There is only one thing for it then — to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting.
– T. H. White
NameMarlin Maxwell – refused to change his name at first, and only when forced, he changed a single letter (and not much of the pronunciation) out of stubbornness.
NicknamesMaxwell or Max – Given how similar his name is to his original one, some preferred to call him by his surname in the early days of living in Cedar Grove, and it seems to have stuck.
Original NameMerlin / Emrys / Merlin Ambrosius
Story of OriginKing Arthur & The Knights of the Round Table
AgeThirty-Five (398)
GenderMale
Sexual OrientationBisexual
MagicYes – Addicted
Job/Position- Owner of 'Merlin's Mysteries' (Vale-Related)
- Former Head-Magician
So, Marlin collects and restores old books, historical documents and antiques, storing them all within a shop that can only be described as a 'nook'. While at the front of the shop he sells the latest bestsellers, most of his business is in the back: rare, non-Vale pieces are carefully documented and sold online, while he keeps the good stuff for himself under lock and key. To that extent, Marlin serves as caretaker of a collection of all the relics and magical items brought over from their original realm.
Marlin stands somewhere in between 5'8" and 5'9", and the uncertainty comes from the overabundance of curls in his hair which makes him seem taller than he actually is. In fact, during his Bad Times™ (what he calls the period in which his magical addiction spiralled out of control) when he sheared off his messy mop, he seemed particularly small – thank the lord it's grown back in now, for the most part. His build is still recovering from the trials he put it through during this time: there is a distinct gauntness in his build that he struggled for a good year to shed that is not returning, and dark purple circles under his eyes betray long nights of insomnia. Once upon a time, with no pun intended, Marlin sported a healthy build and complexion and wasn't as deathly pale as he is now, though he was always on the skinnier, meeker side of things.
He dresses plainly. White t-shirts, flannel, coloured button-ups in some mundane, nonthreatening colour. Sometimes he can even be seen wearing sneakers (his excuses being that he is "down with the kids" or "never grew up") though usually a worn but no less respectable pair of Oxfords. Most of his clothes are stained in some way, shape or form by paint or torn by the thorns on the roses he likes to grow in his garden. Often oil paints and pastels and charcoal mark his skin, too, and Marlin's almost a stereotypical 'starving artist'.
To some extent, this leaves Marlin looking quite young for his age. In addition to his fashion sense, his wide doe eyes, blue, betray a certain innocence which probably doesn't exist in the first place; however, it seems like it does. Coupled with a charming, toothy and supposedly sincere smile, this marks him as quite handsome – in a nerdy, humble, bookish librarian sort of way. The whole effect is emphasised when he puts on his reading glasses and he suddenly becomes something out of the 1940s, a time before technology. Despite being a unrepentant hipster, he fits quite well in with mundane, non-magical society.
Overall? Marlin looks trustworthy and has that small-town aesthetic going on in his appearance.
"Abracadabra!"
PersonalityMarlin runs a book and antique shop. Therefore, it's not entirely unexpected that he's an insufferable know-it-all, fond of reading and learning; possessing all sorts of obscure factual information and tidbits of general knowledge. Nothing is too small or useless to be beyond his notice – he's quite keen, observant. For example, he knows a lot of his regulars' names, and he has a spreadsheet in his head for every Vale he knows' favourite drink if (or when) they go to the bar. He's not a stalker, and he uses it for entirely benevolent purposes, because if he knows what people like – what they prefer to talk about, conversation starters – people will like him more.
Along the same lines, Marlin is a good listener, and pays attention to people when they're speaking to him, which often nets him a reputation as being friendly. He always pays his tab on time, and sometimes – if money isn't tight – he'll pick up someone else's too for generosity's sake, though only friends. He doesn't have many of them as he prefers a quiet life with the occasional relaxing drinking session on a Friday night (although "trips away" are becoming more frequent as he's back on the magic) so he treats those he still has with even more care, especially since they must see something in him despite the scandal that was his rather public spiral into addiction. He can be quite motherly, nagging others to eat or sleep or whatever he thinks will make them healthier and/or happier.
But not himself. Never himself. Marlin seems to forget that he is a person at times in between running the shop, going out for a few beers, doing his hobbies, fulfilling various handyman tasks in his apartment building... To that end he can be quite self-destructive, but even more than that is his denial of it all. If he's asked how he is, there's a lie on his lips before anything else, even to those closest to him. Marlin is very stoic, and plays his cards close to his chest. Naturally, bottling everything up inside isn't a very safe thing to do, especially when he has delusions that everything is hunky-dory and that he's not using and abusing magic, even after going 'cold turkey'.
He's also a bit of a sap. Lord only knows how many limited or special edition Peter Pan books he's bought over the years for his adoptive daughter.
Strengths- Good (and compulsive) liar;
- "Worldly" – fairly well-read and knowledgeable;
- Level-headed and logical.
- Doesn't easily trust others and is naturally suspicious;
- Increasingly self-destructive;
- Addictive personality, and in denial about it;
- Imprisonment in an enchanted prison: a tomb which will he will eventually waste away in.
- Emotional instability (again) as a result of a continuous addiction to magic;
- Uncontrollable magical outbursts hurting someone he likes or loves;
- His adoptive kid dying.
"Aha! Open sesame!"
HistoryMerlin – Court Magician of Camelot and trusted advisor to King Arthur. He was instrumental in bringing peace to the sovereign lands of his best friend and wanted no glory for it, except perhaps a warm bed and all the wine in the world that he wanted. Burnt by dragons, stabbed by manticores, challenged by witches and wizards who tried to kill him (Niviane) and eventually witness to the destruction of Mystvale as a whole at the hands of great darkness and evil.
In Cedar Grove: the first thing Merlin did was research everything he could about the world and world history by reading books, attending classes at the nearest community college and ultimately being a sponge. As the original Head Magician, he was outspoken for magic essence not being outlawed as it could be handled safely with regulations. Naturally, he was very involved with the creation of Essix on the sly, which only led to his own use of it. After ten or so years of living in the town, it came to light, and he quit (almost) cold turkey from a serious addiction to the stuff. Following that, he put in his two weeks notice and didn't show his face around town for a long while.
He disappeared from the Vale culture springing up in Cedar Grove, and wasn't seen in any of the bars he frequented. During this time he presumably got himself a degree in library science before returning to the public eye. Accepting his fate now at being called 'Marlin' for the rest of his time in the realm, he opened a bookshop with an ironic name that was (of course) a dig at their supposedly disguised identities. In 'Merlin's Mysteries' he stores a handful of important texts he borrowed from the archives when he was Head Magician – stolen, basically – and a handful of different, experimental schematics for Essix. He doesn't use the latter now, he swears.
Because he's memorised the formula.
Despite being clean of it for a good decade at the very least, and spending his summers travelling outwith Cedar Grove and even the state itself, he recently started partaking in that sort of lifestyle again, though he seems to be trying to hide it.
Likes- Magic and all things magical; spells, foci, potions...
- Relaxing pursuits such as dog-walking, painting, meditating, gardening.
- Campaigning through proper channels for the reintroduction of magic into Cedar Grove, even if he knows it'll get shot down;
- Loud indie music blasting 24/7;
- Helping out at the library's reading groups for school kids (also children in general);
- DIY projects that he never finishes;
- Painting pastoral landscapes.
- Feelings of defenselessness and powerlessness;
- Noisy neighbors and busybodies;
- Cats – all cats are evil hellspawn;
- Anti-Magic sentiment in town;
- Addiction and all the side-effects thereof. It's a good thing he's not, right?
"No, wait, I've got it: double, double toil and trouble; fire burn, and cauldron bubble."
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