(Darth) Maul (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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deercountry2021-12-12 12:58 am
survivalthroughhate) wrote in deercountry2021-12-12 12:58 am
Entry tags:
This is my December
Who: Darth Maul survivalthroughhate and you!
What: Event prompts and personal plot prompts
When: Throughout December
Where: All over the place
Content Warnings: child abuse mental and physical, madness, dissociation from reality, hallucinations, impaling, decapitation (implied but not directly shown), suicidal ideation, body horror, cult activity, violent removal of prosthetic limb
I. Event Prompts
A. Winter Mourning Memories
[Of course Maul is going to put up some antler decorations. After living in Deerington, he well knows the advantages that can come with having such decor about the house. So he gets some antlers together and decorates his home with a couple of winter-themed decorations, all very festive for the occasion. Touching any of these and you'll end up in one of his memories. Or maybe he ends up in yours and finds out something new. Either way, what a cheery winter tradition this turns out to be!
(OOC: Maul's memories can be interacted with or just observed depending on character preference. Mind the trigger warnings at the top, any prompt featuring Sidious automatically might feature child abuse both mental and physical.)]
Childhood
Five Years Old
['C'mon, Savage! C'mon!' Maul is about five years old in the memory and playing with his little brother Savage, who is almost three at this point. Savage lacks some of the tattoos he'll have later in life but Maul has the shiny look of freshly inked ones done on his skin, for Talzin has finally finished with the Nightbrother tattoos he'll wear for the rest of his life. Savage giggles and runs after his elder brother on his much shorter legs.
He tosses a ball to Savage, who catches it with a surprising amount of dexterity for such a little boy. Then he tosses it back and with his enthusiasm the ball overshoots Maul entirely. It rolls away and Maul runs after it. 'Oh! Sorry!' He says absently as he bumps into someone, almost stumbling and falling down but regaining his balance before he does. When he looks up, he sees a pale man in his early thirties there in a black robe. He has golden eyes, a color many will recognize as Sith yellow after knowing Maul. It's Sidious. This is the first time he's ever met the man. The young boy knows his mother has been entertaining an outsider, curious for the fact most of those that visit Dathomir are either killed outright or rarely stay longer than a day.
There's a momentary expression of anger on Palpatine's face but it soon smoothes out to a kindly expression. He kneels and picks up the ball, handing it back to Maul. 'That's alright, my boy.' He turns to Talzin, who is coming up beside him. 'One of yours?'
'Yes.' Even as a young woman, Talzin still has that deep echoing voice and serene manner. 'Maul. My eldest and heir.' She waves a hand towards Savage and her voice loses some of the warmth held in it. 'That one is Savage, my second and....my spare.' There's no secret that Talzin loves her eldest son much more than her second-born, keeping Savage around rather than sending him to the Nightbrother village purely because she knows he makes Maul happy. Some of the Nightsisters whisper about why their leader hasn't sent Maul to the village either when he's well past the age where sons normally are sent away, wondering what her reasons might be. None of them guess mainly it's because she loves him so much she just can't bear to follow tradition and be parted from her son.
Maul doesn't care. He's happy here with his family on his home planet in a way he'll never have again in his life. He follows the conversation going on between his mother and the kindly-looking human with only a little interest, much more focused on playing with his little brother. 'Do you wanna play?' He asks, looking at Sidious with the curiosity and fearlessness of one who doesn't often see strangers.
'Perhaps later,' Sidious says. Maul shrugs and runs off to play with Savage, tossing the ball to him again. He just barely hears more of the conversation between Talzin and Sidious. 'That boy is strong with the Dark Side. You can sense it too I am sure...' But Maul doesn't care to listen to more. He's having too much fun with his little brother, who keeps staring up at him with adoring eyes.]
Ten Years Old
[Maul is about ten years old and training with Sidious using lightsabers. Not a practice one as the Jedi might do for a boy his age but actual ones. Despite his youth, Maul is clearly experienced with the weapon, and while Sidious is going hard against him he is holding his own. Eventually, his master calls an end to the session. 'Do you think you have learned the value of endurance and obedience?'
Maul nods, speaking very quietly, not quite meeting his adoptive father's eyes. 'Yes, my master.' Maul always strives to learn his lessons quickly, for when he doesn't it means pain, oftentimes going hungry and cold as well.
'Good. But I know of a way to make the lesson stick in your mind for good. Pain is a better teacher than I. Now listen closely.' A knife appears in Sidious' hands and flashes out towards Maul without warning. Not expecting the sudden attack, he staggers back, shocked at the fact his master stabbed him right below the ribs. One hand presses against his left side as he begins to bleed and he nearly collapses, barely staying up because he knows that his master will punish him harder if he shows any signs of weakness.
'There is some bacta patches over there,' Sidious says, gesturing towards some shelves on the edge of the room. Maul starts to make the slow, painful journey over to them when Sidious suddenly calls out. 'Stop.'
Maul does as he's told even if every fiber within him is telling him to move towards the patches which can heal his wound. He stops, obediently waiting for further directions from his master. 'Sit down. I want you to meditate until you lose yourself in the Dark Side so that your injury no longer matters. Only then can you get up and get the bacta. If you move before then, you will be punished. Do you understand?'
'Yes, master,' Maul says softly. He gives one last longing look at where the healing bandages are sitting on top of one of the shelves before he sits down in a cross-legged position and closes his eyes, trying to meditate despite the fact he's still bleeding from the injury to his side. The blood flows slowly and oozes out, staining his dark tunic and dripping onto the floor as he attempts to obey his master's command. Desperate as he is to heal himself, Maul would rather pass out from blood loss or just die before disobeying his master and risking further punishment.]
Fifteen Years Old
[Maul is older now in this memory, a teenager maybe fourteen or fifteen years old, but it appears puberty hasn't quite caught up to him yet, for he is on the small side for a humanoid alien and rather awkward-looking. There's two girls talking with him, both exceptionally pretty, even if one happens to be a purple-skinned Nautolan with shiny eyes that are pure black and tentacles where hair would be on a human being. 'Do you know how long you'll be gone for?' She asks.
'No. My master didn't say. I think he's taking me out for some personal training,' Maul says. 'But I hope I'll be back soon,' he quickly adds on, the longing in his voice clear. He far prefers to stay here at the academy instead of with Sidious.
The other one, a human with long brown hair, deliberately saunters up to Maul, close enough for him to inhale the perfume she's wearing, and Maul wears an expression like someone hit him over the head with a mallet when she gets that close. She's clearly very experienced at flirting despite her youth, having a breathy 'little girl' style voice. 'Come back soon, Maul. We'll have a surprise waiting for you when you get back.'
'What is it?' Maul asks excitedly, voice breaking the way young teenage boys will when they are going through the changes of life.
The Nautolan girl smiles, an enigmatic one that also seems to tease him a little. She goes up and caresses one of his cheeks, causing him to blush furiously, not that it's so easy to tell with his red skin. 'Now, now, that would spoil it. Just hurry back, okay?'
Sidious' voice can be heard from down a hallway. 'Maul, come.'
Maul reluctantly tears himself away from his two female friends, calling to his master. 'Uh-huh. Coming.' He gives one last look to the two. 'I can't wait to see it,' he says before he dashes off.]
Adulthood
[The ones from Maul as an adult range in a period of time that lasts over a decade and a half. It starts off with dueling and killing his first Jedi, Eldra Kastis, something that he seems to find little pleasure in and only more rage. Then comes the duel which will change his life forever where he fights Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, a figure some who had been in Deerington will recognize, and his Jedi Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi. The silent, deadly assassin the video more resembles the brainwashed figure who went on the deadly rampage in Deerington more than how Maul is now, showing just how far he's come. But it doesn't help poor Qui-Gon, who meets his demise at Maul's hands, merciless and vicious as he currently is. Too arrogant now to see the threat which is still active, he wordlessly taunts Obi-Wan instead of finishing him off once he gains the upper hand, which leads to Maul getting sliced in half and falling down an endless reactor shaft.
The next memory comes from years later when he meets his brother Savage again for the first time since they were children. Maul's body and mind are both greatly damaged and he disassociates from the scene greatly, talking sometimes as if Sidious was present and generally in a state of great madness after so many years of being left alone. But throughout it all, one thing keeps him together: the thought of revenge on Obi-Wan Kenobi. He gets his chance later on, slaughtering an entire village to draw the Jedi to him. Once he's there, he starts but doesn't finish his revenge, Obi-Wan being saved by Asajj Ventress, a Nightsister. To finish things will come later. Maul's waited a long time for this. He can wait a little longer
He gets his chance when he takes over Mandalore in a duel to the death with Pre Vizsla, the leader of an extremist sect that has taken over the planet with Maul's help. Maul decapitates him and takes over the group, securing his position as the ruler of Mandalore. Things finally start to go right for the Zabrak Sith Lord Once that has happened, he uses the previous ruler Duchess Satine Kryze (who also happens to be the love of Obi-Wan's life) to draw the Jedi back to him. Once he's there, Maul kills Satine in cold blood, a cruel merciless act designed to make Obi-Wan fall to the Dark Side as Maul gains his revenge upon the Jedi he blames for the ruination of his life. It doesn't happen despite his anger and grief. This is the last time Maul will feel any sort of satisfaction for a long, long time, for Sidious shows up and begins to duel both he and Savage, having decided Maul has grown too powerful as a threat and must be eliminated.
Anyone who has not seen any of the other memories or seen the man in other visions Deerington and Trench have provided might at first be skeptical. This is the source of Maul's eternal terror, the reason he was turned into such a psychopath after growing up at his hands? This kindly-looking old man who's shorter than his adoptive son? But then Sidious begins to fight the Zabrak and it becomes clear why he's such a menace. He kills Savage purely to hurt Maul and Maul finally gets a taste of what he's put Obi-Wan through in killing his master and greatest love. He's so angry when this happens that he even briefly puts Sidious on his back foot, the confident sneer fading from Sidious' features. He resorts to using the Force to win the duel and Maul reverts back to a terrified, shivering wreck reminiscent of his younger childhood self, begging for mercy. It may seem odd that someone as proud as Maul would beg for mercy until one realizes the mercy he's asking for is for Sidious to kill him instead of prolonging his torture any longer. But he refuses and Maul is left screaming.]
The Future
[In the future, there are a few memories Maul sees. The first ten years after the Clone Wars. Maul is now in his forties and is talking with a subordinate, for while he's diminished from the time he ruled Mandalore, Maul still runs a powerful criminal syndicate in the form of Black Sun. But years down the line, he crashes on a dead planet that he has old ties too and is left there for years until a group of Force-users come calling. He meets a young teenage Force-sensitive named Ezra Bridger and as Maul is warranted to do uses the boy for his own ends. He helps several others on the side of the Rebellion including the Togruta Ahsoka Tano that he has a former history with. They end up dueling members of the Dark Side group called the Inquisitors made up of fallen Jedi. But then he turns on them and blinds Ezra's master before losing to the man in a duel.
Then comes the end for Maul. With nothing left in his life, he decides to go to Tatooine after discovering Obi-Wan is still alive. Either he'll die or Obi-Wan will and frankly Maul doesn't care which happens. He's just so full of pain that he can't go on existing anymore, knowing his entire life was one long struggle that came all to naught. It turns out that for the last time he overestimates Obi-Wan Kenobi and Maul dies in the arms of his old foe, finally at peace as he learns of the existence of Luke Skywalker, the one that will bring balance to the Force and avenge all the sufferings of both Maul and Obi-Wan's lives.]
B. Run Rabbit Run
[Maul is a vileblood and therefore one of those that the undead animals and traps of the Huntress get set out for. But Maul is not an easy being to catch given his own set of Force powers, especially with his natural stealth and agility. He quickly outwits traps early in the month, but as it goes on, it appears the traps are getting more intricate and deadly to try and contain him. If someone comes across him caught in one, he'll greatly appreciate help in loosening himself from it.
If he grows desperate enough after being caught there for long enough, one can come across him freeing himself from a trap that his prosthetic leg is caught in by severing the limb completely off with one of his lightsabers or crushing part of it using the Force. He might even end up having to rip off both of them and that will definitely leave him at a disadvantage, though anyone who tries to get near him will find he's still dangerous even down half a body. It doesn't hurt him to lose his legs but it is a disturbing sight and it will be inconvenient to the Sith Lord until he can find a trusted friend to repair the torn-off limbs for him. One can offer to help him now that he's down a leg but don't expect him to take you up on it given how the month's paranoia is affecting his blood type.
With how paranoid he becomes, it's not hard for him to finally grow tired of just passively freeing himself from traps. So someone wants to try and catch him? Fine. Let's see how they like it when the tables are turned on them. The traps he makes are intricate and designed to deliberately hurt, a callback to his own youth and the things Sidious used to put him through to test his survival. One can escape from his traps but it usually involves breaking bones or severing part of a limb off, for Maul's not one to let his prize go without them having to pay a price in return. If he goes after someone hunting them, it's best to just run until he grows tired of the chase or gets caught in another trap himself. Only then, when he's incapacitated and unable go after his intended target can he be reasoned with.]
C. Lockjoint
[Maul, unlucky as he is this month, starts to experience lockjoint in the later part of the month. He knows something is wrong when it even starts to affect the prosthetics on his lower half, for nothing should be able to touch them, and yet here he is unable to move without feeling pain on the joint portions of his legs. He knows he needs to seek out help and do something before this gets so bad he can't move any longer. However, his paranoia does make it hard for him to ask for help.
By the time Maul ends up giving in, he's going to be moving like a stiff old man if he's even mobile at all. If someone approaches him to help, they'll find a snarling, suspicious Sith Lord who stops them in their tracks with the Force, since it's the only weapon he's readily got left available to him. Wielding a lightsaber requires the use of his hands and that's just something he's unable to do at this moment.]
Not one step closer.
[He warns, yellow eyes glaring at his unfortunate victim. He'll have to be talked down into a state of compliance, but given that Maul doesn't want to be in pain, it'll be less of a fight to coax him into bloodletting or the nearest hot spring than it normally would be otherwise.]
II. Personal Stuff
A. Strawberry Shortmaul (Trickster Mode)
During the first part of the month, Maul ends up under the spell of the Trickster Mode virus sent out by Karkat for a day or two. Enter Strawberry Shortmaul, his alter ego, which is either going to give people a good laugh or make them mildly recoil from him in horror. His Omen, Venge, also gets turned into a strawberry shortcake themed version of themselves and will be going by their full name of Vengeful Snuzzle during this time, which doesn't make them any less terrifying given they still have a mouth full of very large, sharp teeth on display despite now being a pastel monstrosity.
During this time, he'll be rather aggressively spreading cheer and happiness. "You look like you need a hug" is definitely going to be one of his catch-phrases and he'll also be attempting to kiss anyone he has positive CR with so that they too can be infected with Trickster Mode. While at first this will just be annoying, Maul is Maul even if turned into a version of himself that wandered out of an eighties children's cartoon, so expect him to turn a bit aggressive at points. He won't allow people to leave his sight until he's sure they're happy and he's more than willing to follow through on any threats of "I'll make you happy!" in a manner both hilarious and terrifying.
B. Cult
Those who know Maul is forming a cult will generally assume this is a very bad idea and for the most part they are right. But this time, oddly, Maul seems to be teaching them an actual good lesson. They're in a bookstore that smells of incense and that particular musty book smell older volumes tend to get. Maul's sitting on a chair and has just finished ordering them all to read some books in particular. Once again, if anyone he knows is in they're more than welcome to sit down with the group, or just snoop on them from the next aisle over, whatever their preference is. Now the topic has turned to the time of year and the usual holiday proceedings.
"How many here know of this holiday known as Christmas?" One or two hands go up but of the eight most don't have a clue. "That is fine. Neither did I when I first arrived in Deerington almost two years ago. But I soon learned that such a holiday is actually a good time to be thankful for those around you. Remember, a key failing of the Sith is that they are solitary and do not rely on others. I have already told of why this is a bad idea and one we shall not be replicating here. This winter is the perfect opportunity to show how grateful you are to your family, friends, and each other. What I want you to do is to find presents for at least one person in your life. You must put some thought into them, for I will be severely disappointed to hear if you wait until the last moment to do so. Remember, you have until the 25th to do so." Well, look at that, Maul's actually imparting a good lesson onto his followers. Could he have in fact started learning his lesson here in Trench?
Then he goes on. "Don't forget that part of the holiday also involves an old man breaking into people's homes and leaving them their gifts, so don't forget that part of this is going to test your skills of stealth and athleticism as you break into the homes of those you are giving gifts to. If they catch you, I will consider you to have failed this test." ......Okay so he's still working on just generally being a normal type of person but hey! Baby steps is what he's going for here.
C. Presents
As for Maul himself, he's got some gifts to figure out that he's going to give to people. He can be found wandering around the city, bundled up under some coats, furs, or robes depending on his mood and how cold the day is. He'll be going into all sorts of shops and asking questions of the owners with an intense look in his eyes. One can find him holding up something with his gloved hands and turning towards you. "What do you think?" He asks regarding something that looks rather bizarre but which Maul seems to think would be the perfect gift for someone in his life.
Of course, not everyone in the city is glad for Maul's business. When he's in the realm of the streets that he tore apart while fighting Lance, he comes under attack. No, really, there's one tiny little shopkeeper in his fifties or early sixties who winds up with a chunk of debris that might have well come from his destroyed shop and lobs it at Maul's head. Maul sees it coming long before it ever reaches him. "Don't--" He ducks as the piece of debris is thrown in his direction. "Now really--" He dodges another one. Honestly, he seems more amused than anything else at the bravery of this little furious (former) shopkeeper in the face of a Sith Lord that could easily tear him apart. The man keeps cursing at him as he winds up to throw a third chunk of broken cement. "Enough." Maul unleashes the Darksaber he's wearing on his hip today and holds it out in a combat-ready position. "I admire your throwing skills but if you do that again I'm not holding back." Someone might want to drag Maul and/or the shopkeeper away from one another before Maul ends up committing his first murder with malicious intent here in Trench.
D. Wildcard
[Anything not tickling your fancy? Want a memory prompt tailored to your character? Or have them attending a sparring session with Maul? Something with more or less horror for the holidays? Give me a poke at![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
Light_shade or Lightshade#4738 at Discord!]
survivalthroughhate and you!What: Event prompts and personal plot prompts
When: Throughout December
Where: All over the place
Content Warnings: child abuse mental and physical, madness, dissociation from reality, hallucinations, impaling, decapitation (implied but not directly shown), suicidal ideation, body horror, cult activity, violent removal of prosthetic limb
I. Event Prompts
A. Winter Mourning Memories
[Of course Maul is going to put up some antler decorations. After living in Deerington, he well knows the advantages that can come with having such decor about the house. So he gets some antlers together and decorates his home with a couple of winter-themed decorations, all very festive for the occasion. Touching any of these and you'll end up in one of his memories. Or maybe he ends up in yours and finds out something new. Either way, what a cheery winter tradition this turns out to be!
(OOC: Maul's memories can be interacted with or just observed depending on character preference. Mind the trigger warnings at the top, any prompt featuring Sidious automatically might feature child abuse both mental and physical.)]
Childhood
Five Years Old
['C'mon, Savage! C'mon!' Maul is about five years old in the memory and playing with his little brother Savage, who is almost three at this point. Savage lacks some of the tattoos he'll have later in life but Maul has the shiny look of freshly inked ones done on his skin, for Talzin has finally finished with the Nightbrother tattoos he'll wear for the rest of his life. Savage giggles and runs after his elder brother on his much shorter legs.
He tosses a ball to Savage, who catches it with a surprising amount of dexterity for such a little boy. Then he tosses it back and with his enthusiasm the ball overshoots Maul entirely. It rolls away and Maul runs after it. 'Oh! Sorry!' He says absently as he bumps into someone, almost stumbling and falling down but regaining his balance before he does. When he looks up, he sees a pale man in his early thirties there in a black robe. He has golden eyes, a color many will recognize as Sith yellow after knowing Maul. It's Sidious. This is the first time he's ever met the man. The young boy knows his mother has been entertaining an outsider, curious for the fact most of those that visit Dathomir are either killed outright or rarely stay longer than a day.
There's a momentary expression of anger on Palpatine's face but it soon smoothes out to a kindly expression. He kneels and picks up the ball, handing it back to Maul. 'That's alright, my boy.' He turns to Talzin, who is coming up beside him. 'One of yours?'
'Yes.' Even as a young woman, Talzin still has that deep echoing voice and serene manner. 'Maul. My eldest and heir.' She waves a hand towards Savage and her voice loses some of the warmth held in it. 'That one is Savage, my second and....my spare.' There's no secret that Talzin loves her eldest son much more than her second-born, keeping Savage around rather than sending him to the Nightbrother village purely because she knows he makes Maul happy. Some of the Nightsisters whisper about why their leader hasn't sent Maul to the village either when he's well past the age where sons normally are sent away, wondering what her reasons might be. None of them guess mainly it's because she loves him so much she just can't bear to follow tradition and be parted from her son.
Maul doesn't care. He's happy here with his family on his home planet in a way he'll never have again in his life. He follows the conversation going on between his mother and the kindly-looking human with only a little interest, much more focused on playing with his little brother. 'Do you wanna play?' He asks, looking at Sidious with the curiosity and fearlessness of one who doesn't often see strangers.
'Perhaps later,' Sidious says. Maul shrugs and runs off to play with Savage, tossing the ball to him again. He just barely hears more of the conversation between Talzin and Sidious. 'That boy is strong with the Dark Side. You can sense it too I am sure...' But Maul doesn't care to listen to more. He's having too much fun with his little brother, who keeps staring up at him with adoring eyes.]
Ten Years Old
[Maul is about ten years old and training with Sidious using lightsabers. Not a practice one as the Jedi might do for a boy his age but actual ones. Despite his youth, Maul is clearly experienced with the weapon, and while Sidious is going hard against him he is holding his own. Eventually, his master calls an end to the session. 'Do you think you have learned the value of endurance and obedience?'
Maul nods, speaking very quietly, not quite meeting his adoptive father's eyes. 'Yes, my master.' Maul always strives to learn his lessons quickly, for when he doesn't it means pain, oftentimes going hungry and cold as well.
'Good. But I know of a way to make the lesson stick in your mind for good. Pain is a better teacher than I. Now listen closely.' A knife appears in Sidious' hands and flashes out towards Maul without warning. Not expecting the sudden attack, he staggers back, shocked at the fact his master stabbed him right below the ribs. One hand presses against his left side as he begins to bleed and he nearly collapses, barely staying up because he knows that his master will punish him harder if he shows any signs of weakness.
'There is some bacta patches over there,' Sidious says, gesturing towards some shelves on the edge of the room. Maul starts to make the slow, painful journey over to them when Sidious suddenly calls out. 'Stop.'
Maul does as he's told even if every fiber within him is telling him to move towards the patches which can heal his wound. He stops, obediently waiting for further directions from his master. 'Sit down. I want you to meditate until you lose yourself in the Dark Side so that your injury no longer matters. Only then can you get up and get the bacta. If you move before then, you will be punished. Do you understand?'
'Yes, master,' Maul says softly. He gives one last longing look at where the healing bandages are sitting on top of one of the shelves before he sits down in a cross-legged position and closes his eyes, trying to meditate despite the fact he's still bleeding from the injury to his side. The blood flows slowly and oozes out, staining his dark tunic and dripping onto the floor as he attempts to obey his master's command. Desperate as he is to heal himself, Maul would rather pass out from blood loss or just die before disobeying his master and risking further punishment.]
Fifteen Years Old
[Maul is older now in this memory, a teenager maybe fourteen or fifteen years old, but it appears puberty hasn't quite caught up to him yet, for he is on the small side for a humanoid alien and rather awkward-looking. There's two girls talking with him, both exceptionally pretty, even if one happens to be a purple-skinned Nautolan with shiny eyes that are pure black and tentacles where hair would be on a human being. 'Do you know how long you'll be gone for?' She asks.
'No. My master didn't say. I think he's taking me out for some personal training,' Maul says. 'But I hope I'll be back soon,' he quickly adds on, the longing in his voice clear. He far prefers to stay here at the academy instead of with Sidious.
The other one, a human with long brown hair, deliberately saunters up to Maul, close enough for him to inhale the perfume she's wearing, and Maul wears an expression like someone hit him over the head with a mallet when she gets that close. She's clearly very experienced at flirting despite her youth, having a breathy 'little girl' style voice. 'Come back soon, Maul. We'll have a surprise waiting for you when you get back.'
'What is it?' Maul asks excitedly, voice breaking the way young teenage boys will when they are going through the changes of life.
The Nautolan girl smiles, an enigmatic one that also seems to tease him a little. She goes up and caresses one of his cheeks, causing him to blush furiously, not that it's so easy to tell with his red skin. 'Now, now, that would spoil it. Just hurry back, okay?'
Sidious' voice can be heard from down a hallway. 'Maul, come.'
Maul reluctantly tears himself away from his two female friends, calling to his master. 'Uh-huh. Coming.' He gives one last look to the two. 'I can't wait to see it,' he says before he dashes off.]
Adulthood
[The ones from Maul as an adult range in a period of time that lasts over a decade and a half. It starts off with dueling and killing his first Jedi, Eldra Kastis, something that he seems to find little pleasure in and only more rage. Then comes the duel which will change his life forever where he fights Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, a figure some who had been in Deerington will recognize, and his Jedi Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi. The silent, deadly assassin the video more resembles the brainwashed figure who went on the deadly rampage in Deerington more than how Maul is now, showing just how far he's come. But it doesn't help poor Qui-Gon, who meets his demise at Maul's hands, merciless and vicious as he currently is. Too arrogant now to see the threat which is still active, he wordlessly taunts Obi-Wan instead of finishing him off once he gains the upper hand, which leads to Maul getting sliced in half and falling down an endless reactor shaft.
The next memory comes from years later when he meets his brother Savage again for the first time since they were children. Maul's body and mind are both greatly damaged and he disassociates from the scene greatly, talking sometimes as if Sidious was present and generally in a state of great madness after so many years of being left alone. But throughout it all, one thing keeps him together: the thought of revenge on Obi-Wan Kenobi. He gets his chance later on, slaughtering an entire village to draw the Jedi to him. Once he's there, he starts but doesn't finish his revenge, Obi-Wan being saved by Asajj Ventress, a Nightsister. To finish things will come later. Maul's waited a long time for this. He can wait a little longer
He gets his chance when he takes over Mandalore in a duel to the death with Pre Vizsla, the leader of an extremist sect that has taken over the planet with Maul's help. Maul decapitates him and takes over the group, securing his position as the ruler of Mandalore. Things finally start to go right for the Zabrak Sith Lord Once that has happened, he uses the previous ruler Duchess Satine Kryze (who also happens to be the love of Obi-Wan's life) to draw the Jedi back to him. Once he's there, Maul kills Satine in cold blood, a cruel merciless act designed to make Obi-Wan fall to the Dark Side as Maul gains his revenge upon the Jedi he blames for the ruination of his life. It doesn't happen despite his anger and grief. This is the last time Maul will feel any sort of satisfaction for a long, long time, for Sidious shows up and begins to duel both he and Savage, having decided Maul has grown too powerful as a threat and must be eliminated.
Anyone who has not seen any of the other memories or seen the man in other visions Deerington and Trench have provided might at first be skeptical. This is the source of Maul's eternal terror, the reason he was turned into such a psychopath after growing up at his hands? This kindly-looking old man who's shorter than his adoptive son? But then Sidious begins to fight the Zabrak and it becomes clear why he's such a menace. He kills Savage purely to hurt Maul and Maul finally gets a taste of what he's put Obi-Wan through in killing his master and greatest love. He's so angry when this happens that he even briefly puts Sidious on his back foot, the confident sneer fading from Sidious' features. He resorts to using the Force to win the duel and Maul reverts back to a terrified, shivering wreck reminiscent of his younger childhood self, begging for mercy. It may seem odd that someone as proud as Maul would beg for mercy until one realizes the mercy he's asking for is for Sidious to kill him instead of prolonging his torture any longer. But he refuses and Maul is left screaming.]
The Future
[In the future, there are a few memories Maul sees. The first ten years after the Clone Wars. Maul is now in his forties and is talking with a subordinate, for while he's diminished from the time he ruled Mandalore, Maul still runs a powerful criminal syndicate in the form of Black Sun. But years down the line, he crashes on a dead planet that he has old ties too and is left there for years until a group of Force-users come calling. He meets a young teenage Force-sensitive named Ezra Bridger and as Maul is warranted to do uses the boy for his own ends. He helps several others on the side of the Rebellion including the Togruta Ahsoka Tano that he has a former history with. They end up dueling members of the Dark Side group called the Inquisitors made up of fallen Jedi. But then he turns on them and blinds Ezra's master before losing to the man in a duel.
Then comes the end for Maul. With nothing left in his life, he decides to go to Tatooine after discovering Obi-Wan is still alive. Either he'll die or Obi-Wan will and frankly Maul doesn't care which happens. He's just so full of pain that he can't go on existing anymore, knowing his entire life was one long struggle that came all to naught. It turns out that for the last time he overestimates Obi-Wan Kenobi and Maul dies in the arms of his old foe, finally at peace as he learns of the existence of Luke Skywalker, the one that will bring balance to the Force and avenge all the sufferings of both Maul and Obi-Wan's lives.]
B. Run Rabbit Run
[Maul is a vileblood and therefore one of those that the undead animals and traps of the Huntress get set out for. But Maul is not an easy being to catch given his own set of Force powers, especially with his natural stealth and agility. He quickly outwits traps early in the month, but as it goes on, it appears the traps are getting more intricate and deadly to try and contain him. If someone comes across him caught in one, he'll greatly appreciate help in loosening himself from it.
If he grows desperate enough after being caught there for long enough, one can come across him freeing himself from a trap that his prosthetic leg is caught in by severing the limb completely off with one of his lightsabers or crushing part of it using the Force. He might even end up having to rip off both of them and that will definitely leave him at a disadvantage, though anyone who tries to get near him will find he's still dangerous even down half a body. It doesn't hurt him to lose his legs but it is a disturbing sight and it will be inconvenient to the Sith Lord until he can find a trusted friend to repair the torn-off limbs for him. One can offer to help him now that he's down a leg but don't expect him to take you up on it given how the month's paranoia is affecting his blood type.
With how paranoid he becomes, it's not hard for him to finally grow tired of just passively freeing himself from traps. So someone wants to try and catch him? Fine. Let's see how they like it when the tables are turned on them. The traps he makes are intricate and designed to deliberately hurt, a callback to his own youth and the things Sidious used to put him through to test his survival. One can escape from his traps but it usually involves breaking bones or severing part of a limb off, for Maul's not one to let his prize go without them having to pay a price in return. If he goes after someone hunting them, it's best to just run until he grows tired of the chase or gets caught in another trap himself. Only then, when he's incapacitated and unable go after his intended target can he be reasoned with.]
C. Lockjoint
[Maul, unlucky as he is this month, starts to experience lockjoint in the later part of the month. He knows something is wrong when it even starts to affect the prosthetics on his lower half, for nothing should be able to touch them, and yet here he is unable to move without feeling pain on the joint portions of his legs. He knows he needs to seek out help and do something before this gets so bad he can't move any longer. However, his paranoia does make it hard for him to ask for help.
By the time Maul ends up giving in, he's going to be moving like a stiff old man if he's even mobile at all. If someone approaches him to help, they'll find a snarling, suspicious Sith Lord who stops them in their tracks with the Force, since it's the only weapon he's readily got left available to him. Wielding a lightsaber requires the use of his hands and that's just something he's unable to do at this moment.]
Not one step closer.
[He warns, yellow eyes glaring at his unfortunate victim. He'll have to be talked down into a state of compliance, but given that Maul doesn't want to be in pain, it'll be less of a fight to coax him into bloodletting or the nearest hot spring than it normally would be otherwise.]
II. Personal Stuff
A. Strawberry Shortmaul (Trickster Mode)
During the first part of the month, Maul ends up under the spell of the Trickster Mode virus sent out by Karkat for a day or two. Enter Strawberry Shortmaul, his alter ego, which is either going to give people a good laugh or make them mildly recoil from him in horror. His Omen, Venge, also gets turned into a strawberry shortcake themed version of themselves and will be going by their full name of Vengeful Snuzzle during this time, which doesn't make them any less terrifying given they still have a mouth full of very large, sharp teeth on display despite now being a pastel monstrosity.
During this time, he'll be rather aggressively spreading cheer and happiness. "You look like you need a hug" is definitely going to be one of his catch-phrases and he'll also be attempting to kiss anyone he has positive CR with so that they too can be infected with Trickster Mode. While at first this will just be annoying, Maul is Maul even if turned into a version of himself that wandered out of an eighties children's cartoon, so expect him to turn a bit aggressive at points. He won't allow people to leave his sight until he's sure they're happy and he's more than willing to follow through on any threats of "I'll make you happy!" in a manner both hilarious and terrifying.
B. Cult
Those who know Maul is forming a cult will generally assume this is a very bad idea and for the most part they are right. But this time, oddly, Maul seems to be teaching them an actual good lesson. They're in a bookstore that smells of incense and that particular musty book smell older volumes tend to get. Maul's sitting on a chair and has just finished ordering them all to read some books in particular. Once again, if anyone he knows is in they're more than welcome to sit down with the group, or just snoop on them from the next aisle over, whatever their preference is. Now the topic has turned to the time of year and the usual holiday proceedings.
"How many here know of this holiday known as Christmas?" One or two hands go up but of the eight most don't have a clue. "That is fine. Neither did I when I first arrived in Deerington almost two years ago. But I soon learned that such a holiday is actually a good time to be thankful for those around you. Remember, a key failing of the Sith is that they are solitary and do not rely on others. I have already told of why this is a bad idea and one we shall not be replicating here. This winter is the perfect opportunity to show how grateful you are to your family, friends, and each other. What I want you to do is to find presents for at least one person in your life. You must put some thought into them, for I will be severely disappointed to hear if you wait until the last moment to do so. Remember, you have until the 25th to do so." Well, look at that, Maul's actually imparting a good lesson onto his followers. Could he have in fact started learning his lesson here in Trench?
Then he goes on. "Don't forget that part of the holiday also involves an old man breaking into people's homes and leaving them their gifts, so don't forget that part of this is going to test your skills of stealth and athleticism as you break into the homes of those you are giving gifts to. If they catch you, I will consider you to have failed this test." ......Okay so he's still working on just generally being a normal type of person but hey! Baby steps is what he's going for here.
C. Presents
As for Maul himself, he's got some gifts to figure out that he's going to give to people. He can be found wandering around the city, bundled up under some coats, furs, or robes depending on his mood and how cold the day is. He'll be going into all sorts of shops and asking questions of the owners with an intense look in his eyes. One can find him holding up something with his gloved hands and turning towards you. "What do you think?" He asks regarding something that looks rather bizarre but which Maul seems to think would be the perfect gift for someone in his life.
Of course, not everyone in the city is glad for Maul's business. When he's in the realm of the streets that he tore apart while fighting Lance, he comes under attack. No, really, there's one tiny little shopkeeper in his fifties or early sixties who winds up with a chunk of debris that might have well come from his destroyed shop and lobs it at Maul's head. Maul sees it coming long before it ever reaches him. "Don't--" He ducks as the piece of debris is thrown in his direction. "Now really--" He dodges another one. Honestly, he seems more amused than anything else at the bravery of this little furious (former) shopkeeper in the face of a Sith Lord that could easily tear him apart. The man keeps cursing at him as he winds up to throw a third chunk of broken cement. "Enough." Maul unleashes the Darksaber he's wearing on his hip today and holds it out in a combat-ready position. "I admire your throwing skills but if you do that again I'm not holding back." Someone might want to drag Maul and/or the shopkeeper away from one another before Maul ends up committing his first murder with malicious intent here in Trench.
D. Wildcard
[Anything not tickling your fancy? Want a memory prompt tailored to your character? Or have them attending a sparring session with Maul? Something with more or less horror for the holidays? Give me a poke at
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"I mean, your Master definitely orchestrated the choices you made, and when he did, you made them all aimed with the purpose of hurting Obi Wan. In a way, the choices you made were all in service with what he wanted to happen to you."
In other words, Luz acknowledged that Darth Maul's decisions were his own undoing, but they had long ago been skewed to be self-destructive in the first place.
"So if you know that stuff, why DO you choose to still lean on being a scary former assassin as your persona? Wouldn't you want people to see you differently?"
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A muscle twitched in Maul's cheek and the lines of his body became extremely tense when she asked why he was still leaning into his fearsome reputation. "Because if they do, they might take advantage of what they know and hurt me again." The same way his master had done for his entire life. Maul still couldn't get over the block in his mind that told him everyone was as cruel and manipulative as Darth Sidious, even with so many examples here that showed otherwise.
It didn't help he'd surrounded himself in his own galaxy with criminals, warriors, and other types who would have done just that, so before he'd come to Deerington he'd had no one else to really show him that things could be different. Now, he kept everyone at arm's length to prevent them from getting too close and seeing that he was a very damaged, vulnerable person underneath all the anger, hate, and psychotic energy.
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"Even if you know that's not true with a lot of us? For one thing, you know there are still people here that would help you, right, even though a decent amount of people from Deerington days that would think we were crazy for that?"
Luz knew right off the top of her head what Margot would have thought, having been killed by Darth Maul herself, but Luz had seen, long ago, that Darth Maul was not just a mindless killing machine. It just gnawed at her that he still thought it was a reputation he needed to keep.
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Maul was stubborn to a fault and this was one of those times. He just couldn't bring himself to trust people, not even when it was within his own best interests to do so. His motivations were driven by fear, scared that there were people here just like those that were at home who would take advantage of his vulnerabilities. The idea that people weren't as cruel or self-centered as Maul thought they were still hadn't permeated fully through his mind. Despite the attempts of people like Usagi and Varian to help him see that, it was still a holdover from the time he'd spent under his master's brainwashing for so long.
Sometimes, he thought it would never be broken, that he would just go through life always expecting the worst out of people.
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Luz could guess who he meant when he said witches, as there were not a whole lot of them around, and she likely knew the ones in question. It was actually a little meaningful to her that Darth Maul liked her at all, since she was herself a witch, albeit an aspiring one, though she wasn't at all sure about how she felt cursing people.
After all, EDA was a witch and lived on the same block as Darth Maul and she was sure he was not one of the witches he was talking about specifically because it was a curse. If anyone was sensitive to that it'd be Eda.
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Maul scowled as he thought of the curse still upon him which prevented him from hurting anybody without feeling pain himself. "There was three of them that cast the spell which made it immensely powerful and it means I haven't found a way to break it, not in over eight months." Maul knew academically what he needed to do to break it. He had to feel true remorse for his actions. But emotionally? No, he hadn't been able to bring himself to be able to feel that for anything he'd done either in Deerington or here in Trench.
Luz loves you but you are Darth Maul. You get half sympathy.
"It's not something I would have done, but I figure they thought it was better than going out for vengeance or by putting you in some kind of prison. They weren't trying to take away your ability to move around or to live. They wanted to make sure you weren't going to go and pick off another person. It's more about eliminating the fear you pose to others."
That way of thinking sense in ONE aspect but considering where they lived Luz wondered if that was a good thing. Sometimes things needed to die, to make sure they didn't go and hurt other people. This was why Luz had taken out those zombie woodland animals attacking Snow White. What if they had killed her?
Luz nodded. "Three. Yeah, that makes sense, there's supposed to be big power in that number. Have you thought about just asking them to take it off, so you can protect yourself?"
What he deserves is a kick in the head hehe.
"I was already put in a prison when they locked me up in the Mandalorian sarcophagus." Maul snapped, biting the words out one-by-one. "But apparently that wasn't good enough for them. It was while I was stuck in there that they put the curse on me."
Maul snorted softly, an indignant and contemptuous sound. "I doubt any of them would. I am fairly certain Constantine and that moon witch despise me and the woman Willow isn't much better. It is doubtful they did this purely out of some noble, altruistic reasons to protect everyone. They are scared of me and their fear led them to try and put a leash on me as if I was a rabid dog. Or even if they could. That's not the way curses are supposed to work." Not that Maul possessed a large amount of knowledge about magic but he'd been around his mother, a powerful witch in her own right, to have picked up some of the basics.
Luz knows this but she still loves him^-^
Case in point: Reaper and Karkat and probably several other situations.
"You know, it could be both reasons, really. Of course there'd be some concern about you since you went and sliced off a kid's hand. The way they figure, I bet it was about protecting everyone, and since they fall under everyone, the curse makes sense. But I think I disagree with that part about a curse. Curses are essentially binding spells, so really, it's working exactly the way it's supposed to. Now curses CAN be broken, but I'm guessing you'd have to ask how to do it, or research it yourself."
She decided NOT to add that she knew and was friends with two of the three people he just mentioned. Willow she obviously knew, and the "moon witch" she was pretty sure was Luna. It was right in her name, after all.
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"Constantine told me how to do it. I have to feel true remorse for my actions. When I do, this potion--" He pulled it out of his pocket where he always kept it. "--will glow and I'll be able to drink it to remove it. But I have not felt it yet." Maul was so far detached from the emotion of remorse that Usagi flat-out had to explain it to him like he was a five year old. Maul's patience was beginning to grow thin with waiting for this emotion to somehow manifest itself within him.
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And Luz just, in general, wasn't sure WHAT she would have done in their stead. She knew that something had to be done with Maul at that time, but casting a spell that bound someone else? That was a LOT.
"Remorse for your actions? I mean, in a cosmic sense I get that, but how would YOU learn to have that kind of empathy if you're sure that you don't have it to begin with? Not that I'm arguing for this, but wouldn't it have made sense to afflict you with empathy instead of expecting you'd just have it?"
Honestly, she just didn't like the idea of magic being involved at all. That just made things more complicated and tended to really shove the real problem under the table.
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"Several people have asked me that. Why they would force something upon me rather than try to work with me and help me to realize what they intended. That is because I suspect, at their core, they didn't do this to protect everyone as they claimed or any other noble actions. This was designed to punish me more than anything else. People accuse me of being petty but many here are exactly the same way." Maul didn't believe Constantine and the other witches had done this for any reason other than they were afraid of him.
"I have no idea how I am supposed to find remorse. I have had the emotion explained to me by Usagi but...." He shrugs. "....It is a bit impossible to feel something like that when I've never felt bad for my actions before now and don't see that changing anytime soon."
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That, of course, was the rub- Luz now understood why Darth Maul was the way he was. If you were conditioned under the worst circumstances to suppress nothing more than the desires you sought, and punish anyone that stood in your way, how would they expect him to change, to try and fit what people normally deemed as empathy?
"I can figure that much. So maybe I should ask a better question: do YOU think you should be punished? Are you convinced that the actions you've taken, how you've been around here, is acceptable enough that no one should be afraid of you?"
Luz, after all, could see very much WHY people were afraid, but that didn't do Maul or them any good.
"Do you want to attempt to feel remorse? I can try and explain it, but if you feel like it's a burden, it won't be doing you any favors."
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He considered her offer. ".....No. Usagi already did that and I understand it on an intellectual level well enough. It is simply that I do not feel it emotionally." Small wonder given everything his master had done to him to create the perfect weapon. To feel compassion for those he'd killed or guilt would have made him of little use to the Sith. Maul had learned not to feel bad for anything he ever did, a trait which had lasted even until now.
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"I think at this point, people are thinking about your reputation at Deerington. It can be hard to forgive someone, and even harder to shake off first impressions, especially if you happen to say things that reinforce what they were already thinking about you. I know with some people they expect a change that they can see that shows how different you are, and they don't realize something like that is just not going to happen."
Especially for someone who was never conditioned to think that way to begin with.
"I had a feeling that's the case. They know how to feel compassion and empathy: you were taught to never feel those things, and so you just don't. And that's just another one of those problems I've said we're all bound to run into: how completely different you are from the way they are. But maybe it'll help to try and see if there's a way to learn SOME empathy. You'd feel bad if, say, something happened to Reaper, or Usagi, right?"
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He didn't want to have to let go of his anger and hate, the two things that had sustained him for so long. To be without them is something Maul simply refused to do.
"That's how Usagi explained it to me. That I would feel bad if something happened to those I care about. And I have before in Deerington when I was brainwashed and went on my killing spree. But.....the problem is that people expect me to feel it for everyone and I've only barely started feeling that for the handful of people I care about here. To suddenly feel that for all people is something I am just simply incapable of doing." Maul's empathy only extended so far in the twisted, limited, and stunted form it had already been allowed to grow into.
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And of course, how much effort Darth Maul was willing to put forth.
"The way I look at it is this: everyone here is going to at least want to be happy with what they have for a life here. What they're owed is a life that's free of worrying about another Sleeper hurting them. Trench is already going to work itself on us in some way, there's no real getting out of that. If you can manage to live and let live, that's pretty much all that can be expected, right? No one here can look out for EVERYONE."
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Of course, Maul was failing to take into consideration that relishing in being a monster and the way he hurt others wasn't quite the same thing but sometimes he could be a bit obtuse like that. "I am not a person inclined to simply sit by and let people be. It's just not in my personality." Maul was a go-getter, always one to take charge, and that meant not sticking his nose into other people's business was a hard thing for him to do.
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See, if things like THAT were understood, people wouldn't automatically think that Darth Maul was having a rampage.
Luz was also VERY aware that Darth Maul leaned into his monstrous side and tended to not correct people when they accused him of being deliberately cruel.
"Even if it would make it easier for people to see you as someone struggling to reign in your past mistakes, and not someone who likes to mess with other people for the fun of it?"