jacforrd

[jacforrd]

"She tips double?" Something like a scoff rose in her throat, eyes tracking the woman in question across the room. "For her, that's what, two gold dollars? Her throwing those seems like it'd be bad for business, potentially damaging the goods." Unashamedly she let her eyes track down a path she'd worn down well, the scope of Benny from mirthful eyes down to whatever shoes he was wearing. She'd perfected that long since, the first or second time they'd crossed paths, never finding it old. If anything, it was a nice return. Jac simpered, hand reaching out to rest on Benny's arm. "Aw, Ben. Don't flatter yourself. I'm not the type who asks — it usually comes to me before it's all said and done."

She held his gaze for another beat before grabbing herself another plastic flute of whatever warm champagne they were offering, eager to flush something through her system. "Did we ever find out why the hell we're having yet another get together? I thought after last month's pissing match between all the sweet shops in town and their Instagram ads coming to blows, we were taking a break."

Damn, she was fun. It was like a game of cat and mouse, just entertaining enough to keep him on his toes without being a dead-end road. She was just as interested in this game as he was, and a mutual appreciation was always a good sign for Benny. "Shows how much you know, Mrs. Patterson tips me double." He replied, crossing his arms over his chest as he turned his back to the table, facing the room as he stood next to Jac. "For you? You always get my premium moves for free, Ford. All you have to do is ask."

[jacforrd]

CUSTOM MADE FOR ⦂ @weavercaro LOCATION ⦂ MUG SHOT CAFE.

As if the tightly knitted — and wound — threads of Windsor Bay couldn't entangle its entire population into a close enough game of 'three degrees of separation' all on its own, it felt like every face Jac passed in this town had several strings tethered to her. Caroline was one of those faces, one where the strings were pulled taut, where Jac couldn't help but to follow whatever notes played out among the vibrations. Echoes of her own past lives seemed to show themselves in tiny glimmers each time she saw Caroline; at business owner functions, every time Jac went into Pulling Strings for business or pleasure purposes, waiting for coffee at the same time. Serendipitous, the way the fates played out and kept casting them into one another's stories. Jac smiled over at her at the catch of sights, a slight nudge of her elbow as she stepped somewhat closer to Caroline. "Fancy seeing you here," she quipped playfully. "Little man at school already?"

[jacforrd]

CUSTOM MADE FOR ⦂ @ashergoldstein LOCATION ⦂ MAIN STREET RECORDS.

Few stores still held the vestiges of her adolescence around town, Main Street Records being one of them. It came as no surprise, similarly to the ownership — Asher Goldstein, a few years older than her, a familiar face at family parties, one of the people she didn't mind running around with back when her father was still shoving names and images down her throat. Her hands ran over the different boxes of records while he finished up with a customer, the store mostly empty; nimble fingertips pushed through a box marked 'L', and a low chuckle left her when she found a familiar cover. She plucked it from its place, holding it between her pincer grip and waving it up in the air as Asher's attention finally left the customer and onto her, strolling down the aisle. "Mind throwing this shit out?" she quipped playfully, eyebrow arching as she lifted the vinyl copy of Lady Zeus's debut album. "People want real music, not this garbage." Her eyes were alight with mirth as she said it.

[jacforrd]

THE CHARACTER.

FULL NAME: Jacqueline Aurelia Ford

GENDER: Cis woman

PRONOUNS: She/her

AGE + BIRTHDAY: 39 + June 28, 1985

LENGTH OF TIME IN WINDSOR BAY: Born and raised, been back in town for roughly 7 years

HOUSING: Mountainside

OCCUPATION: Owner of The Lucerna

THE INTERVIEW.

If you could recommend one hidden gem around town everyone should try, what is it? What makes it so special?

"Overlooking my own pride and joy, The Crispy Biscuit's always had my heart. You've gotta go when you're hungover or you've had an extra late night out at a show or a club and you wake up the next morning feeling like your head weighs a thousand pounds. The Crispy Biscuit was my Waffle House, especially in high school. We'd be out all night long and purposefully keep the engines running long enough for The Crispy Biscuit to open; we'd do a 6am dinner-breakfast situation, drink just enough black coffee to survive driving home, and then I'd crash in my bed until at least 1pm. Those were the days."

What’s your family like? Are you still close, or have you blocked all their numbers?

"Everyone's got their way of describing my family, and what my relationship with them is. It's the nature of the beast in a town where people still think your last name makes you worthy of the rumor mill? Or attention, for that matter? Whatever people knew, or thought they knew, it wasn't really real. It was real to me, for awhile, and then I realized that we'd never be the postcard or the sum of the social standings. I don't think I could ever block their numbers, per se, but there's distance there. A lot of distance. Grand Canyon levels of it. In the eyes of my parents, I was their best laid plan that totally backfired. My dad grew up chasing greatness, and my mom was busy chasing him, and it left a lot of road between them and me. I got to figure out who I was, independent of my albatross of a last name, but to some degree that cost me holiday dinners and feeling like I was a part of something. And then, of course, where there's absence, there's room for things to rent that space out, and it became a revolving door — at the end of the day, though, I had to mourn my losses before I stopped trying to find a replacement. Dad and I hadn't talked for several years by the time he passed, and Mom and I never were really close to begin with. My siblings are a little different. There's only three other people that have any semblance of an idea in what growing up under our roof was like, and it's them, so I choose to hold onto the 'realness' of that. I still call on their birthdays, and if they're in town, I carve out the time. Other than that, I'm knocking on forty's door. My family was a facade. I chose to make my own beyond that of my childhood and I don't have any regrets about it."

If you could have any three guests come to dinner, dead or alive, who would they be and why?

"Stevie Nicks, because duh; Glennon Doyle, because her book Untamed completely changed my life when I sat down and read my singular book for the year — I also listen to her podcast regularly, which is out of character for me seeing as I'd rather claw off my skin than listen to a podcast — and third, Joan of Arc, because why not?"

Are you a leader or a follower?

"The only beat I've ever been able to follow is the one I was making — if it wasn't my decision, I never could fully get behind it. Someone wove leadership into my DNA, for better or for worse."

It’s the little things in life; tell me three things that bring you a great deal of joy or put a smile on your face.

"Cuddling with my dog, Wayne, on the couch underneath a blanket while watching Criminal Minds and drinking a glass of red; bonfires in that specific period of fall right between the warmth of summer and chill of winter; baking at Christmastime when everything smells like cinnamon and pine."

THE PERSONALITY.

— + resolute, audacious, affable — - serpentine, capricious, hot-headed

JACQUELINE IS PORTRAYED BY SOPHIA BUSH, AND WRITTEN BY DAISY.

[jacforrd]

The word 'social' had the aftertaste of her childhood any time it landed in front of her or she found herself milling around in a room full of people who had notable names and faces (to whom, she'd never fully know or comprehend). She'd only ever been in the room as a possession and a prize, something for her dad to show off to partners or clients as a means of promoting himself as a family man, itching to leave — and now, here she was, in the room as a business owner, still trying to avoid the dalliances of small talk and shit refreshments. The ouroboros, never to escape what came before it. A frivolous cycle of appearances, networking, pretending to care. A town that would always be a blip on a map thinking itself the grand capital.

Fuck, she wanted to go home.

Jac studied the refreshments, trying to determine which unlabeled cheesecake bite would be least offensive to her taste buds. She found herself caught off guard, but none too surprised, at the shiver glimmering up her spine following a featherlight graze of her arm, a familiar scent of cologne and aftershave. The low voice in her ear only confirmed to her the presence. Her lips curled into a smirk, still looking straight ahead. "If we held it at Simple Pleasures, then we're due for entertainment, and something tells me Mrs. Patterson isn't gonna tip you the way your regulars do." Jac paused, glancing over her shoulder at Benny with playfully narrowed eyes. "How much do you charge for a private dance, anyways?"

↦ closed starter  / jac ford @jacforrd ↦ location: downtown business owners association social / the art institute

When it came to the more social aspects of running a business, like Chamber of Commerce events or Downtown Association meetings, Benny was never in his comfort zone. The only thing that made these remotely tolerable was the few people he'd grown fond of that also had to attend them, one of which was Jac Ford. Damn, she was easy on the eyes and fun as hell. Benny wouldn't dare admit it, but he had started to find himself searching her out any time he was dragged out to these stupid downtown business owners events.

When he'd finally spotted her, Benny immediately excused himself from chatting with some real estate agent and made his way over to where she was standing. Looking down at the table of treats that had been provided, he let his fingertips gently graze the back of her arm before he leaned in slightly, voice low. "How come we never have these things at Sensations or Simple Pleasures? It's always these high end places, really makes me feel like nobody considers the simple guys like me when they're planning them. Hurts my feelings a little bit."

[jacforrd]

Sophia Bush photographed by Reginald Cunningham.

[jacforrd]

being an older sibling is like. you've never known a life without me. mom yelled at me and it taught her she never wanted to yell at you. I painted my room purple and grey and then you did too. we live in the same house but I haven't spoken to you in months. I don't know your favorite color. I saw it was going to rain so I picked you up from school on my way home so your books wouldn't get wet. i was so worried when you woke up sick when you were three. you don't remember being sick. mom and dad made their worst mistakes with me and I'm glad they didn't make them with you. I'm doing everything for the first time so you won't be in the dark. I don't know any of your friend's names anymore. I used to know them all. if something happens to mom and dad you won't have to worry because everything will fall to me. you don't like to be home alone but even if you don't see me just knowing I'm there makes you feel better. at least that's what mom told me. you still give me jars to open for you because you can't quite get them. I only see you during dinner. i'd never even think about missing one of your concerts. I stand at the counter when I eat and now you do, too. when offered a selection of books you picked the same one I did when i was your age. I'm terrified you compare yourself to me. I love you. I don't know if you like me. I want you to. mom says dinner's ready

[jacforrd]

❛  HEAVEN HATH NO FURY LIKE A WOMAN SCORNED.  ❜

MEET JACQUELINE JAC FORD ⦂ frequently confused with sophia bush, the prodigal daughter returned, bequeathed an albatross legacy, curse holder of the eldest daughter and stirrer of love potions, mayhem to quiet and roses to riots, friend to all and a friend to none. a character study in chosen family, defying expectation and rewriting the fates. loved & taken care of by daisy.

FULL BIOGRAPHY ❋ CONNECTIONS ❋ STATISTICS ❋ ABOUT THE MUN

╰　𝗕𝗔𝗦𝗜𝗖 𝗜𝗡𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡.

full name: jacqueline aurelia ford 

nickname(s): primarily goes by jac, occasionally hears jackie or j. ford

age + date of birth: thirty-nine, born on june 28, 1985

zodiac sign: cancer sun, aries moon, virgo rising

gender + pronouns: cis woman ( she/her/hers )

place of birth: windsor bay, oregon

current residence: mountainside

time in windsor bay: born and raised, left at 18 & returned 7-ish years ago

sexual & romantic orientations: bisexual biromantic

occupation: owner of ' the lucerna ' downtown

╰　𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗬 𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗘.

great-grandparents: gerard ford ( of the founding families of windsor bay ) and marjorie ford

grandparents: kenneth ford and rebekah ford neé collins

parents: kenneth ford ii and marissa ford neé james

sibling(s): three younger siblings, aged 30-35.

cousin(s): christian ford.

pet(s): an australian shepherd named wayne.

╰　𝗦𝗬𝗡𝗢𝗣𝗦𝗜𝗦.

trigger warnings : death, car crash, death of a child, hospitals, suicidal ideation, depression, mentions of drug usage & drug abuse

jac is the first-born to a well-renowned lawyer and housemaker in windsor bay with that super fun 'ford' name draped around her neck like it's the hope diamond ( it is, in fact, a glorified chain collar )

the expectation is that she will be a product of her good grooming and genes, but that expectation dies once she learns how to talk. she's an easy child until she's old enough to ask questions and form her own opinions, and then the expectation is to play along. she can barely keep her head above water as she bites her lip to keep her mouth shut, half-heartedly apologizing when the ribbons fall out of her hair because she's been playing to hard (and by no means does she mean it) — her parents don't know what it's like to be in her body, so when siblings begin to come along, she thinks things will get better.

it doesn't! things seem much easier for her younger brothers and sisters, whether it's playing along or conforming, and instead jac just feels disproportionally sized for her body. she's too big and too small all in one go, and whereas her family loves to conceal, she thrives in the chaos and the mess. she likes it when they feel real. she knows that the galas and the dinner parties and the functions are a complete and total facade and the show they all put on is just that: a show, but she is upheld to her role.

the prodigal daughter plays games just as well as her father does, because they come embedded in her dna. jac leans into being the anomaly and starts untying everything to match where she's at. she is a royal pain in the ass in every way that she can think of — she toes the line but never, ever crosses, using that smart-as-a-whip mind of hers to constantly challenge her father. ken expects her to be the homecoming queen in high school with a ruling iron fist, straight a's and ivy acceptances (plural), so she uses all that wit to barely scrape by, make friends in every possible place she can and get a only a little stoned. she drinks a little too much at family parties. she snaps back. she even does a little blackmail to get what she wants. she tells herself she doesn't care even when it feels like paper cuts underneath her nails. her sights are beyond windsor bay, where people drunkenly ask her at keggers where her great-grandad buried the hawthornes’ bodies or keep her at a distance no matter how close she tries to get.

she leaves behind her beloved siblings and heads off to columbia in new york after high school graduation (and yeah, a european summer, but sue a girl) where she doesn't even make it through her complete freshman year. instead, while she's waitressing in between classes and on smoke breaks, she falls headfirst into the extracurricular activity of lady zeus. it's a three-piece band that starts as a bunch of stoned kids doing stevie nicks and bob dylan covers: jac, her best guy friend from college that she's friends with benefits with, and one of the line cooks at the diner she works at. they think it's just for fun until they play a gig (their first and only serious) and immediately find themselves signed.

the world no longer applauds her for being a ford: they applaud her for her, something she actually did that made her worthy of applause. lady zeus explodes and jac doesn't register for sophomore year. her parents threaten to cut her off but she couldn't be bothered to answer their phone calls anymore with the bigger and better things on the horizon. jac doesn't see her father beginning to emerge from her mouth — she becomes neurotic the more notoriety the band gets, unable to enjoy a moment but rather hellbent in conquering it. lady zeus doesn't last long. they only survive until jac's 24, when the wheels fall off. she thought they could maybe survive her cocaine fueled haze after a string of bad decisions that includes marrying her guitarist in vegas and then failing to annul the marriage and her stint in rehab. they don't survive her positive pregnancy test, the father of her child being her guitarist who's conveniently just gotten engaged following the pushing of their divorce.

jac crumbles along with her shooting star band — she disappears to nashville (not home, never home) so no one can see the ugliest parts of her exposed like a raw nerve. fortunately people still see her talents and she gets by selling songs to other artists while pulling funds from that trust until she can give birth and get back on her feet. she has a daughter, whom she names charlotte. charlie's arrival changes everything for her, because she wants to do what's best for her child. she doesn't want to be her father or her mother: she wants to be better than that. she buys a farm in nashville, gets horses and chickens and a dog and raises charlie on harmony hill. she takes college classes online to get a degree in business while raising her daughter & working on music row, playing on tracks for up and coming artists and selling them songs.

she thinks maybe she's atoned for the lady zeus fiasco. life has other ideas. it gives her seven short, glimmering, beautiful years on harmony hill with charlie and then it rips the hope of any more like tissue paper. the two of them go on vacation for the winter holidays and charlie doesn't get on the return flight home after a nasty accident in their rental car and a patch of black ice. any life remaining in her drains out.

a year sludges by after she buries her daughter in the cemetery that touches the border of harmony hill. she sells harmony hill and finds herself aimless despite wanting nothing more than to be done. there's a weight in her that never truly goes away; she equates it to constantly being in free fall, hurtling towards the earth but never smacking the ground like she hopes she will. the only thing that even remotely stirs her out of her reverie is a phone call from her mother, a guilt trip calling her to see her father after a terminal diagnosis.

he passes before she even gets to town. the prodigal son returns with anger, resentment, grief, all the things — not a bit of her is sorry for leaving, only sorry that it didn't work out and it all looks like this. she refuses everything her mother offers her: instead of sleeping in her old bedroom at the coral coast home, she uses money from the harmony hill sale and buys a dilapidated home on the outskirts of town to fix up for herself. putting idle hands to work keeps her emotions at a low simmer. it gives her a small reprieve from the pain she's feeling, the way she can't even lay the foundation before another storm comes and rips it from the ground. she just keeps losing: the facade of her family, lady zeus, charlie, her father, and now — what, her agency? the ashes that remain? she doesn't know what's wanted of her, if they want a change of heart or someone take over the mantle or what, all she knows is that she was not born to make nice, she was born to make waves. nights pass where she wonders if the hawthornes are out there, flood of victory in knowing they’ve managed to curse the ford bloodline with fruitful results.

she never expected to be back in her hometown but she makes do with what she can. she's something different to everyone, all the shards of her casting out different images to different people. the busier she is, the less time she has to dwell on what she's lost and what remains, what she is forced to reckon with. with what she gets from her father's will & estate, she uses the money to buy one of the historic buildings downtown and turns it into the lucerna — derived from latin's luceo, to shine or be bright, she makes it a place where those who need something to illuminate their souls. she uses her connections to funnel artists through, turning it into the venue in windsor bay for new artists to debut beyond bars or to bring headlining favorites to town. it's also used as an event space for weddings, galas, town functions, and even the high school's prom. throwing her life into the lucerna reminds her that the cracks in her let the light in.

jac's been back in town for about seven - ish years now. the lucerna's successful, she's got her property out in the mountainside where she experiments in the kitchen and is constantly renovating something there. she still has a hand in music, offering to play on tracks or sell songs as favors to friends. she gardens, journals daily, snuggles up on the couch every night with a glass of wine and her australian shepherd, wayne, and tries to sit with herself. love who she's become. pick the pen back up and write what's supposed to be her story, no matter how many times the universe has blacked out her happy endings. she's rediscovering the bliss of her simple life, a life that feels like it belonged to someone else, and making friends with the ghosts that share the space with her.

╰　𝗛𝗘𝗔���𝗖𝗔𝗡𝗢𝗡𝗦.

my black sheep, hippie witch bad bitch baby :’)

she has the best home remedies for everything: common cold, a self-titled ‘love potion’ that she swears by, soup that will warm your cold, dead heart. you name it, she’s got it.

has definitely started one too many family arguments just because she can — she doesn't talk to her mom anymore even though there’s something resembling love there. depending on what her siblings have grown up doing, i imagine varying degrees of closeness, but growing up, she hung the stars in their eyes and them hers. she adored being a big sister.

doesn’t necessarily want kids again. charlie was her one and done, her unicorn, and she doesn’t know if she could work past the scar tissue. loves kids, though, will gladly babysit or volunteer at any school gathering.

she has definitely forgotten to pay her electricity bills on more than one occasion, for no other reason than the fact that she likes any excuse to use the kerosene lamp or light a candle to get around the house. then someone told her that after so many times, the power company would permanently cut her off and that that was frowned upon, so she learned her lesson, but still.

kissed a girl or two in high school, wouldn’t put it past her having had a girlfriend or girlfriends.

the person who pulls over on the side of the road to try to help out animals.

jack antonoff is a canon character in this rp because as a favor to him, jac played the original guitar on the track that is now taylor swift's august. she jokes that he owes her royalties every time he plays it live and butchers it

no stranger to appreciating the finer things in life, even if it isn’t always her speed; girlie likes expensive wine and refuses to drink the cheap stuff, has a ten step skin care routine, and cannot live without two day shipping.  

my Crafty Girl, you show her something on pinterest or tiktok and she will do her best to make it happen + come to life for you.

likes tattoos, hates the sensation of being tattooed, which is why most of her tattoos are very minimalistic, simple, or small.

[jacforrd]

disclaimer: writer is 27, therefore themes will be featured and explored on this blog that are considered mature in nature. please do not follow or interact with any posts on this blog if you are not a member of windsor bay roleplay — you will be blocked. unless stated otherwise, none of the images or gifs on this blog belong to me. all graphics are made by me.