Miscellaneous Headcanons #1
Just gonna go ahead and hash out some headcanons for Maleficent's default verse, her Twisted Wonderland verse, and her Kingdom Hearts verse. Because why not?
The fact that Maleficent has such fondness and trust in Diablo is very important because it demonstrates she is capable of feeling fondness and trust for another. Maleficent may not understand empathy beyond an intellectual level (enough to understand that hurting those your targets care for hurts them more than just killing them would), but it seems she is capable of feeling it. However, since she sees herself as "beyond" such "weakness," she is incapable of seeing her affection for Diablo for what it is.
Maleficent doesn't hate Aurora. She doesn't actually have any grudge against the princess herself; Aurora's just a useful instrument in causing pain to those who've slighted her.
Technically speaking, when Maleficent said "She will indeed grow in grace and beauty, beloved by all who know her", that was also a part of Maleficent's "gift." The curse, therefore, ensures that Aurora's beauty and grace are never tarnished, and that any who get to know her stumble into situations where she becomes beloved by them. They still love Aurora for who she is, of course; the curse just forces them to learn who she is.
Relatedly, Maleficent is technically one of Aurora's fairy godmothers. Sure, nobody in their right mind would ever peg her as such (and she certainly doesn't act like it), but she is a fairy who provided a magical "gift" upon the princess on the day of her christening. The fact that the gift came bundled with a death curse aside, this means that Maleficent technically has the same role that the three good fairies do, even if she chooses to act directly against that role for the sake of her revenge.
Maleficent is stronger physically than she looks. Being a fae who is also a dragon, she is possessing of superhuman strength even in her humanoid form. However, this is only very rarely demonstrated; she believes herself to be the pinnacle of feminine regality and stature, and a regal lady of stature is above throwing hands like common street trash.
Let's get one thing straight right out of the gate: Maleficent does care about Malleus. She might not show it in the most healthy or moral of ways, but she does legitimately have his best interests at heart. A part of this is narcissism, of course. The fact that he is her grandson marks him as one of the very special few who are worthy of almost as much respect and reverence as she is.
She has been keeping tabs on Malleus pretty much his entire life, even if he never quite realized it. The only people that remained in Malleus' life while living in Briar Valley were those that Maleficent approved of; those she did not approve of quickly disappeared, never to be seen again. This, naturally, extends to Lilia as well; Vanrouge's presence is something that is tolerated because he is beneficial to Malleus.
Everything I've been able to find on the subject seems to suggest that Headmaster Crowley is based off of Diablo. Until or unless the game/person I'm rping with disagrees, I will be running with this assumption and saying that Maleficent is Crowley's fairy godmother. Like, a proper one, not the one-by-technicality thing I mentioned above. She's not as peppy or forgiving as fairy godmothers tend to be, but she does deign to aid him at her leisure so long as Crowley behaves in her presence. If he doesn't behave in her presence...well, spare the rod, spoil the child, as they say.
Maleficent is convinced she knows what is behind the blotting phenomenon. She refers to it as an "archaic" or "obsolete" phantom from an age long irrelevant. She is also fully convinced that she is immune to overblotting, despite how petty, wrathful, and just generally emotional she can be.
Maleficent learns of the MC from both Crowley and Malleus, and she comes to have a detached interest in them. Their ability to wrangle all the disparate personalities and egos of the college towards a common goal is intriguing to her as a ruler, wish-granter, and curse-maker. They have her attention, which may or may not make their lives harder as time goes on...
Maleficent is about as Dark as one can get before becoming a Heartless. The fact that her Heart goes to the Realm of Darkness when she "dies" without turning her into a Heartless is proof of that. Just as she cannot understand goodness and Light, she understands Darkness on a fundamental level to an extent that no other does. This is why she never underestimates it, despite her own not-inconsiderable arrogance.
Maleficent's losses to the protagonists were collectively something of a wakeup call for her, and she's dedicated herself to becoming more mighty than ever before while also continuing her dastardly book-based schemes. To that end, she has completely mastered the Squeenix magic system, with all the -za and Zeta that implies. The only exceptions to this are Cure and Holy; these spells require an amount of Light within one's Heart that Maleficent simply isn't capable of.
Maleficent's ultimate goal is dominion over everyone and everything everywhere. The ultimate power that she seeks is simply the tool she requires to achieve her ambitions; it alone is not enough to satisfy her. To that end, she opposes anyone who espouses oblivion; if everything is consumed by the void, she will have nothing to rule, after all.
Maleficent is shown having gone up against keyblade wielders before in both Union X and Dark Road, winning both times. Hell, she killed four of them at once in Dark Road. This blog takes this as the norm; most keyblade wielders cannot stand against the Mistress of All Evil, with the protagonists who demonstrably can defeat her being the exceptions instead of the rule. This is also why she was so complacent until Sora kicked her teeth in one too many times.
Relatedly, Maleficent is old enough to have been around during the Keyblade War. She is not responsible for its start, but she did do her part in escalating things beyond the breaking point by stoking the Darkness within select individuals. She remembers that terrible time with great fondness.
