Great Truth)/Yami O Terasu Mari or Shinri (The Truth That Illuminates The Darkness)"
Oni: “Truth Molded By Vengeance”
Half-Dragon: "Beastly/Animalistic Truth"
HellMari/The Grudge would simply be “The Lie”. This extends to her possession of Mari's corpse ("The Lie Given Flesh") and her monster form ("The Monstrous Lie/The All-Consuming Lie").
Synopsis is under the line, due to length.
Mari returns to Earth with little memory of what happened in the afterlife, outside of her guilt for the events leading up to the accident and feeling nothing but forgiveness for Sunny.
Mari is NOT aware of how Sunny and Basil falsified her death. Chances are that I might make Sunny too distraught to let that happen at all.
Mari is confronted by her own emotions and the Goddess, who help her expel her perfectionism and the accumulated malice she got when Hell used her as their agent of vengeance.
Here is where Mari experiments with her appearance and has fun appreciating her new sense of freedom.
Mari checks on everyone as much as she can. For the time being, she is only able to notice Hero's depression, Kel's helplessness, and Artist struggling to be happy.
Mari gets Sunny to notice her deliberately, leading to lots of hugs and tears. There's no apology here, as Mari's main focus is to remind Sunny just how much she cares about him.
Mari helps Sunny with school and encounters HellMari in the background here.
Mari makes contact with Artist on accident while she's babysitting Sunny. Artist and Mari let their emotions out for the first time in a while. Same story as the initial chapter.
Mari might try to convince Sunny to make contact with one of their friends and/or Mari tries to make a deliberate attempt to make contact with the Baker twins. Not sure.
Mari gets Sunny to introduce himself to Angel and Mikhael, which helps them as they all share similar backgrounds (especially in Mikhael's case, since the twins likely have a similar upbringing to Mari's).
Mari ultimately finds out about Basil's mental issues forming and what's happening with Aubrey…. And she is PISSED with what's happening. Mari's Fallen Archangel form makes its first appearance, before she forcibly quells it.
The Goddess makes herself known to Sunny and Mari's friends, explaining why Mari's back. This motivates Artist and the twins to be more active in Sunny and Mari's lives.
Mari ultimately begins remembering things and talks to Sunny and Artist about it. She only remembers everything right before meeting her malicious counterparts. She and Sunny apologize to each other privately, which unintentionally triggers more memories in Mari…which continues to motivate her.
Mari once again encounters HellMari in the background, who goads her in using her Fallen Archangel form more willingly.
Mari notices Sunny struggling in his sleep and ultimately chooses to enter his mind in an attempt to help. She soon notices Headspace and either possesses HS Mari or creates a HS version of her to blend in.
Mari eventually encounters Omori and the HS crew. She is caught off-guard by how the HS counterparts act compared to the real deal…. And she kinda hates it.
With Omori and crew not present currently, Mari makes the decision to explore. She stumbles across Shattered Omori, who noticeably behaves much healthier than Omori, and lets him guide her and explain what's happening.
Shattered Omori brings Mari to Black Space, which disturbs her greatly, given the circumstances of her death. He introduces the Guardians, which Mari immediately recognizes. They then bring her to the Branch Coral and convince her to eat it to show just how bad things are getting for Sunny's mental wellbeing.
Depending on if Mari possesses her counterpart, the two would have a scuffle. Mari is determined to save Sunny, no matter what. HS Mari wants to continue existing with the HS crew and Omori, despite knowing that the Omori she knows is doing more harm than good.
On the other hand, if Mari only makes an HS counterpart of herself, she will instead request advice from the Guardians on what should happen to Headspace. Ultimately, depending on if the Guardians get into an argument about the best course of action, Mari will take Shattered Omori with and choose to do the only thing she thinks she can do to help Sunny.
Eventually, Mari encounters Omori to thwart his actions. Mari easily becomes the victor and helps Shattered Omori take his place back as Sunny's healthy conscious.
As for this, really the only thing that I can do here is have Mari come to terms that Mewo is not long for the world. This would have her struggling, as she can't save her beloved kitten from illness.
Sunny would also be broken up, as he feels like he's reliving Mari's death.
Mewo would become a ghost and be attached to Mari and Sunny, always with them and following them.
Eventually, Mari and Sunny would learn to accept that some losses can't be avoided. That doesn't mean they have to like it, but it does mean they can accept and recover from it.
Mari finally feels comfortable enough to reveal herself to the rest of the group (minus Basil, probably). Of course, there's tears and confusion, but everyone's just grateful to have Mari back in some way.
Mari goes over what she's been dealing with since she died. So the group and her friends have most of the story about what she went through in the afterlife. Not sure if some of the group would feel that Mari's anger is justified or i they'd simply feel sad that she went through that all alone.
HellMari decides to make a direct attack when Mari and Sunny are alone. Mari reveals her Fallen Archangel form to her brother on accident. Not sure if she'd attempt to run in a panic or not, because the Goddess would step in either way.
Mari ultimately struggles even more to control her FA form, only just managing to not let its power be directed at Sunny and instead directing it at a maximum security prison. The Goddess helps out by teaching Mari to control herself.
Mari eventually opens up to Sunny, Artist, and Hero just how fucked things got in the afterlife before being given salvation by Heaven and her good-natured counterparts. Mari eventually reverts to her normal form and cries openly.
Mari's FA emerges once again in the middle of the night and nearly harms Sunny. Mari saves Sunny and finally gains full control of her anger as she reminds herself that her anger is for the benefit of her family, friends, and home.
HellMari, weakened from her skirmishes with Mari, ventures to Hell to get power. The Goddess explains that she has to leave, confident that Mari is capable on doing things without her guidance.
The group finally focus on trying to help Basil. Though direct attempts are unsuccessful currently. They instead plead for Polly's help and Basil's grandmother.
Through this, progress is slowly made. Sunny and Basil interact with each other for the first time in years, with Sunny apologizing for leaving Basil to fend for himself.
Basil ultimately finds out that Mari's a ghost and panics, before being convinced to relax and hear her out. Mari expresses no ill thoughts towards Basil, despite not understanding his involvement.
Sunny privately makes the choice to explain to Mari how Basil was involved. Mari is not thrilled, of course, but feels that any anger would only make things worse.
Basil finally begins to accept his demons and let go of his struggles. Although the group and his family helped him, it is HE who makes that choice on his own.
And here's where I need to wonder if Sunny should confess his crime. Because I don't know if the other characters would really care what happened at this point.
HellMari returns and possesses Mari's corpse, transforming it into an abomination before setting out to reek havoc.
Mari begins doing proper martial arts training and regular exercising. Anything to help her not lose herself to her anger. Spending time with her loved ones makes her paranoid for their safety.
Mari explains what she's doing to Sunny, Hero, and Artist. Not sure how, but they'd make her take breaks regularly, both for her mental and emotional wellbeing. Mari shows her appreciation through affection, rather than words.
Mari begins willingly tapping into her Fallen Archangel form, slowly able to control it and maintain her sense of self yet again. Mari's more destructive actions come to light, which ironically helps her.
Here's the part where I'm not sure what I should do. I could try to have Mari attempt to communicate with the souls she had involuntarily eaten and attempt to apologize for her actions or I could have her spend time with Kel, Aubrey, and Basil, attempting to try and repair her friendship with Basil. Though she may not succeed in EITHER choice.
Mari begins getting creative with her elemental abilities and forges an odachi, taking lessons on how to properly wield it. She later makes it her preferred means of combat.
Mari and Sunny visit Mari's grave on the anniversary of her death. She can't help but be reminded of her mistakes. She can't help but feel like she was nothing more than an impostor in her own body. And proceeds to destroy her own headstone, metaphorically using it a sign that she has been reborn.
Mari begins to become more powerful, testing herself. She's happy, despite still being dead. She's able to interact with everyone freely, thanks to her power boost. And yet, she's worried.
HellMari reveals herself again, targeting Sunny and Basil and putting them in the hospital. Mari sets out to kill her malicious counterpart, letting her anger explode on purpose.
And here's where things stop being different, the new final battle is still used.
The recovery and aftermath is the same.
The Goddess makes one last appearance to explain details to the group about everything. Despite the goddess alluding it, Mari personally does not believe that she and Sunny are reincarnations of anyone, but hopes that their past-selves are at peace with this.
Mari chooses to keep her godhood a secret from everyone outside of family and closest friends.
Mari only used her godly persona sparingly, as she does NOT want to abuse it and does not really want to be worshiped.
Nothing much changes from the initial epilogue, outside of minor changes to make it fit.
Mari does convince her goddess mothers to visit every holiday.
Sunny and the group learn more about the other versions of them besides what Mari said. They're happy that there are versions of them that are similar to them.
Sunny feels that there are versions of him who would intentionally hurt Mari…and just like Mari with finding out about her malicious counterparts, that motivates him to make better life choices.
Not sure how Sunny would die naturally this time, as he's not supernatural here. Though it would still be an illness. Mari's death would still be the same as I initially wrote it.
Outside of that, everything's the same. Mari does get old and more powerful as a result. After Sunny's death though, she ultimately chooses to depart as well, before having one last showdown with HellMari to prove that only Maris who care about Sunny, Hero, and the rest of their loved ones will always prevail and be remembered.
