July Catch-All! (Open and Closed Starters)

[survivalthroughhate]

Who: survivalthroughhate Darth Maul and you!
What: Maul has a rough July
When: Starting the second week of July and going through to the end
Where: All over Trench

Content Warnings: Madness and disassociation of the sort found in this canon clip, cannibalism, body horror, forming a blood bond under outside influences in a pre-established relationship, self-harm, more added as necessary

Comments

A) Maul Corrupted - Mid-July (OTA)

[survivalthroughhate]

Maul had died at the hands of Faith, mercy-killed as Willow tormented him, caught up in her own darkness. Watching his beloved little brother be killed before he did had sent Maul over the edge. Tossed amidst the waves in the ocean, he didn't feel the peacefulness he should have encountered there. No, all he felt was a toxic combination of rage, hate, guilt, and sadness. It poisoned his form with corruption.

By the time he washed back up on the beach, what crawled back out of the waves into wasn't exactly 100% Maul. He was corrupted through and through, almost to the point of beasthood, a freakish monstrosity that had metallic spider legs and whose mind was completely fractured. There was a small squid clinging to one of his eight legs and for a moment he considered eating the small creature. But even in his madness, something told him this creature was no for eating. He gently disentangled the squid that would eventually reform into his brother and let him be carried out back into the waves by the tide.

This creature that had once been Maul found solace in the dark parts of the city. Talk of something in the back-alleys in dangerous corners of the city people knew better than to go through, rumors of a scuttling presence in the sewers that would occasionally come to the surface before disappearing back into the darkness, anywhere corruption festered this spider creature could be found. Oftentimes, he was focused simply on eating any corpses that were around. Monster, sentient creature, or animal, he didn't care as long as he got food. People that approached him oftentimes made him try to disappear. Attempts to engage him might occasionally make him stay, though it was clear he no longer recognized anyone who knew him.

He protected his meals with jealous energy, muttering strange things to himself. "Through victory my chains are broken.....the chains....the chains are the easy part....it's what goes on in here that's hard....." "No, no, no, no! Mustn't let it happen, can't let them get away with it all...." And most chilling of all, in moments of perfect clarity. "...Revenge. I must have revenge."

[imaglyphwitch]

[Luz had somehow foolishly thought that the early month of July would be the worst. Enough things had happened lately that she said to herself do you really want to do this? Invite MORE bad things to happen, pursue more pain? Go stay with Lexi and have yourself another free month! It was tempting.

But once she heard the descriptions of what had been in the dark, caught in glimpses, there was no way that Luz could stay put. There were good people in pain this month, and even if some people weren't so good, they still needed help. So Luz rebandaged herself, got on her staff, and whisked off to find whatever was creeping in those shadows.

It took a few hours, comparing and contrasting leads, figuring out where the creature might be last, but after some more leads, Luz inevitably came upon the spider creature. She approached calmly, wanting to make sure she could slap down a few glyphs if any hunter came barreling over. For now, the creature had its back to Luz, so she could only approach it as benignly as she could.

"Hello? Spider creature? Do you...need help?"

cw: cannibalism

[survivalthroughhate]

Maul was being driven mostly by animal instincts right now. Eat, then find a place to hide and sleep before he went out to hunt again. Sometimes he went for live prey and sometimes he just searched for carrion. Today was a little bit of both.

He'd stumbled across the dead body of a native. Maul had been He hadn't killed them, they had already been dead thanks to a corrupted beast by the time Maul had come along, so he had just killed the monster while it was distracted feasting on the corpse as well. Now he had two dinners! What a luck day! He bit down with sharp teeth, occasionally using his claws to tear off smaller chunks that he could more easily swallow.

Then someone came up behind him. He glanced over his shoulder and hissed, part in surprise and part in warning as he skittered back into the shadows as far as he could. His Sith yellow eyes could still be seen glittering there in the darkness. He wasn't trapped, there was plenty of ways for him to escape back into the sewers, but he was reluctant to abandon what he saw as his rightful food. This new person was small and couldn't have that much meat on them. "Leave," he said. "Yes, leave leave leave. Mustn't stay, mustn't interfere, it's mine, all mine."

Re: cw: cannibalism

[imaglyphwitch]

Luz was startled by the creature, and then her heart sunk once she realized she knew who it was too: the eyes and the face were unmistakable. It was Darth Maul, though what had happened to him Luz couldn't plainly say. Something had transformed him, that was for certain, and if she wanted to stay unscathed, she was going to have to approach him as gently as she could.

Which was, to say, MORE gently, as Luz wasn't exactly racing out to confront him.

"Maul? Darth Maul? It's me, Luz. Your friend. Do you recognize me?"

[fogsong]

Sharon overhears the rumors of something odd roaming the streets and the sewers and she doesn't think much of it at first. Trench is full of the odd and the abnormal and this month seems to have bred more of it than usual. It's not until she overhears someone who swears up and down they'd gotten a good view of the creature that it really catches Sharon's attention. Red and black and horns and legs. She tells herself that it's unlikely to be Maul, though she hasn't seen her teacher for some time now, and can't quite stop the nagging feeling in the back of her mind.

It doesn't take long before she decides to hunt down the rumor if only to just put it to rest in her mind.

She narrows down the possible locations quickly and heads out one night, towards one of the areas it had been recently spotted. It's a seedier, messier area of the city that she rarely visits but there's a sewer entrance nearby. She searches for several hours and nearly gives up when she hears his voice. He speaks of revenge and she immediately knows it's him.

She follows the sound, one hand hovering above the gun on her hip, and calls out when she's close enough, "Maul? Maul, it's Sharon." In the shadows, it's hard to see him but she doesn't dare use her powers to light the area up in case it frightens him away. Or worse, angers him.

[survivalthroughhate]

He's made a little area for himself in the sewers, all full of useless junk and other objects that he'd picked up in a moment of fascination before forgetting about them as soon as he placed them in the territory he feels is his in the sewers. A lot of them are bright, shiny, and/or have loud colors, showing what has been catching his eye when he goes up to the surface.

He's resting for the moment but soon skitters forward when he hears there is someone else now there with him. There's no recognition in his eyes when he sees Sharon, only the madness of one who has gone completely insane and the basic instincts of a predator within them. He continues talking, not to Sharon but just more of his insane ramblings. He sounds furious though it's not directed at anyone in particular. "Jedi! Stole my legs, took them from me!"

[threelayers]

So, she was out patrolling the streets. This was about the time that Anna had come back from the dead and she was deeply infected with the 'good.' It wasn't a remotely helpful state of mind to be in to avoid serious problems. So, she was definitely out there in force to try and keep the streets safe. Corruption was rampant, after all.

One look at him, and she was stunned, shocked at the sight of him, frowning. No, she didn't recognize 'what' he was, but there was enough in that monstrosity to know this was Maul. But he wasn't assaulting immediately. That was important. She stopped as soon as he made a defensive gesture towards what clearly... well, she could tell that one had died a while ago, so it wasn't his kill at least.

She frowned and raised a hand to try and ward off fear. Could she help him?

(OOC: I'm open to just making this a painful, futile gesture since she's got her own problems this month, but it seemed fitting that she at least try. If you've got additional ideas, go ahead and let me know.)

[survivalthroughhate]

Maul immediately set upon the old corpse. He wasn't picky about how fresh the dead were when he ate them, acting more on instinct right now than anything else. He tore off a strip of meat, hungrily gulping it down, and then another, beginning to satiate the basic hunger that was driving him.

Then he got the sensation that there was a pair of eyes upon him. He looked up and saw Neo looking at him. There was no recognition in his mad gaze, only the basic instincts of a predator mixed in with the fractured insanity of a mind that couldn't become whole again on its own. He hissed at the woman and scraped his two front legs along the ground in an aggressive manner. She was unwanted here and needed to leave.

[threelayers]

Ok, this was definitely bad. she could tell that Maul was in no mental state to properly figure out what was going on right now. Hopping back, she had her umbrella out, but did that really look like a weapon? Only if he knew better right then. She frowned and tried to use her free hand to make a downward motion, to attempt a silent command.

She wanted to try and get through to him, but she wasn't sure it would work. Still, she had retreated a little bit so there was that, right?

B) Maul De-Corrupted - Mid-July (For Vyng)

[survivalthroughhate]

Maul was feasting on one of the many bits of carrion around the city. He'd pulled off the monster corpse into the dark corner of an abandoned building and was currently swiftly eating. He didn't like being on the surface like this. Too exposed, too open, too much chance of being attacked.

There were so many enemies out there, all of them wanting to harm him, all of them wanting to see him dead. But no. No. He would survive it all just as he always had. No matter what it took, no matter what price had to be paid, he wasn't going to succumb to what others tried to do to him.

He was in mid-bite, part of a kidney still in one clawed hand, when he heard someone drawing near. He hissed and shied further away into the dark corner, hoping they would go away. In his madness and desire to stay away from people, Maul hadn't realized he'd ended up with no exits nearby in the building. Someone was coming near and he didn't like that.

They were going to try to take away his food! Or worse yet do something to him. No, he couldn't allow that to happen. He hissed again, waving his two front metallic spider legs in a threatening manner.

[spiritwalks]

Vyng's grows still.

"Easy. Easy, buddy..."

His gaze is fixed on the horns crowning Maul's head — avoiding his eyes, as well as the shredded meat still clutched in his claws. Having lived as both prey and predator during his shapeshifter days, Vyng is keenly aware of the common triggers for a creature driven by instinct and survival. He does his best to avoid them.

When he speaks, his tone is quiet. Gentle.

"I'm not here to hurt you."

[survivalthroughhate]

Vyng's strategy is a good one. Maul's not sure if he's friend or foe but the madness in his mind doesn't make him trust easily. He sees everyone as a potential threat, someone to hurt him or betray his trust.

"Lies! Lies lies lies!" His usual soft, smooth voice was ragged with the edges of insanity and his volume rose nearly to a shriek on the last word.

[spiritwalks]

That Maul wouldn't take his word for it isn't so surprising. He's confused, desperate to survive, and trapped in a sad, black-and-white world of Me vs. Them. Can it even be called living?

But Vyng speaks many languages, knows certain gestures that seem to transcend species. So, without another word, he goes out on a limb as a show of good faith.

Vyng slowly settles onto the ground. Rolls over. And shows his belly to Maul, in an attempt to make himself as non-threatening as possible. Pride means very little to him right now. Not if it can be helpful.

C) Star-Crossed Lovers (Late July) For Reaper

[survivalthroughhate]

Back to normal, Maul took the opportunity to keep a lower profile, though occasionally the Good within him forced him out to help people. Aside from that, he just tried to stay close to home, given all that had happened over the past two months.

He had the urge to spend more time with Reaper though he chalked that up purely to the fact he'd gone through a lot and wanting the comfort of his significant other around. He called up Reaper and left him a voicemail one day. "Come on over. I need you around." He didn't care if Reaper needled him for being so blatantly needy, right now he just wanted his boyfriend around as a stabilizing presence.

Once he was there, Maul spent a great deal of time on the couch with Reaper just spent slowly kissing and with a lot of heavy petting, wanting to physically be close to his mate. Cuddled up close to him, alternately running his hands lightly over his back and stroking his hair, he voiced something that had been on his mind for a while. "I've been thinking."

[no_reload]

Reaper had understood the mission, and he had expected that he and the Reckoning would get along perfectly well. Everything he did had a taint of revenge on it, justified or not. He had hunted down Willow for killing Maul. He had intervened with Maul's Jedi puppy. He had even been a nice guy and tried to set Ahiru up on dates. There were other details not particularly worth thinking about.

When Maul had been completely corrupted, he had played to the sidelines. He didn't have the abilities to pull the younger man out of such a state, and the reason for Maul's corruption hit very close to home. It would put him at risk of falling to corruption again, and that would be of no help to anyone. He had to temper the urge to storm in and drag Maul back out, aware it would take a gentler touch than he had in watching his lover be an absolute loon.

The whole situation was made worse by the deepening of his possessiveness of Maul. While he might not outwardly show it, the taint of possessiveness had always been there. His feelings for the Zabrak still ran deep despite their mishaps the last few months, some matters still not worked out, but right now? It didn't seem to matter to him at all.

At the invitation near the end of the month, he gave in without a fight. He arrived without a word and hugged Maul with a near bone-crushing wrap of his arms, and allowed them both to settle on the couch. The closeness only fed into his deep twisted love for Maul; they had always been passionate hard-edged men, but they were loyal. They loved like they hated: soul-consuming.

His clawed fingers traced long Maul's tattoos where he lay on top of the Zabrak, he made a lazy noise of acknowledgement. Of course, he couldn't let Maul get off too easily. "I expect that hurt, so maybe you should stop. You know I don't like to see you in pain unless I'm inflicting it."

[survivalthroughhate]

Maul growled playfully, reaching up and biting Reaper on the neck a little sharper than strictly necessary for that comment. Rude man, so very rude! He continued nipping at the skin as he spoke. "Watch it or I'll kick you out of the house," he warned with absolutely no heat to the words. Sure, he could, but Maul was feeling extra needy right now and he also knew Reaper could just smoke his way right back in as soon as Maul left him outside the door.

"What I was going to say is that I've been thinking about us. In case you haven't noticed, people around here don't seem to like us very much. They disapprove of us and don't want us to be together." None of that was true, of course, but in Maul's fevered state, it all seemed to make sense.

He stroked his fingers through Reaper's long white hair, a plaintive, sad sound in his voice. "I don't want to lose you."

[no_reload]

He made a feigned wounded 'ah' sound for each of the bites that he was forced to endure, squirming a little on top of Maul without actually making a single motion to leave the area of further assault. He shivered and then snorted at the threat. "No you won't. We haven't snuggled like this in awhile, and you won't give it up for a minor insult." And yes, he'd just smoke his way back in if he was actually tossed.

He lifted his head a little at the mention of Maul's logic, frowning as he considered the disapproval. He had been feeling it himself. Sleepers in general disapproved of himself and Maul, and they were a potent couple together. Monsters together and all that. "I won't let that happen," he growled, gripping Maul's upper arms tightly. "We been together too long and fought too hard to stay that way."

Agitated by the thought of losing the most important person to him, he leaned down to bite Maul's neck in return. "I'll kill anyone that tries." Heated possessiveness was full on his tone.

D) Post-Death Talk - Mid-to-late July (For Savage)

[survivalthroughhate]

After Vyng had gotten the corruption out of him, Maul realized that several weeks had passed since he'd come out of the ocean. That meant Savage had to have come back already, right? Unless.....

(Maul wouldn't let himself finish the rest of that thought, fearful as he was. Unless Savage hadn't revived. He'd seen it before and knew there was no guarantee of anyone ever reviving from death even if it was the norm here in Trench.)

He raced back to their house in all haste, not stopping until he'd burst through the front door. "Savage!" He called out, adding on one of the loud, yowling calls Nightbrothers used when they were searching for one another after being separated in the wilderness of Dathomir. He hoping with every fiber of his being he'd hear his brother answer in return.

[opress]

Savage had died. Again. It was as shocking then as it had been the first time, especially given that his death had come at the hands of Willow of all people. She shouldn't have been a difficult opponent given her peaceful nature, but the corruption had twisted her and he hadn't been strong enough against her magic.

He had failed Maul. Again.

He had awoken alone on the edge on the beach, though how much time had passed he couldn't say. The multilayered and multifaceted bond he shared with Maul was alight with twisted manic emotions, and at first, he was too disoriented from coming back to life to shut down their link. Maul's emotions overwhelmed him, driving him towards the edge of madness.

So he had fled into the caves of the Farther Shores for weeks until the bond between them settled. He had survived until he was delirious then made his way back to their shared territory where he promptly collapsed into a dreamless, emotionless sleep. For all intensive purposes, he dreamed so deeply as to potentially be considered dead still.

Yet, he was startled awake by the bellowing of his name then the yowl, which immediately identified the individual in question as a Nightbrother. He rolled out of the corner of the room he had curled up in, stumbling to his feet and howled a return call. He slammed into a wall in his half-awake disorientation and appeared in the doorway to catch sight of Maul.

"...brother..." His skin was littered with healing scabs from where he had racked himself over the sharp rocks and barnacles on the beach, and he had a fresh scar where he had taken the fatal blow. He was stricken how bad Maul looked, and the empathetic link between them was raw from both sides. "I'm sorry I failed you again..."

[survivalthroughhate]

Maul could hear the return call and his hearts leaped into his throat. He immediately ran to his brother and caught him up in a hug as soon as he saw his brother standing there in the doorway. Just the solid feeling of him there in Maul's arms was enough to center the emotions which had been frayed and ragged for so many weeks now while he'd been in such a state of corruption.

He looked up at Savage, patting at his skin with his hands and feeling his form beneath his fingers as if to truly make sure his brother was here. No, he wasn't going to disappear like a mirage or slip through his fingers as he turned into dust. "You're here. You're here. You're not dead." Even after having his mind stabilized, he'd thought this place would punish him for all his misdeeds by taking away his brother again. After all, Maul wasn't a good person and the number of people he'd hurt here was immense. It would have been a fair, just decision never to let him see his brother again as recompense for what he'd done.

He buried himself in his brother's arms, trying not to cry even as he could feel the tears brimming at the back of his eyes. He'd already sobbed in his brother's arms last month and there was no real reason to now. After all, Savage was here. He wasn't lost to Maul. But still his emotions felt raw and heightened, leaving him unable to mute his half of their link.

[opress]

The moment Maul's arms were around him, his own mismatched arms snaked around his elder brother, and he hugged Maul desperately. His grip was weaker than it could be for a multitude of reasons, but it was still unrelenting as he felt the solid weight of his brother against his chest.

"No, no not dead. Not right now, but..." he trailed off, failing to express the thoughts running through his head. He had survived so long in Deerington and in Trench, but when he had died, he had thought for a split moment he had heard that old man's mocking laugh. Maybe it had been Willow's laugh, but even thinking about it now sent a chill down his spine.

Death was a constant threat for a Nightbrother, but to die, come back, die again felt like a denial of the Fanged God. Reasonably he knew that wasn't true, but right now, sleep deprived, hungry, worried and assaulted by the varied emotions they both had traveling back and forth in their links meant he wasn't that reasonable. There would be no seat at the table for him....

He picked Maul up, dragging his brother to their shared bedroom until he could tuck them both into the deepest corner of the room. He bowed his head over Maul's, careful of his brother's crown of horns and clung to the elder Zabrak. He was a mess of emotions himself, despite his exterior being stoic.

"You escaped?" His death meant Maul had slipped away, survived as his brother always had before.

E) Do Good - Late July (OTA)

[survivalthroughhate]

Maul decides to take it easy after the last two months he's had. Aside from marrying Reaper, he hasn't has a good time of it at all. He plans to just mind his own business and let everyone else in Trench take care of themselves.

Of course, as the saying goes in his galaxy, people make plans and the Force laughs at them. Maul becomes (thankfully for the sanity of everyone) inspired with the urge to do Good. Of course, what Maul knows how to do best is to fight, and so that's what his urge to give into the Goodness affecting him comes out as.

Anyone who is in need of someone to help them, whether they can help themselves already or not, he'll be there to protect them. One may find themselves in peril only to suddenly have a ferocious Sith Lord standing over and guarding them with a lightsaber. Talking people down from the Evil they've become infected with really isn't his specialty and in that case he's much more likely to still give into his urges to kill or severely maim someone.

But at least he's trying this time to do a bit better than before? Talking him into helping out anyone won't require twisting his arm and he'll do so without hesitation.

F) Taking Out A Hit - Late July (For D)

[survivalthroughhate]

Maul's been brooding over his lack of proper revenge on this emperor who believes he's some sort of god. Maul knows that's not so. Gods don't bleed and John can. Therefore, he's just a man. An extremely powerful one but a man nonetheless. And men can be killed.

While he prefers to always do his own dirty work, he also knows when he's vastly outmatched by an opponent. He can't do his himself so he'll need some help. To that end, he messages D to come over. Maul is sitting on his porch when the vampire hunter arrives, shirtless and sipping a drink with lots of ice in it. Look, it's the middle of summertime and he's roasting. He gestures for D to sit down. "I have a proposition for you."

[distant_one]

The rainy weather has let up some at least, but D is still quite miserable during the day and there are actual signs of it on his face when he arrives, but he still declines sitting down. He is just as overdressed as always, making no concession to the heat in favor of keeping the sun off his skin.

"I'm listening." He had a lot of obligations and responsibilities, but D respected Maul enough to hear him out.

[survivalthroughhate]

"Have you become aware of the man known as the Emperor here in this city?" He questions. A hard, angry glint enters his eyes and his tone is full of barely contained rage. "Because of his meddling, he has been upsetting the natural balance of things. People have been dying left and right thanks to his actions. But he is powerful and punishing someone like that is difficult."

As Maul found out to his detriment. He's lucky Usagi was able to heal him or he'd still be in very rough shape after John had gotten done with him.