Life drives you crazy

Gisele (rp alias), 28, rp account

[shoshanna-hart]

who: open

where: the daily drip

“Listen,” Tierney said, pulling the straw out of her iced matcha and holding it up, “I’m all for saving the turtles. Mother Gaia or whatever. However! I’m getting real sick of these flaccid-ass paper straws. Couldn’t kill a turtle with this if you tried. Which I guess is the point, but the turtles aren’t the ones paying $6 for a latte. You’d think you’d be getting quality straws for a price like that.”

[maggiedereux]

"Always the other one in our family to speak her mind." Maggie said as she sat down.

"How've you been doing, other than complaining about weak straws?" She asked with a chuckle.

[gemma-devereux]

CLOSED STARTER who: @maggiedereux where: Dolly's Diner

"Do not get that in my hair," Gemma ducked, catching Petunia's wrist and directing her arm away from her. In her first, Petunia had the end of her milkshake straw in her hand, and it was absolutely a risk that chocolate milkshake was about to cover all three of them. "You my dear are on a sugar high," Gemma giggled, tickling her niece at the ribs so she could pluck the straw from her grasp and put it back into her milkshake. She was sitting on the same side of the booth as Petunia, Maggie across from them. From what Gemma could see, ever perceptive to her siblings, but mostly to Maggie, her sister was dead sober, which was a victory because she'd heard she was anything but sober at the festival.

"You're getting too big," Gemma pouted, running her hand down Petunia's hair, which seemed to have gotten so much longer since she'd last seen her. "I would like a monkey, please," She said, tapping Petunia's placemat with her fingernail, which was currently already covered in drawings. Flicking her eyes to Maggie, she leaned forward, nudging her sisters ankle with her own. "How's mom?" She wondered, twirling the straw of her own strawberry milkshake between her fingertips. She was asking something between the lines - she knew how their mother was, considering Gemma talked to her probably most of all, but what she specifically wanted to know was how Maggie and their mother's relationship stood at the moment. "You look good," She added, another loaded comment meaning, I know you're sober.

[maggiedereux]

Maggie admired how good of an aunt Gemma was as she sipped her vanilla milkshake.

"Yeah she's getting to be big girl now, right Petunia?" Maggie said with a smile as her daughter giggled.

She knew that she had acted a fool at the festival, but... she had her reasons. She didn't care what anybody thought or said about any of it, it happened, she put on a damn good show, and that was that as far as she was concerned.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt her little sister nudge her ankle.

"Hm, how would I know? She decided to ice me out for a bit after the festival... but y'know, she'll talk to me again eventually just to terrorize me further. I'll take all the peace I can get right now." Maggie said with a shrug before sipping her milkshake.

"Why do you ask? I thought you both were in contact with each other?" She asked curiously.

Maggie gazed at Gemma with a brief smile that soon turned smug in a teasing manner.

"Oh, don't you know? I always look good." She said as she teasingly fluffed out her hair like a movie star, causing her daughter to giggle at her mother's silly antics.

[ethanhunt-deactivated20230911]

“And then I met you. And here we are… in this place… with this life. You’re telling me there’s no one up there looking out for us?” Daisy Jones & Billy Dunne in Daisy Jones & The Six (2023)

[riickgrimes]

#daisy and billy: besties era

[drcgonagehqs]

event 001 starter where: music city street fair → near the hottest chicken competition status: open

"fuck, yeah i can't do that." callum let out a breathy laugh, blinking back tears as he taste tested one of the signature flaming hot wings. he still swore going to college in new york screwed with his tastebuds. he would've taken this stuff like a champ when he was eighteen. callum wiped his hands with a napkin before promptly taking a step back and shaking his head at the competition's judge. he'd only entered on a dare and counted himself out after his very first bite— there went fifty bucks.

"hey, you got any water or something?" callum's mouth hung open as he huffed out quick, short breaths in attempt to cool off his tongue.

[maggiedereux]

Smoking a cigarette and holding a glass of milk, she set the glass down in front of her little brother before she took a drag from the cigarette.

"Milk is better than water Callie. Are you trying to die by eating that stuff? You're not a kid anymore." She gently chastised as she put a hand on his shoulder briefly.

"Didn't think I'd find you here. Thought you'd be near the stage or something." Maggie said nonchalantly before blowing out a puff of smoke. She knew what she was doing by bringing up the stage so soon in their conversation.

She felt a sense of envy bubbling up inside of her as she gazed at him. She was still jealous that he had gotten out and she hadn't. Not only that but she was angry. Maggie was always angry about something but in regards to Callum, she was angry that he had not only gotten out but left his siblings behind too, or so she felt as if he had. Seeing him now felt like partially seeing a stranger.

"So, what brings you to the fair?" She asked.

[maggiedereux]

Open Starter!

Location: Near one of the stages during the street fair 4 hours before her performance

She was late for the sound check. Her band was getting impatient and pissed off. She wasn't running on a lot of energy... except for maybe the champagne she was currently drinking from the bottle and the lines of coke she had snorted earlier.

Maggie hadn't slept in a few days... her battle with her mother over the album demos had hindered her sleep and kept her up at night.

She swallowed the champagne and went over to the stage, her husband not far behind her, a defeated look on his face. He had tried to stop her but... Maggie wasn't easy to stop when it came to her vices.

Maggie approached someone near the stage.

"You a roadie? Can you get me some more of this, please?" She asked holding up the bottle, she was obviously drunk and high.

"Maggie! We ready or not?" One of her band members said from the stage.

"Yeah!" She replied before turning back to the person near her that she had handed the bottle to.

"You can be my test audience. We're gonna do a sound check. Cheer if you like it, boo me if you hate it." She said jokingly with a smirk as she sniffled a bit before turning to go on stage only to turn back to the person who was nearby.

"Oh and if you see a mean looking old lady, can you like... tell her to leave... actually no, tell her to go fuck herself. I swear I'll give you a goddamn autograph or something." She said slightly slurring her words at the end of her sentence.

"Thanks." She stumbled up to the stage stairs before sitting down on the last step and laughing a bit.

"Fuck. Oh... I'm way too drunk for this sound check. Shit..." She muttered.

"Maggie! Are we doing the sound check or not!?" One of the guys on stage yelled.

All he got in return for an answer was a glare from her husband and a middle finger from Maggie aimed his way.

"Hey! You got anymore champagne?" She asked the person nearby she had been talking to.

"Can't get up these fucking steps, guess I'm singing from here then..." Maggie said with a shrug.

[azrabaris-deactivated20230807]

Maggie fucking Devereux. What a peach they were. Easily mistaken for not giving a damn about anything with her questionable coping mechanisms, no one could deny the talent they had etched in them. Azra could sing and hold a tune in the car or the shower. However, she lacked the ability to project and reach people with her voice to the caliber and degree that Maggie did. Yet, it looked like she was doing nothing but wasting her talents. Ungrateful and inconsiderate of the opportunities she's getting while others are clawing at the same stage. Yet, she was blowing it all away.

The Baris has been situated at the stage after having wrapped up an interview with an artist for the festival series episodes they were gonna place on the show's Youtube page. When she saw Maggie approach and ask if Azra was a roadie, she looked over towards their husband sympathetically. "Can I ask you a sincere question?" There was no way that Maggie could possibly get on stage now or even later in this state. They were never an artist Azra invited to the show simply because they didn't seem 100% in it. "Why are you still doing all of this? What's the point if you have to hide with these measures?"

[maggiedereux]

Maggie sloppily looked up at Azra with a raised brow.

"Because, the show... must go on. I'm not gonna disappoint my fans who paid to see me. If they... y'know, if they gotta see me fucked up to get their money's worth I'll do it, I'm not gonna turn anybody away. Yeah, might've overdid it this time but... it can happen to anybody." She said ending her sentence with a drunken laugh before shrugging.

Her husband squinted his eyes at her.

"Downing a whole bottle doesn't just happen to anybody, baby." He chimed in.

"I'm fine! I'm doing the show, that's final!" Maggie said, slowly getting irritated.

She sighed a bit before gazing at everyone around her, including Azra.

"I'm not done here. You'll all know when I'm done. Somebody hand me a mic, please?" She asked.

Someone handed her the mic and she tapped it with her index finger.

"Alright! One... two... three, check check!" She slurred slightly as she began checking the microphone sound.

"Okay, gonna do uh... Gold Dust Woman, for the sound check. Start it up!" Maggie yelled away from the mic.

As her band played the opening instrumental part, she remembered her cue that she was a few seconds late for and started singing.

"Rock on, Gold Dust Woman Take your silver spoon, dig your grave Heartless challenge Pick your path and I'll pray"

"Wake up in the morning See your sunrise, loves to go down Lousy lovers pick their prey But they never cry out loud, cry out"

She couldn't catch her breath properly for the song as she sat down, so during the next part she tried to crawl up the stairs, finally making it to the stage but almost missing her cue as she stood up finally, the first part of the line came out shakily, she quickly blinked away tears due to the meaning of the song coming up into her mind at that moment.

"Well, did she make you cry Make you break down Shatter your illusions of love? And is it over now, do you know how? Pick up the pieces and go home"

Once she was on the stage, she sobered up somewhat but not completely as she reached the microphone stand, placing the microphone back onto the stand, leaning into the mic a bit too much.

"Rock on, ancient queen Follow those who pale in your shadow Rulers make bad lovers You better put your kingdom up for sale Up for sale"

"Well, did she make you cry Make you break down Shatter your illusions of love? And is it over now, do you know how? Pick up the pieces and go home"

She swayed drunkenly to the music a bit.

"But did she make you cry Make you break down Shatter your illusions of love? And now tell me, is it over now? Do you know how to pick up the pieces And go home? Go home, go home"

Maggie stood still as she managed to hit the note she needed to before bobbing her head along to the music.

"Pale shadow of a woman Black widow Pale shadow of a dragon Dust woman"

"Pale shadow of a woman Black widow Pale shadow, she's a dragon Gold Dust Woman Woman, woman"

After singing her last line, the band kept playing and she did her signature twirl as she held her arms out, letting the music and the sound of the drums take over her body as a tear trickled down her face. The song ended and she dramatically fell to her knees, trying to catch her breath before speaking into the mic.

"And that... is how it's fucking done. Can somebody get me some water? It's fucking hot out here."

[maggiedereux]

Open Starter!

Location: Near one of the stages during the street fair 4 hours before her performance

She was late for the sound check. Her band was getting impatient and pissed off. She wasn't running on a lot of energy... except for maybe the champagne she was currently drinking from the bottle and the lines of coke she had snorted earlier.

Maggie hadn't slept in a few days... her battle with her mother over the album demos had hindered her sleep and kept her up at night.

She swallowed the champagne and went over to the stage, her husband not far behind her, a defeated look on his face. He had tried to stop her but... Maggie wasn't easy to stop when it came to her vices.

Maggie approached someone near the stage.

"You a roadie? Can you get me some more of this, please?" She asked holding up the bottle, she was obviously drunk and high.

"Maggie! We ready or not?" One of her band members said from the stage.

"Yeah!" She replied before turning back to the person near her that she had handed the bottle to.

"You can be my test audience. We're gonna do a sound check. Cheer if you like it, boo me if you hate it." She said jokingly with a smirk as she sniffled a bit before turning to go on stage only to turn back to the person who was nearby.

"Oh and if you see a mean looking old lady, can you like... tell her to leave... actually no, tell her to go fuck herself. I swear I'll give you a goddamn autograph or something." She said slightly slurring her words at the end of her sentence.

"Thanks." She stumbled up to the stage stairs before sitting down on the last step and laughing a bit.

"Fuck. Oh... I'm way too drunk for this sound check. Shit..." She muttered.

"Maggie! Are we doing the sound check or not!?" One of the guys on stage yelled.

All he got in return for an answer was a glare from her husband and a middle finger from Maggie aimed his way.

"Hey! You got anymore champagne?" She asked the person nearby she had been talking to.

"Can't get up these fucking steps, guess I'm singing from here then..." Maggie said with a shrug.

[greymendes]

open : for everyone

location : destination ink - event

Grey was so honoured to be a part of event like this. If that meant doing what he likes the most - it was even better. Also, there was so many good choices of food around and he was getting hungry even from the smell of it.

Salon started to be busy as people wouldn’t miss a chance to win free tattoo. Grey could understand it perfectly, tattoos weren’t really the cheapest thing in the world. In his opinion, though, it was worth every penny.

“Hello. Would you like to play the scratch card? You can win a free tattoo and I will do it myself straight away.”

[maggiedereux]

Maggie liked hanging out in random places and this time it was Destination Ink.

She loved the street fair in Nashville and tried to attend it almost every year.

She had left Petunia with her husband so she could get her face painted.

Maggie was set to perform that night with her husband as a special guest... so she thought, why not get a tattoo to piss her mother off?

Upon hearing his offer, she smiled at Grey.

"Sure why not? A tattoo could be pretty sweet." She said as she started to do the scratch card.

"Besides, I'd love to piss my mama off by getting some ink. Something else to check off of my list of things that would piss her off." Maggie mentioned.

[maggiedereux]

Maggie had given her sister nothing but smirks at the last few sentences she had spoken, and a brief look of slight annoyance after the cigarette got put out, but she soon blinked hard after hearing her sister say she wasn't a disappointment.

"The song did really suck. I uh... fuck..."

Maggie blinked away tears before taking a breath, her legs no longer huddled up to her chest.

"You uh... wanna know something? After I had Petunia, I laid awake at night... trying to figure out why mom was and still is just so... awful to us. I couldn't find an answer to that... but, I came up with something to end that cycle of hurt..." Maggie licked her lips as she sniffled a bit, furiously wiping her own tears.

She absolutely hated when she cried, she couldn't stand it.

"I uh... I came up with a promise... that I'd never... ever... ever have Petunia feel the way mom has always made me feel. I never want her to feel like that. Hell, I don't even want you or our siblings to feel like that. It's awful. When she does shit like that... it gets under my skin, I know I shouldn't let it, I know I can't let it... but it does... especially when she's actively trying to fuck me and my family over."

Maggie wiped her own tears before sipping her coffee.

"She's livid... about the demos I recorded with Johnny. I don't know what the fuck she's thinking, but if she touches the demos I swear to God Gemma, she can say bye-bye to her awards from the eighties, I'll smash them with a damn sledgehammer. I'm not joking. She literally called me up in the middle of the night a few nights ago, woke me and Johnny up. Had me thinking it was an emergency when she just wanted to yell at me over the demos that him and I recorded. She told me she wants them scrapped. I told her to go fuck herself. We worked hard on those demos, we're proud of them and she wants us to throw it all away? I'm not fucking doing that. She could install me as the head of Deverocks right now and I wouldn't fucking throw the demos away." Maggie vented.

She sipped some more coffee.

"I don't know why she hates him so much. She couldn't stand him when he was my boyfriend, and yeah I skipped out on a lot of shit just to get married to him at the spur of the moment, but that's no reason to still hate him. Papa fucking loves him! Actually... Papa likes everybody... everybody except Ma. I'm still so damn clueless as to why they're even still married. Last time I saw both of them they showed up here in separate cars and didn't talk to each other at all." Maggie mentioned, looking up at the ceiling in thought.

[gemma-devereux]

She watched the words land, catching Maggie off guard, as if she didn't expect to actually be told she wasn't a disappointment - as if maybe, for a moment, she'd believed that she was. Gemma listened, ever patient, her legs draped across Maggie's lap, soaking up Maggie's perspective as a mother, a perspective that Gemma didn't have - that she was scared to ever have, quite frankly. "You could never be like Mama," Gemma interjected quietly, feeling the need to reassure her sister further. She understood the fear- Hell, sometimes she was afraid of becoming their mother. It seemed like such a slippery slope. When she thought about it, it was in her blood.

She let her sister cry, not bothering with false niceties or promises that it was okay because really - it wasn't. It made Gemma angry - her mother was always so damn good at getting under their skin, Maggie's especially, seeking out their weaknesses and wielding them to her full advantage. It didn't surprise her that her mother was pissed off about the demos, her mother got pissed off at basically everything, especially when it involved any of their personal lives or significant others. She'd watched her mother ruin Maggie and Ryland and was now watching her do it again with Maggie and Johnny. She was slightly shocked to hear Maggie actively threaten to destroy all of her mother's awards, but that we her sister, fiery and strong and every bit as stubborn, and Gemma loved her for it. She admired her spirit, even. Maggie was fire to Gemma's rain, and although that fire had gotten her burned before in their family, she was the strongest person Gemma ever knew.

"The demos are amazing," She reassured her because they were. Maggie was bolder than she was - Hell, what Maggie was saying was exactly why Gemma ghost-wrote all of the other songs she'd sold to artists and why she forced Ryland to take a ghost name on her own albums. Her mother was vicious, and even in an industry as collaborative as country music, her mother had clear boundaries, even keep her own children apart, instead posing them as competitors at the label.

"We really are fucked up, huh?" Gemma questioned, listening to Maggie's latest tale about her parents taking separate cars for some reason. "They'd never get divorced," She mused, knowing it was probably true. "Good Southern families don't divorce," Gemma parroted, adding a stronger Southern twang to her accent. There was so much money, business, and assets tied up in the marriage, she couldn't even begin to think about a peaceful divorce for their family.

"Mama's jealous of you," She said, playing with the straw in her coffee cup. She knew that statement didn't mean much when their mother was currently on the rampage and doing things like sending lyrics to the studio, but Gemma knew it was true, she could see it. "Because Johnny loves you and you have it all, and you're happy." She felt her stomach knot when she said the words, knowing it wasn't true - not really. Was she lying to her sister? No, not a lie, not exactly, just not the whole truth. She knew her sister wasn't happy, not fully. Not when she'd just caught her rummaging around in her purse, not when she was sitting on the couch with her crying over their mother. Were any of them really, truly happy? Gemma couldn't say for certain - she truly wasn't. She feared she would never be, not at Deverocks anyway. Maggie may have had it all, but that was subjective - there were things still that Gemma wanted for her, mostly she just wanted her to be okay and quit messing around with the pills and the drinking, but that was easier said then done, especially when their mother was trying to get into the middle of everything. "You're stronger than Mama and she knows it," She said finally, knowing that was an answer she believed with full conviction.

[maggiedereux]

"I know. I'm trying not to be. It's not hard but... it's just the thought of it all... it fucking scares me." Maggie said.

She took another sip of coffee.

"Yeah... but who isn't at least a little fucked up?" Maggie pointed out.

Upon hearing her sister, she chuckled a bit. "Yup, good ol' southern couple, takin' their sacred wedding vows literally. They'll only part in death." She joked.

"She's done a number on Papa. And he's such a good man, yes our dad has his flaws but... he's so sweet. I don't know what could have possibly set her off to separate herself from him. Jonesie... do you think she could be mad at him because... you don't think Papa could have cheated on her do you? I mean, I remember Meemaw telling us the stories of Pa when he was young, she'd pull out those old photo albums and I remember that one picture where he was offstage and he was surrounded by all these women I've never seen before... his fans... he was a complete player when he was young. Meemaw told us that, Mama never even alluded to him being interested in any other woman but her. And... I think he wants to go back to that, he's trying to make a comeback anyways... which I heard that Mama laughed in his face when he told her..." Maggie said, slightly in thought.

Maggie nodded, knowing that her mother had probably always been jealous.

"Yeah. Though sometimes Johnny pisses her off more than I do. He's not the type of man to let her get away with shit, and he even gives her a taste of her own medicine. He's not afraid of her, and she knows it and can't stand it."

She sipped some more of her coffee.

"Yeah, I know. And-" She cut herself off mid-sentence.

An idea hit her. She put her coffee down on the table and got up, going over to the drums and picking up the copy of the lyrics that sat there.

"I know exactly what to do with her dumbass song. Switch it around... make it my own, change some lyrics... and put it to a rock instrumental. Holy shit... oh that'll piss her off to no end." She said as she sat back down holding the paper with a devilish grin on her face.

"Got a pen?" She asked her sister.

[maggiedereux]

Maggie curled up in a fetal position, a look of defeat on her face as she gazed at her sister as she took her hands out of her purse.

"I'm not gonna get strung out Jonesie. I just need something to deal with her trying to sink her damned claws into my recording session!" Maggie said as she put her hands in her hair, rubbing her own head in a stressed out manner.

She pouted a bit as her sister took her cigarette.

A dry chuckle escaped her lips before she smirked.

"If it's gross then why are you smoking it? I can handle the grossness of it better than you can, give it back." She said gesturing to the cigarette.

She rolled her eyes a bit before gazing at her sister.

"She had the nerve to send me written lyrics to a song she wanted me to put on my album, like I'm not capable of making my own damn music. That's an insult and she knows it!" Maggie exclaimed.

"You wanna know what she had the nerve to title it? If anything the title is what really set me off. C'mon let's play a game, make any guess and if ya don't get it in three tries I'll tell you what our crazy mama titled the fucking song she wrote that she wanted me to sing and put on my album. Go ahead, guess." Maggie said with a shrug as she reached for her coffee.

"Thanks for the coffee. Oh, there's extra whipped cream and chocolate in mine right?" She asked.

[gemma-devereux]

Gemma tried to ignore the way her heart fractured when Maggie met her eyes with a look of defeat and she sighed. Just another day as a Devereux. When Maggie insisted she just needed something to take the edge off, Gemma glanced at her, brows furrowed. She almost blurted out "you sound like Mom," but thought better of it - no sense kicking her sister while she was down. What she did say was "Yeah I've heard that before," from their parents, of course. She didn't need to specify. Maggie too, had heard it a hundred times before.

"Better me than you," Gemma remarked, leaning forward and snubbing it out on the coffee cup tray, plainly ignoring Maggie's gestures for her to give it back. She took a swig of iced coffee to wash the taste out of her mouth, picking up Maggie's cup and handing it to her when she reached for it as she listened to her rant about their mother. Gemma's suspicions had been partially correct- their mother hadn't shown up in the physical sense, at yet in a way she was there, causing problems, upsetting her eldest daughter. Figured.

"Of course there is," Gemma replied nonchalantly, giving her sister another look - as if she'd ever fuck up her coffee order. Rather than playing Maggie's game (Gemma was slightly afraid of what the right answer would be), she leaned over, picking up a stray copy from atop the drumset, her lips parting as she read the title on the top of the page, big and bold and clear. Fuck. She skimmed the verses and the chorus, glancing up at Maggie from over the top of the page. Gemma was quick about it, reading what she needed to read before mimicking her sister's gesture and crumpling the paper up and dropping it onto the floor.

"Come on, you know she's just bored and looking for drama," Gemma urged, unable to miss how small Maggie looked with her knees curled up like that. She pushed on her knees, urging her to put her legs down, grinning when she complied. She moved so that her legs were resting across Maggie's lap instead of against the coffee table, doing as she always did- trying to unravel her sister, to open her up so she'd let Gemma in. Gemma was terrified of a day when Maggie might close out the whole entire world. "Mom's not even good at writing, that song sucked," She added, taking a sip of her coffee. She rested her elbow on the back of the couch, her eyes trained on her sister, fixated on the face she knew better than her own.

"Mags, you're not a disappointment," Gemma said plainly, always incredibly blunt and incredibly honest, especially when it came to her siblings. Gemma knew what Maggie needed to hear and wasn't going to beat around the bush in telling her, especially because she knew this was exactly the reaction her mother had intended, trying to pick at her daughter's insecurities and make her come apart at the seams.

[maggiedereux]

Maggie had given her sister nothing but smirks at the last few sentences she had spoken, and a brief look of slight annoyance after the cigarette got put out, but she soon blinked hard after hearing her sister say she wasn't a disappointment.

"The song did really suck. I uh... fuck..."

Maggie blinked away tears before taking a breath, her legs no longer huddled up to her chest.

"You uh... wanna know something? After I had Petunia, I laid awake at night... trying to figure out why mom was and still is just so... awful to us. I couldn't find an answer to that... but, I came up with something to end that cycle of hurt..." Maggie licked her lips as she sniffled a bit, furiously wiping her own tears.

She absolutely hated when she cried, she couldn't stand it.

"I uh... I came up with a promise... that I'd never... ever... ever have Petunia feel the way mom has always made me feel. I never want her to feel like that. Hell, I don't even want you or our siblings to feel like that. It's awful. When she does shit like that... it gets under my skin, I know I shouldn't let it, I know I can't let it... but it does... especially when she's actively trying to fuck me and my family over."

Maggie wiped her own tears before sipping her coffee.

"She's livid... about the demos I recorded with Johnny. I don't know what the fuck she's thinking, but if she touches the demos I swear to God Gemma, she can say bye-bye to her awards from the eighties, I'll smash them with a damn sledgehammer. I'm not joking. She literally called me up in the middle of the night a few nights ago, woke me and Johnny up. Had me thinking it was an emergency when she just wanted to yell at me over the demos that him and I recorded. She told me she wants them scrapped. I told her to go fuck herself. We worked hard on those demos, we're proud of them and she wants us to throw it all away? I'm not fucking doing that. She could install me as the head of Deverocks right now and I wouldn't fucking throw the demos away." Maggie vented.

She sipped some more coffee.

"I don't know why she hates him so much. She couldn't stand him when he was my boyfriend, and yeah I skipped out on a lot of shit just to get married to him at the spur of the moment, but that's no reason to still hate him. Papa fucking loves him! Actually... Papa likes everybody... everybody except Ma. I'm still so damn clueless as to why they're even still married. Last time I saw both of them they showed up here in separate cars and didn't talk to each other at all." Maggie mentioned, looking up at the ceiling in thought.

[maggiedereux]

"Chicks? You mean middle aged chicks right? I thought that's all that shopped there in the women's department." Maggie teased.

Maggie took a drag from her cigarette, blowing out some smoke before shaking her head, a sad smile coming across her face.

"No. Things have never been good with her. Once she figured out that I'm not the type to just roll over and submit to her demands... it only made her try to control me more... only made her worse, that and she hates my marriage. Oh, she can't stand it when I talk back to her... it's the most satisfying thing ever. And that woman could haunt the Devil's nightmares and keep him awake at night." Maggie mused as she shook her head before pursing her lips, a smile coming across her face briefly before it faded.

"Hell no. And if she ends up fucking with the demos well... I know where she keeps her precious gold records and awards from the good old 80s... gimme 30 minutes and a sledgehammer and it'll be bye bye awards. It's been fucking difficult to even get her to budge on the rock thing let alone the duo. She hates all of it, but even she knows that the money talks. I'm one of her biggest stars and if I make enough noise, she'll have to let the demos go through... untouched by her grubby claws." Maggie said with a serious gaze before eating some more bacon.

"I ain't a little girl anymore Ry, if she wants a fight I'll give it to her."

Maggie had always had a temper and it had only gotten worse with age.

Upon talking about Petunia, Maggie's demeanor changed. She grinned happily before chuckling.

"Yeah, she's such a good little girl. She looks like her papa but she acts just like me. She's real precious, Ry. I want you to meet her someday soon. She'd love you."

Maggie smiled at Ryland, her gaze never leaving him.

"Being busy sure ain't a bad thing. Got any new songs you've been working on?" She asked curiously.

[rylandjennings]

"Maggie, I don't know how to tell you this, but I think we're pushin' middle aged these days," he replied, his voice lowering to a whisper as he gestured between the two of them. "And don't even try to call me old, 'cause we both know you're nine months older than me." He punctuated the remark with a wink, playful and light.

Ryland Jennings didn't harbor much hatred for anyone, but Maggie's mom was as close as he thought he'd ever get to hating someone. In the beginning, he'd tried so hard to get her family to like him, and the woman never made an effort to hide her disdain for the country kid from Illinois. As Maggie's career took off, she was even less subtle about just how much he wasn't good enough for her, often reminding him that he was a distraction, holding her back from success, and altogether just plain not good enough for her. It had been hard to hear as a 22 year old kid, but harder to think back on now when he saw everything Maggie had that he was missing out on.

Hearing that her mom hadn't changed only made Ryland's anger even worse, and he had to mentally remind himself to unclench his jaw as the woman before him spoke more. "She touches those demos and you call me up. I've got a sledgehammer somewhere I can show up with if I need to." The anger was quickly replaced by a sparkle in his eyes at the determination of one Maggie Devereaux. "There's the Maggie I know," he added with a nod of his head.

Meeting Maggie's daughter was one thing Ryland genuinely wanted to do. It was hard to explain, but it felt like seeing her would help him really stop wondering what could've been, maybe help shut that door for good. "I'd love to meet her, she sounds like my kinda gal. I bet we'd get along great. Plus, I got plenty of stories about her momma to share."

Ry took a long draw from his coffee mug and hummed softly as he considered the projects he had in the pipeline. "I've got a few sessions coming up next week that look promising. I'm working on a couple songs on my own that I like, but I haven't finished them and you know me, I can't pitch 'em until they're done. So we'll see what happens with those."

[maggiedereux]

"Oh fuck you Ry." Maggie said jokingly before laughing.

"And I'm not old, I'm in the prime of my fucking life until I hit 90 or 100 and die." She mentioned before cutting up her eggs.

She listened to him, nodding her head.

"Yeah, don't worry you'll be the first one I call. We could do it together if she scraps the demos while my hubby keeps her distracted in her office and argues with her. I'd totally call up papa and he'd give her an earful too, you know how they really don't get along. He liked you more than she did. He still sits at his desk in his office at times and asks about you. He's been wanting to make a comeback album of his own I think, maybe I could give him your number?" She said.

She dipped her bacon into her runny eggs and took a bite before sipping more coffee.

"Papa is... he's a fucking saint. I don't understand how he's been married to my mother as long as he has. It's ridiculous really." She mused before sipping some of the soup that had been brought.

"Oh Petunia would love to meet you. And... only tell her the good stories, she doesn't need to know about my... antics." Maggie said with a smirk.

"You were always a perfectionist, that was always so fucking admirable with you. What are the songs about? Or is it a secret?" She asked with a smile before taking a bite of her eggs.

[maggiedereux]

"Oh shit, that's real cool. Sorry for interrupting your meal, but I love chatting with strangers. They're interesting. Mind if I have a seat?" She asked before taking another drag of her cigarette and blowing the smoke away from him.

"So, you fly the Lakers... what's that like?"

[alexeixpetrov]

He looked at her and raised a bro. He wasn't used to people coming up to him at random, even more saying something about his clothes. "I mean it's free seat how can I stop you" he teased as he held out his hand towards the free seat.

"I mean I have not really like all of the team but members of it" he smiled. Along with other sports but it was mostly music artist. But he always loved it. "Very cool normally they are pretty cool" he smiled.

[maggiedereux]

"Thanks. Oh uh mind if I smoke over here? What's your name by the way?" She asked.

Maggie nodded her head in understanding.

"That's really cool. I don't really watch sports, but you've gotta be living under a rock if you don't know who the Lakers are at least. You ever fly any other celebrities?" She asked curiously, genuinely interested.

[maggiedereux]

Closed Starter! @gemma-devereux

Location: One of the recording studios at Deverocks Records in the afternoon

"Mrs. Devereux wanted me to give this to you." One of her record producers, Norman said as he handed Maggie a sheet of paper.

"And what the fuck is this?" Maggie asked as her jaws were busy working on some gum as she took the paper from him.

"Lyrics."

"To what?"

"A song she wants you to put on the album."

"Really?" Maggie asked with an attitude and a quirked brow.

The words at the top of the page said You're My Disappointment and the lyrics were... trying to make it seem like a relationship gone bad when Maggie knew that the lyrics were actually about her and how her mother saw her... as a disappointment.

Maggie passed the paper around to her team just so they could read it, they didn't think anything of it, they thought it was just a sad love song. Maggie snatched the paper back from her drummer.

"Alright everybody! Listen up! If I see anymore of any of the shit lyrics she fucking wants to be songs on my album, I'm ripping it up! Period! And if anybody here suggests to me any of her lyrics, then you're fucking fired! Effective immediately! Is that fucking understood!?"

"And y'all wanna know what I think of her lyrics? Here's what I think of her fucking lyrics!" Maggie held the paper in front of her and spat out the gum she was chewing onto the paper before crumpling it up into a ball and throwing it into the nearby wastebasket.

"That's what I fucking think about her lyrics! Norman, we'll take five! I gotta take a fucking break from this bullshit..." Maggie said as she lit a cigarette and took a drag from it before reaching into her purse, trying to find some leftover pills... anything to help soothe her nerves.

She was so pissed off she hadn't seen or heard her little sister come in.

[gemma-devereux]

Fresh off a tour and Gemma was going... to the studio. "God, am I a masochist or what?" She thought to herself that morning. She didn't have anything to record - yet- although knowing her she'd probably end up starting the writing process for a single soon just because she couldn't turn her brain off. The reason she was going, really, was because she knew Maggie was recording that day, and part of her wanted to see if she could help, but mostly, she just wanted to hang around and listen to her sister sing. Their relationship was, in a word, complicated, but she was her older sister, and that meant, even at 31, Gemma just wanted to hang around her (well, coupled with the fact that she knew for a fact Maggie was self-medicating with more than just liquor).

Leaving her penthouse, Gemma came to the realization that the jetlag from touring never really went away, having her driver detour to Starbucks where she picked up an iced latte for herself and coffee for Maggie as well, an order she'd had memorized forever. Living in downtown, the studio was just a short drive away and, as entered, she thought for a fleeting moment that their mother had shown up, because she could already hear Maggie yelling. "What the fuck," She muttered, pushing her sunglasses on top of her head and following the source of the sound. Suddenly, she absolutely regretted deciding to come with also being glad she came. On one hand, she didn't really feel like dealing with their mother, but on the other, she was glad she was there in case she needed to intervene.

The door to the studio flew open while Gemma was still feet from it, but instead of Maggie or Mrs. Devereux storming out, it was Maggie's bandmembers, looking relieved to be dismissed, evidently. She didn't bother asking what was happening, she just slipped in the room between the drummer and the guitarist, catching the tail end of Maggie's tirade, which included a lot of f-bombs and a very dramatic display of her sister spitting her gum into the paper she was holding. Gemma actually laughed at that- Maggie was a performer - that much was certain.

She hung back by the door still, but her smile dropped when Maggie lit up - a habit Gemma always thought was fairly gross, and she felt her stomach knot when she caught her digging around in her purse. "That looks familiar," she thought bitterly. "Don't." She said out loud, announcing her presence for the first time and moving forward, out of the shadow of the doorway. Her sister half looked annoyed to be interrupted and half guilty, like a kid caught with candy. It broke her heart and, in that moment, she felt the tables turn, just like they always did. In that moment, she felt older, like Maggie was someone who needed to be protected. "I don't feel like talking to someone while they're strung out," She said bluntly, knowing the two of them had way too much experience with that. She set the coffee tray down on the coffee table and plucked the cigarette out from between Maggie's lips, sitting down and putting her feet up on the coffee table, crossing her legs at the ankles and taking a drag of the cigarette. "This is gross," She remarked, frowning at it, but not giving it back. "Do you want to tell me why you were just screaming for all of Broadway to hear you?" She wondered.

[maggiedereux]

Maggie curled up in a fetal position, a look of defeat on her face as she gazed at her sister as she took her hands out of her purse.

"I'm not gonna get strung out Jonesie. I just need something to deal with her trying to sink her damned claws into my recording session!" Maggie said as she put her hands in her hair, rubbing her own head in a stressed out manner.

She pouted a bit as her sister took her cigarette.

A dry chuckle escaped her lips before she smirked.

"If it's gross then why are you smoking it? I can handle the grossness of it better than you can, give it back." She said gesturing to the cigarette.

She rolled her eyes a bit before gazing at her sister.

"She had the nerve to send me written lyrics to a song she wanted me to put on my album, like I'm not capable of making my own damn music. That's an insult and she knows it!" Maggie exclaimed.

"You wanna know what she had the nerve to title it? If anything the title is what really set me off. C'mon let's play a game, make any guess and if ya don't get it in three tries I'll tell you what our crazy mama titled the fucking song she wrote that she wanted me to sing and put on my album. Go ahead, guess." Maggie said with a shrug as she reached for her coffee.

"Thanks for the coffee. Oh, there's extra whipped cream and chocolate in mine right?" She asked.

[maggiedereux]

Closed Starter! @gemma-devereux

Location: One of the recording studios at Deverocks Records in the afternoon

"Mrs. Devereux wanted me to give this to you." One of her record producers, Norman said as he handed Maggie a sheet of paper.

"And what the fuck is this?" Maggie asked as her jaws were busy working on some gum as she took the paper from him.

"Lyrics."

"To what?"

"A song she wants you to put on the album."

"Really?" Maggie asked with an attitude and a quirked brow.

The words at the top of the page said You're My Disappointment and the lyrics were... trying to make it seem like a relationship gone bad when Maggie knew that the lyrics were actually about her and how her mother saw her... as a disappointment.

Maggie passed the paper around to her team just so they could read it, they didn't think anything of it, they thought it was just a sad love song. Maggie snatched the paper back from her drummer.

"Alright everybody! Listen up! If I see anymore of any of the shit lyrics she fucking wants to be songs on my album, I'm ripping it up! Period! And if anybody here suggests to me any of her lyrics, then you're fucking fired! Effective immediately! Is that fucking understood!?"

"And y'all wanna know what I think of her lyrics? Here's what I think of her fucking lyrics!" Maggie held the paper in front of her and spat out the gum she was chewing onto the paper before crumpling it up into a ball and throwing it into the nearby wastebasket.

"That's what I fucking think about her lyrics! Norman, we'll take five! I gotta take a fucking break from this bullshit..." Maggie said as she lit a cigarette and took a drag from it before reaching into her purse, trying to find some leftover pills... anything to help soothe her nerves.

She was so pissed off she hadn't seen or heard her little sister come in.

[maggiedereux]

Maggie hugged Ryland back, it was great to see him. In her mind he was a fond memory that would always be a friend.

"The clearance rack? Don't tell me you got hypnotized by all of those TJ Maxx commercials." She joked as she sat down.

She waved the waitress over and she brought her food and coffee over to his table.

"Well... the Wicked Witch of the West blew in on a phonecall last night... at like, midnight... demanding me to scrap my demos I'm working on with my husband. So, last night I didn't get any sleep and this morning I'm hungover to Hell." Maggie said before sipping her coffee.

"My mama is... still really fucking insane, let's just say that. The Hubs is doing good, and Petunia is starting to be a little Picasso by finger painting on the walls of the house now. So everything is going pretty good for me. What about you Ry? What've you been up to lately? You doin' good?" She asked before taking a bite of bacon.

[rylandjennings]

"You know I'm not a TJ Maxx kinda guy," he pointed out, a raised brow in her direction. "My momma might shop there, but it's a little too much mommy blogger for my tastes. Actually, that might be the place to go to pick up chicks, now that I think about it." Ryland Jennings didn't refer to women as 'chicks' in any other way then purely jest. He was respectful of women, and Maggie of all people would know that from experience.

Hearing her talk about her mom, Ryland winced, tilting his head to one side. "Hell, I really did hope things were better with her," he confessed. Not many of his relationships had ended because of someone's mother. In all honesty, only one had, and it was with the woman sitting across from him right now. "No matter how many momagers I come across in this town, yours will always be the one to haunt my nightmares," he added. Furrowing his brow slightly, Ry cleared his throat softly. "You're not gonna kill the demos, right?"

"Finger paintin' on the walls, that's a real big step in life. She sounds like a chip off the ol' block, that's for sure." He tried not to let it show, the twinge of sadness that he felt knowing Maggie's life over the last decade had turned out more and more like what he'd dreamed of having for himself, while his remained relatively the same. He was still single, still writing songs, still chasing after love. It wasn't easy, but he tried not to give up hope, no matter how many years passed. "I'm doin' good," he said with a nod. "Busy with work, but you know how that goes. That's a good sign, and I sure as hell ain't gonna complain one bit."

[maggiedereux]

"Chicks? You mean middle aged chicks right? I thought that's all that shopped there in the women's department." Maggie teased.

Maggie took a drag from her cigarette, blowing out some smoke before shaking her head, a sad smile coming across her face.

"No. Things have never been good with her. Once she figured out that I'm not the type to just roll over and submit to her demands... it only made her try to control me more... only made her worse, that and she hates my marriage. Oh, she can't stand it when I talk back to her... it's the most satisfying thing ever. And that woman could haunt the Devil's nightmares and keep him awake at night." Maggie mused as she shook her head before pursing her lips, a smile coming across her face briefly before it faded.

"Hell no. And if she ends up fucking with the demos well... I know where she keeps her precious gold records and awards from the good old 80s... gimme 30 minutes and a sledgehammer and it'll be bye bye awards. It's been fucking difficult to even get her to budge on the rock thing let alone the duo. She hates all of it, but even she knows that the money talks. I'm one of her biggest stars and if I make enough noise, she'll have to let the demos go through... untouched by her grubby claws." Maggie said with a serious gaze before eating some more bacon.

"I ain't a little girl anymore Ry, if she wants a fight I'll give it to her."

Maggie had always had a temper and it had only gotten worse with age.

Upon talking about Petunia, Maggie's demeanor changed. She grinned happily before chuckling.

"Yeah, she's such a good little girl. She looks like her papa but she acts just like me. She's real precious, Ry. I want you to meet her someday soon. She'd love you."

Maggie smiled at Ryland, her gaze never leaving him.

"Being busy sure ain't a bad thing. Got any new songs you've been working on?" She asked curiously.

[maggiedereux]

Maggie had decided to go to the Tin Roof to watch the new artists and have a few drinks. It was one of her favorite spots to hang out.

She took a sip from her blueberry bourbon and sat down next to some guy, she had been watching the show and didn't expect him to start talking to her.

"I guess Lady Luck does. And I bet your night is even better now that I've showed up huh? You sound real slick but your name can't be slick... you don't look like one, what's your name?" Maggie asked teasingly with a smirk before sipping her drink.

[chloexchenxedwards]

Asher couldn't help but be captivated by Maggie's playful demeanor as she teased him with a smirk on her lips. Her confident aura and the glint of mischief in her eyes drew him in, sparking his own sense of amusement. He met her gaze with a twinkle in his eyes and a mischievous smile.

"Well, darlin', you got me there. Slick ain't quite the right fit for a name," he replied, his voice carrying a hint of Southern charm. "The name's Asher. Just a regular fella tryin' to navigate this unpredictable world."

He took a sip from his drink, savoring the flavors that danced across his palate, before continuing, his tone laced with a playful edge.

"But you know, you might be onto somethin'. I reckon my night has indeed taken a turn for the better since you showed up. Who needs Lady Luck when you've got good company?"

[maggiedereux]

"The name's Maggie." She said with a smirk before lighting up a cigarette and taking a quick drag from it.

"You might've seen me on the TV quite a bit, Asher." She briefly mentioned before taking another sip of her bourbon.

"And unpredictable is the perfect way to describe this world. And I'm sure you're good company, but I sure ain't. I'm not bad company but I'm damn good company, that is if ya wanna wake up the next morning on your front lawn wonderin' how the Hell you got there." She joked.

[maggiedereux]

Open to anyone!

Location: Dolly's Diner in the morning

Maggie's head was pounding from the night before... it had either been that whole bottle of champagne or that random pill she had popped after that... or it could have been both, but she had to have something to cope with her mother waking her up in the middle of the night via phonecall and having the nerve to tell her to scrap the demos she was working on with her husband, the same demos that Maggie and her husband had worked hard on and were very proud of. After a middle of the night argument, Maggie had gone to drown her sorrows before passing out on the sofa the night before.

Her husband had woken her up and convinced her to go out, get some air, get some food for her hangover and then come back home when she was ready. He knew Maggie like the back of his own hand, and he knew that she needed some time to herself after a nightmarish night.

She was in the diner, sipping coffee and smoking a cigarette. Maggie was waiting for her food, the specific hangover cure she had asked for, greasy bacon, runny eggs, buttered toast and tomato soup with celery. She hated Bloody Mary cocktails and had whipped up her own hangover meal once and that did wonders for her far better than any Bloody Mary cocktail.

Maggie was busy also trying to figure out what her next move in regards to her mother would be, when she spotted someone at a nearby booth. She liked going up to people and talking, she found that she would always meet quite interesting people around Nashville that way.

She got up and walked over.

"Hi. I'm sorry, I just saw you over from my booth and I just wanted to compliment you on your outfit, it's real nice. Where'd you get it?" She asked.

[lizziechaseo-archive-deactivate]

Valentina had been enjoying a quiet morning at Dolly's diner. She had arrived early, the woman loved the familiar surroundings of the quaint establishment. The day had started with a sense of restlessness for Valentina, a desire to escape the confines of her own thoughts and immerse herself in the vibrant energy of the city she called home.

Seated at a small table by the window, Valentina had been engrossed in her own little world, pancakes and coffee on her table and flipping through the pages of a photography magazine. Her camera sat on the empty chair beside her, a constant reminder of her creative passion. Her mind had been wandering, contemplating potential subjects for her next photo project, when she noticed a vibrant burst of color from the corner of her eye. Maggie's presence had caught her attention immediately. There was a captivating aura about her, a mix of exhaustion and determination that drew Valentina's curiosity.

Valentina savored her last bite of pancakes, savoring the sweet taste of maple syrup, when she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head slightly to see Maggie approaching her booth, a determined look on her face. Valentina smiled, intrigued by the prospect of meeting someone new and eager to engage in conversation.

Her smile widened, appreciating the unexpected compliment. She glanced down at her carefully chosen outfit, a reflection of her eclectic style and love for vintage pieces. "Oh, thank you!" Valentina replied, her voice warm and inviting. "I actually found this dress at a thrift store downtown. You never know what treasures you'll uncover there." she spoke eagerly. She was a fashion nerd, really, you could find the woman wearing all different kind of outfits throughtout the week. "Yours is gorgeous, too. You have great fashion sense, you'll have to take me shopping one of these days."

[maggiedereux]

"Thank you! Yeah I'd love that! Mind if I sit here?" Maggie asked cheerfully.

"Yeah I usually get my clothes from regular clothing stores, I'm not too into fancy things. I prefer your floral, hippie type of clothes to be honest." She admitted.

"I'm Maggie by the way." She greeted, holding out her hand for a handshake.