Video; un: darkness; Forward dated to 2/10

[survivalthroughhate]

[Maul looks very serious but also with a touch of the cat that finally caught the canary as he starts the video.]

I thought I would just give a formal announcement that I have broken the curse which has been on me since Deerington. For those who didn't know about it, it caused me to feel pain whenever I harmed another sentient being. But no more.

[He sounds extremely pleased by that. Though any traces of glee are soon replaced by a murderous expression on his face, his eyes hardening until there is only fury in them.]

If any of you feel like being clever and immediately trying to put another leash upon me, I would advise against it. I didn't retaliate this time but next time I will kill anyone who tries to meddle in my life, whether or not it is my own hand that ends your life.[Maul's got enough people in town who he knows would eagerly kill for him if he asked them to, his brother and mate both chief among them. While he usually prefers to do his own dirty work, he's not willing to put himself through another eight months of being muzzled.] Or I shall simply make your life so miserable that you wish you were dead. After all, most sentient species contain around two hundred to four hundred bones. Consider the fact I know how to break each and every one of them. Or how most species will continue to survive as long as the brain has oxygen and the hearts continue to pump blood regardless of what else is done to their body. Just a thought.

[He pauses and adds on a little at the end.]

As for the three that did it? You already know I don't forgive and I don't forget. Run and hide if you like. I'll come and find you soon enough.

Comments

Video; un: Willow

[frogfear]

[Well. The days of Willow not taking Maul's threats too seriously have certainly come to an abrupt end. It's even more terrifying, given she doesn't have her own magic here to defend herself with.

Worse still, he knows where she lives and he's even been inside without her knowledge. Without anyone's knowledge until well after he had gone. That means it's not just her, John, and Luna at risk.

She wonders if Oscar will object if she walks Tara through the spell she used in Deerington to keep Maul out of the house.

Their overlap in friends might be the best way to appeal to his better nature here.]

I'm pretty sure we have mutual friends who won't be too happy with you if you come after me. You might want to think about them.

[survivalthroughhate]

[Oh look, right on schedule, one of the three checking in. He expects John will be along to smugly tell him to piss off or Luna to pass judgment on him anytime now.]

Do you think I'm so foolish as to go after you right away?

[Well.......]

No, I'll wait until you least expect it. Then I shall strike.

[He's very pointedly not addressing the idea of their mutual friends not being happy with him if he goes after her. Maul logically knows this but it's hard to think about potential consequences when he wants to take action right away. He's still trying to get used to the idea that actions have consequences at all. It's a hard lesson for him to learn but one he needs to have happen over and over again for it to sink into his mind.]

voice; un: taka

[retsuden]

Do you usually waste your energy making a show of petty revenge?

[ That someone sounds genuinely curious and not like he's trying to judge here, because that would make him the world's biggest hypocrite. Not that he's not a hypocrite all the time, but he's trying very hard and likely failing spectacularly. ]

[survivalthroughhate]

I once held onto a grudge for fourteen years towards one man that had wronged me and plotting revenge against him is the only way I held onto my sanity. What does that tell you?

[Maul will hold onto a grudge until doomsday and well beyond.]

video. un: hardsell

[oldhound]

[ Bollocks. ]

Leash was a mercy, mate. Give you a chance to stop being a bloody wanker and not act out like some ill-mannered toddler with anger issues. Go after me and mine? It'll be something worse that comes for you.

[survivalthroughhate]

[Maul's about to respond to John with just snark when he remembers he still owes the man a favor. And the part of him that is unfortunately a little like Sidious knows just what to say because he's an asshole.]

I still owe you a favor. And you seem rather fond of your fellow magic-users. Pick one of the other witches and I will drop my vengeance towards them no questions asked.

[He's absolutely serious. Maul doesn't often give his word but when he does it is ironclad.]

video; un: AskMalice

[slayerskiss]

You know, "I'll kill you if you try to stop me from killing people" isn't really the persuasive argument you think it is.

[Just throwing it out there.]

[survivalthroughhate]

Do you have a better idea?

[Serious question.]

Video UN: 1stStrike

[strikefirster]

[Oh hey. It's this guy again. Unfortunately Johnny also wasn't the type to learn from his mistakes.]

Hey asshole.

Fuck you and your cheap ass super powers.

[survivalthroughhate]

[Oh look, it's that moron that Maul had killed. Honestly, he feels no guilt about that whatsoever, he was doing Trench a favor in that instance.]

Next time, don't be an idiot and pick a fight with someone when you have no idea what they are capable of.

video; un: quibbler

[creidim]

[ And to think Luna has just told Paimon last month she was going to give Maul a chance and let the two of them work together, even if he would be walking on rather thin ice. She's disappointed. Usagi and Varian were vouching for him, too. ]

And of course you did the very clever thing of announcing your intentions and making public threats on the network. [ Which she does not take kindly. ]

This won't end well for you, Maul.

[survivalthroughhate]

[While Maul can occasionally have a conversation with Willow and dealing with John mostly involves sniping at one another, with Luna Maul feels nothing but contempt and hatred.]

Perhaps it won't end well for either of us.

audio; un: doublehedgedsword

[laminae]

Someone cursed you?

[Fern doesn't exactly have good experiences with curses, or forcibly having his bodily autonomy taken away. Maul is violet, yes, but he's doing better.]

Dog, that's really messed up. You got every right to defend yourself if they try that again.

[survivalthroughhate]

Yes. Over eight months ago in Deerington.

[The fury in Maul's voice is evident. He's still horribly angry about what had happened.]

It took me this long to break it.

Video: Cuddlebunny

[lightthedarkness]

[Just this stare, the looooooooongest of stares and then a deep breath.]

You know, I'm not actually SURPRISED, or even mad. Just deeply disappointed in you.

[survivalthroughhate]

[At least that has the reaction Usagi was hoping for. Maul looks as if she's slapped him right across the face.]

....You are?

[He says softly.]

un: trienemybest; video

[droptheious]

[EVERY time. Varian heaves out a tired sigh. ]

It's stuff like this that makes it really hard to defend you, you know?

[He scrubs his face, trying to find some middle ground here.]

Okay, so. Curses bad. Better ways of dealing with problems, that's...bad. But also when you threaten to murder people, they're gonna find ways to protect themselves. Because they're scared. And angry. And scared and angry people do stupid things. Like cursing people.

So do you see the cycle we're kinda stuck in here?

[survivalthroughhate]

I think I'm finally beginning to realize that.

[No snark or doubletalk there. Maul knows he makes things difficult for the people that are in his corner.]

A bit. [He does understand it logically but emotionally he has more difficulty just letting things go.] If people would just mind their own business when it came to me, I wouldn't feel the need to say things like this.

Video | Clickclickbloom

[onekindsoul]

Maul, We both know they did what they did for a good reason.
It was an extreme method in response to some extreme actions you had taken.

I know talking you out of this isn't going to work. You're just going to find some way around those words to try and get your way.

But if you touch or harm Glitch, Willow, Luna or Peter. I will do what I have to do stop you.

So please. This is the only warning I'm giving you.

[survivalthroughhate]

Give me a good reason to reconsider and I might.

[He's serious about that. He considers Ruby a friend and doesn't want to hurt her. But he also doesn't see a good way of backing down after he just made such threats. He'll afraid it'll make him seem weak.]

Video; un; Glitch

[glitchinthesystem]

[ If this were the office, this would be the point Glitch would stare at the camera for five minutes with a dead look on his face. ]

So, it's totally okay for you to murder or maim people because you have issues or fucking trauma and it's all right to take it out on people you fucking hate.

But, if someone decides to justly punish you and you know, give you consequences for your fucking actions suddenly it's unfair and you can do whatever you want?

God. Just keep burning those bridges, Maul, you're only proving me right.

[survivalthroughhate]

Says the boy who found it amusing to mock me while I was cursed. Are you generally this stupid or just foolish when it comes to me specifically? I did have consequences. Eight months of them. What do you wish, for me to be eternally punished? Don't answer that, I already know the answer is yes.

[If anything, Maul's voice grows even colder.]

I've told you before and will tell you again. Simply because I have no desire to do better around you doesn't mean I don't have it at all. I have done better with the help of others here and have gone farther down the path of becoming a better person than I ever could have on my own. You just believe I'm an unrepentant monster because it's easier for you to think that than to comprehend I'll never feel bad about what I've done to you.

video | un: graham crackers

[possessum]

( It's with a new username.... but here's Peter. Which is perhaps very surprising, given not only how afraid he is of Maul, but also how conflict-avoidant Peter Graham is in general. Addressing something like this is so far from usual for him.

But he can't not.... He knows exactly who those three people are, and he knows what Maul is capable of. A sheer terror has been struck in him, not for himself, but for Luna, John, and Willow. He's no doubt immediately discernable as Peter and not Paimon, given the emotion in his features: eyes wide and glossy, voice trembling. )

Please don't— don't hurt them. I'm sorry for what happened to you, but— please.

Private Video

[survivalthroughhate]

[Out of everyone that has responded to this post, this is the most surprising. Especially since it's Peter responding rather than Paimon. He's talked to the boy so few times that he still doesn't have a good sense of his personality but he knows this is probably the bravest Peter has ever been around him. He can respect that, oh yes.]

Hurting your lover is out of the question. She's powerful enough to make it ill-advised for me to attempt such a thing. As for the other two.....we shall see. But I am surprised to see you taking such a stance yourself. What has changed?

Video; UN: SPCSchnee

[winter_bestowed]

Self defense is acceptable, and I believe this qualifies as a fair warning for those who may take action against you. However, should you launch an unprovoked attack against another dreamer there will be a rapid response.

If you plan to pursue and hunt others you will be dealt with accordingly. Take this opportunity to consider the slate clean.

[survivalthroughhate]

[Maul is surprised to hear Winter saying such a thing given how inflexible she tends to usually be when it comes to him. So rather than with any anger as he's responded to others in this post, he nods.]

Understood. That is a reasonable response to myself.

Video UN: glyphywitchy

[imaglyphwitch]

[So THAT was what they wound up doing: piecing him together to undo the curse.

And this was what he chose to do once it was gone].

What EXACTLY is this supposed to accomplish?!

[survivalthroughhate]

To make sure no one gets the bright idea in their head to once again meddle in my affairs.

[But he really should have thought more about the potential consequences before posting this.]

text; UN: THEDEMONTHATCOMES

[the_obedient_servant]

[Hmmm. This reads as tough talk to Chara. Might as well push him into acting on it. It'll be funny.]

* I, for one, am terrified. Shaking in my boots, even. The dog is off his leash and now he's barking.

* Oh well, maybe he'll stop after his masters firmly tell him to be a good boy, and then perhaps he'll even get a treat.

[survivalthroughhate]

If you think mocking me is a good way to go about things, you're either a fool, new, or both. So I will give you this one warning and no others.

Do NOT test me. Some people seem to think I will not follow through on what I say. That is not the case and you may ask anyone who knows me well what I normally do when people antagonize me. So unless you really want a fight? Leave it alone.

[VIDEO]; UN: [USERNAME NOT SET]

[demonicbeauty]

[Maul and his galaxy are really getting quite exhausting.]

Maul. Stop and think about it for a second.

Most of the dead come back. Killing people isn't going to end well for you in the long run. And it's going to make you a lot more enemies than you need or want.

[survivalthroughhate]

I believe the time for thinking before speaking is long since past if the public reaction is any indication.

And I already have more enemies than I could need or want, just look at how many people live in that giant house.

[The Clockhouse where a great number of people from Remnant hang their hat is the one he's referring to. Pretty much everyone in there save one or two people is an enemy to Maul.]

text | timaeusTestified -> Permanently Private

[givehead]

With all due respect, this post is a fuckin' train wreck. One of those situations where you had the option to run over one person or five people and you somehow managed to get all six in one fell swoop.

It would be more impressive if it wasn't kinda embarrassing. No offense.

[survivalthroughhate]

If you're here to simply berate me, make fun of me, or just be a general nuisance, you can, what's the phrase? Oh yes. Fuck off. I need no more condemnation from anyone today.

text; un: misfortune; private

[bolstafir]

lay a hand on willow, or take one step in that house again and you're dead
and then we'll wait for you on the beach, and keep killing you until you stop coming back

[This man has long reminded him of the bandits he grew up with, so it's time to deal with him like a bandit.]

[survivalthroughhate]

Make threats if you think it will make you feel better. Following through with them is when I'll believe you have teeth, whoever you are. But there's more than a few people who will object to my being killed over and over again. Do you really want an all-out war between everyone in that rather large house and the people on my side?

text, private, un: undefined

[forwantofahorse]

If you hurt anyone in the Clockhouse, they won't be able to stop finding your body for three months, and I can guarantee you'll be alive for at least two of them.

[survivalthroughhate]

Ah, now you I like. Nothing but the truth of what you wish to do to me. You may do your worst, I guarantee you I've experienced far worse. That's not bragging but simple fact. If I do kill anyone, I will wait for you to come after me, and see if you are capable of what you say.

un: eudaimonikos; video

[eudaimonikos]

Why do you keep doing this, man? I mean, why?

[Michael's been sick of the whole "constant Maul-related cycles of revenge" thing for...a while, honestly.]

Private

[survivalthroughhate]

Ever see the way a dog or cat will snarl and snap its teeth in warning before attacking to give a person a chance to back away? This is very similar.

[Does Maul actually mean what he says? Absolutely. Will he follow through with it? That's debatable given how many people are convincing him otherwise right now.]

video; UN: TripleJ

[kyley_b]

You sure don't make it easy for the people who like you, huh?

[survivalthroughhate]

I don't. I really don't.

[He can fully admit that.]

But I have eight months of fury built up, so you can see why I wouldn't be able to just let that go.

voice | un: zing zang (private)

[spiritwalks]

Hey, Maul. Is today a bad time to meet up somewhere?

[Vyng's voice is calm and measured — not angry, or even tired, although there's no smile in his words. For better or for worse, his interactions with Maul in the Dream were limited, so he feels like he's got the emotional capacity to try engaging him today. And he would rather meet Maul in person instead of filling his inbox with yet another righteously-indignant message.]

Private Video

[survivalthroughhate]

You can meet me at my home if you like. I don't think showing my face anywhere right now is the wisest idea.

[He's not sure what Vyng wants to say to him face-to-face but at least he didn't immediately start in with threats or condemnation, so he's willing to listen for the moment.]

text - UN: IceCream

[threelayers]

[Normally? Normally, she'd do the private message thing. It was how she tried to talk Maul down from getting himself and everyone around him killed. She was also awful at it, and she knew it. But he wasn't just a killer. He had a brain.

And if there was one thing she'd learned? This didn't work.]

One thing I will say for you.
You don't stab people in the back when they least expect you.
You ring the doorbell and announce you'll be back the next day.
There is something to being that up front about things.
I respect that.

That said.

I realize just how much pain you went through, but keep this in mind, friend.
You and I both understand probably better than a lot of the people talking to you that actions have consequences.
Someone hurts you, and you end up whipping around to hurt them back.
An eye for an eye, a life for a life, and nothing but a sea of bodies and blind people.
And then a week later, you wake gasping and you're wanting it all over again.

Keeping yourself in this cycle will only bring pain.
Pain to the people that you're going to cut to pieces without hesitation.
Pain to you when they come for you and retaliate because why wouldn't they?
And then you wake up and the cycle starts again.

It's a life of unending pain, without any experience of closure.
If you were offered an alternative, one that doesn't leave everyone in unending pain?
Would you consider taking it?

[She wasn't actually offering him the alternative, though. Why? Because it wasn't her place. It would be easy for Maul to guess, based on how she'd reacted all the other times? She wouldn't step in either way. If people were going to offer those alternatives, it'd probably need to be people more closely involved. But she was hoping he was willing to listen.]

[survivalthroughhate]

[Maul reads what Neo has written and absorbs it as best he can. They are alike in so many ways and so he tries to understand what she's telling him.]

It's hard to see a life that can be otherwise when one is full of rage and hate. I keep my pain so close to me because it gives me purpose and has allowed me to survive thus far. It is hard for me to let go of grudges, to forgive and forget as others do.

It's an easy path, the Dark Side, even if it is not one that I always enjoy. To make threats and consider revenge has always been far easier than anything else I have learned here has been.

video; un: seeingtheworld

[schoolingfish]

I know curses are a bad thing, but if you're going to be going around making threats like that I can see why they did it! And if it just keeps you from hurting anyone, is it even that bad? I mean, you shouldn't want to hurt anyone anyway.

[survivalthroughhate]

Spare me the righteous indignation, I've had more than enough of it from people far better at it than you. They cursed me for eight months and would have been content to keep it going eight more I am sure. I do not forgive and I do not forget. I warned you I was a monster. You shouldn't be this surprised.

video | un: diggs | private

[justoscar]

[This... wasn't good.

Shoring up his reserves, Oscar sat with the feed in an odd stillness. His shoulders were set in a way that didn't suit the anxious, jumpy teen that he was-- but, perhaps, someone who understood matters far deeply than most would guess.

Perhaps even, as if it were someone else more accustomed to such complicated dealings of morals, monsters, and men.

Unambiguously, Oscar took to his reply.]

Maul.

What did we just talk about in regards to your actions, boundaries, and respect?

[survivalthroughhate]

[There's something different about Oscar than usual, the glimmers Maul has seen in the boy before of being far wiser than his years. For that, he gets a civil if terse answer.]

I respect those that respect me. These three did not do that. They set a curse on me with no time limit in order to "help me." What they saw as help I saw as a leash and muzzle set upon me as if I was little better than a rabid animal. Now that I have broken it, I have no intention of letting anyone ever do that to me again.