Ok, building off my previous post talking about transfem Darth Maul, or really just his sense of identity in general, Iāve been thinking of certain fanfic premises that would allow me to play around with Maul exploring/forming his own sense of identity outside of theā¦ everything that we see from his adult self in canon.
Iāve been asking myself, āwhat could be changed in Maulās life to give him that opportunity?ā And, because Iām a softy who also likes AUs and the chance to invent alien worldbuilding, this naturally evolved into the idea of āwhat if Talzin did succeed in taking Maul back to Dathomir like she tried in the Wrath and Restraint stories? How would Maul react to being on Dathomir? How well would he fit in (or not fit in) among this unfamiliar culture that Talzin and other Nightbrothers would expect him to adapt to and welcome?ā And, relevant to that early post, āHow would Maul respond, accept, and/or reject Dathomirās strict gender roles?ā
Realistically, I imagine that a 15 year old Maul stolen from Orsis would fight tooth and nail to return to his master. He probably wouldnāt initially care about his homeworldās culture, let alone internalize or grapple with parts of it. I think it would take a lot for Maul to graduate from thinking of Dathomir as some backwater place that his master āsavedā him from, to thinking of it as something relevant to him. According to the various novels and comics Iāve read, it doesnāt seem to be a place that Maul associated himself with during the early years of his life. Heās a Sith apprentice first, while being a Nightbrother is more like a quirk of his biology or geographical origin. Even other more ābasicā marks of identityāgender, social class, being a student or a friend or something in the context of an institution with other peopleāmight as well be idle trivia about some other person. Maul can cast off those things as soon as the need arises, as soon as his master orders him to, regardless of whether a part of Maul might want those marks of identity and connection.
Of course, in canon we can see later examples of Maul trying to retain, make use of, and get in touch with certain parts of his heritage, albeit in somewhat stunted ways. He follows orders from Talzin, he has two Nightbrothers in his gang during the events of Shadow Lord, and in Rebels heās been teaching himself some magick on Dathomir. However, all of these developments only happen after (a) Maul loses everything that previously gave his life meaning and direction, and (b) after Savage shows up, brings him back to Talzin, and gives him a new sense of identity (he is someoneās brother and master now, woah!). Savage also reignites his sense of purpose (get revenge on Kenobi, gain power). Maul may not be a Sith apprentice anymore, but suddenly thereās this guy who reminds him of his own loneliness as a child (see the first and last chapter of Wrath) and who we can assume probably helped ease that loneliness. Whatās more, unlike Maul, Savage actually does have a sense of identity outside his brother. Granted, we donāt see a lot of his agency or personhood because heās always being bossed around or seen as ābeastlyā by other characters, but for better or worse we can assume that Savage identifies on some level as a Nightbrother within the context of the community he grew up in. Genuinely, I feel like Maul could have gone his whole life just not really caring about Dathomir or Talzin so long as Savage stuck around. The fact that Savage didnāt stick around gave Maul a good reason to pursue whatever leftover reminders/connections to Savage (and by extension that sense of identity and purpose) that he could find.
Anyway, this is my long winded way of saying that I really want to write a fic where Maul gets stuck on Dathomir as a teenānotably before he kills Kilindi and everyone at Orsisāand then proceeds to try absolutely everything to get back to Sidious, resulting in a lot of misadventures and growth. I think it would be interesting if Maul, in the interest of escaping, started learning how to harness Dathomirās ichor/magick (something ordinarily only learned by Nightsisters, possibly carrying *connotations* related to gender/social roles/religion that Maul flat out doesnāt know or doesnāt care about, and a thing that everyone and Mother Talzin would have Strong Opinions on).
I think it would be fun to write about Maul doing a bunch of other stuff too. Exploring old ruins or forbidden areas in the hopes of finding anything useful. Trying to hitch a ride with pirates. Maybe running into a Lost Jedi whoās been hiding out on Dathomir for several years, who maybe at first just seems like some crazy hermit (basically, Maul meeting his own Yoda or Obi-wan).
Similarly, I think it would be fun to write Maul simply interacting with characters like Savage in a different contextāI feel like the former would initially reject a brother relationship with this stranger who, on the surface, doesnāt have much to offer Maul. Savage by this point would beā¦ just a guy. A young man who lives a simple life, is subservient to witches, is a caretaker to Feral, a member of his community, an average warrior. I think Savage, without all the pomp and the magick and the circumstances of rescuing Maul like in canon, would seem unimpressive at first. Something unnecessary in the life of a future Sith Lord. Savage would be a person who represents all of the things that his master said he and Maul were above, the things in life that non force users cling to only because theyāre ālesserā beings.
Except, through forced proximity and actually living alongside people like Savage, Maul would come to question that stance. Unlike Orsis, where Maul was frequently in contact with Sidious, where the school itself probably encouraged cutthroat competition, where Maul always had to keep essential parts of himself hidden even from his closest peers, being stuck on Dathomir would provide an actual opportunity for Maul to form bonds. To a certain extent heād be forced to rely on other people, because killing everyone and taking what he wants would simply be impossible.
Which, again, makes it interesting to think of other characters who Maul would then be forced to interact with over time. Like, what would he and Feral think of each other? Feral doesnāt really have much of a personality thatās explored in canon, although some sources kinda imply he could be Maulās twin? Maybe? I know a lot of fan works portray Feral as being younger than Maul, which Iām admittedly partial to as well, but I canāt really tell where that comes from except Wookiepedia?
Eh, whatever. The most we know about Feral is that he apparently relies on Savage a lot, and that between the two heās a less capable fighter.
(Savage being so overprotective of Feral could say a lot about him too btw)
And, twin or not, I think thereās a lot of fun things to do with that. For one thing, Feral could serve as a parallel to Maul. He comes from the same place, the same bloodline, and yet he wasnāt chosen as Sidiousā pupil. Heās an image of what Maul could have been, if heād been allowed to grow up on Dathomir without interference. I think that Maul, especially once he gets more acclimated to Dathomir, would resent Feral quite a bit. Not just because the other is weak, but because Feral is weak and yet he was allowed to have all of the things that, deep down, Maul wants. Even worse if, letās say, Feral was untrained but slightly force sensitive as well. It would all start to feel so frustrating, so arbitrary. If Maul was special, if he was allegedly better than Feral, if he had won this unofficial contest for a great destiny, then why did Maul wish he had lost?
On the opposite end, I think it would be darkly funny if Feral thought about Maul with far less weight. Heād feel bad for him, maybe. Heād be curious and decently welcoming. But perhaps heād also initially see Maul as the crazy jackass brother whoās now inexplicably glaring daggers at him over breakfast, and who mostly seems to snark at Savage, spit on their heritage, and shirk chores in favor of doing who-knows-what out in the woods. It would be like suddenly living with a traumatized wizard ninja who speaks in a funny accent and has, like, internalized racism.
Also-also, a little off topic now, and Iām not sure if Iād intentionally set out to write Maul as beingā¦ not cis? But man I think it would be cool if Maul tried wearing makeup in this fic, at least a couple times. I have a whole headcanony thingamabob in my head related to Daleen from Orsis secretly being an illegitimate noble kid from Naboo who shows Kilindi and Maul how to wear something like that face paint that we see PadmĆ© wear in Episode 1. Like, we know canon says that red strip on PadmĆ©ās lip is āthe scar of remembrance,ā but not much else. So why not just invent some other makeup lore, right?
Iām just attached to the idea that, in another life, Daleen might have grown up to be one of PadmĆ© advisors, maybe even a handmaiden if she looks young enough. I think it would be neat, therefore, if Daleen had the chance to show her friends how to apply that thick white face paint, and other marks that represent experiences, personhood, identity, etc. The white face paint would make Maul loosely resemble a Nightsister, sure, but more pointedly I think heād be stumped about what marks or āscarsā would fit him, except maybe ones related to being a warrior. Before his Gora, before being taken back to Dathomir, heād watch in silence while Kilindi and Daleen painted over their pale faces with colorful markings, things representing freedom, sisterhood, valuable, protector, fighterā¦ Heād sit there with his face painted white like a porcelain mask, transfixed by the girls and his own reflection, and yet unable to move forward. Heād swipe through a holo provided by Daleen, unable to find anything that fits, anything he can accept himself to be, wondering with sudden paranoia if his master might see him in such a state, if heād disapprove, if this was something a Sith did. And then heād call it quits, leaving to wash his face.
Which, ya know, would make it fun to write a section much later in the story, set after all sorts of character growth, where Maul gets to finish painting his face with a better idea of who he is and what he values. And yeah, maybe Maul would look a bit like a Nightsister, but overall, whether thatās part of the goal or not, it would just be about Maul being Maul.
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