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deercountry2023-02-02 09:42 pm
survivalthroughhate) wrote in deercountry2023-02-02 09:42 pm
Entry tags:
February Catch-All; "We can deeply love our poison."
Who: survivalthroughhate and open!
What: Maul comes back from a canon update with a brand-new attitude
When: All of February
Where: At his home and around Trench.
Content Warnings: Gross canon update cocoon, will update as necessary
Open prompts below!
A. Canon-Updated
After Maul peeled out of his cocoon and had reoriented himself with where he was, it was time to make some house calls. By his point-of-view, he'd been gone for three years. Though he had learned thankfully that time had passed for everyone else over the course of a week, he still wanted to check up and make sure that the people he cared about were still present, accounted for, and had all their limbs attached. The fact that the month appeared to once again be messing with his blood type just exacerbated matters.
So off he went. His first priority was to check up on those he was blood-bonded to. Fortunately, he could feel they were all still intact, but they were the ones he cared about most in Trench, so they were checked on first. Then came everyone else. If anyone had even a somewhat positive relationship with the Zabrak Sith Lord, they were going to find themselves with Maul on their doorstep to check up on them, his eyes no longer golden but now instead a grey-brown color. Close friends and family could even expect to possibly be hugged, a sure sign that Maul had changed in his time away from Trench.
B. Lessons
January had been a wash as far as all student-related activities were concerned given Maul had either been a kid or wrapped up in the membrane where he'd experienced life in his own galaxy for the entire month. Well, it was time to get back on track with his students. To that matter, after he got on the network to inform everyone of his changed state, he made sure to make time for anyone who wanted to stop by in February.
He kept to his regular hours as much as possible, not including any of the usual shenanigans that made each month go topsy-turvy, and made sure to make the lessons a little longer to make up for the fact he hadn't been able to train anyone for the past month or so. "It's been a while. I hope you haven't forgotten everything I taught you," he would say upon seeing any of his regulars show up.
C. At The Archives
After the intriguing conversation with Sharon regarding his former ability to shapeshift, Maul knew it was time to do some research into the ability of being able to turn into mystical deer that those Sleepers who had been in Deerington had once possessed. He hadn't tried to turn into that form since arriving, assuming with the corruption of Ramona into a permanent beast that such a thing could no longer occur.
But he remembered that the Ramona seen when passing through the dimension which would allow them to change into deer had seemed to be beyond time itself in a way. If that was true, than part of her was always going to be waiting there, uncorrupted and never-changing. It was time to figure out if that was truly the case. To that end, he was in the Archives, looking through ancient books and scrolls filled with text that would lead him to the answers he sought.
If he saw someone he knew, he would gesture them over. "Come, take a seat!" After they'd sat down, he would plunk down a huge mass of scrolls, a bottle filled with caffeinated tea, and a bag of beef jerky in front of them. "Tell me if you can find any mention of Ramona Derwin in these." There was something in his bossy tone that made it clear he wasn't allowing anyone to leave until they had helped him out at least a little bit, though judging by the supplies he possessed, he was certain to try to keep anyone there for the long haul.
D. Chocolatier
[After the disastrous experience Maul had the previous year that had led to the death of Willow, he was avoiding the chocolatier at all costs. He also wasn't letting anyone make the same mistake he had and to that end he was warning everyone away from the giant monster at all costs.]
Don't you dare accept anything from him!
[He'd state emphatically.]
Some of them are harmless but others will dead to disastrous, even dangerous consequences!
[If anyone asked, he would detail what some of those chocolates could do to a person.]
E. Wait For Me
[Maul had always had a little trouble with the anticipation of waiting for people. It wasn't like he didn't already have a ton of abandonment issues that stretched through the entirety of his life that made him very conscious of those that he had left. The anxiety that gnawed at him grew greater and greater until he found himself suddenly unable to move another muscle.
Then he was stuck there, a pit of fear and energy in his body that was unable to go anywhere. All he could do was stand or sit there, waiting for someone to come along and help him out, trying to reach out with his own mind to anyone he knew who could come save him from this plight.
Alternatively, he could be that person for someone else who was afflicted, coming along their frozen body and noticing almost immediately that something was wrong. He'd come up to them and inspect their form for a few moments before taking a step back.]
Well, this certainly is a situation.
[Maul observed. He wasn't certain on how to fix this problem but he also just wasn't going to leave the person afflicted all on their lonesome. He'd come far enough in his journey of becoming a better person to know he had to stay and help.]
F. You Take My Breath Away
[Maul wasn't big on being touchy-feely even with people he was close to, let alone people he might not have been fond of. As he went about minding his own business, he'd pass by someone and suddenly it would hit. He gasped suddenly, unable to take another breath. He'd reach out blindly, trying to grab whoever was close by to bring attention to his plight.
He could see the other person nearby who was also choking. Was this affecting everyone in the city all at once?! But as soon as he touched them, he could feel himself able to breathe again. He took deep breaths in, grateful for the oxygen he could access once again.]
What--What was that?
[He gasped out as soon as he had enough air in his lungs to speak with.]
G. Speed Dating!
Maul wasn't all that enthused about being forced to go through another 'getting to know you' session in Trench. But it wasn't really like he had any other options here. So he sat there, glowering a little, not exactly appearing to be the most friendly of partners to be seated across from.
On the plus side, his profile was indeed a thing of beauty. He'd been mortified for about five minutes after seeing what it had put up for him but then he began to see the funny side of it. Rather than letting it get to him at all, he decided to just have a sense of humor about the whole thing.
He glanced at whoever sat down across from him and went back to picking at his claws, which were looking a trifle long right now. "Shall we get this over with already?" He asked. "Do you want to go first or should I?"
survivalthroughhate and open!What: Maul comes back from a canon update with a brand-new attitude
When: All of February
Where: At his home and around Trench.
Content Warnings: Gross canon update cocoon, will update as necessary
Open prompts below!
A. Canon-Updated
After Maul peeled out of his cocoon and had reoriented himself with where he was, it was time to make some house calls. By his point-of-view, he'd been gone for three years. Though he had learned thankfully that time had passed for everyone else over the course of a week, he still wanted to check up and make sure that the people he cared about were still present, accounted for, and had all their limbs attached. The fact that the month appeared to once again be messing with his blood type just exacerbated matters.
So off he went. His first priority was to check up on those he was blood-bonded to. Fortunately, he could feel they were all still intact, but they were the ones he cared about most in Trench, so they were checked on first. Then came everyone else. If anyone had even a somewhat positive relationship with the Zabrak Sith Lord, they were going to find themselves with Maul on their doorstep to check up on them, his eyes no longer golden but now instead a grey-brown color. Close friends and family could even expect to possibly be hugged, a sure sign that Maul had changed in his time away from Trench.
B. Lessons
January had been a wash as far as all student-related activities were concerned given Maul had either been a kid or wrapped up in the membrane where he'd experienced life in his own galaxy for the entire month. Well, it was time to get back on track with his students. To that matter, after he got on the network to inform everyone of his changed state, he made sure to make time for anyone who wanted to stop by in February.
He kept to his regular hours as much as possible, not including any of the usual shenanigans that made each month go topsy-turvy, and made sure to make the lessons a little longer to make up for the fact he hadn't been able to train anyone for the past month or so. "It's been a while. I hope you haven't forgotten everything I taught you," he would say upon seeing any of his regulars show up.
C. At The Archives
After the intriguing conversation with Sharon regarding his former ability to shapeshift, Maul knew it was time to do some research into the ability of being able to turn into mystical deer that those Sleepers who had been in Deerington had once possessed. He hadn't tried to turn into that form since arriving, assuming with the corruption of Ramona into a permanent beast that such a thing could no longer occur.
But he remembered that the Ramona seen when passing through the dimension which would allow them to change into deer had seemed to be beyond time itself in a way. If that was true, than part of her was always going to be waiting there, uncorrupted and never-changing. It was time to figure out if that was truly the case. To that end, he was in the Archives, looking through ancient books and scrolls filled with text that would lead him to the answers he sought.
If he saw someone he knew, he would gesture them over. "Come, take a seat!" After they'd sat down, he would plunk down a huge mass of scrolls, a bottle filled with caffeinated tea, and a bag of beef jerky in front of them. "Tell me if you can find any mention of Ramona Derwin in these." There was something in his bossy tone that made it clear he wasn't allowing anyone to leave until they had helped him out at least a little bit, though judging by the supplies he possessed, he was certain to try to keep anyone there for the long haul.
D. Chocolatier
[After the disastrous experience Maul had the previous year that had led to the death of Willow, he was avoiding the chocolatier at all costs. He also wasn't letting anyone make the same mistake he had and to that end he was warning everyone away from the giant monster at all costs.]
Don't you dare accept anything from him!
[He'd state emphatically.]
Some of them are harmless but others will dead to disastrous, even dangerous consequences!
[If anyone asked, he would detail what some of those chocolates could do to a person.]
E. Wait For Me
[Maul had always had a little trouble with the anticipation of waiting for people. It wasn't like he didn't already have a ton of abandonment issues that stretched through the entirety of his life that made him very conscious of those that he had left. The anxiety that gnawed at him grew greater and greater until he found himself suddenly unable to move another muscle.
Then he was stuck there, a pit of fear and energy in his body that was unable to go anywhere. All he could do was stand or sit there, waiting for someone to come along and help him out, trying to reach out with his own mind to anyone he knew who could come save him from this plight.
Alternatively, he could be that person for someone else who was afflicted, coming along their frozen body and noticing almost immediately that something was wrong. He'd come up to them and inspect their form for a few moments before taking a step back.]
Well, this certainly is a situation.
[Maul observed. He wasn't certain on how to fix this problem but he also just wasn't going to leave the person afflicted all on their lonesome. He'd come far enough in his journey of becoming a better person to know he had to stay and help.]
F. You Take My Breath Away
[Maul wasn't big on being touchy-feely even with people he was close to, let alone people he might not have been fond of. As he went about minding his own business, he'd pass by someone and suddenly it would hit. He gasped suddenly, unable to take another breath. He'd reach out blindly, trying to grab whoever was close by to bring attention to his plight.
He could see the other person nearby who was also choking. Was this affecting everyone in the city all at once?! But as soon as he touched them, he could feel himself able to breathe again. He took deep breaths in, grateful for the oxygen he could access once again.]
What--What was that?
[He gasped out as soon as he had enough air in his lungs to speak with.]
G. Speed Dating!
Maul wasn't all that enthused about being forced to go through another 'getting to know you' session in Trench. But it wasn't really like he had any other options here. So he sat there, glowering a little, not exactly appearing to be the most friendly of partners to be seated across from.
On the plus side, his profile was indeed a thing of beauty. He'd been mortified for about five minutes after seeing what it had put up for him but then he began to see the funny side of it. Rather than letting it get to him at all, he decided to just have a sense of humor about the whole thing.
He glanced at whoever sat down across from him and went back to picking at his claws, which were looking a trifle long right now. "Shall we get this over with already?" He asked. "Do you want to go first or should I?"
no subject
Finally, he let her go, and it would be clear to her that the color of his eyes had changed from Sith-yellow to grey-brown. "But just before I came back, I had an eye-opening experience. The Dark Side, it put me through a series of trials. It was trying to teach me the same things you've always tried to. I wasn't able to listen then but now I'm finally able to take heed of the lessons it was trying to impart upon me."
no subject
"What lessons did you learn, Maul?" she decided to ask, she's taught him a lot of things, what did the Dark Side decide to work with?
no subject
"There were three lessons it sought to teach me. The first was that keeping people I love at a distance hurts not only myself but them as well. That love was never the weakness I've always thought it to be. The second was that the revenge I've always sought to take will not bring me satisfaction and that nothing ever could, not after everything that has happened to me. All my attempts to do so have only ended up with costing me far more than I ever wanted to give." He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. "The last one was the hardest. I had to learn that the pain I've always sought to cause others will never cause my own to abate. The things which have kept me chained for so long like my anger and hate are a prison of my own making. Only I could free myself from it. If I didn't, my pain will end up destroying me."
no subject
She continued to listen as he went on about the other things the Force tried to teach him. He was right, she had tried to teach him all of this.
Usagi put water in the electric kettle and listened as he kept talking. She knows, if she were not who she was, she could be crowing about being right. But what good does that do either of them?
"Those are very important lessons," she tilted her head. "I'm glad you learned them, Maul."
no subject
He riffled around to see which tea he wanted and continued to talk. "The Force all but promised me I could become more powerful than I could possibly imagine if I was able to learn from the lessons it taught me." Even with his newly changed attitude, Maul was still obsessed with power, though it was no longer to such an unhealthy one as to hurt people to get it any longer.
"With all that has happened, I'm beginning to wonder if my master wasn't some sort of outlier when it comes to the Sith. The more balanced way of interpreting the Dark Side of the Force I've seen from other Sith like Darth Imperius seems like a much healthier alternative."
no subject
She wasn't sure how she felt about Maul learning these lessons for the sake of power. But then, wasn't love and friendship HER greatest power?
"Light and darkness must exist, we seek one another out. I do not exist without the darkness, and the darkness does not exist without my light. Maul... he is no longer your master. You are the master of yourself. The lessons he taught you, you have unlearned almost all of them."
no subject
"You're right. He is no longer my master." When Sidious' spirit finally made his reappearance in Trench, as Maul suspected it would, he was going to be able to tell him that with confidence. While his fear of his former master would never fully go away, the hold he had on Maul's mind for so long was gone. "The shackles he placed upon me are finally gone."
no subject
She ran a thumb along his cheek.
"And if there are times you doubt yourself, remember today and now, how in this very moment you are without chains or fear, without worry and doubt. You are going to need it, you have another mountain to climb."
Now that Maul had worked past his trauma of Palpatine, he had the mountain to surmount the reputation of his own making. Sure, the reputation was made with some of the chains Palpatine put on his mind, but it was also just Maul's personality.
no subject
"I know. Now that I've gotten past the worst of it all, I have everything else to work on." It didn't help part of him still relished in all the times he'd caused fear in the Sleepers, knowing that he had such a bad reputation among them. It was a form of armor for him. If they hated him, he didn't have to worry all that much about getting hurt.
no subject
no subject
Friendship and love were two of the greatest powers in any universe. Maul had finally come to realize that too.
no subject
no subject
“Even when we are separated, I’ll still be able to keep moving forward because of all that you have taught me. Your memory will continue to guide me.” Usagi had made it abundantly clear she was never going to stay in Trench forever but Maul would keep her safe in his hearts even once they had parted.