First, I just want to clarify - I have never seen a maple tree. I think I've tasted genuine maple syrup, like once. But I sincerely hope that wherever I end up, it has maple trees.
I watched this series The Untamed (Chinese: 陈情令; pinyin: Chén Qíng Lìng) on Netflix. It's Chinese and I know I am a strict Japan-lover, but I need some BL and my hand slipped. I will not get in to a description of the show or the things I loved (and hated: they literally kill off EVERY strong female character, but ONE) here. We don't have that kinda time. But the point is, the series is adorable and tells the story of two soulmate cultivators (magic-using super-powered people in ancient China) - Wei Ying (the chaotic, meddling one) and Lan Zhan (the stoic, suffering one). Bunnies (little cute, white ones) are important to the story. They represent the pure, innocent love between the two protagonists. Or so I'd like to think.
Once I made it through the beautiful 50 episodes, I of course turned to fan-fiction. As I scoured Tumblr for fic recommendations, I came across this lovely telling: Where's Your Emergency written by a lovely human person, who I only know through their psued: trippednfell. In the second chapter of their work, Wei Ying sits and draws with Lan Zhan's adopted son. They make a bunny and give it a home. And in reading that description, I felt a visceral need to be that bunny and have that home - a burrow at the foot of a tree in a beautiful forest.
Due to a paucity of time, we will NOT be dissecting the possible psychological implications of any of the above.
Lacking any other option, I drew the burrow on my iPad (Procreate is a gift I was given that just keeps on giving) and decorated the forest floor with maple leaves. The seemed odd to everyone who saw them. And exploring that oddity led to this story.
I made every single pixel of the images above (illustrations on Procreate and layout on Canva Pro (FTW)) and I am ridiculously proud of the outcome. This is what I've always dreamed of doing - writing and illustrating stories. So here's the first of many.
Thank you for reading this. And if you liked it or appreciated it, comment on it. Especially if you want more adventures of the lop-eared bunny and the edgy bunny.