PPG AU: The Celestial Rulers

Hey, everybody! Antoni, here, back with another piece of my PPG AU fan art set in the Edo period of Japan. As promised, here they are. The Celestial Rulers, The Prince and Princess of the Heavens, The Steadfast Lord and his Lovingly Jovial Lady, Boomer-ouji-sama and Bubbles-hime-sama. Joining this lawfully wedded couple are their children, aka my fan-babies, the twins, Bailey and Barley, the middle daughter, Brittany, and the youngest daughter, Birdie.

Man, I have been wanting to draw fanart of my most favorite of the RRBxPPG pairings, Boomer/Bubbles or Boomubbles, because of how not only plausible they are as a couple but also for how adorable they are together. Plus, the Blues seem to have the best chemistry, especially where fanon is concerned. While I do find the mixed pairings occurring with the Blues like Blossoomer to be cute, Boomercup to be kind of funny, and Brickubbles and Butchubbles to be sort of endearing in a platonic big guy protects little lady fashion, there is no denying that I really, really love Boomer and Bubbles together.

In this AU, I wanted to heighten the feudal fairy tale aspect of this story by having Boomer and Bubbles as the celestial prince and princess as well as respectively being the high-ranking yokai lord and lady. Boomer is an amalgamation of Tsukuyomi the Shinto moon god, the Emperor and the Five Princes from The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, and Zushonosuke from Tenshu Monogatari or Goddess of the Dark Tower from the anime anthology series, Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales. In Bubbles' case, she is an amalgamation of Amaterasu the Shinto sun goddess, Princess Kaguya also from The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, and Tomihime also from Goddess of the Dark Tower. In addition to that, I can see these two being the first of their respective siblings to marry and have children, in spite of the fact that they are the youngest. Eventually, the Reds and the Greens follow suit with a double wedding. Seeing as these two lovebirds are the youngest that means that their older siblings have to be not only their guardians but to also ensure their overall safety, as they maintain the natural balance of the heavens and of the earth. With that said, let's talk about this couple individually as well as their darling children.

Prince Boomer or Boomer-ouji-sama in Japanese, also known as the Lunar Prince, is the noble, peace-loving, kind-hearted, and emphatic male celestial ruler, who appears to be a young man between 25 to 26 years old. With his charming face, dashing features, and overall dignity as a nobleman, he radiates with a positive aura that makes his older brothers, his sisters-in-law, his wife, his children, and every person, deity, and creature cherish and love him. His main abilities are shooting lightning from his hands to his fingertips, levitation, super speed, and heightened combat skills. One should not be fooled by his infectiously sweet nature, as he will fight back using all of his might if ever anyone not only hurts him but also his wife, Bubbles, his sisters-in-law, Blossom and Buttercup, and/or his older brothers, Brick and Butch. Prior to obtaining the title of the Celestial Prince, Boomer was not always the person he was today, especially in his younger years.

As the youngest brother, he was always on Brick's and Butch's shadows, as he did what they told him to do and were more warlike in everything they did. Boomer always knew deep down that he was not as much of a warrior compared to Brick's choleric nature and Butch's brute strength. As a matter of fact, he loathed the destruction his brothers were making not only in the heavens and in the earth, but also towards each other. Every waking day, he had to witness his older brothers tormenting each other over a disagreement and there were times that Brick and Butch almost fatally injured each other with their incessant beatdowns. Finally growing a backbone, Boomer decided that he wanted nothing more to do with their petty animosity and left them for a while to search for inner peace.

One day in a quiet forest, as Boomer was becoming one with nature through meditation, he encountered a lovely, young maiden he knew ever since he was a child named Princess Bubbles. He always admired her not only for her beauty with her youthful and petite features, her infectiously radiant smile, and her overall positive aura but also for her kindness, her warmth, and her quickness to forgive. As he saw her combing her long blonde hair near a river, he shyly approached her and greeted her. Bubbles turned around to see Boomer right behind her and she easily recognized him, as she embraced him. To Boomer, his feelings for the young princess grew and he very much knew that he was destined for her.

After meeting each other again, Bubbles re-introduced Boomer to her older sisters, Blossom and Buttercup, as the boy who was nice to her and sisters, unlike Brick and Butch. Blossom and Buttercup welcomed him with open arms and finally, Boomer did the nearly unthinkable by asking Bubbles' hand in marriage. Bubbles was initially shocked, but Boomer assured her that he will be the most faithful husband ever. To prove his fidelity, he has to fulfill laborious tasks in order to marry Bubbles.

Full of determination, he set off to travel to India to obtain the stone bowl of Buddha, to Horai Island to obtain the jeweled sprig, to China to obtain the robe of the fire rat, and to other parts of Japan to obtain the jewel from the dragon's neck and the swallows' cowrie shell. Despite the fact that the labors were tough, Boomer was able to accomplish each of them, as he gave the items to Bubbles. He also gave her one very special item that neither Heaven nor Earth can have and that was his kiss of true love to her. As he passionately kissed Bubbles, she was at first speechless, but she reciprocated.

Eventually, they ended up married, as Boomer ruled side by side with Bubbles as the Celestial Rulers, thus rekindling his relationship with his older brothers and appointing them, alongside Blossom and Buttercup, to be their most loyal guardians known as the Four Holy Beasts. From there, Boomer and Bubbles reigned the heavens with clemency, love, harmony, and joy. If anyone were to disrupt the peace of the Celestial Realm, then it would be up to the Four Holy Beasts and the Celestial Rulers themselves to ward off any oppressor in order to keep the heavenly and earthly balance alive for generations to come. Prince Boomer has also made a vow to not kill any living creature, as one always deserves a second chance in life. Moreover, he has made a vow of everlasting love, fidelity, and allegiance to his wife, Princess Bubbles, so that they can stay together until the end of time and in sickness and in health.

Boomer always strikes me as the one who is the most sympathetic out of his older brothers. For that, I decided to give him the role of the Celestial Prince, who is essentially an amalgamation of The Emperor and the Five Princes, Tsukuyomi the moon god, and Zushonosuke the falconer. Even more so, I wanted to make his attire have a sort of night theme, hence the stars on his hakama and even the upper portion having the shade of the night sky. To add to his noble bearing, I even gave him golden crescent moon shoulder pads, gave him a cape that is slightly lighter than the upper half of his hakama, and even golden slippers. Plus, I gave Boomer long hair tied in a ponytail almost reminiscent of Zushonosuke's hairstyle and I will admit he looks really fetching with it, and I kind of made him a kinder, sweeter-looking version of Sesshoumaru and Inu-no-Taishou from Inuyasha with the crescent moon on his forehead and the stripes on his cheeks.

Princess Bubbles or Bubbles-hime-sama, also known as the Solar Princess, is the kind, loving, merciful, clement, and nurturing female Celestial Ruler, who appears to be a 24-year-old young woman. With her grace, elegance, charm, beauty, and overall allure, she has become the popular choice for many a suitor. It is not just young men that she attracts but also animals, celestial beings, demons, deities, and all creatures of the heavens and of the earth. Her main abilities are teleportation, telekinesis, shooting light beams from her fingertips, laser eye beams, bringing inanimate objects to life, creating a floral storm with her robe, and creating objects with the wave of her fingers. Bubbles may appear jovial and an all-around sweet girl, but once she sees anything destroyed or desecrated the perpetrator will never escape from her unhinged wrath. She seemed to enjoy the privileges of being a princess with so many suitors before she was married to Prince Boomer. However, in spite of the fact that she had many suitors growing up, she yearned for true, untainted love and not just another handsome face giving empty promises of riches, prestige, and the like.

Growing up as the youngest daughter of Utonium no Ouja and Keane no Jouou may have its privileges such as being the center of attention and even having her older sisters, Blossom and Buttercup, help her out of a sticky situation from what to wear to a festival to keeping the peace between the celestial and the mortal worlds. Boomer came into her life almost by mere chance, as if though they were destined to be together for all eternity. Initially, she never saw him as an ideal romantic partner and only as just a friend. On the other hand, she never saw his older brothers, Brick and Butch, as potential romantic partners either because of their machismo tendencies and in Brick's case his overly demanding personality and in Butch's case his wild, untamed, and warlike nature. Moreover, young men whether they be mortals or deities have all been pining to ask for her hand in matrimony. Even as a teenager, Princess Bubbles did have some sense and every time she would inquire about their desire to marry her. It is always the same answer, it was because she was beautiful and seems to be the most ideal wife and nothing more.

Unable to put up with the mere empty promises of her suitors, Princess Bubbles decided to live her life as an untouchable virgin. That is until one fateful day, she was encountered by Boomer who was at first meditating, but was captured by Princess Bubbles' unmistakable features. She was overjoyed to see him, as things were coming together piece by piece in terms of their relationship. Her sisters even marveled at Boomer's kindness and unwillingness to be part of a matched set. Because of all that, he even asked Bubbles for his hand in marriage, which was where the laborious tasks came into play.

After several days and nights and weeks, Boomer came back with all of the necessary items to obtain Bubbles' hand in marriage. She was really shocked at his prodigious speed, insurmountable courage, and unbridled determination. So much so, that as Boomer kissed her so passionately, tears of joy ran down from her eyes. It was from there that she knew that Boomer will stay at her side not only as her Celestial Prince but also as her lawfully-wedded husband.

The moment I thought about Kaguya-hime or Amaterasu or Tomihime, I always thought that Bubbles might be the perfect fit for the Celestial Princess in this AU, as she is an amalgamation of these three heroines mostly in terms of appearance and attire. Unlike Boomer, who represents the night, Bubbles' overall sunny disposition makes her compatible with the day, hence the sun crest she bears, which is supposed to be a marriage present from Prince Boomer himself. Her floral robe may have been a challenge to do, but I enjoyed making it nonetheless. Yes, I also made Bubbles's hair a lot longer, as I was also inspired by Lady Asaji's and Lady Kaede's appearances from Akira Kurosawa's Throne of Blood and Ran. Much like Boomer, I also gave her golden slippers, a golden hair tie, and even yokai features similar to that of Sesshoumaru's mother from Inuyasha.

Now is the part where I briefly talk about their children, Bailey and Barley the twin brothers, Brittany the middle daughter, and Birdie the youngest daughter.

The twin brothers, Bailey and Barley, who appear to be 6-year-old boys, have a strong relationship not only with each other but their parents too. Bailey inherited his mother's warmth and sunny attitude. While Barley inherited his father's shyness and empathy. As the eldest children, it is their responsibility to set a good example in the family if they are to become the next Celestial Rulers.

Brittany, who appears to be a 5-year-old girl, is the level-headed middle child of the family. She is very close to her father, as he always makes sure that she sees the beauty in everything has to offer her. For someone as young as Brittany, she has gained a knack for knowing about how celestial and earthly beings function.

Birdie, who appears to be a 3-year-old little girl, is the cherub of the family. Positivity, love, and light always seem to ensue because of her presence. She is close to both of her parents and especially looks up to Bailey, Barley, and Brittany as role models.

I hope you enjoyed this PPG AU I came up with. It was really fascinating to combine ancient Japanese mythology and anime influences with the Powerpuff Girls and I had a lot of fun doing so.

Boomer and Bubbles from The Powerpuff Girls belong to Craig McCracken.

Zushonosuke and Tomihime from Ayakashi Samurai Horror Tales: Tenshu Monogatari belongs to Hidehiko Kadota, Kouzou Nagayama, and Yuuji Sakamoto.

Bailey, Barley, Brittany, and Birdie belong to me.