julian aguilar

julian aguilar • 48 • antique restoration / river north art district / rp blog for coloradohq.

[julianantiques]

if you’re hearing EVERYDAY by BUDDY HOLLY playing, you have to know JULIAN AGUILAR (HE/HIM; CIS MALE) is near by! the FORTY-EIGHT year old ANTIQUE RESTORER has been in denver for, like, TWENTY YEARS. they’re known to be quite QUIET, but being RESOURCEFUL seems to balance that out. or maybe it’s the fact that they resemble PEDRO PASCAL. personally, i’d love to know more about them seeing as how they’ve got those BURSTS OF INSPIRATION IN THE LATE EVENING, POWDERED SUGAR DONUT, ALWAYS AT THE WRONG PLACE AT THE WRONG TIME vibes. and maybe i’ll get my chance if i hang out around the RIVER NORTH ART DISTRICT long enough!

TW: none

FULL NAME: Julian Aguilar AGE/DATE OF BIRTH: 48 / June 6th GENDER: Cis Male HOMETOWN: Miami, Florida TIME LIVING IN COLORADO: 20 years NEIGHBORHOOD: River North Art District OCCUPATION: Antique Restoration

+ dependable, hardworking, resourceful - quiet, disorganized, indecisive

quick notes –

grew up in miami, was mostly raised by his grandma

moved to colorado after she passed away

has a sister (34-38) and a niece (she’s 18-22) that moved to colorado with him too

antique repairs and restoration was not what he set out to do in life but it’s where he ended up and he got good so he stuck with it

his main thing is ceramics (vases and creepy porcelain dolls and stuff like that) but he’ll do some woodwork and can restore some metal pieces. if he gets an inquiry about something he’s not comfortable doing he refers the job to friends that are more skilled

his niece runs and creates content for his business instagram. he's not 100% sure how it works, he never checks it. he only checks the inbox where business inquires go.

i want to pretend he has a good relationship with the owners of afterlife antique and that they worked out a deal where he pays them a percentage of whatever he charges for any jobs they throw his way

struggles with insomnia so he’s out and about at irregular hours pretty often

has taken on all sorts of hobbies to keep him busy when he can't sleep. he has a bunch of potted plants from his venture into horticulture. right now he's into baking.

he is messy and disorganized but he knows where everything is so he doesn't think it's a problem

background things –

past: he grew up in miami and was mostly raised by his grandma. he always helped around the house and that extended into helping with his little sister when she was born. as 'man of the house' he was taught that taking care of them and making sure they were okay should always be his priority. he took on that responsibility without complaint and learned to always put them first. his grandma passed away when he was still young, leaving him to watch over his sister. twenty years ago, she got pregnant and decided to keep it. the family was less than supportive, and rather than deal with it, she chose to move away. julian dropped everything and went with her.

family: grandparents (deceased), mother (alive), father (unknown), sister (34-38), niece (18-22). also many aunts and uncles and cousins. lots of family friends that are like family as well. he has gone NC with most of his family because of the way they treated his sister when they learned about her pregnancy.

education: did two years of community college, was aiming towards an accounting degree. he hated it, but he wanted a career that would lead to a stable job. he wanted to pursue art, but never did, because money. dropped out before completing a degree due to his grandmother's health. he lied, told her he was still attending college.

work: main source of income was construction and handyman sort of work when he lived in miami. fell into antique repairs sort of by accident. he learned from a neighbor who ran a shop. he had just started getting clients through word of mouth when he left it all behind to move to colorado. he worked foodservice and did handyman work to supplement his income while he built a working relationship with the owners of the antique store. twenty years later, he has a successful antique repair business, but he still takes on odd jobs whenever the opportunity presents itself.

connections –

armando leal ortega: best friend. his niece’s old art history professor. emily knight: he’s a regular at the diner where she works and they struck up an odd friendship. she’s his weird little friend. carleigha ortiz: book club buddies. met stargazing. zeke loomis: fellow dog lover. likes to be around to help with training if needed. alvaro armas marical: fwb but secretly maia kelly: neighbors. reminds him of his sister when she was younger. bianca gagliardi: friends and he loves her lots. ripley bennett: fellow horror movie enthusiast. they talk when he goes to see horror movies at star city denver. carter brandt: friends. rhett lancaster: old man friends banks rainier: knows him as the grouchy man from the cat café his niece loves. chance monroe: fan of his band mason carroway: regular at her café, helped a bit with work at her place amiria hall: chaos friends tess davies: friends, loves her and her little daughter lots

[ofwishfulthinking]

"Well..." The word dragged on because Tony wasn't quite sure how to reply. There was nothing wrong with his per se, but sometimes a refresh was needed. "I might be bored of it," he finally admitted. "You ever get to that point where you think that changing your hair will fix all the problems in your life?"

[julianantiques]

“Oh.” He didn’t quite understand, but it made more sense to him if he thought of it as changing a shirt. Hair dye was more permanent than that, but still. “Changing my hair?” He ran a hand through his hair. He had worn it in the same style for years, the only change being the increasing amount of gray. “I mean. No, but I get it. What’re thinking of doing with it?”

[aetherfms]

“They’re one of the few good memories that I have of that time,” she replied with a shrug as she brushed off plenty and boiled it down to a highlight that continued still as she smiled when she watched the other look at Hank. “He won’t bite.” Though he might be working, Logan was okay and could breathe a bit easier with having the distraction of the other’s conversation as well as the distance between her and other people. At least she hadn’t been knocked into again, instead choosing to walk with the other’s guidance towards the delicious smell. “You sure you don’t work for them? You find lost souls and bring them with you, promising good food to go with them and then sell them everything that they can?”

[julianantiques]

Julian was curious. He had opened his mouth to ask, but got sidetracked when she said Hank didn’t bite. “Oh, I didn’t think he would! I just don’t want to distract him.” He knew better than to pet a working dog. He led them both towards the stall with the caramel roasted nuts, still thinking about what she had said. He pushed the thought away with some effort, telling himself this wasn’t the place to ask such questions, nor was he the right person to be asking. “I really don’t!” he said with a laugh. “But maybe I should talk to them about earning a commission? You’re not the first person I bring here.” He pushed his way into a corner of the stall, making room for the both of them (and Hank) and exchanged some pleasantries with the owner. “I always get the sampler tray,” he said, turning to Logan. “I like all their flavors and I can’t ever make up my mind, so it’s perfect. If I get one, will try them?”

[healthyselvcs]

open !! @chqstarter where: hell & highwater

it wasn't his first choice, but his closest choice after pulling a late shift. he was hungry and it had been a rough day to begin with. call after call and all he wanted to do was roll into bed. but dante was known to make bad choices. so he finds himself at hell and highwater, taking his uniform shirt off, having only his plane white shirt underneath and heading into the bar clunky boots in all. when he finds himself at the bar he leans in and orders a bloody mary because it might as well be early morning for him seeing as how his day has gone, a tall glass of water, and a couple of appetizers and a cheeseburger. bar food was always great when you've had a shitty day. "cheers," he says to no one, hitting his glass on the wood table and taking his first drink.

[julianantiques]

The heavy footsteps draw his attention. Julian glanced over, blinking at the new arrival. He could not recall the last time he had seen a fully uniformed firefighter anywhere. Part of him was ready to evacuate in case there was a crisis, but the man seemed exhausted and was removing part of his uniform… and he just ordered himself a drink, so Julian figured there was no imminent danger. Julian nodded and raised his glass to him. “Cheers.” He looked back to his phone and tried to mind his own business, but curiosity got the best of him. “Rough day at work?”

[whiskeyneats]

"You dig it." Alvaro replies, smirking softly. "Maybe it does. You got something to say about it?" He's teasing, of course, taking a step closed to Julian as he moves towards the basket. It was getting pretty full already, and Alvaro truly wondered what they were going to do with all of them. "Oh yeah? If you do the baking, I'll do the dishes. I'm not a very good baker, but I do look pretty good in an apron."

[julianantiques]

Julian grins from where he’s crouched by the basket and decides to play along. “I do keep coming back, so it would seem that I do.” He’s never been shy about wanting him, he’s not about to start now. “No, not at all,” Julian says with a shrug as he looks down at his shirt. “Just thinking about adding a couple more of these to my wardrobe, is all.” A playful grin curves his lip when he stands back up to find Alvaro just a step closer. He reaches for Alvaro’s arm to pull him one step closer still, so the hushed question he asks next is not overheard. “And when you say an apron, you of course mean just an apron, yes?”

[whiskeyneats]

"Tea leaves." Vince clarifies, holding back an amused chuckles. "Let's just stick with the tarot today." He says, shuffling the carefully. "It doesn't have to be a specific question. It's better if it's a bit more on the open ended side. What is it you're wanting to ask?"

[julianantiques]

“Ohh,” he says, feigning comprehension. The only tea he ever buys comes in little bags, so he’s having trouble visualizing what Vince means.  It didn’t matter. He’s suddenly hyper-focused on the shuffling cards, and he feels exposed, like they’re reading him somehow even though he knows (or is almost sure anyway) that’s not how this works at all. “Oh!” His eyes snap away from the cards at the question and he meets Vince’s gaze, wonders if he’s always going to be alone. He wonders that every time he comes back to an empty apartment. But he can’t ask that. He won’t. “Nothing specific,” he lies. “Just, what’s the future looking like, in general? Will I still have work? Will I still be running marathons when I’m eighty? Stuff like that.”

[heyjudeaguilar]

Jude looked over at Julian, not realizing anyone was actually listening to his ramblings. Sometimes he just talked to talk, but it was always nice when there was someone around who could pretend to give a shit. Snorting, he shook his head. "Definitely not business-casual," he said, grinning. "It's, um..." he trailed off, pursing his lips for a moment as he tried to think of the best way to describe it. This guy was cute, maybe he'd seen his show before, wouldn't that be fun? "I'm actually lookin' for stuff that's, like, kinda skimpy? Revealin'? Sexy," he threw in the last word with red cheeks.

[julianantiques]

Julian was still sorting through the t-shirts, lifting his gaze only when the guy trailed off in the middle of his response. He raised a curious brow and wondered how hard it could be to answer that question. Most places had a dress code, some kind of uniform that was required. His own thoughts trailed off, surprise widening his eyes as the guy finally described what he was looking for. “Oh,” was all he could think to say, blinking stupidly as he glanced at the oversized hoodie. “Well, that’s definitely not that, but it does look comfortable, so maybe get it anyway.”

[angiedarlingmd]

closed starter for @julianantiques [julian]

location: Fall Boutique & Craft Fair @ The Green 

keeping her coat tight around her, angie pulled her tote bag higher up on her shoulder. to angie, this was just the perfect weather for a fair before it got too cold and she was, truly, shopping to her heart’s content.

turning to her right, she started to walk down to the next booth when she accidentally bumped into the person beside her. “oh jeez sorry. that’s what i get for being distracted by the crafts.” she leaned down to pick up the bracelet she had dropped on the grass, only looking at the man across her as she stood back up. “oh julian! i was hoping to run into you!” angie exclaimed, wide smile appearing on her face. “i got some gorgeous alder wood and i had this cool idea for it that i was hoping you’d be interested in!”

[julianantiques]

Julian hadn’t come here with the intention of doing much shopping. The fair was a perfect excuse to get out of the house. He had been here for a while, taking his time checking out the crafts and asking vendors questions when something seemed interesting. He went over to the next stall, armed with more soap-making knowledge than he would ever need and a paper cup of hot chocolate that he had purchased somewhere. He raised the cup to his lips when his eye caught a sign advertising candles. He did need some of those. Julian took a sip and a step forward when someone bumped into his raised arm. The hot chocolate sloshed dangerously in the cup, some spilling over the rim but luckily not onto anybody’s clothes. Surprised, he turned wide-eyes on the person, only to be replaced by a smile just as wide when he recognized her.

“Angie!” He pulled her in for a quick hug, happy to see her, and told her not to worry about the incident. He had been distracted by the crafts too, after all. “Oh yeah? I’d love to take a look at it and hear all about it.” He noticed the bracelet she’d picked up, and the tote hanging off her shoulder. “Enjoying the fair?”

[tctteredwings]

for: @julianantiques location: in rino

Aaron was in the middle of unlocking his door when he spotted Julian heading for his own. He was quick to flash a small, shy smile in his direction, and then called out, "Not seen you in the shop for a while." Julian was one of his regular customers and had been for a long time now, so it was always weird whenever one of them disappeared for a little while. "You doing okay?"

[julianantiques]

Julian had just come back from the store with a dozen eggs and a half gallon of milk. He threw a tired smile and a wave in Aaron’s direction when he spotted him. “Really? I was just there last weekend,” he said, confusion knotting his brow. Hadn’t he? He remembered throwing out the wilted flowers, but then... “No I wasn’t. It was the weekend before last.” He shook his head to clear his thoughts. “Yeah, I’m good. Had work and some other things going on, I must have lost track of time.” He unlocked his front door, his grocery bag slipping out of his hand as the knob turned. Julian was too slow to react and merely stared as the bag crashed on the floor, the carton of milk crushing all the eggs. He was silent, as if he couldn't quite register what had happened.

[aetherfms]

“It’s a book, one that I used to read a lot when I was a kid.” And she’d always told herself that the day she got a dog, that she’d name them Hank. He didn’t disappoint, not like so many others as she handed over the bag to the other before tucking the rest of her items away in her own bag. It wasn’t as full as she needed it to be, searching for things to make dinner with but was more ready to get away from the growing crowds of people. Logan shook her head. “I hadn’t. Though I thought the smell had been something I was only imagining so that it would help me deal with all these people.” Her bag was disparaging when it came to sweets.

[julianantiques]

“Oh yeah? Must’ve be real good books then.” Had to be, if she carried the memory of them into adulthood and named her dog after them. Julian grinned down at the dog, but stopped short of petting him. “Oh man, if that’s how the smell made you feel, just wait until you try them. They’ll make you love people,” he joked and motioned for her to follow. “The stall’s this way. The cashew’s are a bit pricier, but they’ve got peanuts and stuff too.”

[writtenwcrd]

"𝓘𝓽'𝓼 𝓷𝓸 𝓲𝓼𝓼𝓾𝓮 𝓪𝓽 𝓪𝓵𝓵-" William said with a charming smile. He wasn't a violent person, only when he had to be (in his self-defense class). "𝓝𝓸, 𝓘 𝓳𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓶𝓮𝓪𝓷𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓘 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓰𝓸𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓸 𝓰𝓮𝓽 𝓶𝔂 𝓫𝓲𝓵𝓵, 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓘 𝓬𝓪𝓷 𝔀𝓪𝓲𝓽 𝓪 𝓫𝓲𝓽 𝓵𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓮𝓻 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓪 𝓰𝓸𝓸𝓭 𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓿𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷." That was if the other was interested in talking a bit more.

[julianantiques]

“Oh, in that case, stay a while. What’s the rush?” He took another bite of his sandwich, his eye following the rude person as they made they way out of the restaurant. Julian nodded in their direction. “Who was that anyway?”

[whiskeyneats]

"What kind of reading are you interested in? Palm, tarot, tea?" Vince asks, though he reaches for his tarot deck just in case. Most people were interested in tarot card readings, but he didn't want to assume. "Is there anything that you're knowing more about? Any questions you're wanting answers to?"

[julianantiques]

“Tea?” Julian asked, unable to keep a hint of incredulity out of his tone. Damn it. “Sorry, I just mean, last time we talked about palm reading and tarot. You can read tea? How does that work?” He set the crystal back on the shelf and wandered over to where Vince had pulled out the tarot deck. “Uh, yeah, I guess. Is… how specific do the questions have to be?”

[carterbrandt]

“Yeah? You’re the favorite uncle for that, right?” Carter mused as he peered over where his friend was pointing out the farm events on the flyer in his hands. “With that choice, I might as well accept defeat this time.” He was about to pull out his wallet as he heard the start of the order choice. Though, Carter halted getting up as he noticed the expression fall on Julilan shortly after he began scanning the Star City advertisement. “Huh?” He questioned. “Oh, does this mean I won the bet?” Carter jested. 

[julianantiques]

“Yup,” he said, beaming with pride. He was the only uncle she had grown up with, but he was sure he would still be the favorite even if that wasn’t the case. Julian peered over the flyer, narrowing his eyes at Carter. “Oh, shut up.” He tried to sound upset, but his tone was tinged with amusement. He set the flyer down on the table and pointed at one title in particular. “This makes no sense. They’re showing Clue instead of Rocky Horror? Clue isn’t even Halloween, it’s a silly little mystery. Whatever, you win. What’re you having?”

[whiskeyneats]

"You sure? 'Cause this whole lumberjack apple picking vibe is doing it for me." Alvaro teases back, returning Julian's smirk. "We'll figure out something to make with these apples. Maybe we should only pick a few more then. I don't wanna end up with a fridge full of apples and nothing to make with them."

[julianantiques]

Julian chuckles and eyes Alvaro from where he stands. “Oh, you’re a bad man.” The handful of apples he’s holding is the only thing that stops him from reaching out to touch him. “Didn’t know flannel did it for you. The things you learn about a guy,” he says with an amused shake of his head. Julian crouches down by the basket to place his apples in, careful not to bruise them. “Just a couple more. I’ll make use of them. I’m shit at pie, but I make great scones. And there’s always jam.”

[professorarlo]

Arlo chuckled as Julian regaled him with the tale of the key lime pie kitchen disaster. "Is your sister really giving you a hard time about your place? I think your place is great," he reassured him. Arlo had always found Julian's home to be a reflection of his friend's personality, which was disorganized, but charming. When Julian asked about his drink, Arlo responded, "No ice, please." He had a personal aversion to ice clinking against his teeth when sipping from a glass. Arlo reached for the bowl of popcorn, grabbing a few kernels to munch on. "Great, let's not keep the movie waiting!" He headed into the living room, placing the bowl on the coffee table before taking his usual spot on Julian's couch.

[julianantiques]

“Yeah.” He couldn’t keep the annoyance out of his tone, but then he sighed and tried again. “I mean, yes and no?” he said truthfully. “She’s just worried cause I’m always here when she drops by to visit. I mean, I work here,” he said, gesturing down the hall, where his makeshift workshop was. “So of course, I’m here, but I don’t know.” He sighed again, poured Arlo’s Coke in a glass. “She keeps giving me little projects to keep busy, as if I have nothing going on.” Julian grabbed both glasses and followed Arlo into the living room. “It’s sweet that she worries, but I wish she would stop.” He set the glasses down on the coffee table and grabbed the popcorn bowl, setting it down on his lap as he flopped on the couch beside Arlo. “Alright, start it! Why’d you pick this one? Have you seen all the other ones already?” Julian teased, grinning at his friend as he grabbed a handful of popcorn.

[fadedstarsfms]

"You know it's bad enough to miss but have you laughing at me is just a shot to the heart." Bianca tried to say seriously before she herself burst into laughter. She was relieved to see that it wasn't his car, relaxing completely. "Well you know I can definitely never say no to your cooking but especially chicken lasagna. That sounds so good right now you don't even know."

[julianantiques]

“I know, I’m really sorry, but it doesn’t have a wonky wheel or anything…” Julian grabbed it by the handle an easily maneuvered it into the cart return. If this was a crime, then he was disposing of the evidence, making himself an accomplice… of shopping cart crimes. Leaving the silly thought behind, Julian beamed when she complimented his cooking. “Thank you! My sister always tells me chicken has no business being in a lasagna, but what does she know, right?”

[ariaxjohnson]

open ( @chqstarter ) location: hell & high water

Working as a bartender certainly had its fair share of ups and downs, and Aria had grown skilled in the art of acting like she gave a shit about the patrons drunken rambles. Although maybe it was her own state of exhaustion from the long week or the fact that she didn't think this one particular person would ever stop, but it was getting harder and harder to keep her annoyance and impatience at bay. Until finally, they decided they've had enough, paid for their drinks with a tip that - despite was generous - still didn't make it worth it, and accepted the ride she had called for them. "Okay, let me know if this is too harsh," she said after they left. "But I'm thinking once anyone starts going on about existential questions about life and the universe, I'm shutting them off." She was mostly joking, but at the very least hoped it gave everyone around her the hint to not try to get her to engage in those topics. "I mean, seriously, who cares if we're living in a simulation, or if we're living in one but a thousand timelines and dimensions? Whatever happened to just living in the moment and making your own meaning out of it?"

[julianantiques]

Julian was seated at the far corner of the bar, but this guy had him wishing he was sitting in the far corner of the room instead. Maybe in the supply closet. Literally anywhere that would get him as far away from the drunk philosopher that would just not shut the hell up. Julian sipped his drink and looked down at his phone screen which was set on the counter, and did his very best to ignore the man’s million questions and Aria’s patient and indulging answers. Answers that were getting increasingly snippy, making Julian snicker and wonder how long it would take the philosopher to notice. Not that long, it would seem, but still long enough to get on everyone’s nerves. Julian took a peek over his shoulder to watch the man (who was somehow still talking?) make his way out the door and climb/fall into his ride home. He glanced back at Aria to listen to her rant, his lips pressed together and an amused twinkle in his eyes as he held back a laugh. “That’s fair,” he said. “But if they go on for too long I think everyone present should be allowed to take a vote to kick them out of here. That was a lot.”