Would you please [but only if you want to] tell me all about Maple and co. <3 I love what I've read so far!
Soup I would LOVE to tell you bout Maple and Company!
First and foremost, the Lives and Deaths of Maple Feychild takes place in a fantasy world made up of two major planes - The Feywilds and The Mortal Plane. Our main characters are Maple Feychild and Thomas Reynolds.
Maple Feychild is a fey elf from the Feywilds. Maple's main motivation is to play the violin at Sunhaven's Haven Opry. He visited once as a child and has been trying to get back ever since. The magic of the Feywilds is unpredicatable, and everytime he travels to the Mortal Plane, he ends up in a new location within the Windmere Kingdom and has to make his way to Sunhaven from wherever he ends up. He plays his violin in various inns and bars to make enough coin to get by. He knows the existence of the Feywilds is a secret to the Mortal Plane, but he can't help telling stories from his childhood. Most people in Windmere know about the wandering bard who tells fantastical stories about magic and beasts and wonder.
Thomas Reynolds is a high elf from the Windmere Kingdom on the Mortal Plane. Thomas is an archeologist predominantly interested in understanding what the Windmere Kingdom was like prior to its colonization by humans two hundred years prior. His thesis is that it was the original home of the Fey Elves and Elemental Magic (which does not exist in the 'modern' day). His research is technically punishable by death, but when has that ever stopped the pursuit of knowledge? So when he meets a strikingly handsome elf in a bar who not only casually uses the names of the Forbidden Gods but also looks remarkably like the golden elves in the paintings he uncovered? His curiosity gets the better of him and he ends up following Maple out into the wilderness. It's only after they spend four days travelling in the wrong direction that Thomas realizes Maple might actually be an idiot.
Unfortunately for Maple, Thomas is not the only group interested in him and they find themselves being hunted by the Cult of the Fey who believe Maple's blood can be used to tear down the veil around the Feywilds and return Elemental Magic to the Mortal Plane.
Map of the Windmere Kingdom:
I'm going to put a break here because oh my god this got really long I'm so sorry
Under the cut is more character info!
Maple Feychild. He’s pretty good at introducing himself, so here’s two entries from his diary:
Entry #1
12 Moonfall 15th42
Dying is… an inconvenience. An annoying, painful, downright stupid inconvenience.
I would know, I’ve died 47 times. Well, make that 48 times here very soon. Sometimes I wonder if 50th times the charm. A magic number that 50. Halfway to 100. A quarter of my age. An important number because it needs to be important. Otherwise, I’ve died 48 times for absolutely no good reason.
I should introduce myself, I really should, but right now a mugger has a knife in my kidney and he’s stolen my coin ring, and I’m about 50 seconds from losing consciousness. See? 50 is important.
And there I go. I’ve bled out. Again.
All I wanted was a street taco.
Entry #2
2 Nightscape 15th42
I’m dead for 50 days. Fifty days of utter blackness, my spirit flitting through the Aether, reliving every moment of my life. Two hundred years of living. Fifty days’ worth of memories. Every time I die, my time in the Aether gets longer and longer. Unfortunately, it gets no less enlightening, and these days, it only gets more embarrassing.
My name is Maple Feychild, the fifth son of a seventh son, two short of destiny. I am a Fey Elf, supposedly bestowed with great and fantastical magical powers. My oldest brother Rowan can conjure storms that rage across the Feywilds, mighty in their crashing rain and howling wind. Oak and Pine, the twins, transform into powerful beasts capable of taking down the largest monsters that lurk in the Wilds. Spruce imbues his powers into incredible inventions that revolutionize the daily life of the Wilds. And I, the most fantastical of all, am very good at playing the violin.
And my only dream in life is to perform on stage at the Haven Opry on the mortal plane in Sunhaven.
I just have to not die long enough to make it to auditions.
Maple has the most information about him as he's the protagonist and also a character I play for dnd! Maple started out as a bit of a joke. In our dnd campaign, he's a Summer Eladrin Elf and a bard. His personality started out being based on my best friend, an unapologetic flirt, queer, and well-meaning but occasionally endearingly dumb. We had an ongoing joke about eladrin elves being like country bumpkins, so I made Maple southern. As I played him he found his own voice, personality, and motivations. I wouldn't say much of who he was is still who he is now, other than probably still being a massive flirt!
I have a several page character document for Maple but here's the current opening snippet:
Youngest son of Rose Feychild and Aspen Feychild. The second-youngest Fey Elf in the Feywilds, he is often looked down on by his brothers for being the 'baby' of the family. His relationship with his parents is strained by his desire to live on The Mortal Plane. Maple is swayed by predominantly hedonistic tendencies and is often described by others as dramatic. He has a hard time engaging in self-reflection and also perspective taking. He often acts before he thinks and accepts things on face value. This causes him to get in trouble more often than is good for him. He has died 48 times, in varying and increasingly dumber ways. His most recent death came about because he failed to recognize a potentially dangerous situation and was robbed at knife point. Maple does not have a connection to the Wild Heart, something that is distressing to him, even if he acts like it doesn't bother him.
He lost his ability to perform magic at a young age. He does not remember ever being able to wield magic. He regains his ability to use magic when he and Thomas are threatened in Alire. As a bard, he uses music to cast his elemental magic.
And some info on his personality:
Likes: Being the center of attention, being dramatic, playing music, making other people laugh
Dislikes: Silence, being ignored, sitting still, being told what to do, Rowan Feychild
Love Language(s): All of them - He is needy
Himbo Scale: High Bastard High Stupid (this is how I personally characterize my characters, for contrast Varian is High Bastard Low Stupid)
Moral Alignment: Chaotic Dumbass but generally leans more Chaotic Good
Education: Basic homeschooling from his parents but when that's two thousands of years old creatures - that's quite the education
Fears: Dying alone, not having people like him, being a failure, not actually being good at music
Personal Goals: To perform at the Haven Opry, to find love (secretly)
General Attitude: Abrasively obnoxious, a little too over the top, tends to be in your face, can be quick to anger and sometimes yells without thinking
Religious Views: Believes in the Wild Heart, Is otherwise not religious
General Intelligence: Has the capacity to be very smart, prefers to live in the moment
General Sociability: Extremely social, but markedly aloof; Personable, manipulative, persuasive
Addictions: Praise kink, alcohol, anti-aging creams
And a summary of his relationships which introduces the several of the core characters:
Rose Feychild - Maple loves his mother dearly, but he doesn't always like how she babies him. Rose thinks Maple is extremely naive and she worries that if he goes to The Mortal Plane he will end up hurt. On going events do support her concerns. They are similar in temper and vanity.
Aspen Feychild - Aspen is far more level headed than both Rose and Maple. He is even keeled and generally kind. Maple wants to be viewed as a good man in his father's eyes but he disagrees with his father's stance that the Feywilds should remain cut off from The Mortal Plane.
Rowan Feychild - Maple's relationship with his oldest brother is extremely strained. Generally, the two do not get along and can often be found fighting. Rowan does not respect Maple because he gets all of their parents' attention and also because Maple does not have access to magic from the Wild Heart. As the heir to the Feychild Estate, Rowan views it as his duty to ensure all of his brothers are contributing members of society. Maple's lack of interest in the family business or any other job in the Feywilds causes him distress.
Oak & Pine Feychild - Maple has a neutral relationship with the twins. He prefers Oak slightly over Pine, but he would never admit that to anyone. The twins moved away from the Feychild Estate long before Maple was born and therefore he has not spent a lot of time with them.
Spruce Feychild - Maple is closest with Spruce as the two had some overlapping time together in childhood. Spruce is also the most like Maple, he also travels to The Mortal Plane occasionally. Spruce admires the fact that Maple is unabashedly himself. Maple loves that Spruce is so creative.
Thomas Reynolds - Maple starts out disliking Thomas, viewing him as an obnoxious groupie. Overtime, he comes to find that he cares about Thomas' opinions and viewpoints. Maple has never had a genuine friendship with someone who wasn't family before. After Thomas is taken by the Cult of the Fey and dies, Maple realizes he is deeply in love with Thomas and would do anything for him. Maple breaks the One Rule of the Feywilds to save Thomas - Do Not Enter the Wild Heart
Thomas Reynolds. Our guy hasn't gotten quite the same attention as Maple but I can tell you that compared to Maple, Thomas is very intelligent and analytical. He is always asking questions and seeking to understand the world. He has few close friends due to his research. He travels a lot and rarely stays in one place at any given time. He is amicable with his parents but he stays away in order to keep them safe. It's a dangerous and lonely life hunting down the truth about the world they live in.
In developing Thomas, his name is actually the most important part to me. Reynolds is my grandfather's name and he is the reason I write stories. I lost him when I was young, and giving his name to characters in my stories is my way of telling him that I still remember the gift he gave me. Thomas is also a family name.
I'm still working on putting together his full character profile but working on these dialogue prompts has given me a chance to really think about who Thomas is as a fully developed character.
Some of my and my friends other dnd characters make occasional appearances where needed, so you also have Valiant Nemore the Storyteller (Maple's predominant Entertainment Competition), June and Berry Goldfluff (travelling adventurers), Avi the Dragonborn (all good stories must include an Avi - inside joke - he runs a bakery), and who I haven't decided on roles yet for - Kal, Serra, Lilah, Florence, Gobbie, and others. (These parts aren't set in stone, more like a cast of potential characters to use as needed for plot purposes)
Had to track down an old reference of Isbel to add her unruly hoard of children to tomodachi life, so enjoy her reference art throughout the years! (I haven’t drawn her since 2020???)
However far I get into actually rendering this piece, I will be forever satisfied with it because I've added a little chibi Thomas to the corner yelling at Maple
Maple *unwilling to admit how badly he messed up disguise self*: For the aesthetic, Thomas
The most exciting thing that came from our dnd session last friday is that we've crossed planes into our spelljammer campaign and that means one very important thing, my boy Maple's back!
Which of course means he needs a new game icon. But I'm also working on a purely self-indulgent full drawing that involves wet, hairdown Maple for... reasons...
My wife upon seeing Maple with his hair down: Put. It. Back.
The Lives and Deaths of Maple Feychild - Chapter 1 - Excerpt
Peak talking to your mom energy.
[If original fiction isn't your jam you can filter out #LaDoMF. I don't plan to post a ton about this project, but I'll still be sharing some stuff occasionally.]
Her tongue clucked not unlike a nagging hen, "Ya've lost weight."
"I eat plenty," He tore a bite out of dried sausage link and made a show of chewing the piece thoughtfully. Another bite, "There are several little cafes in Sunhaven I do think ya would just adore."
A knuckle wrapped against the top of his head, "Don't talk wih yer mouth full, Maple."
"Sorry, Momma," Maple took a final bite of his dried sausage and popped a cube of tart yellow cheese into his mouth. It was dense and flavored with herbs. Not his favorite, but good nonetheless. Food was delicious and sweet in the Mortal Plane, but it was hearty and filling in the Feywilds.
Gentle hands lifted his hair and trimmed the ends until every misplaced split end was wrangled into perfection, "Y'ain't drinking enough water."
"I drink plenty," His fingers wrapped around the wooden cup she had set beside his food and he took three deep swallows.
"Ya need to sleep more, ya look tired." She pulled his hair up into a flouncy bun atop his head and with a kiss to each cheek she pulled a single curling strand of hair out near his temples. He gave her a warm, appreciative smile. With one final assessing look, Rose nodded sharply to herself and turned back to her stew which had begun to boil on the stove.
“I would look less tired if my eyes were brighter," He cleared his throat and batted his long lashes at her, "Ya've a cream for that, dontcha Momma? Could I have some?”
“Ya shouldn’t be so vain, Maple.” She narrowed her, wrinkle-free and well-rested, eyes at him.
Maple is, I cannot stress this enough, 200 years old.
For any who are curious, their dialect is akin to a Western North Carolina accent, which I'm still playing around with how to portray in written format.
