➥ Max has called trying to teach Vanessa how to skate “a lost cause”
➥ But that’s okay, she’s a better roller skater anyway
➥ Technically this is her second time as a repeat senior which makes her a little older than the others (like 19-20)
➥ Smokes weed cause it helps calm down her anxiety attacks
➥ can play the acoustic guitar, tempted to try electric, but they don’t have the money for it
➥ has differing music tastes than a lot of people in Hawkins
➥ Poor baby is definitely bullied but whatever
➥ Her and Babi used to be best friends back in California, but eventually they drifted apart. As they grew up, realizing they're complete polar opposites and yet still so much in common.
➥ That led to 𝘴𝘰 many arguments, and when the Mayfield/Hargrove household moves to Hawkins, seeing that Babi (FLAYED) was also in Hawkins, it led to a full on rivalry.
➥ you can always find her with this little pocket notebook, its like her diary of sorts, full of little quotes and thoughts throughout the day, and any little ideas that come to mind
➥ bakes
➥ So she’ll sometimes bring delicious treats to the kids, or put some in max’s lunch box, or drop some off for hellfire club
➥ major sweet tooth
➥ She’s 5”7
➥ Her gamer tag /code name is “LochNess”
⤷ 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘔𝘢𝘥𝘔𝘢𝘹 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘺, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴
➥ Goes by Nessa & same way she calls Max “Maxie” only her friends are allowed to call her “Nessie”
➥ She tries to protect Max from billy’s temper and everything as best as she can
➥ Offers to drive her to school everyday, even if it makes her late to her shift/ shifts
➥ She definitely has the same humor & sarcasm as her sister
➥ Besides Max, she absolutely loves her brother ADAM, they automatically clicked, even though he's their stepbrother. They were best friends growing up, and still remain close as they've grown.
➥ After they move to the trailer park, she started taking jobs wherever she could find them, literally anything, tutoring, waitressing, babysitting, you name it.
➥ She wants to help her mom out At the same time as being there for her sister
➥ Vanessa actively tries not to use that magic unless she absolutely has to, since in her eyes; it's nothing but a curse, only attached to bad memories.
➥ Specifically when it manifested for the first time when she was young, about 14, and she lost control, accidentally burning down her house, killing her entire family.
⤷ 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺.
➥ But, because it's linked to her emotions, it happens more than she'd like it to.
✘ Instead of Max being dead in this verse, she disappeared, & Ness has been searching for her since that day. It was Max disappearing that tore her family apart.
✘ It's what drove her to the BAU, determined to find her little sister.
✘ She's got multiple talents, musically inclined ofc, but also a pretty damn good photographer.
✘ An avid reader & writer, got perfect A's in every class or anything she puts her mind to. It's that over-perfectionism habit.
✘ Smoker & the occasional partaker of weed (when nervous or stressed) because she does have some anxiety issues.
✘ Maybe has a sketchy past? Or had some run-ins with the police? Maybe taking the search for her sister too far?
✘ Got a job offer letter? From someone
✘ Tech savvy, music lover, notebook collector, & has a gun license (or is at least training with it)
✘ A little bit artistic, mostly sketches but can paint somewhat. The creative type. But a nerd for sure with the tendency to ramble (even more when anxious)
✘ Didn't grow up in the best household, but shielded Max as best she could. From that she's got some pretty good instincts. Even if she still tries to see the good in people.
✘ After the loss of her sister, her family started to fracture, and if she didn't feel the guilt before — 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘣𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴.
✘ So she left home and made a life for herself when she turned 18.
✘ She sees Gideon & Hotch as father figures, or like older brothers, both figures she never had.
➥ When she’s 10, the whole family move from California to this town in Indiana called Hawkins.
➥ Their mom, Susan fell in love with a guy named Neil when she’s 8 and get married soon after, and that’s when they’re introduced to their new stepfamily
➥ Max was 6 when they move
➥ Only reason they moved from San Diego California was because William — Billy, their new stepbrother started causing trouble, enough so that they want to move for a “fresh start”
➥ She, like her sister miss their dad in California
➥ Long enough that both girls hope they won’t move again, long enough that they do make long lasting friends
➥ Vanessa even finds out one of her newfound friends is a dealer, and they live nearby, so she’s got a pretty decent supply of weed to help with anxiety
➥ But then again, nothing lasts forever, and despite their protests, they move to this little trailer park on the edge of kings county, in Atlanta Georgia. When she’s 14, and max is 10
➥ She takes the brunt of it willingly if it means it’s keeping her sister safe, and thankfully it seems to work.
➥ Not that long after moving, she decides to go exploring the forest near their new home
➥In doing so, she almost gets shot by this wiry looking guy, crossbow aimed at her as she emerges from the trees into a little clearing with an old picnic table
➥She’s immediately raising her hands with a “𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘵!”
⤷ 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳
➥ Soon she learns this kid’s named Daryl, and he’s got an asshole of a dad too
➥ And they eventually become close friends, and that picnic table in the clearing becomes “𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘵”
➥ Since she’s working like a billion jobs to help out her mom, she saves up enough money, wanting to buy daryl a phone for his 21st birthday so they can keep in contact if anything happens
➥But it’s after one day when he doesn’t come to their spot that she starts to worry
➥The next day he shows up looking seriously beat up and right then and there she decides that it can’t wait until his birthday (which she’s sad about)
➥So next time they meet, she’s got a little wrapped box, telling him to open it and “it’s a surprise 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 early birthday gift. I was gonna wait till your 21st, but you definitely need one cause…y’know… and my number’s already in it.”
➥They also develop a code word if they need to meet up urgently, or for anything urgent really.
⤷ 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘶𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘣𝘳𝘢
➥ She also took the liberty of having a first aid kit underneath the table for if either of them need it.
➥ With the Dixons living up in the mountains, and her and her family in the trailer park on the edge of kings county, with the woods separating them... finding other friends nearby became a bit...challenging...
➥ But thankfully (for both her and Max), they were able to keep in touch with their friend group from back in Hawkins, which definitely helped.
➥ But it didn't matter to her, because if she wasn't hanging out with Daryl, Max, or Babi, she was more than likely working one of her 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 jobs, because she took any job opportunity possible to help out her mom.
➥Throughout the years as they grew up, she lets him drag her along anywhere. (𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵)
➥ So most of the shit he gets up to with Merle, she’s there too, keeping an eye out for Daryl's safety
⤷ 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 2 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮.
➥ And you know how it is when you’ve got your first serious crush when you’re young, you’ll gladly do anything to stay near them
➥ But also because she really does care about him and wants to make sure he’s safe, that someone’s 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 looking out for him, and so Merle doesn’t drag him down too far
➥ She also takes Daryl to his first fair when there’s one in town, and always tries to take him along to anything good that comes through town. To more fun things in general like museums, skating rinks, etc.
Because in her words:
⤷“𝘞𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥.”
➥ Then the apocalypse started...
➥ Vanessa had come home a bit late from one of her many jobs
⤷ 𝘚𝘩𝘦'𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘺
➥ Only to find everything going absolutely crazy, the car wasn't even fully parked before she's running to their trailer shouting for Max, panic starting to set in. Only one thing going through her mind:
⤷ 𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘹 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘬𝘢𝘺...𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦!
➥ And what she sees makes her stop dead in her tracks. It takes her a moment to even process what she was seeing!
➥ It was their family... their mom... Billy.... even Neil... and they were 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥
➥ Thankfully not Max, but now Nessa had only one choice, something she never thought she'd be capable of. But when it comes to her sister's safety, and with the way they were coming at her... 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦...
➥ Swallowing any remaining nerves, and a little bile, she’s grabbing one of the kitchen knives, and moving fast, using some of what she learned from the Dixons, quickly putting down her f̶a̶m̶i̶l̶y̶... the zombies.
➥ Having no choice but to get over her own nerves, her own shock at what happened (𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳)
➥ She's quick to shout to Max that they needed to go “𝘕𝘖𝘞!”
➥ From there on out, it was only her and Max. Surviving.
➥ Not to say they didn't run into some groups in the months after it all started.
➥ It's probably about 2 months later, that both girls emerge from the trees, dirty, and covered in foliage, Nessa keeping Max behind her. Always protective.
➥ And then she's passing out, knowing that Max will be safe with Daryl there
➥ She makes friends with the kids easily, specifically Sophia
➥ She remembers being that age, being terrified of her stepdad, of her stepbrother, trying to shield max
➥ While bonding with the rest of the group, neither Max or her put up with any of Shane's bullshit
➥ They’re both there when the herd hits after the CDC
➥ Max runs after Sophia and someone (Glenn? Shane?) has to hold her back from physically running after her, putting a hand over her mouth to stop her from screaming her sisters name
➥ At the farm it’s not 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 Sophia they’re looking for, it’s also Max.
➥ She’s out there just as much as Daryl looking for her sister, 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴.
⤷ Always antsy to get back out there, to do 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨!
⤷ Distracting herself when she can't be out there by baking with the girls. Thankful that they're even letting her.
➥ She does bond with Andrea when she learns that she also had a sister named Amy who died in the attack
➥ But then she goes and accidentally has to shoot Daryl, and I’m not saying Nessa is overprotective at times, but…
➥So, yes... it’s possible the blonde is sporting a black eye and or busted lip not long after Daryl’s brought up
➥ And no, she will not be apologizing anytime soon
➥ And at the barn she sees how much the Greenes don't want them to do this, and even if she doesn't want to, Shane already opened this can of worms so it's not like she can do anything to stop it
➥ So when he hands her a gun, asking if she can do this, she nods, taking it, avoiding looking anywhere but at the barn, bracing herself.
➥ Then those doors open
⤷ 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦
➥ Taking a breath, she starts to shoot as soon as the walkers start pouring out
➥ When they seem to stop, she lowers her gun, breathing out trying to steady her racing heart
➥ Something tells her this isn't done yet...and sure enough...
➥ A few seconds later, there's the tell tale signs of another walker - actually walkers, slowly making their way out
➥ Like they were waiting to make their entrance
➥ She raises her gun again
➥ Braces herself
⤷ 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴… 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴… 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯… 𝘕𝘰…!
➥ She's vaguely aware that Carol screamed, that someone, Daryl maybe, is holding her back
➥ And a second later, her gun slips from her hands, her knees buckle and she's falling, not even realizing she'd screamed out the last part herself
➥ Because it wasn't just Sophia that came out
➥ Shuffling along right beside her was Max
⤷ 𝘔𝘢𝘹… 𝘎𝘰𝘥… 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘹… 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘹𝘪𝘦…
➥ Tears blur her vision, and someone's holding her back now
➥ Dale.
➥ He's whispering comforting words
➥ His Grip tightening as someone — 𝘙𝘪𝘤𝘬 — steps forward, and does what no one else seems capable of doing
➥Two gunshots ring in the air
➥ And then silence.
➥ She's not sure how long she sat there crying
➥ But it's Andreas hand on her shoulder that brings her back to reality
⤷ 𝘈 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘹
➥ As her brain so readily provides
➥ She shrugs off the hand on her shoulder, standing, taking a step towards her sister's body, before changing course and going back to her tent
➥ if she was able to find any notebooks on a run, she grabs it as well as any writing utensil handy and keeps up her tradition of writing, of Journaling.
➥ 5”7
➥ still an anxious nerd
➥ In the aftermath of the prison falling, she escaped on her own. Still winding up in that same damn train car as the rest, with some stories of her own.
➥ Both pre & post apocalypse Vanessa always tried to be the “𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦” for everyone else, always trying to get her friends happy, to get Max smiling, and 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 trying to get Daryl smiling.
➥ After Beth dies, Ness takes it upon herself to make it her personal mission in life to be everyone's “𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦.” the same way Beth had been able to seem to lift everyone's mood, light up a room, etc.
➥ Beth really had an impact on her, and reminded her of Max, and that's why she takes it so seriously.
➥ Trying to be the optimistic one for the whole group if need be, even if it makes her act foolish sometimes because: “𝘈𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦'𝘴 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘢 𝘫𝘰𝘣 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦!”
➥ Even if she knows it's not healthy, she'll internalize any other negative emotions, (𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵) journaling if she can, baking if possible, or taking it out on any walkers they come across.
➥ Vanessa's in France with Daryl throughout all of those adventures.
