TADC off-script AU Jackson

Jackson James Leveret, usually called Jackson or Jack, is a 25-year-old British toon-folk actor who stands at 6'4" (193 cm). He uses he/him pronouns and is a straight ally. He's the actor behind Jax in The Amazing Digital Circus, playing the purple rabbit toon with a more furry, less rubber-hose cartoon design than his on-screen counterpart. The show makes use of green screens and CGI to bring its digital world to life, with the cast acting out their roles on set.

Before becoming a professional actor, Jackson worked as a voice actor. He doesn't have particularly strong feelings about that part of his career; acting is acting, and he's happy to work in whichever format suits the role. Early in his career, he was cast as the lead villain in a superhero movie, and he has no trouble getting into a character's nastier side when a role calls for it. The directors took one look at him and decided he was the one.

Jackson has common traits with Jax and Evil Jax, particularly in his mannerisms and sense of humor for jax . He's theatrical, mischievous, and more than capable of being a pain in the arse when he's comfortable with someone. He enjoys getting reactions out of people, and his teasing tends to grow more familiar the longer he knows them. With newer acquaintances, it's usually stupid jokes and harmless little pranks. With close friends, he's more hands-on, liable to manhandle them, mess up their hair or clothes, and generally behave like an annoying younger brother who hasn't yet learned when to quit.

Sometimes he does take things too far. Jackson can say something genuinely mean without realizing, especially when he's caught up in the joke. He doesn't intend to hurt anyone, softer like E.J with his friends. If Ruth catches wind of it, she's more than willing to snip at him for going too far. Jackson will generally apologize, though it's often a little awkward, with plenty of guilt and the sort of puppy eyes he'd probably deny using if anyone pointed them out.

His own temperament isn't quite as simple as his on-screen persona might suggest. Jackson can be snarky when he's annoyed, particularly with strangers, and occasionally lets a little too much Jax slip into his everyday behavior. Around his friends, though, he tends to be more willing to let things go for the moment and talk them out later, once he's had time to cool off. On set, his responses might be a dry quip or an incredulous, "Wow, that's harsh." The cast knows him well enough to recognize when he's joking, when he's genuinely irritated, and when he needs a little nudge to stop acting like the character he's playing.

Because, to Jackson, Jax is a role. He can be cruel, obnoxious, and downright unpleasant on camera without feeling that those traits define him outside of work. He enjoys playing the character and working with the rest of the cast, even if he occasionally gets a little too comfortable in Jax's shoes and needs reminding to dial it back. He isn't Jax, and he doesn't particularly want to be.

Jackson is observant and has a theatrical streak that comes out most when he's comfortable. He's a theater kid through and through, and his sense of humor can turn an ordinary interaction into a performance if he thinks it'll get a laugh. He's also a bit of a scaredy-cat when caught off guard. His hearing is particularly sensitive, so he wears earbuds when he's not filming to help cancel out loud or unexpected sounds. He enjoys listening to music, but his taste is almost impossible to pin down. If something catches his ear, he'll listen to it. Popular songs, lofi hip-hop, a strange little sound he heard on TikTok, or even some random noise that happens to resemble a beat are all fair game. He's more interested in the melody and rhythm than the lyrics, so his playlists can be a bizarre assortment of sounds that somehow make perfect sense to him.

Being startled is a different matter entirely. A small scare can make his tail disappear, an involuntary toon-folk response that gives away his fright before he can pretend nothing happened. A bigger one can send him leaping in the opposite direction with some ridiculous noise to accompany the movement. For someone his size and with his athletic background, he's remarkably capable of getting himself out of a room in a hurry. Jackson was a track star before acting became his career, and apparently some of that ability remains useful for flinging himself up into the rafters.

As a toon-folk rabbit, Jackson has a few physical quirks of his own. He can control the amount of fluff covering his body, including reducing it when he wants less of it. His fur is dense and meticulously maintained, and he prefers going barefoot whenever he can. He also has a particular weakness for being scratched or petted between the ears, a fact he would very much prefer to take to his grave.

For all his mischief, Jackson has a considerable soft spot for children. He loves when young fans recognize him and keeps an entire room dedicated to the drawings, little gifts, and assorted trinkets they've given him. His patience has its limits, however, and it runs out particularly quickly with paparazzi or people pretending to be fans to get something from him. He despises being exploited and has little time for anyone who mistakes his public image for permission to treat him however they please. Jackson is allergic to cats, including toon-folk cats, which can make some encounters considerably less pleasant than expected. It's an unfortunate trait for someone whose work involves a cast of unusual cartoon characters, though thankfully not all of them come with fur and claws.

Jackson looked up to Damian when he was younger and still admires him, though he doesn't exactly advertise that fact. Damian was someone he grew up watching, and the admiration hasn't entirely worn off now that they're working together. Being British gives them something else to bond over, too. Jackson and Chris are also particularly close, both on and off set, and occasionally meet up for a drink outside of work.

The cast as a whole gets along well, with their dynamic often described as having one collective brain cell between them. Magnolia seems to have custody of it more often than not, while Damian has settled into something of a dad role for the group. He's someone many of them grew up watching, which makes the family-like dynamic all the more amusing. Goose, the show's creator and producer, is rarely seen around the cast, so it's easy to imagine an assistant being left to keep track of the production's day-to-day planning.

For all his confidence and theatricality, Jackson isn't especially interested in romantic relationships. He values platonic affection and the friendships he's built with the people around him, and he's content to leave romance on the back burner. Of course, that doesn't stop people from shipping him with whoever they please.

As for Jackson and Jax themselves, the two would probably fight on sight. Jackson can handle playing a villain for a living, but that doesn't mean he'd enjoy putting up with Jax in person.