maggiehq

[maggiehq]

closed starter — @realnightmare​​

where: hideaways when: friday, november 19th, before the event at kyoto lounge

over the last week, it seemed as thought everything and everybody in coyote point had been thrown into a tailspin. normally, maggie did an expert-level job of ignoring the low points in the goings-on around her, but it hadn’t been as easy lately. losing maribel, someone so sweet and decidedly neutral, had been a punch to the gut that unleashed a domino effect on their town, and trying to find something to distract herself had put maggie in a funk. a couple of days into the week, an annual notification on her phone announced that it was one of her favorite times of the year and maggie’s uncharacteristic sulk started to fade. she had work to do. there was no telling whether more tequila or caffeine went into the planning and execution of her lightbulb moment, but when she brought her milk crate of decorations into hideaways just before an early close, there was no doubt that both had done their fair share of work. it was easy to strong-arm and puppy dog eye some of her coworkers into helping her hang the fairy lights and homemade pennant banner that declared it a ‘happy birthday, fuckface!’ after a few favors were promised and an early out hinted at. james’ birthday had been keeping her afloat in the midst of all the chaos and the least she could do, at least in maggie’s eyes, was create a little more. 

maggie’s personal brand of chaos was a lot more lighthearted and celebratory than coyote point’s usual variety and every corner of the bar was a testament to it. tricking james into staying in his office while they set up the party had taken a little thinking on maggie’s part, but it was all worth it for the feeling that accompanied the shouts of ‘surprise!’ that echoed throughout the bar when they opened the door to the office. streamers had been thrown haphazardly around the rafters and the music playing was bright and happy, a far cry from the mood they usually set in the dive. as the singing commenced, a tribute to their boss that happened to sound like happy birthday, maggie emerged through the crowd with a cake littered with candles and icing that spelled out ‘you’re old now, motherfucker!’ in maggie’s messy handwriting. it was bad enough on paper, but after baking and icing the cake herself, calling the lettering messy was a kindness. that didn’t stop the grin on maggie’s face from reaching a thousand watts, the distant expression she’d been wearing around him all week forgotten and replaced by the happiest look she’d worn in months. “happy birthday, boss,” she chimed, a familiar fondness seeping into the words.

#* // closed. #* // threads. #feat. james #happy birthday to our baby boy !!

[maggiehq]

𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒈𝒊𝒆 𝒘𝒖 : 𝑎 𝑛𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑎𝑡 𝑘𝑦𝑜𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑔𝑒

"i’m not late; the party’s only just starting.”

#cpevent #event: kyoto lounge #* // outfits. #better late than never ?

[maggiehq]

feat. wilbur

THERE’S A CERTAIN WAVE OF ELECTRICITY between them. they’ve played this game plenty of times before ( hell— he could even lose and he’s somewhat certain the night would still end the same ), but it’s still just as enthralling as the first night they met. “ always looking out for me. —just stop it, you’re gonna make me cry, ” wilbur teases, bumping his side into hers. he looks away for a brief moment to eye her fingers toying with his, before bolding taking her hand in his grasp. dark brown hues move back to her as they walk back to his car, chuckling. “ my prize ?? ” he asks, despite knowing full well what that meant without the need of clarification. he pulls his arm from off her shoulders to open the passengers side door. waiting for her to get in, he leaned his arms against the open window frame, looking at maggie almost expectantly. “ and what does this prize entail ?? ”

the steps they take are familiar in a way that makes maggie feel like a different person. this maggie, her laugh like music when wil jokes with her and her fingers intertwining with his on their way to the car, doesn’t feel like the girl who met him after a race and slipped into his bed that same night. she doesn’t feel like the girl who gets jealous too easily and misses a home she always hated. this maggie, whose door is opened for her and who never walks home alone after seeing wil, feels so lucky, it doesn’t come naturally to her. face to face with wilbur in her window, she cocks her head just a degree and her smile grows. she doesn’t miss a beat and kisses him, lips lingering against his in the open window, and her eyes still light up when she pulls away. these steps feel familiar and maggie loves the girl she gets to be around wil. “everything,” she decides, as if it’s that easy. it takes her a second to let go of the moment and lean back in her seat. “after a race like that, i might even hold off on stealing the aux,” she muses, and there’s that twinkle in her eye.

#* // threads. #feat. wilbur

[maggiehq]

feat. minnie

who: @maggiehq​ where: kyoto lounge

“thanks for meeting me,” minnie said, giving maggie a nervous smile when she finally slid into the private booth. it was a little quieter back here, away from the crowds who were eager to drink and roll their nights away. minnie wasn’t trying to completely forget this reunion with maggie, but a little champagne did help her anxiety go down easier. she held out an identical crystal flute, trying to disguise how her hands shook. “i’m sorry i was so crap at keeping in touch, but i’m glad we can do this now. how have you been?’

no matter how skewed toward the reapers maggie typically considered herself to be, there were perks of not having officially chosen a side. the nightlife was high-end and a whole lot less grubby when she did make her way to the south side of town – a rarity for the sake of her wallet, if nothing else. truth be told, there hadn’t been much of a reason to venture south after minnie left. now here they were, drinking champagne like it was perfectly normal. “i was surprised you wanted me to, but i’m not mad at it,” she admitted, tipping her glass to minnie before taking a sip. “i didn’t exactly do a lot of reaching out either,” she levelled with her alongside a shrug, setting down her champagne and gazing at minnie a little awkwardly. it had been years and looking around, it was clear maggie didn’t belong here with her ripped jeans and the old flannel she refused to throw away. “fuck how i’m doing, no one wants to hear about that shit,” she joked, laughing through the self-deprecation. “i’m doing... exactly the same as i was the last time you saw me. i wanna hear about you, miss mouse. you’re the one who’s been places, seen things.”

#* // threads. #feat. minnie

[maggiehq]

#* // musings.

[maggiehq]

@imaginedchaos​

#my last two brain cells

#* // musings. #feat. jasper

[maggiehq]

#* // portraits.

[maggiehq]

feat. wilbur

EYES FLIT DOWN TO THE spot he was keeping his pay, letting out a low chuckle. “ just another night at the outskirts. ” it’s faux humility, the look of satisfaction and pride on maggie’s face only fueling his ego after such a crushing win. he takes a willing step forward as she tugs on his jacket, lazy smirk on his face as he stares downward at her. “ that’s real sweet of you, m. you know that i’d hate to break any laws in this town. ” maggie was so easy to talk to, finding her to be one of the rare few to be able to keep his attention for longer than an evening. suddenly, she’s close, smirk stretching into a sly grin as he remains close to her. he leans back, wordlessly nodding his head towards the general direction of his car as he slings an arm over her shoulders to pull her closer as they walk, “ tell whoever you rode here with bye. i’m feeling a victory lap coming on. ”

there are too many reasons maggie keeps coming back to the outskirts and this part, the excuse to hear what quip wil is going to throw her way, is one of the most substantial. people in coyote point aren’t known for their banter, but there is an endless supply of it living along the thread in between the two of them. “i do what i can to keep you an upstanding citizen,” she claims, the glint in her eye unmistakable. despite her supposed neutrality in the town-wide feud, it’s been years since she’s been able to call herself a law-abiding member of society. her grin reacts in time with his, even as she ducks her head down to hide it. it’s second nature to wrap her arm around his waist and let her other fingers play with his, staying in stride with him. “yeah?” she asks, looking up at him. “it’s a good thing i told her i’d be celebrating, then,” she finishes, not bothering to hide her devilish amusement. “after all, you haven’t collected your prize.”

#* // threads. #feat. wilbur

[maggiehq]

feat. angel

            THE FAMILIAR VOICE MAKES HER EYES GO WIDE ,  wishing  the  earth  would  open  and  swallow  her  whole .  it  wasn’t  that  she  didn’t  like  maggie ,  not  at  all !  in  fact ,  the  redhead  held  a  lot  of  respect  for  her  coworker ,  being  one  of  the  people  she  looked  up  along  with  naomi .  that  being  said ,  angel  was  aware  of  the  history  between  maggie  &  james ,  and  it  made  her  few  guilty .  though  the  former  viper  had  no  part  to  play  in  their  story ,  it  wasn’t  much  of  a  secret  around  the  bar  that  the  two  of  them  had  something  going  on ,  and  it  made  angel’s  heart  heavy  with  guilt .  she’d  never  want  maggie  to  feel  uncomfortable  or  hurt  —  she  was  no  monster .  ❝  y - yeah ,  i  usually  come  here  to  write …  the  stars  make  for  a  great  audience ,  ❞  she  joked  with  a  small  laugh ,  glancing  at  the  other  girl  for  a  brief  moment .

          crystal  colored  eyes  watch  as  the  brunette  begins  to  strum  a  melody ,  which  qickly  brings  comfort  &  warmth  to  the  redhead’s  heart .  it  is  as  though  for  a  moment ,  angel  allows  herself  to  simply  enjoy  something ,  a  luxury  on  it’s  own .  ❝  it  never  is ,  not  like  this .  ❞  words  fall  quietly  from  her  lips  before  they  press  together ,  a  thoughtful  expression  on  her  delicate  face .  ❝  wherever  she  is ,  i  hope  it’s  pretty .  a  lovely  meadow  with  flowers  galore …  i  think  she  would’ve  liked  that .  ❞  &  there  was  nothing  more  angel  wished  for  maribel  than  eternal  happiness .  ❝  i  didn’t  know  you  played ,  ❞  she  confesses  with  a  small  grin ,  brushing  a  red  curl  behind  her  ear .  ❝  it’s  a  beautiful  gift .  ❞

even after all of their shifts together, all of their running in the same circles and running into each other in their small town, there are still things maggie doesn’t expect from angel. sweetness being the most common, innocence being the most surprising. maggie takes angel’s words, every one, and her fingers change position to accommodate the notes she feels need to accompany them. the guitar hums in soft and beautiful and happy notes; these are maggie’s flowers for maribel. the only ones she has to offer. “yeah. yeah, i think she would’ve liked that,” she agrees, playing a chord with a tone of finality before she lays a hand flat on the strings. “i don’t get to do it much anymore,” she admits after a moment. her mind wanders back to her roommate, tired of hearing maggie play the same thing over and over while she tried to study in the other room. “if anyone’s a good listener, it’s no one, so,” she trails off, looking to either side of them at the nobody around before turning her eyes to angel. “it’s usually a good spot.”

as much as maggie wears her thousand watt smile like a bulletproof vest, there are plenty of things that get to her and as unwarranted as it might be, angel has become one of them. that wasn’t always true. at first, it had been nice to have someone without ulterior motives around. reaper or not, angel is as genuine as a person could be in coyote point. seeing her with james had changed all of that, something maggie kicks herself about often. after that, it was always the same feeling of undeserved jealousy, the same feeling of inadequacy, the same words in her head: there’s no reason. no reason to feel any type of way toward angel, no reason to hang onto memories of james that were well and truly in the past, no reason to put herself through those feelings in the first place. and yet... “you’re working on something. i can fuck off,” she says, shaking her head.

#* // threads. #feat. angel

[maggiehq]

feat. jasper

          KNELT BEHIND THE BAR, it was like a safe space, and it wasn’t the first time that he found himself palms flat on the ground of the highly unsanitary bar floor. but sanitation wasn’t exactly on his mind, and he held his breath as the vipers that were looking for him came in, smiling a bit at maggie’s no bullshit greeting. they mumbled something about looking for jasper, saying something about him vandalizing one of their cars, and then waited for a few beats as they looked around before ultimately leaving. “lock…the….door…” he whispered under his breath as he leaned his back against the cabinets under the bar, letting out a slow breath as he closed his eyes, chest rising and falling from running in general. “i lost my fucking board on that run…it’s bullshit.” he pouted, kicking his foot out in front of him before grabbing a beer out of the tub to crack open.

knowing better than to give the vipers any reason to stick around, maggie lifted her hands in a wordless shrug, turning to the left and then the right as she looked around as if to ask ‘do you see him here?’. she didn’t say a thing, just effortlessly played stupid for the gang members. safe to assume this was not her first rodeo stowing a reaper in hideaways or helping jasper out with a quick getaway. it would almost be funny if she didn’t spend so much of her time terrified of what would happen when she wasn’t there. or hell, all the things she couldn’t stop even if she was. she slid over the bar and locked the door, already well onto the same page as her friend, and slouched against the cabinets next to him when she made it back. another beer mysteriously went missing from the supply and she opened both of them, clinking the neck of her bottle against jasper’s before taking a swig. “if you don’t want to lose your board, maybe don’t antagonize big dudes who want to chase you,” she joked, grinning despite the situation, well aware that leaving them alone never really seemed to be an option for jasper. “did you really vandalize one of their cars? or is there worse shit waiting for them at the scene of the crime they just didn’t pick up on?”

#* // threads. #feat. jasper

[maggiehq]

feat. naomi

there’s a reflexive urge to grin at the sound of maggie’s voice, but naomi catches herself in time, removing all traces of amusement from her expression before looking up at the other girl with a single eyebrow raised. “damn, and here i was hoping for a quite night,” she says with a sigh, feigning disappointment that is easily overshadowed by the twinkle in her eyes. “but since you’re here…” grabbing two glasses from below the counter, she fills it with coke using the soda gun and places them next to the takeout box. “put the trash down and come eat with me.”

naomi makes quick work of washing her hands before setting her sights on the food; hunger is a sensation that she is all-too-familiar with, and she would probably have gone to bed without realising that she hadn’t had dinner had it not been for maggie. “fuck fest is putting it lightly.” she pops a fry into her mouth, humming appreciatively at the fact that it was still warm. “everyone’s on edge right now. and you—” naomi picks up another fry, waving it threateningly at maggie. “thank you for dinner, but you should not be out of your house alone at this hour.”

when it comes to naomi, maggie never stops trying to make her smile. it doesn’t matter if she goes days and days without making her break, every time they see each other is filled with bonafide antics from maggie. “you can enjoy a quiet night some other time, i don’t know the meaning,” she teases, consolidating the trash into one bin before turning back to wash her hands and join naomi. a little makeshift coworker date hadn’t been maggie’s intention, but she’d never say no to naomi. and not because she fears her wrath, though that might be part of it. “you’re too good to me. what would i ever do without you?”

maggie pops up onto the bar, her favorite seat in the house, and steals another fry. they could describe every night as a fuck fest and maggie would agree. she’s well aware of their clientele and what happens in the back, far more aware than she should be, but that’s what she signed up for. the allusion to maribel makes maggie’s shoulders slump for a moment, but she wouldn’t be maggie if she didn’t pretend to bounce back right away. “you know me, i do just fine on my own. i’m nobody. neither side gives a fuck about me,” she insists with a shrug, busying herself by snatching up a pickle spear. the thought occurs to her that maribel probably thought the same thing, which leaves ice in maggie’s veins, but she doesn’t say as much.

#* // threads. #feat. naomi

[maggiehq]

feat. wilbur

@maggiehq​ / wilbur & maggie

THE GLORY LASTS FOR A FEW MINUTES before the next set of drivers begin setting up. he spots maggie almost immediately, though he doesn’t make his way to her just yet, instead stopping to get paid. a thick envelope gets handed to him, boldly opening it up and thumbing through and counting the large stack of cash like it’s second nature before he’s satisfied, tucking the envelope into the inside sleeve of his jacket. hands shove into his pockets before moseying on over to maggie, a sly, cocky grin pulling at his lips. “ well.. was that good for you ?? kinda boring for me. ” wilbur teases with a grin, pulling back the left side of his jacket to reveal the pin she’d given them, “ i might have to get rid of my good luck charm. it’s getting too easy now. ”

plenty of people cheer when the race ends, so it’s a perfectly innocent gesture when maggie cheers a little louder than all the rest. if her eyes don’t leave wil the entire time, it’s probably just a coincidence. her smile is challenging, but even she can’t hold back the pride that seeps into the expression. “coulda had me fooled. seems like it was pretty good for you,” she teases right back, patting the pocket his money had gone into. the little lion pin staring back at her eggs her on, motivates her to tug at his jacket lapels a little bit. “maybe your good luck charm will just have to manifest some better drivers for you to race. i’d never want you to be bored, that’s a crime in this state.” she leans in close to his ear, drawn in by the energy of the crowd that had just watched wilbur dominate. “and yeah. it was pretty good for me.”

#* // threads. #feat. wilbur

[maggiehq]

feat. jasper

location: hideaway bar

who: @maggiehq

              “QUICK, QUICK, QUICK…” racing into the bar, he spotted maggie and instantly grabbed their arm with big, wide eyes, “first, hi…you look great, did you do something with your hair? second, you didn’t see me, okay? i was never here! i’ll explain later.” he stated, squeezing his best friend’s arm before flashing her a pleading smile before ducking behind the bar just in time for the people chasing him down to come inside. hideaways wasn’t even open yet, but he knew maggie would be here at least, knowing her schedule like the back of his hand. it was a safe space for him to hide out, hence the name, as some vipers had the nerve to come inside to hunt him down. 

the fact that there was no surprise in maggie’s features when jasper hid was a definitive testament to their friendship. instead, she met him with a familiar eye-roll and shook her head, donning a skeptical smirk. “fucking dork, i swear to god. i know the drill,” she reminded him, though the words were spoken discreetly with her eyes trained on the front door. what was it that someone told her about being an extra? if you’re not already acting when they call action, it’s too late. “did someone turn on the open sign?” she asked, holding a polite smile to the vipers. “because we’re not open for another hour, you’ll have to come back then,” she asserted, looking them over. “the boss doesn’t appreciate anyone being in here before open who doesn’t belong,” she added, looking back at the office before nodding her head toward the door for the unwelcome guests to hurry along.

#* // threads. #feat. jasper

[maggiehq]

feat. angel

꒰    ＃     @  the  point    .    ꒱      ✧      open !

           A HEAVY SIGH FALLS FROM ROSY LIPS ,  starry  eyes  gazing  at  the  night  sky  as  though  she  is  looking  for  something ,  waiting .  a  hand  holds  a  pen  while  the  girl’s  trusty  notebook  rests  between  her  thighs  and  torso ,  arms  keeping  angel’s  knees  close  to  her  chin .  the  prettiest  nights  could  also  be  the  coldest  ones .

          ❝  do  you  think  maribel  is  up  there ?  ❞  she  inquires  at  the  sound  of  approaching  footsteps  that  don’t  sound  like  they  belong  to  a  couple ,  thank  god .  of  course  she  knew  the  point  was  a  great  location  for  lovers  to  meet ,  but  it  was  also  her  favorite  place  to  write  at  —  especially  when  the  world  outside  started  to  overwhelm  her .  just  like  tonight .  ❝  with  the  stars ,  watching  our  every  move .  ❞  a  pause ,  ❝  she  must  hate  us  all .  ❞  i  would .

the silhouette of another figure was almost enough to drive maggie away from the point, but after a fight with her roommate, she was left wanting for a place to get away. guitar strapped to her back, she had to hold back a sigh when she heard the familiar voice. indecision froze maggie where she stood for a moment as she considered whether to turn tail and find another place to play or stick it out. quiet steps brought maggie to her coworker and she sat down, apprehensive over breaking what seemed like deep thought, but her decision seemingly made. “seems like i wasn’t the only one who thought the point was a bright idea tonight,” she mused, smiling over at angel to break the tension before deflating. it had been so hard to stay upbeat and wild when maribel was gone.

maggie swallowed thickly, nodding slightly as she faced the emotions angel’s words brought to the forefront. “i don’t think i’m the best person to ask,” she admitted. she carefully swung her guitar around and started playing the melody that had been in her head all day as softly as she could; what she’d come to the point to do in the first place. “i don’t know if she’s sad or angry or at peace. but i know it wasn’t fair,” she muttered, looking down at her own fingers plucking strings so she didn’t have to face her revelation.

#* // threads. #feat. angel

[maggiehq]

CLOSER (2004) dir. Mike Nichols

#* // musings. #* // wc.

[maggiehq]

feat. naomi

who: open to all where: hideaways bar

working the closing shift fucking sucks. sure, it pays a little more, but there are days when naomi wonders if a few extra bucks are worth the shit she has to deal with whenever she closes, like cleaning piss from the men’s bathroom floor—because no man in coyote point knows how to aim, apparently—and shepherding drunk men into ubers after pocketing their wallets. 

she’s in the middle of wiping the tables down when she hears the sound of the front door opening. “we’re closed,” she calls out, not bothering to look up. briefly, she thinks about tacking on a ‘so get the fuck out’ to the end of her sentence, but manages to bite it back. “but if you wanna stay and help me clean up then be my guest.”

“it’s your lucky fuckin’ day, naomi choi!” maggie announced, throwing her arms in the air, one of which held a styrofoam take-out container, as she stopped just inside the building. “i’m not saying i came to help you close, but if some of your closing duties just happen to be done by me while i’m here...” she trailed off, grinning playfully to her coworker. she set the box down in front of her and opened it to reveal naomi’s usual order from stranger’s, which maggie shamelessly stole a fry from. “was tonight a fuck fest?” she wiped her hands on the front of her jeans and hopped over the counter, grabbing the trash to take it out so naomi didn’t have to.

#* // threads. #feat. naomi

[maggiehq]

be careful around MAGGIE WU (NATASHA LIU BORDIZZO) !! SHE might look innocent, but she’s been in town for 25 YEARS. people say she’s ADVENTUROUS & RIDE-OR-DIE but can be a bit IRRESPONSIBLE, but if you want to find out for yourself, you can find the 25 YEAR OLD working at HIDEAWAYS as a BARTENDER. upon getting to know her, you’ll realize she reminds you of THE CHEERING THAT FOLLOWS A DRINKING CONTEST, AN EYE-ROLL ALONGSIDE AN ADORING SMILE, A LINGERING TASTE OF CINNAMON AFTER A KISS.

hello hello !! my name is maeby and i’m so stoked to be here ♡ i’m 24, out here in the pst, and use she/they pronouns. i can’t even tell you how excited i am to be bringing you my sweetheart, maggie ! she’s still fresh and new, so i’m way excited to plot & dig a little deeper into her character! without further ado...

STATS

given name: magnolia wu preferred name: maggie other nicknames: mags, wu hometown: coyote point, nv orientation: bisexual, biromantic alignment: chaotic neutral loyalty: reapers civilian/neutral playlist: click to listen on spotify! hobbies: roadtrips, music festivals, throwing out of control parties, skateboarding, inventing new mixed drinks, making music, joyrides, never slowing down favorites: tequila and sprite, breakfast food, pizza with pineapple, romy and michele's high school reunion (1997), cinnamon lattes at loose leaf, people who tip well

BIOGRAPHY

tw: violence, death of a grandparent, parental neglect, alcoholism

who’s the girl who pranked the clown at her eighth birthday party and made him cry while the other kids cheered? maggie wu, that’s who.

who’s the girl who fought for melanie jones when the popular girls ganged up on her to make fun of her gap teeth? maggie wu, that’s who.

who’s the girl who threw the biggest rager her block had ever seen and convinced the cops nothing was amiss at only seventeen? maggie wu, that’s who.

maggie wu has been throwing caution to the wind and doing whatever sounds like the most fun since she could walk. she swears she learned how to run from consequences before she could talk. and as soon as she learned to talk, she figured out how to talk her way out of them. this was a girl who hung with the boys and stood up for the girls, and would get in the middle of a fight before she could think to herself ‘is this a good idea?’ every time she came home with a detention slip or a black eye, her parents were less and less surprised. when they had to use her college savings as bail twice before she graduated high school, they hardly had any surprise left in them.

maggie’s parents were perfectly respectable people – her mother a doctor at st. jude’s emergency medical center and her father a history teacher at the local high school – who fought through maggie’s entire life to stay out of coyote point’s seedy underbelly. they tried everything they could to keep her out of trouble; music lessons, sunday school, after-school activities. maggie’s mother was born and raised in coyote point and met maggie’s father in college out of state, yet convinced him to live in coyote point’s neutral zone under the admirable cause of making the town a better place to live. that hope would be dashed by the time maggie was in elementary school, when they realized that there was no saving coyote point. maggie’s grandfather owed money to the reapers that he was still paying off when he died and suddenly, there was no choice but to choose sides. it took them a few more years to figure out that there was no saving maggie. maggie was able to stay out of fight for control of the town, even as she gained a reputation as a troublemaker and the life of the party, until high school.

by the time high school rolled around, maggie had a gaggle of friends who didn’t play for either team in town and a crappy garage band she played guitar with, and no love from her parents. they constantly made their disappointment in maggie known to her, eventually in screaming matches between maggie and her mother. they treated her as if she was already on her own and she pretended that was just fine. none of it mattered when she turned seventeen and met her real best friend. they were two peas in a pod, always ready to laugh at their misfortunes and the qualities that made other people think of them as fuck ups rather than belabor them. maggie felt most herself with him and from day one, it was clear to anybody who took even one look at her that she would ride or die for this kid. while she had always sworn up and down that she would never get in the middle of the war between the two gangs she grew up hearing about – believing that her own family was starkly neutral and safely out from any group’s thumb – she had an unshakable loyalty to her best friend. when she found his skull tattoo and uncovered his loyalty, a decision had to be made and her heart made it for her before her head could have any say in the matter. she wasn’t loyal to the reapers, but she sure as hell was loyal to her friend.

when maggie graduated high school, a litany of misdemeanors under her belt but no direct ties to either gang, she was hit with another surprise. her parents, after bailing her out too many times and having given up on her years before, had decided to use the rest of her college fund to finish paying off her grandfather’s debt and leave town. her father’s hometown was a sleepy little burg on the east coast and with maggie’s younger brothers entering high school, they had no choice but to flee and cut off the temptation to join the struggle between the gangs before it could gain any traction in the young boys’ lives. maggie was faced with yet another decision: follow her family east and turn over a new leaf or stay in coyote point with people and places she knew and loved. yet again, her heart made the choice for her and logic had no part in the decision. the people who actually cared for her were right here in coyote point. her family moved to new york and maggie stayed in nevada.

her part-time job at stranger’s diner, where she’d been working since she was sixteen and in need of pocket money, turned into a full-time and overtime affair, and she moved into a rinky-dink little apartment with the bassist from her band. joining the rat race right out of high school was a difficult life to live, scrimping by and running into trouble at every turn with very little outside support, but maggie swore she would make it on her own; if only to prove people wrong. the rest of her bandmates left the city or got involved with either the vipers or the reapers, so maggie started playing on her own, but it wasn’t anything like the dream she’d once had. her one saving grace was her best friend, who was also on his own and could commiserate with maggie better than anyone. when maggie felt regret about her decisions creeping up on her, she turned to her friend for a reminder of why she stayed and he never failed to deliver. turning a blind eye and looking the other way when it came to his affiliation and dealings with the reapers became second nature to maggie, and as time went on, it only got worse and worse.

when maggie turned twenty-one, a position opened up at hideaways, the reapers’ bar, and with the promise of a pay raise, there was no way she could turn the opportunity down. bartending was much more maggie’s speed than waitressing and she took to it like a duck to water. her laughter was infectious, her daring attitude was always a hit, and there was little more she liked to do than party. free drinks at the bar led her down a slippery slope, but it was one she chose willingly. her willingness – and, in fact, insistence – on looking the other way to the owner’s crimes and business made her an asset and for years, maggie ignored every shady deal that went on at the bar and the fighting that happened in the back. as time went on, her indifference was taken for compliance and eventually, she was asked to do more and more for the owner of the bar. with her job and lifestyle at stake, what could she possibly do but comply? before she knew what was happening, she found herself involved in the very organization she’d spent the last decade trying to keep her loved ones away from.

who’s the girl who turned her back on her family to sink into a life of partying with her friends and got herself caught in the crossfire between the town’s gangs on the way down? maggie wu, that’s who.

WANTED CONNECTIONS

regulars at hideaways, where maggie works and honestly spends most of her time! // other natives of coyote point and people she went to school with! // someone for maggie to play music with! (she plays guitar and has taken up singing since her last band broke up) // flings, crushes, exes, fwbs! // anybody who needs a friendly face to distract them from life in coyote point! // people who really don’t get along with maggie (not everyone can, right?) // anything under the sun!

#* // about. #here we go! #i stg i know there are typos in this #a baby gay can only do so much