Arthur "Art" Fischer
ohdeardeer
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- 1 year, 7 days ago
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- ohdeardeer
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Profile
Arthur "Art" Fischer
Appearance
Art is a man on the shorter side, broad shouldered and never completely clean-shaven. He has a large, somewhat hooked nose and the ears to match. While such strong features may stand out on another, they fit his face well. His eyes sit lidded on a good day, and are almost entirely eyebags on the worst. Art's most notable feature is perhaps his hands, er, well- the fact that's he's missing both of his ring fingers past the second knuckle.
Personality
Brooding, solemn, and serious are just a couple terms that could be used to describe Arthur Fischer. He doesn't tend to get along with other people and is equally as likely to respond with a grunt than with words. He has a dry sense of humor that only comes out with those closest to him. (re. Hasegawa) He is very closed off and snappish until you get past that shell.
Background
Police Detective: or, when he lost his fingers
Art began his career not as a PI, but as a member of the police force. He is naturally inquisitive and observant and being a detective allowed him to fully utilize those strengths while doing some good. But Art's days on the force were not all great. He did indeed do some good. He was an excellent detective and solved more than one homocide. But solving mysteries isn't the only part of the job. He did not fit in with the other guys in his unit. He was too drawn, not white enough, too interested in the pencil pushers' side of things. Art was straining to just be one of the guys, which led to a somewhat disastrous relationship that colored the rest of his life. While Art can't change his personality, skin color, or interest in just what those forensics guys are getting up to- he can change his relationship status! So he tries to get out and date. And well, he meets someone. Lucy Cantrell. She's perfect. Intelligent, beautiful, and she's more than happy to fill the spaces that Art leaves behind when interacting with others. He genuinely loves spending time with her. And he's actually good at this whole chivalry thing. Her takes her out to eat and they go on walk in the park and to theaters and museums and etc. etc. . .
but all good things must come to an end. The expectations of this relationship begin to strain on Art more than delight him. He loves Lucy, but he's not attracted to her. He tries to make her happy, but he's afraid he'll never be able to have a relationship with her like his detective buddies do with their girls. The fact that he can't be that for her tears him apart. He doesn't understand why he can't, can't even put it into words, he just knows that he's different and that feeling just gets worse and worse the longer he's dating Lucy. So he endevors to let down Lucy the softest way he can. He takes her out to a nice dinner and breaks up with her. This. . . does not go the way he plans. Lucy sympathizes, she loves him and wants him to be happy and to not feel like there's this crushing expectation over him- but in that moment? She's upset and confused and angry. She thought he was going to propose! Her family thought he was going to propose! And unbeknownst to him, Lucy has connections to the mafia. So Lucy goes to her family (no ring on her finger) in anger and explains what happened. And soon she has an uncle or two willing to bash the kneecaps of the man who broke her heart. But Lucy comes to her senses a little, she doesn't want him killed. Despite this, the family decrees a punishment is due. Arthur Fischer must lose his ring fingers, so that he may never wear a wedding ring.
Private Investigator: or, when he lost his sister
Art withdrew further into his shell and into his work after the catastrophic end of his relationship with Lucy. The only people he spoke to (and barely at that) were his best friend Don Hasegawa, one of the forensic scientists, and his sister Katherine (known to her friends as Kitty). Things were, well, not good per se, but better for a while. He burned the midnight oil and put away some real bad men. He got to know Don a lot more, and saw his little sister really begin to grow into someone he was proud to know. Art still grappled with himself, but knowing that his loved ones had his back (even if he couldn't tell them everything) bolstered him.
Losing one of those pillars of support nearly broke him for good. Kitty went to school and never came back one day. As soon as he could, he filed for her disappearance. He was impatient and angry with the those on the case and at one point was even suspended for his behavior. As time went on, leads went cold and interest from both the force and media was lost. She became one of the many missing. But Art would not let her be forgotten. He became obsessive and lost all faith in the profession he once revered. He quit the force, cursing the men who could not and no longer worked on finding his sister. Refusing to accept that there was nothing to be done, Art became a PI, searching for Kitty on his own. He takes on other cases to pay the bills, but his main goal will always be bringing Kitty back.
Relationships
Don Hasegawa
One of the forensics guys, Don specializes in crime scene methodology and criminal psychology. He often refuses to wear his uniform, heavily preferring civvie clothes. He finds Art's enthusiasm for the scientific side of homocidal investigation endearing. His slightly less withdrawn nature and higher value put upon social cues compliment Art's shitty personality well. Don bonded with Art not just over their shared interest in science, but their shared experience of being nonwhite in the police force as well. After Art became a PI, Don continued to help him with cases in secret despite it being a risk to his job. Don saw Art happy and loving before his sister's disappearance, and he would not let Art brood and work himself to death because of it.
Lucy Cantrell
Despite the. . . unfortunate end to their relationship, Lucy does not bid ill will unto Art. It took a while after the incident with her family, but they began a shakey friendship. Being friends suits them much better than dating did. Along with Don, Lucy attempts to help Art through his sister's disappearance and tries to support his PI work. She is much more skeptical about it however. She believes that Art is punishing himself by continuing to search for Katherine and has mixed feelings about the whole situation.
Thomas Sullivan
Thomas is Art's old detective partner. Even after working together for years, they never quite clicked. He thought Art's nature strange and was utterly plumoxed by the happenings with Lucy. Further straining their relationship, Thomas heavily dissaproved of Art obsession with Katherine's disappearance. He thought it good riddance when Art quit the force and often buts heads with him as a PI.
Trivia
Likes & Dislikes
Fun Facts
In a rare moment of impulse, Art got a tattoo. He has the wingspan of a common kingfisher across his shoulders. Not many know about it.Aesthetic
Context
Film Noir
Arthur Fischer is my take on the classic hardboiled detective of the film noir genre. While defining characteristics of the genre are somewhat controversial, there are some I consider canon to Art's universe. To quote Roger Ebert, "Film Noir is . . . Locations that reek of the night, of shadows, of alleys, of the back doors of fancy places, of apartment buildings with a high turnover rate, of taxi drivers and bartenders who have seen it all. . . Movies either shot in black and white, or feeling like they were. . ."
Poem
The kingfisher rises out of the black wave like a blue flower, in his beak he carries a silver leaf. I think this is the prettiest world--so long as you don't mind a little dying, how could there be a day in your
whole lifethat doesn't have its splash of happiness?
There are more fish than there are leaves on a thousand trees, and anyway the kingfisher wasn't born to think about it, or anything else. When the wave snaps shut over his blue head,
the water
remains water--hunger is the only story he has ever heard in his life that he could believe.
I don't say he's right. Neither
do I say he's wrong. Religiously he swallows the silver leaf
with its broken red river, and with a rough and easy cry
I couldn't rouse out of my thoughtful body if my life depended on it, he swings back over the bright sea to do the same thing, to do it (as I long to do something, anything) perfectly.
- Mary Oliver
