Full Story

Early Life and Childhood Grief

Addison was born in 1996, England, in a Staffordshire town known as Denman.
Their parents were Katherine and Samuel Ellis, an upper-class married couple. Katherine and Samuel were both Welsh. They’d moved to England to pursue an opportunity in Samuel’s political career, and purchased an opulent home to enable their lifestyle. Katherine’s job as a primary school teacher was a labour of love, so their abundance of money came from Samuel’s career and many family investments.
Addison had a very cushy childhood. They were spoiled and had more than they'd ever really need. Despite this, Addison seemed to want very little.
Samuel and Katherine were a pair of opposites - and their relationships with Addison were both very different, too. Things in the Ellis household were nowhere near as ideal as someone might have assumed, but their problems had already begun before Addison was even born.

Addison was exceptionally close to their mother - reluctant to ever leave her side and hardly speaking a single word to anyone else, including their father, who had always been distant. Addison was different to their peers, clearly queer and autistic, whilst not really knowing what either of those things were. They had no friends at their school, nor a real desire for any - far happier discussing astrology with their mother, or reading the same book a dozen times, cross-legged on the floor of their warm and comfortable library. Samuel was critical of Katherine’s treatment of Addison, seeing the way she looked after them as coddling. He was convinced that the way she was raising Addison was making them soft, and too feminine. As Addison was raised male, this was something which troubled Samuel, who was a traditional man in many ways.
The problem, of course, laid within him, but it went even deeper than that. Samuel had been detached from Addison from the day they were born. The bond was simply not there - and in fact, he resented Addison for taking all of Katherine's attention away from him.

In 2006, everything changed when Katherine was diagnosed with an advanced illness, early in the year. It was terminal, and that August, she passed away. This shook the family, and impacted both Addison and their father profoundly, though in very different ways.
Samuel became very depressed. For all his flaws, he truly loved Katherine, and without her, he became sick. He took early retirement and spent most of his days in bed, living off boxed crackers and expensive premade sandwiches.
Addison, only 10 years old, struggled to comprehend what had happened. They blocked it out, becoming numb. They just couldn't grasp the concept of their mother being gone. They began a habit of speaking out loud to Katherine as if she was still there to cope with the loss, but as the truth began to settle, things changed, and Addison's thoughts became heartbreakingly dark for a child so young. Virtually mute, Addison wouldn’t share any of their feelings with anyone, including the social workers who they found extremely annoying and invasive.

After some time, Addison’s personality began to change. They came to a life-changing realisation. Their mother's passing had caused them so much heartbreak and pain - and for what? There was no rational reason to love people, when they could leave you forever. What was the point in relationships, anyway? They were a distraction, and had no bearing on your survival. Survival, Addison realised, was all that really mattered.
Addison convinced themself that feelings were nothing but weakness, that people and society as a whole were illogical, and built up a strong, nearly impenetrable shell around themself, a steady wall which no-one would ever pass through.

Addison had a lot of trouble at school. After starting their private secondary school, Addison began to be bullied quite badly. Verbal insults, mostly homophobic in nature, soon turned to physical threats, and eventually, violence. Addison's quiet, feminine demeanour, unusual habits, and lack of any friends made them an easy target. They became frightened of attending, and skipped so many days to walk in the forest instead that the school got involved.

Though Samuel had made progress in his mental health, he hadn’t changed as a person, and Addison still made him feel uncomfortable. As they grew into a teenager, those feelings only became stronger. There was a little person growing up in his home that felt more like a stranger, and he didn't know who or what they were becoming. The two went out of their way to avoid each other.
Samuel began smoking a few months after Katherine died - a habit that Addison also picked up, after they started nicking his cigarettes out of the entranceway cupboard. Samuel cut out the habit several years later, but Addison never did. They would eventually bribe older kids on street corners to fuel their habit, one of the only willing social interactions they had during this time.
In 2009, Addison was involved in a more serious altercation with some bullies, after school was over for the day. They were kicked, pushed, and hit. Things escalated, and eventually, Addison decided to fight back. They overpowered all the boys, causing a good few black eyes, and a broken nose, too.

After this incident, Addison was expelled. That sort of behaviour simply wasn't permitted in private school, after all. Addison tried to explain that the boys had been bullying them for months, but nobody listened.
People tended to leave Addison alone at their new public school, East Denman High. However, this was mostly because of the rumours. Whispers behind their back, about them committing matricide, about them keeping severed fingers in their locker, about them being part of a cult. All of these were common stories, and ones which some students seemed to genuinely believe - helped by the fact that Addisons self-expression was becoming increasingly dark and alternative.

Life Changes and Meeting Martha

Addison recognised some faces at their new school. One of these faces was fellow pupil Martha Anderson, a girl they’d gone to Sunday School with when they were little. Martha was never very nice to Addison. They distinctly remembered her and some other girls mocking the paper Christmas decorations that they were making.
Martha had a lot of friends. She was opposite to Addison in every way you could think of, but she left enough of an impression on them that they recognised her now.

Addison, living a solitary existence, had a lot of time to spend in their own head. They had some hobbies, of course, and they loved reading, but so much of their time was spent walking in trees, thinking.
One of the topics they ruminated on amongst the sea of birches was gender, and their own relationship with it, now that they were experiencing puberty.
Is it possible to be neither gender?, was the question Addison would ask themself, pondering upon it for hours. Why do I have to be a boy? What does that even mean?
Addison could not quite fathom gender. They wanted no part in it, and were repulsed by people's assumptions. They did not want the conventions of society to even touch them.
They were not male, but this wasn't just meant to be some individualist statement. It was a straightforward truth that only became glaringly obvious as time went on.
In one of their few interactions with their father, Addison told Samuel that they weren’t a boy. Samuel, speechless, was troubled by this, but when Addison said they weren’t female either, he was mostly just confused. He was, however, content enough with his theory that Addison was simply disturbed.
Samuel vaguely encouraged Addison to go back to counselling, as they did shortly after Katherine had passed, but Addison vehemently opposed this.
For an endless list of reasons which were mostly justifiable; a list that had been building and festering over the years, Addison grew to loathe their father. Although they lived under the same roof, they did not speak most days - not even birthdays.

Nobody in Addison’s life respected their identity. They told teachers, but weren't taken seriously, and if anyone used the singular ‘they’ for them - which they preferred, it was meant only as a joke.

In 2011, Addison was walking after school one evening. It was a neighbourhood that they didn't often walk through. It diverted from the direction of their favourite footpaths, but that night, Addison had decided to wander aimlessly, as they sometimes did.
It was then that they heard Martha and her mother shouting at each other on their doorstep. Addison watched, intrigued, as Martha grabbed the bag at her feet and stumbled down the road, her expression, distraught.
Addison was, admittedly, fascinated. They'd noticed Martha spending more time alone at breaks - sat on her own with a forlorn, desolate look in her eyes, and this exchange she'd just had seemed to solidify for Addison that something was very wrong.
Feeling unusually nosy and internally scolding themself for being so emotionally swayed, Addison shadowed Martha all the way to the town's canal. She sat on the stone floor between the water and the towpath before she began loudly sobbing her heart out. After a few minutes, Addison decided to approach her. It no longer felt right to leave.
Their conversation was unfriendly at first, but It didn’t take long before Martha poured her heart out to Addison.
Martha had just been kicked out of her home by her mother, who was unstable, paranoid, and very religious. Martha’s mum hadn’t been taking her daughter coming out as a lesbian very well at all, and most aspects of Martha’s life had been thoroughly flipped upside-down. She had nowhere to stay the night.
After the two had been speaking a while, Addison invited Martha to sleep over at their house. Martha, still unsure about Addison, hesitantly accepted. She didn’t really have a lot of choice.

Addison and Martha spoke long into the night, and both of the troubled kids found solace in one another. After this event, the two became best of friends, and they have been ever since. Martha was the first person to use Addison’s correct pronouns in a sincere way. The two opposites formed an unbreakable bond that night.

Addison found this difficult. They didn’t know how or why they had befriended Martha like that. They just went against all of their principles.
This could never happen again.

It was only a few months later that another new person entered Addison’s life. Sylvi Dee was a new friend of Martha’s, and Addison couldn’t stand her. Fortunately, Addison didn’t have to see her that much. She didn’t spend time with them at school, which worked quite nicely for Addison, but the amount of time Martha spent with Sylvi out of school made them feel jealous and uncomfortable.
They tried to justify their feelings, convincing themself that Sylvi simply must have malicious intentions. Addison hated that they were jealous.

As time passed, the end of Addison’s school years crept ever closer, and Martha only grew more fond of Sylvi - she spoke so admiringly of her, and Addison couldn’t stand it. They considered bailing. They never even wanted what they had with Martha, they never wanted any friendships, and now would be a pretty good time to call it quits. But Addison couldn’t. They were drawn to Martha in a way they found difficult to grasp. Wherever Martha went, Addison always seemed to find themself by her side.

Addison didn’t attend prom, when they finished secondary school. But they knew that Martha went with Sylvi - not to mention all of her friends. It was seeming to Addison that Martha was moving on, no longer an outcast, and it stung.
A few months after prom, Martha told Addison that she and Sylvi were dating. Addison was not surprised by this development, but all the same, they were overrun by distrust.
They were convinced that they needed to protect Martha. Sylvi clearly had ulterior motives.

But Sylvi wasn’t even Addison's only concern anymore. Martha was making new friends, reconnecting with old ones, and Addison felt threatened, convinced that Martha would leave them. But Martha, as frustrating as she sometimes found Addison, only over wanted them right there by her side.

After secondary school, Addison joined Martha at Post-16, where they studied English literature, Design & Tech, and Physics. Sylvi opted for a course at College instead.

Addison really hated some of Martha’s new friends. Matthew Navarro, an arrogant skateboarder she’d met at the skate park, was the worst. He hit it off with Martha and went to the same Post-16 Centre as them, so soon, Addison was seeing an awful lot of him. Matthew reminded Addison of all the boys that used to harass them in the past, and they could not tolerate him.
It wasn’t long, however, before Addison found themself watching him play drums in his band, dragged along to bandmate Kai London’s house.
They did, however, think that Kai didn’t seem like completely awful company.

Addison stayed tolerant of the little group of friends Martha seemed to have formed around them, going on days out, nights out, endless social outings. Addison thought it was a nightmare most of the time, but no matter what, they wouldn’t leave Martha’s side.
Nobody else could ever really figure out why Addison stuck around.
In 2014, Addison graduated Post-16.

Sylvi was always extremely open about the fact that she was an apprentice spirit channeler and medium, which Addison couldn’t abide, refusing to believe Sylvi’s outlandish claims. What made it even worse for Addison was the fact that Sylvi knew about their late mother, and would not take no for an answer in regards to her requests to commune with Katherine. This infuriated and disgusted Addison, but one evening, Sylvi took it too far and ignored Addison’s refusal, trying to reach out to Katherine in Addison’s upstairs bathroom. Addison already had a strong dislike of Sylvi, but this pushed them further into utterly detesting her for her invasive, disrespectful actions. Sylvi tried to explain, but Addison would not hear her out.

Impossible Years and it's Aftermath

It was in the Spring of 2015 when Addison woke up to a very strange circumstance. A jet plane had crashed in their back garden - it was empty. They’d seemingly woken up to a world where no other people existed. It was as though everyone had vanished overnight - everyone, that is, aside from Martha. One of the first things Addison did was call her. The two of them met up and assessed the situation, but there was no clue as to where everybody else had gone.
They searched and searched, but the streets were empty, and even online, there was nothing but silence.
It wasn’t long before they found Matthew, who also seemed to have been thrust into this bizarre situation along with them, much to Addison’s complete dismay.
And so began the events of Impossible Years. It would seem that everyone they knew, everyone in the world except the three of them had just… gone.
The trio set out on a journey seemingly doomed from the start, discovering secrets about their world and very existence that they never could have imagined.
They trained with weapons designed to take on the unique nature of the foes they faced, met strangers from another time, and discovered some of the most hidden corners of the planet that they thought they knew. They met Iyalah, a strange, otherworldly woman who would serve as guide and mentor on the trio's impossible journey.
For 2 years, Addison travelled the planet with Martha and Matthew, their goal, to kill a god. It was not a hopeful situation they were presented with, but Addison watched as Martha pushed through regardless. Her tenacity paid off, and despite the impossible odds, Martha not only resolved a divine battle that had been happening since time immemorial, but she also returned her world to how it once was. Time itself reverted back to the morning that everyone originally disappeared.

It was very, very strange to be thrust back into normality after experiencing some of the most harrowing things that anyone can go through, but Addison went into it with a new perspective on life.
It would be disingenuous, however, to simply brush it off. Recovering from the horrors they went through was no walk in the park, not for any of the trio, and Addison became distant, dissociated, fearful, and more prone to violent outbursts than they ever were prior to 2015.
They developed insomnia and a bad fear of the dark, but Addison’s attitude to relationships improved considerably.
If it was possible, Addison became even closer to Martha, who was convinced that the three of them were all connected by a powerful force. Addison’s already solid bond with Martha became steel, but their relationship with Matthew was what changed the most.
Addison and Matthew, once enemies, became good friends during the events of those years. They both came to understand each other very well, finding out they had far more in common than they ever really thought. Unrestrained loathing became an uneasy tolerance, which eventually became something like a bond. The resulting friendship could be considered light-hearted and sibling-like in nature, but Addison got to know and understand Matthew very, very well.

Going back to normal life was weird. People like Sylvi and Kai were puzzled by Addison’s change in personality, seemingly overnight, and they were especially confused by how close they now seemed with Matthew in particular.
Martha told Sylvi what happened, a few days later - but Kai never was told.

Addison began to worry about their friends. They didn’t think Martha or Matthew were coping well, but at least Martha was actually talking about how she was feeling. Matthew was uncooperative - he wanted to pretend nothing ever happened.
Addison themself had a lot of feelings which they didn’t know how to navigate, and it was only a matter of time before they were reciting their own version of events to Sylvi, having a one-on-one conversation with her for the first time ever. Talking to someone outside of the bubble was good for Addison, and, once they’d got over some initial stubbornness, they got a lot off of their chest to her.
From Addison’s perspective, the channelling incident was many years ago now, and while they still weren’t happy about Sylvi’s actions in 2014, Addison’s priorities had changed since then and they saw no point in holding grudges.

Addison’s life eventually fell back into something resembling their version of normal. They continued to tolerate Martha’s parties and boozy nights out, which, now that everyone was of drinking age, became frequent. Addison started forming an uneasy friendship with Kai, who, funnily enough, never left Addison’s mind throughout the entirety of Impossible Years.

Meanwhile, plans were made for the friends to holiday abroad - and In June 2017, all 6 of the odd little friendship group, (Addison, Sylvi, Martha, Matthew, Kai, and Matthew’s brother, Charlie) rented a car, and road tripped across the American Midwest. Even Addison couldn’t deny that their time there was incredible. They’d all stay up, lighting campfires and drinking lager under the stars, skimming stones, telling stories and sharing banter until the sun came up.
While they were there, they also met a young woman called Dakota Laney, who joined them one evening by chance. Addison, seeing how happy she made Matthew, convinced her to stay with them for the remainder of their holiday.
At the conclusion of their trip, Matthew and Dakota entered into a long-distance relationship.

Later that year, Addison was alarmed when they heard that Kai was stabbed in a fight.
Kai was also pretty surprised himself when Addison showed up to see him in hospital, just them alone, with a bouquet of flowers. Some days, they’d keep him company for hours while he recovered. Kai, miserable and uncomfortable, really appreciated Addison's presence, but he was confused by them, and how they’d blow hot and cold. They seemed to ghost him after he left the hospital.
Addison didn’t know if they were ready for a romantic relationship. Friendships were pretty new to them still - were they really prepared to take things one step further? This massively violated their own, survivalist principles.

Addison was so tired of their principles. What started out feeling so rational, now seemed so awfully irrational, and so in September, Addison bit the bullet and asked Kai out on a date.

New Romance and New Beginnings

Kai made a wonderful boyfriend, but he came with baggage - mostly in the form of a woman named Iona Jacobs. Iona, a childhood friend and the frontwoman of his band, was bad news, and Addison could not stand her. Fortunately, she was easy enough to avoid, but their band was no longer just a hobby. In fact, Kai had just left his job at the garage to work on music full time. It was, undoubtedly, a big part of his life.

People had been trying to convince Addison to get a job for a while now - finances may not have been a concern for them, but people like Kai and Martha insisted that it would be good for Addison to experience life and the real world. They had trouble finding work for quite a while, but they eventually got a job working at Alex Toscano’s LGBT coffee shop, in Stoke-on-Trent.

Addison was doing better in themself. They got on well with their colleagues at the coffee shop, their relationship with Kai was going great, and even their mental health had improved, no longer quite as traumatised as they were shortly after Impossible Years. Even Martha was doing better now.
Things weren’t perfect - nothing had changed in their relationship with their dad, for example, but Addison was hoping to move out soon.
Kai, however, lived with Matthew - who was not doing so well. Kai was reluctant to move out, feeling like he’d be abandoning his friend. After a particularly explosive argument which escalated to the point of violence, however, Kai realised he had no choice.

In 2018, Addison moved into their new home with Kai. Such a big transition was strange and unfamiliar for Addison - they didn’t like leaving their childhood home, especially knowing that they’d never be coming back to visit. When Addison sat in their new living room with Kai by their side though, they knew that this was how it was meant to be.

Addison’s life became very familiar, comfortable, and consistent. They loved living with Kai, and having all of their own space inspired them to dive into their various hobbies, starting up a woodworking workshop in the garage, and delving into their violin-playing, too. Regardless of this, not everything in Addison’s life was perfect. For instance, Snake Bitez (the band composed of Kai, Matthew, Iona, and Julian Bailey), was really taking off. Kai began touring, leaving Addison without him for extended periods. Addison didn’t like this. They didn’t like dating a rockstar, and they didn’t like what little they’d heard about what was happening behind the scenes. Iona was abusive and manipulative - that’s what Addison had picked up, mostly from Matthew and whatever he’d come out with during a drunken rant. But Kai wouldn’t tell Addison anything about what was happening, leaving them suspicious and frustrated often. It was easy to see that Snake Bitez was making Kai miserable, but he wouldn’t quit, much to Addison’s frustration.

For years, tension built. Addison grew to despise Iona, not just for how they knew she treated Kai, but for how she treated Matthew as well. Matthew had never improved after Impossible Years, and now he was depressed, self-destructive, and addicted to alcohol, his relationship with Dakota in tatters and his relationships with others quickly going the same way.
Addison was convinced that Iona was deliberately aggravating these problems for her own gain.
In 2020, Kai was injured after a car accident involving Iona. The next year, half the band were arrested after an incident involving a very shady venue they played at. Kai was constantly coming home with bruises, cuts, and scrapes, and Addison didn’t believe Kai’s stories about falling equipment and broken instruments. Seeing how completely stressed Kai was made Addison equally stressed, and it took its toll on their relationship, too.

Addison tried to reach out to Matthew. They knew that there was a part of him that appreciated their company like nobody else’s. Addison saw no point in interventions or chastising him, but they’d sit by his side during his lowest moments.
Later in 2021, there was some progress, especially in Matthew’s life. Kai and Addison took an afternoon off to completely bottom his disgusting and depressing flat, but sometime next year, after Kai came home with particularly painful-looking injuries and Matthew had a concussion, Addison decided that enough was enough.

After squeezing information out of Matthew, Addison went to the studio late that evening, where they knew Iona would be. When they confronted her, it did not go in Addison’s favour. This argument escalated. Iona got aggressive and when the two of them became engaged in a physical fight, Iona knocked Addison to the floor with an electric guitar.

Addison was gravely hurt. For several days, they were locked in a coma, and when they woke up, they had amnesia - couldn’t remember their altercation with Iona, or even much about that day. The blame went on a notorious gang of thieves who’d been seen in the area that night - the same night that Iona was innocently at home with her father.
Addison was told that they were lucky to not be left with any permanent brain damage from the attack. After their wounds began to heal, they were left with a vertical scar that ran down their nose.
Kai was shaken. It made him question everything.

Addison focused on their own recovery. It wasn’t easy at all - very physically and mentally difficult. Often exhausted, they didn’t have the energy to care about Snake Bitez or Iona anymore - not that it was really much of a concern anyway right now, as Kai hardly left their side.

A month later, Kai was busy again, but things seemed different now. One evening he sat down with Addison and told them everything that had been happening.
He told Addison it was Iona was who had attacked them. They were unsurprised. Iona couldn't know that Kai knew, so instead, there were efforts made to ensure Iona was punished for a different crime. And additionally - Matthew and Kai would be parting ways with Snake Bitez.
Addison was beyond relieved.
After they left, Iona was arrested. An anonymous police report accused her of being involved in a murder from 2 years ago. Kai got a new job, eager to move on.

Samuel tried to get in touch with Addison in late 2022. Addison wanted nothing to do with him, despite Kai’s suggestion to at least hear him out.
The following year, Kai proposed to Addison. Later that year, they married - and Addison Ellis became Addison London. Addison, seemingly, had found their happy ending.

Future

Drama over, Addison’s life settled into normality. Kai and Addison lived a good life, and their peers all seemed happy, too.
Kai wanted to be a dad. Addison wasn’t sure about this - they’d never had any intention of being a parent. Their own troubled childhood and the way Samuel never bonded with his own child scared Addison. They were always adamant that they’d never go down that route. But things were different in those days.

In 2026, Addison, inspired by a conversation they heard at Ray’s non-alcoholic pub, decided to hear out their father, Samuel. For the first time ever, they both spoke candidly, Addison holding nothing back, completely honest about how much they loathed him for most of their life. Samuel was apologetic. Old, marred by regrets, and seemingly self-aware for the first time in his life, he truly listened, and wanted to make amends with Addison.
It took work, and it certainly didn’t happen overnight. But eventually, Addison and Samuel had something that looked a little bit like a relationship. Addison wouldn’t say they liked him. But they eventually became closer than they ever had been before.
When Sylvi and Martha broke up, Martha went through a rough patch. Addison offered all of their support. Martha had done so much for them - so much for so many people. It was the least they could do to be there for her now.

After Martha gave birth to twins, she offered to be a surrogate mother for Kai and Addison - who was coming round to the idea. Everyone was in their 30’s now, and everything in their life felt as settled as it could be. Addison was ready for the next thing, and in 2031, their son, Seth London was born. Addison adored him, and life couldn’t be better.

Addison grew old with Kai. They found a sense of peace and well-being in their life that they never thought they’d have.

Relationships

Family Tree (FamilyEcho)