MnM

Maulsmate

Siubhan

Red Sith

Darthcleo/Nicole

MaulsDestiny

MaulNoMiko Interview,
December 12th, 1999

by Becca

"Behind every good man is a good woman," or so the old saying goes, in its many variations. But it certainly holds true for the series of short stories created by maulnomiko (MnM), who has created something of a cult following of her own with her series of fan fiction involving Darth Maul and Zabrakan female Dirae Hoth, whom Maul takes as his apprentice and mate. MnM is webmistress of her own website, www.femaul.com, which includes a complete archive of her stories and artwork, as well as a gallery of Darth Maul and Ray Park photos (included is a story of her own meeting with Park this past summer).

MnM's stories follow Maul and Dirae through a series of adventurous exploits, from their initial meeting in "Control" to their confrontation with the Jedi in "True Devotions" to their deaths in "Burning Hearts." But the Maul-Hoth saga does not end there. MnM has recently created a femaul companion website that she describes as "a site where people can learn more about my characters, view images of them, and read stories based on them that're seperate from the Maul/Dirae series." This new site can be accessed at http://iridonia.tripod.com/iridonia.html.

Becca: To start off with, tell us a little about yourself.

MnM: Well, I'm twenty years old, I live with my parents and older sister, Serena, in New Jersey. I'm a somewhat quiet person unless surrounded by friends like myself or when I'm in a strange mood. I'm kind of critical of my own work and sometimes, others' work. I try to be fair and honest all the time and I often find myself being the peacemaker. I'm a living contradiction of myself. Not many people can understand my logic or my morals. I have trouble keeping boyfriends, unless they're fictional that is. Heh. That's about it.

Becca: What are the facets of Maul's personality that you find interesting or intriguing, particularly as they apply to your fiction?

MnM: That's a good question. I love his passion, his loyalty to Sidious, and his drive to do his duties well and efficiently. I also admire the animalistic qualities he possesses and his ability to hold someone's interest for a prolonged period of time. I often play upon his mysterious past when writing him; I see him as a primal, lust-driven creature of immense power and agility. He's also very afraid inside; I'd imagine his life had been somewhat displeasing before Sidious came.

Becca: That's interesting. There has been quite a bit of discussion regarding what Maul was like before he was trained as a Sith -- were his parents killed, was he tortured as part of his training by Sidious, and so on. How do you think Maul turned to the Dark Side?

MnM: I think he had to lose someone in order to fully feel hatred and anger. Or maybe it was natural. I wouldn't exactly call Maul an angry, screaming maniac. He might've thought the Sith ways more intelligent than the Jedi and more dignified. Maul obviously loves action and the Sith see more of it and there are no restraints. Most intelligent people despise man's laws and restrictions, which drives them to break free of the rules and create something truly inspired. Maul managed to break the rules of lightsabers and had a double-bladed one. Think about it.

Becca: Your first stories involve Maul and his relationship with a character of your own creation who has become popular in her own right -- Dirae Hoth. What was your inspiration for her, and what are your thoughts on how people have received this character?

MnM: Dirae's creation was done completely on the spot; meaning she popped into my head as soon as I started typing. Her name is Greek and I forget what it means exactly, but it seemed appropriate for the character. Contrary to popular belief, Dirae was not modeled after myself. The only thing I share with her is hair color. She's shorter than I am, her eyes are green while mine are brown, I don't have horns obviously, and her attitude is more pronounced than my own. When I first created Dirae, I hoped people would take to her well. I'm very honored that dream has come true; I've always wanted to create a character that stuck in peoples' minds as strong and well-developed. Overall, I'm incredibly pleased with how others have seen her. When they mourn a character's passing, you know you've created something special.

Becca: So, did you pattern Dirae more off of Maul?

MnM: *shakes head* No. She simply came out of thin air. She has no basis in reality, really.

Becca: One thing that makes your stories unique is that Dirae is the only female character involved in a monogamous relationship with Maul. Tell us a bit about your reasoning for this approach.

MnM: I don't believe in giving Maul a different woman every time I write something new. I believe a story loses its charm when a character is simply used as a sex object. Maul, to me, is NOT a sex object in personality or demeanor. Sequential stories, for me, are a better read than reading about Maul and some random girl who dies or leaves him at the end of the story. I've seen this repeated a dozen times and frankly, it's one of the reasons why I don't read Maul fics. Continuous action and plot are key essentials when creating a saga or story. If you don't want to do a series, fine, don't, but don't just dispose of the female like she was nothing. Develop them and make them better. Maul is not a piece of meat and I think it's time for other authors to realize this. We write fics to satisfy our need to hear about Maul more and to see how we all see him individually. I'd like to see more powerful female characters, or even male ones, emerge and plant themselves in my memory and make me say 'Hey, this character's pretty cool. I'd like to keep reading about him/her/it.'

Becca: Okay, I've got to ask this question -- what defines a "femaul" to you.

MnM: A FeMaul is, basically, a female fan of Darth Maul. She could just have a passing fancy for Maul and only have a few collectibles or she could be a full-blown-scream- everytime-Maul-appears-on-screen fangirl. I, of course, take the title of being the first official FeMaul, since it is my creation.

Becca: In addition to Dirae, you've expanded your literary universe to include a number of other fascinating characters -- Ulhume Hoth and Damek among them. What are your thoughts about these two in particular?

MnM: Ulhume was originally designed to give Dirae a reason to go to Tatooine and to expand Dirae's past to include family. His personality grew as I began writing "Burning Hearts"; he soon became a tragic character that I hoped people would either be able to relate to or feel pity for. He's truly beautiful and the compiled characteristics of what I consider to be the perfect man. He's not gay in the classic sense; he's merely seduced by power and/or presence regardless of sex. Damek's character, as it is known now, is very raw and undeveloped but I hope to make him more up-front. His past is speckled with betrayal and loss, which leads up to his more ruthless behavior.

Becca: And this is a good point to ask you -- what does the future hold for your characters?

MnM: *smiles* Wait and see is all I'm going to say at this time.

Becca: In addition to your stories, you have also produced some very vivid and imaginative pieces of art and they seem inspired by the Anime/Manga style. How closely does your art work correlate with your fiction? Does one inspire or feed off the other or do you keep them separate?

MnM: Much of my art inspires scenes in stories yet unfinished, while others are simply done as doodles. I've always enjoyed putting visuals with my stories; I'd never go as far as to illustrate an entire story, mostly because I don't have the patience.

Becca: What could you recommend to others who would like to write fiction with Maul as the star, particularly in regards to love scenes?

MnM:If you're going to write smut, then do it for all it's worth. But if you're going to write a love scene, do it with beauty and grace. Here's a few do's and don't's when it comes to love scenes:

DO: Keep it clean and romantic; you never know how old your readers will be.

DON'T: Use slurs such as 'dick, cock, wang' in reference to a man's penis. Proper terms are 'shaft, member, himself (yes, when used in correct context this works)' Again, bear in mind the people who're reading your stories.

DO: Have a plot leading up to the love scene. As random as humans are, they don't just attack each other in public and promptly begin making love on the spot. Ignore what the movies say.

DON'T: Ignore plot. Plot is so important in a good story and a good love scene.

DO: Keep it romantic and beautiful. Smut is ugly when used in an otherwise clean story.

DON'T: Make it long! Sometimes the most brief love scenes hit the hardest.

DO: Leave more to the imagination.

MnM

Maulsmate

Siubhan

Red Sith

Darthcleo/Nicole

MaulsDestiny