charliejackson

[charliejackson]

"Wow," he chuckled, "you really took that piece of string and ran with it." As much as he tried to shield his amusement it proved to be completely impossible. Somehow with everything going wrong previously, the sarcasm between the two of them was on point. "But hey," his large shoulders curled up into a shrug, "you're happy with just anything then I think that speaks for itself." The quip took his dark eyes to glance at the blonde once again and he realized something positive had come out of an unfortunate situation. Her company wasn't half bad. "Just because it wasn't successful with you doesn't mean I'm doomed. Maybe you're the problem..."

Briefly he wanted to ask if they were on another date. Women liked to bring up the children question, be sure that their interest was viable and that there was something promising ahead in it. Instead, Charlie only had more dry humor. "Heard from experience, huh? As in you have a secret kid somewhere?" Charlie wasn't surprised and he shook his head to convey that much. "We all know someone that has a kid. I'm not sure that qualifies as experience." It was easily shrugged off and moved on from. He didn't like to broach the subject of how the future he'd once wanted seemed nowhere to be found. At the water's edge life was simple. With his line cast in and his lure doing it's work, Charlie glanced at Rowan once more. "You don't think they feel pain? I'm sure they do, it's all part of the process and sacrifice." He was about to tease about how he hardly used live bait and that she was a sociopath but he felt something hit his line.

"Okay, offended that you just called my taste in coffee shit, first of all," Skipper pointed out with the hand that was holding her coffee loosely against her chest, as though she were any bit of offended (she wasn't, but he didn't have to know that). "With that attitude, you might have a successful date in... oh let's say three decades? And that's probably just me being generous, because y'know, can't teach an old dog, right?" Her lips quirked in a semi-smile, the first sign she'd allowed him that she, not only liked their mornings spent fishing together, but actually enjoyed them.

Her brow raised with just the slightest tic, wondering if there was a reason the world would be grateful if he didn't have kids. Frankly, she shouldn't have been reproducing either, but fate had other things in mind when it came to that and thankfully, August was nothing like her and everything like the man who raised him. "Heard from experience... if that makes sense. I, uh, know someone who has a kid. I'm not really mom material myself, if that even surprises you.'' Settling next to Charlie, she set her coffee down on the dock and popped open her container of worms, eager to scoop one up in her hand before putting it on her hook and easily casting it into the water to never be seen again. "You think worms know what's going on? Or are they just a bunch of mush with no brain inside?"

@charliejackson

[charliejackson]

"There's nothing cute about the name Charles. Look at the King of England." As if that would prove a point. In his mind it should. Some found it odd that Charlie wasn't short for Charles but he was grateful because Charles felt far too normal. AJ's tactics were working, however, he was thinking more about this in the moment rather than what he'd just witnessed. He shook his head to cut loose of those distracting thoughts. "Well, it worked... for a second. But we should probably talk about me finding you in these situations at some point." God, he sounded like a parent or a big brother. Charlie just didn't want to see someone throw their life away. At least not on those means of escapism. When it came to her agreeing to come inside for a drink he wasn't entirely sure what good it would do but he was hopeful for conversation. Maybe that would turn things around. So when she readied to follow him inside yet then paused Charlie glanced down at her with a furrowed brow. The question made him laugh. "You're worried your back alley deal isn't honorable?" His head shook and amusement still hung on his lips despite how wrong things could actually go. With a sigh, his features relaxed and he leant his large frame back against the door. "Don't you think that's a sign you should leave well enough alone? Even if it's someone you trust who knows where they got it from and what it could be laced with."

"Charles is the cute nickname I've given you in the hopes that it'll get you to ignore anything you've seen tonight," she offered with a slight wince, picking up on the tone of voice that he was giving. Obviously he'd seen enough, as evidenced by his following words. Instinctively, a hand went up to her jacket pocket, patting it to make sure that the drugs were still there. A sigh left her lips, head bobbing gently in his direction. Whatever he thought about what he'd just seen, AJ respected that he at least didn't seem to be ready to call it in or get her into any more trouble than she was already pushing herself into. "A beer would be good. I'd love a beer," she agreed tentatively. It wasn't what she wanted or what she felt like she needed, but the company would be a welcome distraction if nothing else. Shifting away from the wall she'd been posted up against, AJ stuffed her hands down deep into her pockets, falling in to follow Charlie back inside. Pausing right before they went through to the inside, AJ stopped short, biting at her lower lip before speaking again. "Hey, um. Do you maybe know that guy? Is he - is his shit safe, you think?" AJ had no idea whether or not the dealer could be trusted. She was still a relative newbie in town and was just taking her chances on the first thing she could find.

@charliejackson

[charliejackson]

[charliejackson]

A quip nearly launched off his tongue in the vein of her just accepting whatever she got, thankfully Charlie was able to bite the comment down rather let it gain an ear. One that likely wouldn't be happy to hear such feedback. They didn't know each other well enough, nor had they the comfort to joke and tease on that level. He supposed that's what these fishing trips were to accomplish. Finding common ground after such an awkward date together. "You may be perfectly fine drinking shit coffee but I am not," he returned, shooting her a look right back. "It's an important staple of the day and here we are already starting off on the wrong foot." Now a bit of a teasing tone came along with the words even if they gave Charlie pause to think. Should it be this hard? Maybe he was overthinking things and now it became all about trying rather than them simply be natural with each other.

As they headed out to the water Charlie began prepping as they moved. Making sure his lures, line, bait, etc were within reach. As soon as they'd reach the sore his line wouldn't waste much time before hitting the water. "Who you calling an old dog?" A smirk was present and Charlie was fully at ease then. Fishing was his happy place, his zen, where everything made sense. "If the world is lucky I'll never have 'em either," he shrugged as he wade quick work of tying a lure onto his line. It wasn't that he didn't like kids, sometimes in the past he'd been positive that if he'd met the right person he'd be eager to have them, but he was getting older and life was full of knocks rather than blessings. "Is that what you've heard or something you know from experience?" He couldn't remember if she'd mentioned kids or not. The date had gone off the rails and he wasn't sure they'd done much in the way of getting to know each other.

"Your guess is as good as mine," She offered a shrug, not having bothered to ask just how the café had come to run out of what was likely their most popular additive. His curiosity was well-placed, though. What kind of café did run out of creamer? Maybe Skipper just had questionable choices in cafes, but it was usually better to find one off the beaten path then end up fighting with dozens of morning tourists at some hip, overpriced joint that just popped up. "Oh, c'mon, you're being dramatic." She couldn't fight off the eye roll that happened at his reaction to the bitterness of the coffee, as though it were any worse than a short of whiskey neat. Part of her wanted to tease him a little more, after all, that's what someone does with a friend, right? But after the mishap after mishap during their attempt at a date, Skipper knew he had plenty in his arsenal to tease her over too and wasn't far enough into her morning coffee to take that.

Instead, the blonde opted to hold her worms and pole tight and follow Charlie out toward the water where they'd spend the majority of the morning trying to catch something (him being far more successful than her usually). "Can't teach an old dog new tricks, right?" She was always an early riser, it came with ease after years of being on active duty, but what was always up in the air was when her body decided to rest at night. Sometimes she'd get lucky with an early night and others would keep her up tossing and turning. "At least you don't have kids, I've heard those guys never sleep."

@charliejackson

[charliejackson]

When he'd stepped out back to drop some broken down cardboard boxes into the recycling dumpster, Charlie hadn't expected the exchange that caught his attention before he could complete his task. Instead, the man stood there stunned, unable to move or interject. The dealer only gave him a quick, nervous glance before he vacated the area and Charlie wondered if this was going to be his and AJ's thing. Running into each other when she was compromised in some way. There wasn't really any judgement. When he'd been low he'd sought escapes in ways he shouldn't have. Hell, he'd abandoned the entire northern hemisphere. Sometimes Charlie even considered how easily it would be to slip back into that temporary bliss. In the end a moment of peace wasn't worth always being on the chase. "Who the fuck is Charles?" His voice was rougher than intended and he hadn't immediately recognized the frustration that had come out. "Funny that you mention bump..." There was a gesture to her jacket where she'd stuffed her prize into a pocket. "Why don't you hold off on that and come inside and have a beer?"

closed starter for @charliejackson behind the drunken seagull

Making bad decisions wasn't a new thing for Alejandra, but the rate at which she found herself doing increasingly stupider things seemed to be getting worse with every passing day. The change of scenery moving from Detroit to the quieter life of Marshall Island was supposed to have been good for her, but a few weeks in she was already falling right back into the same patterns that had prompted the move from Detroit. Back behind the bar in town, AJ was leaning against the wall, cigarette hanging out of her mouth as she flipped through a wad of cash, shoving a stack of bills towards a guy that had promised he could get her something worth the money. Something strong, something to make her forget. The little baggie that was handed back over was barely given a glance before it was slipped into her jacket pocket, the man already departing the area. Though it was behind the building, it was hardly a discreet location, and her eyes flashed up to lock with a familiar face. "You follow me out here, Charles? Bump into me one more time and I'll swear you're stalking me." AJ didn't know how much Charlie had seen of the exchange, opting to play it off without mentioning what had just happened, hoping it would be her lucky day that he'd stepped out back just late enough to have missed the whole exchange.

[charliejackson]

When his friend hollers Charlie looks over his shoulder to watch the action. Always the type to cheer everyone on, even when in competition, he wanted to see Eric make the catch of the day for their little fishing excursion this morning. Instead, he ended up chuckling under his breath when it appeared the catch broke the line and headed far away from them. "Well..." It wasn't a hesitation because he didn't like to share secrets or tricks of the trade, more so not wanting to overstep because sometimes people got upset. "I tend to let them run with the line a bit. Don't fight 'em right away." He shrugged and reached for the beer sat near him and took a swig. "Don't worry," another light laugh, "there's plenty of fish in the sea, my friend."

Setting: The beach of Marshall Island. Time: Late morning. For:  @charliejackson

“Woah!” Eric hollers.

He grits his teeth and leans back as he uses all of his might to pull. The strength required causes him to shuffle back on the little boat, but he sighs as he feels the pressure release.

“I lost him. That must’ve been a bluefin or something. Damn,” he says.

As he exhales, he looks back at Charlie and chuckles to himself.

“How the hell do you manage to do it?”

[charliejackson]

Without a doubt he was an easy read. A man of habits wasn't difficult or challenging to figure out. So, when Paloma asked about his fishing that morning all he could do at first was smile and nod. Also doing as she instructed and enjoyed a few sips of the ice cold beer she'd just poured for him. It was the cusp of summer and it was getting hotter and more humid by the day. "Yeah, it was actually a good morning. The local restaurants made out with my haul." Because if Charlie couldn't release or had an excellent catch then he sold whatever he brought back. "Everyone been behaving themselves?" A mischievous smirk appeared as did a look in his eyes as he briefly glanced around. "Have you?" He asked of her, standing up after another gulp or two. Slowly but surely making his way around the bar.

"The usual," she smiled at Charlie as he sat among the patrons of the bar. "Probably," Paloma pulled back the tap for his beer as she spoke, "about an hour or so ago," it wasn't long after the bar opened that people had found their way in. "I don't mind the help," she certainly wasn't going to turn down any when she was the only bartender on staff, "but at least enjoy that beer first. It seems everyone else is rather preoccupied with their own," she laughed softly, as she tidied up in front behind the bar. "Get your fishing in this morning?" @charliejackson

[charliejackson]

Often times Charlie found that most things could be salvaged. A date with the blonde may not have gone right but a left turn into something else, something like friendship seemed more feasible. At least in his experience fishing brought out connectivity. Connecting with nature and usually being under the sun seemed to do wonders, plus it was a quiet activity. There was never a worry about having to maintain a conversation, and random chit chat was actually the norm. Hell, sometimes he even found that people tended to open up. Fishing was like Vegas, what happened out there stayed out there.

"Ah, thanks," he commented, taking the offered coffee. The bitterness she mentioned moments later was smelt as Charlie brought the hot drink to his lips. Which, had him refraining from a sip of the caffeine and jump start to the dawn on the way. He actually wasn't the biggest fan of black coffee but he didn't like it sweet either. Just some milk or plain creamer to ease the bite. "How does a cafe run out of something like creamer?" While his eyes were narrowed the look was friendly and playful. A tease more than anything. Charlie took the plunge and had a swallow and winced momentarily as he would if it were a spot of whiskey.

A smile tugged on his lips as he watched Skipper nab a can of worms. Classic. Old school. And even though he wouldn't say it, no one knew he was thinking it — basic. It still worked much of the time and he would always teach it as grounds for starting out with children, but it was rare that it would have the success his lures and bait would draw. That was why he was the professional, the sportsman, he supposed. "You ready?" He took another sip. It wasn't that he didn't know what to say or didn't have conversation he could conjure up with Skipper, Charlie was just ready to get to the water more than anything. "You know," he began as he turned and led the way out, "I never think to hit the bed earlier when I know I have an early morning. You think in my old age I'd learn by now."

location: jimmy's supplies; bait and tackle.

closed starter for @charliejackson

Being awake before the sun wasn't ever out of the ordinary for Skipper, but between her recent run in with the past and the pressure of trying to form a bond with a kid who clearly was doing just fine without her, she'd managed to crawl out of bed before the sun even started thinking about rising and made it to the tackle shop a little before she'd agreed to meet Charlie there, two coffees in hand for their early seaside adventure that weekend. "Gotta love Jimmy's trust in humanity," the blonde commented as the man she was meeting grew near, immediately handing off the coffee she'd meant to offer him before digging into the pocket of her shorts and pulling out a wrinkled five-dollar-bill, shoving into the rusty cash box the bait and tackle supplier set out before opening the cooler below and grabbing a container of semi-fresh worms. They weren't perfect and she had cooler tackle in the box in the back of her old Bronco, but these would do just fine. The memory of their date, though she wasn't even sure if it could be called that, painted with the awkwardness they'd fumbled through before calling it, was enough to keep her words at a minimum. Regardless of what happened in their recent past, the man made for pretty good company and was a half-decent fisherman, so she kept him around. "The cafe was out of creamer, hope you like it bitter."

[charliejackson]

After he'd spent the morning fishing, risen from bed before the sun and his line hitting the water just as the sun had begun to peek, Charlie had gone home and cleaned up before coming to the bar. There were things he needed to take care of in the office but sitting with the patrons for a beer or two first seemed to be in order. "Ah, just my usual," he'd told Paloma when he glanced at her with a small smile touching his lips. "Been busy, huh? When did it start?" Her apology conveyed that she was taking care of all of this on her own and Charlie glanced around to see where her help was before his eyes landed back on her. "You need a break? I don't mind hopping back there." In fact, bartending and hanging with everyone was generally quite enjoyable.

starter for anyone (capped at 3)

location: drunken seagull

The evening was busy as the tourism season was beginning to pick up more with the nicer weather that had come around in the last few weeks. Paloma had just served another customer, finding her way back down to the opposite end of the bar. "I am so sorry," Paloma paused, spotting someone new that was sitting at the bar, "I hope you haven't been waiting long." She lifted her hand, wiping the sweat from her brow line with the back of her hand. "What can I do for you?"

[charliejackson]

❝ I was drawn to all the wrong things. ❞

STATS:

Name: Charlie Jackson

Age: 37

Face Claim: Casey Deidrick

Occupation: Professional fisherman & owner of Drunken Seagull

Relationship Status: Single

Gender & Preferred Pronouns: Cis male & he/him

BIOGRAPHY:

As the first born Jackson, just himself and his younger sister, life in Mount Pleasant had been nothing to complain about for Charlie. His parents were laid back. They worked hard but taught their children the importance of enjoying life. It wasn’t meant to be slaved away with mundane just to get by. Education was important and a foundation, and his parents always projected that if he and his sister did well in school then they would have the freedom to grow and experience what they wanted on their own. Of course their parents would always be there if needed but they understood that growing up meant learning through experience and finding what boundaries worked for them. Charlie has no complaints about his childhood. As an average B student he enjoyed time with his friends and adventuring whenever and wherever he could.

It was his father that taught him how to fish and from that young age it had become a life long passion. A pleasure and a sport that would take him through life. Especially the older he got, more competitive he became, and as his skills grew Charlie was able to travel around the world and be apart of fishing expeditions and competitions he never would’ve thought possible. As a professional Charlie won tournaments everywhere and became ranked worldwide. No fish was too big or too dangerous. With being a sports fisherman came a great responsibility to do so humanely and respectfully. Early on in his career Charlie joined foundations that worked on cleaning up, protecting, and saving the oceans. Saving the whales. Conservation became almost as much of a career as did fishing. Balance was what he learned most.

In his early twenties Charlie had moved to Marshall Island and used some of his earnings and notoriety to set up a local bar, Drunken Seagull. To him in made sense, even if it was a little tongue-in-cheek, but it was mostly him being proactive and looking ahead to the future. The older he got the harder it would be to maintain a lifestyle of traveling around for sport. Especially since he’s always held dreams of one day having a family. He’d considered opening a restaurant, a seafood restaurant, but then he had to be honest that he really knew nothing of what that would entail. There was also consideration of enjoyment. Drinking came with the territory of fishing, especially if you were just out with friends or enjoying the solitude on your own, a beer was usually a companion and apart of the mix. Hanging out and chopping it up with others was something he enjoyed, so again, Charlie made something of it. 

A couple of times Charlie got close to settling down. To those dreams of having a wife and a family. But for whatever reason they never truly came to fruition. Either he couldn’t slow down enough to be as present as the woman in his life wanted or there was simply too much drama and a lack of trust. His values are simple and perhaps a little too old fashioned and after finding himself wrapped up in girlfriends that wanted to play too many games, he decided to keep to himself and not date until someone came along and truly changed his mind. Though, now he’s beginning to think he’d turned his emotions and romantic feelings off a little too far and now there’s just no turning back. He’s perhaps even convinced himself that he’s not really actually missing anything.

When his father and best friend passed away, Charlie got on his boat and didn’t return to Marshall Island for a year. The loss and grief he felt turned him even further inward. He traveled all the way to New Zealand and stayed for quite awhile. Mostly he explored and tried to let nature heal him, then he found himself helping others fix their boats and taught people how to fish and it was through those interactions that he started to feel more like himself once again. It wasn’t so much that he was ready to come back when he did, Charlie had just received the news that his mother wasn’t well so he came home and moved her into his house. He takes care of her and takes care of his business. And that’s the life he’s content with these days.

[charliejackson]

CASEY DEIDRICK as RYAN PETERSON Wedding Season (2023)

[charliejackson]

F.R.I.E.N.D.S (1994–2004) S02E22 | The One With The Two Parties

[charliejackson]

Westworld (2016– )