Post by Maleficent on Mar 4, 2011 15:06:47 GMT -8
~~~Friends in High Places~~~
~~~The Basics~~~
Character Name Maleficent
Character's Origin Sleeping Beauty
Affiliation—Friends, High Council, Faerie Courts, Unaffiliated, or Untouched? Friends
What is your character's status? Are they a hero/heroine, sidekick (includes non-speaking animal sidekicks), guardian, princess, High Council Member, Faerie, Inner Circle, Client (villains in a formal deal with the Friends), Agent (villains allied with the Friends but not in their debt), or Villain (unaware/not working for the Friends directly)?
Your chosen status will become your Custom Title.
Inner Circle
~~~About My Character~~~
What is your character's history? Are they on the side of the Friends, the High Council, neutral, or are they unaware of the conflict? What has happened to them in their lives to make them the way they are today?
She was not always Maleficent, but she does not remember what her first name was. It has been many centuries since she was last addressed by that name, after all. In those days, she was not only a very powerful fairy in magic, but also in political power. The world of the fairies was always in some sort of political turmoil, and so those who held any sort of political power had to be strong in their magic as well. Maleficent filled each of these criteria well, rising in the ranks of her people quickly. At least, such was the case until she began to stray from the magic usually practiced by her peers.
Dark magic was discouraged among the fairies that Maleficent was originally associated with. So, she kept much of her magical experimentation a secret, cloaking herself in magics of invisibility so that no one could disturb her work. Her experiments quickly became more and more dangerous, and as such more and more addictive. Magic became the only thing in her life that she sought actively, even to the disregarding of her political duties. This led to investigations by the other fairies, who eventually discovered the black magics that she was practicing. That was when she began to be known by the name Maleficent. Among the fairies that exposed her practice of black magic were Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, who would later become known to the human world as "The Three Good Fairies", along with the Puck.
Now cast out by her peers, Maleficent joined the court of Nicnivin during the war between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. But not even this amount of dark power satisfied her, and she began to search for a greater means of gaining magical power. She was found by the Friends on the Other Side at this point, and gladly made a deal with them. Her now-brutal nature, only further twisted by her time delving into black magics and the influence of the Unseelie court, made her a perfect client. With her debt to the Friends in hand, she began to search out a place that could be her magical sanctuary. This was how she came across the Forbidden Mountain. Even in those days, it was a place where travelers—fairy and human alike—were discouraged from attempting to go there. Of course, such warnings no longer held any sway over Maleficent's actions, and she began the long conquering of the Forbidden Mountain. It was a long campaign, with her fighting off various monsters and eventually enslaving the lower breeds, such as the goblins and trolls who were too stupid to think for themselves, which more than paid off her debts to the Friends. After several decades of battling against the various creatures that lived in the mountain, Maleficent was able to build her fortress, proclaiming herself the Mistress of all Evil now that she had conquered the one place that no one else had dared try to tame.
For several centuries, she was left alone by the outside world, allowing her to further develop her black magic, and working alongside the Friends when they needed her. It was in this time that she discovered the transformation spells that later became one of her many trademarks. But still, she was discovering what a lonely existence she had chosen for herself, and began to desire some sort of companion other than the mindless goblins and trolls that she kept as her slaves. They were too far beneath her intelligence to make any sort of worthy companion, so Maleficent began to scour the surrounding country to find a suitable attendant. She found what she was looking for in a young lord, whose intelligence far surpassed that of any of his fellows. Enchanted by the man's wit, Maleficent came to him in the guise of one of the many ladies of his court and made him an offer: if he could solve her riddle, he would join her as her attendant for eternity, never dying or aging. Naturally, the young man could not resist such an offer and accepted the challenge. He solved the riddle, but he had not expected that Maleficent's offer of immortality would come with a price of its own. Rather than keeping his true form, the man was transfigured into a raven, so that he could serve, not only as a companion to Maleficent, but also her messenger and spy. For many years, the newly transformed raven resented Maleficent for the trick she had played on him, but like her the loneliness soon overcame him and he began to bow to her will. The raven became her best servant, seeking out knowledge for her by taking to the skies, thus making him her lieutenant, even though he was no longer capable of human speech. This, of course, was more of a burden to the raven than to Maleficent as she, like all fairies, had learned from her youth how to communicate with all beasts.
Time passed slowly for Maleficent, until news reached her ears that the rulers of a nearby kingdom were expecting a child, and intending to invite all the fairies of great power to the child's christening ceremony. Naturally, the foolish mortals would invite Maleficent to this ceremony. It would not do to forget to invite the single most powerful fairy, after all. Still, the time came for the Princess' christening, and there was no invitation sent to Maleficent. Anger swelled within her. How dare they think that they could simply ignore her? While she had not actively terrorized this particular kingdom in some decades, they could not possibly doubt her power. Such an insult was not to be borne. That was when the Friends approached her again, informing her that this newborn Princess was also destined to be a Princess of Heart, and therefore not to be allowed to live. With her loyal raven in attendance, Maleficent made her way to the kingdom to set things right. And so she came face to face with the insolent mortals who had forgotten her. Not only had they snubbed her, but they had invited those three simpering fools Flora, Fauna and Merryweather in her place. No…this was not to be endured. At least Flora and Fauna had already given their paltry "gifts" to the girl-child, and Maleficent was not to be outshined by those two.
"Listen well, all of you! The Princess shall indeed, grow in grace and beauty, beloved by all who know her. But…before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday…she shall prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel. And die!"
It was a rather dramatic show of her power, but Maleficent had always had a love for the theatric. Vanishing into the air as though she had never existed, she sat back and waited. Sixteen years was not a particularly long time to one as old as she, but she was impatient for her curse to be fulfilled and teach these insolent fools what it meant to cross her. So, when there was no immediate word about the Princess dying, or even of the Princess at all, Maleficent sent out her minions to discover the girl-child's whereabouts. She heard the rumors that the Princess had been taken far away, so that she might be safe from the curse laid upon her on the day of her christening, and Maleficent was not above believing such gossip. Still, sixteen years passed and there was no sign of the girl. Each time she sent out her slaves, Maleficent waited in anxious anticipation until their return, only to be disappointed each time when they reported no sign of the girl. And then, she discovered why this was. The idiots had been seeking a baby for sixteen years! Her wrath was released on them in a flash of temper that would have them remembering not to ever fail her again for years to come. In defeat, Maleficent sent out her trusted raven, bidding him to use the great intellect that had first drawn her to him to discover the girl's location.
The bird returned in only a short time, bringing her news not only of the child, but those three idiots Flora, Fauna and Merryweather. It seemed that the fools had thought to deceive her by living like mortals, raising the child as their own for sixteen years. While an excellent scheme, it was a fool's errand. Maleficent delighted in this knowledge, particularly when the raven informed her that the fairies would be taking the Princess Aurora to the castle that very night. Her plan began to form itself in her mind, and with great haste Maleficent put it into action. She had watched the king's futile burning of all the spinning wheels of the kingdom and laughed at it, and now she produced one of her own, with a spindle sharp enough to prick even the most calloused of fingers. With this trap set, Maleficent set another. The bird mentioned the girl's lover would be coming to the wood-cutter's cottage that night to see his dearest love. The Friends had told Maleficent of Merryweather's little addendum that only true love's kiss would break the curse upon the Princess, and Maleficent was not taking any chances. She would keep the lover locked away until he rotted in her dungeons, making her revenge complete.
To her surprise, the lover in question turned out to be the very Prince that Princess Aurora was betrothed to. How this delighted both Maleficent and the Friends. Kill two birds with one stone! Not only would the Princess' curse be fulfilled, but now Maleficent would have a great sport to watch as Kings Stefan and Hubert tore one another to shreds over the disappearance of Prince Philip. Hubert would blame Stefan for the vanishing of his son, and naturally Stefan would have no choice but to fight to protect his kingdom from the wrath of Hubert. It would be most entertaining, and provide the perfect torture for her esteemed guest the Prince, and provide the Friends with enough souls to last them a long time.
With the Princess in her death-like sleep and the Prince in her prison, Maleficent was certain that there was nothing that could defeat her in this moment. What she did not plan for was the stubbornness of the three good fairies. After a little refreshing taunting of Prince Philip, Maleficent took to her chambers so that "for the first time in sixteen years, [she could] sleep well," leaving her raven in charge of all the slaves until she woke. But sleep was not to be hers that night. The sounds of battle reached even her high tower, and in a rage at having her rest interrupted, she burst forth to order her raven to silence the fool slaves. But to her horror, the bird had been transformed into stone. Not only that, but her prisoner was getting away! Maleficent's anger knew no bounds as she climbed the highest tower of her fortress, sending attack after magical attack at the Prince. But he was protected by the three good fairies, and they managed to somehow parry her every attack. Angered beyond anything she had ever felt before, Maleficent called upon the ancient earth magic that all fairies knew, twisting it to her purposes.
"Forest of thorns shall be his tomb, borne through the skies in a fog of doom! Now go with a curse, and serve me well. 'Round Stefan's castle, cast my spell!"
The thorns sprang up at her command, surrounding the castle with a thick forest of biting and gripping thorns that would not easily relinquish their hold on the Prince. But still he managed to get passed her magic. In angered disbelief, Maleficent shot through the sky to land before the Prince, surrounded by her signature green flames.
"Now shall you deal with me, oh Prince, and all the powers of HELL!"
The transformation magic that she had been perfecting for centuries turned her into an enormous Dragon. Evil delight filled Maleficent when she saw the pure fear on the face of the young Prince, and she began to shoot fire at him, snapping with her great jaws in order to devour him. But he was a very nimble young man and managed to evade her attacks, slicing and thrusting with a sword that reeked of white magic. Angered by the stinging blows that struck at her snout, Maleficent drove Prince Philip up a cliff and towards its edge. Spewing forth another stream of green flame, she cackled in delight when his shield flew from his hands, plummeting to the ground. Then there was an unbelievable pain in her chest as the sword, with even more white magic than before coating it, pierced her thick hide and entered her chest. The wound was not quite as fatal as Flora had no doubt hoped it would be, but it would certainly slow down the great Dragon Maleficent had become. Falling forward, hoping that she might crush the Prince as she did so, Maleficent fell from the cliff to the ground below. Thankfully, the Friends were not about to let one of their most powerful allies simply die, and made it possible for her to further transfigure herself to look as though she had been reduced to nothing by the magic of the sword that was still impaled in her body.
Once the Prince and the three good fairies were gone, Maleficent took her usual form and pulled the Sword of Truth from her body in disgust. It would take her a long time to recover from her wounds, but it would not be impossible for her to do so, especially with the help of the Friends. And there was one thing in her favor. She now had the weapon that the good fairies had thought would destroy her. With a burst of power, Maleficent burned away the white magic that covered the blade and filled it with her own dark magic. Of course, she would still prefer her staff, but a sword of power was always something useful to have around. She returned to her fortress and after restoring her raven lieutenant, sought out a new refuge. Since then, Maleficent has been traveling the world, causing trouble where the Friends need her to, all in the hope that one day she would be able to make those who sought to kill her pay for their crimes.
Describe your character's personality. What are their strengths and weaknesses? What are their passions? What qualities do they have that are good or bad?
Maleficent is a creature of darkness, only allowing herself to show and feel the darkest of emotions. Her temper is foul and one that should not ever be crossed if one values their life, and she is remarkably petty, taking the smallest slight to be a grave insult. However, she is patient. She can wait for decades to exact revenge when she feels that she has been wronged, as she did with Princess Aurora's curse. Even with this patience, though, she is still unpredictable in her shows of anger. Those who serve her learn very quickly that she is not to be trifled with or disobeyed, and she will punish all those who she sees as being remiss in their duties.
This makes her more vulnerable to an outside attack, however, as when she is in a foul temper she is far less controlled, though her anger does make her magic stronger. No matter how strong her magic, if Maleficent is in a temper, she will miss her target almost as often as hit it. There are times, though, when her anger will give her a greater resolve and make her even more deadly to an enemy as she brushes off attacks and focuses entirely on destroying her enemy.
She is also a creature of jealousy. She keeps herself hidden away to avoid the outside world, but it others of her race receive more attention than herself, she will react much as a young child who wants to be noticed but is being ignored. Her shows of power at these times are often the most frightening, as they are used with the sole purpose of placing attention on her and her alone. In the end, Maleficent is an irredeemable being filled with hatred and anger, and unable to understand or feel any pure or good emotion.
~~~Sample~~~
Give us a small sample of how you will play your character. Give us at least three paragraphs.
This was how they treated her, was it? Those foolish little excuses for fairies thought that by merely throwing a sharp object at her, she would be defeated? Was she not Maleficent, Mistress of all Evil? No simple sword, no matter the magics placed upon it, could kill her. Grunting in pain as she resumed her normal form, Maleficent scowled when she saw the tears in her robe and the blood dripping from her wound. This would certainly not do. Reaching up to take hold of the sword's hilt, she tugged it out of her body in a single motion, biting back the scream of pain that threatened to burst out of her if she was not careful. Hissing darkly as more blood began to flow from the stab wound, Maleficent began to murmur a soft incantation in her native tongue. Slowly, the blood ceased to flow and the wound began to close, but not entirely. It had been too long since Maleficent had practiced healing magics for the spell to work completely. At least she was no longer bleeding, she thought with a twisted smile.
Rising to her feet, Maleficent leaned heavily upon the sword for balance, looking around her with disgust. Her horned cowl had been lost at some point, perhaps when she was transforming herself as she fell from the cliff, and her raven-black tresses fell in a cascade around her shoulders, framing her pale face like a different sort of cowl. She was now alone, thankfully. The three little meddlers and their pet Prince were gone, and she could return to her fortress to lick her wounds and heal in peace. That was when she glanced down at the sword that she still held in her hand. The white magic practically caused the blade to hum with power that begged to be used, and it made Maleficent feel ill just to be touching it. Still…a magical blade was always useful, though she could not use it with so much purity still filling it.
Lifting the sword so that the tip of the blade pointed into the air, Maleficent slowly worked her magic around it, threading the sickly green light of her power through the pastel lights that represented Flora, Fauna and Merryweather's magic. Her magic had to fight to gain any hold on the blade, but in time the power of the good fairies dwindled around Maleficent's evil magic. With a soft pop, the blade was free of the white magic that had previously given it power. Smirking in satisfaction, Maleficent allowed her magic to seep into the blade, filling every inch of it with her dark power until it hummed a deeper tone, filled with bloodlust and wrath rather than justice and truth.
Feeling supremely satisfied with herself, Maleficent gathered her robes around her and cast one more spell to take her home. She needed rest before she attempted to revive her trusted raven, and after that she would have to leave her fortress. Best to not leave any sign that she still lived for those foolish fairies to follow. Next time the blade they enchanted might not miss her heart.
~~~Bonding~~~
Why this character? What draws you to them? What makes you want to play them?
I just love the complex evil that is Maleficent. She's a compelling character, as she is so elegant and seemingly controlled until her plans start to fall through, and the pent up rage and power inside of her make her very intimidating. She has always been my favorite villain, and will remain so for a long time.
Who else do you play here?
Spring Sprite
~~~Newbies~~~
What is your name? (If you're not comfortable telling us your real name, that's fine. Just give us a pen name that we can use when addressing you.) I have many names on the internet, but you may call me Mal while we're here.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am a long-time fanfiction writer—almost six years—and a huge Disney fangirl. I've grown up with Classic Disney and many of the newer films as well. I hope to be a novelist and am currently working on two different novels.
How did you find us?
I'm a moderator.
Note: All direct quotes in Maleficent's history are taken from the film Sleeping Beauty.
