playthings

Joaquin Fischer, a puppeteer at the Amphitheatre. A part of FreakshowHQ.

[joaquinfischer-blog]

Early Mourning || Sky & Joaquin

[joaquinfischer-blog]

sky-reed :

Sky was - shaken. How could she not be when she saw that people were disappearing, going some place where she wasn’t sure they were okay. What frightened her more is she had always been on the island, but she hadn’t ever noticed the pattern. 

She didn’t like splitting up, and for the most part only did so because she was to nervous to say no. Still when she saw others she cared about leave she couldn’t help but want to pull them to her to make sure they would be okay.

Still out of everyone she knew that she would probably work the best with Jo. After all he had a pretty cool head from what she knew and if she found any of the others she would almost immediately try to heal them. 

He eyes went to him when he talked and she nodded. “I - one time I thought I heard someone screaming not to far from where were going. Spencer - well she pulled me away because - I don’t think it was human. If that’s right, we’d probably should.” 

Her voice was low like she wasn’t quite sure what she was saying wasn’t a fairy tale and she had put it out of her head as madness. 

“I don’t have anything though. I’m not much of a fighter.” To put it lightly the good doctor wasn’t even sure she could hurt someone else if she wanted too, but she didn’t want Jo to leave her behind or worse think that it was too dangerous. 

“But we should head over before it gets to late. I’ll pack some stuff up incase we find anyone.” 

Without much more than a nod, Joaquin took to heart Sky’s (rather important) personal intuition, and ran home to procure some gardening supplies from his apartment’s basement. There wasn’t much of a selection due to the place’s small yard, but after a quick search in the dark, he was able to find a rotary tiller and an old styled rake, with hard metal prongs that looked more like meat hooks than the teeth of a comb. They weren’t supposed to be removed from the property, but seeing as nobody had used them in quite some time, he was sure they wouldn’t be missed for that night.

Though his phone battery was almost full, he didn’t want to chance being stuck without a backup light. He filled a small backpack with a heavy-duty lantern, some spare batteries, and a bottle of water just in case. When he met back up with Sky, he told her about his inventory and let her have first pick of the tools.

“If we run into any danger, I’ll do what I can, but you should have somethin’ for yourself if I go down.” Despite being on edge, he had to chuckle at the words coming out of his mouth. Had he really fled so far from his home just to live this kind of life? 

“I bet this isn’t what you had in mind for your Tuesday night, huh?”

[joaquinfischer-blog]

Early Mourning || Sky & Joaquin

@sky-reed

In an effort to shield his wandering gaze from the stage lights, Joaquin’s eyelids snapped themselves shut. For a moment, he wasn’t sure if he was really a part of the crowd, or suffering quietly in a dream fueled by the horrors of recent events. Had it been the latter, the young man would have awoken safely in his bed after the count of three, and the opening of his eyes. Too bad for him-- it wasn’t the case.

As they split up into groups, the only thing on Jo’s mind was how fortunate he was to have been spared. Some of the ones who’d been kidnapped were people he was around almost daily, and if they were so easily accessible for abduction, he was only flying free on the wings of chance. He looked anxiously at his phone to be sure there was reliable battery life, and turned to Sky.

“You don’t think we’re gonna need any weaponry, do you? I mean... we have no idea what the fuck is out there.”

[joaquinfischer-blog]

rubyredsongbird :

   “you are what you wear.~” her voice rang like a chime. if ruby were to be honest with herself, she’d realize that she had a problem – a spending problem. commentary on all the overflowing clothing in her closet wasn’t missed, even from the other room. “chanel, gaultier, or giorgio armani ?? moschino, alaia, or norma kamali ?? should I rock the betsey johnson ?? or stick with classic comme des garçons ??” she peeked out from behind the curtain that hung in place of a door. “—- and let me just add that there’s NOTHING ironic about my love for manolo blahnik.” 

                    ( @joaquinfischer )

“Girl, I should’a told you before, but I don’t speak Italian,” Joaquin chuckled as he climbed up comfortably on one of the nearby chairs. Ruby’s sense of fashion was famously strong (around the town at least), but despite knowing this, it never occurred to him that all of the unique pieces she sported had to accumulate somewhere. Of course, that was the logical idea, but when Ruby pulled back the curtain to her room, she might as well have been revealing the Wizard of Oz.

“It’s really too bad I’m not a chick, y’know. If it was me instead of Hanna in the other room, I’d walk up in there like it’s a TJ Maxx,” he admitted, before Vogue-ing and whispering the phrase: “Maxxinista...”

[joaquinfischer-blog]

thefirebug :

           once you got to a certain part of the strip, it was quieter. closer to town, you had merchants hawking their wares by calling out to those passing by, bragging about the quality of their fruit, their hand-made jewellery. HERE, it seemed as if no one dared to speak above a whisper, as if the decrepit buildings would be brought down by any sound louder than a pin-drop. the appeal of this part of the strip lay in the variety of the things it had to offer - things that were no longer made, things brought here from far-off places, things most ordinary people had no use for. when boredom got the better of matty ( as it often did ), he sometimes chose to counter it by taking a stroll down the strip. every trip to the strip, of course, included a visit to penelope’s bakery.

         he had just taken a bite out of a freshly-baked blueberry bagel when he stopped outside of the antiques store, which he usually took as his cue to turn back. today, however, matty stared at the store front in contemplation, before stepping inside. perhaps he’d be able to find something to bring back for ruby, a SURPRISE to alleviate the things that were currently weighing heavy on her mind, even if only for a little while.

          matty had just sighted a box of vinyl records that looked worth thumbing through, before a familiar voice piped up from behind. turning, he found it was JOAQUIN. the very sight of the puppet master brought back the recent memory of being slapped across the face, a phantom stinging sensation making itself felt in his cheek, and matty narrowed his eyes. still, he found it in himself to smirk at the guy.

         ❛ what’s it l o o k like i’m doin’? a man can’t indulge in a little ANTIQUING in his downtime? ❜

With a raise of his brow, Joaquin opted not to challenge his fellow mutant in a store he planned on returning to later. But if Matty was bitter about his gift of the slap, he didn’t make it very obvious. The puppeteer should have, perhaps, taken that in stride-- but it wasn’t in his nature to sit back and let an opportunity to be petty pass.

“I guess I can accept that. Not like I know your interior decorating habits... For a second there, I thought you’d gotten lost.”

As he returned his gaze to the table, he found it a little difficult to concentrate on his mission, knowing who was standing just a few feet away. He was almost ashamed to think of the simple proximity getting under his skin, but it wasn’t like the feeling was anything new. Just a fresh face filling in for someone old.

[babylonbabys]

Richard Teschner with his puppets, 1914

[joaquinfischer-blog]

phantom-luna :

“Huh,” she responded, “That’s pretty darn interesting - not just saying that man, that does make so much more sense.” Luna paused for a moment “So this just a hobby of yours or you making some cash for this wicked shit?” Luna never thought she’d have interest in painting wood before, but she supposed it was art in its way - and art was definitely her thing, although she preferred to stick to sketches.

Even if she had been blowing smoke up his ass, he was ready to take it all as a compliment anyway. At her financial query, the puppeteer snickered devilishly to himself before replying:

“This, my friend, is the shit that keeps a roof over my head. Since the last puppet master went ghost, the performers’ cut of ticket sales go all to me-- so I’ve been getting a little extra cushioning lately.” 

He gave the eyeless, varnished dummy head in his hand another look-over, and without any effort, spoke through its hinged jaw, “They work ya’ twice as hard, but’cha can’t beat stability, eh?”

[joaquinfischer-blog]

@thefirebug 

   After a thoughtful assessment of his prop selection for the upcoming Two Gentlemen-inspired show, Joaquin decided he’d have to make a trip to the antiques and oddities shops at the end of the strip. What the stage crew had produced was beautiful enough for the audience to be immersed in the city of fair Verona, but if he was to feel immersed as an actor, there needed to be just a little bit more to obtain the full effect.

   While this particular shop wasn’t nearly as splendid as his old friend’s back in Chicago, it certainly had enough to make do with. After spending some time casually browsing a section dedicated to old pin-up advertisements, he found his way to a table with an array of vintage leather satchels, of varying shapes and sizes. And not too far off, porcelain doll accessories and apparel. 

   He was one of a few oddball customers snooping their way around the (rather large) place, and when he felt himself drawing near to one of them, he lifted his head to give a polite acknowledgment-- only to realize it was none other than Matty the mutant Zippo.

“Dude... what are you doin’ here, man?”

[joaquinfischer-blog]

Joaquin Fischer;

The task: A SACRIFICE. Receive five slaps, (refer here) or take one slap, and hand the rest off to four other people.

The puppeteer’s mild expression turned stony once his fate was dealt. It wasn’t nearly as awful as some of the other tasks he’d seen distributed, but if there was one thing that could put him down, it was having a violent hand laid on him-- for any reason. He brought himself to meet the eyes of the announcer (who was grinning far too eagerly for Jo’s liking) and without a second thought, declared he would only want to receive one of those stupid slaps. 

As if someone was piloting him from within, he carried himself up the steps to the platform before an audience of familiars, and unfamiliars alike. There was a trembling in his hands that went mostly unnoticed by onlookers, but he himself was well aware it was a struggle not to shake with rage. It was over in a matter of seconds, but even with a (forcefully) relaxed jaw, the slap unleashed by the announcer’s rough hand nearly knocked him over, and the stinging in his cheek would last for dozens of minutes. No time was wasted before the slapper continued:

“That leaves FOUR slaps for some very lucky people! Or should I say... unlucky?” They chortled at their own sorry sense of humor before requesting some names. Who’s it gonna be?

And the names that fell from his tongue were the last few faces he’d seen on his way to the event. Whether or not they’d take it personally was no concern of his.

@thecopycvt @phantom-luna @thefirebug @sterlingspeaks

[joaquinfischer-blog]

🙌 !!

Peter Shi {fc Harry Shum Jr} was the first roommate Joaquin ever had while living in Chicago. He was fresh to the Windy City, and Peter was one hell of a tour guide in their three month stint together. He was a club promoter, and when Jo wasn’t working, he was almost certainly dragged out to experience all of the delights the Chicago night scene had to offer. And on nights in, their apartment was just another party pad.

People were always coming in and out, staying for drinks and ‘light’ drugs and chatting up storms about their individual lives. Though he’d tease Jo about them consistently behind closed doors, when people got drunk enough to talk about the puppet display in the corner, Peter was always the first one to mention Joaquin’s upcoming shows and get the kid’s signal boosted. At first, it felt like the older man was pulling chains, but when more and more (vaguely) familiar faces began showing up at the gigs, it was all thanks to him.

 Taking the good with the bad, Peter had opened up a whole new perspective for Joaquin about who the ‘people’ were and what they ‘want’, and more often than not, how to give it to them.

[joaquinfischer-blog]

thcdestroyer :

      —♛ Beatrix let out a disgusted groan. ❝ Ugh, parents. ❞ She practically spat the word with so much venom one could argue they could ACTUALLY see it. ❝ Can we just skip Freud and the Oedipus Complex? ❞ The brunette said with a roll of her eyes yet the playfulness in her tone never vanished. The people involved in the technicalities of her birth were a subject she tended to avoid, because what she buried in the past STAYED that way. Hearing his answer to her earlier question had her laughing softly, ❝ —that was a good one. ❞ Then with eyes glinting with mischief she added as an afterthought. ❝ Though some people would ARGUE the most unholiest place would be my home. —That is, if you believe those pesky rumors about me causing TROUBLE. I mean, I’m a perfect angel, right? ❞ 

Joaquin winced at the implications behind her references. The thinnest needle of awkwardness punctured its way into his brain and made him struggle to keep up. Why did she have to remind him that such theories existed? Why did she have to act so cutely while she did it? 

“I mean... I think that would depend on the person’s idea of an angel, no? There are people who think they’re like, some kind of abstract creatures of light--” Then he cut himself off, wondering about what she’d said about the rumors. “But as far as I can tell, you seem pretty ‘angelic’ by my standards.”

[joaquinfischer-blog]

🙌

[For this activity.]

   Thomas Foster {fc Dule Hill} was the theatre effects salesman who Joaquin bought his most popular puppets from while he was beginning to explore his options. He’d come back nearly every week to look at the niche selection, and by his fifth visit, they had struck up a brief friendship that would last until about a month before Jo left for Algaeca. 

   One by one, he expanded his collection, and every time Thomas was there to tell him a story from his former life in television (public broadcast, but television nonetheless). The salesman was pleased to see a young man like Jo taking interest in a recently obscured art like puppetry, and would often commend him on the pursuit of his path. Without much support back home, that encouragement helped keep him moving when things in Chicago became challenging. Thomas also played a big role in Joaquin’s life teaching him about forming believable characters, which aided him in finding the success that would keep himself fed and comfortable.

   When it finally came time for Thomas to move away with his new wife, Jo had known about it for weeks. Most of that time was spent in denial, but once he was gone, the young puppeteer couldn’t believe such an incredible man had stepped out of his life so easily. There isn’t a single puppet performance at the Amphitheatres that goes on without at least three characters inspired by Thomas’s teachings.

[joaquinfischer-blog]

🙌

[For this activity.]

   Taylor Auburn {fc Vanessa Morgan} was a comedian in Chicago working on getting her name out there while Joaquin was scrambling for gigs. They each found some steady nights at a lesser known joint on the skirts of town, which gave them a sliver of hope in a time of endless uncertainty. While they weren’t performing their individual acts, the two quickly became friends, and would spend all night foolishly flirting and laughing at the bar until closing time. She was the closest thing he’d ever had to a girlfriend, spending time with her each weekend without a care until the sun came up. They even booked multiple different venues to get a taste of touring together. She was a highlight in his life– that lasted a mere four months before coming to an abrupt end.

   The night his powers were revealed, they had said their goodbyes with the intent to see each other the next day. The horrors of what happened were so powerful, she didn’t return to his mind again until a day later, her name buzzed onto his phone screen with a “where r you?”. He was incredibly upset about having to leave her behind, and rather than block her number, he ditched the phone altogether and never looked back. 

   After hearing rumors about the incident, she currently believes him to be dead.

[joaquinfischer-blog]

🙌

[For this activity.]

   Evylyn Fischer {fc Nicole Beharie} is the oldest of Joaquin’s three sisters, and out of every other sibling, she was the one who showed him the most care while they were still living under the same roof. She was more into crafting than she was with dolls, but she’d go as far as to ask for them around holidays, knowing Jo would be the one to end up playing with them. It wasn’t possible to always be his protector, though, as she needed to devote her time and focus to obtain a college scholarship for her teaching degree. Given the gap in their age, she left home when he was still quite young.

   Though their time together wasn’t nearly as long as either of them would have hoped for, the memories they made for each other have significant weight against the rest of their rambunctious family clan. They parted ways on a positive note, but so far, contact seems to have been lost with distance and changing phone numbers.

[joaquinfischer-blog]

rubyredsongbird :

          caught up a little too readily with a glass of wine in hand, she hardly realized in the process of catching up with an old face that they were missing out on the closing ceremony. despite it being just outside of the cafe’s door —- ruby was content to stay put. until the SCREAM.

                    with emerald eyes wide, a glance darted towards joaquin; with palms against, she lifted herself away from the table. there was more than one type of scream in this world; more often than not they were varying degrees of screams of excitement or screams of h o r r o r. without a doubt in her mind, this one matched the latter category.

          what NOW? did she truly wish to know? it was the same type of curiosity that killed one’s cat that drew her outside. cats, however, have nine lives. unspoken, but she could feel joaquin behind her as she pulled open the door greeted by those equally concerned, equally confused.

                   “what’s going on??” she asked of no one in particular right before she saw it. through her own eyes hazed in crimson. seeing it in others, her stomach dropped, her hands began to shake, clammy in a cold sweat.

          face grown pale in no time, she brought a hand to wipe her eyes —- trembling as she couldn’t clear them, as she couldn’t make it stop. were the blood not already streaming down her face, the tears would have stung. a panic within, desperate for it to stop, desperate to regain control of her body. a stream of red from nose and ears.

                    mind raced, unable to stray from the panic felt of wishing it to stop, the sensation of HELPLESSNESS. so surged it was dizzying as the dramatic hysteria within the redhead alone spread like wildfire. light in the head, within minutes her body shut down. had it even been minutes?? or second that felt as much.

          fainted. collapsed at the puppeteer’s feet. what a day for reunions.

          ( @joaquinfischer )

As anxious as he was to be catching up with an old friend, there was something about Ruby that put Jo’s mind at ease. The drink he was sipping on also did its part to slow the pace of his heart as he enjoyed their time together. He almost didn’t acknowledge the sudden chorus of shrieks and hollers until she did, and once she did...

“Wait-- how about we don’t--? Ruby?!”

He remained in his seat for a moment, hoping Ruby might sit back down and let whatever was happening out there have its distance from them. From the sound of it alone, he couldn’t understand what made the woman so curious to chase after it. But nevertheless, he was only a few strides behind when he watched her go down.

The fainting was surely a shock, but what happened next sent the puppeteer’s sense of reality through the spin cycle. The only other time his face ran so violently with fluids was when his brother mistakenly deployed their sister’s mace in the family room-- but this? This was pure blood.

“Shit, shit. Okay,” he stuttered to himself helplessly as he knelt to help Ruby back inside, but only managed to hold her under the arms when a gaggle of frantic people swarmed around them.

[alannasroleplaymemes-moved]

Send a 🙌 and I’ll introduce you to an NPC related to my Muse.

This means any minor ‘background character’ in my Muse’s life, such as a relative, coworker, friend, rival, etc. that they interact with in their personal canon. 

[joaquinfischer-blog]

phantom-luna :

📚 for me to grab the book nearest to me, flip to a random page, and use the first line of dialogue I see as a starter 

@joaquinfischer

“But… can I ask why?” Luna looked at him with a profound look upon her face. She hadn’t known this one long at all, and yet the words he spoke of brought a deep curiosity in her. 

Ever the egoist, Joaquin’s days were always made by people asking questions about him. He wasn’t exactly looking to be a star, but when individuals showed interest in the minutiae of his art-- he felt like a Bob Ross with less hair.

“Because regular paint just kinda sits on the surface and looks tacky, but when you actually stain the wood-- that’s how you get the features to come out. That is why I’m so passionate about the staining.” 

[joaquinfischer-blog]

thcdestroyer :

      —♛ The brunette listened to the male with amusement coloring her features. She had never been one for such conversations, remaining to believe in nothing, therefore no expectations or disappointments could disturb the ALMOST perfect life she had constructed. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t indulge in the theoretical aspect of it, even if it held little to no interest to her. Beatrix cupped her hands under chin with an intrigued smile curling her lips. 

      —♛ ❝ I’m pretty sure it’s ‘sin-free’ because it’s meant to be a children’s park. ❞ Retorted the teasing female with an arched eyebrow. ❝ I’m curious, if Walt Disney World is the holiest place—- then which is the most unholiest? ❞

“Ah, but that’s just the thing-- children wouldn’t give two damns about ‘sin’ unless their parents put the fear in them while they’re bein’ raised. It’s all about the parents,” he pointed out, hoping to sound clever. Most of the ideas were borrowed, but with the way Beatrix was looking at him, he would keep talking in circles all day. But, once she threw out another question, his train of thought ceased with a disastrous crash. What could he say without sounding cliche? 

“........ Wall Street.”