#-spots Maggie passed out on the floor and assumes shes having some sort of medical emergency

[bluejaybytes]

@snowshinobi Hiiiii :3 I'm responding to your tags on a new post and not the original since the original was already somewhat lengthy, and I plan on being LONG and RAMBLY, but I have sooo many thoughts on what you said and I'm going to say them. Also my browser crashed TWICE (TWO TIMES. 2) when trying to write this post so I'm really fighting for my life out here to get my silly little OC posts done. Also it's under the cut because it's looooong as hell LMAO

Firstly, you're so nice to me forever <3 Secondly, I think you've basically hit the nail on the head. The majority of the issues Maggie has coming back from death and her 9 years gone are really tied almost exclusively to her close family, because she... never really had anyone else. While in-universe it's only 9 years, realistically the jump in technology and culture is around ~20-30 years (Maggie died in the 90s/early 2000s essentially, and wakes up in a just barely futuristic city), but... the most jarring thing to her in terms of what she missed out on is just. Flipphones are no longer popular. Other than her family, she's only close with one other person... who just so happens to be a ghost, and therefore both 1. Wouldn't change much over the timespan due to how long she's been a ghost and 2. Unlike her family, was aware that something happened, since she could see the ghost-of-a-ghost Maggie left behind (The ghosts name is Opal, she positions herself as a sort of "guardian angel" figure, though she's not actually, and serves as just another parental figure for Maggie while also getting after the ghosts that constantly harass her to pass on messages to the living). Maggie has no real relationships outside of her family, and while her relationships with her family are massively impacted by her unknowing death, other than that... the timeskip itself doesn't weigh on her because she had no one regardless. Her struggle to adjust to everything thats happened would've happened regardless of the timeskip for her, because she was such an isolated shut-in that it's the same whether it happened the next day, or nearly a full decade later

So another very interesting thing is that you've actually completely seen where I was going with everything, in spite of everything I said being very surface level and not actually delving into the plot at all. I completely skimmed over Jenna (She's very important to the plot, but she's by in large a regular person as opposed to Maggie's... everything), but for some additional context, Jenna has a horrendously shitty homelife, so her moving in with Maggie is both a gradual process (It goes from spending time there, to spending nights, to eventually just never going back home and moving in fully), and also serves as an escape for her. Part of that is also, so vitally, the food aspect. For some additional additional context, souls essentially serve as a persons lifeforce, practically every bodily function is improved by a soul that's stronger, though the "strength" of a soul is essentially entirely random, and not dependent on the individuals actions of any kind. Maggie had a generally weird soul before (Seeing ghosts inherently means she has to have something going on with her soul), but when she wakes up after her death, her soul is now even weirder, and part of that is that it essentially lets her get away with bad habits she absolutely should be seeing more consequences for. She barely eats, and when she does, it's basically exclusively crackers and whatever other safe foods she has around the house, because actually making food is a level of care and effort she just... doesn't give to herself in the slightest. Part of Jenna staying with her is that Jenna, without really discussing it, entirely takes up the mantle of caretaker of the apartment, with the biggest task being food prep, Jenna sees Maggie's unwillingness to take care of herself and silently steps up and starts making her actual meals so she's eating properly.

The problem is is that this also kinda... just straight up sucks? Jenna doesn't think much of it, it's something that needed to be done so she's doing it, she wants Maggie to be well fed even if she won't do it herself, and she's already been responsible for making all of her own meals for years prior anyways, so it's just another thing she does. Except that's shitty! Maggie's seen firsthand how terrible her homelife is, and it really weighs on her how even in her escape from that, Jenna's still being put in a position where she feels like she must care for her or else she just won't eat properly. So food is such a massively important thing to both of them, it's this symbol of love for both of them, it's love on the part of Jenna, for stepping in and taking care of Maggie when she can't do it herself, and it's love on the part of Maggie, for realizing how her own bad habits impact the people she cares about and wanting to lift that weight by taking care of herself better. It's also very vital for Maggie because she just... doesn't... have hobbies. Learning how to cook becomes really her only hobby and she puts all of her love and care into it, because for the first time in a long while she's actually passionate about something! ...Unfortunately she also is very very bad at it. She's inventing new dishes like "Burnt Salad" and "Please Help I Fucked Up Kraft Mac N Cheese" and still having to have Jenna come in and help her. But it's the thought that counts, and it'll only be a matter of time before she can make something vaguely edible.

And finally, the stuff about names! I didn't post it here, but while idly talking about her in a Discord server I'm in, I definitely think that had I made Maggie like even a few months later than I would've done she would've been nonbinary. As it stands right now though, I'm saying she's probably some form of genderweird but too busy trying not to die to think about it <3 Growing up knowing that ghosts are real and routinely being shut down by authority figures in her life about it has made her very aware of how bullshit a lot of things are and how the people who claim to be knowledgeable tend to not know what they're talking about (Beyond just the "people don't think ghosts are real", she's also got ghosts willing to tell her when people are lying because they've got nothing better to do than just gossip) , so if she spent even just a moment thinking about gender as a social construct she'd instantly recognize that and probably take up some form of genderweird label, but as it stands she's just too stressed with Being The Protagonist to think about that

Now, the thing with Margaret. I'm not even going to lie to you, I think you made a better connection to how a name connects with community in terms of the narrative themes than I did. The thing with Margaret denying the name "Maggie" existed for two reasons, the in-universe explanation is that, with the little scrap of soul Margaret has leftover from Maggie, it's essentially working overtime just to keep her vitals working, it can't dedicate time and energy to making her an individual with preferences and a personality, so part of that is that she doesn't respond to "Maggie" because ultimately, that is not her name. Her name is Margaret and she's not going to respond to "Maggie" because "Maggie" isn't her name. Of course, out of universe the reasoning is that I wanted an easy way to distinguish between Maggie as she is the protagonist, and the version of her that lived in the years she was gone, so different names makes the most sense.

I think your connection to how name relates to community genuinely works on a level I hadn't fully pieced together myself yet and I really love that because I think that absolutely works with everything. One of the main conflicts of the plot is how Maggie is entirely disconnected from her family thanks to the years she was gone, with Margaret having no priorities beyond "survive", she basically never spoke with her parents or brother for years. While her family tried to reach out to her repeatedly (Especially given that, while they're unaware the truth of what happened the night Maggie was murdered, they do know something happened, and they believe that whatever it was severely traumatized her, and that's where the sudden and drastic shift in personality came from), there's a point where they just... gave up. She wasn't trying to talk with them or contact them in the slightest, so around a year or two after Margaret moved out, her parents gave up on her. Her brother would still be there a bit, but he also didn't really... try... anymore.

When Maggie wakes up, she tries to call her parents... and they don't pick up. They'd grown resentful over the years, and now that Maggie wants to talk to them, they don't forgive her for the years of not speaking to them, and aren't interested in whatever she has to say after nearly a decade of trying to reconnect with her and being met with nothing. It's her insistence that she wants to be called Maggie that actually gets her brother to realize she's telling the truth and that something happened. She shows up at his door, already something that Margaret wouldn't have done, and that combined with her being visibly upset when he calls her Margaret and tells him that's not her and that she's Maggie, it signals to him that whatever's going on is real (...though he would've figured this out eventually, given that she also literally 17 again and not in her mid-20s, and has a giant glowing stab wound in her chest). I think it works absolutely perfectly as being a symbol of community, her disconnect from her community is what led to her being called Margaret, and her desperation to be returned to that community is when she's Maggie again. So uh. Congrats on getting the themes of my OCs better than I did <3

And uhhhh closing thoughts! I honestly did still skim over the majority of the plot (Literally never even mentioned Eli or what's going on with her stab wound </3), but I think you reeeeally hit the nail on the head with everything I'm kinda getting at with these OCs, which is... frankly wild given how little main plot I actually got at. Basically everything I mentioned in my original post was the setup, not the main plot. But waaaaugh thank you for being so niceys to me and also giving me another excuse to ramble endlessly <3

#my OCs #uhhh MAGGIE FUN FACTS: #Animals can tell when a soul is weird so she has a colony of stray cats that hang around her apartment door #she doesnt even LIKE animals that much (She barely takes care of HERSELF shes not taking care of any animals.) #but they all like her weirdass soul and keep hanging around because of it #When the plot ends she gives one of the stray cats to her parents as a 'sorry i died' gift #The cats name is Marge- named by Jenna and also specifically its 'Marge' said in a Simpsons impression. any Simpson #It's Jennas FAVORITE cat out of the strays bc she says she looks like Maggie. also Marge is a male cat #Neither Jenna nor Maggie know how to tell the difference between a male and female cat reliably so they assume Marge is female- hes not #Also Eli's the closest to the 'main antagonist' the story gets. hes an old coworker of Margarets and basically her only friend #and Maggie's too scared with her whole 'is actively dying' thing and doesnt know how to tell him 'hey im not your friend- she died' #ELI thinks that Margaret is essentially have some sort of extreme mental breakdown and is trying to get her help bc he cares about her- #-unaware that Maggie is essentially a different person and doesnt know him #anyways uhhhh Maggie attempts to beat him to death with her laptop once. sorry Eli. luckily shes 17 and scrawny as fuck- #-so he's able to throw her off of him but its still. BAD #Maggie's got INSANE insomnia for a large variety of reasons- and falls asleep on the floor one night while on her laptop #Eli- having gotten off work late and going to check on Margaret- who hasnt shown up to work in weeks and isnt answering her phone #-spots Maggie passed out on the floor and assumes shes having some sort of medical emergency #Margaret had left her spare keys at work which he'd grabbed- so he lets himself in to get her to a hospital #Only for Maggie to wake up. With a strange man in her apartment in the middle of the night. Wuh Oh ! #THIS time however- when she's home alone (shes not alone Jenna's asleep in the other room) and she spots a stranger in her house- #-she ends up with a fight reaction and NOT freeze <3 #also her full name is Margaret Elisabeth Newell and her brothers name is Hawke #one of the very few times i will give my OC a full name- and entirely bc my friend suggested her last name LMAO #also she believes in bigfoot. GHOSTS are real and theyre WAY less believable than 'big ape' so she fully believes it #Opal keeps trying to tell her no that ones ACTUALLY not real and shes like uh huh. sure. ill believe it when i see it

[sherrybaby14]

Nobody Cares 2

Summary:  Jo’s first week at the Sanctuary

Warnings:  Violence 

A/N: Early this morning I changed my post to chapter 1 because I’m going to do this differently here.  This posting of Nobody Cares is going to be linear and a lot more focused on Negan.  

When Jo came to her head was throbbing. She went to put her hand on her forehead but couldn’t move it.  Then she lifted her head and her surroundings became clearer. She was sitting in a chair, her hands were tied behind her back and her ankles were each tied to a leg.  Her shirt had a large blood stain and her hair was falling out of the bun.  

                 The room was dark.  There was a single lightbulb hanging from a string. It looked like she was in some sort of basement.  

                 “Look who decided to wake up,” a voice came from the darkness. “I was giving you another five minutes before I splashed you with cold water. It’s a shame really, that would have been fun for me.”

                 Footsteps sounded and Negan came out from the shadows. He had a chair with him. He set it in front of her and spun it around so he could straddle the back.

                 “Let’s me and you have a little chat.” He grinned at her.

                 “Go to hell.” Jo was surprised she stood up to him.

                 He rolled his eyes and kept his comedic grin.

                 “I told you to kill me.” Jo stared at him with anger. “I won’t help you with anything.”

                 “Of course you will baby doll.” Negan ran his hand down her cheek. “Let me explain the situation to you.  Your friends work for me now. You are my insurance policy. It goes both ways. You want me to treat them nicely you treat me nicely. They want me to treat you nicely they treat me nicely.  After all, I am a nice guy. I think we can all be cordial with each other.”

                 “How do I even know they’re still alive?” Jo twisted her face away from him.

                 “You don’t.” Negan continued to rub her cheek. “As far as you’re concerned they’re all dead. Don’t ask questions about them, don’t have me check up on them, erase the name Rick from your vocabulary.”

                 She twitched at the name Rick. The image of him dead on the ground made her gasp and a sob broke lose.

                 “So you are the fearless leader’s lady?” Negan grabbed her by the chin. “I would appreciate it if you looked at me while I’m talking. Lack of eye contact is considered rude to some people.”

                 Jo took a deep breath to stop her sobs.  She stared at him with fire in her eyes. He released her chin and it ached where he grabbed it.

                 “I will throw you a bone and let you know your husband is still breathing, but how much you cooperate will depend on how long that stays true.”  He rested his chin on the top of his chair and gave her fake puppy dog eyes. “Answer me honestly and I will make things easy on your safe zone people.”

                 Jo didn’t understand why he didn’t kill her. She would be another mouth to feed. Alexandria couldn’t afford to lose half their supplies. People would starve. Rick would understand that and sacrifice her. She would expect him to.

                 “What’s your name?”

                 “Go to hell.” Jo repeated.

                 The smile didn’t drop from Negan’s face as he lifted his hand and with a fast movement backhanded her.  There was so much force the chair started to topple over, but he must have grabbed it and steadied her.  There were black spots in front of her eyes, but he grabbed her chin again and the pain re-centered there.

                 “If you pass out on me I will get to use that cold water. It’s not bedtime yet.” Negan smiled. “I hate violence. I am not a violent person. I especially hate violence against women. You’re making me angry because you’re making me hurt you.  Trust me, you do not want to make me angry.  Let’s try this one more time. What is your name?”

                 “Jo.” Her face stung.

 She hand a feeling this man would amputate all her limbs and send them to Alexandria before he let her die.

                 “Jo.” Negan repeated. “I imagine its short for something, but you can share that later.  Now what am I going to do with you Jo?”

                 She shook her head.

                 “I know you’re some sort of nurse, but how could I expect you to treat my men? Let’s be honest, there is zero trust between us.” Negan sat back up and started tapping his hands on his thighs. “You’re a smart girl. Take a guess?”

                 A look of terror washed over her face.  She knew what he was going to do and she wished there was some way, any way she could travel back in time and make love with Rick in the kitchen.  Negan responded to her horror with laughter.

                 “I told you baby doll, not a big fan of violence against women. Besides, I already have five wives. Why would I resort to force?” He rose his eyebrows repeatedly.  “Before I untie you and take you to your room I want to make sure you understand the rules. What are they?”

                 “Be nice to you and you will be nice to Alexandria and answer questions when asked.” Jo swallowed back her tears.

                 “How about behave like a proper guest too. That sums it up.  If you break them not only will I be not so nice to you, I will have to take it out on your friends.” He stood up from his chair and walked behind her. “That includes trying to run away, I will shoot you dead and then have to grab another person you care about to take your place.”

                 There was a quick release and her wrists were free. She rubbed them as her ankles were undone.  She thought about picking up the chair and trying to bash him with it, but she was too woozy from the multiple head injuries.  She felt his hand on the small of her back leading her out of a door.  They went into a hall with florescent lighting. Metal doors lined both sides of the hall.  She tried to guess what sort of building they were in, but it was too hard to tell. Maybe a hospital? Or a mental instiution? He stopped in front of one and opened it up, signaling for her to head inside.

                 She took a step in and saw nothing.  No bed, no blanket.  Only a bucket in the corner. She tried not to cringe at the knowledge of what that was for.

                 “Someone will bring you some food and water in a little bit.” Negan started to close the door.

                 “Wait, can I have a blanket?” Jo asked.

                 “You want a blanket? A pillow? What do you think this is a Hilton?” Negan laughed. “You want those things you have to earn them.”

                 “How?” Jo was confused.

                 “You’re a smart girl. I said I wouldn’t take things without permission.  I didn’t say I wouldn’t accept what was offered.” Negan laughed as he closed the door behind him.  

                 Jo wanted to scream and cry, life was not fair. But she was sure she had a concussion and even though all her medical training told her to stay awake she couldn’t keep her eyes open as she passed out on the cement floor under harsh fluorescent lighting.

~~~  

               Jo’s back hurt from sitting against the concrete. It was hard to guess the passage of time,  since the lights never went out and food and sleep were sporadic.  She assumed it had been a week, but there was no way to be certain.

 The only food they delivered was bland oatmeal, and sometimes if she were lucky it was delivered with a book.  She fiddled with the pages of the current one since she already read it three times, debating on ripping them out to make origami. Every title was more erotic than the last, all stared submissive females.

 If this treatment was supposed to break her it would last awhile.  She was used to being silent.  Besides, being in solitary with no blanket was a lot less scary than behaving like the women in the books she was reading.  

                  She had called out in boredom once and if there were any other prisoners they didn’t respond.  There was no round the clock guard either.  Judging by the metal lock on the door it would be next to impossible to pick so there was no need.

                 The sound of footsteps echoed down the hall. Her food came recently, so she knew this was different.  Jo braced herself against the wall and stood up.  She saw the lock click and wondered what was about to happen.  Negan entered the room with the scarf wrapped around his neck and same tight leather jacket and gloves.  He came straight to her cell wherever he was from.

                 “Jesus Christ you look like shit.”  His eyes scanned her up and down.

                 “Well I haven’t had a shower or a change of clothes in a week.” Jo was not about to waste the little water they were giving her on hygiene…at this point.

                 “Follow me.”  He turned on his heel and left the door open.

                 Jo went into the hall.  She debated on turning and running the other way, hiding until she could make her escape, but she had no idea where she was and the thought of Maggie or Rosita ending up in her place was too much.  Negan led her to an illuminated exit sign and climbed the stairs. The first thing Jo noticed were the windows. There weren’t many, but it was night time outside.  

                 To their backs was a main room filled with tables and people eating.  It didn’t look like it was meant to be a cafeteria.  She noticed they were not eating oatmeal.  

                 “Keep up baby doll.” Negan’s voice distracted her from her rumbling stomach.  

                 They came to a stairwell.  Jo noticed the people they passed on their way dropped to their knees.  It was off putting.  She tried to focus more on the architecture of the building.  She could not figure out what it would have been before the apocalypse.  It no longer looked like a hospital.  They continued to climb and she noticed the floors were mainly filled with rooms. After about six staircases they came to the top. Negan pushed open the storm door to reveal a giant apartment. The living space was huge.  There was a bar to the left with four stools, a massive bookcase, a fireplace, and three couches.  On the far wall were three shut doors.

                 “Wait right here.”  Negan did not turn around as he went to one of the closed doors.

                 Jo was afraid.  This was his personal space. She didn’t understand what he could have brought her up here for.  She followed all his rules. He reappeared with a towel in his hand. She noticed some soaps and a razor were on top.

                 “Now so far you have been a perfect guest. I thought I would reward that behavior.”  Negan placed the toiletries in her hand. “The middle door is a bathroom.”

                 “Thank you.” Jo accepted the items and pulled away when Negan gripped her wrist.

 “I am giving you a little bit of trust here.  Don’t do anything stupid.  Take a nice long hot shower and come out when you’re done.”

                 She kept her head down and practically ran to the bathroom. She noticed the door did not have a lock and felt a bit disappointed.  Then Jo caught a look at herself in the mirror.  She lost weight from her already small frame and her eyes were starting to look sunken in. There was a yellow mark from the healing bruise where Negan had smacked her. Her dark blonde hair was so greasy it looked another color. The only thing that didn’t seem effected were her eyes. They were as blue as ever.  

                 “I don’t hear the shower running,” Negan called from beyond the door.

                 Jo jumped, flung the shower door open, flipped the water on and stripped, wanting to take as quick a shower as possible. Negan might have been showing her a little bit of trust, but she did not trust him. Unfortunately for Jo the second the warm water hit her skin her resolve to be speedy dried up.  She swore the water looked brown as she shampooed her hair.

 Once she was satisfied her tresses were clean enough she started with the soap, scrubbing every inch of her body until it was red.  The pink disposable razor looked like a gift from the heavens and she removed every bit of body hair, unsure if she would see one again. She hadn’t meant to take the toothbrush and paste into the shower with her, but they were there and so she eagerly brushed away a week’s worth of buildup.

                 Once everything was done and clean Jo debated on doing the entire ritual a second time, but she was aware Negan saw this as a gift. One she hoped to get a repeat of. With some remorse she shut off the shower and walked back towards the sink.  She used the white towel to dry herself off and noticed some lotion on the back of the toilet.  Jo spread some on her legs and arms noticing her skin was pink from too much scrubbing.

                 Her hair was filled with excess water and Jo squeezed it out over the sink.  She ran a brush through it several times and repeated the process.  It was starting to dry in long waves and already looked lighter than it had pre shower.  Finally feeling as clean as possible Jo went to her clothes and noticed they were missing. A pit in her stomach grew.  There was a light tap on the door and Jo went for the knob, squeezing it in place, hoping the person on the other side wouldn’t turn it.

                 “I can hear how tense you are in there.” Negan continued tapping on the door. “Those clothes were filthy. I didn’t want you getting all clean just to get dirty again. Open the door and I’ll hand you a new pair.”

                 Jo tried to think about what her options were.  She didn’t believe him.  This was too good, too much of a change from her cell in the basement.  Something was about to happen.

                 “I’ve been good.” Jo yelled through the door. “I’ve done everything you asked. I..I…I was polite, I didn’t bother anyone.  I was nice to you tonight.”  

                 “You’ve been a model prisoner.” Negan grabbed ahold of the handle and started twisting from the other side. “But remember the other part of our arrangement.”

                 Jo struggled to grip the handle, but the humidity from the shower made it slip easily.  As soon as Negan loosened it enough he pushed his shoulder into the door, sending her flying backwards.  

                 “Alexandria is nice to me and I’ll be nice to you.” Negan grinned down at her with menace all over his face.  “Well Alexandria wasn’t so nice today.”  

#fanfiction #negan #twd negan #the walking dead #twd fanfiction