InsaneJournal

Bryan Kristopherson Chalker was born in Heritage, Oregon during the rainy early morning hours of January 3rd, 1972. It was clear from the first that his parents expected great things from him, because they named him for his coolest grandfather, Kristopherson Chalker, the one who moved out of the town and made something big for himself in the world of cruise lines. He was born into an already-family; his parents already had a son, Bill, who was two years older. Little postnatal Bryan did not have long to lament the fact that he was merely number two. Soon after, Danny was born, followed by Patrick and finally sister Alex.

Growing up, Bry learned to act as the second-in-command of the Chalker Kid Army. He idolized his older brother Bill, even if there was the occasional resentment that he never got to be in charge. He loved the power of being one of the eldest, though, and he lorded it over Danny and Patrick - especially Patrick because he was sensitive to everything Bry did. As the kids grew, he got more and more in cahoots with Danny and the two of them did all they could to make the younger Patrick look foolish.

Of course, with time and age, Bryan shed off this slightly evil nature. In school, he proved himself a very capable student, especially excelling in English and History. He had a tougher time making friends, in part because of his tendency to get snippy at the oddest of times and also, in part, because he was on the nerdier end of the spectrum. For once in his life, he started to look to Patrick for inspiration. Patrick was popular, for the most part, and well-liked, for the most part. Taking tips from his kid brother, he did his best to even out his temperament and let his sense of humor gain him the friends every teenager needs.

Using his brains to his advantage, Bry got a job out of high school, working as an administrative assistant at a publishing office. It was clear that the young man had a real knack for the business of words and drafts and...whiteout. It wasn't long before he was promoted to an editor there. Then, always desiring to be on top, he took his earnings from the job and was off to college! Okay, it wasn't glamorous; it was Whitlinger. But it was better than not going to college. He majored in Journalism with big dreams of writing all sorts of things, from headline stories to movies. By the time he graduated in 1996, he could not wait to be able to get out of Heritage all together and make his dreams come true.

Saying goodbye proved to be harder than he could've imagined. In fact, it was impossible.

It started as just a faint shortness of breath as he boarded the plane to Los Angeles. He figured that this was only nerves and excitement. Moving into his apartment went smoothly, but once he'd been living there about three days, he noticed that the shortness of breath had not gone away. And worse? He was starting to have horrible nightmares that led to shaking hands and headaches. He would sit in his apartment and all sorts of public places and feel this overwhelming sense of being lost, up the creek without a paddle, hopeless, doomed. He panicked, feeling that if he stayed in that city any longer, it would smother him.

He came home to Heritage a mere month after going to L.A., and moved into a small apartment near the center of town. Getting a job as editor at the Heritage Herald was not a problem for him, though it's a step down on the ladder from where he wanted to be. He told no one the real reason for his return, electing to make up different stories about why he came back as necessary and as amused him. Sometimes the place simply didn't suit him. Other times, he had conned some thugs out of their loot and he was in hiding. Still other times, he had a passionate love affair that ended in heartbreak... which, as it turns out, is not so far from the truth.

But everyone who knew him before can see the changes in him. The smoking, the headaches, the short-fuse temper and the freaking out over small, petty things... Those are all Bryan's souvenirs from L.A.

About 14 years after his not-so-triumphant return to Heritage, the other side of said love affair, Margot Yates, tracked him down. They met for coffee and she revealed that they had a daughter together, an almost 13-year-old named June. Not so surprisingly, this led to him checking himself into the hospital - not only was it a shocking discovery, but the fact that he had missed out on raising the kid was enough to seriously hurt him. He is very testy on the subject, still, but he now has shared custody and he makes sure that June never feels as though she is the problem. He's just not getting the fatherly experience that he'd hoped for.

Around the same time that Margot tracked him down (Spring of 2010), Bryan met Erica Wheeler in a used bookstore outside of town. Going there that day has proven to be one of the happiest decisions of his life. The pair became best friends through emails, phone calls and hanging out - actual, normal communication that Bryan never gives himself credit for achieving. As their friendship developed, a new and different kind of relationship sparked between them. Perhaps Bryan Chalker is meant to have a second chance after all...

Tall and gangly. He has thick, dark brown hair that spoinks out in all directions, unless he tames it down with gel or a goodly amount of water. Which he usually does. He has light green eyes that seem to glow all the time and a long, slender nose. In a word, he is birdlike. Often seen in loose-fitting suits, though he is not adverse to wearing laid back things, such as t-shirts, hoodies and jeans. His eyebrows add to his overall sincere look and he often looks sad, even when totally far from that emotion. When sitting, he usually leans in some direction. His posture leaves something to be desired. He also always, always has a pack of cigarettes Nicorette on him.

Bryan is an odd assortment of foibles. On one hand, he has a dry sense of humor, he loves to joke around, he's a witty conversationalist and a tease. On the other hand, he is reserved, stuck in his head, anxiety-ridden and quick-tempered. It's almost as though he is Bipolar, except that these changes of mood are not as random as that. He just acts a different way depending on where he is, who he's with, what he's doing and whether or not he's taken his medication.

6 Random Facts;
♠ He has Generalized Anxiety Disorder, but he doesn't go into it with most people because it's embarrassing and he doesn't want people to use it against him.
♠ His favorite band is The Who, and not just because he resembles a young Pete Townshend. His favorite song by them is "Whiskey Man".
♠ One of the few things he has been 100% sure of his whole life is that he wants to have a family. Being a successful writer while having it would be nice, but family comes first. This, like much of his life, is kept on the hush-hush.
♠ He loves birds, especially starlings because they are "deceptive".
♠ His ringtone is "I've Been Away" by The Who.
♠ He smokes Marlboros, likes Hendrick's gin and says "fuck" a lot - any conversation calls for "fuck".