JACK DANIELS ● THE BOUNCER ● CLOSED
❝ I wish I could joke about the stick up his ass, but I
think he’d never let me in again. I can’t even begin to
tell you how many times he’s kicked me out
for inappropriate behavior. But the day he stops being
a stiff, is the day that I’ll stop being inappropriate. ❞
THE SINNER. TW: DEATH, CAR ACCIDENT
He’s the face you see every Saturday night, uncaring of the feats of others to get themselves into The Vices, whatever their excuse. He’s not afraid to kick you out, either. You’ll see drunken girls, and guys, throwing themselves at him, babbling on about how good looking he might be or how he needs to loosen up and not be so ‘cold’ in his approach to others. More often than not, he spurts out sarcastic comments and callous replies not even the sober can catch onto.
But, ’Jack Daniels’ wasn’t always so abrasive, so withdrawn, so impossible to read. He had a relatively normal upbringing, if not for the fact that his father was one of the best editors in the city of Brooklyn. Christian was sure to follow in his father’s footsteps, or so everyone thought until he started conveying his love for writing books, rather than being the one editing them — a task he most definitely couldn’t stand. When he was thirteen, he was told that he was, in fact, adopted; and whilst this was difficult to process, he loved his parents nonetheless.
College brought about the kind of love he’d never experienced before, not with any of his past girlfriends. She was different, striking, and continuously challenged him to be the better version of himself. She challenged him on so many levels, including intellectually. The two bounced off of one another like they’d never experienced before. And like any other love story, after much bickering, the two fell madly in love. It was some years after college — just three years ago — that the two were set to marry with a baby on the way. But alas, not every story ends up like a fairytale.
One night after a bitter argument about something Christian can’t begin to remember, not even now if he tried, his fiancee decided to get behind the wheel, and he let her. It was a simple choice, one overshadowed by the anger he felt as a result of his fiery temper. A choice he could’ve easily made to have prevented such an outcome. That choice would be the greatest mistake of his life, if not for the fact that he’d just lost his entire future — both his wife to be, and unborn child.
Nothing can quite explain the grief that comes after a loss like that; it buries itself into the pits of your soul, tainting every bone in one’s body, infecting Christian’s very veins with a darkness so great, he was never quite the same again. After months of staring blankly at nothing in particular, surrounded by a suffocating mother who only wished to take away his pain, and far too much takeaway packaging he’d never bothered to clean up, Christian decided that his only choice was to leave everything behind. The pain from having lost everything was debilitating, all powerful in destroying every part of who he was.
And that’s how he ended up in Toxic City. The reason why he’s so very bitter, dark and uncaring of everything going on around him. The reason why he’s so pointedly focused on doing his job and perfecting every part of it ‘cause.. if he allowed himself even one moment of fun, one moment to think about his past and regrets, he might just drown himself whole.
Jack Daniels is now the bouncer of Forbidden Vices, and a tough one to get past at that. He doesn’t take shit from anyone, particularly those who are stupid enough to try and press his buttons. Upmost loyalty is everything he stands for, particularly to his ‘Drinks’ family, even though he displays little affection towards them. They know him as Jack, but he’s introduced as JD to everyone who’s not a part of the The Vices team. He refuses to tell anyone of his real name, fearing any connections or links to his past. He also takes his job very seriously, so much so he rarely, if ever, cracks a smile.
To most, he’s seen as someone cold, uncaring, and with little personality (unless you happen to catch one of his sarcastic comments, in which you’ll realise the boy has wit). Underneath it all was a man who loved fiercely, lived passionately, and cared beyond recognition. A man who fuelled his creativity with a laptop, typewriter, or book. Who observed the lives of others as inspiration to the characters in his story. A young boy who was the class clown throughout high school, leading into college where he was known as the party animal. A guy who liked to have fun. Unfortunately, Christian remained dormant, while Jack Daniels prevailed.
